Proximity actuated magnetic button-contactor assembly for switches

• US 3,950,719 A
• Filed: 08/21/1974
• Issued: 04/13/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Palmer M. Maxwell
• Original Assignee: Palmer M. Maxwell
• Inventors: Maxwell, Palmer M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harris, G.
• Application Number:
  US05/499,331
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 335/205, 335/206, 335/207
• US Class Current: 335/205
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 36/0073 actuated by relative movement between two magnets
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 41/00 Switches providing a selected number of consecutive operations of the contacts by a single manual actuation of the operating part

Abstract

A miniature type hermetically sealed electrical switch that provides snap-action contact reversal with magnetic contact holding. The only moving part of the switch is a mechanically unattached permanent magnet button-contactor member that reciprocally moves under the influence of an external permanent magnet actuator member to cause reversal snap-action contact of a previous magnetically-maintained contact condition.

Claims

1. A proximity magnetically actuated electrical switch for selectively making and breaking an electrical circuit, comprising:

a rectangular channel defined by a floor member having an inner surface and an outer surface, a pair of spaced apart parallel sidewall members, and a pair of end wall members;

said side wall members and end wall members being adjacent to and upstanding a distance from the inner surface of said floor member;

said side wall members and said inner surface of said floor member being electrically conductive;

a first circuit connector means electrically connected to said conductive wall members and inner surface for connection with an electrical circuit to be controlled by said switch;

at least one of said end wall members comprising a fixed electrically conductive member mounted in electrically nonconductive relation with said wall members and inner surface;

a second circuit connector means electrically connected to said one end wall member for connection with said electrical circuit;

a cylindrical button contactor member slidably received within said channel;

said button contactor member having a first end disposed on said inner surface of said floor member;

said first end and the circular wall of said cylindrical member comprising a cylindrical capsule of electrically conductive material;

a permanent magnetic member disposed within said cylindrical capsule with a first pole facing toward said inner surface of said floor member and with a second pole of opposite polarity facing away from said inner surface;

the outer diameter of said cylindrical capsule being sufficiently less than the spacing between said side wall members of said channel to permit the button contactor member to freely side between said end members of said channel;

a layer of magnetically permeable material disposed on said outer surface of said channel, and being of sufficient permeability and mass to sustain said cylindrical capsule in sliding electrical contact with said channel;

a nonmagnetic window mounted in spaced apart relation to said floor member inner surface to enclose said channel;

a magnetic actuating member positioned externally of said channel for movement adjacent to and along said window;

said actuating member having a magnetic pole facing said window of the same polarity as said second pole of said button contactor member, so that said actuating member exerts a repulsive force tending to urge said button contactor member for sliding travel along said channel to contact either one of said end members; and

switch control means operatively engaging said actuating member to selectively move said facing magnetic pole along substantially the same path of travel which said button contactor member can travel within said channel, so that such movement of the repulsive force of said actuating member causes snap-action movement of said button contactor member into contact with a selected one of said end members.

2. The switch as in claim 1, wherein said rectangular channel is hermetically sealed to isolate the button contactor member and the electrically conductive surfaces from the ambient atmosphere surrounding the switch.

3. The switch as in claim 1, wherein:

both of said channel end members are electrically isolated from each other and from the remainder of the conductive surfaces defining said channel; and

including

separate circuit connector means connected to each of said end members, so as to provide double-throw electrical operation for said switch in response to said snap-action movement of said button contactor member into contact with one or the other of said end members.

4. The multiple circuit electrical switching apparatus comprising a pair of switches as defined in claim 1;

means mounting said pair of switches with said nonmagnetic windows and said permanent magnetic members in mutually confronting spaced apart relation with each other;

the magnetic actuating member for each of said switches being retained in a rectangular motion guide means which maintains said actuating member adjacent the respective nonmagnetic window and which allows said actuating member to undergo said selective movement; and

said switch control means comprises a magnetic control member disposed in the space between said pair of switches and having pole faces aligned in magnetic operative interrelation with said retained actuating members of said pair of switches so that the location of each said magnetic actuating member within its respective retaining means, and thus the position of the respective button contactor members, is controlled by controlling the location within said space of said pole faces of said magnetic control member.

5. The multiple circuit electrical switching apparatus comprising at least two switches as set forth in claim 1;

said switches mounted so that the paths of travel of said button contactor members in each said switch are aligned in a collinear path;

said switch control means comprises an operating member selectively reciprocable along a linear path which is parallel to said linear path of alignment; and

said magnetic actuating members for each of said plural switches are connected to said operating member in linear spaced apart relation thereon, so that each of said plural switches is actuated in predetermined sequence as said actuating members are reciprocated along said linear path.

6. The integrated combination of a magnetically actuated electrical switch as set forth in claim 1 and a solid state switching device, comprising:

housing means having a first enclosed chamber within which said rectangular channel and said button contactor member of said electrical switch is enclosed, said nonmagnetic window of said housing means comprising a wall of said first enclosed chamber;

said housing means having a second enclosed chamber;

a solid state switching element received within said second chamber; and

said solid state switching device having a switching control circuit element electrically connected to one of said electrical circuit connection means of said electrical switch in said first enclosed chamber, so that said snap-action operation of said electrical switch controls the switching operation of said solid state switching device.

7. The integrated combination as in claim 6, wherein said electrical switch is hermetically sealed within said first enclosed chamber.

8. The switch as in claim 1, in which said switch control means comprises toggle means selectively operative to provide snap-action movement of said actuating member to either of a first position and a second position on said path of travel of said actuating member.

9. The switch as in claim 1, wherein said magnetic actuating member comprises a permanent magnet retained externally of said window for sliding movement along said path of travel of said actuator member.

10. The switch as in claim 1, in which said switch control means comprises push-pull means connected to said magnetic actuating member and selectively operable to move said actuating member along said actuator path of travel.

11. The switch of claim 9, wherein said magnetic actuating member is provided with mounting means positioned adjacent said window to provide sliding movement of said actuating member along said path of travel of said actuating member.

12. The switch as in claim 9, wherein said window is a first such window, said magnetic actuating member is positioned within a closed parallelopiped cavity mounting means defined by a housing which is integral with said switch and contiguous to said first window, said parallelopiped cavity being closed by a second nonmagnetic window which is spaced apart from said first window, and magnetic field producing means disposed outside of said parallelopiped cavity to provide a momentary magnetic field at said second window of polarity to induce said magnetic actuating member to reciprocally move within limits of travel defined by said parallelopiped cavity.

13. The switch of claim 12, wherein said magnetic field producing means is a permanent magnet member.

14. The switch of claim 12, wherein said magnetic field producing means is an electromagnetic means.