With Contacts Selectively, Alternately Or Sequentially Actuated Patents (Class 337/340)
  • Patent number: 8237536
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a thermal protector, including the rear end of a movable plate fixed to one end of a resin base and a pair of terminals for connection with an external circuit fixed to the other end thereof. Fixed contacts are formed on the fixed portions of the terminals, and the movable contact of the movable plate is disposed opposed to the fixed contacts. A bimetal element engaged with the center of the movable plate is set to project upward at normal temperature, thus bringing the movable contact into pressure contact with the fixed contacts with prescribed contact pressure. The bimetal element consists of an inversion area wherein the inversion area has no portion overlapping the conduction path area of load current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Uchiya Thermostat Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideaki Takeda
  • Patent number: 7760066
    Abstract: In a temperature switch, a cut-out portion of the substrate is formed of a first cut-out portion and a second cut-out portion which are made from the side part toward the center. At a fixation part of a movable plate in the temperature switch, a pawl part and an elastic locking part having an L-shaped cross section are formed adjacent to the pawl part on the upstream side in the sliding direction. When the pawl part is fitted in the second cut-out portion, a tip of the elastic locking part abuts an end portion-top surface of the substrate and the elastic locking part reversibly warps upwardly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Uchiya Thermostat Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideaki Takeda
  • Patent number: 7663467
    Abstract: A manually resettable thermostat has several individual resettable thermostats which have respective calibration temperature, stacked one above the other and formed as an integral assembly. The thermostat may be utilized in the thermostatic system that need several different manually resettable thermostats with different calibration temperatures so the space of the system is saved and the operation of the thermostat is simplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Inventor: Chia-Yi Hsu
  • Patent number: 7659805
    Abstract: A thermostat has a movable place where a spring point and a securing plate portion are integrally formed. The spring point is provided with a movable contact at a position that faces a fixed contact, a protrusion with which a bimetal that counter turns comes into contact, a hole for inserting the head of a bimetal holding point, and a protrusion for holding the bimetal, and the spring point is valley-folded at a folding point so as to face the securing plate portion. The securing plate portion is integrally constituted of a terminal point connected to one external terminal, a fixation point for securing an insulating plate, which has the fixed contact in a manner to hold the plate from both sides, and a holding point folded and set up, penetrating a central hole of the bimetal to hold the bimetal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: Uchiya Thermostat Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideaki Takeda
  • Patent number: 6660976
    Abstract: A control unit (3) for controlling an electric household appliance, e.g. a refrigerator, is connected in series with a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistive unit (4) which, when supplied with electric current, generates sufficient heat to activate a thermally activated actuating element (6) for selectively turning on/off respective auxiliary switches (9) of the electric household appliance. The thermally activated actuating element (6) includes a temperature-deformable element (7), e.g. a bimetallic plate, the deformation of which is transmitted by kinematic links (10) to a camshaft (8), the cams (12) of which cooperate with the auxiliary switches (9) of the electric household appliance to selectively turn on/off the auxiliary switches (9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: ITW Industrial Components S.r.l.
    Inventor: Raoul Bianchi
  • Patent number: 5320162
    Abstract: A thermostat is disclosed having a bimetallic strip actuating a single pole, double throw switch, one throw to sense temperatures below the lower limit of a set point range and the other throw to sense temperatures above the upper limit of the set point range. In typical applications one throw for actuating heating and the other throw for actuating cooling. The bimetallic strip is provided with typically a cantilever support at one end and extends between dimensional spaced double throw contacts at the opposite end. Spacing of the contacts determines magnitude of the set point range. An intermediate beam type support is provided between the cantilever support and double throw contacts. This beam support consists of an adjustment screw acting on one side of the bimetallic strip and a spring directly opposing the adjustment screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1994
    Inventor: William E. Seaman
  • Patent number: 4775099
    Abstract: There is disclosed a thermostat controlled apparatus which operates to control operation of a heating system and a cooling system in response to the temperature detected in a given environment. The thermostat has a pair of mercury switches which are coupled to a single bimetallic element which switches are inclined, one with respect to the other. The circuit configuration is such that one switch controls the heating operation while the other switch controls a cooling operation. Heating and cooling occurs within a predetermined range which is adjustable by means of the angular positions of the switches with respect to the bimetallic coil. In this manner one switch will control the heating operation and the other switch controls the cooling operation. There is an area between the setting of the thermostat wherein neither switch operates but during this mode a separate fan is energized to provide air circulation for the given environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1988
    Inventor: Kalman Podlipnik
  • Patent number: 4525697
    Abstract: A thermostat having a low force output, snap-acting thermally responsive bi-metal disc operative through a pushrod to move the blade of an SPDT switch at a pre-selected temperature. The switch has a cantilever blade formed of a unitary thin metal strip having a flexible stem with a first rigid tongue extending therefrom with a heavy current carrying moveable contact thereon for a normally closed contact set. The pushrod contacts the rigid first tongue for switch actuation. A second flexible tongue extends from the stem and has an integral low current normally open contact thereon for a contact set which is closed upon switch blade actuation. Upon further temperature rise, after switch actuation, pushrod over-travel on the first tongue is absorbed by resilient flexing of the stem and second tongue thereby providing a wiping action to the closed low current contact set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1982
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1985
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: William H. Jones, Worthy L. Chambers
  • Patent number: 4420736
    Abstract: A thermostat for controlling heating and cooling apparatuses has a temperature control point adjustment knob connected to a temperature responsive switch means for adjusting the control point thereof. A single lever changeover switch is connected to the temperature responsive switch for selectively connecting either heating or cooling apparatus to the temperature responsive switch. Temperature control point limit stops are connected to the temperature control point adjustment. Upon selecting by the single lever changeover switch either a heating or a cooling operation, the temperature control point limit stops limit the movement of the temperature control point adjustment to a first range of movement when heating is selected and a second range of movement when cooling is selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1981
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1983
    Assignee: Honeywell Inc.
    Inventor: James H. Krueger
  • Patent number: 4414524
    Abstract: A thermally responsive switch is particularly adapted to perform a plurality of electrical control functions on an automotive engine in response to changes in engine temperature. The switch is characterized by a structure permitting the switch operating temperatures to be easily matched to the requirements of specific automotive applications. The switch mounts first electrical contacts on an insulating support and incorporates spring means mounted on a carrier, second contacts mounted on the spring means, and thermally responsive, snap-acting bimetallic discs or the like which are easily disposed between the respective spring means and the carrier to move the second contacts relative to the carrier in response to temperature change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1981
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1983
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: John Doherty, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4349807
    Abstract: A thermostat adapted to regulate the temperature of a given space. The thermostat has a mode selecting member which is movable between a heating mode position and a cooling mode position. A temperature setting member is selectively movable for setting a selected operating temperature of the thermostat and has a preselected maximum heating set point temperature and a preselected minimum cooling set point temperature. One of the temperature setting member and the mode selecting member includes a pair of abutments engageable with the other of the temperature setting member and the mode selecting member when the mode selecting member is in its heating mode position and its cooling mode position to define the preselected maximum heating set point temperature and the preselected minimum cooling set point temperature of the temperature setting members, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1980
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1982
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ralph W. Gustafson
  • Patent number: 4328407
    Abstract: An electric heating system employs a control unit including means to connect a resistance heater to a three pole power source and a switch to switch the connections between full voltage and low voltage as temperature is more than or less than several degrees colder than the set temperature. More uniform heating, greater comfort and significant energy savings results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1980
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1982
    Assignee: Conergy Associates
    Inventor: Elias G. Chaggaris
  • Patent number: 4243967
    Abstract: A thermostat adapted to regulate the temperature of a given space. The thermostat has a temperature setting lever movable between a plurality of temperature settings within a pair of temperature ranges and also a mode selecting lever movable between a heating position, an off position and a cooling position. Means respectively associated with the temperature setting lever and the mode selecting lever is provided to effect the movement of the mode selecting lever from one of the heating position and cooling position thereof through its off position to the other of the heating position and cooling position thereof in response to the movement of the temperature setting lever from one of its temperature settings of the plurality thereof within one of the temperature ranges toward another of its temperature settings within the other of the temperature ranges.A method of operating a thermostat is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1981
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: James P. Frank
  • Patent number: 4177860
    Abstract: A thermostat adapted for controlling heating and cooling apparatuses has a temperature control point adjustment means connected to a changeover switch means whereby upon the adjustment of the temperature control point adjustment means in a first range to select a cooling control point, the changeover switch means only connects the thermostat to the cooling apparatus and when the temperature control point adjustment means is in the heating range, the changeover switch means only connects the thermostat to the heating apparatus. The limited range of temperature selection in the first and second range is an energy conservation feature of the thermostat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 1978
    Date of Patent: December 11, 1979
    Assignee: Honeywell Inc.
    Inventors: Vern C. Johnson, Virgil K. McCormick, John M. Whitney
  • Patent number: 4112406
    Abstract: A thermostat is provided for controlling a heating apparatus having two individually actuatable heating elements in order to more accurately control the heat output of the apparatus. The thermostat is designed such that at environment of temperatures below a set temperature t.sub.1, less than the desired temperature t, both heating elements are actuated. As the environmental temperature increases beyond the set temperature t.sub.1, the thermostat deactuates the main heating element and the secondary heating element alone is controlled to regulate variations in environmental temperature around the desired temperature level t. Both thermostatic functions are combined in a single device. Means are provided for adjusting the desired temperature level t and the set temperature t.sub.1 simultaneously for maintaining the difference .DELTA. t therebetween at a constant magnitude. Further, means are also provided for adjusting the difference .DELTA. t between the set temperature t, and the desired temperature level t.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1977
    Date of Patent: September 5, 1978
    Assignee: American Thermostat Corporation
    Inventor: Colin D. Hickling
  • Patent number: 4095740
    Abstract: An ambient room illumination responsive control automatically changes the setting of a thermostat with ambient illumination. A thermostat has a pair of temperature responsive switches connected in series with control leads and a controller to low voltage A.C. power. A bypass relay has contacts connected in parallel with one of said switches. An illuminating sensor has a photoresistor in series with a resistor connected across leads with a common node connected to the gate of a controller rectifier. A capacitor timing unit is connected in one embodiment to produce a pulsed input. The rectifier is connected in series with a winding of the bypass relay and the timing unit across the thermostat leads. The rectifier conducts to open the relay contacts and insert the second switch in circuit. A second relay winding is connected across the control leads in series with a diode and a timing network to reset the relay and close the contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1977
    Date of Patent: June 20, 1978
    Inventor: Jon C. Wirth
  • Patent number: 4092624
    Abstract: A thermostat assembly which includes therein two sets of thermostats connected in series with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1976
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1978
    Assignee: Uchiya Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Uchiya Tomoyoshi
  • Patent number: 4083397
    Abstract: Thermostat control of separate heating and cooling apparatus is achieved with a system that requires only a two-conductor connection between the thermostat and the apparatus. A pair of oppositely-poled diodes is employed at each end of one of the conductors of the connection so that when the control system is established, by a selector switch, in the heating mode the half cycles of one polarity of an AC voltage effect the operation of the heating apparatus, whereas when the system is switched to the cooling mode the opposite polarity half cycles cause operation of the cooling apparatus. The invention is especially advantageous when a central air-conditioning system is added to a building where only a two-wire cable connects the thermostat to the existing heating system. Rewiring of the thermostat cable is unnecessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1976
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1978
    Assignee: Borg-Warner Corporation
    Inventors: Francis A. Kimpel, Walter C. Moore
  • Patent number: 4078601
    Abstract: A thermostat adapted for controlling heating and cooling apparatuses has a temperature control point adjustment means connected to a changeover switch means whereby upon the adjustment of the temperature control point adjustment means in a first range to select a cooling point, the changeover switch means only connects the thermostat to the cooling apparatus and when the temperature control point adjustment means is in the heating range, the changeover switch means only connects the thermostat to the heating apparatus. The limited range of temperature selection in the first and second range is an energy conservation feature of the thermostat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1976
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1978
    Assignee: Honeywell Inc.
    Inventor: Donald P. Kolbow