A redundant sensing edge for a door causes a closing door to open by actuating a device upon force being applied to the sensing edge. The sensing edge includes a flexible air-impervious elongate outer sheath which is compressible upon application of external pressure. A substantially sealed air-impervious first chamber is positioned within the elongate sheath. A pressure-sensitive switch is in fluid communication with the first chamber for sensing pressure change within the chamber, such that up...

A highly, sensitive switch for actuation of a device upon force being applied to the switch and method for making the same. The switch includes a first layer of non-conductive material, a first sheet of resiliently compressible material, a first sheet of flexible, electrically conductive material, a second layer of non-conductive material, a second sheet of flexible, electrically conductive material, a second sheet of resiliently compressible material and a third layer of non-conductive material...

The invention is a sensitive ribbon switch featuring reliable switch action even on a sharply curved surface. First and second conductive strips are separated by insulated members which are edge mounted in staggered space relationship. The transverse dimensions of the insulated members are considerably smaller than those of the strips. The switch is operative along its entire length due to the staggered arrangements of the insulator members and the switch will operate on a sharply curved surface...

Safety edge switch for power-actuated devices such as roller gates, roller grilles, lifting platforms and working platforms as well as for securing movable objects and machines having a hollow elastic profile, which exhibits, at least on its inner side, surfaces that are electrically conductive by virture of admixtures of conductive substances, such as carbon black, graphite and metal powder, mutual contact of the electrically conductive surfaces leading to a switching pulse. The hollow body exh...

A pressure-operated tape or ribbon switch suitable for use for detecting the presence of an occupant of a seat in a motor vehicle when this switch is secured to the underside of the seat. The switch comprises a pair of elongate contact blades with pairs of spaced aligned holes at regular intervals along the longitudinal axis of the switch. Insulating studs are molded to the blades at the holes for riveting the latter together and normally maintaining the blades in spaced apart relationship. Cont...

A normally-closed electrical switch having a plurality of electrically conductive contacts normally arranged in overlapping electrical communication. A preferred embodiment of the present invention also comprises a pressure directing mechanism for directing and actuating pressure to specific portions of the electrically conductive elements. The normally-closed electrical switch of the present invention interrupts an electrical circuit in response to an applied pressure.

A sealed two-plate swimming pool touchpad construction that is unaffected by pressure, in which a resilient, compressible, non-conductive spacer material such as rubber tubing is seated in an array of spaced recesses or grooves on the inside face of the rear plate to insulatively space a conductive, flexible front plate from the rear plate. The front plate is joined and sealed in watertight fashion to the rear plate around the array of grooves and spacer material. Conductive portions of the insi...

A mat switch includes top and bottom cardboard sheets having opposed faces on which are formed complementary electrodes. Each electrode is a plurality of elongated generally parallel first bands of metal foil adhesively secured to the opposed faces which are electrically interconnected by a pair of second bands perpendicularly directed to the first bands. A relatively thin dielectric sheet is laminated between the opposed faces and includes a plurality of parallel elongated apertures in register...

Vehicle-detection apparatus, for installation at highway toll-booth, parking-area, and like sites, includes elongated thin-strip electrical switching sensors disposed near a road surface and oriented transversely to traffic directions, for responses to tire-transmitted loadings, the switching sensors each being in the form of a pair of narrow highly-elongated flat conductive strips, at least the upper one of which is springy and both of which are cartridged in a minutely-spaced substantially par...

A motor vehicle steering wheel comprising a plastic material body overmoulded on a framework and formed with at least one lateral seat housing a switch controlling a horn. The lateral seat of the body is delimited by a resiliently deformable integral front member which is part of the body, forming the operating press member of the switch. The switch is comprised of two normally spaced apart plates having a resilient element therebetween. The resilient element may be of integral one piece constru...