US1652541A - Electric snap switch - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 13, 1927. 1,652,541

c. NE1L ELECTRIC SNAP SWITCH Filed Aug. 14. 1924 Cavan/f /lxa's Dec. 13, 1927. 1,652,541 c. NEIL ELECTRIC SNAP swITcH Filed Aug. 14. 1924 2 sheets-snee: 2

INVENTOB RNEY Patented Dec. 13, 1927.

vUNITED STATES vPATENT CFFICE.

CHARLES NEIL, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE HART & HEGEMAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC SNAP SWITCH.

Application led August 14, 1924. ySerial No. 731,916.

The objects of the invention relate to simplification of the structure and/improvement in the action of electric snap switches, and the invention consists in the several features hereinafter pointed out, especially the fea-l ture by which a positive engagement is established between the operating and the operated members to force or help the latter to throw over, and the feature by which the noise of operation is moderated.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the invention, at present preferred, in longitudinal central section. uFig. 2, a section in plan on line II--II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 a larger scale detail of the operating and operated members in a mid-way position. Fig. 4, the same with the arts in the completely thrown position on line IV--IV. Fig. 5 a section on line V--V offFig. 4; Fig. 6 is a top plan of the frame. Fig. 7 a large scale detail of the bearingbrackets. Fig. 8 a modification of the journal seat. Fig. 9 an enlarged perspective detail of the spring-holding member, and Fig. 10 a perspective of the handle detached.

The switch comprises a porcelain or insu and their respective binding screws, whichl latter appear in Fig. 2. The center of the frame bar 2 is apertured to accommodate the operating lever or tumbler handle 5 and also the chambered scutcheon 6 whichl covers up the base of the handle end closes in the space between the same and the frame bar. The frame bar also supports a pair of parallel brackets 7 on its inner side. These are fiat stampings and are riveted by their edges to the frame bar adjacent each side of the handle aperture, see Fig. 7. and portions f these brackets project outwardly through or into the frame bar aperture where they areI perforated to receive the fulcrum pin 8 on which the operating lever is pivoted.

The brackets 7 are specially shaped with apertures therein which are open to the edge and which constitute journal seats 9 for the carrier 10 of the arm or arms 11 that electrically connect or bridge the fixed contact terminals on the porcelain receptacle. This carrier 1() is the operated member and is in fact a crank formed of a flat stamping of sheet metal with two rectangular slots 12 punched therein and by means of which it is hooked into the open journal .seats 9, so that it pivots on these seatsabout the center point marked crank axis in Fig. 4. The portions of the crank member 10 which constitute its journals and occupy the journal seats 9, may be l-eft flat as punched if desired and as shown, and will turn or rock freely, through the limited .arc necessary.

The circuit connector or connectors 11 may be attached to one or both ends of the crank member 10 in proper relation for engagement with such terminal contacts as may be located in the receptacle, the form of attachment being electrically insulated so that the crank member does not carry current. The location of the pivot center 8 of the operatingI lever 5 is selected so that the operating end of the leverprojects into the space between the brackets and between shoulders 17 of the crank member 10, and is adapted to oscillate back and forth in this space through or across the plane of the crank. .The operating lever is a metal stamping 13. the outer end of which is covered by, or lforms the handle means 5, and the inner end of which is punched or slotted, as shown at 14 in Fig. 10. to form a pivotal connection with one end of an intermediate. springholding member 15, separately shown in' enlarged scale in Fig. 9. The other end of this member 15 extends to and straddles and slid- `ingly engages the crank pin part ofthe crank member 10. The helical spring 16 which it holds in place, surrounds it. One end of the spring thrusts against the shoulders 15a on the member 15 and the other against the crank member. The spring is thus located between homologous ends or sides of the operating and operated members. When the operating lever is turned on its center 8, 1n either direction, it carries one end of the spring across the plane of the crank and dead-center line, to a position far enough on the opposite side to cause the spring to snap the crank over to its other position. The mechanical principle involved is of course well-known in the art. In vsuch movement the spring-holding member 15 accommodates the changing distance between the pivotal oint 14 and the crank member b y sliding ack and forth on the latter.; 1t 1s a fiat vstampn twisted 90 on its longituditing lever is concerned, it may be made so as to be moved either bymeans ofthe lever hand1e\ 5, or by push buttons or any other type of actuating or handle means and the necessar \modiication in theshape of the lever wil be understood and applied by those skilled in this art without explanatlon.

The crank shoulders 17 above referred to, being located on the op osite side of the crank axis from the cran v-pin portion, and between the crankI axis and the frame bar 2 or pivot 8 are proximate to the working end of theoperatmg lever `and they accordingly move in the same direction as the roximate end of thatlever, wheneverthe ivitch is operated from one position to the other. Advantage is taken of this like direction yof movement to give the operating lever a positive thrust on the crank member to start it into motion or to throw it over more quiekl if for any reason, it should stick or fai tomove under the force exerted by the spring. For this purpose the end of the o erating ever is provided with the two outent fingers 18, one bein directed toward one of the shoulders 17 an f the other toward the` other, and on opposite sides of said shoulders, so that one can serve to push the crank inr one direction and the other in Vthe other.

Assuming that the switch is closed, the handle, 5, points to the left and theconnector arm 11 bridgesthe two terminal contacts 4. If now the handle is turned to the right, as for opening the circuit, and if, for example, the connector arm should stick or cling to the contacts 4, the continued movement of the operating lever brings the right-hand finger 18 into contact with the adjacent crank shoulder 17 and by positively pushing thereon throws it over to its other position. Fig. 3 illustrates the4 engagement ofV the finger with the crank in the act of pushing the latter over. In this figure, to avoid complication, the spring 16 is represented b' a dash line. 'The dotted line position of t e' crank member is its circuit-closed position, and as represented by this re, the crank member ma be assumed to ave, been started and to on the point of lsnapping over to its full open position. Obviously the same action occurs when the o erating lever is moved in the o posite 'rection; in that case the leftfhan finger 18 will engal the opposite side of the crank member am?e ush it over in the same manner. Inasmuch as 'the throwing over action depends upon a operated members, yit will be ap arent that it is, broadly speaking, immaterlal whether for this particular type of switch and it is also immaterial, broadly speaking, whether the fingers be pointed one toward one `shoul der and one toward the other as s'hown in the drawing, because it is obvious that they could both engage the same crank shoulder if desired, but again it is found simpler and cheaper to have one finger on each side of the plane ofthe operating lever, as shown, each` engaging the adjacent crank shoulder.

In switches of this class fixed abutments are necessary to stop and limit the' movement of the spring-moved arts, in each direction, and the 'noise ofp impact is pronounced and for many purposes objectionable. I have discovered that itis ractical to reduce this noise by locating t e faces.

of the abutment portions nearer to the center of motion of the member to be stopped, that is to say nearer toits pivot, where its velocity is relatively-slow, so that the impact is of a slowlymoving surface a ainst a relativel fixed surface. This resuts in a nearly si ent action. In prior switches the distance from the pivot in order to stop the motion without unnecessary strain on the pivots, and the impactl has therefore been a iigh velocity im act and consequently noisy. I find however t at the pivots can easily be made to withstand the increased strain, due to location of the abutmentsclose to them, and without any difference in cost. Accord# ingly, my invention comprehends the location of the active or striking face on the slowest moving part ofthe mechanism where the noise of impact will be the least. In the abutment has been placed at a considerable A simplest embodiment of this part' of my invention, the striking and abutment faces are surfaces of the crank member and bearing bracket, respectively, and are immediately adjacent, contiguous, to the crank bearing. They are marked 19 and f2.0 relspectively in Figure 7 and it will be understood that each bracket is similarly sha ed so that the movement of the crank mem er is stopped by its ractically simultaneous engagement with tie sto faces 19, or 20 as the case may be, of bot sides ofthe frame. By making the brackets of about the thickness. of metal indicated I have found they are adequately strong to resist indeinltely the leverage effect.

" Fig. 8 illustrates a modification in which each stop face is supplemented by another marked 19a and 20", respectively, on opposite sides of the crank axis. The action will be clear from the figure, it being apparent that in this case four abutment surfaces serve to llf) ` center is particularly suited to aframe and stop the movement in each direction and4 that they are engaged by the slowest moving faces available for motion-stopping use. Obviously the number and size ofthe faces may-.be as desired.

The location of the abutments close to the crank construction @which incorporates the push-over feature above described, but it w1ll be understood that the noise-reducing feature `ot this invention is independent of the organization of lthe switch members and can be embodied'in various kinds of snap-action switches, also that the push-over feature can be applied with equal effect to switches having the ordinary location of the abutments, and further that various departures in form and shape and relative arrangement can be resorted to Without departing from the principles of this invention as identified and de` fined in the following claims.

I claim: I

1. In a snap switch, a frame bar, an operating lever Ipivoted on the outer side there.- of, a crank member'pivoted on the inner side thereof, a throwover spring acting on both members and adapted to initiate the movement ofthe crank'member and proximate l aligned portions on said members adapted for positive engagement in the event of the spring failing to efect the said movement of the crank member.

2. In a snap switch, an operating lever, a fiat crank-member having apertured portions constituting journals, a spring act-ing between said lever and said crank member on one side of its axls, a shoulder on the crank member on the opposite side of itsv axis and means for positively engaging said shoulder for moving the crank member.

3. In snap switch, a frame bar, a pair of brackets secured thereto forming hook-form, open journal seats a iiat crank member punched with apertures to be hooked over said brackets and fit in said seats, 'said bracket forming a throw-limiting abutment for said crank.

4. In a snap switch, a frame bar, a pair of brackets secured thereto and forming hookform, open journal seats, a crank member formed with apertures to hook over said brackets and iit said seats, said crankmember having a portion on the frame bar side of the crank axis adapted to engage said bracket to limit its throw.

5. In a snap switch an apertured frame 4 6. In a snap switch, an apertured frame bar, a pair of at stampings constituting brackets secured thereto and each projecting through the aperture, a handle pivoted to the projecting portions of said brackets and a chambered scutcheon fitting said aperture and closing the space between the bar and handle.

7. Ina snap switch an operating lever member, a crank member, a compression springbetween the crank and the lever and a holder for said spring formed of a iiat stamping twist-ed at right angles, and forked at, one end for sliding engagement with the adjacent member. f

8. In a 'snap switch, a framebar, a bracket structurev secured to the inner face thereof and provided with portions projecting through the bar to the outerside thereof, an operating lever fulcrumed in said projecting portions, a flat stamping constituting a conslon spring between the homologous portions of said lever and. crank adapted to be carried by the former across the plane of said flat crank..` t

9. vIn a snap switch, an apertured frame bar, a pair of similar substantially Hat stampings secured to the inner. side of said bar and provided with portions projecting through the aperture in said bar, an operating lever pivoted in said stampings on the outer side of said bar and a chambered scutcheon covering said, projectingv portions.

10. In a snap switch, a frame bar, a bracket structure secured to it, an operating lever fulcrumed thereon adjacent to said bar, a contact-carrying crank journalled in 'open notches in said bracket structure, more specification.

- CHARLES NEIL.

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