Patent ID: 8593241

Claim:
An enclosed proximity switch assembly, the assembly comprising: a top enclosure having a base wall and a plurality of side walls that extend downwardly from the base wall, wherein the base wall and the plurality of side walls at least partially define a first volume, and wherein a shaft protrusion upwardly extends from a top surface of the base wall, and wherein an interior bore portion is defined within the shaft protrusion such that the interior bore portion forms a portion of the first volume, the interior bore portion defining an enclosed volume; a bottom enclosure having a base wall and a plurality of side walls that extend upwardly from the base wall, wherein the base wall and the plurality of side walls at least partially define a second volume, wherein a shaft aperture is defined in the base wall, the shaft aperture extending through the base wall, and wherein the top enclosure is coupled to the bottom enclosure such that the first volume and the second volume cooperate to define an interior volume and such that a longitudinal axis of the shaft aperture is aligned with a longitudinal axis of the interior bore portion; a shaft having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a first intermediate portion between the first end and the second end, wherein the first end of the shaft is disposed within the interior bore portion formed in the shaft protrusion of the top enclosure, the first intermediate portion of the shaft extending through the shaft aperture formed in the bottom enclosure, and the second end of the shaft is disposed exterior to the interior volume, wherein the shaft is rotatable relative to the top enclosure and the bottom enclosure; a target support non-rotatably coupled to a second intermediate portion of the shaft, the second intermediate portion being disposed between the first intermediate portion and the first end of the shaft, the target support including a radial portion that extends away from the shaft; a target magnet coupled to the radial portion of the target support; at least one proximity switch disposed within the interior volume and coupled to the bottom enclosure such that when the shaft is in a first shaft position, the target magnet is disposed a distance away from a top portion of the at least one proximity switch thereby causing the proximity switch to be in a first state, and when the shaft is rotated into a second shaft position, the target magnet is disposed adjacent to the top portion of the at least one proximity switch, thereby causing the proximity switch to be in a second state, wherein each of the first and second states correspond to a position of a valve element that is coupled to the second end of the shaft.