US1471199A - Switch - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 16, 1923. 1 .1,471,199

, L. A. M. PHELAN SWITCH Filed Aug. 2O 1920 Patented Oct. 16, 1923.

noUIs A. M. PHELAN, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SWITCH.

Application led August 20, 1920. Serial No. 404,918.

To all whom t may concern.: Be itknown that I, LOUIS A. M. PHELAN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, I and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to electrical switches and it has special reference to electrical contact making devices comprising spaced electrodes that are sealed into a closed hermetieally sealed container and are adapted to be brought into electrical (,:ontactingrelation with one another through the agenc o a 16 movable conducting body, prefera ly a Huid Suchas mercury, which is also disposed in said container that, upon being tilted, is instrumental in performing the circuit closing and circuit opening functions between the electrodes and the mercury comprised in the device.

More particularly my vinvention refers to an electrical contactor device of the character indicated which will operate for long periods of time and' serve to make and break comparatively large amounts of current at commercial voltagel without undergoing deterioration.

My present invention pertains to an electrical contacter device as described above which, ifdesired, may comprise a cylindrical elongated tubular member, preferablyv in the form of a hermetically sealed glass container that serves to. house the electrodes and abody of conducting Huid such as mercury, the latter being adapted to bridge the electrodes within the tubular member. The tubular member is normally disposed upon a suitable supporting structure so that it may be tilted in either of two directions and. thus allow the conducting fluid to liow into and out of circuit making and opening positions with the electrodes. The electrodes are sealed iii; walls of the tubular member and, as shown in thisparticularin'stance, are adjacent to each other, forming a cooperating pair'. A particular object of this invention is to provide= in a contactor devicebi the type above indicated means for suppressinglor eliminating the arcing and forpreventing deterioration or corrosion of the contacting parts. i

A further object of this invention isv to provide a particular form of container for a contacter device of the type indicated which will serve to support'the electrodes in such relation thereto that the walls of the container will not become injured after prolonged use of the device.

A further object is to provide an improved form of electrode for use in a contactor of the type indicated.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a contactor device of the type indicated that will be simple and economical to construct and which will possess a long life even when subjected to considerable quantities of electric current and relatively high voltages.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an assemblage of a mercury switch mounted on a tilting lever or holder within a housing receptacle, the cover of which is removed, and the switch being in its open circuit position.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.l

Fig. 3 is a vertical axial sectional view of the mercury switch in its open circuit or horizontal position,

F ig. 4 shows the three fundamental steps in a process of making large contact-making surface terminals that may be disposed in the glass mercury tube.

Fig. 5 is av vertical axial sectional view of the lower end of the mercury switch in an upturned, closed circuit position. The switch proper comprises a hermetically sealed receptacle 1 having a pair of spaced terminals or electrodes 2 and 3 and a liquid conductor 4 which only partly fills the space within the receptacle. The chamber in the receptacle 1 is free of air but contains an atmosphere of inert gas. The receptacle 1 is formed in a manner such that the conductor 4 may make or break an electric circuit between said electrodes, thereby closing and opening an external electric `circuit when the receptacle is suitably moved or tilted. The kwalls of the receptacle 1 are composed of dielectric material, preferably glass, and comprise an elongated cylindrical body part 6 made in tubular form with its ends 7 and tightly sealed and provided with Aconductive tera large contact area to the mercury 4 or other liquid conductor, and constituting the said electrodes 2 and 3. Each of the end caps 9 and 10 is secured to the glass tube by means of a high-grade and durable cement 13, which preferably may be com posed of litharge and glycerine. The outer ends ot the conductors 11 and 12 may be secured in place by the application of solder 14 at each end of the switch. Both of the electrodes 2 and 3 are disposed adjacent to one end of the tube 6, so as to be bridged by the mercury when the switch is tilted or upcnded, as illustrated in Fig. 5. Said electrodes are both shown as being within the end cap 9.

Furthermore, in order that the electrode 3 may be supported with a fair degree of rigidity at-or adjacent to the main axis of the switch, the corresponding end of the tube is formed with an inward tubular pr'ojection 15 and the terminal lead 12 is sealed in the closed inner end thereof at 16. As thus mounted, the electrodes 2 and 3 are disposed in axial alinement concentric with the tube 6 and are equally spaced from the walls on all sides. The leading-in wires 11 and 12dproject exteriorly from the tube at its en s.

The switch unit 1 as aI whole isof a cartridge-like shape and is interchangeable with similar switches in the supporting structure substantially in the manner by which cartridge fuses are mounted. When the switch 1 is placed in service, the end caps 9 and 10 tit into corresponding spring clips 17 as shown in Figs. l and 2. In one position (Fig. 5) of the switch, the electrodes 2 and 3 are bridged by the mercury 4, but when the switch is horizontally positioned (Fig. 3) or is reverscly tilted (Fig. 1, dotted lines) the mercury Hows away from the electrodes and the external circuit is conse- 4head 36 on the end of the wire.

blocks 26. From thence leads 27 extend to the outside of the casing 20 through an aperture 28.

The method' of constructing the switch is in the main as follows: The tube 6 having been formed and the electrodes 2 and 3 having been secured in place by sealing in the "lass, and the mercury 4 having been supplied, the tube together with a number of other similar tubes each provided with an outstanding tubular stem (not shown), and being connected in tree form as understood in the art, are exhausted by means of a vacuum pump, after which an inert gas may be introduced and the tube sealed, the temporary connection or stem being removed. The sealing-off tip is shown at 29. The mercury may be inserted either before or after exhausting the air, preferably before. The inert gas serves to suppress the spark and results in a prolonged life of the terminals.

The electrodes 2 and 3 may be formed as illustrated by the three steps shown in Fig. 4. To form a terminal I take a piece of suitable wire and first form a spiral of helical electrode at one end, as shown at 30. I then bend back the straight free end and thread it through the coil, as shown at 31. I then place the coil in a die 32 having a cylindrical cup-like aperture 33 with a central perforation 34 at the bottom for the wire end 35. I then pull the wire end 35 tightly, thereby securely setting the coil The wire used for the electrodes may be copper or an alloy thereof. The leading-in wires 11 and 12 may be composed of a different material in order to provide an eiicient seal at the glass container wall and may be brazed to the electrodes 2 and 3. Nickel-iron alloys or the like may be used as leading-in wires and have been found to provide a satisfactory seal with the glass walls.

The inert gas being preferably under pressure provides a high resistance gap between the velectrodes 2 and 3.

In operation the mercury and gas conduct the heat away from the electrodes so that excessive concentration of heat is avoided, even on moderate overloads. Switches of this character, made of glass tubing, have been found to o erate eiiciently under normal working conditions, up to fifteen amperes, though a much smaller current is suf ficient for many uses.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the s irit of this invention as defined by the fo lowing claims.

I claim:

1. An electrical contacter comprising a hermetically'sealed tubular glass container, a pair of spaced electrodes isposed at one end of said container and between which the electric circuit is adapted to be made and broken, a leading-in wire fixed to and independently supporting each of said electrodes, and a body of conductinclr Huid for bridging said electrodes at pre etermined times, said leading-in wires extendin to the exterior of said container and seale in the walls thereof, the end of said container furthest from said electrodes being depressed inwardly and extended in tubular form toward said electrodes, and one of said leading-in Wires extending through said inwardly depressed end and sealed in the inner end thereof. 2. A11 electrical contactor comprising a hermetically sealed tubular glass container, a reentrant integral tubular closure at one end of said container extending longitudinally toward the other end thereof, a pair of spaced electrodes within saidk other end of said container, leading-in wires from said electrodes sealed through said container walls, one of said leading-in wires extending through said reentrant closure, and a pair of metallic caps fitted upon and cemented respectively to the opposite ends of said tube and electrically connected to said leading-in wires.

3. An electrical contactor comprising a sealed container, a pair of spaced electrodes within said container, leading-in wires independently supporting said electrodes at points spaced from the walls of said container, and a body of conducting fiuid for bridging said electrodes and for making and breaking a circuit at said electrodes at predetermined times, said electrodcs being of substantial mass and heat absorbing capacity and said leading-in wires being sealed in the walls of said container and possessing a relatively small mass and small heat conducin capacity.

4. n electrlcal contactor comprising an air evacuated herrnetically sealed container, a pair of spaced electrodes of substantial mass within said container, leading-in wires sealed in said container and independently supporting said electrodes at points spaced from the walls of said container, said leading-in Wires having a cross-sectional area small in respect to that of said electrodes, a body of mercury movable in said container for making and breaking the circuit at said electrodes, and an inert gas filling the space in said container not occupied by said electrodes and mercury.

5. In a device of the character described, an elongated hermetically sealed receptacle containing a body of mercury, and an electrode member sealed in one of the walls of said receptacle near one end thereof, said electrode ,member comprising an enlarged 'said head at which said body of mercur serves to break a circuit at redetermine times, said head being 'space from the walls of said receptacle, and a relatively thin leading-in wire.

6. A fluid-type contact switch comprising a body of conducting liquid, and an electrode terminal for makin electrical circuit with said body of con cting liquid at predetermined times, said terminal comprising a wire having an enlargement at the end thereof formed by ceiling a portion of said Wire.

7. A mercury switch comprising a glass tube sealed at its ends, a body of mercury in said tube, and current leads sealed in the Walls of said tube, said leads having tightset coils of wire on their inner ends to contact with said body of mercury.

8. A mercury electric switch comprising an hermetically sealed casing, a body of mercury therein, electrodes sealed in said casing and each comprising a relatively small leading-in portion sealed in the wall of said 'casing and terminating in an enlarged head of large exposed surface, the said heads being disposed adjacently to and spaced from each other and providing large contact-making areasufor said body of mercury that is adapted to make and break the electric circuit through the switch at said enlarged heads.

9. A mercury electric switch comprising an hermetically sealed tubular container, cooperating electrodes sealed in said con tainer which are severally provided with a relatively small leading-in portion and a terminal head of substantially large contactmaking area, the cooperating terminal heads being disposed at one end of said container, a body of mercury movable to and from contact with said terminal heads for making or breaking a circuit thereat, and an inert gas filling said container.

10. A mercury electric switch comprising an elongated hermetically sealed glass container, cooperating electrodes sealed in said container near one end thereof which are severally provided with a terminal head of substantially large contact-making area, a body of mercury movable to and from contact with said terminal heads, and an inert gas filling said container, one of said electrodes being supported adjacent to its terminal head by a glass shank extending longitudinally of and integrally formedwith glass container.

11. An electric switch comprising a tubular glass container, a body of mercury therein, electrodes disposed in said container, leading-in wires extending from said electrodes and sealed through the wall of said container, and terminal heads for said electrodes of substantially large contact-making area relative to the diameter of and breaking an said leading-in wires, said body of mercury being movable to and from contact with said termlnal heads for making or breakmg a circuit thereat.

12. The combination with a pivotally mounted holder having spaced sprlng.. clips, of an electric switch supported in said holder, said switch comprising a container, exterior terminals therefor which removably engage said spring clips, spaced electrodes sealed in said container that are connected to said external terminals, and a body of mercury in said container movable to and from contact with said electrodes.

13. The combination with a pivotally A"1,471,1ea y mounted-holder having spaced electricv terminals thereupon, of an electric switch removably Aengaging said terminals, said switch comprising a sealed container, electrodes disposed therein, exterior terminals embracing said container and adapted to engage the spaced electric terminals mounted on said holder, a body of mercury in said container movable to and from contact with said electrodes, and means for actuating said holder.

9Signed at Chicago this 23 day of June, l 20.

Loms A. M. PHELAN,

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