US2663769A - Switch mechanism for automobile clocks - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 22, 1953 SCHWEIGLERI 2,663,769

SWITCH MECHANISM FOR'AUTOMOBILE CLOCKS Filed May 28, 1949 52 53 0 37 l0 3 50 32 INVENTOR. '62 FRED R. SCHWE/GLER AT 'Y I switch and is pivotally mounted on the bracket by means of the stud 42 and the shoulder screw 43. The stud is riveted to the bracket, while the shoulder screw passes through the lever and is threaded into the stud. The lever 39 has a contact 54 at one end adapted to cooperate with the contact 55 on lever 38. At the other end, lever 39 has an arm 51 which is engaged by insulator 41 when the switch is in open position, as shown in Fig. l.

The lever 39 is rotated on its pivot by the pin 24 previously referred to, which is fixed to the armature 20 and extends down between the two fingers of the fork 58 whichforms part of the lever. The lever 39 has a limited movement on its pivot, due to the provision of a pin which is secured to the lever and which extends downward into a slot in the bracket 38. The slot has the proper length to permit the required movement of the lever 39 and no more.

The lever 38 also has a limited movement on its pivot, the extremities of which are determined by the engagement of contact 55 with contact 54 when the switch is closed and by the engagement of insulator 41 with arm 51 when the switch is open. The lever 38 is at all times urged toward either open or closed position by the toggle mechanism of which it forms a part and which includes the spring 5| and the notched member 46.

The spring 5| includes a part which is pro- 1 vided with the soldering tab or car 52 and is clamped to the down turned end of bracket 30 by means of the rivet 53. The spring is insulated from the bracket and rivet by the insulators shown, inserted on opposite sides of the part I 50 of the spring. As seen in the several figures of the drawings, the spring 5| is tensioned to the right to bear against the end of the member 48, which is supported between the curved end of the spring and a notch in the lever 38. Thus the spring is adapted to move the lever 38 to either of its extreme positions with a snap action.

One end of the winding of the electromagnet I5 is connected to the spring clip 99 which is conductively connected to the binding post 6|. This binding post is insulated from the back plate [0 and is connected to the live pole of the battery when the clock is installed in an automobile. The other end of the winding is soldered to the ear 52 on spring 5i!-5l. When the switch is closed this end of the winding is connected to the ground binding post 82 by way of spring 505l, member 46, lever 38, contacts and 54, lever 39, bracket 39, and back plate [0. The ground binding post and the other pole ofthe battery may be connected through the frame of the car.

The operation of the switch will now be described more in detail. For this purpose it will be assumed that a clock movement is assembled to the motor mechanism and that the complete clock is installed and connected up as described in the foregoing.

As previously mentioned, the spring 23 drives the clock by rotating the armature 28 in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. l, the pawls 25 and 26 performing the driving function by their engagement with a ratchet wheel which is part of the clock movement. The motor mechanism is wound or partly wound as seen in Fig. l. The switch is open, that is, the contacts 54 and 55 are separated, and the electromagnet I 5 is deenergized. The switch is held open by the spring 5! and member 48, which tend to rotate the lever 38 in a clockwise direction. The insulator 41 therefore bears against the arm 51 of lever 39 and tends to rotate this lever in a clockwise direction, but the lever has reached the end of its movement in this direction due to the engagement of pin 40 with the end of the slot 45.

As the armature 28 rotates under power supplied by spring 23 to drive the clock, the pin 24 approaches and shortly engages the left hand finger of the fork 58 on lever 39. Further movement of the pin 24 rotates the pivoted lever 39 in a counterclockwise direction, and lever 39, due to the engagement of insulator 4'! by arm 51, rotates the pivoted lever 38 in the same direction. The rotation continues until the pin 49 has nearly reached the end of the slot 45, at which time the toggle mechanism 5l4638 passes through dead center and the lever 38 suddenly shifts or snaps over to the position in which it appears in Fig. 2. In this position the switch is closed, that is, contact 55 is in engagement with contact 54. The lever 39 is at the end of its counterclockwise movement, determined by the engagement of pin 49 with the other end of slot 45.

When the switch is closed as described in the L foregoing, the electromagnet I5 is energized and 'ture and to the delay in decay of the magnetization of the electromagnet. During this movement of the armature the pin 24 engages the right hand finger of the fork 58 and rotates lever 39 in a clockwise direction. Lever 39, due to the engagement of contact 54 with contact 55, rotates the lever 38 in a clockwise direction, until the toggle parts again pass through dead center, whereupon lever 38 shifts over to its Fig. 1 position with a snap action and opens the switch by separating the contacts 55 and 54. The electromagnet accordingly deenergizes, the pawls take a fresh hold on the ratchet wheel, and the drive is resumed under power supplied by the re-tensioned spring 23.

The fork 58 is so designed that when the switch snaps to open position the right hand finger clears pin 24, that is, moves out of the path of the pin, so that any further rotation of the armature that takes place cannot affect the switch.

The operation continues as described, the clock being rewound periodically by energization of the electromagnet under control of the switch. The period depends on the adjustment of the parts and other factors, but preferably is on the order of about three minutes.

An advantageous feature of the switch is the wiping action which takes place between the contacts 54 and 59 when the switch shifts from closed to open position. This tends to eliminate trouble caused by dirty or corroded contacts.

Perhaps more important, however, is the feature referred to before, according to which the power for operating the switch or, more specifically, for operating the toggle mechanism, is applied through the switch contacts. The contacts do not open, therefore, until the parts pass through dead center, and this point is passed under power with the electromagnet fully energized. The arrangement thus insures a more positive action than is possible with the Hobbs and other types of toggle switches in which the switch contacts open before dead center is reached, and which depend, for passing through dead center, on the inertia of the armature and the delayed deenergization of the electromagnet.

The invention having been described, that which is believed to be new and for which the protection of Letters Patent is desired will be pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a switch mechanism, two switch members extending generally parallel to each other, means for pivotally supporting said members for rotation about difierent axes, the pivot for each member being located at a point intermediate the ends thereof, means for rotating the first said member on its pivot in one direction, whereby one end of said first member engages the corresponding end of the second member and rotates said second member, interposed insulating means to prevent conductive contact between the said ends of said members, a spring acting on said second member to continue the rotation thereof after it has been rotated a predetermined amount by said first member, a switch contact at the other end of said second member brought into engagement with a switch contact at the other end of said first member responsive to said continued rotation, and means for rotating said first member in the opposite direction to thereby rotate said second member by power applied through said contacts, said spring being effective thereafter to prolong the rotation of said second member to separate said contacts.

2. In a switch mechanism, two switch members extending generally parallel to each other, means for pivotally supporting said members for rotation about difierent axes, the pivot for each member being located at a point intermediate the ends thereof, cooperating switch contacts carried on said members at corresponding ends thereof, an insulator carried on the other end of one said member and adapted for engagement with the corresponding end of the other member, said pivots being located far enough apart so that the second member has a limited movement on its pivot independent of the first member, means for rotating the first said member in one direction to apply force through said insulator to rotate the second member, means for rotating the first member in the other direction to apply force through said contacts to rotate said second member, and a spring acting on said second member and effective whenever the said second member is rotated by said first member to prolong the rotation of the second member to thereby break the initial engagement between said members and effect engagement between said members at the other ends thereof.

FRED R. SCHWEIGLER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,146,119 Hobbs Feb. '7, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 641,265 France Apr. 14, 1928

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