U.S. patent number 3,849,756 [Application Number 05/369,852] was granted by the patent office on 1974-11-19 for nitinol activated switch usable as a slow acting relay.
This patent grant is currently assigned to American Thermostat Corporation. Invention is credited to Colin D. Hickling.
United States Patent |
3,849,756 |
Hickling |
November 19, 1974 |
NITINOL ACTIVATED SWITCH USABLE AS A SLOW ACTING RELAY
Abstract
Apparatus usable as a slow acting relay is provided for changing
the state of a switch in response to the presence of a given amount
of thermal energy such as is produced by a selected magnitude of
current flowing in a conductor. The switch which is used in
conjunction with this apparatus is of the type which employs a pair
of relatively movable contacts normally biased to retain the switch
in a first state. A depressible actuating member for relatively
moving the contacts against the bias to place the switch in a
second state is operably connected to a thermally activated
deformation element. The deformation element is in thermal
communication with the conductor and will deform to depress the
actuating member, thus changing the state of the switch, when the
thermal energy generated by the conductor exceeds a given level. A
second embodiment is additionally responsive to the heat generated
by an external heat source. A second thermally activated
deformation element is employed therein which is in thermal
communication with the external heat source and operably connected
to the actuating member to change the state of the switch when the
heat from the external heat source exceeds a given level.
Inventors: |
Hickling; Colin D. (Woodstock,
NY) |
Assignee: |
American Thermostat Corporation
(South Cairo, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
23457188 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/369,852 |
Filed: |
June 14, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
337/382;
337/140 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01H
61/0107 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01H
61/01 (20060101); H01H 61/00 (20060101); H01h
037/50 () |
Field of
Search: |
;337/382,393,140 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Broome; Harold
Claims
I claim:
1. Apparatus for changing the state of a switch in accordance with
the current in a conductor, said switch being of the type having a
pair of relatively movable contacts normally biased to retain the
switch in a first state and an actuating member for relatively
moving the contacts against the bias to place the switch in a
second state, said apparatus comprising a housing for said switch,
a conductor, means operatively connected to said conductor for
controlling the current flowing therethrough, said conductor
generating thermal energy in accordance with the current flowing
therethrough, a lever pivotally mounted on said housing, said lever
being movable between a first position wherein said lever is
operably connected to said actuating member to actuate said member
and a second position wherein said lever is operably disconnected
from said actuating member, and a thermally activated deformation
element in thermal communication with said conductor and having a
first portion operably connected to said actuating member and a
second portion operably connected to said lever, said first and
second portions being relatively close to one another when said
element is in the undeformed state, said element deforming to move
said first and second portions away from each other where the
thermal energy generated by said conductor exceeds a given level
such that said lever is moved to said second position and said
actuating member is actuated.
2. Apparatus for changing the state of a switch in accordance with
the current in a conductor and the heat produced by an external
heat source, said switch being of the type having a pair of
relatively movable contacts normally biased to retain said switch
in a first state and an actuating member for relatively moving the
contacts against the bias to place said switch in a second state
said apparatus comprising resilient means operably connected to
said actuation member, said resilient means being movable between a
first position wherein said actuation member is deactuated and a
second position wherein said actuation member is activated, a
conductor, means operably connected to said conductor for
controlling the current flowing therethrough, said conductor
generating thermal energy in accordance with the current flowing
therethrough, and a first thermally activated deformation element
in thermal communication with said conductor and operably connected
to said resilient means such that the deformation of said first
element caused when the thermal energy generated by said conductor
exceeds a given level moves said resilient means to said first
position.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said resilient means
is additionally movable to a third position wherein said activation
means is deactivated.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3 further comprising a second
thermally activated deformation element, said element being in
thermal communication with said heat source and being operably
connected to said resilient member such that the deformation of
said second element, caused when the heat from said source exceeds
a given level, moves said resilient means to said third
position.
5. The apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising means for
biasing said resilient means to move from said first position
towards said second position.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said biasing means
exerts a biasing force on said resilient member which is less than
the force on said resilient member caused by the deformation of
said first element.
7. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said resilient member
is a lever.
8. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said lever is in
operable communication with said first element when said lever is
in said second and said third positions.
9. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said first element
abuts against said lever causing it to bend sufficiently to
deactivate said activation member when said lever is in said third
position.
10. Apparatus for changing the state of a switch in accordance with
the current in conductor and the heat produced by an external heat
source, said switch being of the type having a pair of relatively
movable contacts normally biased to retain said switch in a first
state and an actuating member for relatively moving the contacts
against the bias to place said switch in a second state, said
apparatus comprising a housing for said switch, a lever pivotally
mounted on said housing and operably connected to said actuating
member, said lever being movable between a first position wherein
said actuating member is deactuated, a second position wherein said
actuating member is actuated and a third position wherein said
actuating member is deactivated, a conductor, means operably
connected to said conductor for controlling the current flowing
therethrough, said conductor generating thermal energy in
accordance with the current flowing therethrough, a first thermally
activated deformation element in thermal communication with said
conductor and operably connected to said lever, said element
deforming to move said lever from said second to said first
position when the thermal energy generated by said conductor
exceeds a given level, a second thermally activated deformation
element, said element operably connected to said lever and in
thermal communication with said heat source, said second element
deforming to move said lever from said second to said third
position when the heat generated by said source exceeds a given
level and biasing means for biasing said lever from said first
position to said second position, said biasing means exerting a
force on said lever which is less than the force exerted on said
lever by the deformation of said first element.
Description
The present invention relates to temperature sensitive apparatus
for changing the state of the switch in response to the presence of
a given level of thermal energy and more particularly to apparatus
for changing the state of a switch having a relatively long
response time such that it may be utilized as a slow acting
relay.
Devices which open or close a circuit in response to the occurrence
of an external event, such as the presence of a selected magnitude
of current flowing in a wire, have been known in the art and take
many forms. Some of these devices are of the purely electrical type
such as those using semiconductor switching devices. The response
of such devices is substantially instantaneous with the occurrence
of the proper biasing potential. Others of the electromechanical
type, such as those which utilize a conventional electrical relay
coil, also respond extremely quickly to current flow through the
coil and for most purposes are considered to respond
instantaneously, However, for some applications it is desirable, if
not necessary, to have a device which will open or close an
electrical circuit at a given time subsequent to the occurrence of
the flow of current in a conductor which exceeds a selected
magnitude. These devices are known as slow acting relays. Although
many attempts have been made to produce a relatively simple,
inexpensive, and reliable slow acting relay, these attempts have
failed for a variety of different reasons, mostly pertaining to the
size or complexity of the devices.
The apparatus of the present invention, which is usable as a slow
acting relay and for a variety of other applications which will
appear to one skilled in the art as the apparatus is described,
utilizes the time lag inherent in the production of thermal energy
by an electrically conducting material as a current flows through
the conductor. This time lag is normally in the order of seconds or
tens of seconds and can easily be controlled through the proper
selection of resistivity of the conductor. Preferably, a resistor
is utilized to produce the thermal energy because resistors of
various sizes and compositions are inexpensive and readily
available. Further, it is easy to determine the amount of thermal
energy a given resistor will generate when a current of a given
magnitude passes through it as well as the time necessary to
develop the given amount of thermal energy. In this way the
response time of the apparatus of the present invention can easily
be determined.
The thermal energy generated by a resistor because of the current
flowing therethrough is utilized in the present invention to cause
the deformation of a temperature sensitive element. This
deformation is then used to condition a switch in order to change
the state of the switch to either open or close an electrical
circuit.
Switches of the type which are utilized in conjunction with the
apparatus of the present invention normally comprise a pair of
relatively movable contacts which are biased by a spring to retain
the switch in a first state and a depressible actuating member for
moving the contacts against the bias of the spring to place the
switch in a second state. Such a switch, for example, might be
connected to control an external electrical mechanism, such as an
electrical heater having a plurality of heating coils. The
conductor of the apparatus of the present invention might be
connected to a conventional thermostat which is responsive to room
temperature. The thermostat, in turn is connected to a constant
voltage source, whose output magnitude is sufficient to generate
enough thermal energy in the resistor to deform the temperature
sensitive element. If, for example, the thermostat senses that the
room temperature is too low, the source is connected to the
conductor thus charging the state of the switch to turn on the
heater. On the other hand, if the room is too hot, the voltage
source is not connected to the conductor and the heater remains
off. The great advantage of the use of the present invention in
such a system is that room temperature is kept more constant due to
the slow response time of the system. Thus, temperature transients
such as those which occur from air currents caused by drafts etc.
which may be of a temporary nature, are not immediately
over-reacted to, as they are in a conventional quick response
system. The slow response of the system acts as a damper to insure
reaction only when a true temperature has occurred in the room.
After the room has returned to the desired temperature, the
thermostat disconnects the voltage source from the conductor,
thermal energy is no longer generated by the resistor and the
deformation element softens. The biasing spring in the switch will
then move the switch back to the original state thus turning the
heater off again.
Further, with certain types of mechanisms it may be important to
control the mechanism in accordance with the occurrence of two
different and independent types of events. Moreover, it may be
desirable to have the apparatus responsive to the occurrence of the
individual events at different response times. For instance, in the
previous example, the mechanism was regulated in accordance with
room termperature. However, sometimes a heating element (which is
normally physically remote from the thermostat) may be
aerodynamically obstructed by, for example, drapes or clothing
dropping on the heater orifice. In this case, the room temperature
may be too low because of insufficient air circulation due to the
obstruction. Thus the heater is kept on eventually causing a fire.
It is therefore desirable to have a device which is slow acting
with respect to room temperature, for the reasons described above,
and yet which has a fast acting response in the event that
overheating of the mechanism itself is occuring because of an
obstruction.
The second embodiment of the present invention is designed to be
responsive to the occurrence of two independent events and with
different response times to the occurrence of the events
respectively. In the second embodiment, in addition to the first
deformation element which is in thermal communication with the
conductor, a second deformation element is placed in thermal
communication with an external heat source, such as the heater
itself. If the heater begins to overheat the second deformation
element deforms to activate the switch in order to open the
circuit, thus turning off the heater. Thus, overheating which
occurs independently at room temperature is immediately controlled
regardless of the room temperature. Further, since the response of
the second deformation element does not depend upon the thermal
energy generated by a resistor, but directly senses the
overheating, the response is immediate such that fire is
prevented.
It is therefore the prime object of the present invention to
provide apparatus for changing the state of a switch in response to
the current flow in a conductor which has a relatively long
response time and which does not utilize a conventional electrical
relay coil or a semiconductor switching device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide apparatus
for changing the state of a switch in which the response time can
be controlled in accordance with the results desired.
It is another object of the present invention to provide
temperature sensitive apparatus for changing the state of a switch
controlling a heating mechanism connected thereto, which, when used
in conjunction with a conventional thermostat can provide a slow
acting response to temperature changes in order to regulate room
temperature in a relatively stable manner.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide
apparatus for changing the state of a switch controlling a
mechanism connected thereto which is sensitive to two independent
events occurring independently or jointly.
It is an additinal object of the present invention to provide
apparatus for changing the state of a switch controlling a
mechanism connected thereto which has inexpensively and easily
produced parts which are reliably mounted for long life and which
can be readily replaced in the event that repair of the apparatus
is necessary.
In accordance with the present invention, apparatus for changing
the state in response to the occurrence of certain external events
is provided. The apparatus comprises a conductor having means
operably connected therewith for controlling the current flowing
therethrough. A resistor is electrically connected to the conductor
and generates thermal energy in accordance with the current flowing
in the conductor. A thermally activated deformation element is in
thermal communication with the resistor and operably connected to
the actuating member of the switch. The element deforms to actuate
the actuating member to change the state of the switch when the
thermal energy generated by the resistor exceeds a given level. A
manual override member is additionally provided which is operably
connected to the actuating member so that the actuating member can
be actuated manually. The manual override member is a lever which
is pivotally mounted on the switch housing to be movable between a
first position wherein the actuating member is actuated by the
lever and a second position wherein the lever is operably
disconnected from the actuating member. The deformation member has
a portion which is operably connected to the actuating member and
another portion which is operably connected to the lever. In the
element's undeformed state, these two portions are relatively close
together. When the current flowing in the conductor generates
sufficient thermal energy to deform the deformation element, these
portions are relatively moved apart. This relative movement pivots
the lever to the second position wherein it provides a structural
abutment such that the change in configuration of the deformation
member causes the actuating member to be actuated. When the
deformation element is in the undeformed state, the lever can be
moved to the first position wherein it actuates the actuating
member. This movement of the lever toward the first position also
serves to reset the deformation element into the undeformed
configuration. Thus, the actuating member can be actuated by the
deformation element or the manual movement of the lever to the
first position.
In a second embodiment, the apparatus is sensitive to the
occurrence of two independent events such as the thermal energy
generated by current flowing in a conductor and the heat produced
by an external heat source. This embodiment comprises resilient
means operably connected to the switch actuation member. The
resilient means is movable between a first position wherein the
actuation member is deactivated, a second position wherein the
actuating member is acutated, and a third position wherein the
actuating member is again deactivated. Means are provided operably
connected to the conductor for controlling the current flowing
therethrough. A resistor connected to the conductor generates
thermal energy in accordance with the current flowing in the
conductor. A first thermally activated deformation element is
provided in thermal communication with the resistor and operably
connected to the resilient means such that the deformation of the
first element, cause when the thermal energy generated by the
resistor exceeds a given level, moves the resilient means to the
first position. A second thermally activated deformation element is
in thermal communication with the external heat source and operably
connected to the resilient member such that the deformation of the
second element, caused when the heat from the external source
exceeds a given level, moves the resilient means to the third
position. Means for biasing the resilient means to move from the
first towards the second position is provided. The biasing means
exerts a biasing force on the resilient member which is less than
the force on the resilient member caused by the deformation of the
first element and therefore does not counteract the deformation of
the first element.
The resilient member of the second embodiment also comprises a
lever which is pivotally mounted to the housing on which the switch
is mounted. The lever is movable between a first, second and third
position. In the first position the lever does not exert sufficient
force on the actuating member to actuate the switch. In the second
position the lever is held under sufficient tension by the biasing
means, which acts through the second deformation element to actuate
the actuating member. This is the normal operating position of the
switch. When the resistor, which is in thermal communication with
the first deformation element, generates sufficient thermal energy
to deform the first deformation element, the element expands in
order to move the lever to the first position. The biasing means
exerts less force on the lever than the deformation of the first
deformation element such that the force exerted by the biasing
means is overcome and the lever moves to the first position thus
changing the state of the switch. The deformation of the second
deformation element, caused by an excess of heat produced by an
external heat source, will move the lever to the third position. In
this position the lever abuts against the first deformation element
causing it to bend sufficiently to relieve the force on the
actuating member thus changing the state of the switch. Therefore,
the state of the switch is changed from its normal state to the
second state when either of the deformation elements is deformed.
This provides a temperature sensitive apparatus which will control
external mechanism attached thereto in order to either switch it on
or off when either of two independent events occurs, for example, a
change in room temperature or overheating of the apparatus.
The resistor utilized in both embodiments is connected to the
conductor to generate thermal energy in accordance with the current
flow in the conductor caused by an external source. The first
deformation element is in thermal communication with the resistor.
The size and composition of the resistor are selected in accordance
with the desired response time of the device. The lower the
resistance of the resistor, the faster the thermal energy is
generated when the voltage is at a given level, thus the quicker
the response time of the device. Of course, care must be taken in
the selection of the resistor to insure that it will not burn out.
On the other hand, the resistor chosen must be capable of
generating enough thermal energy to trigger the deformation element
when the current exceeds the given level.
To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as
may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to apparatus
for changing the state of a switch as defined in the appended
claims and as described in this specification, taken together with
the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like
parts and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a first preferred embodiment
of the present invention showing the switch in the first state;
FIG. 2 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. 1 wherein the
actuating member is actuated by means of the manual override;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. 1 but wherein the
actuating member is actuated by means of the deformation of the
deformation element;
FIG. 4 is a top elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG.
1;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a second preferred embodiment
of the invention showing the resilient means in the first position
and wherein the biasing means has not been attached to the second
deformation element;
FIG. 6 is a top elevational view of the embodiment illustrated in
FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a view similar to that illustrated in FIG. 5 showing the
resilient means in the second position such that the actuating
member of the switch is actuated;
FIG. 8 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5 but wherein the second
deformation element has been deformed to place the resilient means
in the third position;
Fig. 9 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. 5 but wherein the
first deformation element is deformed to place the resilient means
in the first position; and
FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing how the second embodiment of
the present invention can be connected to be used in conjunction
with an external electric heater.
The switch preferred for use in conjunction with both embodiments
of the invention described herein forms no part of the present
invention and therefore its internal mechanism has not been
illustrated in the drawings. However, such a switch functions by
means of a pair of relatively movably contacts normally biased by a
spring to retain the switch in a first state and an actuating
member for relatively moving the contacts against the bias of the
spring to place the switch in the second state. In the first
preferred embodiment, as seen in FIGS. 1 through 4, the switch is
normally supported by a housing or base 10 from which the switch
actuating member 12 extends. The actuating member 12 is movable
between a normal position, as shown in FIG. 1, wherein the movable
contacts are normally biased to retain the switch in the first
state and a depressed position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 wherein
the contacts have been moved against the spring bias to place the
switch in the second state. The contacts of the switch are
electrically connected to terminals 14, 16 and 18 such that current
flowing into the switch through terminal 14 will flow from the
switch to terminal 16 when the switch is in one state and from the
switch to terminal 18 when the switch is in the other state.
Therefore, the switch can be utilized as a double throw switch when
both terminals 16 and 18 are connected to external mechanisms.
Alternately, when either terminal 16 or 18 is not connected to an
external mechanism, the switch can be utilized as an on-off switch
such that when the actuating member places the switch in a one
state the external mechanism is switched on and when the actuating
member causes the switch to be in the second state the external
mechanism is turned off.
The position of actuating member 12 is controlled by the action of
the manual override lever 20 and the deformation element 22. The
manual override lever 20 is pivotally mounted on housing 10 by
means of a pair of colinear prongs 24 which extend into apertures
provided for this purpose in the side portions 26 of the housing
10. Side portions 26 extend vertically from the surface of housing
10. The manual override lever 20 has a bent portion 28 which
operably connects lever 20 to the actuating member 12. Lever 20
also has a tail portion 30 which extends rearward from the pivot
point of the lever in order to limit the moveent of manual override
lever 20.
Manual override lever 20 is movable between a first position
wherein portion 28 depresses actuating member 12 to change the
state of the switch and a second position wherein rear portion 30
rests against housing 10 and wherein portion 28 is operably
disconnected from actuating member 12. Manual override lever 20 is
moved towards the first position by means of an external force
which is exerted on the lever by the operator of the apparatus such
that the switch can be manually operated when desired.
Deformation element 22 is also provided in operable connection with
actuating member 12. Preferably, deformation element 22 is made of
a temperature sensitive material which will normally retain a first
configuration without any appreciable change over a significant
range of temperatures, but which when a particular temperature has
been reached, will tend to change its configuration quite radically
and exert an appreciable amount of force in doing so. One substance
having this characteristic is a nickel titanium intermetallic
compound known as nitinol. It is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
3,174,851 of Mar. 23, 1965, entitled "Nickel Based Alloys," U.S.
Pat. No. 3,351,463 of Nov. 7, 1967 entitled "High Strength Nickel
Based Alloys," and U.S. Pat. No. 3,403,238 of Sept. 24, 1968
entitled "Conversion of Heat Energy to Mechanical Energy," all of
these patents being assigned to the United States of America as
represented by the Secretary of the Navy. This material has a
"memory." If it is given a first shape or configuration and
subjected to appropriate treatment, and thereafter its shape or
configuration is changed, it will retain the change shape or
configuration until such time as it is subjected to a predetermined
temperature level. When it is subjected to that temperature level,
it tends quite strongly to return to its original shape or
configuration. In this case, the original shape or configuration of
the nitinol element 22 may be flat. The shape has then been changed
to a U-shape wherein the portion which contacts the actuating
member 12 and the portion which contacts the manual override lever
20 have been moved relatively close together, as shown in FIGS. 1
and 2.
The deformable element 22 is in thermal communication with a
resistor 32 which is also mounted between the two vertically
extending side panels 26 on housing 10. Resistor 32 forms part of
an external circuit and has a constant voltage source (not shown)
as part thereof. It is connected into the circuit by means of
conductor 34 which is electrically connected to resistor 32.
Whether or not current flows through conductor 34 and therefore
resistor 32 is controlled by a conventional thermostat (not shown).
When this current flows the thermal energy produced by resistor 32
due to the current flow therein reaches a given level. When this
given level is reached, the deformation element 22 will rapidly
deform thus tending to move the portion operably connected to
actuating member 12 and the portion operably connected to manual
override lever 20 relatively away from each other. This movement
will cause manual override lever 20 to move to a position wherein
portion 28 no longer engages actuating member 12 and portion 30
abuts housing 10. This portion is shown in FIG. 3. Since manual
override lever 20 can move no further because of portion 30, it
acts as an abutment and the deformation of the deformation member
22 towards its original flat configuration causes actuating member
12 to be depressed in order to change the state of the switch.
For example, the apparatus of the first embodiment of the present
invention could be used as an on-off switch for an electric heater.
For this application, the electrical input for the heater from an
electrical source would be connected in series with terminals 14
and 16 with terminal 18 remaining unconnected. The internal
mechanism of the switch is such that when actuating member 12 is in
the normal position, as shown in FIG. 1, terminal 14 is
electrically connected to terminal 16 forming a closed circuit to
turn the heater on and when the actuating member 12 is in the
depressed position, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, terminal 14 is
operably disconnected from terminal 16 thus forming an open circuit
which would turn the heater mechanism off. Conductor 32 could be
connected in series, for instance, with a constant voltage source
and a conventional thermostat such that the thermostat, which is
responsive to changes in room temperature, regulates the current
through resistor 32. If the thermostat sensed too high a
temperature the voltage source would be connected to resistor 32
which would generate thermal energy above a predetermined level and
deformation element 22 would deform depressing actuating member 12
to turn the device off. After the room cooled off the thermostat
would disconnect the source from resistor 32; no more thermal
energy would be generated and the deformation element would soften.
The bias spring in the switch would then return actuating member 12
to the original (undepressed) position to turn the mechanism on
again. A force could then be applied to manual override member 20
sufficient to move the deformation member 22 back to its undeformed
position (shown in FIG. 1) thus resetting the switch. Further, in
the event that the operator wishes to manually change the state of
the switch in order to turn the heater off, he could simply, any
time during the operation of the switch, exert sufficient force on
manual override member 20 to depress actuating member 12 as shown
in FIG. 2. Thus, the heater would be turned off regardless of the
temperature sensed by the thermostat.
FIGS. 5 through 9 illustrate a second preferred embodiment of the
present invention. In this configuration the apparatus for changing
the state of the switch is responsive independently to the current
flowing in a conductor and to heat generated by an external heat
source. A resilient lever 36 is pivotally mounted to housing 10 by
means of two colinearly protruding prongs 38 which extend into the
vertically extending side portion 40 of housing 10. Resilient lever
36 is movable between a first position wherein actuating member 12
is in the normal position, as shown in FIG. 5, a second position
wheren actuating member 12 is depressed, as shown in FIG. 7 and a
third position wherein actuating member 12 is again in the normal
position as shown in FIG. 8. In this embodiment the deformation
member 22 is again in thermal communication with a resistor 32
which is connected to the circuit of the mechanism to be controlled
by conductor 34. However, in the second embodiment deformation
member 22 is located on the opposite side of actuating member 12
from the pivot point of resilient lever 36. Situated on the end of
resilient member 36 opposite to the one pivotally mounted to the
housing is an operable connection between a second deformation
element 42 and resilient lever 36. Second deformation element 42 is
preferably made of nitinol, the same material that deformation
element 22 is made of. However, deformation element 42 has an
original configuration of a coiled wire as shown in FIG. 8 and a
changed configuration of a straight wire as shown in FIG. 7. At the
opposite end of deformation element 42 is a spring biasing means 44
which is operably connected between deformation element 42 and an
anchoring structure 46. Spring biasing means 44 exerts a force on
resilient lever 36 through second deformation element 42 which is
less than the force exerted on resilient lever 36 by deformation
element 22 when deformation element 22 deforms. Therefore, as shown
in FIG. 9, when deformation element 22 deforms, resilient lever 36
is moved into the first position against the biasing of spring
lever 44 and actuating member 12 is depressed from its normal
position shown in FIG. 5, thus causing the switch to assume a
desired one of its states.
Second deformation element 42 is in thermal communication with an
external heat source (not shown). When the heat generated by the
external heat source reaches a certain level, the deformation
element 42 deforms into its original configuration which is a coil,
as shown in FIG. 8. This deformation creates a downward force on
resilient member 36 which causes resilient member 36 to bend about
a fulcrum point provided by deformable element 22. The bending of
this lever causes the portion of the lever which normally contacts
actuating member 12 to move upward to eliminate the force exerted
by it on actuating member 12 thus allowing actuating member 12 to
rise to its normal position as shown in FIG. 5 and therefore change
the state of the switch.
As an example, the apparatus of the second preferred embodiment can
be connected into a circuit to control an electric heater as shown
in the schematic diagram of FIG. 10. In this diagram the switch is
theoretically divided into two switches 52 and 54, each of which
represents one function of the apparatus of the second embodiment.
Heater 50 has a plurality of parallel heating coils 56, 58, 60, 62.
The switch is connected in series between heater 50 and an external
power source 48 shown here as a conventional 120 volt alternating
current power source.
Resistor 34 is connected to a constant voltage source, such as
battery 35 through a conventional thermostat 33. The switch is
turned on by moving the resilient lever 36 from the first position
as shown in FIG. 5 to the second position as shown in FIG. 7 and
attaching biasing spring 44 to structural member 46 to keep it in
that position. Actuating member 12 is thus depressed by the force
exerted on it by resilient lever 36 and terminal 14 is electrically
connected to terminal 18 thus permitting current to flow from
source 48 to heater 50. At this point both switch functions 52 and
54 are in the closed position and the circuit is operating.
Initially, no current is flowing through conductor 32 and thus
resistor 34 because room temperature is low enough to keep
thermostat 33 in the opened position. Should the temperature
increase sufficiently to cause thermostat 33 to close, battery 35
will be connected to resistor 34, resistor 34 will heat beyond a
given level such that deformation member 22 will deform to move
resilient member 36 to the first position. This movement will take
place against the force exerted on resilient member 36 by bias
spring 44. This situation is shown in FIG. 9. The deformation of
element 22 will serve to open switch 54 thus turning off any
current to heater 50 from source 48. Once the room temperature
reaches the desired level, thermostat 33 will open, resistor 34
cool and element 22 soften such that spring 44 will move element 22
back to the undeformed state. The activation member 12 is thus
depressed to close the circuit and to reactivate the heater.
Should the heater elements themselves be aerodynamically obstructed
in some way and thus produce a heat build up beyond a given level,
this will be detected by the second deformation element 42 which is
in thermal communication with the heater 50. At this point the
second deformation element 42 will suddenly change its
configuration from the straight configuration shown in FIG. 7 to
the coiled configuration shown in FIG. 8 thereby abruptly pulling
the resilient lever 36 into the bent position thus releasing
actuating member 12 to open the circuit. In FIG. 10 this would be
shown by opening switch 52 which again would stop all current flow
through heater 50 from source 48. After the obstruction has been
cleared, the switch can be reset by stretching deformation member
42 into its original straight configuration and therefore putting
it back into the state as shown in FIG. 7.
It can therefore be seen that the apparatus of the second preferred
embodiment is both sensitive to the current passing through
resistor 34 as well as the heat generated by heater 50. Should an
obstruction occur and thus the element generate more heat than a
given pre-selected level, the heater circuit will be opened thus
stopping any current to the heater until an operator has corrected
the obstruction and reset the apparatus.
Two preferred embodiments of the present invention have been
specifically disclosed herein for purposes of illustration It is
apparent that many variations and modifications may be made upon
the specific structures disclosed herein. It is intended to cover
all of these variations and modifications which fall within the
scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.
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