US2922861A - Solenoid operated electric switch - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 26, 1960 K. (5. WHITE SOLENOID OPERATED ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Feb. 27, 1959 m m M KENNETH G. WH/T E gnf )1 ll/x United States Patent 2,922,861 SOLENOID OPERATED EEiECTRIC SWITCH Kenneth G. White, Sweet Home, Oreg. 1 Application February 27, 1959, Serial No. 796,020

4 Claims. or. 200106) This invention relates to a novel solenoid operated elec- 'tric switch adapted to be interposed in the electric system of a motor vehicle, boat, aircraft or the like, for

completely disconnecting the electric system from the current source to eliminate the risk of fire resulting from a shorted or defective wiring in the electric system, or which can be utilized for disconnecting the electric systerm to prevent theftof the vehicle.

Solenoid operated switches for the same purpose have been previously employed and are well-known. However, such previous devices required maintaining the solenoid energized to retain the switch in a circuit closing position and which involves a constant current drain on the current source.

It is a primaryobject of the present invention to provide a solenoid operated switch including a unique latch unit for retaining the switch in a circuit closing position while the solenoid is de-energized, and so that the solenoid is only momentarily energized for moving the switch to either a circuit closing position or a circuit interrupting position, so that no current is utilized by the solenoid during the time that the switch remains in either a closed or an open position.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, showing the solenoid actuated switch in a circuit closing position;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view, similar to Figure 1, showing the switch in a circuit interrupting position and looking in the opposite direction relative to Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the switch, taken substantially along a line 3-3 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Figure'l;

Figure 5 is an enlarged end elevational view of one element of the latch assembly;

, Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, of a portion of the latch assembly, taken at a right angle to Figures 1 and 2, and

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the electric circuit of the switch and electric circuit controlled thereby.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the solenoid operated electric switch in its entirety is designated generally 10 and includes a housing or casing 11 having provided. with a nut 18 for securing the contact to the ice wall 14. The parts 17 and 18 additionally provide a binding post for the contact 15 or 16 thereof.

A conventional solenoid 19 is disposed within the housing 11 and has one end thereof secured to a portion of the end wall 13. One end 20 of the coil or winding 21 of the solenoid 19 is attached to the contact 15 and the other end 22 of said winding 21 is attached to the inner end of a binding post 23 which is supported in and extends through the end wall 13.

A stem or spindle 24 is disposed longitudinally within the housing 11 but between and spaced from the contacts 15 and 16 and has one end reciprocably mounted in the solenoid '19 and forming the core thereof. The other end of the spindle 24 fits loosely in a cylindrical portion 25 of the housing 11, which extends inwardly from the end wall 12 and which is disposed in alignment with the solenoid 19. A conductor bridge 26 of electrical conducting material, which is preferably in the form of a disc, has acentral opening 27 through which a portion of the spindle 24 loosely extends. A collar 28 is fixed to the spindle 24 between the cylinder portion 25 and the disc 26. A compression spring 29 is mounted on the spindle 24 between the disc 26 and the solenoid 19 and a second compression spring 30 is disposed on the spindle 24 between the disc 26 and the collar 28. Washers 31 of electrical insulating material are disposed around the spindle 24 and against opposite sides of the disc 26. The adjacent ends of the springs 29 and 30 bear against said washers 31.

Two rigid sleeves 32 and 33 are secured immovably, in any conventional manner, with the cylindrical portion 25 and in spaced apart relation to one another. The sleeve 32, which is disposed nearest the end wall 12, has oppositely disposed notches 34 and 35, as seen in Figures 1 and 2, respectively, which open therefrom toward the sleeve 33 and which are of modified V-shape cross sec tion. The inner end of the sleeve 32 has edges 36 and 37 extending at an incline from eachof the notches 34 and 35 in a direction toward the end wall 12. Each edge 36 converges toward and merges wth an edge 37 to form a notch 38, as best seen in Figure 6. The notches 38 are located opposite to one another and nearer the end wall 12 than the notches 34 and 35.

The other inner sleeve 33 has two adjacently disposed notches 39 and 40 disposed opposite and facing toward the notch 34, as seen in Figure 1, and two corresponding notches 41 and 42 which are similarly disposed relative to the notch 35, as seen in Figure 2. The notch 41 corresponds to the notch 39 and the notch 42 corresponds to the notch 40. The end of the sleeve 33, which faces the sleeve 32, has edge portions 43 which are spaced from and disposed nearly parallel to the edge portions 36, as seen in Figures 1 and 2. Said edges 43 have cor responding ends extending to the beds of the notches 39 and 41. Thus, portions of said edges 43 constitute parts of the notches 39 and 41. The sleeve 33 also has edge portions 44 extending from the notches 40 and 42 and which are disposed substantially parallel to the edge portions 37. The edge portions 43 extend in converging relation to the edge portions 44 and converge therewith to form points 45, as seen in Figure 6, which are disposed substantially directly above the notches 38.

The spindle 24 is provided with a bore 46 which extendsdiametrically therethrough and which is preferably of rectangular cross section. A bar 47 extends through and fits snugly in the bore 46 and has end portions projecting outwardly from the ends of said bore and forming keys 48 and 49 which are triangular in shape as viewed endwise thereof, or as seen in Figures 1, 5 and 6. Each key 48 and 49 has a flat side 50 and inclined faces of the two keys face in opposite directions, as seen in Figure 5, but looking toward either key in a direction inwardly of the bar 47, said keys appear identical. The keys 4S and 49 are of a size to move freely between the sleeves 32 and 33 and the over-all length of the bar 41 including the keys 43 and 49 is less than the outer diameter of the sleeves 32 and 33, as best seen in Figure 4.

The binding post 17, 18 of contact 15 is adapted to be connected to a conductor wire 53 leading from one terminal of a current source such as a vehicle storage battery 54, as illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 7. The binding post 17, 180i the contact 16 is connected to a conductor wire 55 leading to the entire electric system of the vehicle, not shown. Aconductor wire 56 leads from the binding post 23 to a ground 57 and has interposed therein a manually actuated switch 58 which may be of any conventional construction. The switch 58 is preferably a pushbutton switch which normally assumes an open position automatically and must be pushed to a circuit closing position for bridging the contact elements 59 defining a gap in the conductor 56.

Assuming that the keys 48 and 49 are disposed in the notches 38, as seen in Figures 2and 6, the conductor bridge 26 will be held out of engagement with the contacts 15 and 16, as seen in Figure 2, so that the switch is in' an open position. If switch 58 is also in its normal open position, as illustrated in Figure 7, there will be no current drain from the current source 54 and no current can be supplied to any parts of the vehicle electric system through the conductor wire 55. Thus, a short circuit which might cause a fire could not occur nor could any current leakage result through any defects in the vehicle electric system. The switch 58 may be disposed in any remote location relative to the switch housing 11, preferably convenient to the vehicle operator from the operators seat, but also preferably in a concealed location so that it could not be readily located by an unauthorized person. Thus, the switch 10 also forms an anti-theft device.

With the parts in the positions as shown in Figures 2 and 6, when the switch 58 is momentarily moved to a circuit closing position, the solenoid 19 is energized to draw the spindle 24 toward said solenoid and to move the conductor bridge 26 into engagement with the contacts and 16 for completing an electric circuit between the conductors 53 and 55. As this occurs, keys 48 and 49 commence tomove toward the sleeve 33 and are so disposed, as seen in Figure 6, that the inclined surfaces 51 of said keys will contact the edges 43, adjacent the points 45. Thus, said edges provide cam tracks along which the key faces 51 will ride for turning the spindle 24 counterclockwise through an arc of approximately 90 and until the keys 48 and 49 seat in the notches 39 and 41'. During this movement of the spindle 24 toward the solenoid 19, 'the bridge 26 will engage the contacts 15 and 16 afterwhich the spindle 24 will move through said bridge and as: the spring 30 is compressed. When the switch 58 is' released to automatically assume an open position, the solenoid 19 is de-energized and the recoil spring 29 acting against the conductor bridge 26 the compressed spring 30 and the collar 28, displaces the spindle 24 away fromsaid' solenoid. The keys 48 and 49 are thus displaced out'of the notches 39 and 41 and toward the notches 34 and 35. The surfaces S2 of the keys move into the en agement with the surfaces 60 of the notches 34 and 35 to produce a cam'mingaction by which the spindle 24 and said keys are turned slightly in the same direction orcounterclockwise, to allow said keys to seat in said notches 34 and 35, as illustrated in Figures 1, 3 and 4. In this position'of the parts the bridge 26 is still maintained in engagement with the contacts 15 and a 16 by the partially compressed spring 30 to maintain an electrical connection between the conductors 53 and 55,

tween conductors 53 and 55 by returning the switch 10 to its open position of Figure 2, the switch 58 is again manually moved to a closed position to re-energize the solenoid 19 to draw the spindle 24 toward said solenoid and to move the two keys out of the notches 34 and 35 and toward the notches 40 and 42 which are disposed partially in alignment with said notches 34 and 35, respectively. As the keys move toward the notches 40 and 42 the surfaces 51 thereof move into camming engagement with the surfaces 61 of the notches 40 and 42 to again turn the spindle 24 slightly in'the same direction or counterclockwise as seen in Figure 3 to move the keys oute of alignment with the notches 34 and 35, as said keys seat in the notches 40 and 42. Thereafter, when the switch 58 is released to return to an open position, the recoil spring 29 will move the spindle 24 and conductor bridge 26 to the positions of said parts as seen in Figure, 2. As the'spindle 24 moves away from the solenoid 19 the keys will move out of the notches 40 and 42 and toward portions of the edges 37 which are located adjacent said notches 34 and 35. Thesurfaces 52 of the keys will contact said portions of the edges 37 which thus form cam tracks for causing the keys and spindle 24 to again turn counterclockwise, as seen in Figure 3, until The housing 11 is illustrated in Figure 3 as being formed of two longitudinal halves secured together by the fastenings 62, but may be constructed in any other suitable manner. The cylinder 25 is likewise composed of two halves, one constituting a part of each half of the housing. The solenoid 19 can be secured to the end wall portion 13 of the housing half in which the binding post 23 is mounted.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A solenoid operated switch adapted to be interposed in a primary electric circuit of a current source including two contacts electrically insulated from one another for breaking the electric circuit, a solenoid adapted to be connected to the current source around said contacts, a normally open manually closed switch interposed in the solenoid circuit for normally maintaining the solenoid de-energized, a spindle having a portion forming a solenoid armature slidably movable toward said solenoid when energized, a bridge member of electrical conducting material carried by said spindle and movable therewith into engagement with said contacts for completing a circuit between the Contacts, a recoil spring engaging and moving the spindle away from the solenoid when the solenoid is de-energized; and a latch assembly including a stationary section in which a part of said spindle is reciprocably and rotatably disposed and a movable section connected to and movable with the spindle, said stationary section having a cam way engaged by a part of the movable section for rotating said spindle and movable section as the spindle is reciprocated by energizing the solenoid and by therecoil spring when the solenoid is deenergized, and said stationary section having latching means for receiving the movable section alternate times that the'spindle is moved by the recoil spring for limiting movement of the spindle in a direction away from the sion spring carried by said spindle, said conductor bridge being slidably mounted on the spindle between the compression spring and said recoil spring and being yieldably held in engagement with said contacts when the solenoid is energized and when the movable latch section is in engagement with said latch recess.

3. A solenoid operated switch adapted to be interposed in a primary electric circuit of a current source including two contacts electrically insulated from one another for breaking the electric circuit, a solenoid adapted to be connected to the current source around said contacts, a normally open manually closed switch interposed in the solenoid circuit for normally maintaining the solenoid de-energized, a spindle having a portion forming a solenoid armature slidably movable toward said solenoid when energized, a bridge member of electrical conducting material carried by said spindle and movable therewith into engagement with said contacts for completing a circuit between the contacts, a recoil spring engaging and moving the spindle away from the solenoid when the solenoid is de-energized; and latch means for alternately latching the spindle when the solenoid is de-energized for lim iting movement of the spindle away from the solenoid to retain said conductor bridge in engagement with said contacts, said latch means including a stationary section having an undulating annular cam way and a movable section fixed to a part of the spindle and engaging said cam way for causing the spindle to turn about its axis as it is reciprocated by the solenoid and recoil spring, said cam way including a latch portion for receiving a part of said movable section alternate times that the spindle is moved by the recoil spring for latching the spindle against movement by the recoil spring from a position with said conductor bridge engaging said spaced contacts.

4. A solenoid operated switch as in claim 3, said cam way having portions engaging the movable section for turning the spindle during reciprocating movement of the spindle in either direction.

No references cited.

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