EP0032331B1 - Interrupteur à contacts mouillés et à commande magnétique, et relais électrique comportant un tel interrupteur - Google Patents

Interrupteur à contacts mouillés et à commande magnétique, et relais électrique comportant un tel interrupteur Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0032331B1
EP0032331B1 EP80401784A EP80401784A EP0032331B1 EP 0032331 B1 EP0032331 B1 EP 0032331B1 EP 80401784 A EP80401784 A EP 80401784A EP 80401784 A EP80401784 A EP 80401784A EP 0032331 B1 EP0032331 B1 EP 0032331B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
interrupter
electrode
base
accordance
liquid
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP80401784A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0032331A1 (fr
Inventor
Jacques Legrand
Gérard Holvoet
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Cessione Costructions Electriques Et Cie
Original Assignee
Socapex SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Socapex SA filed Critical Socapex SA
Publication of EP0032331A1 publication Critical patent/EP0032331A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0032331B1 publication Critical patent/EP0032331B1/fr
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H51/00—Electromagnetic relays
    • H01H51/28—Relays having both armature and contacts within a sealed casing outside which the operating coil is located, e.g. contact carried by a magnetic leaf spring or reed
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/06—Contacts characterised by the shape or structure of the contact-making surface, e.g. grooved
    • H01H1/08—Contacts characterised by the shape or structure of the contact-making surface, e.g. grooved wetted with mercury

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an electric switch with contacts wetted by conductive liquid and with magnetic control. It relates more particularly to a switch with contacts wetted by a conductive liquid comprising a housing in which are disposed a first electrode constituting the common contact of the switch and at least a second electrode constituting the second contact of said switch, each electrode being in magnetic material wettable by the conductive liquid, a movable part also wettable by said liquid pivoting around a liquid hinge connecting it, at one of its ends, by capillary action using the conductive liquid, to the first electrode, the other end of the moving part coming to bear against the second electrode when the electrical circuit between the first and the second electrode is closed.
  • ILM Mercury Wetted Switch
  • This category of electric switches is most generally constituted by a system of associated blades, at least one of which has a certain flexibility, sealed in a glass bulb inside which has been introduced a quantity of mercury sufficient to wet the blades .
  • the main advantage of this category of switches is that they offer very good electrical contact, without damaging the surfaces that come into contact since they are wetted by mercury.
  • it also has the disadvantage of using techniques for sealing the blades in the glass bulb which are delicate and expensive and cause pollution of the electrical contacts during the sealing in the glass.
  • the switch according to the invention makes it possible to solve all the problems posed above while retaining the use of the liquid hinge. It is characterized in that it comprises a housing consisting of a cover and a base, the internal walls of which are wettable by the conductive liquid and in that the movable part has the form of a pallet of magnetic material arranged substantially perpendicular to the internal surface of the base.
  • FIG. 1 represents a type of switch with wet contacts, as described in American patent 3 144 533.
  • the body 1 of this switch constitutes the common contact; it is pierced in its length by a cylindrical channel and obstructed at its two ends by two contact parts 2 and 3 which are held in the body and isolated by means of rings 4 or glass-metal sealing.
  • the moving part 5 is constituted by a cylinder which moves inside the perforated channel in the body 1, under the action of a magnetic field.
  • the electrical contact is ensured by a quantity of mercury 6 sufficient to establish a film between the moving part 5 and the body 1 and to establish capillary contact with one of the two end contacts 2 or 3.
  • the mercury film breaks on the first contact and is established with the second contact because there is not enough mercury for the electrical contact to be established at both ends of the moving part.
  • a magnet or control coil system 7 ensures the movements of the moving part inside the body of the switch.
  • This kind of switch effectively ensures wet contacts and operates independently of its position: however it requires machining precise enough so that the film of mercury which ensures contact between the moving part 5 and the body 1 is just thick enough to meet the capillary imperatives but under these conditions the moving part is blocked quite frequently; moreover, this technique is expensive.
  • FIG. 2 represents a switch according to the invention. Only the parts which make it possible to understand its operation have been represented in this figure.
  • a base 8 In a base 8 are sealed at least four electrodes 9, 10, 11 and 12.
  • the movable part is constituted by a pallet 13 held between electrodes wetted by a conductive liquid. Two of the electrodes 9 and 10 are sufficiently close together so that the pallet can be slid between these two electrodes and held by the mercury which wets the electrodes 9 and 10 and the surface of the pallet, thus constituting a liquid hinge 14; the two other electrodes 11 and 12 are placed in such a way that when the movable pallet 13 moves it comes to abut either against the electrode 11 or against the electrode 12.
  • the four electrodes 9, 10, 11 and 12 are sealed in the 'base 8 by means of electrical insulating passages 15, generally constituted by sintering based on glass powder.
  • the movable pallet 13 has a length slightly greater than the distance between the electrodes 9 and 10 on the one hand, 11 and 12 on the other hand. It is not mechanically linked to these electrodes and is only maintained by the surface tension forces of the conductive liquid, at one of its ends by the liquid hinge 14, at the other end by a surface tension with the electrode against which it rests. Under the action of the magnetic control field, this pallet is automatically re-centered with respect to the electrodes of the switch.
  • a base 8 of cylindrical shape which is constituted by the base of a housing TO 39 of discrete semiconductor.
  • the elongated base of a quartz encapsulation box is also suitable for producing the switch according to the invention.
  • the important thing for this base is to be made of a material allowing on the one hand the glass / metal sealing and on the other hand being able to be ferromagnetic.
  • the electrodes are sealed through the base in insulating glass beads and pass through the base so that one of their ends is accessible when the relay is finished and enclosed under a cover.
  • the four electrodes are made of a material also ferromagnetic so as to be able to close the control field, in accordance with the general operation of switches with magnetic control.
  • the cover which is welded to the base when the relay is finished and adjusted is itself made of a non-magnetic material.
  • this type of switch has two advantages. First, it is possible to reach the electrodes to adjust them mechanically, in particular because of the sensitivity which is required for the switch. Secondly, it is possible to chemically treat only the interior part of the relay, before welding of the cover, with a view to a subsequent treatment which takes place when the mercury has been introduced into the switch.
  • a switch wetted with mercury undergoes a heat treatment which ends its manufacture: the cover being sealed by electrical welding on the base, a quantity of mercury is introduced inside the switch previously chemically treated and a gas under pressure is also introduced inside the closed enclosure thus formed, to avoid the formation of an arc.
  • the hollow electrode which served as a conduit for introducing mercury and gas is then closed, then the switch is heated so as to form an amalgam between the mercury and the material deposited on the surface of the electrodes and of the moving pallet.
  • this wet contact switch highlights the absence of contact pollution during sealing since there is no longer any need to heat a glass bulb.
  • the cover being formed of a metal, the mercury can wet the internal surface and the switch thus comprises a high reserve of mercury compared to the contact surfaces which work, the cover recovering the mercury which vaporizes during contact breakdowns and this mercury being recycled.
  • the switch according to the invention operates without any jamming since the movable pallet no longer has to rub against a cylindrical body or between two ceramic flanges as is done.
  • an inverter has six fixed electrodes: this is the optical doubling of the switch shown in Figure 2.
  • the electrodes 9 and 10 on which the liquid hinge 14 is formed are sealed in the middle of the base 8, and they hold the movable pallet 13 which no longer pivots around one of its ends, but in its center.
  • Four electrodes are arranged symmetrically, 11 and 12 on one side of the axis of rotation, 11 'and 12' on the other side of the axis of rotation. They are sealed and adjusted so that, in a first position, the pallet rests on two electrodes, 11 and 11 'for example, and, in a second position, on two other electrodes 12 and 12'.
  • the electrodes 9 and 10 which serve as a hinge are not connected to the electrical network.
  • FIG. 3 represents a switch according to the invention, finished and seen in section.
  • FIG 3 there is a base 8 crossed by electrodes 9 and 10 on the one hand, 11 and 12 on the other hand, which are sealed in the base 8 by glass beads 15. At least one of these electrodes can advantageously be hollow, to allow the introduction of mercury and filling gas.
  • the movable blade 13 is held by a liquid mercury hinge 14.
  • a control coil 16 is placed under the switch and the field of this coil closes on itself by means of the electrodes 9 and 10 on the one hand , 10 and 11 on the other hand.
  • the non-magnetic cover 17 is sealed by electrical welding on the base 8 and a magnet 18, partially hidden in the figure, polarizes the contacts.
  • the assembly of the switch with wet contacts and moving blades polarized by a magnet outside or inside the cover and controlled by a coil 16 constitutes a relay.
  • this relay can also be ensured without a magnet 18 by means of two coils, each attracting the blade 13 in one position.
  • FIG. 4 represents the switch according to the invention according to a second embodiment.
  • the switch always includes a base 8 on which are welded two rods which constitute the hinge around which the movable blade pivots, these rods 19 and 20 then being welded and placed in a plane parallel to the upper plane of the base.
  • the movable blade 13 pivots around a liquid hinge 14 which is no longer perpendicular to the upper plane of the base but which is parallel to it, and the two electrodes 21 and 22 are bent so as to come into contact with the blade mobile 13 along generators also parallel to the upper face of the base.
  • the rest and working electrodes 21 and 22 are also sealed in the base by means of glass beads 15.
  • the polarization magnet 18 is held by any suitable means but can be fixed to the base by means of a welded rod.
  • the electrodes 21 and 22 pass through the base which also includes a third outlet rod 23, which electrically corresponds to the contacts with the pallet, that is to say the common contact.
  • the movable pallet 13 is held in space by the capillarity of the liquid hinge 14.
  • FIG. 5 represents a first improvement to the invention, which stabilizes the pallet against impacts. It has been said previously that the pallet, which is not mechanically linked to the electrodes, is automatically centered by the magnetic control field of the switch. However, in order to meet certain requirements of material having to withstand shocks, for example, the invention provides a first anti-shock improvement.
  • the pallet 13 is shown between two electrodes 9 and 10 against which it is held by a liquid hinge 14. The pallet is folded at 24 on one side of the electrodes, which prevents it from sliding along a first direction. In addition, on the other side of the electrodes, it has a tab 25 folded down substantially perpendicular to the movable pallet. The parts 24 and 25 of the pallet are at a spacing such that the pallet retains a sufficient degree of freedom to be maintained without requiring any adjustment of the assembly.
  • FIG. 6 represents a second improvement to the invention, which balances the pallet against shocks during operation.
  • FIG. 6 An improvement represented in FIG. 6 consists in balancing the mass of the blade 13 pivoting around a liquid hinge 14 by a stamped, welded or remelted mass 26 which is located on the other side of the hinge 14 relative to the mass main of the blade 13. This improvement constitutes an advantage against shocks during operation since the mass 26 prevents the blade 13 from sliding between the electrodes 19 and 20.
  • the liquid hinge 14 has been described as being formed by capillarity of the conductive liquid between two electrodes 9 and 10, or 19 and 20 according to the figures.
  • the liquid hinge 14 can be formed between the blade on the one hand and a single electrode constituted either by a rod bent on itself in the form of a hairpin, or by a machined part in the form of a fork.
  • the switch according to the invention and the relay produced from this switch have a certain number of advantages among which its high sensitivity, that is to say its operation under a low current, and on the contrary its insensitivity to shocks and to the operating position.
  • its high sensitivity that is to say its operation under a low current
  • the adjustment of the electrodes or of the sensitivity can be carried out on the switch during manufacture before closing it by a box. waterproof.
  • It is made up of bases which are readily available parts since they are bases of the same type as that used in semiconductor devices.
  • This type of mercury wet relay and switch finds many applications in industry and more particularly in the telephone industry and the production of electronic exchanges.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Manufacture Of Switches (AREA)
  • Contacts (AREA)
EP80401784A 1980-01-08 1980-12-12 Interrupteur à contacts mouillés et à commande magnétique, et relais électrique comportant un tel interrupteur Expired EP0032331B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR8000308 1980-01-08
FR8000308A FR2473217A1 (fr) 1980-01-08 1980-01-08 Interrupteur a contacts mouilles et a commande magnetique, et relais electrique comportant un tel interrupteur

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0032331A1 EP0032331A1 (fr) 1981-07-22
EP0032331B1 true EP0032331B1 (fr) 1983-05-25

Family

ID=9237322

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP80401784A Expired EP0032331B1 (fr) 1980-01-08 1980-12-12 Interrupteur à contacts mouillés et à commande magnétique, et relais électrique comportant un tel interrupteur

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US4400671A (es)
EP (1) EP0032331B1 (es)
JP (1) JPS56103829A (es)
DE (1) DE3063550D1 (es)
FR (1) FR2473217A1 (es)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4091909A (en) * 1975-03-05 1978-05-30 Texas Instruments Incorporated Wire matrix printer printhead assembly
FR2498689A1 (fr) * 1981-01-23 1982-07-30 Socapex Dispositif de rappel par tension de surface d'un liquide, interrupteur comportant un tel dispositif et son utilisation dans les relais a commande magnetique
FR2502392A1 (fr) * 1981-03-20 1982-09-24 Socapex Relais electromagnetique a position de fonctionnement indifferente
DE4302919C1 (de) * 1993-02-03 1994-05-05 Happich Gmbh Gebr Gegenlagerböckchen für Fahrzeugsonnenblenden
CA2399096C (en) 2000-02-02 2011-10-11 Raytheon Company Microelectromechanical micro-relay with liquid metal contacts
US6876131B2 (en) * 2003-04-14 2005-04-05 Agilent Technologies, Inc. High-frequency, liquid metal, latching relay with face contact
US8179216B2 (en) * 2006-06-06 2012-05-15 University Of Virginia Patent Foundation Capillary force actuator device and related method of applications

Family Cites Families (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE503602C (de) * 1928-02-09 1930-07-25 Marie Emile Alfred Baule Quecksilberkontaktapparat
US2247493A (en) * 1939-11-02 1941-07-01 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Mercury contact relay
US2564081A (en) * 1946-05-23 1951-08-14 Babson Bros Co Mercury switch
US3144533A (en) * 1962-03-16 1964-08-11 Fifth Dimension Inc Mercury relay
NL137148C (es) * 1967-03-03
US3470502A (en) * 1967-10-11 1969-09-30 Clare & Co C P Mercury-wetted contact switch
DE1614671B2 (de) * 1967-12-04 1971-09-30 Siemens AG, 1000 Berlin u. 8000 München Lageunabhaengiges quecksilberrelais
DE2347471C3 (de) * 1973-09-20 1979-02-22 Siemens Ag, 1000 Berlin Und 8000 Muenchen Polarisiertes elektromagnetisches Relais
FR2392485A1 (fr) * 1977-05-27 1978-12-22 Orega Circuits & Commutation Interrupteur a contacts mouilles, et a commande magnetique
US4236129A (en) * 1979-06-20 1980-11-25 Gordos Corporation Mercury contact switch

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2473217B1 (es) 1984-05-18
FR2473217A1 (fr) 1981-07-10
EP0032331A1 (fr) 1981-07-22
JPS56103829A (en) 1981-08-19
DE3063550D1 (en) 1983-07-07
US4400671A (en) 1983-08-23

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