US3133173A

US3133173A - Rotating magnetic reed switch

Info

Publication number: US3133173A
Application number: US123553A
Authority: US
Inventors: Florus G M Vriens
Original assignee: International Standard Electric Corp
Current assignee: International Standard Electric Corp
Priority date: 1960-07-15
Filing date: 1961-07-12
Publication date: 1964-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 1981-05-12
Also published as: NL130278C; DE1171497B; NL267079A

Description

y 1964 F. G. M. VRIENS 3,133,173

ROTATING MAGNETIC REED SWITCH Filed July 12, 1961 lrwenlor FL 0/905 5. M. wens/vs ww/am Attorney United States Patent 3,133,173 ROTATING MAGNETIC REED SWITCH Florus G. M. Vriens, Antwerp, Belgium, assignor to International Standard Electric Corporation, New York,

N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 12, 1961, Ser. No. 123,553 Claims priority, application Belgium July 15, 1960 9 Claims. (Cl. 200-87) The invention relates to a rotating magnet switch including a magnet having a circular translation movement, and magnetically sensitive members arranged along the trajectory described by said magnet and operating upon the passage of the latter magnet in their proximity.

In the already existing device of this kind, the magnet (or each of the magnets having said circular movement) acts alone on said magnetically sensitive member. In this case, the action of the magnet on said member in function of its relative position with respect to this member is rather progressive so that, if it is for instance desired to operate a magnetic blade contact during a small portion of the trajectory of the magnet, it is necessary to mount said contact at a relatively large distance from said trajectory, but in this case the operation becomes uncertain.

The object of the present invention is to render more sharp the start and the end of the magnetic action of the magnet on said contact, so as to be able to approach these two limits of action, while realizing a free and safe action between these limits.

According to a characteristic of the invention, small auxiliary magnets are arranged in front and behind the main electromagnet and have their magnetic poles arranged in a sense opposite to that of said main magnet.

The joining of these antagonistic auxiliary magnets permits to reach'the object cited above.

The above mentioned and other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by referring to the following description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic view of a switch according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the non-magnetic rotating parts serving as a support for the various magnets;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the parts shown in FIG. 2 and on which magnets are fixed, and

FIG. 4 is a side view of a particular embodiment of a magnetic blade contact support.

In its preferred embodiment, the switch according to the invention includes two superposed rings 1 and 2, secured to a frame by suitable conventional means (not represented). These rings are used to support magnetic blade contacts, 'as will be explained further.

Co-axially to these rings is mounted a shaft 3 carrying the non-magnetic frame represented in FIG. 2. Part 4 is fixed on shaft 3 by any suitable means, while part 5 may be mounted on top of the upper part of part 4 until surfaces 6 and 7 come into contact.

The main magnet 8 as Well as an auxiliary magnet 9 are secured to part 4 as shown in FIG. 3 and at a suitable distance from each other, whereas a second auxiliary magnet 10 is fixed on part 5. After the

parts

4 and 5 have been assembled, the three magnets are located next to each other as shown on FIG. 1.

Part 5 is secured to part 4 by two

screws

11 and 12 passing through button-

holes

13 and 14, arranged on a circle are which is concentrical to the part, and screwed in the threaded holes :15 and 16 in the part 4. This assembly thus permits to slightly modify the distance between the main magnet 8 and the auxiliary magnet 10,

3,133,173 Patented May 12, 1964 action of the main magnet on the contact blades 17 are more sharp than no oppositely directed field would be present at the ends of the main magnet. This permits to shorten the course of the main magnet necessary to the operation of the contact, while it simultaneously ensures a free and safe action during this operation. In the case of a single magnet, if the dimension of the magnet is reduced to shorten said course, or else if the distance between the contact and the trajectory of the magnet is increased for the same purpose, the magnetic action of the magnet on the contact blades remains at the limit of operation, and the latter operationbecomes uncertain. The shortening of the course is moreover also limited due to the difference existing between the intensity of the field necessary to cause the contact to be brought in its work position and the intensity of the field at the moment of release. With the above described device, the drawbacks of such a difference of field is considerably reduced Each of the

auxiliary magnets

9 and 10 must of course have an insufficient action to operate separately the contact blades 17. As already mentioned above the rings 1 and 2 serve as a support for the magnetic blade contacts which are preferably mounted in sealed tubes, such as 29. To do this, each contact blade 17 is mounted in an individual support (FIG. 4) constituted by an insulated plate 18 at the ends of which U-shaped

metallic terminals

19 and 20 are fixed. One branch of each of these terminals serves for holding the outer ends of one of the contact blades 17, Whereas the other branch moreover comprises a terminal for connecting an electrical wire thereto. The insulating plate 18 is secured to one armof an L-shaped bracket 21, the other arm of which is fixed on the upper part of piece 22 by a screw 23 engaged in an open buttonhole 24. The lower arm of the piece 22 has a thicker part 25 which is located between the rings 1 and 2 at the inside thereof, whereas a piece 26 also having a thicker part 28, is located between the rings 1 and 2 at the outside thereof and serves as a support for the head of screw 27 which passes through it in order to be screwed in part 25 of piece 22, thus rigidly holding the latter piece against the rings 1 and 2.

The described device thus permits a certain number of such individual supports to be arranged around the shaft 3 and to adjust the angular position of each of them. The button-hole 24 moreover permitsto adjust the distance between the contacts 17 and the trajectory of the magnet 8 in order to realize an accurate adjustment of the operation of the contact.

While the principles of the invention have been described above =in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention.

I claim: 1. A rotating magnetic switch comprising: a main magnet having the opposite magnetic poles disposed with a given magnetic polarity in a given line;

first and second auxiliary magnets disposed on opposite sides of said main magnet, the opposite magnetic poles of said auxiliary magnets being disposed with a. magnetic polarity opposite said given magnetic polarity in lines parallel to said given line;

means to rotate said main magnet and said auxiliary magnets about an axis parallel to said given line, said means to rotate including means to adjust the spacing between said main magnet and at least one of said auxiliary magnets; and

first and second discs of nonmagnetic material secured to said shaft;

a main magnet disposed between said discs, the opposite magnetic poles of said main magnet being disposed with a given magnetic polarity in a line parallel to said shaft;

first and second auxiliary magnets disposed between said discs on opposite sides of said main magnet and in spaced relation thereto, the opposite magnetic poles of said auxiliary magnets being disposed with a magnetic polarity opposite said given magnetic polarity in lines parallel to said shafts; and

at least one magnetically responsive switching member disposed in an, inductive coupling relationship with said magnets once during each rotation of said magnets.

3. A switch according to claim 2, wherein said discs include adjustable fastening means to adjust the spacing between said main magnet and at least one of said auxiliary magnets.

4. A switch according to claim 2, further including means to adjust the radial distance between said switching member and said magnets.

5. A switch according to claim 2, wherein said auxiliary magnets have a magnetic field strength less than the magnetic field strength of said main magnet.

' 6. A rotating magnetic switch comprising a circular frame, a rotor disposed for rotation within said frame, said rotor including a circular top plate composed of nonmagnetic material, a circular bottom member composed of nonmagnetic material, a main magnet, a first auxiliary magnet, and a second auxiliary magnet, said bottom member having a circular recess to receive said magnets, said main magnet and said first auxiliary magnet being disposed in said recess and fixed to said bottom member, said second auxiliary magnet being disposed in said recess and fixed to said top plate, said top plate being mounted on top of said bottom member, all three of said magnets being gripped between said top plate and said bottom member, adjustable fastening means connecting said top plate to said bottom member to permit the angular position of said top plate and said second auxiliary magnet to be adjusted relative to said bottom member and said main magnet, all three of said magnets being disposed so that the opposite poles of each magnet lie along a line parallel to the axis of rotation of said rotor, each pole of said main magnet being disposed adjacent to the pole of opposite magnetic sense of each said auxiliary magnet, at least one support member mounted on said frame, at least one magnetically actuatable switch, one switch disposed in each said support member, each said support member having a plate holding one said switch and an L-shaped bracket having two arms, said plate being secured to a first arm of said bracket, the second arm of said bracket having a buttonhole which is traversed by a screw securing said bracket to said support member, said buttonhole being arranged radially with respect to the axis of said rotor, so that the radial distance between each said switch and said rotor may be adjusted.

7. A magnetic switch according to claim 6 wherein each said support member includes an F-shaped piece which grips said frame, said frame having two parallel circular rings disposed one above the other, said F-shaped piece fitting between and gripping said rings, means to clamp said F-shaped piece to said rings, whereby each said support member may be located at. any selected circumferential position on said circular frame.

8. A magnetic switch according to claim 7 wherein each said switch is disposed on said plate of said support member substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said rotor.

9. A magnetic switch according to claim 8 wherein each of said auxiliary magnets has a magnetic field strength substantially less than the magnetic field strength of said main magnet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,269,242 Baake Ian. 6, 1942 2,922,994 Kennedy Jan. 26, 1960 2,929,896 Ronning Mar. 22, 1960 2,932,699 Reese -Q Apr. 12, 1960 2,999,914 Stanaway Sept. 12, 1961

Claims

1. A ROTATING MAGNETIC SWITCH COMPRISING: A MAIN MAGNET HAVING THE OPPOSITE MAGNETIC POLES DISPOSED WITH A GIVEN MAGNETIC POLARITY IN A GIVEN LINE; FIRST AND SECOND AUXILIARY MAGNETS DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID MAIN MAGNET, THE OPPOSITE MAGNETIC POLES OF SAID AUXILIARY MAGNETS BEING DISPOSED WITH A MAGNETIC POLARITY OPPOSITE SAID GIVEN MAGNETIC POLARITY IN LINES PARALLEL TO SAID GIVEN LINE; MEANS TO ROTATE SAID MAIN MAGNET AND SAID AUXILIARY MAGNETS ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO SAID GIVEN LINE, SAID MEANS TO ROTATE INCLUDING MEANS TO ADJUST THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID MAIN MAGNET AND AT LEAST ONE OF SAID AUXILIARY MAGNETS; AND AT LEAST ONE MAGNETICALLY RESPONSIVE SWITCHING MEMBER DISPOSED IN AN INDUCTIVE COUPLING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID MAGNETS ONCE DURING EACH ROTATION OF SAID MAGNETS.