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US 6,031,301 AGranted
Remotely controlled toggle switch
AssigneeAAI Corporation
InventorsMark Arthur Callahan, Jeffrey Joseph Perloski, Christopher Joseph Murk, John Nicholas Merkle, David Anthony Franckowiak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A simulated toggle switch capable of being set and reset by remote means and being manually operated. Control signals are received by two on-board electronic drive circuit assemblies which cause two corresponding magnetic solenoids to drive two cams clockwise or counterclockwise, independently of each other. This, in turn, causes a bat handle to move to an uppermost position, a lowermost position, or to be centered. In addition, the position of the switch is remotely sensed.
Claims34
A simulated toggle switch comprising:
- a mounting bracket, having a top, a bottom, two sides, a back and a front;
- a bat handle, said bat handle attached to the front of said mounting bracket;
- a first spring roll pin, said first spring roll pin connected to said bat handle, and which first spring roll pin provides a pivot point for said bat handle;
- a second spring roll pin connected to said bat handle;
- a first cam and a second cam each having a notch, wherein said notch of each of said cams is engagingly connected to said second spring roll pin in said bat handle;
- a round shaft, wherein said round shaft supports and allows for the rotation of said first and second cams and a torsion spring;
- a top and a bottom solenoid, each solenoid further being mounted inside a housing, and a plunger seated inside each of said housings, each housing being attached to said mounting bracket;
- two push rods each reciprocally connected to one of said plungers by a rear spring roll pin, said plunger from said top solenoid is connected to said first cam by said front spring roll pin and said plunger from said bottom solenoid is connected to said second cam by a front spring roll pin;
- whereby, when said plunger from said top solenoid extends forward, said first cam rotates counterclockwise on said round shaft enabling said notch of said first cam to press down on said second spring roll pin of said bat handle, thereby pushing said bat handle to its uppermost position, and when said plunger from said bottom solenoid extends forward, said second cam rotates clockwise on said round shaft enabling said notch of said second cam to press up on said second spring roll pin of said bat handle, thereby pushing said bat handle to its lowermost position, and when both solenoid plungers are retracted, said bat handle is centered.
6 more elements
A maintenance trainer system comprising a plurality of remotely controlled toggle switches, wherein each of said remotely controlled toggle switches comprises:
- a mounting bracket, having a top, a bottom, two sides, a back and a front;
- a bat handle, said bat handle attached to the front of said mounting bracket;
- a first spring roll pin, said first spring roll pin connected to said bat handle, and which first spring roll pin provides a pivot point for said bat handle;
- a second spring roll pin connected to said bat handle;
- a first cam and a second cam each having a notch, wherein said notch of each of said cams is engagingly connected to said second spring roll pin in said bat handle;
- a round shaft, wherein said round shaft supports and allows for the rotation of said first and second cams and a torsion spring;
- a top and a bottom solenoid, each solenoid further being mounted inside a housing, and a plunger seated inside each of said housings, each housing being attached to said mounting bracket;
- two push rods each reciprocally connected to one of said plungers by a rear spring roll pin, said plunger from said top solenoid is connected to said first cam by said front spring roll pin and said plunger from said bottom solenoid is connected to said second cam by a front spring roll pin;
- whereby, when said plunger from said top solenoid extends forward, said first cam rotates counterclockwise on said round shaft enabling said notch of said first cam to press down on said spring roll pin of said bat handle, thereby pushing said bat handle to its uppermost position, and when said plunger from said bottom solenoid extends forward, said second cam rotates clockwise on said round shaft enabling said notch of said second cam to press up on said spring roll pin of said bat handle, thereby pushing said bat handle to its lowermost position, and when both solenoid plungers are retracted, said bat handle is centered.
6 more elements
A method of controlling a remotely controlled toggle switch comprising the steps of:
- applying a current through a first solenoid winding or a second solenoid winding in either a forward or a reverse direction;
- extracting a first or second plunger from or pushing said first or second plunger into a first or second solenoid housing, respectively;
- moving a first or second cam in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction;
- and
- moving a bat handle to an uppermost, a centered, or a lowermost position.
2 more elements
A method of controlling a remotely controlled toggle switch located in a maintenance trainer system comprising the steps of:
- applying a current through a first solenoid winding or a second solenoid winding in either a forward or a reverse direction;
- extracting a first or second plunger from or pushing a first or second plunger into a first or second solenoid housing, respectively;
- moving a first or second cam in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and
- moving a bat handle to an uppermost, a centered, or a lowermost position.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.