US3689722A - Reed switch having contacts plated with a thin silver layer - Google Patents

Reed switch having contacts plated with a thin silver layer Download PDF

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Publication number
US3689722A
US3689722A US182957A US3689722DA US3689722A US 3689722 A US3689722 A US 3689722A US 182957 A US182957 A US 182957A US 3689722D A US3689722D A US 3689722DA US 3689722 A US3689722 A US 3689722A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
reed
silver
contacts
layer
reed switch
Prior art date
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
US182957A
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English (en)
Inventor
Earl Truman Ratliff
Paul William Renaut
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.)
AT&T Corp
Original Assignee
Bell Telephone Laboratories Inc
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Bell Telephone Laboratories Inc filed Critical Bell Telephone Laboratories Inc
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Publication of US3689722A publication Critical patent/US3689722A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/02—Contacts characterised by the material thereof
    • H01H1/0201—Materials for reed contacts
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
    • C03C—CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES OR VITREOUS ENAMELS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS, MINERALS OR SLAGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS
    • C03C27/00—Joining pieces of glass to pieces of other inorganic material; Joining glass to glass other than by fusing
    • C03C27/04—Joining glass to metal by means of an interlayer
    • C03C27/042—Joining glass to metal by means of an interlayer consisting of a combination of materials selected from glass, glass-ceramic or ceramic material with metals, metal oxides or metal salts
    • C03C27/046—Joining glass to metal by means of an interlayer consisting of a combination of materials selected from glass, glass-ceramic or ceramic material with metals, metal oxides or metal salts of metals, metal oxides or metal salts only
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/64—Protective enclosures, baffle plates, or screens for contacts
    • H01H1/66—Contacts sealed in an evacuated or gas-filled envelope, e.g. magnetic dry-reed contacts

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl. ..200/166 C, 29/630 C A sealed ontact dry reed switch in which nickel-iron [51] Int. Cl. ..H0lh 1/02 reed contacts are held in a glass envelope by seals and [58] Field of Search ..200/166 C; 29/630 C in which the surfaces of the reed contacts, including those portions under the seals, are covered with a thin layer of silver.
  • Miniature switches for controlling high frequency signals must exhibit low insertion loss when used in high frequency circuit applications.
  • the switches comprise reed contacts encapsulated in a glass envelope
  • the seals between the reed contacts and the glass must be strong and reliable.
  • low insertion loss has been achieved by plating the reed contacts with a noble metal such as silver. It has been difficult, however, to obtain suitable seal strengths.
  • one object of this invention is to achieve strong and reliable seals in reed switches adapted for high frequency use.
  • a pair of nickel-iron reed contacts disposed in overlapping relationship with each other inside a glass envelope are each held in place by a seal so as to form a miniature switch and the surfaces of each reed contact, including that portion beneath the seal, is covered with a thin layer of silver to improve the strength of the seal and to provide low insertion loss characteristics when the switch is used in a circuit carrying high frequency signals.
  • improved seal strength is achieved by plating the reed contacts with a layer of silver having a thickness in the range of 60 to 175 microinches.
  • FIG. 1 is a side elevation view, taken in section, of a sealed contact dry reed switch made in accordance with this invention
  • FIG. 2 is an end elevation, taken in section along the lines 22, of the sealed contact dry reed switch illustrated in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is an end elevation, taken in section along the lines 3-3, of the sealed contact dry reed switch illustrated in FIG. 1.
  • a sealed contact dry reed switch which includes an encapsulating envelope 11 and a pair of overlapping reed contacts 12.
  • the envelope 11 is typically made of glass, while the reed contacts 12 are made of a nickel-iron composition such as 52 alloy.
  • Each reed contact 12 is firmly joined to the vessel 1 1 by a seal 13 which is formed by melting the material of the envelope 11 until it adheres to the surfaces of the reed contacts 12.
  • each reed contact 12 is covered by a silver layer 14. As shown in FIG. 3, each reed contact 12 is se ar tedf omits sea 13b th silver la r14.
  • a switching device including a pair of elongated nickel-iron contacts disposed with their tips in overlapping relationship and a glass envelope hermetically encapsulating the overlapping portions of said reed contacts and joined to each of said reed contacts by a glass-to-metal seal CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the surface of each reed contact, including that portion located beneath a seal, is covered by a thin layer of silver.
  • a switching device in accordance with claim 2 wherein a contacting portion located on one reed contact in registration with the corresponding contact portion on the other reed contact is devoid of a silver layer.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Contacts (AREA)
  • Common Detailed Techniques For Electron Tubes Or Discharge Tubes (AREA)
US182957A 1971-09-23 1971-09-23 Reed switch having contacts plated with a thin silver layer Expired - Lifetime US3689722A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US18295771A 1971-09-23 1971-09-23

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3689722A true US3689722A (en) 1972-09-05

Family

ID=22670788

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US182957A Expired - Lifetime US3689722A (en) 1971-09-23 1971-09-23 Reed switch having contacts plated with a thin silver layer

Country Status (9)

Country Link
US (1) US3689722A (enExample)
JP (1) JPS5250629B2 (enExample)
BE (1) BE789024A (enExample)
CA (1) CA954569A (enExample)
CH (1) CH554593A (enExample)
DE (1) DE2244476C3 (enExample)
FR (1) FR2153278B1 (enExample)
GB (1) GB1395562A (enExample)
IT (1) IT975030B (enExample)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5377439A (en) * 1993-11-12 1995-01-03 Roos; Richard J. Remote controlled decoy
US10418192B1 (en) * 2018-04-23 2019-09-17 Siemens Industry, Inc. Vacuum interrupter for use in a low voltage, low current residential circuit breaker

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2469878A (en) * 1945-06-23 1949-05-10 Gen Electric Switch contact
US3249728A (en) * 1962-08-01 1966-05-03 Nippon Electric Co Reed switch having multi-layer diffused contacts
US3251121A (en) * 1962-08-07 1966-05-17 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Method of making reed-type switch contacts
US3495061A (en) * 1968-07-11 1970-02-10 Ibm Contacts for reed switches
US3497655A (en) * 1968-01-10 1970-02-24 Motorola Inc Clad metal contacts for reed switches

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2469878A (en) * 1945-06-23 1949-05-10 Gen Electric Switch contact
US3249728A (en) * 1962-08-01 1966-05-03 Nippon Electric Co Reed switch having multi-layer diffused contacts
US3251121A (en) * 1962-08-07 1966-05-17 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Method of making reed-type switch contacts
US3497655A (en) * 1968-01-10 1970-02-24 Motorola Inc Clad metal contacts for reed switches
US3495061A (en) * 1968-07-11 1970-02-10 Ibm Contacts for reed switches

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5377439A (en) * 1993-11-12 1995-01-03 Roos; Richard J. Remote controlled decoy
US10418192B1 (en) * 2018-04-23 2019-09-17 Siemens Industry, Inc. Vacuum interrupter for use in a low voltage, low current residential circuit breaker

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2153278B1 (enExample) 1976-08-13
DE2244476B2 (de) 1974-02-28
JPS4841248A (enExample) 1973-06-16
JPS5250629B2 (enExample) 1977-12-26
CA954569A (en) 1974-09-10
IT975030B (it) 1974-07-20
DE2244476C3 (de) 1976-01-08
BE789024A (fr) 1973-01-15
FR2153278A1 (enExample) 1973-05-04
CH554593A (de) 1974-09-30
DE2244476A1 (de) 1973-03-29
GB1395562A (en) 1975-05-29

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