Impact fire protective switch for motor vehicles

Claim 1

For use in a motor vehicle including a battery and a generator, an impact switch for fire protective purposes comprising: a. a casing of electrical insulating material intended to be mounted in a vehicle in a vertical position and including a side wall, a lower horizontal partition having a central opening, an intermediate horizontal partition having an aperture in alignment with said opening, and a top wall having an opening in alignment with said opening and aperture; b. a conical seat on the upper face of said lower horizontal partition about said central opening; c. a pendulum comprising a vertical arm passing through said central opening in said lower horizontal partition and having a head with a conical underface engaging said seat and a flat top face, a weight movable on said arm and an abutment at the lower end of said arm; d. an actuating member slidable in said aperture and having a foot with a flat underface engaging said flat top face of said head and an upper end; e. a trigger comprising a trigger arm pivotally mounted at one end on said side wall and engaging said upper end of said actuating member and an upstanding detent on said arm; f. a lever pivoted at one end to said side wall with a portion adjacent to its other end engaging said detent; g. a plunger slidable in said opening in said top wall and having an operating member at its upper end and a foot at its lower end; h. an electrical bridging member movable on said plunger; i. an expansion coil spring about said plunger between the foot thereon and said bridging member; j. a first pair of spaced contacts on said side wall and extending into said casing, said contacts being connectible by said bridging member, one of said contacts being connected to said battery of said vehicle; k. a second pair of spaced contacts mounted on said casing below said first pair of contacts and connectible by said bridging member, one of said second pair of contacts being connected to the generator of said vehicle and the other contact of said second pair being grounded; l. means on said top wall for clamping a terminal to each of said first pair of contacts, and m. means for connecting said foot on said plunger to said lever.