Latching switch relay
AssigneeElectro Switch Corp.
InventorAlexander MacLean
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A latching switch relay has a selector hub which moves a contact carrying rotary switch shaft along with its contacts from a first to a second position. The selector hub moves to a corresponding first and second position to cause movement of the shaft by remote actuation of a rotary solenoid or by manual operation of a handle linked to the selector hub. A spring is engaged with the selector hub to resiliently urge the switch shaft into its first and second positions.
Claims16
A latching switch relay capable of manual and remote electrical actuation of a switch shaft to cause switching of contacts,
- said latching switch relay comprising,
- said switch shaft carrying a plurality of electrical contacts and having a first switch position and a second switch position,
- means mounting said shaft for reciprocal rotation about an axis of said shaft,
- spring means for urging said contact carrying shaft into said first position and resiliently maintaining said shaft in said first position, said spring means further acting to alternately urge said shaft into said second position and resiliently maintain said shaft in said second position.
- a rotary solenoid for causing movement of said shaft from said first to said second position and vice versa,
- said rotary solenoid carrying a drive link for translating unidirectional driving torque of said solenoid into mechanical power to alternately move said shaft clockwise to said second position and counterclockwise to said first position.
In an electrical switch relay having a plurality of circularly arranged first contacts and a central switch shaft carrying second contacts for alternately contacting selected ones of said first contacts,
- the improvement comprising,
- a selector hub fixed to said switch shaft and mounted for rotation about an axis of said switch shaft,
- stop means for determining a first position of said switch shaft and a second position of said switch shaft by stopping movement of said selector hub in said first and second position,
- spring means comprising a compression spring and a surrounding sleeve for resiliently locking said selector hub in said first or second position and acting to move said selector hub over a portion of its travel when moving to said first or second position so as to provide a driving force.
A method of moving a switch shaft of a rotary relay from a first to a second fixed arcuate position of operation and vice versa about an axis of said shaft,
- said method comprising interlinking a rotary solenoid and manual means for causing said moving by use of said rotary solenoid at one time and said manual means at another time to move said shaft from a first fixed position to a second fixed position and vice versa,
- said interlinking being carried out by said shaft being connected to said manual means by an intermediate resilient member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.