A method of creating a switch to be disposed along a longitudinal axis of a device, comprising providing a hollow body defining an interior cavity, disposing a switching element movably within the interior cavity, the switching element defining a switch-making position and a switch-breaking position and having a biasing element, coupling an electrically-conductive contact to the switching element to define a switch-making state when the switching element is in the switch-making position and a switch-braking state when the switching element is in the switch-braking position, and imparting a variable longitudinal bias to the switching element with the biasing element to place the switching element in one of the switch-making position and the switch-braking position until an external force imparted to the switching element along the switching axis exceeds the longitudinal bias thereby causing the switching element to move to the other one of the switch-making position and the switch-braking position.
1. A method of creating a switch to be disposed along a longitudinal axis of a device, comprising:
providing a hollow body defining an interior cavity;
disposing a switching element movably within the interior cavity, the switching element having:
a longitudinal switching axis disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the device and defining:
a switch-making position at a first longitudinal position along the switching axis; and
a switch-breaking position at a second longitudinal position along the switching axis, the second longitudinal position being different from the first longitudinal position; and
a biasing element;
coupling an electrically-conductive contact to the switching element to define:
a switch-making state when the switching element is in the switch-making position; and
a switch-braking state when the switching element is in the switch-braking position; and
imparting a variable longitudinal bias to the switching element with the biasing element to place the switching element in one of the switch-making position and the switch-braking position until an external force imparted to the switching element along the switching axis exceeds the longitudinal bias thereby causing the switching element to move to the other one of the switch-making position and the switch-braking position.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the switching element is a piston.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrically-conductive contact is physically coupled to the switching element and is moveable along the switching axis between the switch-making position and the switch-breaking position.
4. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises defining a second interior cavity by a stop element in which the switching element is movably disposed, the stop element being at least partly disposed in the interior cavity of the hollow body.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the switching element further comprises a bias contact.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the biasing element is disposed about at least a portion of the switching element between the stop element and the bias contact.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein a magnitude of the longitudinal bias is dependent upon a longitudinal position of the stop element within the interior cavity of the hollow body.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the switching axis is disposed coincident with the longitudinal axis of the device.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the biasing element imparts the longitudinal bias to place the switching element in the switch-breaking position to create a normally open switch configuration.
10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the biasing element imparts the longitudinal bias to place the switching element in the switch-making position to create a normally closed switch configuration.
11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the first longitudinal position and the switch-breaking position is between approximately 25 μm and approximately 750 μm.
12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the first longitudinal position and the switch-breaking position is between approximately 75 μm and approximately 200 μm.
13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a range of force sufficient to cause the switching element to move between the switch-making state to the switch-breaking state is between approximately 3 ounces and approximately 20 pounds.
14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a range of force sufficient to cause the switching element to move between the switch-making state to the switch-breaking state is between approximately 5 pounds and approximately 8 pounds.
15. The switch according to claim 1 , which further comprises electrically insulating the electrically-conductive contact from the hollow body and the switching element.
16. The method according to claim 2 , which further comprises:
forming a switch sub-assembly having:
the electrically-conductive contact;
a switch housing longitudinally fixed and electrically conductively connected to the hollow body and at least partially surrounding the electrically-conductive contact;
a switch insulator electrically insulating the electrically-conductive contact from the switch housing; and
a piston contact movably disposed in the switch housing and longitudinally fixedly and electrically conductively connected to the piston.
17. The method according to claim 5 , wherein:
the switching element has a first exterior;
the bias contact has a second exterior having a larger diameter than the first exterior;
the interior cavity of the hollow body has a first interior substantially equal in diameter to the second exterior;
the second interior cavity has a second interior substantially equal in diameter to the first exterior;
the bias contact has a third exterior substantially equal in diameter to the first interior; and
the electrically-conductive contact has a fourth exterior smaller in diameter than the first interior.
18. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises electrically connecting an electric indication circuit to the switching element and the electrically-conductive contact, the electric indication circuit having an indicator operable to transmit state-change information to signal a user that a state change of the switching element has occurred.
19. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the biasing element is a compression spring compressed between the bias contact and the stop element around the switching element to bias the switching element in a direction away from the stop element.