EP0757366A2 - Electrical roller contactor - Google Patents

Electrical roller contactor Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0757366A2
EP0757366A2 EP96304649A EP96304649A EP0757366A2 EP 0757366 A2 EP0757366 A2 EP 0757366A2 EP 96304649 A EP96304649 A EP 96304649A EP 96304649 A EP96304649 A EP 96304649A EP 0757366 A2 EP0757366 A2 EP 0757366A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
carrier
conductive
adaptor
contact
electrical
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP96304649A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Gary R. Thomas
David A. Coffin
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.)
Lear Corp EEDS and Interiors
Original Assignee
Lear Corp EEDS and Interiors
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 Lear Corp EEDS and Interiors filed Critical Lear Corp EEDS and Interiors
Publication of EP0757366A2 publication Critical patent/EP0757366A2/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current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
    • H01H1/12—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage
    • H01H1/14—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage by abutting
    • H01H1/16—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage by abutting by rolling; by wrapping; Roller or ball contacts
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01C—RESISTORS
    • H01C10/00—Adjustable resistors
    • H01C10/28—Adjustable resistors the contact rocking or rolling along resistive element or taps

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to electrical contacting devices, and more particularly, to an electrical contact assembly having a rotatable contact roller resiliently biased against first and second conducting surfaces.
  • Electrical contacting devices are used in a number of electro-mechanical applications to make and break electrical circuits.
  • electrical contacting devices have two conductive surfaces and a contact member formed of a conductive material, wherein at least one of the conductive surfaces is attached to an electrical source.
  • the contact member When the contact member is positioned such that it makes contact with both of the conductive surfaces, it electrically couples the two conductive surfaces, thereby making an electrical circuit. Conversely, when the contact member no longer makes contact with both conductive surfaces, then it no longer electrically bridges the conductive surfaces and the circuit is broken.
  • Electrical contacting devices are commonly used in switches such as a rheostat.
  • mechanical or electro-mechanical means are used to move the contact member in and out of contact with both of the conductive surfaces, thereby varying the electrical output of the switch.
  • some switches to have a stationary contact member, wherein the conductive surfaces translate along a linear or arcuate path, thereby forming electrical circuits in a like manner.
  • the prior art discloses various embodiments of electrical contacting devices.
  • One type of electrical contacting device uses a metal plate as the contact member, wherein the metal plate is biased against the conductive surfaces with a spring.
  • a drawback with this type of contacting device lies in the friction generated as the metal plate slides against the conductive surfaces. This friction may detract from the smooth operation of the contacting device, and may eventually wear down both the metal plate and the conductive surfaces.
  • the prior art discloses another type of electrical contacting device wherein a metal roller serves as the contact member.
  • the metal roller is biased against the conductive surfaces by a spring pressing against the central shaft of the roller.
  • a drawback with this type of contacting device lies in the inability of the metal roller to rotate smoothly when pressed between the spring and the conductive surfaces. The positioning of the metal roller causes forces between the spring and the roller such that the rotation of the roller may catch the end of the spring pressed against the roller, thereby tangling the spring with the roller and locking-up the roller's rotation. Under these conditions, the roller would not be able to rotate, thereby causing the locked-up roller to slide along the conductive surfaces and creating the same frictional problems found with the metal plate contacting devices.
  • Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical contact assembly that resiliently supports the contact roller against the conductive surfaces.
  • Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical contact assembly that uses a carrier adaptor to rotatably support the contact roller, wherein the carrier adaptor is in turn resiliently supported by a carrier.
  • Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical contact assembly that reduces wear on both the contact member and the conductive surfaces.
  • a contact assembly having a contact roller for electrically coupling two conductive surfaces.
  • a feature of the contact assembly is a carrier, wherein the carrier controllably guides the contact roller relative to the conductive surfaces.
  • Another feature of the contact assembly is a carrier adaptor, wherein the carrier adaptor is resiliently supported by the carrier, and wherein the contact roller is rotatably supported by the carrier adaptor.
  • FIGS. 1 and 2 An electrical contact assembly 10 embodying features of the present invention is depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2.
  • a carrier 12 resiliently supports a carrier adaptor 14, which in turn, rotatably supports a contact roller 16.
  • the contact roller 16 is located proximal to two conductive surfaces 18, such that the contact roller 16 electrically couples the conductive surfaces, and maintains the electrical coupling as the contact roller 16 rotates due to movement of the carrier 12 relative to the conductive surfaces 18.
  • a recess 20 may be provided in the carrier 12 for receiving the carrier adaptor 14.
  • the carrier 12 contains a parallelepipedic recess 20 for receiving the carrier adaptor 14, which is of a corresponding parallelepipedic configuration.
  • the recess 20 has a base 20a, and an open face 20b, wherein the base 20a and open face 20b have length and width dimensions which are slightly greater than the length and width dimensions of the carrier adaptor 14. This construction facilitates the ability of the carrier adaptor 14 to be placed within the recess 20 and smoothly slide within the recess 20 both towards and away from the base 20a of the recess 20.
  • the carrier adaptor 14 has a top portion 14a and a bottom portion 14b, such that the bottom portion 14b of the carrier adaptor 14 is proximal to the base 20a of the recess 20 when the carrier adaptor 14 is placed into the recess 20.
  • the carrier adaptor 14 is resiliently supported within the recess 20 of the carrier 12 by a helical spring 22 interposed between the bottom portion 14b of the carrier adaptor 14 and the base 20a of the recess 20.
  • the spring 22 is located in the center of the base 20a of the recess, and may be held in that location by means of a shallow spring recess 20c in the base 20a of the recess 20.
  • the bottom portion 14b of the carrier adaptor 14 may also contain a spring recess for receiving the portion of the spring 22 proximal to the carrier adaptor 14.
  • the number of springs 22 used to support the carrier adaptor 14 may be greater than the preferred one spring.
  • springs other than helical springs may be used to support the carrier adaptor 14.
  • a leaf spring interposed between the base 20a of the recess 20 and the bottom portion 14b of the carrier adaptor 14 would also provide resilient support for the carrier adaptor 14.
  • the carrier adaptor 14 may be resiliently supported by the carrier 12 with means other than springs.
  • both the carrier adaptor 14 and recess 20 are both parallelepipedic in shape, in alternative embodiments, both the carrier adaptor 14 and the recess 20 may have any type of size or shape, so long as the sizes and shapes correspond such that the carrier adaptor 14 and the recess 20 can be mated properly.
  • the carrier adaptor 14 has two chambers 14c,14d, wherein the two chambers 14c,14d are separated by a dividing wall 14e.
  • the two chambers 14c,14d have a generally U-shaped cross-section, wherein the open portion of the U-shaped cross-section is located proximal to the top portion 14a of the carrier adaptor 14.
  • the dividing wall 14e is located at a position substantially near the center of the longitudinal length of the carrier adaptor 14, such that the two chambers 14c,14d are of substantially equal sizes.
  • the upper portion of the dividing wall 14e near the top portion 14a of the carrier adaptor 14 has a slot 14f, wherein the slot 14f facilitates the rotational support the contact roller 16.
  • the contact roller 16 has a centrally located shaft 16a, with roller ends 16b disposed about both sides of the shaft 16a. Both the shaft 16a and the roller ends 16b should be formed from conductive material, such that an electrical charge would be capable of travelling from one roller end 16b to the other roller end 16b.
  • the shaft 16a should be cylindrical in shape, and accordingly, the slot 14f in the dividing wall 14e of the carrier adaptor 14 should have a semi-circular cross-section such that it can rotatably support the contact roller 16 when the shaft 16a is placed within the slot 14f.
  • the roller ends 16b are each disposed partially within each of the chambers 14c,14d of the carrier adaptor 14 such that contact roller 14 can rotate freely.
  • the carrier 12 is positioned proximal to the conductive surfaces 18 such that each roller end 16b of the contact roller 16 is in contact, respectively, with each of the conductive surfaces 18.
  • the electrical current will be conducted through the contact roller 16 and into the other conductive surface 18, thereby electrically coupling the two conductive surfaces 18.
  • the contact roller 16 will rotate and maintain electrical coupling of the conductive surfaces 18 while also providing smoother operation and a reduction in contact frictional forces as compared to the prior art contactors.
  • the spring 22 acts to resiliently bias the carrier adaptor 14 towards the conductive surfaces 18, thereby biasing the contact roller 16 against the conductive surfaces 18. Therefore, taking into account the possibility that the distance between the carrier 12 and the conductive surfaces 18 may not always remain constant as the carrier 12 moves relative to the conductive surfaces 18, the use of the spring 22 ensures that the contact roller 18 maintains electrical coupling of the conductive surfaces 18.
  • the contact assembly 10 is part of an electrical switch 24 wherein the contact surfaces 18 are stationary within the switch 24, and the carrier 12 moves relative to the contact surfaces 18.
  • the carrier 12 movement is facilitated through the attachment of the carrier 12 to a conventional thumbwheel 26, wherein the thumbwheel 26 is rotatably supported by a base portion 28.
  • the thumbwheel 26 is urged into rotational movement through physical, mechanical, or electro-mechanical means, the carrier 12 is correspondingly urged into motion along an arcuate path.
  • the conductive surfaces 18 are disposed upon the base portion 28 of the switch 24 such that as the carrier 12 moves along the arcuate path, the carrier 12 passes over the conductive surfaces 18 thereby enabling the contact roller 16 to electrically couple the conductive surfaces 18.
  • a linear guide (not shown) or any other means known in the art for moving a contact member relative to conductive surfaces in electrical switches may be used for moving the carrier 12 along a path.
  • the contact assembly 10 in the switch 24 may be used to make or break electrical circuits, or in the alternative, to decrease or increase electrical output such as in a conventional dimmer switch.
  • the contact assembly 10 may be part of an electrical switch (not shown) wherein the carrier 12 is stationary and the conductive surfaces 18 move relative to the carrier 12.
  • the conductive surfaces 18 would be disposed along a path at discrete locations such that at predetermined locations in the movement of the conductive surfaces 18, the contact roller 16 would electrically couple the conductive surfaces 18, thereby making an electrical circuit.
  • the contact assembly 10 in this embodiment may be used to make or break electrical circuits, or in the alternative, to decrease or increase electrical output such as in a conventional dimmer switch (not shown).
  • both the carrier 12 and the conductive surfaces 18 may experience movement, thereby moving the carrier 12 and the conductive surfaces 18 relative to each other.
  • the carrier 12 and the conductive surfaces 18 may be urged into relative movement through mechanical means, electrical means, magnetic means, hydraulic means, or any combination thereof that would produce the desired relative movement.

Landscapes

  • Rotary Switch, Piano Key Switch, And Lever Switch (AREA)
  • Contacts (AREA)
EP96304649A 1995-08-03 1996-06-24 Electrical roller contactor Withdrawn EP0757366A2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US51096295A 1995-08-03 1995-08-03
US510962 1995-08-03

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0757366A2 true EP0757366A2 (en) 1997-02-05

Family

ID=24032907

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP96304649A Withdrawn EP0757366A2 (en) 1995-08-03 1996-06-24 Electrical roller contactor

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0757366A2 (ja)
JP (1) JPH09106725A (ja)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN109155215A (zh) * 2016-05-17 2019-01-04 株式会社阿尔发 旋转开关装置
IT201800007191A1 (it) * 2018-07-13 2020-01-13 Dispositivo elettrico di regolazione.

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN108054042A (zh) * 2017-10-31 2018-05-18 高铭电子（惠州）有限公司 一种应用于发动机或发电机的启停开关
CN109390828A (zh) * 2018-09-05 2019-02-26 程倍勇 电流电压传递机构

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN109155215A (zh) * 2016-05-17 2019-01-04 株式会社阿尔发 旋转开关装置
US10790104B2 (en) 2016-05-17 2020-09-29 Alpha Corporation Rotary switch device
CN109155215B (zh) * 2016-05-17 2021-01-15 株式会社阿尔发 旋转开关装置
IT201800007191A1 (it) * 2018-07-13 2020-01-13 Dispositivo elettrico di regolazione.

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPH09106725A (ja) 1997-04-22

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