Vibration switch

• US 6,555,772 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2001
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tien-Ming Chou
• Original Assignee: Tien-Ming Chou
• Inventors: Chou, Tien-Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Friedhofer, Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/971,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20030066742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 736/49, 736/52, 736/62, 735/041.2, 735/142.9, 735/143.8, 200/61.45 R, 200/61.45 M
• US Class Current: 200/61.45R
• 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 vibration switch includes an electric contact body which is movably disposed in an accommodation chamber of a housing in an upright direction. A biasing member holds and restrains the contact body from moving towards a lower inner wall surface of the housing. A switching unit includes a contact member extending into the chamber, and is placed in one of switch-on and switch-off states in response to movement of the contact body relative to the contact member as a result of an inertial force of the contact body when the housing is jerked to move upwards.

Claims

1. A vibration switch comprising:

a housing mounted on a support in an upright direction, and having upper and lower inner wall surfaces spaced apart from each other in the upright direction, and a surrounding wall interposed between and cooperating with said upper and lower inner wall surfaces to confine an accommodation chamber;

an electric contact body disposed in said accommodation chamber and movable in the upright direction, said electric contact body having electrically conductive uppermost and lowermost ends opposite to each other in the upright direction;

a biasing member having an engaging end disposed to engage one of said upper and lower inner wall surfaces, and a holding end opposite to said engaging end and disposed to hold said electric contact body such that said uppermost and lowermost ends are nearest to said upper and lower inner wall surfaces respectively, and such that by means of a biasing action against weight of said electric contact body, said holding end restrains said electric contact body from moving towards said lower inner wall surface; and

a switching unit including a contact member disposed to extend into said accommodation chamber such that said switching unit is placed in one of switch-on and switch-off states in response to movement of said electric contact body in the upright direction relative to said contact member as a result of an inertial force of said electric contact body when said housing is jerked to move upwards,

wherein said electric contact body is in ball shape, and is made of an electrically conductive material,

wherein said biasing member is made from an electrically conductive material, one of said upper and lower inner wall surfaces having an electrically conductive portion formed thereon, and the other one of said upper and lower inner wall surfaces having an insulating portion formed thereon, said engaging end of said biasing member engaging said electrically conductive portion, said switching unit including an electric contact terminal which is formed integrally with said electrically conductive portion and which extends outwardly of said accommodation chamber, said contact member extending through said insulating portion into said accommodation chamber such that, by virtue of an electrical connection between said contact terminal and said contact member, the movement of said electric contact body to contact with said contact member will place said switching unit in the switch-on state, and

wherein said upper and lower inner wall surfaces are respectively made from electrically conductive and insulating materials, and said surrounding wall is made of an insulating material,

said biasing member being a tension coil spring, said engaging end engaging said upper inner wall surface and being in a looped form having a first dimension so as to permit said electric contact body to pass therethrough, said holding end being in a looped form having a second dimension smaller than the first dimension so as to hold said electric contact body, said tension coil spring having a strength such that said tension coil spring restrains said lowermost end of said electric contact body from moving towards said contact member so as to break an electrical connection between said contact terminal and said contact member, and such that, once said housing is jerked to move upwards, said electric contact body will move downwards to contact with said contact member so as to make the electrical connection between said contact terminal and said contact member.

2. A vibration switch comprising:

a housing mounted on a support in an upright direction, and having upper and lower inner wall surfaces spaced apart from each other in the upright direction, and a surrounding wall interposed between and cooperating with said upper and lower inner wall surfaces to confine an accommodation chamber;

an electric contact body disposed in said accommodation chamber and movable in the upright direction, said electric contact body having electrically conductive uppermost and lowermost ends opposite to each other in the upright direction;

a biasing member having an engaging end disposed to engage one of said upper and lower inner wall surfaces, and a holding end opposite to said engaging end and disposed to hold said electric contact body such that said uppermost and lowermost ends are nearest to said upper and lower inner wall surfaces respectively, and such that by means of a biasing action against weight of said electric contact body, said holding end restrains said electric contact body from moving towards said lower inner wall surface; and

a switching unit including a contact member disposed to extend into said accommodation chamber such that said switching unit is placed in one of switch-on and switch-off states in response to movement of said electric contact body in the upright direction relative to said contact member as a result of an inertial force of said electric contact body when said housing is jerked to move upwards,

wherein said electric contact body is in ball shape, and is made of an electrically conductive material; and

wherein said biasing member is made from an electrically conductive material, one of said upper and lower inner wall surfaces having an electrically conductive portion formed thereon, and the other one of said upper and lower inner wall surfaces having an insulating portion formed thereon, said engaging end of said biasing member engaging said electrically conductive portion, said switching unit including an electric contact terminal which is formed integrally with said electrically conductive portion and which extends outwardly of said accommodation chamber, said contact member extending through said insulating portion into said accommodation chamber such that, by virtue of an electrical connection between said contact terminal and said contact member, the movement of said electric contact body to contact with said contact member will place said switching unit in the switch-on state, and

wherein said lower inner wall surface and said surrounding wall are made from an electrically conductive material and are integrally formed, and said upper inner wall surface is made of an insulating material, said contact member extending through said upper inner wall surface into said accommodation chamber,

said biasing member being a compression coil spring, said engaging end engaging said lower inner wall surface, said holding end being in a looped form to hold said electric contact body, said compression coil spring having a strength such that said spring biases said electric contact body to abut against said contact member so as to restrain said uppermost end from disengaging from said contact member so as to make an electrical connection between said contact terminal and said contact member, and such that, once said housing is jerked to move upwards, said electric contact body will move downwards to disengage from said contact member so as to break the electrical connection between said contact terminal and said contact member.