US1974428A

US1974428A - Electrical switch

Info

Publication number: US1974428A
Application number: US617929A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walter S Mayer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1932-06-18
Filing date: 1932-06-18
Publication date: 1934-09-25
Anticipated expiration: 1951-09-25

Description

Sepa 25j, 1934.

W. S. MAYER ELECTRICAL SWITCH I Filed June 18. 1932 I N VEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 25, 1934 mural) STATES,

PATENT -OFFICE My invention relates to electrical switches, more especially to those of the automatic type, for use in connection with either direct or alternating current circuits.

An object of my invention is to provide an electrical switch which shall be simple in construction, capable of preventing the operator from fully closing the switch, or holding it closed during the existence or continuance of predetermined electrical conditions in a circuit, and to accomplish these results in a much improved and sim- -pler manner than disclosed in my previous Patent No. 819,360 dated May 1, 1906.

Another object of my invention isto provide a U-shaped housing for the bridging element or' contact member, and actuating mechanism, that can be arranged to accommodate a lsolenoid forsmall current capacities, and arranged to omit the solenoid for large current capacities.

My invention also consists of certain features of construction, as will be fully described, and

- pointed out in ldetail in the description, the drawl the arrows 2-2 in Fig. 1 with the cover componentof the casing removed and the solenoid 29 partl,7 shown. l

Fig. 3 is a. sectional view of the device taken as indicated by the arrows 3-3 of Fig. 1.rk

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the arrows 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. .5 is a perspective view of the carriage of the bridging element or contact member.

Fig. 6 is a perspective viewof the amature.

Fig. '7 is a perspective vie'w of the bi-metallic element or thermic element which is relied upon to trip the circuit breaker upon small abnormal circuit conditions.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the disengageable toggle link.v

Fig. 9 is afragmentary view taken as indicated by the arrows 9 9 of Fig. 3, and shows the bridging element pulled to the extreme oiI position'by the disengagement of the toggle link, with the actuator 44 manually held.

With more specific reference to the drawing a vertical-elongate longitudinally split, b0x11ke casing 15 of moulded dielectric composition encloses the working mechanism hereinafter described in greater detail. As shown a base component 16 and a cover component 17 meet in a rabbeted juncture' 18 Ywhereby the two components are held in perfect alignment and registry.` The cover component 1'? has openings for the passage o! arc flashes, and is removably secured by screws 19 which pass through the openings in its side walls to engage the threaded metallic bushings 20, embedded in the base component 16, see Fig. 2 and Fig. 4. Counterbored holes are provided in the base component for panel mountings or the like.

Secured within the base component are

terminals

21 and 22 formed of conducting metal, as for instance, brass, and the said terminals have binding screws 26, 26a for line wire connections, which line wire connections pass through holes in the end walls of the base component. The terminals are secured to the base component by screw bolts 23-23. Secured within the base component are/contacts of brass, or the like, 24 and 25 which are of conilgured construction, for the installation of U-sh'aped blow out magnets, if found desirable. To the terminal 21 and the contact 24 are electrically c nnected atl 27 and 28 the ends of an insulated c nducting coil or solenoid 29. 'Ihe solenoid envelops an iron core 36 having insulating discs 37-3'7 acting as bobbin heads. The core 36 is fastened to a removable cross yoke 38 which yoke is attached by screws 38a and 38h to depressed lugs 39a and 40a on bracket-like guides 39 and 40, which guides are made of steel and form a magnetic housing. 'Ihe guides 39, 40 guide the bridging element 41 in a translatory direction in the Islots 42 and 43, and, also, provide a bearing support for the actuator lever 44.

To the terminal 22 and contact 25 are electrically connected at 30 and 31,the legs of a bi- 4metallic element 32. The bi-metallic element,

shown in perspective in Fig. '7, is a slotted element and has legs 32a and 32h which are pierced, as at 34 and 34a, to accommodate rivets 34c, which secure the legs electrically and mechanically to the terminal 22 and the contact 25 as previously stated. The legs ofthe bi-metallic element are joined at 33 thus forming a continuous electrical path, and on the junction 33 is secured the insulating pillar 35.

c The guides 39 and 40 are securedcin spaced relationship within the central' chamber of the base component 16 of the casing, by means of

screws

45 and 46 which pass through the back walls of'the base component and into the foot ilanges 47 and 48 of the guides. Adjacent the foot ends of the guides, an iron armature 50, shown in perspective in Fig. 6, is pivoted by a freely through the slot.

brass pin 51 passing through brass. saddles 52, which are secured to the armature, and also through the guides. The armature is maintained retracted away from the guides by a spring 53. The armature is slotted as at 54 so as to allow the pillar 35 of the bi-metallic element to play It will be noted that the guides 39 and 40 reach into thechamber of the cover component 17 and are connected by a steel cross bearing pin 49.-

The bridging element or contact member 41 comprises an open slide member, generally designated as 54, preferably formed of copper or brass, see Fig. 5, with spaced

parallel side portions

55, 56. The side edges of the

side portions

55, 56 are connected by traverse yokes 57, ,58 which latter are pierced as at 59, 60 for rivets whereby the conducting leaf springs 61, 62 for .taking the conducting

blocks

63, 64 are secured to the yokes. These blocks are pressedagainst the outer surface of the

contacts

24, 25 when the switch is in the closed position as shown. The side portions of the slide member are formed with outwardly bent lugs 66, 67 for engaging the longitudinally directed slots 42, 43, of the guides 39, 40. Between the

side portions

55, 56, three

rollers

68, 68, 69 are rotatably mounted about a pin 70 which passes through the rollers, the pin is secured to each side portion.

Rollers

68, 68 are grooved to accommodate the eye ends of springs 71,71. The roller 69 which acts as a catch member is positioned to engage

internal hooks

73,73 of a latohing link 72. 'I'he link 72, shown in perspective in Fig. 8, consists oftwo similar punchings spaced by an insulating bushing 74 and-having extending bushings 75,all of which are riveted together by a pin 76.

The actuator lever 44 consists of a moulded dielectric composition finger piece 77 which swings within an opening in the front wall of the cover component 17 and the said tlnger piece is so shaped that its rotation, to and fro motion, is limited by projections on the finger piece as shown. Embedded 'in the linger piece is a U- shaped metallic lever member 78. The actuator 44 pivots on the pin 49 and is in spaced relation by rollers '19, 79 between the guides 39, 40 as shown. The

rollers

79, 79, seeFig. 9, are grooved to accommodate the other ends of the springs 71, 71. A pin 80 forms a pivotal connection to which is connected-the U-shaped member 78 and the link 72. The spring 81 enveloping the pin 80 engages at one end thereof, the arm of the U- shaped member '78 and the other end of the spring engages the link 72 so as to tend to move the link counterclockwise about the pin 81. As will be noted the link 72 also envelops the roller 69. When the hooks 7 3 are engaged with the roller 69, the U-shaped member 78 and link 72 form a toggle action to permit moving the bridging element 41 from open position toward the closed position and when pivot 80 passes over the

dead centerrelation

79, 80, 49, the bridging element is held in theclosed position against the action of the springs 71, 71.

When abnormal circuit conditions occur either the bi-metallic element functions and presses the pillar 35 against the bushing 74v to disengage by raising the

hooks

73, 73 from the roller 69, or the armature is attracted upwardly to strike the bushings 75, of the link 72 to disengage the hooks 73 from said roller 69. As a consequence the bridging element is rapidly pulled to open position by the springs 71, 71. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 9 that whether the `Serial No. 614,499.

finger piece 77 is manually held or not, the link 72 is tripped as aforesaid. Due to the fact that the spring 81 presses the link 72 in a counterclockwise direction, it will be evident that the actuator when not manually held will be rotated around clockwise by reason of the pressure of the link throat 82 against the roller 69. It will also be evident that the actuator `may be manually operated to break the toggle action of 72 and 76 to allow the bridging element to be pulled by 85 the springs 71, 71 from the closed to the open position. In order to obtain a quick manual breaking action, the actuator may be readily. modified as shown in Fig. 14 of my application Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 4, it will be noted that in the closed position of the bridging element, the circuit through the device is from binding screw 26 through the terminal- 21, the solenoid 29, the contact 24, the bridging element 41, the contact 25, the bi-metallic element 32, the terminal 22 to the binding screw 26a.

The removable solenoid, comprising elements designated as 29,36, 3'7, 38, 38a, and 38h, is incorporated for small normal current capacities to bring up the ampere turns necessary to attract the armature on correspondingly abnormal circuit conditions. For larger normal current capacities, the solenoid is not necessary as there is suiilcient magnetism induced in the guides 39, 40 and pin 49, by the bridging element, to attract the armature on correspondingly abnormal circuit conditions. When the solenoid is omitted, the contact 24 and terminal 21 are linked together between 21 and 28. No change is made with the bi-metallic element. n

Although my invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied. My invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except so far as it is made necessary by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

' 1. In an electric switch, a movable bridging 120 element, a catch member on said bridging element, a toggle for operating said bridging element, said toggle consisting of an actuator and an apertured link, said link having an opening therein whereby the opening cooperates to envelop and engage the catch member on the bridging element, and said link being restricted in movement by the relationship of the opening and the catch member when the bridging member is in' open circuit position.

2. An electric switch comprising a plurality of contacts adapted to be connected to an outside circuit, an apertured bridging element for said contacts normally biased to open circuit position but movable to closed circuit position, a latching link at one end adapted to pass through the aperture of said bridging element and adapted to engage a catch secured to said bridging element, the opposite end of said link pivoted to an actuator, said link and actuator forming a toggle which is overset and is adapted to hold the bridging element in normally closed circuit position, and means operable by abnormal circuit conditions for disengagin'g the link from the catch member.

3. as en article of manufacture an electric switch comprising an electromagnet; contacts adjacent to the opposite ends of said magnet; a rectilinearly reciprocable apertured bridging element guided by 'said magnet and bridging said 150 'said contacts; a latch passing through the aperture of said bridging element adapted to engage the catch secured to the bridging element, means for operating said latch to move the bridging element toward said contacts, and means opefrable by abnormal circuit conditions for disengaging the latch from the catch thereby permitting movement of said bridging element away from said contacts.

4. In an electric switch, spaced contacts, switching mechanism including a movable bridging element for making and breaking an electrical connection between said contacts, means adapted to lock said bridging element in closed circuit position, means including a spring adapted to move said bridging element from its closed circuit position, a substantially U-shaped magnet enveloping the bridging element, an armature pivoted between the open legs of the magnet to close the magnetic circuit thereof and adapted to release said means to .lock said bridging element in closed circuit position upon abnormal circuit conditions in the bridging element, and means provided on the said U shaped magnet todetachably secure a solenoid in series with the circuit through the spaced contacts in order to increase the ampere turns for actuating the armature to release the rst said means upon other abnormal circuit conditions.

5. In an electric switch comprising a plurality of spaced contacts, switching mechanism normally biased away from both of said contacts and including a movable bridging element adapted for bridging said contacts, a catch member on the bridging element, means for moving said bridging element toward said contacts including an apertured link, said link-having an aperture therein defining an internal hook, said -hook being adapted to envelop and engage a catch member on the bridging element, and said link being overset when the bridging element is in a closed position, and a current responsive device for disengaging said link and releasing said bridging element upon the ow o1' abnormal current.

6. An electric switch comprising a plurality of spaced contacts, switching mechanism normally biased away from said contacts and including a movable bridging element adapted for bridging said contacts, a catch member on said bridging element, a toggle for operating said'bridging element, said toggle consisting of an actuator and an apertured latching link, said aperture defining a hook for enveloping and engaging a. catch member on said bridging element, said toggle being thrown over dead center to normally hold the bridging element in electrical connection between said contacts, and abnormal circuit responsive means for disengaging the link thereby permitting movement of said bridging element away from said contacts.

7. An electric switch .as set forthin claim 6 in combination with means forl automatically returning the lactuator to the full of! position when the latching link is disengaged and the actuator is not restrained manually.

. WALTER S. MAYER.