US1182363A - Selector-switch. - Google Patents

Description

O. F. FORSBERG.

SELECTOR SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13, 1915. 1,182,363. Patented May9,1916.

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Oscar f Fansberq STATES PATENT onion.

OSCAR F. FORSBERG, YONKERS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION NEV YORK.

SELECTOR-SWITCH.

Application filed September 13, 1915.

To all whomjt may concern Be it known that I, OSCAR FERDINAND Fonsnnno, a citizen of the United States, residing at Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Selector-Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention-relates to automatic selector switches such as are used in telephone exchanges.

Its object is to provide a switch having a single set of brushes capable of serving a large number of lines and wherein connection may be quickly made to any of such lines. I

The switch of thisinvention comprises a vertical row of terminals at the top of which a. brush, mounted on a suitable carrier, normally rests, which brush is adapted to wipe over said terminals in long and short steps under the influence of gravity. The distance the brush is allowed to drop is determined by the number of impulses received by a magnet controlling an escapement mechanism for the brush carrier.

The escapement mechanism may comprise a pair of escape wheels. a double pawl operating therewith and an escape magnet, one escape wheel having a greater number of teeth than the other, these wheels being fixedto a shaft carrying a pinion engaging a rack on the, brush carrier. The shaft is moved axially by a shift magnet so that one or the other escape wheel cooperates with the double pawl of the escapement depending upon whether the brush is to drop long steps or short steps for each operation of the escape magnet. The brush is elevated to the top of the row upon disestablishment of the connection by a stepping magnet.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a switch constructed in ac cor-dance with this invention with the front plate removed and portions broken away, and Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

The terminals 10 maybe assembled in sets in a panel as shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,127,741. These terminals are multiplied horizontally across the face of the panel so as to be accessible to a number of elevator mechanisms 1.1 each carrying a set of brushes 12. The brush sets may be constructed as shown in U. S. Patent 1,123,696.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Serial No. 50,544.

Mounted on suitable bearings'30, 31 in the frame 13 is a shaft 14. This shaft is free to move axially a limited distance as well as to rotate. Rigidly mounted upon this shaft are two escape wheels 15, 16. The wheel 15 has a number of teeth 17, and the wheel 16 has one tooth 18 for every ten teeth of wheel 15. The carrier 11 has a rack 22 meshing with a pinion 21 loosely mounted on shaft 14.

When the magnet 20 of the escapement mechanism is energized, the weight of the carrier rotates the pinion 21, which, acting through the pawl 32 fixed to wheel 16, rotates said wheel until the tooth 34 of wheel 15 engages the upper end of the double pawl 35, the wheel 15 being normally held in en gagement with pawl 35 by a spring 38 (Fig. 2). When magnet 20 denergizes, spring 36 disengages the upper end of pawl 35 from tooth 34, and the movement of wheel 15 is arrested when the lower end of pawl 35 engages tooth 37. Thus, each time magnet 20 is energized and deenergized, it allows the ratchet Wheel 15 to rotate one step and the brushes 12 to drop a distance equal to the space between two sets of terminals 10. The escape magnet 20 may be operated by a stepping relay, this relay being operated from a suitable sender in any well-known manner when the switch is used as a connector, or in case it is used as a trunking switch, such magnet may be controlled locally as well as by a sender. A magnet 23 mounted on frame 13 is adapted by means of its armature 24 to shift shaft 14 axially against the tension of spring 38 so that the pawl 35 of the escapement mechanism cooperates with ratchet wheel 16 instead of with wheel 15. Now for each energization and deenergization of magnet 20, magnet 23 being maintained energized, the escapement mechanism allows the brushes 12 to drop a distance equal to that between ten sets of terminals 10. The magnet 23 is connected to a circuit-changing device (not shown), such, for example, as a side switch, which at the proper time closes its circuit to effect this changeover operation in any well-known manner. This magnet 23 will be' operated before the magnet 20, if the group containing the wanted line is not the top one. At the conclusion of the conversation a circuit is closed through magnet 25 including an interrupting machine. The pawl 27 carried by the armature 26 of this magnet engages the teeth 28 on the rack 22, driving the brush carrier 11 upwardly. During this upward movement of the carrier, the pinion 21 rotates on the shaft 14 and the pawl 32 slips over the teeth 33 thereof. The circuit of magnet is opened when the brushes l2 reach their normal position at the top of the anel.

WVhat is claimed is:

1. In an automatic selector switch, the combination with a vertical row of terminals, a carrier having a brush normally resting at the top of said row, means including a magnet for allowing said brush to drop in long and short steps over said row, and a stepping magnet adapted to elevate said brush carried to its normal position.

2. In a selector, the combination with a vertical row of terminals, a carrier having a brush normally resting at the top of said row, means for allowing said brush to drop in long and short steps comprising a shaft, a pair of escape wheels fixed thereto, one having a greater number of teeth than the other, a detent adapted to cooperate with one or thecther of said wheels, a magnet controlling said detent and a magnet adapted to control the relation of said wheels to said detent, and means for restoring said carrier.

In a selector, the combination with a vertical row of terminals, a carrier having a brush normally resting at the top of said row, means for allowing said brush to drop in long and short steps comprising a shaft, hearings therefor, pair of escape wheels fixed to said shaft, one having a greater number of teeth than the other, a double pawl adapted to cooperate with one or the other of said wheels, and a magnet controlling said double pawl, a magnet adapted to shift said shaft axially in said hearings to cause one or the other of said wheels to co operate with said double pawl, and means for restoring said carrier.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 10th day of September A. D.,

OSCAR F. FORSBERG.

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