Multiple sphere motion detector

• US 5,814,778 A
• Filed: 02/06/1997
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Schell Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Schell Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Schell, Jerry
• Primary Examiner(s): Friedhofer, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US08/796,579
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 200/61.45 R-61.45 M
• US Class Current: 200/61.45R
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 35/02 Switches operated by change of position, inclination or orientation of the switch itself in relation to gravitational field tilting mercury container H01H29/20; change of position due to change of liquid level H01H35/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 35/14 Switches operated by change of acceleration, e.g. by shock or vibration, inertia switch wherein the liquid constitutes a contact of the switch H01H29/002

Abstract

A motion detector includes a plurality of electrically conductive spheres contained within a chamber having a height slightly greater than the sphere diameter. In a first embodiment, a top wall of the chamber consists of a circuit board having a pattern of conductive metal installed thereon including one pattern for one conductor and another pattern for another conductor with the two patterns being interrelated so that spheres rolling within the chamber can make and break electrical circuits. In a second embodiment, both the top and bottom walls of the chamber consist of circuit boards having patterns of conductive metal thereon. In either embodiment, the pattern of conductive metal may be spiral-shaped, either circular or elliptical, concentric circles or concentric ellipses, an array of dots or an array of rectangles.

Claims

1. An omni-directional motion detector comprising:

a) a housing having parallel top and bottom flat walls spaced apart a spacing distance by an insulative spacer wall, said walls defining a chamber;

b) a multiplicity of identical spheres having electrically conductive surfaces disposed within said chamber and freely movable therein, said spheres having diameters slightly smaller than said spacing distance;

c) each of said top wall and bottom wall having an internal surface with a generally elliptical pattern of electrical contacts thereon, each said pattern consisting of a first continuous circuit portion and a second continuous circuit portion, each of said circuit portions including a plurality of arcuate contact portions, with said arcuate contact portions of said first circuit portion alternating adjacently with arcuate contact portions of said second contact portion;

d) whereby, when said spheres roll on said internal surfaces, electrical interconnections between said first and second circuit portions of said respective internal surfaces via said spheres occur which may be detected to detect motion of said housing.

2. The detector of claim 1, wherein said circuit portions are spiral-shaped.

3. The detector of claim 2, wherein said generally elliptical pattern comprises a generally circular pattern.

4. The detector of claim 1, wherein said circuit portions are concentric with respect to one another.

5. The detector of claim 1, wherein said electrical contacts are embedded within said internal surfaces and have outer surfaces flush with said internal surfaces whereby said internal surfaces and outer surfaces combine to form smooth continuous rolling surfaces for said spheres.

6. An omni-directional motion detector comprising:

a) a housing having parallel top and bottom flat walls spaced apart a spacing distance by an insulative spacer wall, said walls defining a chamber;

b) a multiplicity of identical spheres having electrically conductive surfaces disposed within said chamber and freely movable therein, said spheres having diameters slightly smaller than said spacing distance;

c) each of said top wall and bottom wall having an internal surface with an array of electrical contact rectangular dots thereon, said array consisting of a first circuit portion and a second circuit portion, each of said circuit portions including a plurality of contact dots, with said contact dots of said first circuit portion alternating in close adjacency with said contact dots of said second contact portion;

d) whereby, when said spheres roll on said internal surfaces, electrical interconnections between said first and second circuit portions of said respective internal surfaces via said spheres occur which may be detected to detect motion of said housing.

7. The detector of claim 6, wherein said electrical contact dots are embedded within said internal surface and have outer surfaces flush with said internal surface whereby said internal surface and outer surfaces combine to form a smooth continuous rolling surface for said spheres.