US3138672A - Rotatable and compressible multiple contact switch - Google Patents

Description

June 23, 1964 B. E. SHLESINGER, JR 3,138,572

ROTATABLE AND COMPRESSIBLE MULTIPLE CONTACT SWITCH Filed March 11, 1963 76 tumunmlulnnw MIHIIIIlllllllllllllll I A II/Ill IIIIIIL r I,

INVENTOR Bernard Edward Shiesinger, J;

BY W %*W ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,138,672 R'OTATABLE AND COMPRESSIBLE MULTIPLE CONTACT SWITCH Bernard Edward Shlesinger, Jr., Annandale, Va. (945 Munsey Bldg, Washington, DC.) Filed Mar. '11, 1963, Ser. No. 264,409 7 Claims. (Cl. 20011) This invention relates to improvements in multiple contact switches and the like. This invention is an improvement over our United States Patent 2,874,237, February 17, 1959, based on application Serial No. 700,354, filed December 3, 1957.

In the prior art, such as Reinschmidt, 2,472,230, switches of this nature have been limited to a definite number of contacts and combinations.

It is an object of this invention to provide a multiple contact rotary switch which has an unlimited number of combinations. It is a further object of this invention to provide a multiple contact switch which is compact and readily assembled. It is another object of this invention to provide a contact switch in which contact by the rotary wiping member is assured at all times.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a contact switch which is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a contact switch which may be used for programming, computing, aircraft and rockets and the like.

It is another object of this invention to provide a multiple switch which may be kept relatively free from dust and moisture.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a multiple switch having a rotary brush or Wiper of coil configuration Which coil exerts a lateral force against the side walls of the switch container in order to insure proper contact.

It is another object of this invention to provide a multiple switch which can operate to utilize several circuits simultaneously each independently of the other.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a multiple switch which is capable of being readily assembled and disassembled. for incorporating new programmed systems.

Another object of this invention is to provide a multiple contact switch which provides ready replacement of a programmed system by insertion of contacts in a preprogrammed casing. Substitution of programmed circuits while maintaining certain circuits in reserve can be readily accomplished by this invention.

A further object of this invention is to provide a multiple contact switch which is pre-programmed for a specific job and which is capable of being rapidly changed to another type of programming job without disruption of the first programmed job.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example various embodiments of this invention:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section view showing one embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1 showing the manner of mounting the rotatable plate upon the shaft;

FIGURE 2A is a section taken along the lines 2A2A of FIGURE 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective partially in section showing the manner of mounting the rotatable plate upon the shaft;

3,138,672 Patented June 23, 1964 FIGURE 4 is a sectional view partially fragmented to show another modification of this invention;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view showing a split casing member such as can be utilized in this invention as generally shown in FIGURE 4;

' FIGURE 6 is a further modification of this invention showing in section a construction similar to that shown in FIGURE 4 but with the coils alternating in direction and showing them under slight compression.

The switch comprises a cylindrical casing C of any suitable insulating material such as molded phenolic materials, nylon, etc. The casing C has one end closed by a wall member 2 having a central opening into which is molded a metal bushing 4 which has its external periphery 6 threaded to receive a suitable fastening nut 8 for mounting the switch on a panel member 10. The opposite end of the casing C has seated therein a closure member 20 which may be of the same material as the casing C and Which may be fastened thereto in any convenient manner, for example, by threading, cement, or the like.

The member 20 has a central opening in which is molded a bearing sleeve 22.

Fastened to the inner face of the member 20 by suitable eyelets or rivets 24, is a metal disc 26 which is provided with an integral lug 28 extending through the member 20.' Suitable contacts 30 are set in the casing C. The contacts 30 may be molded integrally therewith or may be inserted at any subsequent time. The contacts 30 extend through to the inside of the casing C.

A rotary sleeve or tubular shaft 40 has one end journaled in the bearing sleeve 22 and the other end journaled in the metal bushing 4. For the purpose of restraining the shaft 40 against lengthwise movement with respect to the casing, it is provided with annular grooves into which are fitted retainer rings 42 and 44 respectively. Tubular shaft 40 is provided at its upper end with a gear 46. Tubular shaft member 40 is cut out from both ends as best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 to provide flats 48, 50, 52, and 54. The flats 48, 50, 52, and 54 register with a corresponding opening in insulating plate, disc, or wafer 56 having threads as at 58.

A second shaft 60 as best shown in FIGURE 3 is centrally threaded and engages threads 53. The shaft 60 is journaled on tubular shaft 40 on bearing surfaces 62 and 64. The threaded portion of the shaft 60 has no threads which project beyond the bearing surfaces 62 and 64. The purpose of this is to prevent threading action of the shaft 60 with the shaft 40 in which it is journaled. As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the shaft 40 may be recessed interiorly as at 66 in order to prevent engagement of the threads with the inside of the tubular shaft 40. Another means of engagement (not shown) is to increase the diameter of the journal surfaces at 62 and 64 of the shaft 60. At one end of the shaft 60 is an annular groove into which is fitted a retainer ring 68. At the other end of the shaft 60 is a gear 70 having a button 72 mounted thereon. Between the gear 46 and the gear 70 is a spring 74 which maintains the two gears in spaced relationship with one another. A key not shown permits the gear 70 to reciprocate on the shaft 60 while maintaining its journaled relationship therewith. A pin 76 on gear 70 engages in a recess 78 on gear 46 when the button 72 is pushed downwardly, thereby locking the gears together. Some type of snap action locking mechanism could be used to maintain position if necessary.

Mounted on the panel 10 is a rotatable gear 80 which is biased upwardly by a spring 82. Gear 80 meshes with gear 46. Also mounted on the panel 10 is a gear 84 which is spring biased by a spring 86. Gear 84 meshes with gear '70. The springs 82 and 86 may be eliminated if gears 80 and 84 are maintained at a fixed height by locking keys or splined shafts or the like (not shown).

In FIGURE 1, contact coils 90 and 92 are secured at one end to insulated disc 56. Contact coil 90 is secured at 94 and contact coil 92 is secured at 96.

The other end of the coils 90 and 92 have wiping contacts 97 and 98 respectively which travel in a groove 99 in the metal disc 26. The disc 26 may be of nonconductive material and the contact lead 28 may be disregarded as the circuitry may run from one contact 30 through coil 99 or 92 to another contact 36 without bringing in the lead 28. It will be obvious that if plate 26 is conductive, the coils themselves will be then connected in circuit, providing the wiping contact members 97 and 98 are conductive. It is possible to vary the system by having one of the wiper members 97 or 98 of non-conductive material in order to prevent conduction across the plate 26 and from one coil to another. It will be obvious that variations can be used depending upon the particular circuitry desired.

In the modification shown in FIGURE 4, a series of plates P are shown each supporting an individual coil K.

For necessity of operation the uppermost plate P in most instances must be connected to the gearing mechanism as in FIGURES 2 and 3 for reciprocating purposes. When the upper plate P is moved downwardly, the spacing between the other plates P can be maintained if the other plates are threaded as is the upper plate P. If the lower plates are free to slide up and down on the shafts 49 and 60, compression will take place with respect to each of the coils K supported by the plates P. If the plates P are threadedly engaged with shaft 60, then compression will not take place except on the lowermost coil K. The central coils K will maintain their pitch without change upon reciprocation of the plates P. It will be obvious that variations of the circuitry can be accomplished by maintaining the plates free or bound to the shafts as desired in order to obtain compression or not to obtain compression between the coils K and their respective plates P. It is also obvious that the plates P may be conductive or non-conductive in the same manner as plate 26 and. as heretofore described. By alternating the conductivity of the plates; i.e. by making one plate conductive and the other plate non-conductive, additional circuits can be designed and considerable flexibility in the system can be obtained. It will be further obvious, that by leaving the upper plate P disengaged from the threads of the shaft 60, and freely slidable n the shafts 4t) and 60, and by making one of the lower or all of the lower plates threadably engageable with the shaft 60, expansion of the upper coil K can be accomplished, and any intermediate coils, depending upon which of the plates are engaged with the shaft 60.

It will be further obvious that one or more coils may be secured to any one of the plates P as in FIGURE 1. There of course is some limit to the number of coils which can be secured to a single plate and perhaps not more than four will be secured to a single plate because upon compressibility, the coils begin to interfere with one another as they reach a lower stage of compression. This of course would interfere with proper circuitry. It is also of course obvious that the length of the cylinder will permit a larger number of coils to be used since they would not be likely to interfere with one another. Many more coils can be used on a long cyilnder than can be used on a short cylinder from the compressibility standpoint.

FIGURE 6 is similar to FIGURE 4 in that it provides a plurality of plates P and a plurality of coils K. The substantial difference between FIGURE 4 and FIGURE 6 is that the coils are shown to be alternately reversed in pitch with respect to each other. It is obvious that in a large casing where there are more than three coils as shown in FIGURE 6, two coils may run in the same direction and another coil may run in reverse direction without being alternately positioned as illustrated. It is further obvious that any arrangement of coils in which the pitches are changed can be utilized depending upon circumstances and design of the particular switching system.

FIGURE illustrates one type of casing C which could be used in this invention. In FIGURE 5, the casing C is shown constructed of two halves 100 and 102. The

halves 100' and 162 are provided with beading at the ends thereof 104 or with recesses 106 as best shown in FIGURE 4. It is obvious that the parts of the casing may have either recesses or heading as desired. The bead 104 and the recess 106 of the casing C engages in the upper and bottom portions of the switch housing in corresponding recesses or beads as the case may be.

It is to be noted that the casing C may be perforated with a series of holes of a particular design depending upon the desires of a particular user. If the bottom member 20 and the upper member 2 are somewhat of flexible nature, the members 102 and 104 can be snapped into position. It will then be obvious that ready interchangeability is allowed and the user can have ready made programming circuits set up for various types of jobs. Merely by inserting the contacts 30 into the holes 106 in the desired positions, a set programming system can be pro vided which can then be snapped into the assembly or substituted for another previously designed program system.

Operation For the foregoing description, it will now be readily seen that upon rotation of the shaft 40 simultaneously with the shaft 60, coils and 92 will rotate without being placed under compression. This will change the position of the contacts with relation to the casing wall.

If, however, shaft 60 is rotated independently of shaft 40, coils 90 and 92 will begin to compress since plate 55 is in threaded engagement with the threads of shaft 60. This will change the contacts vertically on the inside face of the casing wall. For further understanding of the operation of this invention, reference is made to my United States Patent 2,874,237 issued February 17, 1959.

While the invention has been described in connection with different embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications, and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosures as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains, and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth and fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.

'Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A multiple contact switch comprising. a casing, stationary electrical contacts in the wall of said casing, a

2. A multiple contact switch as in claim 1. and wherei in said contact members comprise a series of vertically stacked coils, a series of vertically stacked coaxial rotary non-conductive members alternately interdigitated with said coils, each of said coils having one end free and the other end secured to an adjacent interdigitated member.

3. A multiple contact switch as in claim 1 and wherein said contact members include a plurality, of vertically stacked coils, and wherein at least one of said coils of the stack is convoluted in a direction opposite to another of said coils in said stack.

4. A multiple contact switch comprising a casing having stationary contacts in the wall of said casing, a rotatable shaft supported by said casing, a plurality of rotatable plates mounted on said shaft, a plurality of spaced separate, individual, coaxial, conductive, rotatable coils supported by said plates, means connected to said shaft for rotating said plates and coils, and means connected to said shaft for vertically shifting said plates and compressing said coils, whereby rotation or compression or both of said coils from one position to another changes the electrical circuitry from one circuit to another.

5. A multiple contact switch as in claim 1 and wherein said contact members include at least one pair of parallel, coextensive coils.

6. A multiple contact switch as in claim 1 and wherein said contact members comprise at least one pair of vertically spaced stacked coils.

7. A multiple contact switch as in claim 1 and wherein said contact members include at least one pair of vertically spaced stacked coils having a spacer member separating one member of the pair from the other member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,472,230 Reinschmidt June 7, 1949 2,874,237 Shlesinger Feb. 17, 1959 3,047,683 Shlesinger July 21, 1963

Claims (1)

1. 4. A MULTIPLE CONTACT SWITCH COMPRISING A CASING HAVING STATIONARY CONTACTS IN THE WALL OF SAID CASING, A ROTATABLE SHAFT SUPPORTED BY SAID CASING, A PLURALITY OF ROTATABLE PLATES MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT, A PLURALITY OF SPACED SEPARATE, INDIVIDUAL, COAXIAL, CONDUCTIVE, ROTATABLE COILS SUPPORTED BY SAID PLATES, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATING SAID PLATES AND COILS, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT FOR VERTICALLY SHIFTING SAID PLATES AND COMPRESSING SAID COILS, WHEREBY ROTATION OR COMPRESSION OR BOTH OF SAID COILS FROM ONE POSITION TO ANOTHER CHANGES THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUITRY FROM ONE CIRCUIT TO ANOTHER.

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