US3247347A

US3247347A - Cable-supported remotely actuable relay

Info

Publication number: US3247347A
Application number: US172698A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wesley N Lindsay
Original assignee: Jennings Radio Manufacturing Corp
Current assignee: Jennings Radio Manufacturing Corp
Priority date: 1962-02-12
Filing date: 1962-02-12
Publication date: 1966-04-19
Anticipated expiration: 1983-04-19
Also published as: CH446482A; NL6511688A; GB1081456A; BE672475A

Description

United States Patent 3,247,347 CABLE-SUPPORTED REMOTELY ACTUABLE RELAY Wesley N. Lindsay, San Jose, Calif., assignor to Jennings Radio Manufacturing Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 172,698 11 Claims. (Cl. 200-144) This invention relates to electrical relays and more particularly to electrical relays having relatively large power handling capability.

Heretofore, electrical relays of large power handling capability have tended to be large, bulky and heavy. Re-

lays connecting and disconnecting two adjacent cable ends have in the past been located on the nearest suitable sup-.

porting structure which often is some distance from such ends necessitating the use of additional cable and resulting in additional line loss.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a more compact relay of relatively larger power handling capability than has formerly been possible and which may be located more nearly adjacent the cable ends it is to connect and disconnect.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a contact configuration that will assist in arc quenching.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a compact, remotely operable relay of relatively large power handling capability which is enclosed in a vacuu-mized envelope.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and drawings of a preferred form of this invention in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a preferred form of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken generally in a plane indicated by lines 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a partial vertical sectional view taken in a plane indicated by lines 3-4, of FIG. 2 and showing the contacts and shorting bar only.

In general terms, one form of the invention chosen for illustration, and shown in FIGS. l3 comprises collinear, generally cylindrical fixed contacts 10, 11, shorting bar 12 for connecting and disconnecting said contacts, insulating rod 13 (FIG. 2) supporting shorting bar 12 at one end, armature 14 supporting the other end of rod 13 and supported by spring 15, coil 16 for magnetically attracting armature 14 and causing shorting bar 12 to connect contacts 1G, 11 and vacuumized envelope 17.

Envelope 17 may be formed by two cylindrical outer sections 4, of insulating material such as ceramic fixedly secured to a central cylindrical section 6 of brass or the like. This central section may be provided with a pair of radially inwardly extending flanges 7, 8 at its opposite ends so as to receive the inner ends of ceramic sections 4, 5. The surfaces of ceramic to be joined with flanges 7, 8 may be metallized in the conventional manner so that the three cylindrical pieces may be integrally secured together by brazing.

Extending outwardly from the central section 6 is a smaller diameter metallic cylinder 21 which is closed at its remote end by a cap plate 2-2. Cylinder 21 is brazed at its inner end to central section 6 so as to provide a vacuum tight joint.

The outer ends of ceramic sections 4, 5 may be provided with closures 2-3, 24 respectively to which are secured the contacts 10, 11. Said closures are, of course, vacuum tight relative to the cylindrical sections and the contacts 10, 11.

The remote ends of contacts 10, 11 are provided with

recesses

28, 29 respectively, for receiving the ends of

cable conductors

30, 31. After said conductors have been mounted in said recesses a covering of epoxy cement 32 may be used between the ends of cylindrical sections 4 and 5 and cable insulation 33 to provide electrical insulation for the exposed portion of

conductors

30, 31 and the remote ends of contacts 10, 11.

The adjacent ends of contacts 10, 11 are spaced apart and provided with slanted

fiat contact surfaces

36, 37, respectively (FIG. 3). Said

contact surfaces

36, 37 are disposed at an angle of approximately 45 with respect to the plane normal to the axis of contacts 10, 1'1 and also face generally towards shorting bar 12 (FIG. 3).

Sh-orting bar 12 comprises a generally rectangular section copper or other suitable conducting material provided With slanting contact surfaces 38, 3-9 complementarily formed relative to

surfaces

36, 37 respectively for engagement therewith. Contacts 10, 11 are also formed from copper or other suitable conducting material.

Insulating rod 13 is mounted at right angles to shorting bar 12 and is fixedly secured thereto at one end in any suitable manner. At its other end, rod 13 is mounted to one end of an armature 14- comprising a rectangular block of iron or other ferromagnetic material. The end of armature 14 opposite rod 13 is mounted .on a cantilever spring 15 which in turn is supported by end cap 22 so as to normally hold shorting bar 12 away from contacts 10, 11. Thus rod 13, armature 14 and spring 15 are enclosed within cylinder 21.

Electromagnet 16 .is .mounted outside of but adjacent cylinder 21, and is positioned for pulling armature 14 in the direction which causes shorting bar 12 to engage contacts 10, 11 simultaneously when said coil is energized. When coil 16 is deenergized, spring 15 causes shorting bar 12 to be disengaged from contacts 10, 1 1 simultaneously. Thus the device of this invention is provided with a double-break contact structure which quenches arcs more quickly than would a single break. Since the arc is quenched more quickly, the contacts and the switch have a longer life.

Because of its compact construction, this device occupies only slightly more space than does a section of insulated cable, and also weighs less than conventional high voltage switching apparatus.

The invention is not restricted to the use of an electromagnet to move shorting bar 12. Other conventional arrangements such as a bellows actuated insulated rod and shorting bar may be used in place of coil 16 and armature 14.

Vapor condensing surfaces such as annular ridges 42 on contacts 10, 11 may be provided to minimize the deposit of conductive materials on the ceramic sections. In addition suitable shields (not shown) may be provided to control the dispersion of vaporized metal from the contacts and shorting bar.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be understood that modifications and design changes which would appear necessary or desirable to a person skilled in the art are within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A cable relay of relatively large power handling capability comprising: a pair of fixed contacts attached respectively to and supported by a pair of spaced apart collinear electrical cable ends and provided with engageable contact surfaces at their adjacent ends, a shorting bar adapted to engage said contact surfaces for completing an electrical circuit through said fixed contacts, remotely actuated means for moving said shorting bar into substantially simultaneous engagement with said contact surfaces for connecting said fixed contacts in response to remote actuation of said last mentioned means, a vacuumized envelope supported on said collinear electrical cable ends and enclosing said shorting bar and the adjacent ends of said fixed contacts, and means within the envelope to effect disengagementof the shorting bar from the fixed contacts upon deenergization of said remotely actuated means.

2. A cable relay of relatively large power handling capability comprising: a pair of fixed contacts attached respectively to a pair of spaced apart collinear electrical cable ends and provided with engageable divergent contact surfaces at their adjacent ends, a shorting bar having contact surfaces complementary to the divergent contact surfaces of said fixed contacts and adapted to engage said contact surfaces for completing an electrical circuit through said fixed contacts, remotely energizable electromagnetic means supported on said collinear electrical cable ends for moving said shorting bar into substantially simultaneous engagement with said contact surfaces, a vacuumized envelope enclosing said shorting bar and the adjacent ends of said fixed contacts, and resilient mechanical means independent of ambient pressure to disengage the shorting bar from the fixed contacts upon deenergization of the electromagnetic means.

3. A cable relay of relatively large power handling capability comprising: a pair of fixed contacts to be attached respectively to a pair of spaced apart collinear electrical cable ends and provided with engageable contact surfaces at their adjacent ends, a shorting bar adapted to engage said contact surfaces for completing an electrical circuit through said fixed contacts, a vacuumized envelope enclosing said shorting bar and the adjacent ends of said fixed contacts, an armature, a spring supporting one end of said armature, an insulating rod joining the other end of said armature and said shorting bar for supporting said shorting bar, said armature, spring and insulating rod being within said vacuumized envelope, said spring being adapted to urge said shorting bar away from said contact surfaces, a solenoid outside said envelope positioned for attracting said armature in a direction as to urge said shorting bar into substantially simultaneous engagementwith said contact surfaces when said solenoid is energized, whereby remotely caused energization of said solenoid will bring said shorting bar into substantially simultaneous engagement with said contact surfaces for completing an electrical circuit through said fixed contacts, while remotely caused deenergization of said solenoid will allow said spring to cause substantially simultaneous disengagement of said shorting bar from said contact surfaces for breaking an electrical circuit through said fixed contacts with an arc of relatively decreased duration.

4. A cable relay of relatively large power handling capability adapted to be physically interposed directly between and to be supported by the adjacent pair of end portions of an electrically conductive cable comprising: a pair of spaced axially aligned fixed contacts attached respectively to the pair of spaced apart collinear electrical cable ends, envelope means enclosing the fixed contacts and supported directly by the electrical cable end portions, a shorting bar within the envelope movable from a first position to a second position to engage said fixed contacts for completing an electrical circuit through the same, remotely actuated means outside the envelope selectively energizable to move said shorting bar into engagement with said fixed contacts, and means within the envelope to effect disengagement of the shorting bar from the fixed contacts and return to said first position upon deenergization of said remotely actuated means.

5. A cable relay of relatively large power handling capability for use with insulated cable and adapted to be physically interposed in the cable in a manner to provide a Selective electrical discontinuity in said cable while preserving its mechanical integrity by means occupying only slightly more space than the insulated cable comprising: a pair of fixed contacts carried by the pair of spaced apart collinear electrical cable ends and provided with angularly disposed diverging contact surfaces at their adjacent ends slanted with respect to a plane normal to the axis of said fixed contacts at an angle less than a shorting bar having complimentarily angularly disposed contact surfaces movable to wedgingly engage said complementary contact surfaces for completing an electrical circuit through said fixed contacts, a vacuumizedenvelope enclosing said shorting bar and the adjacent ends of said fixed contacts, and remotely controlled means for moving said shortening bar into substantially simultaneous wedging engagement or disengagement with said fixed contact surfaces in response to remote control of said last men-' tioned means.

6. The combination according to claim 4, in which a plurality of radially extending vapor condensing annular ridges are provided interposed between the fixed contacts and an adjacent dielectric portion of the envelope to minimize the deposition thereon of vaporized contact metal from the fixed contacts.

7. The combination according to claim 4, in which said envelope means includes a pair of axially aligned dielectric end portions hermetically sealed to associated cable ends, a center metallic portion hermetically uniting adjacent ends of the axially aligned dielectric end portions and axially aligned therewith, and a transversely extending portion supported on said center portion.

8. The combination according to claim 7, in which said means to effect disengagement of said shorting bar from the fixed contacts is enclosed within said transversely extending envelope portion.

9. The combination according to claim 8, in which said means effecting disengagement of the shorting bar from the fixed contacts comprises a cantilever spring member having one end supported on the transversely extending envelope portion and its other end connected to the shorting bar to normally retain the shorting bar out of engagement with the fixed contacts.

10. The combination according to claim 9, in which a ferromagnetic armature member is supported within the transversely extending envelope portion responsive to the remotely actuated means outside the envelope to flex the cantilever spring to effect movement of the shorting bar into engagement with the fixed contacts.

11. The combination according to claim 10, in which means are provided interposed between the armature and the shorting bar to electrically insulate the armature and the transversely extending envelope portion from the shorting bar.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,814,851 7/1931 Prince 200-144 2,434,909 1/1948 Curtis 200-87 2,771,529 11/1956 Kostriza 200153 2,834,847 5/ 1958 Jennings ZOO-87 2,834,848 5/ 1958 Ellwood ZOO-87 2,981,813 4/ 1961 Jennings 200144 3,001,053 9/1961 Rubin 20016 3,040,212 6/1962 Hermann et a1 200-144 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,177,546 12/1958 France.

KATHLEEN H. CLAFFY, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, BERNARD A.

GILHEANY, Examiners.

Claims

1. A CABLE RELAY OF RELATIVELY LARGE POWER HANDLING CAPABILITY COMPRISING: A PAIR OF FIXED CONTACTS ATTACHED RESPECTIVELY TO AND SUPPORTED BY A PAIR OF SPACED APART COLLINEAR ELECTRICAL CABLE ENDS AND PROVIDED WITH ENGAGEABLE CONTACT SURFACES AT THEIR ADJACENT ENDS, A SHORTING BAR ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID CONTACT SURFACES FOR COMPLETING AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT THROUGH SAID FIXED CONTACTS, REMOTELY ACTUATED MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SHORTING BAR INTO SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUS ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CONTACT SURFACES FOR CONNECTING SAID FIXED CONTACTS IN RESPONSE TO REMOTE ACTUATION OF SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS, A VACUUMIZED ENVELOPE SUPORTED ON SAID COLLINEAR ELECTRICAL CABLE ENDS AND ENCLOSING SAID SHORTING BAR AND THE ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID FIXED CONTACTS, AND MEANS WITHIN THE ENVELOPE TO EFFECT DISENGAGEMENT OF THE SHORTING BAR FROM THE FIXED CONTACTS UPON DEENERGIZATION OF SAID REMOTELY ACTUATED MEANS.