US471612A - Electric switch - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

H HUBBBLL y BLECTRIG SWITGH. v No. 471,612. Patented Mar, 29, 1892.

- JMU specification, numbers being used to designate UNITED STATES PATENT CEEICE.

HARVEY I-IUBBELL, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT. Y

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,612, dated March 29, 1892.

Application filed October 5 1891.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY HUBBELL, a citizen. of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple, durable, quick-acting,andinexpensive electric switch. Vith these ends in view I have devised thesimpleand novel construction of which the following descriptiomin connection with the accompanying drawings, is a the several parts.

Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating the principle of my invention as applied to a singlepole switch, the contact-bar being shown as in the open position; Fig.v 2, a side elevation as seen from the right in Fig. 1, the yoke being in section; Fig. 3, a section on the line x x in Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a horizontal section of the yoke and spindle, showing the application of my invention to a double-pole switch, the contact-bar, brushes, and terminals appearingin plan; Fig. 5, a detail View, on an enlarged scale, illustrating-the operation of the crosspiece and contact-bar; Fig. 6, an inverted plan View of a supporting-plate, preferably used and under the contact-bar,showing the manner in which the spindle is held against removal; and Fig. 7 is a detail View corresponding. with Fig.l 3, showing the cross-bar in an intermediate position and the pins in a vertical position, said parts being in the position they occupy an instant before the movement of Lhe'contact-bar.

1 denotes the base, which may be made of wood, porcelain, or any suitable material; 2, the terminals; 3, the yoke, which is rigidly secured to the base; 4c, the spindle, which oscillates freely in the yoke and base; 5, the oscillatingcontact-bar; '6, the brushes, and 7 a supporting-plate lying upon the top of the base between the arms of the yoke. The upper por- Serial No. 407,740. (No model.)

in cross-section and carries a cross-piece 8, which may or may not slide up and down on the spindle, but must oscillate therewith. The under side-of the cross-piece and the upper side of the contact-bar are provided with depressions 9, which receive the respective ends of pins or bars 10.

11 denotes a strong spring, which bears upon the under side of the yoke and upon the upper side of the cross-piece, thus acting to force the cross-piece downward. At the upper end of the spindle is a iinger-piece 12, which is rigidly secured thereto. The lower end of the spindle-1i. e.,the portion whichpasses th rough the contact-bar and supporting-plate-is ordinarily made round.

13 is a pin, which passes through the spindle under the supporting-plate, thereby holding the spindle against removal until the yoke is removed.

14 denotes stops inthe base, which limit the movement of the contact-bar in single-pole switches when it is thrown to either the open or closed position, the oscillationsof the crosspiece being limited by the yoke, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The operation is as follows: In assembling suppose the contact-bar to be at the open position, as in Figs. 1 and 3. The cross-piece is placed at the opposite extreme of its movement with the pins lying obliquely between said parts, the ends resting in depressions 9, as is also clearly shown in Fig. 1. The action of the spring is to force the cross-piece down and hold the parts in this position. When the parts'are in the position shown in, Fig. 3, movement of the finger-piece toward the right will carry the spindle and cross-piece to the position shown in Fig. 7, the cross-piece sliding upward on the spindle if left loose thereon, and both cross-piece and spindle rising if the cross-piece is attached to the spindle. As soon as the cross-piece has moved past the deadcenter-ie., so that the upper ends of the pins incline toward the right-the spring will act again to force the cross-piece downward, the'effect of which will be to throw the contact-bar instantly to the opposite extreme of its movement. Suppose that when the move- 5o tion of the spindle is shown as made angular ment of the finger-piece began the contactroo bar was in the open position, as in Figs. 1 and 3. Said contact-bar would be instantly thrown to the closed position; or if said contact-bar was in the closed position it would be instantly thrown to the open position.

I have shown the contact-bar as provided with upwardly-turned endsl, to which the brushes are secured by screws, or in any ordinary or preferred manner. In double pole switches, (see Fig. 4,) as it is necessary that the brushes should be insulated, I place a layer 16 of suitable insulating material, ordinarilyhard rubber, aboutthe u pwardly-turned ends of the contact-bar. In order to give the greatest possible strength, I preferably place a strip 17 of brass about the layer of insulating material, and to this I attach the brushes, the brushes themselves being made of bronze or any 'suitable material.

Having thus described my invention, I claimi l. The combination, with a spindle carrying a cross-piece and a contact-bar turning freely on said spindle, said cross-piece and contact-bar having depressions 9, of a spring acting toforcefthe Vcross-piece downward andpins engaging, respectively, the depressions in thecross-piece and contact-bar.

2. The combination, with a rotary spindle, a cross-piece carried thereby, and a contactbar mounted and turning looselyon the spindle, of a yoke, a spring engaging the yoke andy cross-piece to force the latter downward, and pins engaging the cross-piece and contact-bar and acting to throw sai d parts away from each other, so that when the cross-piece is moved toward the contact-bar the crosspiece will be raised against the'power of the spring until the dead-center is passed, when acting to hold the cross-piece downward, pins engaging the cross-piece and contact-bar and acting to throw them in opposite directions, a yoke by which the parts are held in 4place and which serves as a stop to limit the movement of the cross-piece, and stops 14, which limit the movement of the contact-bar in either direction.

4. The com bination,with a yoke, a spindle, a cross-piece carried thereby, and a spring acting to force the cross-piece downward, of ,a contact-bar, a' plate 7, upon which it' rests, pins engaging the cross-piece and contact-bar and acting to throw themin opposite Ydirections, and a pin 13 in the spindle below plate 7, by which the parts. arevr held in position until the yoke is removed.

5. The combination, with the spindle carrying a cross-piece and aspring acting to yforce the cross-piece downward, of a contact-bar having upwardly-turned ends, insulatingpieces upon said upwardly.- turnedv ends, brushes secured to the'insulating pieces, and pins l0, engaging the cross-piece and contactbar to throwthem in oppositedirections when the spindle is rotated.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARVEY I'IUBBELL. `Witnesses:

A. M. WoosTER, EDITH G. ELY.

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