US2560964A - Sequence actuator for switches - Google Patents

Description

July l7, 1951 w. A. LAUDER SEQUENCE ACTUATOR FOR SWITCHES Filed Feb. 5, 1949 INVENTOR. Wallace A. Lauder A T TOfiNE K5 Patented July 17, 1951 2,560,964 SEQUENCE ACTUATOR FOR SWITCHES Wallace A. Lauder,

West Nyack, N. Y., assignor to The W. L. Maxson Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 5, 1949, Serial No. 74,831

2 Claims. 1 This invention relates to switch actuating mechanism. It is a primary object of the invention to provide a simple, compact and inexpensive actuator attachable to a switch unit, and adapted to be designed to produce any prescribed cycle or schedule of operations for the switch in conjunction with other mechanism.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing forming part of this specification Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a novel end actuator embodying features of the invention attached to a switch of standard construction;

head actuator embodying the invention applied to a switch of standard construction; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a bell-crank actuating member employed in the actuator of Fig. 2.

The switch illustrated in Fig. 1 may be in all substantial respects identical with the switch disclosed and claimed in a pending application of Peter J. McLaren and Cyril O. Benson, Serial No.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing an over- 718,832 filed December 2'7, 1946, now Patent No.

2,521,015 for Snap Over Toggle Switch. Reference may be had to said pending application for a full, detailed disclosure of the switch.

The switch comprises lower and upper casing members I and 2 within which a snap over toggle switch mechanism is mounted. The switch mechanism is arranged to be actuated by a plunger 3. The lower casing member I is provided with contact tongues 4, 5 and 6. The contact tongue 4 is invariably connected, directly or indirectly, to one terminal of a voltage source, while the tongues 5 and 6 are alternatively, selectively connected to the opposite terminal of the voltage source.

The movable switch contact moves up in response to a downward thrust of pin 3, and moves down as the pin returns to the up position. The tongue 5 is connected to a conductor which extends above the movable switch member within the casing to engage said member in the down or actuated position of the plunger 3, while the tongue 6 is connected to a lower contact which extends below the movable switch member to engage it when the plunger 3 is in the up or normal position. The more common practice is to connect the tongue 5 in circuit and leave the tongues 6 unconnected, so that the up position of the plunger 3 will be an open circuit position, and the down position will be a closed circuit position. In some instances, however, the tongue 6 may be connected and the tongue 5 left unconnected, so as to make the upper contact an active one, and the lower contact an idle one.

The lower casing member I is formed. with openings I through which mounting screws (not shown) may be passed for securing the casing to a supporting structure. The upper casing section 2 has ears 8 which fit into recesses formed in the side margins of the lower casing section I. A pin 9, passed into the ears 8, and through the central body portion of the lower casing section I, serves to secure the casing sections in fixed relation to one another.

The casing sections I and 2 are desirably molded of an insulating, phenolic condensation product such as Bakelite. The upper casing section 2 has formed in its upper face a recess I0, shown as generally rectangular, to receive and firmly locate a metallic adapter plate I I. The upper casing member 2 is formed with two drilled openings in which case hardened, self-tapping screws I2 and I3 are threaded for securing the adapter plate to the casing. The adapter plate is formed with an opening I5 through which the plunger 3 passes.

The spring arm I1 is attached to the plate II by a single rivet I8, and is held against turning by the screw I3, which is passed through it.

The plate II is formed with a pair of upstanding ears I9 and 20 at its opposite sides which provide aligned bearings for a rotatable shaft 2|. The shaft 2I has fast upon it a ratchet wheel 22 and a cam 23. The cam 23 includes a succession of notches at tooth space intervals which are of varying depth. The shaft is advanced through the ratchet wheel a tooth space at a time by mechanism to be described, and causes the cam 23 to be correspondingly advanced in contact with the leaf spring I1.

The leaf spring, influenced by the cam, operates the actuating plunger 3 of the switch, the plunger being held down when the cam occupies a position like that shown in the drawing, and being allowed to rise when the cam is advanced to locate a deeper notch over the end of the leaf spring IT. The leaf spring I1 serves both as an operating member for the plunger, and also as a spring detent for preventing over-travel of the ratchet wheel and retrograde movement thereof.

The ratchet wheel is operated by a pawl 24 which consists of a leaf spring afiixed to one arm 25 of a U-shaped slide frame 26. The opposite arms 25 and 21 of the frame 26 are formed with slots 28 through which the shaft 2| passes. As

low and deep notches.

'nism of Fig-.1 is retained.

the frame 26 reciprocates to carry the pawl to and fro, it is supported and guided in part by the shaft 2|. The U-shaped frame 23 spans the ratchet wheel 22 and the cam 23.

A stem 29 rigidly attached to the body 39 of the frame 26 is slidingly guided and supported in an upstandingearfl of the plate II. The stem is desirably provided with an operating collar 33 at its outer end which may be actuated manually or by a cam (not shown). A compression coil spring 34 is interposed between the body 35 of the frame 26 and a fourth upstanding car 35 of the plate H. The spring 34 urges the frame 26 toward the right as the parts are shown in the drawing to the retractive limit of movement of v,

the pawl 24. When the stem 29 is thrust toward the left as far as it can go, a feed step is imparted to the ratchet wheel 22, and hence to the shaft 2| and the cam 23.

The cam 23 is shown as having alternate shal- The sequence can be varied in any desired manner, however, so as to produce a sequence of operations of the switch harmonious with the law of operation of the mechanism in connection with which the switch is used.

In some installations it is advantageous to .adaptthe sequence actuator for operation from the-top rather than the end of the switch. To this end, the structure of Fig. 1 is modified as illustratedin Fig. 2 to provide an overheadactuator.

Except for the parts which will be described in detail, the sequenceactuatorof Fig. 2 is the same as that of; Fig. l. The adapter plate ll of Fig. l is replaced by a lenger adapter plate Ma as illustrated Fig. 2, but otherwise the entire mecha- The button 330. of Fig. 2 which corresponds to the operating collar 33 of Fig, l is provided with a reduced portion in which is formed-a circumferential groove defined by-tapered sides 33b and 330. A bell crank aotuator 36 (see Fig. 3-) is provided with a slotted opening '31 and with legs 38. The actuator is here mally'loosely confined in the button groove and in suitable openings 3S which are formed in the adapter plate Ha. Confinement of the actuator-36 is accomplished by initially forming the opening into the slot 31 wide enough to pass the waist portion of the button 33a between the shoulders 33'band'33c as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, and then reducing the opening by crimping the legs 38 together after the assembly of the parts has been effected. The structure of Fig. '2

with the bell crank 36 omitted may be provided if only end operation is desired. Alternatively, the structure as illustrated in Fig. 1 may be utilv ized.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l .Aswitchactuator adapted for application to a switch; unit comprising, in combination, a mounting plate attachable to the switch unit, a

.switch actuating member carried by the plate,

a shaft, ears on the mounting plate for providing aligned bearings'for the shaft, a cam fast on the shaft for engaging and operating the actuating member, a ratchet wheel fast on the shaft, a pawl for actuating the ratchet wheel step by step, a frame upon which the pawl is mounted, said frame being U-shaped to span the cam and the ratchet wheel and having guide slots in its legs through which the shaft extends, the frame also in ludi g ariei pe at n s m. n an r on the mounting plate in which the stern is sl'idingly supported.

2 A switch actuator adapted for application to a switch unit comprising, in combination, a mounting plate attachable to the switch unit, a switch actuating leaf spring carried by the plate, a shaft r tablv supported by the p t a ratchet wheel fast on the shaft, a pawl for advancing the ratchet wheel a tooth space at a'time, a cam fast on the shaft for engaging and operating the switch actuating ,leaf spring, the cam havinga succession of notches of varying depths at tooth space intervals, and the switch actuating leaf spring having a rounded projecting portion for entering the notches and adapting the spring to serve effectively also as a spring detent cooperating with the cam to prevent over-travel of the ratchet wheel and retrograde movement thereof.

WALLACE A. LAUDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of t i p en UNITED STATES PATENTS

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