US1181524A - Arc-breaking insulation-block for electric switches. - Google Patents

Description

H. HANSEN.

ARC BREAKING INSULATION BLOCK FOR 1110mm SWITCHES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I7, 19H.

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H HANSEN.

ARC BREAKING INSULATION BLOCK FOR ELECTRIC SWITCHES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.

Patented May 2, 1916.

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HERMAN HANSEN, or NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 FRANCIS KEIL & SON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ARC-BREAKING INSULATION-BLOCK FOR ELECTRIC SWITCHES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Application filed April 17, 1914. Serial No. 832,535.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERMAN HANSEN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Arc-Breaking Insulation- Block for Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification, th e same be ng a full, clear, and exact description of the 1nvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to electric clrcuitchanging devices coming generally under the head of push button snap switches and designed for employment in the industrial application of electricity, as for example, in connection with electric lights and house wiring and for small power or heating purposes, etc., and in particular to an arc:bre aking device preferably used in a swltching mechanism of the class named by which the contact terminals may be positively and quickly locked in electric engagement with the main line electrodes, or else held locked in a position disengaged therefrom, and wherein no injurious are can be formed between the contact blades and the terminal electrodes because they are protected by an arc-breaking insulation block so situated as to protect the spring electrodes against possible fusion or grounding, the whole being of comparatively simple construction and operating with certainty and precision.

To attain the desired end, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and operation of parts hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings is illustrated one type of a switching mechanism in which the invention is embodied, in which the separate parts of the improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 represents aside elevation, partly in section, of an instrument constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3, 3, Fig. 4; Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the push buttons and parts adjacent thereto; Figs. 5 and 10 are plan views of the terminals and arc-breaking block; Fig. 6 is an elevation of the same partly in section; Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 7, 7, Fig. 6; Figs. 8 and 9 are elevations in detail of the terminals and arcbreaking insulation therefor; Fig. 11 is a side elevation of my invention used with another contact blade; Fig. 12 is a plan view of the terminals and block; Fig. 13 is an elevation of the same; Fig. 14 is a section taken on the line 14, 14, Fig. 13; and Figs. 15 and 16 are elevations in detail of the terminals and insulation therefor.

Referring particularly to the drawings, in which one style of an electric switching mechanism is shown, although obviously the invention may be used with other types of switches, whether snap or otherwise, 3 denotes a stationary bridge piece or bar having or1fices through which work the push buttons 2, and also preferably havin means for engagement with an electrical y nonconducting porcelain or fireproof composition casing 1. The said bar 3 has depending extensions 4 at the extremities of which are formed shoulders 5, and it is also made with slots 6 and with journals for a shaft 7- around which is coiled a spring 19. Bigidly secured to the ends of the shaft 7, at the exterior faces of the extensions 4, is a U-shaped part or movable bridge piece 9, the side portions of the same lying adjacent to the said extensions 4 being enlarged and made with peripheral openings or slots 10 and 11 located at opposite sides of the part 9.

The said enlarged portion of the part 9 also carries, at the front face thereof, preferably insulated switching contact blades or terminals 12 which are oscillated when the said part is moved, A rocking yoke, preferably made in two'parts 13, 14, and having the median portion of each part lying adjacent to the inner faces of an extension 4, works loose onthe shaft 7, to the respective ends of which yoke are pivoted the extensions 8 of the push buttons 2. The elements 13, 14, each also carry a cam as 15, 16, which cams project toward each other and are turned in opposite directions, and each engage slots formed in the lower edge of a sliding and longitudinally reciprocating detent 17 which works in the slots 6 in such a manner that, when one end of the yoke 13, 14 is depressed by a button, one cam, as 15, will push the detent laterally in one direction, and when the other end of the yoke is depressed the other cam, as 16, will force the detent in the opposite direction.

Each part 13, 14 has an ear 18 which ears extend inwardly or toward each other. The

are adapted and arranged to respectively lie either in one of the small slots 10 of the part 9 and against one of the shoulders formed by the long shot 11 located at the other side of the device, or else in the other small slot 10 and against the other shoulder of the slot 11.

. It has been found in practice that heavy sparking takes place at the contact blades 12 when the circuit is opened and if this is not prevented, it soon burns and roughens the surface of the blades and one or both' of the line terminals, and consequently the switch is thrown out of service. Repeated occurrences of these fiashings will soon heat up the parts and even result in fusing the terminals sometimes, and in occasioning grounding. In order to obviate this objection, I have devised means for protecting the contact blades 12 and electrodes 20 from heavy sparking by providing an arc-breaking block comprising a dielectric member 21 having a pocket all the sides of which are made-of insulating material. These blocks, having pockets which lie in the path of the contact blades, are preferably lined at the portions of the same nearest the said blades with metal on each side thereof which, in the present instance, comprise the conductor terminals 20 which form a metallic facing for the blocks. comprising the terminals proper are preferably arranged in alinement with the sides of the pocket and tangentially to the path of the contact member and are also so located that the extreme parts of the same nearest the interior of the pocket will be approxi mately parallel with the edge of the contact blade cooperating therewith as it passes by and leaves the said fingers constituting each electrode. Consequently, the contact blade in its movement in opening the circuit is first in contact throughout its entire width with the preferably spring terminal. Then, as it moves along its path, a portion of the contact blade lies in the insulated section of the pocket and a part of the blade still lies in and rests against the fingers of the metallic terminal. Upon a still further movement of the blade taking place, the whole face of the same will lie in the in sulated part of the pocket excepting a thin line adjacent to the edge of the blade which still contacts the terminal in a parallel or alined relation. \Vhen the edge of the blade does finally leave the edge of the terminal it is manifest that as nearly all of the entire These metal parts 22,, also preferably made of dielectric ma-.

terfi'al, thus forming a duplex insulating andarc-breaking block. By means of this construction, the whole combination of parts, comprising the terminals 20, the pockets 21, and the web or body portion 22 may be moved as an entirety, and removed from, or replaced in, the casing at w1ll as a unitary organization.

The operation of parts is as follows, the same being in the position shown in Figs. 1 to 4, where the circuit is shown as being closed z'By gradually pushing the raised button 2 in a downward direction, in order to open the circuit, the extension 8 thereof forces the left hand end of the rock yoke 13, 14- downwardly and the ear 18 of the part 1.3, which was previously in alinement with the'horizontal portion of the bridge piece9 (as shown in Fig. 3) will move one end of the spring 19 toward the right, thereby increasing the tension of the same, the other end of the spring being prevented from moving, with its ear 18, by being held immovable by resting against the opposite edge of the opposite end of the horizontal portion of the bridge 9 which latter still rests against the left hand shoulders 5 of the depending extensions 1, the ends of the spring being on opposite sides of their ad- -jacent ears 18 and of the horizontal part of the element 9. Upon the continued depression of the button, the rock yoke 13, 14:, is swung farther around, which movement causes the cams 15, 16, to force the detent 17 to the left (in the position shown in Fig. 4) until it passes through the slot 10 at the right hand of the side part of the bridge 9 far enough for the slot in the same (out of which the cam 16 has 'in the meantime passed) to register with the left hand side piece of the said bridge piece, and for the right hand end of the detent 17 to no longer project out from the slot 6 at the right hand side of the part 4. The bridge piece 9 being now free to move is forced ahead by the left hand leg of the spring and swings around, toward the rising button, thereby moving the contact blades to an inoperative "position, farthermovement being prevented by the impingement of the right hand shoulder of the slot 11 with the detent 17 and that of the horizontal part of the bridge 9 against the right hand ears 5 of the extensions 4, the other end of the detent 17 now registering with the other slot 10. When the pressure on the depressed button is released, the rock yoke 13, 14, has sufiicient play to swing around slightly-in the opposite direction, thereby causing the ears 15, 16, to force the detent 17 to move a sufficient distance to engage the said slot 10. \Vhen the newly raised button is now again depressed the parts are moved in the opposite directions to' those already described and the detent 17 is pushed to the right (in the position shown in Fig. 4) a sufficient distance for the left hand edge of the same to clear the slot 10 in the side part of the bridge 9 whereupon the parts will again assume the position shown in the drawings.

In the first operation described of depressing a button, in order to open the circuit, the contact blades enter their respective insulating pockets and are thereby so inclosed that there is no opportunity for the electric fluid to leap across an open gap as wouldotherwise be the case, as where no arc-breaking insulating block is employed. By the use of my arc-breaking insulation block, however, it has been found that when the circuit is opened in the manner described, and even upon repeated and continuous operations of the switch. no heating occurs to deleteriously affect th working parts thereof. and no excessive sparking. such as 'would otherwise be the case and which might melt the terminals so as to fuse the same or 00- casion grounding of the device, can occur.

Although the invention is described as applicable to one type of switching mechanisms, yet, obviously, the same may be used in connection with a great variety of instruments where it is desired to protect the operative working parts thereof from arcing.

I sometimes make the connecting portion or body or web of the member comprising the insulating block in duplex form as shown in Fig. 10. in which case. the rear part of the said body or web is preferably cut away somewhat in approximately a circular form as is indicated by the dotted line 23 in Fig. 6 in order not to interfere with the rocking movement of the contact member or blade 12.

It occasionally happens that it becomes desirable to use duplex members comprising contact blades, or those comprising two ad jacent spring fingers. as shown at 25. In such instances. the terminal. is preferably constructed and arranged so as to be capable of being entered between the fingers 25 as is illustrated at 25, 24. The construction of the insulating blocks used in such cases preferably comprises a-bar or plate 26 made of a suitable dielectric, which plate may have the respective parts of the preferably duplex electrodes 24 located at each side face of the same. The members comprising the insulating blocks 26 may also in such instances, as in the construction heretofore described, be connected by connecting means consisting of a web or body portion 27.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art.

What I claim as my invention is:-

1. In an electric switch, a receptacle, a member having two contact faces pivoted therein, line terminals at the interior of the receptacle and supported at opposite sides thereof, each terminating in a pair of conductors extending inwardly and in a parallel relation into the receptacle in the paths of the ends of the contact member and tangentially to the same, and insulating blocks to also support the said terminals, each having an are breaking pocket the sides of which are in alinement with the said terminals. whereby the faces of the contact member, in use, are alternately in electrical engagement with the terminals and insulated in the said pockets.

2. In an electric switch, a receptacle. a line terminal member at the interior of the receptacle and supported at a side thereof and extending inwardly at an angle into the receptacle. an insulating block likewise sustained by the receptacle to also support the said terminal and having an are breaking pocket located in alinement with the terminal. and a pivoted contact member to alternately engage the terminal member and to enter into the pocket of the block.

In testimony of the foregoing specification I do hereby sign the same in the city of New York. county and State of New York, this 9th day of April. 1914.

HERMAN HANSEN.

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