US2606235A - Starter switch - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 5, 1952 Q PENK 2,606,235

STARTER SWITCH Filed Sept. 20, 1948 INVENTOR. CHARLES PENK BY I,

ATTRNE Patented Aug. 5, 1952 STARTER SWITCH Charles Penk, Newark, N. J., assignor to Allied Electric Products, Inc., Irvington, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application September 20, 1948, Serial No. 50,059

1 Claim.

The invention here disclosed relates to switches for starting fluorescent lamps and other gaseous discharge devices.

Special objects of the invention are to provide a starter switch which will operate under adverse current and ballast conditions, which will give positive D. C. starting operation and which in fact will operate under both A. C. and D. C. current supply.

Particularly it is a purpose of the invention to insure positive starting under low temperature conditions, certain starting with the line voltage either high or low and definite starting whether ballast output is low or high.

Further objects of the invention are to prolong the lamp life by insuring adequate preheating for starting and to insure a longer useful life of the starter itself.

Other desirable objects attained by the invention are set forth or will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrates a present practical embodiment of the invention. The structure, however, may be modified and changed in certain respects within the true intent of the invention as will be apparent from the following specification defining and broadly claiming the invention.

Fig. 1 in the drawing is a front elevation of one of the starter switches, with the enclosing can or cover indicated in broken lines.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a broken detail of the thermostatic switch elements of the glow tube.

Fig. 4 is a simplified wiring diagram.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the invention comprises a special combination of glow switch and thermal switch, connected as represented in Fig. 4 with the glow switch normally in open circuit condition and the thermal switch normally closed.

The glow switch is designated '5 and is shown as having a thermostatic element 6, separated when cold from a companion switch element 1.

The thermal switch is shown as made up of a thermostatic strip 8 carrying a contact 9 at its free end, engaged when cold with a fixed switch contact ID.

A low resistance heater I l is designed to quickly heat the bimetal to open the starter circuit at 9, i and a high resistance heater I2 is arranged to hold the bimetal in the open circuit condition during operation of the lamp or other gaseou discharge device shown at [3 in Fig. 4

The glow switch and thermal switch are mounted in closely adjoining relation on an insulating base l4, said base carrying terminal contacts I5, I 6 for engagement with the contacts of the starter switch socket and the can I! enclosing the parts.

The high resistance heater I2 is connected directly across the terminals l5, l6 and the low resistance heater H is connected by wire l8 in series with the stationary contact M.

The normally separated contacts of the glow switch are connected by wires I9, 20 with the terminals l5, l6 and similarly the condenser 2i is connected directly across the terminals by the wires 22, 23.

The normally closed thermal switch 8, 9, I0 is connected in series with the fluorescent lamp to give a predetermined preheat on the initial start.

The normally open glow switch is in parallel with the thermal switch and comes into operation only when the thermal switch is open and the fluorescent lamp has failed to light. Consequently, the glow switch operates as a standby to start the lamp if it should fail to start on the first efiort of the thermal switch. The glow switch thus may never come into action but it is present to supplement the thermal switch and to take care of starting the lamp if for any cause the thermal switch should fail in its attempt to start the lamp.

The parts of the thermal switch may all be mounted on a thin fiat insulating base 24 which takes up small space and hence permits of the two switches being combined in the side by side relation shown on the one supporting base M.

The combination of therma1 switch and glow switch illustrated assures starting under low termperature and other adverse starting conditions and assures longer useful life to the starting switch and to the lamp served by the starting switch.

What is claimed is:

A compound starter switch of the character disclosed comprising an insulating base, terminals on said insulating base for cooperation with the contacts of a starting switch socket, a thermal switch mounted on said base and including a bimetal and a cooperating stationary contact engaged by said bimetal when cold, a low resistance heater for said bimetal in heat transfer relation thereto and connected in normally closed circuit series relation with said bimetal and companion switch contact, said low resistance heater being connected with one terminal and said switch contact being connected with the other terminal, a high resistance heater in heat transfer relation to said bimetal and arranged when hot to hold the bimetal in open circuit condition, said high resistance heater being directly connected across said terminals and a normally open circuit glow switch on open circuit when cold, connected in parallel with said thermal switch and high resistance heater directly across said terminals and thereby connected for immediate activation when said bimetal heated by said low resistance heater, disengages the cooperating stationary contact.

CHARLES PENK'.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,285,450 McCarthy June 9, 1942 32,313,744 Hays Mar; 16, 1943 2,344,774 Hodgkins Mar. 21, 1944 10 2,379,115 Thayer June 26, 1945

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