Shock sensor with a magnetically operated reed switch
First Claim
1. A shock sensor comprising:
- a) a housing;
b) a reed switch having a glass capsule defining an axis with at least one reed disposed along the axis and the capsule having a first end and a second end, wherein the reed switch is mounted within the housing;
c) a first abutment fixed to the housing in proximity to the capsule first end and facing away from the capsule;
d) a second abutment spaced axially away from the capsule, and spaced from the first abutment;
e) a magnet slidably mounted within the housing between the first and second abutments;
f) a load-responsive means for biasing the magnet, said means being mounted between the first abutment and the magnet and adapted to bias the magnet away from the first end of the reed switch while the shock sensor is not subjected to a selected accelerative force; and
to allow the magnet to approach the first end of the reed switch when the sensor is subjected to a selected accelerative force.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A shock sensor has a housing defining an axially extending bore, a reed switch is centered within the bore by means of its axially extending leads and a transverse section of the housing which has an axially extending hole which centers one of the leads of the reed switch with the housing. The other lead of the reed switch is centered by a first retainer, which is fixed within the bore to align the reed switch within the housing with the axis of the housing. An activation magnet, is slidably mounted within the bore of the housing, and has a central hole passing over one of the axially extending leads. The magnet is biased by a spring away from the end activation region of the reed switch, which is near an end of the glass capsule which encloses the reed switch. The spring biases the activation magnet against a second retainer so that when the housing is not undergoing acceleration the activation magnet is biased to a position where the switch is not activated. The first and second retainers and perpendicular mounting leads are welded to the axial leads and are sealed from the atmosphere and joined to the bore of the housing by cast-in-place epoxy.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A shock sensor comprising:
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a) a housing; b) a reed switch having a glass capsule defining an axis with at least one reed disposed along the axis and the capsule having a first end and a second end, wherein the reed switch is mounted within the housing; c) a first abutment fixed to the housing in proximity to the capsule first end and facing away from the capsule; d) a second abutment spaced axially away from the capsule, and spaced from the first abutment; e) a magnet slidably mounted within the housing between the first and second abutments; f) a load-responsive means for biasing the magnet, said means being mounted between the first abutment and the magnet and adapted to bias the magnet away from the first end of the reed switch while the shock sensor is not subjected to a selected accelerative force; and
to allow the magnet to approach the first end of the reed switch when the sensor is subjected to a selected accelerative force. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A shock sensor comprising:
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a) a reed switch having a glass capsule defining an axis with at least one reed disposed along the axis and the capsule having a first end and a second end; b) a tubular housing which extends along the reed switch axis, wherein the housing has a housing transverse portion extending perpendicularly to the axis of the reed switch, the transverse portion having portions defining an axially extending hole, and wherein the reed switch is mounted on the housing; c) at least one lead extending from the first end of the reed switch, the lead extending through the hole in the transverse portion of the housing, and the first end of the reed switch abuts the transverse portion; d) a first abutment fixed to the housing in proximity to the capsule first end and facing away from the capsule; e) a second abutment spaced axially away from the capsule, and spaced from the first abutment; f) a magnet slidably mounted to the housing between the first and second abutments; g) a spring mounted coaxially with the lead, and located between the transverse portion and the magnet, the spring being mounted between the first abutment and the magnet and adapted to bias the magnet away from the first end of the reed switch while the shock sensor is not subjected to a selected accelerative force; and
to allow the magnet to approach the first end of the reed switch when the sensor is subjected to a selected accelerative force; andh) portions of the magnet defining a central hole wherein the magnet is axially mounted on the lead with the lead passing through the central hole, so that the first end of the reed switch, the housing, the spring, and the magnet are all axially aligned. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A shock sensor having an improved minimum dwell time comprising:
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a) a housing defining an axis, the housing having a transverse portion, the portion having a hole along the axis of the housing; b) a reed switch mounted along the axis of and within the housing and having a first end and a second end, the first end having a first axially extending lead, the first lead passing through the axial hole in the transverse portion of the housing so centering the reed switch, the first end of the reed switch being adjacent to the transverse portion, wherein the transverse portion is interposed between the magnet and the reed switch, such that the transverse portion prevents the magnet from occupying a position surrounding the reed switch; and c) a magnet having portions defining a central hole, wherein the first lead passes through the central hole in the magnet, the magnet being slidably mounted about the first lead, the reed switch being responsive to the position of the magnet such that the reed switch is activated when the magnet travels to a pre-selected activation position adjacent to the first end of the reed switch in response to an acceleration force applied to the housing. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A shock sensor comprising:
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a) a housing having linearly extending walls defining a bore and an axis; b) a reed switch spaced within the bore having a first end and a first axially extending lead extending from the first end, the first lead being centered in the bore by a transverse extending portion of the housing which defined an axially extending hole through which the first lead passes; c) a magnet slidably mounted in the bore of the housing between a first position proximal to the first end of the reed switch and a second position distal from the first end of the reed switch, the magnet having a north pole and a south pole aligned with the axis of the bore; and - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A shock sensor comprising:
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a) a housing; b) a reed switch having a glass capsule defining an axis with at least one reed disposed along the axis and the capsule having a first end and a second end, wherein the reed switch is mounted on the housing; c) a first abutment fixed to the housing in proximity to the capsule first end and facing away from the capsule; d) a second abutment spaced axially away from the capsule, and spaced from the first abutment; e) a magnet slidably mounted to the housing between the first and second abutments such that the first abutment is intermediate between the second abutment and the capsule first end; f) a load-responsive means for biasing the magnet, said means being mounted between the first abutment and the magnet and adapted to bias the magnet away from the first end of the reed switch while the shock sensor is not subjected to a selected accelerative force; and
to allow the magnet to approach the first end of the reed switch when the sensor is subjected to a selected accelerative force.
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Specification