Electromechanical switching device

An electromechanical switching device operative to electrically interconnect a positive terminal of a first power source to a selected one of a positive and negative terminal of a second power source and a negative terminal of said first power source to another one of the positive and negative terminals of said second power source thereby to define a selected coupled state for the first and second power sources, comprising:

• (a) a switch including a first pair of contacts, a second pair of contacts and a third pair of contacts, said switch movable between a first state wherein each of said third pair of contacts is placed in electrical communication with a respective one of said first pair of contacts and a second state wherein each of said third pair of contacts is placed in electrical communication with a respective one of said second pair of contacts;
• (b) a first pair of electrical leads having first ends each respectively connected to a selected one of said first pair of contacts and to a selected one of said second pair of contacts in a configuration such that electrical communication between each of said third electrical contacts and said first pair of electrical leads is reversed when said switch moves from said first state to said second state, said first pair of electrical leads having second ends adapted to connect respectively to the positive and negative terminals of one of said first and second power sources;
• (c) a second pair of electrical leads having first ends each respectively connected to a selected one of said third contacts and second ends adapted to connect respectively to the positive and negative terminals of another of said first and second power sources;
• and
• (d) a switch controller including a plurality of current-carrying coils in electrical communication with said first and second pairs of electrical leads and an actuator coupled to said switch, said current carrying coils operative upon connection of the second ends of said first and second pairs of leads to said first and second power sources to produce a composite magnetic field, said coils arranged such that said actuator interacts with said composite magnetic field to automatically move said switch into whichever one of said first and second states that interconnects said first and second power sources in the selected coupled state regardless of the respective connections of the second ends of said first and second pairs of leads to the positive and negative terminals of said first and second power sources.