If you’re a piece of switching electronics then the hot, dirty, oily, always moving environment of a military vehicle transmission is not a place you’d prefer to find yourself. After all some of these transmissions are in constant aggressive use and the crankcases get hot enough to fry eggs on. Add to that the constant exposure to hot transmission oil up to 150F, and if you’re most switches, you’re probably dreaming of a nice visit to Murmansk, on the Arctic Circle, doing some light duty as a dogsled horn. In heavy duty transmission applications however, so called interlock switches are a critical part of safe operation. A typical such application is the detection of Neutral Safety in certain US Military Vehicles. This class of switch applications known as an interlock safety, is crucial to the safe operation of a 3 or 4 ton troop carriers or Humvee. The switch has to reliably detect when the truck is in neutral in order to enable other operations on or within the vehicle. No remote sensors will do for this application because to be really, really sure you are in neutral requires an actuator driven switch mounted in the transmission itself and thus exposed to the same punishing environment that any combat ready military vehicle is designed for. CPI Switches Live in Hell, and Like it. Specifically designed for punishing interlock applications in extremes of temperature and vibration are the CPI J4 Series Ball Switches below. Originally developed for military transports the switch has evolved and improved over decades of field use all over the world to become one of the most hardened solutions to interlock detection to be found anywhere on the planet. The key to understanding the engineering beauty of the J4 can be summed up in two words: elegant simplicity. As pictured the J4 boasts all stainless steel construction. While the switch can be procured in a ball or a plunger variation, the basic design is the same. At the heart of the J4 is a patented ball carrier design which prevents contaminates such as mud, dirt, ice, sand, dust, etc. from jamming the ball. The switch employ’s a patented double exclusion seal which actively removes contaminates from the housing during depression and release. This unique design effectively cleans itself and prevents early wear of contacts in a hostile environment. The switch is rated to perform from -50C to 185F and is one of the few switches in the world designed to operate while frozen in ice. These switches are also ideal for heavy industrial equipment applications that are subject to the same conditions. The switches are completely submersible and are unaffected by water, salt spray, humidity, dirt, dust, sand, icing, oil, shock and vibration. Just some of the applications for this switch have included:
Made in the USA too.Our J4 Ball Switch and all our switches are painstakingly assembled right here in our factory in East Hanover New Jersey. As are all our products. It’s the only way to really have quality at this level and our competitors know it, having largely surrendered the field to us when it comes to these kinds of harsh duty applications. Make the switch to CPI. Give us a call today to discuss your application. Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/NeutralSafetySwitches/ The design of the modern work truck is moving forward at an amazing pace. With long haul trucks, the focus has been on collision avoidance systems and advanced controls for fuel economy, but dump truck builders have long had a different focus.
For Dump Trucks, it’s all about safety. Historically, makers of class 8 dump trucks have not exactly been “early adopters” of technology, preferring instead to allow these advances to trickle down after many years of trial by fire on long haul trucks and other vehicles. More recently however, increased safety regulations, modularized construction methods and accelerated adoption rates for technology have conspired to put more and more intelligence in the “Dumb Dump Truck” than ever before. That means an increasingly connected vehicle, with improved fuel economy, and an ever increasing focus on safety systems. Switches Used in Work Trucks Must be Robust It turns out that CPI switches and sensors are critical components of safety systems on dump trucks, work trucks, and many construction vehicles owing mostly to their extremely durable, and watertight operational characteristics. CPI waterproof limit switches have an extremely small pendant switch style form factor and can be mounted in a wide variety of actuation mechanisms, allowing flexible placement in machines and vehicles. They can be sealed in either Neoprene or Santoprene making them fully waterproof and capable of extended temperature operation from -20 to 120 degrees F. And finally, the switches are capable of extremely high electromechanical endurance. CPI has qualified certain switch models to over 5 million cycles of operation. Safety Systems In Dump Trucks and other Work Trucks Here are just a few safety systems that have used CPI limit switches over the years along with the parts commonly used. Dump Body Detection – Our E1092 simulated roller mechanism is mounted easily under the truck bed using one of our waterproof pendant switches like our B9112, NO switch. When the bed is raised, a circuit is completed, raising a visible (and potentially audible) alarm in the cab. This design is used for safety sensing in bucket trucks, loaders, and other vehicles that require mechanical feedback as to boom or bed position. Cab Down Detection – This is a safety interlock switch function, which prevents the system from operating until the hood or cab is closed. While any of our E-series limit switches can be used, CPI actually makes a specific plunger style switch for this application called our J4 Plunger Switch. Originally developed for the military, this switch has an ultra-rugged design featuring a wiper seal and a plunger that can withstand 50 psi to overcome hardened-sand and ice buildup. Neutral Safety – One of the most common safety systems in commercial vehicles is neutral safety detection. In this application, various vehicle operations are prevented until the transmission is confirmed to be in neutral gear. Commonly chosen for this is our J4 ball switch, a hardened, small form factor, stainless steel ball switch designed with our patented seal exclusion system that actually forces contaminants out of the housing every time the ball is actuated. This waterproof switch design is so reliable and robust that it was used to detect the status of torpedo doors on navy submarines. Back Up Alarm – Another common requirement of work trucks is the audible back-up alarm which sounds when the vehicle is moving in reverse. Our E1092 is a great example of a robust limit switch with a simulated lever actuator that is commonly used in this application. Completely made of high grade stainless steel it is truly waterproof, and completely customizable with almost countless mounting and actuator combinations available. This switch can be designed to meet operational standards for military use (B2 series) as well as heavy duty industrial applications (B3 thru B9 series). Parameters such as travel length, current rating, and electromechanical endurance are customizable. CPI has achieved endurance qualifications over 5 million cycles with this basic roller limit switch design. Waterproof Safety Switches for Industrial Use There are hundreds of specialized safety switch applications on dump trucks, work trucks and other industrial vehicles. Those that choose a CPI solution generally do so because they want the most reliable operation in the field that they can possibly have. When the safety of operators is on the line, why would you want anything else? We have a vast amount of off-the-shelf options for our switches. And yet all our switches can be cost effectively customized for custom mounting and electrical parameters. Call us today to discuss your safety switch system requirements with a product specialist. https://www.cpi-nj.com Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/dump-truck-safety-system-design/ In June of this year, CPI was approached to help sponsor an entry in the 14th International Submarine Race held June 22-26 at the U. S. Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Carderock test tank facility in Bethesda, MD. The contest is an exciting bi-annual event, drawing student engineering teams from around the world who compete to build and race the fastest human powered submarine.
This was the 10th in a series of biennial races sponsored by the ISR every 2 years since 1989, that test the creative skills of young engineering students from colleges, universities and technical and high schools from throughout the world. Teams wear scuba gear to compete in one- and two-person “wet” submarines designed to run along a measured course in Carderock’s 22-foot-deep model basin. U.S. Navy divers provide safety and underwater support. The CPI Submarine – “Watsub” Built by the University of Waterloo, CPI contributed electronic switches from our waterproof switch product line. Since our switches are truly waterproof, not just water resistant or splash proof, they can survive the operational environment of an undersea deployment without compromising their reliability or long life. The Watsub team was particularly interested in our B5114, a normally open pushbutton switch which was set to control critical safety systems in the submarine. Design team member William Klanac was looking for an IP 68 rated switch that would handle a 12V, 0.25A load used in the sub. Ultimately our off the shelf switch with silver alloy contacts was the right choice. “The switch behaved flawlessly in our application, and we were able to pass all wet and dry checks for the competition.” For those with more stringent requirements switches are also available with gold contacts and customizable lead lengths. How did they do? While Watsub successfully passed all operational and safety checks, they were not able to complete the course due to other issues. But this has made the team even more determined. So with effort comes both added experience and added resolve. Watch out ISR, 2019 could be University of Waterloo’s year! CPI Supports the Next Generation of Engineers If you are an educational institution sponsoring engineering programs like the International Submarine Race that have a need for CPI products, contact us today we love to help young engineers get their design on! Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/cpi-sponsors-international-submarine-races/ |
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