Miniature fluid-controlled switch

A group of logic elements, with switches falling under the broad definition of logic elements, having as one component a fluid-controlled switch, which fluid-controlled switch comprises

• a movable mass, which switch further comprises
• a solid casing having entities defined therein as follows,
• a cavity containing the said movable mass,
• a control fluid opening at each of two separate locations in said cavity, each said opening being used both to admit fluid into the cavity and to expel fluid from the cavity, the surface of said movable mass dividing the volume of the cavity, exclusive of the volume of said movable mass, into two separate parts, each separate part containing one of said two separate locations respectively,
• two separate chambers in which control fluid flow can interact, one example of a chamber being a volume at the juncture of three fluid channels, each such chamber respectively being connected to a respective said control fluid opening, each said chamber thus respectively being able to exchange fluid between itself and a respective one of said two separate parts,
• at least one control fluid output being connected to one said chamber, and at least one control fluid output being connected to the other said chamber, each said control fluid output mainly serving as an exit for control fluid from its chamber, with only a minor amount, if any, of control fluid ever entering a chamber at any said control fluid output during normal operation,
• one control fluid input being connected to one said chamber, and one other control fluid input being connected to the other said chamber, each said control fluid input mainly serving as an entrance for control fluid to its chamber, with only negligible amounts of fluid, if any, ever exiting from a chamber through a control fluid input during normal operation, said control fluid inputs each being separately connected in a position to have flow originating from a high pressure source introduced into a chamber through itself, the existence or not of said flow being under the control of some logic external to the fluid-controlled switch, each said control fluid input being the predominant means by which fluid enters the volume consisting of the said chamber connected to said input combined with that part of the said cavity connected thereto,
• said movable mass being forced to one of two stable positions whenever sufficient flow enters one of said two separate chambers through one control fluid input and substantially no other fluid enters either of said two chambers through a control fluid input, and being forced to the other of said two stable positions whenever sufficient flow enters the other of said two chambers through the other control fluid input and negligible other fluid enters either of said two chambers through a control fluid input,
• at least two signal conducting paths leading into and out from the said fluid-controlled switch such that whenever said movable mass is in one of said two stable positions signals can travel between said at least two paths, and such that whenever said movable mass is in the other of said two stable positions said at least two paths are disconnected at the switch so that signals cannot travel between said at least two paths at the switch,
• a group of fluid outputs consisting of at least two fluid outputs, said group of fluid outputs originating from at least one electrically-controlled device, said fluid-controlled switch having one said control fluid input connected by flow confining means to at least one output belonging to said group of fluid outputs and having the other said control fluid input connected to at least another output belonging to said group of outputs, flow exiting and not exiting respectively from any particular one output belonging to said group of fluid outputs depending on electrical control signals controlling its device, the current and past state of said electrical control signals thus determining the position of said movable mass by controlling the said group consisting of at least two fluid outputs, which group of fluid outputs in turn determine the flows at the control fluid inputs of said fluid-controlled switch, which flows determine the position of said movable mass.

A switching system comprising units, a unit being a group of two or more transmission lines, for example a pair of electrically conducting lines which could cooperate to carry a telephone conversation, some of the units being members of a first set and the rest of the units being members of a second set with no unit being a member of both sets,

• a switch associated with each possible special pair of units, a special pair of units being one unit taken from said first set and one unit taken from said second set, the switches and the special pairs being in a one to one correspondence, each switch associated with a given special pair of units connecting one of the units in the pair to the other unit in the pair at all times when the switch is set, and being capable of disconnecting the one unit of the pair from the other unit of the pair when the switch is reset if additionally each unit of the pair is not connected to mutually connected units outside of the pair, the word "connect" meaning enable transmission between, and "the connecting of two units" meaning the connecting of the corresponding transmission lines within one unit to the corresponding transmission lines within the other unit, the switch being either set or reset at all times except during transition between the set and reset states, which states will be further defined later, the said switch associated with a given special pair of units being incapable working alone of connecting any pair of units other than its associated special pair,
• the switching system further comprising fluid carrying control lines in a one to one correspondence with the said units, which units are defined above,
• and a number of fluid logical devices, one and only one being associated with each switch, so that each said fluid logical device can be thought of as a part of the switch with which it is associated, each fluid carrying control line which corresponds to a given said unit communicating in a fluid sense with each and only those fluid logical devices associated with those switches which are capable acting alone of connecting that given unit with some other said unit, so that for each switch the two control lines, one corresponding to each unit of the pair of units with which the switch is associated, both communicate directly in a fluid sense with the fluid logical device associated with that switch and those two control lines do not both communicate directly with the logical device associated with any other switch, the word "directly" meaning without both entering and leaving, i.e. flowing through, another of said fluid logical devices,
• any given switch being set to connect the one unit in the associated special pair of units to the other whenever both fluid control lines entering the fluid logical device associated with the switch are activated for a sufficient time with fluid energy, any given switch being reset to disconnect the associated special pair of units whenever one but not the other fluid control line entering the logical device associated with the switch is activated for a sufficient time, with fluid energy, unless the said pair of units is also connected by means other than the given switch.

A fluid-controlled switch comprising

• a movable mass,
• a solid casing having entities defined therein as follows,
• a cavity containing the said movable mass,
• a control fluid opening associated with said cavity, said opening being used both to admit fluid into the cavity and to expel fluid from the cavity, the surface of said movable mass dividing the volume of the cavity, exclusive of the volume of the movable mass, into two separate parts, one and only one said separate part, to be hereafter referred to as the first part of said cavity, being contiguous to said control fluid opening, with either part shrinking when the movable mass moves in its direction,
• a chamber, one example of a chamber being a volume at the juncture of three fluid channels, in which chamber control fluid flow can interact, said chamber being connected to said control fluid opening, said chamber thus being able to exchange fluid between itself and the first part of said cavity,
• at least one control fluid output being connected to the said chamber, each said control fluid output mainly serving as an exit for control fluid from its chamber, with only a minor amount, if any, of control fluid ever entering said chamber at any said control fluid output during normal operation,
• at least one control fluid input being connected to the said chamber, each said control fluid input mainly serving as an entrance for control fluid to its chamber, with only negligible amounts of fluid, if any, ever exiting from said chamber through a control fluid input during normal operation, said control fluid inputs each separately being normally connected in a position to have flow originating from a high pressure source introduced into said chamber through itself, the existence or not of said flow being under the control of some logic external to the fluid-controlled switch, said control fluid inputs being the predominant means by which fluid enters the volume consisting of said chamber combined with the first part of said cavity,
• said movable mass being forced to a position other than a given stable position whenever sufficient flow enters said chamber through any said at least one control fluid input and substantially no other fluid flow blocks the motion of said movable mass as an effect of said other fluid flow entering the switch, said movable mass returning under at least some conditions in normal operation to its said given stable position when no flow enters said chamber through a control fluid input, the pressure at part of the said surface of said movable mass being much higher when said chamber is receiving flow at a control fluid input than when it is not, said fluid-controlled switch further comprising
• means to cause fluid flow to selectively interact to establish turbulence selectively as follows, so that for a given discharge rate at a control fluid output from said chamber, which rate may be caused by a combination of flow entering the said chamber through a said control fluid input and by flow produced by motion of said movable mass, the volume average of pressure in the given chamber and the first part of said cavity is much higher after dynamic equilibrium exists if flow is entering the chamber through a said control fluid input, due to turbulent flow being established in this first case, than if the same discharge rate at the control fluid output is due mainly to movement of the said movable mass, in which second case little, if any, turbulent flow relative to that in said first case exists.

A system containing at least one miniature fluid-controlled switch, wherein said fluid-controlled switch comprises more than one substrate bonded together with some major surfaces opposing each other, said fluid-controlled switch comprising

• a movable mass,
• a solid casing having entities defined therein as follows,
• a cavity containing the said movable mass,
• a control fluid opening associated with said cavity, said opening being used both to admit fluid into the cavity and to expel fluid from the cavity, the surface of said movable mass dividing the volume of the cavity, exclusive of the volume of the movable mass, into two separate parts, one and only one said separate part, to be hereafter referred to as the first part of said cavity, being contiguous to said control fluid opening, with either part shrinking when the movable mass moves in its direction,
• a chamber, one example of a chamber being a volume at the juncture of three fluid channels, in which chamber control fluid flow can interact, said chamber being connected to said control fluid opening, said chamber thus being able to exchange fluid between itself and the first part of said cavity,
• at least one control fluid output being connected to the said chamber, each said control fluid output mainly serving as an exit for control fluid from its chamber, with only a minor amount, if any, of control fluid ever entering said chamber at any said control fluid output during normal operation,
• at least one control fluid input being connected to the said chamber, each said control fluid input mainly serving as an entrance for control fluid to its chamber, with only negligible amounts of fluid, if any, ever exiting from said chamber through a control fluid input during normal operation, said control fluid inputs each separately being normally connected in a position to have flow originating from a high pressure source introduced into said chamber through itself, the existence or not of said flow being under the control of some logic external to the fluid-controlled switch, said control fluid inputs being the predominant means by which fluid enters the volume consisting of said chamber combined with the first part of said cavity,
• said movable mass being forced to a position other than a given stable position whenever sufficient flow enters said chamber through any said at least one control fluid input and substantially no other fluid flow blocks the motion of said movable mass as an effect of said other fluid flow entering the switch, said movable mass returning under at least some conditions in normal operation to its said given stable position when no flow enters said chamber through a control fluid input, the pressure at part of the said surface of said movable mass being much higher when said chamber is receiving flow at a control fluid input than when it is not.