US2602867A - Relay with sequentially operated switches - Google Patents

Description

July 8, 1952 A. w. VINCENT 2,602,867

RELAY WITH SEQUENTIALLY OPERATED SWITCHES Filed Feb. 1-5, 1946 IN V EN TOR. fl/vomswuc v/lvcawr JXM 197' 7' OR/VE Y Patented July 8, 1952 RELAY wrrn SEQUENTIALLY OPERATED s-wrronss Andrew W. Vincent, Rochester, N. Y.,-assignors to Stromberg-Garlson Company,, a corporation of New York Application February 15, 1946, Serial No. 647,890

This is a continuation in part.- of my copending application for United States.Patent,, Serial No. 506,606, filed October 16,. 1943, now Patent No. 2,461,360, dated February- 8, 1949, ;and;as-- signed to the same assignee as the present invention.

This invention relates to. relays. and'thelike and, moreiparticulaily to" relays especially adapted for. use in telephone systems.

It is an object: of my invention to provide a relay which is relatively easy: to -manufacture, which can "be quickly: adiusted and. whichchas a highdegree; of stability in'operation.

It is another objector. my'inventionto pro,-'

vide; a. relay: ofthe type having-a spring con.- tact. assembly comprisingpositively spaced, relativelyfixed, contact springs and positive means for directing *thexmomble spring contacts into circuit closing "engagementwith the. fixed contact. springs; I

n is still another object of my invention .to'

provide a'relay of the type. having a =fixed--,contact spring assembly comprising relatively-fixed and relatively movable contactv springsand also. an auxiliary contact assembly, the: relay being; so assembled that the first mentioned-contactspring assembly imposes no load. on the arma ture until after operation of the. auxiliary contact spring assembly, thereby providing a relay of rapid and positive action.

Another object of. my invention is toprovide a relay-comprising a spring contact'assembly including: one or more fixed contact springs and.

one or more movable contact springs, the mov-- able contact springs being biased inone direc ticn and also having means? associatedwith the movable contact spring'or springsfor normally restraining movement of the movable: springs until the. armature operates to release. the restraining force;

It is a further object of my invention to proprinciplesof my invention; Fig. 2'is aside ele-- 4. Claims; (01. 200-1 4) 'vation of: the. relay shown 1; Fig. an a.

right-hand view of the: relay shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 4' is a fragmentary,. exploded. perspective view of. the relay shown in the other figuresof the. drawing.

- Inthe there is shown a relay embodying the. principle'swof my invention including an-energizingcoil l which is removably secured on a suitable core 2: ofmagnetic material. Thel'co'il l' 'may befwoundtona spool". of insulating material of. which only the endplates. 3 and-tare'visible. or--itzvmayibe wound directly on the core. 2: in which case the-insulating'plates 3 and 4 may be mounted; directly on' the core in order to position'the "coil; There is? provided an 'L -shape.d frame: a-df magnetie material. ha

ing azshort portion 6. mounted on theleft. end

of the: core as viewed in Fig; 2 "having its: long portion 1 extending longitudinally of the: coil i and being substantially equal in length. to: the core: and also extending in. spaced parallel i relationship to the ri'gh t-emit-thereof, 'I'heframe may be. mo1mted. on the-' core in any suitable.

manner as; for example, .byathreaded' member 8. Portion-'I-of the frame liasits: free end ma:-

chined to: provide a corner or hearing 9 on which the inner corner {0 of an angular or folded armature II can rock. This armature has a part l2 adapted to move toward and away from the head of core 2 and has a part l3. which extends generally in the direction of part I of the frame: and approximately at right angles with respect to partlz. As shown in I and 4 the center of the part i3 of the armature is punched out as indicated by the numeral l4 to accommodate armature retaining means; There is welded or otherwisesuitably fastened to the end portion 1 of the frame a spring latch i5, preferably of non-magnetic material, extending'generally'lengthwise of the frame. Thislatch has a lip: 16. that fits over corner "of the opening in the "armature. This latchiresiliently holds the armature on the end' of the frame and yet the armature can be readily disengaged from the frame by moving the armature toward the right as viewed in Fig. 2', for example. In order-to insure that the spring latch will not be sprung beyond its elastic limit, the latch is provided with a stop comprising strip- 18 having one end of the latch. 'Ihexfree end .of the strip is. formed into an upstanding portion I8 having laterally projecting lugs 20 in. a position to'limit the-up that the armature rocks on a line bearing.

It is frequently desirable to adjustthe air gap of the armature and for this purpose there is provided a generally U-shaped piece 2| having legs 22 folded to conform generally=to the angular shape of the armature. The-ends 23 of these legs are bent to extend through or hook into notches 24 in the armature where they engage the underside of the armature portion [3. A screw 25 is threaded into the armature portion [2 so that by loosening or tightening this screw the angularity of the armature and, therefore, the air gap between the armature and the endof. the core may be changed at will. Locking means such as the lock nut 26 may be used to retain the screw 25 in the desired position. The-arrangement of the armature andframe and the relation of the parts-described above are disclosedand claimedin the above identified copending application. :.=The"armature: in the course of its rocking movementchanges the relation between certain of bthe" contacts of a contact spring assembly. The c ontactspring assembly. as illustrated herein,'.'coniprises arr elongated mounting plate 21 adaptedrto be-s'ecuredas by screws to the top portion al of the frame; On this mounting plate there-is" secured a stack of contact spring sets, although it willbe understood that my invention is "not limited to this arrangement since one or'more'stacks may be used. Each stack offsprings comprises a plurality of relatively fixed or'istationary'contact springs 28 andrelative'ly movable or armature springs 29. These springs at their. left ends as viewed in the drawing are separated fromeach other and the. mounting plate by strips of insulation 30, the strips of insulation and the contact springs-being secured to the mountingxplate by a suitable clamping plate 3! and suitable fastening members 32 such as bolts having threaded engagement with tapped openings in plate 21. The right hand or free end of the clamping plate 31 is maintained exactly spaced from the relay frame by a spacing sleeve 33, a-bolt 34 passing through an open ing -ina lug'or projection of the mounting plate 3| and the sleeve 33 into threaded engagement with suitable openingsin portion 1 of the frame, therebysecuring the several parts in position.

It-- is--important' that thestationary springs maintain a predetermined space relationship therebetween and that all of the armature or movable springs have a likemotion so that uniform'contact pressures can be maintained at the various springs of the stack. There is provided for-this purpose an insulated spring stop 36 preferably made of a strip of insulating material, such as a phenolic material, and provided with parts having predetermined spacing therebetween,.such as a series of downwardly directed hooks 31. one hook or part being provided for eachstationary contact spring. The stop strip 36 extends through vertically aligned openings 43 through all the springs of the stack and its upper end engages an extension 38 of the clamp: ing plate 3-1, 'this extension being adapted-to be bent upward or downward in the course of adjustment of the relay to locate the free ends of the stationary springs in the desired position. The downwardly directed hooks or portions 31 are adapted to extend into openings 39 and, hence, engage the bridges 40 on the stationary contact springs. Sincethaupper end of the strip 35 engages the extension 38 of the clamping plate which is positively located by sleeve 33 and fastening means 34, and since the hooks on the strip are a predetermined distance apart, the up- ;ward or downward adjustment of the extension on the clamping plate causes a corresponding movement ofthe stationary contact springs, and the space in'between these springs will always be maintained uniformly. The armature or mov 'able springs 29 partake of the rocking movement of the free end of the portion of the armature through engagement of portion 13 of the armature and the rounded portion 4! at the bottom end of a pusher or operating member 42 which extends upwardly through vertically aligned openings in the various spring contact members such as the openings 43 in the fixed springs and openings in the movable springs. The pusher 42 is likewise insulated and is preferably made of a strip 'of insulated material such as a suitable phenolic. The upper end of the pusher member 42 extends through an opening 45 in theclampe ing plate 3!. This strip or-member 42 is likewise provided with a series of parts having a predetermined spaced relationship such as hooks or portions 46 which extend upwardly in the illustrated form of my invention to engage bridges 41 on the movable springs, thereby serving vto move the armature or movable springs upwardly into engagement with the stationary springs when actuated by the armature. In order to re-' store the pusher to its unoperated position, there is provided a biasing or restoring mem; ber '55. a

Insome applications where relays such as those descri-bed'herein are employed, it may be desirable to-have an auxiliary contact spring'set-or perhaps a set comprising a plurality of contact spring members to operate before operation of the main contact spring assembly. For example,

it may be desired to cut out a finder switch asrapidly as possible after the finding of a calling line in a telephone system.

In the drawing there is illustrated an additional spring assembly and operating mechanism therefor which will accomplish the desired purpose. There is shown a relatively fixed spring 50 which can be identical to the fixed springs 28."

There is also provided a relatively movable spring 51 which is preset to provide a bias for the spring contact member into engagement with fixed spring 59. This spring-5| is shown split to pro-' vide a short portion 52, the purpose of which will be explained below, and a contact bearing portion 53. In order to permit operation independently of the main stack, cross-piece or bridge 41 is omitted from the spring 5|.

Means is provided for normally restraining the movable spring from moving to circuit closing position with respect to spring 50 'when the relay is tie-energized. For this purpose there is pro vided an insulated operating member 54, preferably a strip of insulating material such as a suitable phenolic having an extended-portion suitably disposed and positioned to engage the' contact bearing movable portion 53 of spring'5'l in such a way as to counteract the normal bias of the spring. In the illustrated embodiment of my invention-this pqrtion terminates in a hook 54a whichextendsbeyondthe end of'the movable spring portion 53; then-upwardly and. then rearwardly above an. offset portion 5 6; of. the portion 53 as. indicated by the-dashed linesin Fig. 4.

In. order to support the operating member- 54 in its operative position thevbiasing' or restoring member 55 for pusher 42 is provided with an arm 55:; having transversely extended portions or cars 51 arranged to extend through openings 58 in the member 54*. The portions '51 may be twisted to secure the member 54-. The member 54 is provided on the upper edge thereof with a generally rounded portion 59, which in the assembled position of the relay engages the underside of spring portion 52 which'exercises a downward restoringpressure against the-operating member 54; which operates through the hooked portion 54a of. the member 54 to restrain the movable spring: 51..v

In order. to remove. the restraint: and to permit the movement of spring 5|. into circuit closing engagement with spring 58; the member 54. is provided. onits lower edge with asuitablyshaped portion 60: adapted for. engagement by the armature. in its. rocking motion.

Means is provided for preventing loading of the armature by either spring assembly during the de-energized' condition of the relay. For this purpose there is. provided a.- suitable portion of the frame such-as a stop. member 6| secured in suitable fashion to, or constituting an integral portion of the upper surface of the frame I, and being-arranged to engage the'pusher 42 as at the relatively flat portion 62- of the operating member 42 and as at the step-like portion 53 of member '54 in the de-energized position of the relay. As best seen in Fig. 2, the stop member 6| is elevated in the vertical direction with respect to the portion l4 of the armature. Furthermore, the rounded portion 60 of operating member 54 extends below the similarly rounded portion 4| of the pusher 42. Accordingly, during energization of the relay, the armature first engages the operating member 54 to permit engagement between springs 50 and 5 l, later in the travel of the armature the hooked portion of the operating member is elevated beyond engagement with the spring portion 53 thereby relieving all load on the auxiliary contacts except that created by the bias of the spring portion 53, and still later in point of time, the armature portion l3 engages the portion 4| of the pusher to cause operation of the main contact spring assembly. Upon de-energization of the relay, the bias, if any, of the movable springs and the bias of restoring member 55 causes restoration of the main assembly while bias of arm 52 causes restoration of the auxiliary assembly.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from my invention in its broader aspects. For example, the operating member 54 is supported on a relatively resilient arm 55a so that the assembly acts as a hinge and a non-flexible beam. The same operation may be secured by using an operating member suitably pivoted to a non-resilient member. The insulating members 36, 42, and 54 need not be of solid insulation. Moreover, the principles of my invention are equally applicable to a one-step relay in which one set of contact springs operate before the other set and to a twostep or differential relay in which the armature r the flow of current through said coil, 2. first conmoves sufiiciently to actuate. one set of spring contacts. in.one condition and goes on to actuate the second set of contacts in a second condition. I, therefore, aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

The. specific switch blade structure, operating member, and stops for the stationary switch blades are described and claimed in my divisional application Serial No. 270,026., filed February 1, 1,952. The specific adjustment means is. decribed and claimed indivisional application Serial No. 270,027, filed February 1, 1952.

What. I claim is:

1. In a relay of the type including a frame, a coil carried by said frame, an armature mounted on said frame and actuated in accordance with the flow of current through said coil, a first con-- tact spring assembly carried by said frame for operation by complete movement of said armature, said spring-assembly comprising a pluralityof relatively fixed and movable springs, insulatedmeans having spaced parts engaging said movable springs and being arranged to be actuateddirectly by said armature to move said: movable springs into. engagement with said fixed springs, and a second contact spring assembly carried by said frame for operation by partial movement of said armature, said second assembly comprising a fixed spring and a movable spring biased toward a predetermined position with respect tosaidfixed spring, and movable holdin means engaging andrestraining movement of said. movable spring when said coil is de-energized, the combination therewith of means for-removing such restraint and permitting such movement upon partial movement of said armature, and means for preventing loading of said armature by either set of springs when said relay is de-energized.

2. In a relay of the type including a frame, a coil carried by said frame, an armature mounted on said frame and actuated in accordance with tact spring assembly carried by said frame for operation by complete operation of said armature, said spring assembly comprising a plurality of relatively fixed and movable springs, insulated means having spaced parts engaging said movable springs and arranged to be actuated directly by said armature to move said movable springs into engagement with said fixed springs, a second contact spring assembly carried by said frame for operation by partial movement of said armature, said second assembly comprising a fixed spring and a movable spring, and movable holding means engaging and restraining movement of said movable spring when said coil is deenergized, the combination therewith of means for removing such restraint and permitting such movement upon partial movement of said armature, said insulated means also being constructed to engage a portion of said frame in the deenergized position of said armature and during partial movement thereof whereby no load is applied by said first spring assembly to said armature in its de-energized condition and during partial movement thereof but having a portion engaged by said armature during the remaining movement thereof.

3. In a relay of the type having an armature, a plurality of sets of contact springs, each set comprising at least one relatively fixed contact spring and one contact sprin movable with respeet thereto, and operating members associated with said armature for actuating said spring sets.

7 the combination therewith of means for biasing said operating members toward the armature, means engaging said operating member at predetermined positions in order to limit movement of said members toward the armature and to minimize loading of the armature of the relay when the relay is de-energized, one of said operating members including holding means engaging and restraining the movable spring of one of said sets against its normal bias, said operating members having parts engageable by said armature at different times so that upon partial operation of said armature said one of said operating members is moved to release said restraint before the other set imposes any substantial load on the armature.

4. In a relay of the type having an armature, a plurality of sets of contact springs, each set comprising at least one relatively fixed contact spring and one contact spring movable with respect thereto, and operating members associated with said armature for actuating said spring sets, the combination therewith of means for biasing said operatin member toward the armature, means engaging said operating members at predetermined positions in order to limit movement of said members toward the armature and to minimize loading of the armature of the relay when the relay is deenergized, one of said operating members including holding means engaging and restraining the movable spring of one of said sets against it normal bias, said operating members having parts engageable by said armature at different times so that upon partial operation of said armature said one of said operating members is moved to release said restraint before the other set imposes any substantial load on the armature, and adjustable means engaging the other of said operating means to determine the unoperated'position of said fixed spring or springs with respect to said movable spring or springs, respectively.

ANDREW W. VINCENT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 784,052 Kaisling Mar. 7, 1905 943,281 Smith Dec. 14, 1909 990,032 Clement Apr. 18, 1911 1,177,768 Erickson Apr. 4, 1916 1,880,676 Beck Oct. 4, 1932 1,947,641 Broekhuysen Feb. 20, 1934 1,997,655 Sanford et al Apr. 16, 1935 2,077,091 Brander Apr. 13, 1937 2,254,720 Wilcox Sept. 2, 1941 2,279,811 Baker Apr. 14, 1942 2,282,687 Vigren et a1. May 12, 1942 2,312,408 Hansen Mar. 2. 1943 2,327,549 Peek, Jr. Aug. 24, 1943 2,410,136 Vincent Oct. 26, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 52,701 1, Austria Mar. 11, 1912 113,868

Austria Jan. 15, 1929

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