US 4,360,720 AGranted

Step switch

AssigneeHubert Laurenz Naimer

InventorGottfried Alsch

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Abstract

A step switch having contacts actuatable in predetermined indexed positions comprises a rotatable driving shaft and a coaxial driven shaft rotating an indexing mechanism into the indexed positions for actuating the contacts. A coupling is arranged between the shafts for indexing the rotary movement of the driven shaft in response to the rotation of the driving shaft. The coupling includes a driving coupling part keyed to the driving shaft, a driven coupling part keyed to the driven shaft, the coupling parts having peripheries coaxial with the shafts, a spring having two ends respectively engaging the coupling parts and being tensioned in the direction of the coupling part peripheries, and a shape-conforming blocking device controlled by the rotary position of the shafts in relation to each other for respectively blocking and unblocking the rotary movement of the driven coupling part.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A switch comprising a switch shaft for rotation of contact actuating means between switch positions, a drive shaft connected to the switch shaft by means of a coupling having input and output parts in the form of coaxial, spaced discs to which are attached on the adjacent faces hollow cylindrical skirts coaxial with the discs part of the length of one skirt lying within the other skirt, the outer skirt having one or more openings with radial walls and the inner skirt having a recess in register with each opening wherein the switch mechanism is at rest and the switch further comprising a coil spring which lies coaxial with and outside the skirts and has ends each formed so as to pass radially through an opening in the outer skirt and into a registering recess in the inner skirt, the spring being under tension in the rest position with the spring ends engaging ends of the recesses and openings, which tension is increased by relative rotation of the two discs and skirts, the output part of the coupling being blocked and released for rotation by a blocking device.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.