MULTI-CIRCUIT SAFING AND ARMING SWITCH

• US 3,771,457 A
• Filed: 11/13/1972
• Issued: 11/13/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ralph Buxton
• Original Assignee: Ralph Buxton
• Inventors: Buxton, Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Feinberg, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jordan, C. T.
• Application Number:
  US05/305,779
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 102/7.2R,80 200/61.45R
• US Class Current: 102/262
• CPC Class Codes: F42C 15/24 wherein the safety or arming action is effected by inertia means F42C15/196, F42C15/20 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42C 19/06 Electric contact parts specially adapted for use with electric fuzes switches operated by change of speed H01H35/06; switches operated by change of acceleration, e.g. shock or vibration, inertia switches H01H35/14; fluid-pressure-operated switches H01H35/24

Abstract

An inertia responsive, non-latching, multi-pole, normally open, single throw switch, whose pole piece while in a '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'safe'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' position will not unlock nor close the switch contacts until the switch has experienced the three sequentially applied environmental accelerations, such as found in a projectile when it has been launched from a weapon. The present device comprises an inner end cap pole locking means, a hollow cylindrical insulator axially aligned with the locking means and proximately fixed thereto, a terminal support means affixed to the other end of the cylindrical insulator, a plurality of lead spring contacts peripherally disposed within the support means and exiting therefrom as electric switch contact leads, a flexible axially positioned cantilever operatively positioned in the support means, a biasing means for holding a slidable interlocking pole means on the cantilever and maintaining the switch in an open safe position until two of the three sequential accelerations found in a gun barrel cause the pole means mass to bend the cantilever away from the locking means, releasing the pole means therefrom, thereby permitting the centrifugal force of spin to overcome the biasing means and sliding the pole means toward the switch contacts and closing the switch so that the projectile is armed.

Claims

1. A multi-circuit, normally open, single throw electrical switch for safing and arming a projectile in a weapon which comprises:

inner end cap hole locking means;

a hollow cylindrical insulator axially aligned with said locking means having a first open end proximately fixed thereto, a second open end having an axial counterbore therein;

terminal support means axially aligned and affixed to said cylindrical insulator second open end;

a plurality of paired leaf spring contacts peripherally disposed within said support means having front cantilever free contact ends operatively positioned in said support means, electric contact leads rearwardly exiting from said support means;

a flexible axially positioned cantilever having its fixed end operatively positioned in said support means and its free end held within said locking means and said cylindrical insulator;

a stop fixedly attached to said cantilever free end;

biasing means circumambient said cantilever and adjacent said support means; and

interlocking pole means slidably positioned on said cantilever intermediate said stop and said biasing means, whereby said pole means bends said cantilever away from said locking means and releases said pole means therefrom when said projectile is subjected to the combined forces of setback and angular acceleration, said pole means under the influence of subsequently applied centrifugal force of spin overcomes said biasing means and moves said pole means in a direction parallel to said cantilever longitudinal axis so that said paired spring contacts are shorted by said pole means, and whereby said pole means mass is forced by said biasing means to return to said locking means resafing said projectile when said projectile fails to attain a minimum level of spin rate.

2. A multi-circuit switch as recited in claim 1 wherein the pole locking means comprises:

a cup shaped cap having a closed end, a partially closed open end having a restraining ledge integrally attached thereto for locking said pole means so that said leaf spring contact pairs are in an open safe position when said projectile is within said weapon.

3. A multi-circuit switch as recited in claim 2 wherein the terminal support means comprises:

a cylindrical outer end cap having a cup shaped closed end, an open end, a partially slotted wall for positioning therein said leaf spring contacts, and a central axial bore intermediate said closed and open ends.

4. A multi-circuit switch as recited in claim 3 wherein the biasing means comprises:

a cylindrical cantilever support member fixedly held within said central axial bore having an axial beam bore on one end adjacent to said support sealed lead end, a tapered counterbore on the other end;

a helical spring biasedly positioned intermediate said pole means and said cantilever support member; and

a tubular compliant spring support intermediate said flexible cantilever and said helical spring for preventing bowing and binding of said helical spring during switch closure.

5. A multi-circuit switch as recited in claim 4 wherein the interlocking pole means comprises:

a locking section having a tapered front end with an axial bore therethrough, a front washer holding shoulder connected to said front end by an intermediate necked down cylindrical section, an integral externally threaded cylindrical rear end spindle concentric with the front end having a friction reducing bore which is concentric and connects with said axial bore;

a rear holding section having a front internally threaded cylinder, a rear axially positioned spring positioning boss, a complementary integral rear washer holding shoulder intermediate said internally threaded cylinder and said boss, and a rear holding section axial bore within said boss;

a plurality of gold plated metal switch contact shorting rings peripherally positioned on said front internally threaded cylinder; and

a plurality of insulator spacer rings operatively positioned on said front internally threaded cylinder intermediate said gold plated shorting rings for electrically isolating said contact shorting rings.