US3358109A - Liquid contact operating through a mechanical displacement of mercury - Google Patents

Liquid contact operating through a mechanical displacement of mercury Download PDF

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Publication number
US3358109A
US3358109A US602740A US60274066A US3358109A US 3358109 A US3358109 A US 3358109A US 602740 A US602740 A US 602740A US 60274066 A US60274066 A US 60274066A US 3358109 A US3358109 A US 3358109A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
mercury
drop
capillary
drops
liquid contact
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US602740A
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English (en)
Inventor
Schmid Anton
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Siemens AG
Siemens Corp
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Siemens Corp
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Filing date
Publication date
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Publication of US3358109A publication Critical patent/US3358109A/en
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H29/00—Switches having at least one liquid contact
    • H01H29/02—Details
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/06—Contacts characterised by the shape or structure of the contact-making surface, e.g. grooved
    • H01H1/08—Contacts characterised by the shape or structure of the contact-making surface, e.g. grooved wetted with mercury
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H29/00—Switches having at least one liquid contact
    • H01H29/18—Switches having at least one liquid contact with level of surface of contact liquid displaced by non-electrical contact-making plunger

Definitions

  • the disclosure It has long been a known practice, particularly for switching electrically highly loaded circuits to use switch tubes filled with mercury, in which an immersion armature is frequently provided inside the switch tube and operatively effects changes in the surface level of the mercury and thereby controls a contact connection operating in an opening and closing manner.
  • mercury contacts be employed in which the amount of mercury used is reduced to a minimum, as the relations with respect to positional independence and switching speeds are improved as the supply of mercury disposed in the switching space is reduced.
  • the switch actuation is effected in the previously proposed arrangement by means producing a deformation of a drop of mercury during operation and relies upon the effective surface tension of the mercury to effect a subsequent restoration of the open condition existing in the initial or starting position.
  • Underlying the invention is the problem of creating such a liquid contact, operating with mechanical displacement of mercury, which makes use of these basic principles and, in so doing, permits a very simple arrangement for manufacture.
  • this is achieved by an arrangement in which there is disposed, preferably in a hermetically sealed switching passage or space, at least two drops of mercury, located in respective depressions defined by connecting terminals.
  • the cross section of such passage, in relation to the volume of the mercury drops, should be of such dimension that a capillary is formed whereby in resetting of the actuating member the mercury thread formed in such capillary will break and the mercury thereupon flow back into the respective depressions in the connecting terminals.
  • provision may be made for the compensation of an overstroke of the actuating member, in the form of overflow channels associated with the respective depressions, and whose cross sections are smaller in comparison with the capillary passage.
  • Such a liquid contact not only is chatter-free in its operation, but is also independent of position, since the surface tension of the deformed mercury drops generates such a strong resetting force that the effective gravity can be neglected. Moreover, the slight mass to be moved of the mercury drops results in the achievement, in such a liquid contact, of switching speeds which can normally be attained only in relays employing metal contacts.
  • the entire structure defining the switching space comprises parts made of electrically insulating material, in particular glass or ceramic material.
  • electrically insulating material in particular glass or ceramic material.
  • the capillary passage or the overflow channels have a smoother surface in comparison to the other surfaces defining the switching space.
  • an adjustable plate or block preferably shiftable by electromagnetic means, which acts directly upon the mercury drops. It is, however, also possible to provide such an actuating plate with plungers slidably disposed in guides, and operative to produce a mechanical coupling with the mercury drops. It is thereby possible to more efiiciently close off the space in which the mercury is located, and in this system, in the same manner as in the case of direct operation, the plungers are withdrawn upon a resetting of the mercury drops.
  • FIG. 1 is a transverse section of a contact arrangement embodying the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a similar view of a modification of the construction of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3- is a similar view of a further modification.
  • the liquid contact according to the invention utilizes a plate 2 of insulating material, in which there are arranged two connecting electrodes 3a and 3b. If the actuating plate 1, illustrated as being vertically movable, which is disposed between lateral guides 4, is shifted in the direction of the arrow, the mercury drops 9a and 9b located in recesses or depressions 3a and 3b of the connecting electrodes, are forced into the capillary space 5, whereby an electrical connection is established between the drops 9a and 9b, and thus between the terminals 3a and 3b. In addition there may be provided overflow channels 6a and 6b, whose cross section is smaller in comparison to the capillary space 5.
  • the cross section of the capillary space is so dimensioned, in relation to the volume of the mercury drops 9a and 911, that in a resetting of the operating plate 1 to its original position the mercury thread formed in the capillary space 5 breaks and the 3 mercury flows back into the depressions 3a and 3b, which condition constitutes the rest state of the liquid contact and is illustrated in FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 2 A similar construction is illustrated in FIG. 2, in which in contrast to the construction according to FIG. 1, instead of the provision of an actuating plate 1 directly engageable with the mercury drops 9a and 9b, there are provided plungers 1a and 1b mounted thereon, which engage the merging drops 9a and 9b and are correspondingly shaped. Functionally, however, the same actuation operation occurs as described with respect to the form of construction illustrated in FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates the utilization of an additional mercury drop 90 operatively disposed in the thereby divided capillary space Sa/Sb, whereby it is possible to eliminate the deformation of the mercury drops 9a and 9b, with the displacement of the mercury, in this case, taking place only from the volume of the drop 90, with the operating member comprising a membrane 8. It is possible in this arrangement to dispense with the overflow channels illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, since in the event of an overstroke the mercury may flow between the membrane 8 and a plate 11 which carries such membrane.
  • the structure defining the switching passage or space is made of insulating material, preferably of glass or ceramic material.
  • a metal must be employed for the connecting terminals disposed in the plate of insulating material, which does not form an alloy with the mercury.
  • the actuating member of any of the embodiments can be shifted by any suitable mechanical transmitting device, there preferably being used the usual systems embodiment in electramagnetic relays.
  • a liquid contact operable by mechanical displacement of mercury comprising a body of insulating material having a plurality of recesses therein, a drop of mercury in each of said recesses, said body being constructed to form capillary connecting means between such mercury drops, a connecting terminal engageable with one mercury drop, and a second connecting terminal engageable with another mercury drop, and actuating means engageable with at least one mercury drop, operative to effect a deformation thereof whereby mercury is dis placed into said capillary connecting means to establish an electrical connection between said connecting terminals, said body being provided with overflow channels operatively communicating with mercury forming said drops, which channels have a cross section which is less than that of the capillary connecting means, for the compensation of an over actuation of the actuating member.

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  • Contacts (AREA)
  • Reciprocating Pumps (AREA)
US602740A 1965-12-23 1966-12-19 Liquid contact operating through a mechanical displacement of mercury Expired - Lifetime US3358109A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DES55298U DE1942980U (de) 1965-12-23 1965-12-23 Mit mechanischer verdrangung von quecksilber arbeitender fluessigkeitskontakt.

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3358109A true US3358109A (en) 1967-12-12

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Family Applications (1)

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US602740A Expired - Lifetime US3358109A (en) 1965-12-23 1966-12-19 Liquid contact operating through a mechanical displacement of mercury

Country Status (9)

Country Link
US (1) US3358109A (cs)
AT (1) AT284937B (cs)
BE (1) BE691693A (cs)
CH (1) CH455002A (cs)
DE (1) DE1942980U (cs)
FR (1) FR1506067A (cs)
GB (1) GB1115839A (cs)
NL (1) NL6617276A (cs)
SE (1) SE327001B (cs)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3637969A (en) * 1970-11-13 1972-01-25 Sonotone Corp Fluid metal electrical switch
US4172251A (en) * 1977-04-19 1979-10-23 Carlo Faustini Self-encoding key switch and keyboard and keyboard system utilizing the same

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0019516A1 (fr) 1979-05-10 1980-11-26 ETAT FRANCAIS repr. par le Secrétaire d'Etat aux Postes & Télécommunications (Centre National d'Etudes des Télécommunications) Dispositifs de contact électrique à liquide conducteur
FR2458138A1 (fr) * 1979-06-01 1980-12-26 Socapex Relais a contacts mouilles et circuit plan comportant un tel relais
US6323447B1 (en) 1998-12-30 2001-11-27 Agilent Technologies, Inc. Electrical contact breaker switch, integrated electrical contact breaker switch, and electrical contact switching method
WO2000041198A1 (en) * 1998-12-30 2000-07-13 Agilent Technologies, Inc. Electrical contact breaker switch, integrated electrical contact breaker switch, and electrical contact switching method
JP4183817B2 (ja) * 1998-12-30 2008-11-19 アジレント・テクノロジーズ・インク 電気接点開閉装置

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB189722717A (en) * 1897-10-04 1898-10-04 Charles Edmund Stanle Phillips Improvement in Interruptors for Electrical Circuits, more particularly applicable to Induction Coils.
US3184693A (en) * 1962-01-12 1965-05-18 Lantronics Inc Liquid displacement electric circuit forming device

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB189722717A (en) * 1897-10-04 1898-10-04 Charles Edmund Stanle Phillips Improvement in Interruptors for Electrical Circuits, more particularly applicable to Induction Coils.
US3184693A (en) * 1962-01-12 1965-05-18 Lantronics Inc Liquid displacement electric circuit forming device

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3637969A (en) * 1970-11-13 1972-01-25 Sonotone Corp Fluid metal electrical switch
US4172251A (en) * 1977-04-19 1979-10-23 Carlo Faustini Self-encoding key switch and keyboard and keyboard system utilizing the same

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1115839A (en) 1968-05-29
FR1506067A (fr) 1967-12-15
DE1942980U (de) 1966-07-28
AT284937B (de) 1970-10-12
BE691693A (cs) 1967-06-23
SE327001B (cs) 1970-08-10
CH455002A (de) 1968-04-30
NL6617276A (cs) 1967-06-26

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