US1216386A

US1216386A - Electric switch.

Info

Publication number: US1216386A
Application number: US14149617A
Authority: US
Inventors: Anthony F Williams; Edward A Halbleib
Original assignee: NORTH EAST ELECTRIC CO
Current assignee: NORTH EAST ELECTRIC Co
Priority date: 1917-01-09
Filing date: 1917-01-09
Publication date: 1917-02-20
Anticipated expiration: 1934-02-20

Description

A. F. WILLIAMS & E. A. HALBLEIB.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED A1111. 22, 1915. REIIEwED IAN. 9. 1911.

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fifi @FEHEE AE1 THQNY 'WILLMS AND .EDWARD ji.. -ILELEHE, 0F ROCHESTER, .NEW YGRK, ASSIGNRS T0 N ORTE- EAST ELECTREC COMPANY, @F ROCHESTER., NEW YQRK, A

OF NEVI YGRK.

Application iled April 2.2, 1935,

To all whom t may @caceres i Be it known that we, ANTHoNr F. WIL- LIAMS and ltnwnnn A. HALBLEm, citizens of United States, and residents of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Electric Switches, of which tue following is specification.

This invention relates particularly to electric switches such as are employed in connection with electric currents which are of sumcient volume to produce harmful arcing or heating, and in which, accordingly, it is desirable to make provision, either by a snap-action or otherwise, for diminishing such effects. i

@ne object of the invention is to so form and move the circuit-controlling contacts that any heating or arcing which occurs between them shall not be localized on the contact-members, but shallbe distributed over Surfaces of an area which is great in comparison with the current conducted. To this end we employ contact-members having Wide contact-surfaces, and instead ofA causing these surfaces to be engaged and disengaged by the usual. wiping action, we employ a mechanism for moving one of the contactmembers toward and from the other in a direction at an angle to the contact-surfaces, while holding these surfaces parallel. In this manner the arcing is not confined to' the edges of the contact-members, as in switches where they have a slidingv or wiping engagement and disengagement, but is distributed oversurfaces of wide area which are equidistant at all points at the moment when the arc is drawn. By the same arrangement the closure of the circuit'occurs by the engagement'of the contact-members over wide surfaces.

To further distribute the effects of arcing over the Contact surfaces we employ an arf rangement lsuch that the movable contactmember, in addition toits circuit-controlling movement, has a moreor less Vfree independent'rotative movement by which the parts of its contact-surface which engagel any particular points of contact onl the fixed contact-mem er may be constantly changedfthus distributing wear equally over Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb@ 20, 1917@ the .contactsurfaceso lThis 'is' conveniently accomplished, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, by imparting to the movable contact-member a helical, or combined rotative and axial from the fixed contact-member, and by permitting the movable contact-member, in adn dition, a free independent rotative movement.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a simple and effective manner, for giving the movable contact-member a sudden or snapraction in both closing and opening the circuit, and for this purpose we employ actuating-means comprising a spring which is connected, at one end, to an eccentric point on the means by which the movable contact-member is rotated, and at the other end to a manually-operable member arranged to swing the spring alternatelyto one side' or the other of the yaxis of rotation of the movable contact-member.

L Another object of the invention is to produce a. switch in which the .operative members shall be incased, but in which the several parts may be conveniently assembled in coperative relation while open to inspection. For this purpose we employ an arrangement in which the casing of the switch is in two parts, and in which the contact-members vare'assembled, as an operative organization, on one part of the casing, and vthe actuating-mechanism is assembled, as an operative organization, on the other part of the casing, so that when the two parts of movement, toward and the casing are separated these two organizations lare both complete in themselves, and therefore conveniently subject to adjustment or to inspection of their operation.

In the accompanying drawings z- Figure lisa vertical median section of a switch embodyingthe presentinvention, with the movable parts shown in an internmediate position to bring them into the secrtion-planeg; e

f Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line lQ QinFiggzl; 7 i

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section) on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1, with some ofthe principal parts broken awayto show the parts below;

i ig. Lis a partial plan-view of the switch,

vsecuring the contact-member to such an extent as to have little4 with certain parts broken away to show the interior construction;

Fig. 5 is a' detail-view, in vertical section on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3, showing a part of the means for securing the xed contactmembers in place; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the stud by which the movements of the movable contact-member are directed.

The invention lis illustrated as embodied in a switch having a casing comprising a plate or cover 10 and a hollow body 22. The plate 10 constitutes a base or support for the fixed contact-members, and for the means by which the movable contact-member is held in cooperative relation with the/fixed contactmembers. The fixed contact-members are shown as two in number, and they comprise circular curved

members

11 and 12, which together constitute an annulus divided at two diametrically opposite points. Fach fixed contact-member is provided, at the middle, with a binding-post 13, which extends through, but is insulated from the base-plate 10 and constitutes means for both the baseplate and connecting it with circuit-wires.

At their adjacent ends the fixed contactmembers are secured in place, as shown in Fig. 4, by means of rivets 14, which have heads seated in recesses in the ends of the contact-members and acting to clamp these ends to the base-plate, insulation being interf posed, however, between'the rivets and the l contact-members.

The movable contact-member is in the form of a flat disk 15. This disk is carried by a sleeve 16 which slides and vrotates on a stud`17 fixed to the base-plate 10.v The stud is provided, as shown in Fig. 5, with pins 18 which are helically arranged so as to engage corresponding helical slots in' the inner surface of the sleeve 16. When the sleeve is turned upon the stud it consequently has a helical motion thereon, which motion is transmitted to the movable contact-member, so that this member, while held with its fiat lower contact-surface always parallel with the fiat upper contactsurfaces of the fixed members, moves toward and from the latter with a helical movement. The movable contact-member is connected with the sleeve 16 by an insulating spool 19, and it is fitted in the, spool with sufiicient looseness of the contact-member with respect to the sleeve.

Tt will be apparent that when the movable contact-member is engaged with, or disengaged from, the fixed contact-members this occurs not at any isolated points of the contact-members, but simultaneously throughout wide areas of contact, so that any 'arcing which occurs is distributed to or no harmto permit a free rotation raides@ ful eect. Tt will also be apparent that tht provision for free rotative movement of the contact-member 15 permits this member to rotate indefinitely, in consequence of vibrations or of the opening and closing movement of the switch, in such a manner as to bring new points into engagement with" any' definite points on the fixed contact-members, thus distributing equally over the contactsurfaces such wear asmay occur. Since the movable contact-member is supported in its middle portion, it is also capable of such minute rocking movements as may be necessary to insure that it shall always bear firmly upon both fixed contact-members when engaged therewith, and thus act to close the electric circuit by forming a path for the current between the two fixed contact-members.

The movable contact-member is slitted radially and is formed of thin and resilient sheet-metal, so that in case any roughness occurs at any particular point in either of the contact-surfaces, or any particle of for-" eign matter is interposed between the contact-members, one or more of the segments of the movable contact-member may yield independently and thus permit the proper seating of the rest of the segments. n

The insulating spool 19 is fixed on the sleeve 16 between a collar 2O anda sheetmetal plate 21, which are both firmly secured to the sleeve, the plate 21 embracing a squared portion on the sleeve, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The plate 21 constitutes means for connecting the sleeve 16 with the manually-operable actuating-mechanism of the switch. This actuating-mechanism is mounted on the body 22 of the casing. Journaled in the top of the casing is a short rock-'shaft 23,` to the outer end of which is fixed an operating-ann 24. This arm embraces a squared portion on the rockshaft, and by removing the arm and turnmg it to any of the eight different positions in which it may be placed on the shaft, the arm may be set in any convenient position for operation in accordance with the particular installation switch may be used.

Upon the lower end of the rock-shaft 23 is fixed a sheet-metal member 25, and a spiral spring 26 is interposed between this member and the casing, the inner end of the spring being secured to the casing, as shown in Fig. 1, while the outer end is secured to the member 25, as shown in Fig. 3. This spring tends to return the rock-shaft and the operating-arm to the position of Fig. 3, in` which the arm engages a stop 27 ,shown in Fig. 6.

The member 25 has a depending lug 28, to which is attached one end of a coiled tension-spring 29. The other end of this spring is attached to the middle portion of a il with which the p naieee This cross-bar is secured at its ends to lu s 35 projecting inwardly from the body of the casing. 4The stud 33 is also seated in an opening in the upper end of the stud 17, to insure assembling of the parts in the proper coaxial relation.

"lfhe U-shaped rocking-member is adapted to swing about its pivots through an angle limited by its engagement with two stoplugs 36 and 3i in the body of the casing. lhis swinging movement is produced by the tension of the spring 29. ln the normal position of the parts, shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the spring 29 extends in a line at one side of the axis of pivotal movement or the U-shaped member, but when the operatingarm is swung to its other position, as shown in Fig. 6, the spring 29 is swung to the opposite side of this axis, and as soon as it has passed the axis its tension causes the rocking-member to be at once swung to the position shown in Fig. 6. When the operatingarm is permitted to return to its normal position, under the inuencefof the spring 26, the spring 29 has the opposite effect on the rocking-member.

To transmit the movements of the rocking-member to the plate v21 and the sleeve 16, a depending lug 38 is provided at the end of the arm 31, which engages a forked extremity i0 on the plate 21. A similar lug 39 is punched out and bent downwardly from the rocking-member at the opposite side of its pivotal axis, this lug engaging the opposite forked extremity of the plate 21, and in this manner the rocking move-v ments are transmitted to the sleeve 16, with the results previously described.

The plate 10 is fixed to the body of the casing by screws or in any convenient manner. When this plate is removed it carries with it the stud 17, the sleeve 16, and the movable contact-member, so thatthese parts remain as an assembled organization, while, on the other hand, the actuating-mechanism, including the 'rocking-

member

30, 31, re-

mains assembled within the body of the casvtrs ing. The operation of either of tliesemechanisms may therefore be inspected, and any required adjustments made, with the parts of each organization in their coperative relation. When the plate is replaced on the body of the casing the operative connections between the two organizations are conveniently effected by the introductionl of the lugs 38 and 39 into the forked ends of the plate 21.

Our invention is not limited to the embodiment thereof' hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it may be embodied in various other forms within the nature of the invention as `it is defined in the following claims.

W e claim z- '1, An electric switch having, in combination, an actuating-member; means for imparting a helical movement to the actnating-member; a contact-member carried by the actnatinglnember and` having a contactsurface normal to the axis of movement of the actuating-member; and a fixed contactmember having a contact-surface parallel with that of the movable contact-member, the movable contact-member being rotatable with respect to the actuating-member.

:2. An electric switch having, in combination, a plurality of fixed concentric contactmembers having contact-faces lying in a common surface; a movable contact-member coaxial with said surface and having a contact-face complementary tothose of the fixed contact-members; and actuating-means, connected with the middle-portion of the movable contact-member, for moving it axially toward and .from'the xed contact-members, the movable contact-member being rotatable axially with respect to said actuating-means.

3. An electric switch having, in, combination, a fixed contact-member; a movable contact member; actuating mechanism, for

`the movable contact-member, comprising nections, the movable contact-member be` ing connected with said movable part by connections permitting relative rotation of said part and said contact-member; and means for rotating said movable part on said fixed part.

5. An electric switch having, in combination, a fixed contact-member; a movable contact-member; a rotatable member for actuating the movable contact-member; and means, for imparting rapid partial rotations, in opposite directions, to said rotatable member, comprising a spring connected ec-V centrically to the rotatable member, and a manually-operable part connected to the spring and movable to swing the spring to opposite sides of the rotatable member.

6. An electric switch having, in combination, a casing comprising two separable taf member associated -with the fixed contactmembers and supported by, and axiallyl movable upon said support; operatingmechanism mounted on the other casingmember and movable coaxially With the movable contact-member; and means, for connectingthe movable contact-member and the operating-mechanism, engageable and disengageable by relative axial movement of said member and mechanism.

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