EP0057130B1 - Interrupteur à mercure utilisant la tension de surface du mercure pour le rappel de l'élément mobile - Google Patents

Interrupteur à mercure utilisant la tension de surface du mercure pour le rappel de l'élément mobile Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0057130B1
EP0057130B1 EP82400095A EP82400095A EP0057130B1 EP 0057130 B1 EP0057130 B1 EP 0057130B1 EP 82400095 A EP82400095 A EP 82400095A EP 82400095 A EP82400095 A EP 82400095A EP 0057130 B1 EP0057130 B1 EP 0057130B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
mercury
movable element
electrode
movable
switch
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
EP82400095A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0057130A2 (fr
EP0057130A3 (en
Inventor
Philippe Pouyez
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.)
COMPAGNIE DE CONSTRUCTIONS ELECTRIQUES ET ELECTRON
Original Assignee
CONSTRUCTIONS ELECTRIQUES ET ELECTRONIQUES (CCEE) Cie
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 CONSTRUCTIONS ELECTRIQUES ET ELECTRONIQUES (CCEE) Cie filed Critical CONSTRUCTIONS ELECTRIQUES ET ELECTRONIQUES (CCEE) Cie
Publication of EP0057130A2 publication Critical patent/EP0057130A2/fr
Publication of EP0057130A3 publication Critical patent/EP0057130A3/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0057130B1 publication Critical patent/EP0057130B1/fr
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • 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 present invention relates to a switch with mercury wetted contacts arranged in a housing consisting of a base and a cover, comprising first and second electrodes, a movable element which can take at least two different positions, respectively a position of working under the action of an external control force and a rest position under the action of a restoring force generated by mercury disposed between the mobile element and a fixed element, the distance of which is at most equal to the value for which the mercury is maintained between said elements by capillary forces, the respective surfaces of the fixed element and of the movable element in contact with the mercury being such that they are wetted by the latter.
  • Such switches generally include a spring at the height of the cepillarity force generated by the mercury between the fixed element and the mobile element.
  • the spring can take the form of either a blade (flat spring) or a helix (coil spring).
  • a metal blade or flat spring is frequently used as a means of returning to the stable position.
  • the return spring used in this case is generally made of a material different from that constituting the mobile element to which it is fixed by welding or any other suitable means.
  • this flat spring is then of extremely reduced dimensions which makes on the one hand its manipulation difficult and on the other hand the precise adjustment of its extremely delicate position. The same applies to the operations for fixing to the moving part and in general for all the operations in which this spring is concerned.
  • springs are of a fairly high cost price: they are not only made of fairly special fairly special materials such as beryllium copper, but it is also necessary to subject them to a treatment which makes them good. elastic properties.
  • any mechanical spring is subject to an aging phenomenon which causes its characteristics to change over time.
  • Document DE-B-1 257 285 discloses a switch controlled by a magnetic field comprising, inside a glass or ceramic envelope, a first and a second electrode on which a non-magnetic plate is fixed, a ball, under the action of an external magnetic field which can move from the second electrode towards the first and being recalled when the external magnetic field is suppressed towards the second electrode under the action of the surface tension of the mercury which is exerts on the ball and on the plate secured to the second electrode. This closes the electrical circuit between the two electrodes, via mercury and the ball.
  • the switch according to the invention makes it possible to avoid these drawbacks.
  • the movable element has the form of a pallet, one of the sides of which constitutes an axis of rotation of the latter from the rest position to the working position and vice versa , this axis of rotation penetrating into a groove carried by the base of the housing which is integral with said fixed element and in that said mobile element is connected to a third electrode electrically connected to the first or to the second electrode according to the rest position or working (or vice versa) of the movable element.
  • the mobile element and / or the fixed element will have the form of flat metal tongues.
  • the switch according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises a dihedral-shaped part, one of the planes of which is secured to the base and provided with an opening through which passes the movable element, the axis of rotation thereof being held in the groove by said plane, the fixed element being constituted by the other plane of said dihedral.
  • the dihedral is obtained simply from a metal plate preferably, in which an opening is drilled and which is then folded into two parts making an angle of the order of 90 ° between them.
  • the axis of rotation of the movable part which is arranged in a groove inside the support, a groove also containing mercury, is then maintained by the plane of the dihedron provided with an opening.
  • the axis of rotation of the movable part is then placed in the groove, then there is added over the plane of the dihedral pierced with its opening, which is fixed to the support and which thus maintains the movable part, allowing only a rotation thereof. Then a drop of mercury is introduced into the corresponding cover which is welded to the base.
  • the switch according to the invention has the advantage of being an "all position" switch.
  • the invention in principle, in fact, calls upon a law of physics well known under the name of law of JURIN.
  • the applications of the switches according to the invention, as described above, are manifold: it is possible, for example, to use them with magnetically controlled relays of the monostable, bistable type, or having several different stable positions.
  • the movable pallet will be moved under the action of an external force and will come into contact with one of the electrical contacts wetted with mercury.
  • the position will be stable insofar as the restoring force exerted by the liquid on the movable pallet will remain less than the capillary attraction force caused by the liquid on the upper part of the movable tongue, at the level of the electrical contact.
  • Figure 1 shows, in two sectional views (a) (b), the two phases of movement of a movable blade return by surface tension forces used in the switch according to the invention.
  • the return device uses a liquid 21, a certain amount of which is located between the movable part 1 in the form of a blade, and a fixed part 22, arranged opposite, and integral with the base 3.
  • Another advantage lies in the fact that the mechanical parts 1 and 22 do not need to have particular elastic properties.
  • Another advantage lies in the fact that for systems of reduced dimensions such as, for example, miniature switches in hermetic enclosure, there is no need to operate a connection by precise welding between the moving part 1 and the base fixed (base 3).
  • FIG. 2 represents an embodiment of a miniature switch with wet mercury contacts according to the invention.
  • the switch consists of an airtight enclosure completely internally wetted by closing a cover 8 on a base 3 'comprising two electrodes 6 and 7 isolated from the base 3' by insulators 9 and a movable pallet 1 ' , connected via the base 3 'to an external electrical contact 24, said movable pallet coming to establish the electrical contact either between the electrode 6 and the contact 24 or between the electrode 7 and the contact.
  • a fixed pallet 22 ' is positioned on the base 3 near the mobile pallet l' so that there is a capillary rise of the liquid 21 between the pallets l and 22 '.
  • the fixed electrode 7 is the electrode on which the movable pallet 1 ′ generally comes to rest in the absence of external stress thanks to the restoring force caused by the liquid spring of the invention.
  • the electrode 6 is the working electrode on which the movable pallet 1 'is placed when a force external to the system, for example of magnetic origin, acts on said pallet.
  • the switch according to the invention operates only by the action of an electromagnetic force on the movable pallet 1 'which switches it in contact with the electrode 6.
  • the removal of the magnetic field generates the return of the movable pallet on the electrode 7.
  • the switch then operates in a monostable manner.
  • FIG 3 there is shown a very enlarged view of a preferred variant of the device according to the invention.
  • the support 32 is coated with a flat metal part 31 pierced with an opening 37 through which passes the movable pallet 34 provided with its axis 35 located in the corresponding housing 36 of the support 32.
  • the part 31 is extended by a support 30 substantially oriented at 90 ° and forming a dihedral therewith which contains the liquid 33 also present in the groove 36.
  • the surfaces in contact with the liquid 33 of the pallet 34 and of the support 30 are of course treated to be wetted by the latter this.
  • FIG. 4 shows a schematic top view of the device of Figure 3.
  • the same elements as those of the previous figure have the same references.
  • the fixed pallet (support 30) has not been straightened to form a dihedral with the part 31. This makes it possible to better understand the simplicity of manufacture of the device according to this preferred embodiment of the 'invention.
  • FIG. 4 does not represent the electric electrodes such as 6 and 7 in Figure 2).

Landscapes

  • Contacts (AREA)
  • Mechanisms For Operating Contacts (AREA)
  • Switch Cases, Indication, And Locking (AREA)
  • Manufacture Of Switches (AREA)
  • Switches That Are Operated By Magnetic Or Electric Fields (AREA)
EP82400095A 1981-01-23 1982-01-19 Interrupteur à mercure utilisant la tension de surface du mercure pour le rappel de l'élément mobile Expired EP0057130B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR8101293A FR2498689A1 (fr) 1981-01-23 1981-01-23 Dispositif de rappel par tension de surface d'un liquide, interrupteur comportant un tel dispositif et son utilisation dans les relais a commande magnetique
FR8101293 1981-01-23

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0057130A2 EP0057130A2 (fr) 1982-08-04
EP0057130A3 EP0057130A3 (en) 1982-08-18
EP0057130B1 true EP0057130B1 (fr) 1985-08-21

Family

ID=9254459

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP82400095A Expired EP0057130B1 (fr) 1981-01-23 1982-01-19 Interrupteur à mercure utilisant la tension de surface du mercure pour le rappel de l'élément mobile

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US4471190A (es)
EP (1) EP0057130B1 (es)
JP (1) JPS57143213A (es)
DE (1) DE3265486D1 (es)
FR (1) FR2498689A1 (es)

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2570543A1 (fr) * 1984-09-14 1986-03-21 Michel Marc Commutateur electrique a seuil de declenchement
FR2728037B1 (fr) * 1994-12-09 1997-05-30 Dld International Structure heterogene d'accumulation ou de dissipation d'energie, procedes d'utilisation d'une telle structure, et appareils associes d'accumulation ou de dissipation d'energie
US6373356B1 (en) * 1999-05-21 2002-04-16 Interscience, Inc. Microelectromechanical liquid metal current carrying system, apparatus and method
KR100755106B1 (ko) * 2000-02-02 2007-09-04 레이던 컴퍼니 액체 금속 컨택트가 구비된 마이크로일렉트로미케니칼마이크로 릴레이
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 (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2309953A (en) * 1940-06-15 1943-02-02 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Electric switch
US2288452A (en) * 1940-06-15 1942-06-30 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Electric switch
US2312672A (en) * 1941-05-09 1943-03-02 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Switching device
NL70005C (es) * 1947-09-19
DE1257285B (de) * 1962-03-05 1967-12-28 Siemens Ag Quecksilberrelais
US3144533A (en) * 1962-03-16 1964-08-11 Fifth Dimension Inc Mercury relay
FR1375169A (fr) * 1963-08-26 1964-10-16 Fifth Dimension Inc Relais à mercure
DE1514762B2 (de) * 1965-05-28 1970-06-25 : Standard Elektrik Lorenz AG, 7000 Stuttgart Haftrelais
US4085392A (en) * 1976-01-14 1978-04-18 Gordos Corporation Reed switch construction
US4114006A (en) * 1977-05-03 1978-09-12 Western Electric Co., Inc. Mercury-wetted sealed contact switch
FR2392485A1 (fr) * 1977-05-27 1978-12-22 Orega Circuits & Commutation Interrupteur a contacts mouilles, et a commande magnetique
US4149130A (en) * 1978-01-20 1979-04-10 Gordos Corporation Miniature mercury contact reed switch construction
US4236129A (en) * 1979-06-20 1980-11-25 Gordos Corporation Mercury contact switch
FR2473217A1 (fr) * 1980-01-08 1981-07-10 Socapex Interrupteur a contacts mouilles et a commande magnetique, et relais electrique comportant un tel interrupteur
FR2479552A1 (fr) * 1980-03-26 1981-10-02 Socapex Dispositif d'articulation d'une lame mobile, pivotante sur son embase et interrupteur comportant un tel dispositif

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0057130A2 (fr) 1982-08-04
FR2498689A1 (fr) 1982-07-30
US4471190A (en) 1984-09-11
DE3265486D1 (en) 1985-09-26
JPS57143213A (en) 1982-09-04
EP0057130A3 (en) 1982-08-18
FR2498689B1 (es) 1984-02-17

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