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US 5,095,295 AGranted
Superconducting switching device
AssigneeSemiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
InventorMasashi Hongou
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A new type of reed switch is described. The switch is comprised of a fixed lead and a flexible reed made of a magnetic substance which are contacting in a glass enclosure. Two magnet rods are coaxially arranged in the same direction with a superconducting film therebetween. When the surrounding temperature is descended below Tc of the superconducting film, a dipole moment is formed across the superconducting film and moves the reed away from the lead by the magnetic force thereof.
Claims9
A superconducting reed switch comprising:
- a hollow structure defining a switching space therein;
- a contact electrode provided in said switching space;
- a first flexible reed made of a magnetic substance adapted selectively to make contact with said contact electrode and to move away from said contact electrode;
- a first magnet located near said reed;
- and
- a superconducting member located in order that, due to the magnetic force induced by said member, the reed moves between a first position to make contact with said contact electrode and a second position to be apart from said contact electrode depending upon whether the surrounding temperature is lower than Tc of said superconducting member at which it exhibits perfect diamagnetism or not.
3 more elements
A switching device comprising:
- (a) means for inducing a magnetic field;
- (b) a contact formed by first and second electrodes located in said magnetic field wherein at least one of said electrodes is made of a ferromagnetic material and movable in accordance with said magnetic field in order that said contact can assume open or closed states;
- and
- (c) a superconducting material so located as to change the magnetic field applied to said contact in response to whether the temperature of said superconducting material is lower than the Tc of said superconducting material or not.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.