US2863970A - Circuit breaker - Google Patents

Description

E. A. MILLER CIRCUIT BREAKER Dec. 9, 1958 Filed Nair. 4, 1957 INVENTOR EUGENE A. MILLER FIG United States Patent ()fiice 2,863,970 Patented Dec. 9, 1958 CIRCUIT BREAKER Eugene A. Miller, Seattle, Wash.

Application November 4, 1957, Serial N 0. 694,370

2 Claims. (Cl. 200-163) This invention relates to a circuit breaker and, more particularly, to switching means in combination with a firewall on an internal-combustion engine-driven vehicle for effectively breaking the circuit between the vehicles storage battery and other electrical equipment.

During the operation of a motor vehicle vibration sets in and this, together with normal wear and failure of electrical installations, often creates dangerous shorts in the wiring system that on many occasions have been the cause of serious fires. Because the battery terminals are tightly gripped by clamps atthe end of conductor wires and usually no other switching means is provided an operator, in the face of such a raging fire at the engine, is practically helpless to disconnect the electrical system to effectively isolate the cause of ignition for such a fire.

It is among the salient objects of this invention to provide, in combination with a firewall of an internalcombustion engine-driven vehicle, a switching means which is accessible to an operator on that side of the firewall away from the engine but which is disposed on the side of the wall facing the engine; to provide means for breaking the high-voltage circuit of a' motor vehicle at the battery source of power to the same extent as though the battery was disconnected; to provide switching means or circuit breaking means which is manually operated in direct fashion from the interior of the vehicle at a position close to that normally occupied by the driver and without requiring like or cable operating means for accomplishing the break in the circuit; and to provide means accomplishing other objects which will be more apparent during the course of the following description.

Having in mind the foregoing and other objects, my invention is essentially found in the combination with the firewall of an internal-combustion engine-driven vehicle having a guide port therethrough of non-conductive means to receive and retain a guided member for sliding movement. This member on that end nearest the engine carries a contact blade that, upon being pushed forward, spans a gap between a pair of spaced apart metallic jaw members supported by a non-conductive bridge that spans the guide member. With each of the jaw members an electrical conductor is associated and these two electrical conductors constitute a primary lead in the high voltage circuit of a motor vehicle.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a schematic view partially in section showing my circuit breaker in position in a motor vehicle;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of a motor vehicle firewall and along the vertical axis of my circuit breaker;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Figure 2.

In the drawings I have shown a preferred embodiment of this invention, the firewall is normally disposed vertically above and forward of the floor 12 and obsoured by the instrument panel 14 of cowl 16 beneath the windshield 18 from which forwardly extends the hood 20 of the vehicle. A battery 22 having a ground lead 24 also has a primary conductor 26 at the opposite principal terminal. The circuit breaker, indicated as a whole by the numeral 28, is mounted in and on the firewall 10 and completes a circuit between conductor 26 and conductor 30.

Firewall 10 includes the port 11 into which is fitted the cylindrical neck 32 of the guide member 34, the same being formed of non-conductive material. Guide member 34 has a guide passage 36 which receives the non-conductive shank 38 of a push-pull member, including hand knob 40 and a forward extending conductive blade 42. Shank 38 has a groove 44 on one side and an end of screw 46 carried by guide member 34 extends into said groove to act as a stop means or limiting member for determining the in and out sliding movement of shank 38.

Externally the neck 32 is provided with a groove 48 and a snap-ring 50 fits in the groove 4-8 and lies against the rear face of the firewall 10 preventing dislodgment of the guide member from the port 11 in the firewall. It will be noted that body 34 is shouldered on the engine side and is disposed in shoulder abutting relationship against the other or engine face of the firewall 10.

A non-conductive U-shaped bridge 50 is mounted on the engine wall in a position to span the blade 42 and is there secured by fastening bolts 52, 52. Bridge member 50 is constructed of plastic non-conductive material and is designed to have substantial rigidity and strength. The bridge 50 carries a pair of metallic jaw members 54, 54 which are spaced apart with relation to each other less than the thickness of the blade 42. Members 54, 54 are mounted in alignment with blade 42 and have an inherent resiliency so that, when blade 42 is pushed forward tothe space between the jaw members 54, 54, tight and effective contacts will be made between said jaw members. The jaw members are secured to the bridge by bolts 56, 56 and nuts 58 tighten the connector eyes 27 and 31 of conductors 26 and 30 respectively through the bridge member.

In essence the novelty resides in the combination with a firewall of an internal-combustion driven engine said firewall having a port therethrough of a non-conductive guide member containing a slide member carrying a circuit making blade. The firewall forms the essential base for the push-pull circuit making member. A non-conductive bridge carrying switch jaw spans the circuit making blade 42 and is mounted on the engine side of the firewall. The conductors 26 and 23 are connected to the jaws carried by the bridge 50 which is rugged to resist wear and tear caused by normal usage of the vehicle and which holds the jaw members in a fixed position having been once properly mounted in the vehicle.

The foregoing is a description of the preferred embodiment of my invention. It will, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art that modification and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the in vention and I therefore reserve the right to make such changes and alterations as shall fairly come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. In combination with the firewall of an internalcombustion engine-driven vehicle, said firewall having a port therethrough, a non-conductive tubular guide member disposed in said port to close the same, means to retain said guide member in said port, a non-conductive push-pull member slidably fitted to and disposed within said tubular member to close the same, said push-pull member having a metallic blade extending away from said firewall on the engine side thereof, said push-pull member also including a handle means on the other side of said firewall for manual manipulation of said push-pull member, non-eonductive means forming a bridge on the engine side of "aid firewall spanning said guide member and blade. :1 r of metallic jaw members mounted on said bridge in spaced apart relation to each other less than the thickness of said blade and facing said firewall in a position to receive and make a circuit through said blade upon its being pushed toward said bridge, and an electric conductor associated with each said jaw member.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which there is stop means between said push-pull member and the guide 5 member to limit movement of said push-pull member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,513,172 Hassay June 27, 1950

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