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US 5,601,183 AGranted
Two-pole make-before-break switch
AssigneeEaton Corporation
InventorsM. Douglas Boyd, Tom J. Oshgan, Robert Krawczyk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A two-pole make-before-break switch includes a base housing, a cover member secured to the base housing, an actuating member disposed above the cover member, and first and second contact assemblies mounted on an interior portion of the base housing. The first contact assembly includes a normally-open common contact blade member that is closed prior to the closing of another set of normally-open contacts with a snap action in a second contact assembly so as to complete an electrical connection. The switch is operable by depressing the actuator member either in a first direction to effect a manual-up mode of operation or in a second direction to effect down modes of operation.
Claims15
A two-pole make-before-break switch comprising:
- a base housing;
- a cover member secured to said base housing;
- an actuating member disposed above said cover member;
- a first contact assembly mounted on an interior portion of said base housing;
- said first contact assembly including a first common contact blade member having a first contact element, an upper resilient blade member having a second contact element, and a lower fixed contact member having a third contact element, said first, second and third contact elements being electrically connected to a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal respectively disposed on the bottom exterior of said housing;
- a spacer member being disposed for suspending said first contact element between said second and third contact elements when said switch is in the unactivated state;
- said upper resilient blade member being movable between a first position where said second contact element is spaced apart from said first contact element and a second position where said second contact element is in engagement with said first contact element;
- a second contact assembly mounted on an interior portion of said base housing;
- said second contact assembly including a second common contact blade member having a fourth contact element, an upper fixed blade member having a fifth contact element, and a lower fixed blade member having a sixth contact element, said fourth, fifth and sixth contact elements being electrically connected to a fourth terminal, said second terminal and a fifth terminal respectively disposed on the bottom exterior of said base housing;
- said second contact blade member being movable with a snap action between a first position where said fourth contact element is in engagement with said fifth contact element and a second position where said fourth contact element is in engagement with said sixth contact;
- and
- said actuator initially moving said upper resilient blade member of said first contact assembly so as to cause engagement of said first and second contact elements prior to the moving of said second common contact blade member so as to cause the snap action engagement of said fourth and sixth contact elements during a manual-up mode of operation.
9 more elements
A two-pole make-before-break switch comprising:
- a base housing;
- a first contact assembly mounted on an interior portion of said base housing;
- said first contact assembly including a first common contact blade member having a first contact element, an upper resilient blade member having a second contact element, and a lower fixed contact member having a third contact element, said first, second and third contact elements being electrically connected to a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal respectively disposed on the bottom exterior of said housing;
- a spacer member being disposed for suspending said first contact element between said second and third contact elements when said switch is in the unactivated state;
- said upper resilient blade member being movable between a first position where said second contact element is spaced apart from said first contact element and a second position where said second contact element is in engagement with said first contact element;
- a second contact assembly mounted on an interior portion of said base housing;
- said second contact assembly including a second common contact blade member having a fourth contact element, an upper fixed blade member having a fifth contact element, and a lower fixed blade member having a sixth contact element, said fourth, fifth and sixth contact elements being electrically connected to a fourth terminal, said second terminal and a fifth terminal respectively disposed on the bottom exterior of said base housing;
- and
- said second contact blade member being movable with a snap action between a first position where said fourth contact element is in engagement with said fifth contact element and a second position where said fourth contact element is in engagement with said sixth contact.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.