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US 4,286,243 AGranted
Electrical switch constructions and methods of making the same
AssigneeRobertshaw Controls Company
InventorWerner R. Bauer
Life of this patent
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AssigneeRobertshaw Controls Company
InventorWerner R. Bauer
Estimating the term…
A switch construction having a support carrying switch contacts and an electrical coil that has an armature operatively associated with the switch contacts to cause a switching operation therewith when the coil is energized to attract the armature from a first position thereof to a second position thereof relative to the coil. A mechanical spring arrangement is operatively associated with the armature to continuously resist the movement thereof from the first position thereof to the second position thereof with an increasing force that overcomes the increasing pull in force of the energized coil on the armature before the armature reaches its zero gap with the energized coil whereby the spring arrangement prevents the armature from reaching its zero gap and thereby causes the switch construction to be relatively noiseless in the operation thereof.
In a switch construction having support means carrying switch contact means and an electrical coil means that has an armature means operatively associated with said switch contact means to cause a switching operation therewith when said coil means is energized to attract said armature means from a first position thereof to a second position thereof relative to said coil means, the improvement comprising mechanical spring means operatively associated with said armature means to continuously resist said movement thereof from said first position to said second position with an increasing force that overcomes the increasing pull in force of said energized coil means on said armature means before said armature means reaches its zero gap with said energized coil means whereby said spring means prevents said armature means from reaching its said zero gap and thereby causes said switch construction to be relatively noiseless in the operation thereof.
In a method of making a switch construction having support means carrying switch contact means and an electrical coil means that has an armature means operatively associated with said switch contact means to cause a switching operation therewith when said coil means is energized to attract said armature means from a first position thereof to a second position thereof relative to said coil means, the improvement comprising the step of arranging a mechanical spring means to be operatively associated with said armature means to continuously resist said movement thereof from said first position to said second position with an increasing force that overcomes the increasing pull in force of said energized coil means on said armature means before said armature means reaches its zero gap with said energized coil means whereby said spring means prevents said armature means from reaching its said zero gap and thereby causes said switch construction to be relatively noiseless in the operation thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Mechanical arrangements for preventing or damping vibration or shock, e.g. by balancing of armature: damping vibration due to functional movement…
With armatures: provided with means for absorbing shocks
With armatures: characterised by pulling-force characteristic
With armatures: circuit arrangements for obtaining desired operating characteristics, e.g. for slow operation, for sequential energisation of…
Term ended 1 Oct 1999 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improved electrical switch constructions of the coil-armature actuator type and to methods of making such switch constructions or the like.
2. Prior Art Statement
Other objects, uses, and advantages of this invention are apparent from a reading of this description which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an improved switch construction of this invention.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the switch construction illustrated in FIG. 2 with certain parts thereof removed or shown in cross section.
Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, an improved electrical switch construction of this invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 20 and comprises a support means 21 carrying an electrical coil means 22 and switch contact means that are generally indicated by the reference numeral 23 to be operated by an armature means 24 that is normally disposed in the position illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 when the coil means 22 is in a non-energized condition thereof and is moved to the position illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 when the coil means 22 is energized by a D.C. electrical current source (not shown).
The contact means 23 comprises two pairs 25 and 25' of cooperating electrically conductive switch blades 26 and 27 respectively having adjacent terminal ends 28 and 29 secured in stacked relation to the support means 21 by a plurality of electrically non-conductive support plates 30, 31 and 32 as illustrated. In this manner, each pair 25 or 25' of switch blades 26 and 27 has the free ends 33 and 34 thereof disposed adjacent an electrically non-conductive separator means or cam means 35 of the armature means 24 which is adapted to slide on a surface 36 of a support plate 37 to be inserted between the switch blades 26 and 27 of each pair 25 and 25' in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3 to spread apart the switch blades 26 and 27 in opposition to the natural biasing force thereof and thereby hold the respective contact means 38 and 39 of the switch blades 36 and 37 in an open condition as illustrated in FIG. 3.
However, when the armature means 24 is moved from right to left in the manner illustrated in FIG. 5 by the energized coil means 22 in a manner hereinafter set forth, the separator or cam means 35 of the armature means 24 is pulled from between the switch blades 26 and 27 of the pairs 25 and 25' thereof so that the natural bias of the switch blades 26 and 27 will place the contact means 38 and 39 thereof into contact with each other to complete an electrical circuit therethrough for any desired switching function. Subsequently, when the coil means 22 is de-energized, the armature means 24, in a manner hereinafter described, moves from a position illustrated in FIG. 5, back to the position illustrated in FIG. 3 wherein the separator means 35 of the armature means 34 cams between the outwardly bent end portions 40 and 41 of the free ends 33 and 34 of the switch blades 26 and 27 to again move the contact means 38 and 39 thereof out of contact with each other in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3.