US2435602A - Switch - Google Patents

Description

Feb. l0, 1948.Y E. w. RICKMEYER SWITCH Filed April 8, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 nvr/mwen.Y Ernsf W Ric Kmeyr Feb 10, 1948. E. w. RlciKMx-:YR 2,435,602

SWITCH Filed Aprifl 8, 1944 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR. `lrnsn W Rlckmeyer Patented Feb. 10, 1948 SWITCH Ernst Walter Rickmeyer, Elmhurst, Ill., assignor to Jefferson Electric-Company, Bellwood, lll., .a corporation of Illinois Application April 8, 1944, Serial No. 530,123`

Thel present invention relatesv toswitches and more particularly to centrifugal switches wherein a conducting fluid (mercury) is moved by centrifugal force to control the ow of current in a.-

circuit. `In such devices the conducting fluid is j. The present invention concerns itself with a novel switc'hconstruction whereby the passage or passages can beprovided in a simple manner' that lends itselfto accurate and rapid production.

AIn. the production of switches of the character hereinbefore described it is essential that the de- `vices@ .have uniformity of .timng simplicity and ruggedness of construction.l In one form of switch to which my invention applies a tubular shell is divided into two chambers, one of which, before actuation of the switch, is completely filled with ,theeonautmgflum- The other chamber acts as a 'receiver for the conducting duid. The passage'restriction .is locatedin-a member interposed between the twoch'ambers and is so arranged as` to pass the conducting uid at a-rate vdependent upon the pressure of thefluid against said member, the pressure in turn being responsive to the` centrifugal force set up by rotation of the ,shell about an axis at or near the lled end thereof. In this form of device' the'sheli is 'a metal shell vwhich is :mounted upon -arotatihg or 'spinning' device with thelled lend of the shell ltoward the axis 'of rotation. The restriction member is Aspaced radially from a contact -member within I lone end of the shell. It is evident that the rotation'or spinning of the supporting member for the shell will force the conducting r`fluid through the passage or passages in the restriction member tactmember is closer to the axis of rotation than the restriction member the passage of the conducting fluld outward into the receiving chamber will cause a break between the conducting liquid and the contact member.

It is also a purpose of this invention to provide a novel means whereby a multiplicity of very fine restricted passages may be formed intermediate the ends of the shells in a switch of this character by the utilization of a ibrous material in'conjunction with 'a solid support provided with one or moreapertures that are covered by the fibrous material.

It is a further purpose of the invention to provide in a device of this character a novel means for clamping and securing an apertured support with a layer of fibrous material in transverse position within a shell.

Other detailed objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the' description proceeds,

vreference' being' had' to the `accompanying draw- Fig.'1 is a plan view of a rotating device wherein a circuit controlling switch of the type embodyingmy invention is mounted;-

Fig. 2 isa longitudinal sectional view through the switch itself;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view through the switch shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is an end view of the switch shown in Fig. 6; and f Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 6.

Referring nowin particular to Figs. 1 to 4, in-

elusive, I show in Fig. 1 a rotating element I0 which maybe mounted upon any suitable power means such as the shaft of a motor. The member Ill has a Docket I I therein which receives av switch element I2. My invention is' particularly concerned lwith the switch element I2 and the meansv for breaking contact between its two terminals I3 and I4. The switch element I2 comprises a metal shell l5 to which the terminal I3 is welded or otherwise secured. A central contact member I 3 is supported at one end of the shell and the terminal .Il is attached to the contact member I6.

It will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 1 that the switch is arranged with the end of the shell I5 that carries the central contact I6 closest to the axis of rotation oi the member I0. In rotation therefore centrifugal force will be set up lengthwise of the shell I5 in a downward direction as it is shown in Fig. 2. I divide the shell I5 into a chamber I1 and a chamber i8 by providing a transverse partition below the inner end of the contact member I6. The chamber |1 is initially filled with a conducting fluid such as mercury so that a closed circuit exists between the terminals I3 and I4. The chamber `|8 is empty of the iiuid and by providing a restricted passage or passages between the chambers I1 and I8 the length of time the circuit will remain closed can-be controlled in response to the centrifugal force set up by rotating the switch I2 by means of the member Ill. My invention concerns itself with the provision of a novel construction whereby the restricted Ypassage between the chambers can be provided.

In order to provide restricted passage between the chambers l1 and I8 I set an inverted cup I9 within the bottom of the shell I5 and provide this cup with a central aperture 28 of a definite size dependent upon the rate at which it is desired to pass the mercury from the chamber I1. to the chamber I8 at a given speed of rotation of the member i0. On the side of the' aperture 20 toward the axis of rotationl then provide a layer 2| of porous material and I clamp this layer of porous material against the surface of the cup I9 around the aperture 20 by means of a clamping member 22.

The cross sectional area of the aperture 20 is quite critical. This area and the porosity cf the layer 2| determine the rate of ilow of mercury'out of the chamber I1. Any slight increase in the diameter of the aperture 28 effects a substantial increase in total area of the aperture 20 and opens a larger number of passages through the porous material, thereby decreasing the time it will take to pass enough mercury to break contact with the contact member I8.

The layer of porous material 2| preferably is made up of an intermediate layer 23 of brous 4material such. for example, as blotting paper wherein the fibers are of sulcient length that they will bridge the aperture 20. Blotting paper is mentioned merely as an example, as other felted bers may be used. 'I'his intermediate layer is confined between two covering layers 24 and 25 of linen or other woven fabric to give support to the blotting paper.

The clamping member 22 has acentral aperture 26 which is slightly larger than the aperture 20. This clamping member is cupped as shown in Fig. 2 and in order to cause it to hold the layer 2| of fibrous material under pressure against the face of the member I9 the shell I5 is rolled inward as indicated at 21. This rolling opcomplete the sealing of the sneu ls. The meterla.

tion of the device. The members I3 and 22 may also be made of steel or Armco iron and the contact member I 6 may be made of stainless steel. copper, Monel metal or any other suitable conductor material.

In operation the rotation of the shell by the member I0 causes the mercury to be forced through the porous material 2| that is directly over the aperture 28. The porosity of the material, the size of the aperture 20 and the pressure developed by the centrifugal force determine the rate at which the mercury will escape from-the chamber I 1. The central contact I8 and the'shell are of such size that before the mercury fills the chamber i8 it will pass the inner end of the con-" tact I5 and thus open the circuit. However, owing to the ne porosity of the porous material 2| the mercury normally will not escape through this material into the chamber I8 due to the jolts and tumbling that the device undergoes in normal handling. The switch as shown is a one time switch. In other words, once theswitch operates a circuit is broken untilthe rotation stops. Be-

fore the switch can again be used the conducting fluid in the chamber I8 must be forced back into the chamber I1. This can be accomplished by the simple method of reversing the switch end for" end, and rotating it by means of thel member I0.

Referring now to Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, in this form ofthe device means are provided whereby a simple shell with two transverse disks may be utilized to obtain the same results as are obtained by the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclu. sive, with the added advantage that considerable machine work is avoided on the -shell and the volume of the chamber around the center contact is materially reduced, thus reducing the amount of conducting uid necessary.

In this iorm of the invention a shell 32 is voriginally drawn and is then provided with an inwardly extending bead 33 which may be formed by a rolling operation. 'I'hen an apertured disk 34 provided with an aperture 35 of the desired cross section is placed against the shoulder provided by the bead 33 and a'layer 38y of porous material exactly likeI the layer 2| of Figs.i 1 to 4 is placed over the disk 34. A clampingr disk 31 is then placed over the layer 36. This clamping disk is provided with an aperture 38 that is aligned with and slightly larger than the aperture 35. A center contact 39 is then seated within the shell and -by means ofa rolling operation the shell portion 32a between thedisk 31 and the insulating disk 40 which supports the center contact 39 is forced inward so as to clamp the disks 34 and 31 together over the layer 38 of porous material. This rolling operation on the portion 32a of the shell is carried out tothe extent desired to give the right size .of chamber I1' about the center contact 39. Likewise this rolling operation serves as a means of-accurately spacing the end of the contact member 38 from thev aperture 3l. The chamber i8' is formed by form manner in mass production.

assecontheciosed end or the sneu :2 and the disk a4. The washer 40 which supports the center contact 8.9 is sealed in place by rolling vover an edge 4| atthe open end ofthe shell.

This particular construction has the advantagethat necessity for making the orifice carrying member cup-shaped is avoided. Likewise the rolling-operation `provides a shoulder., forthe disk 40 and thusl eliminates the necessity for cutting the shoulder on theinner surface of the 2..., Terminals 42 and 43 for the contact 39 and the shell 32 may be provided in thesame fashion as the terminals I3 and i4 are provided... The operation of this form of the device is essentially form the volume of the chamber i1- can be more accurately controlled. f

' In the specic description of the forms of device shownl have referred only to aswitch wherein the centrifugal force acts to open `the circuit.A lItis obvious however that the same type of switch canv be used to close a circuit by forcing a- `conducting uid through a restricting member-having restricted passages therein, the particular feature of my invention being in the construction of the switch so that the restricted l passagesm'ay be provided in an accurate, uni- All of the operationson the shell 'and its contained parts can. ber'done with automatic machinery so as to make the ultimate product at a low cost.

In,v the description and in the claimsI refer tothe switch member as being radially disposed with respect to the spinning or rotating member. This term is meant to include placing the tubular member with its axis' in a plane inter-v secting the axis of rotation of the member lll since .it is evident that the switch could still function if the axis of the shell did not coincide with aradius from the axis of the member I0. In the preferred constructions as described I have also shown the shell as being of conducting material and forming one of the contacts of the switch. This obviously is not necessary ,since the one.y contact might be provided in a shell of insulating material and the same general results obtained.` Such a construction is contemplated in my invention. From the foregoing description it is believed that the nature and advantages of my invention will be readily apparent to those'skilled in this oars.,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat ent is:

1. A switch comprising a. spinning member, a

tubular shell radially disposed thereon, a contact rial under pressure against the support. I

, 2. A switch comprising a spinning member, a tubular shell radially disposed thereon, a contact member at one end of the shell and sealed thereto, the other end of the shell being closed, and a restriction member across said shell between the 5 facing the axis of rotation, and a clamping mem-v ber on the side of said layer facing the axis of rotation and holding the layer of porous material -underpressur againstthe support, said layer of porous material including fibrous mat- 10 ter having fibers of a length sunicient to extend shell. at the open end as indicated at 30 in Fig.

across the aperture. e

. 3. A switch comprising a. spinning member, a tubular shell radially disposed thereon, a contact member at one end of theshell and sealed there- 15 to, a the other end of the shell being closed, and thesame as` that shown in Figs. 1 to 4 but in this s a restriction member across saidl shell between the 'contact member and the closed end thereof,l

ing member on the side of said layer facing the axis of rotation and holding the layer of porous material under pressure against the support, said layer of porous material comprising a laverl of fabric next to the support, a felted fibrous material layer over said fabric layer and another fabric layer over the fibrous material.

4. A switch comprising a spinning member, a' tubular shell radially disposed thereon, a contact member atene end of the shell and sealed thereto, the other end of the shell being closed, and a restriction member across said shell between the. contact member and the closed end thereof, said restriction member comprising a support having at least one aperture therein, a layer of porous material on ,the side of said restriction member facing the laxis of rotation, and means clamping said layer of porous material to the support.

5. In a centrifugal switch of the character described, a tubular shell, a'contact member extending into said shell at one end thereof, insuf lating means supporting said contact ymember and sealed to said fshell, the other end'of the' shell being closed, transversely extending members intermediate the ends of said shell providing a partition separating the shell into two chambers, said transversely extending members including 50y means providing a restricted passageway from of the members whereby to hold them in assemv bled relation.-

6. In a switch of the character described, a tubular shell having one end closed, a contact member extending into the shell from the other end, an insulating washer supporting said contact member and closing the end of lsaid shell, a cup shell with its base spaced from the end of the shell and provided with an aperture, a, layer of shaped member seated in the other end of the porous material on said cup-shaped member, a

. clamping member on said layer of porous material, and an inwardly extendingl bead in the shell wall forcing. the clamping member against the porous material.

7. In a switch of thecharacter described, a tubular shell having an inwardlyextendng bead adjacent one end thereof, said end of the shell, being closed, an apertured disk seated on said bead on the side opposite the closed end of the shell, a layer of porous material on the apertured disk, and means including an inturned portion the layer' of porous material against the first named apertured dlsk.

8. In a switch of the character described, a tubular shell having one end closed and having a portion of restricted diameter adjacent said'end, a restricted passageway forming means resting on said portion of vrestricted diameter, said shell having a second portion of restricted diameter holding said restricted passageway forming means in position, a contact member extending into the shell from the other end thereof. an' insulating support for said contact member, said shell having a shoulder at the last named end thereof on which said support rests, the open end of the shell being turned over the insulating support to secure the contact rigidly in the shell.

9. In a switch of the character described, a tubular shell adapted to be rotated about an axis adjacent one end thereof, a, contact member at one end of the shell and sealed thereto. the other end of the shell being closed, and a restriction member across said shell between the contact member and the closed end thereof,l said restriction member comprising a support having at least one aperturetherein. a', layer of porous material on the side of said restriction member facing the' axis of rotation, and a clamping member on the side of said layer facing the axis of rotation and holding the layer of porous material under pressure against the support. l

10. In a switch of the character described. a tubular shell adapted to be rotated about an axis adjacent one end thereof, a contact member near one end of the shell and sealed thereto, a restriction .member` extending across the shell and j spaced from the contact'member, said restriction member comprising a support having an aperture therein, a layer of porous material on 'the side of the restriction member facing the axis of rotation, and a clamping member having an aperture slightly larger than the aperture in the restriction member and holding the layer of porous material under pressure against the support. i

member comprising a support having an aperture therein, a, layer of porous material on the side of the restriction member facing the axis of rotation, 1

and a clamping member having an aperture slightly larger than the aperture in the restriction member and holding the layer of porous'material under pressure against the support, `said layer 0f porous material comprising bers of a length suf..

ticient to bridge the -aperture in the support.

ERNST WALTER A' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the rile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,498,113 Gillen June 17, .1924. 1,959,861 Glne'n ..-May 22. 1934

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