This invention relates to a tilt sensor and is particularly directed to a tilt sensor that utilizes the "Wiegand Effect" to sense when the sensor is moved from one inclined position through a horizontal position to another inclined position.
Known tilt sensors are used in various devices and in various industries. For example, Mercury switches in thermostats and other devices utilize the electrically conductive properties of Mercury and its liquid state to effectively detect when the Mercury within the device flows from one position to another position. Generally, the motion of the Mercury is caused by some tilting of the device. However, while such tilt sensors are easy to manufacture and generally are reliable, the Mercury itself is environmentally unfriendly.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a tilt sensor that does not utilize Mercury.
It is another object of this invention to provide a tilt sensor that is, in a sense, self-powered such that the sensor itself does not require an external power source to operate.
Various other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.