EP0017640A2 - Quecksilberbenetzter Miniaturschutzgasschalter - Google Patents

Quecksilberbenetzter Miniaturschutzgasschalter Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0017640A2
EP0017640A2 EP80870018A EP80870018A EP0017640A2 EP 0017640 A2 EP0017640 A2 EP 0017640A2 EP 80870018 A EP80870018 A EP 80870018A EP 80870018 A EP80870018 A EP 80870018A EP 0017640 A2 EP0017640 A2 EP 0017640A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
capsule
armature
mercury
blade
switch according
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP80870018A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0017640A3 (en
EP0017640B1 (de
Inventor
Romain Bollen
Jean-Marie Ponsard
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
CP Clare International NV
Original Assignee
CP Clare International NV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by CP Clare International NV filed Critical CP Clare International NV
Priority to AT80870018T priority Critical patent/ATE4399T1/de
Publication of EP0017640A2 publication Critical patent/EP0017640A2/de
Publication of EP0017640A3 publication Critical patent/EP0017640A3/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0017640B1 publication Critical patent/EP0017640B1/de
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/06—Contacts characterised by the shape or structure of the contact-making surface, e.g. grooved
    • H01H1/08—Contacts characterised by the shape or structure of the contact-making surface, e.g. grooved wetted with mercury
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/64—Protective enclosures, baffle plates, or screens for contacts
    • H01H1/66—Contacts sealed in an evacuated or gas-filled envelope, e.g. magnetic dry-reed contacts

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a back-and-forth type mercury reed switch, that is to say which interrupts one circuit before establishing another.
  • This type of switch is also called a Form C switch.
  • a mercury blade switch includes a blade armature whose base is immersed in a cup containing mercury and whose free end is capable of moving between two fixed contacts.
  • the effect of this capillarity allows the mercury to spread over the surface of the blade, thus wetting the cooperating surfaces of the armature and the fixed contacts. It thus really establishes a mercury-mercury contact having a very low contact resistance.
  • FIG. 1 The prior art of a back-and-forth type mercury capsule is illustrated by the drawing of Figure 1.
  • the frame is formed by a cantilever blade 1 fixed at its lower end in the cup of mercury 2.
  • the armature 1 is adjusted to a neutral position between the contacts 3 and 4 so that the armature behaves like a spring without initial pressure.
  • the normally closed state is obtained using a permanent magnet P fixed externally near the contacts.
  • a switch is made that can work either in normal monostable mode (the armature returning to its initial position after removal of the excitation), or in bistable mode (the armature returning to its initial position only response to reverse excitation).
  • the P relay is placed to create a bistable mode.
  • the function of the armature is to provide sufficient mechanical tilting force around an actual fixed pivot point.
  • the disadvantage of such a capsule is that the switch can only work if the capsule is used in a vertical position, which limits its use applications where this condition is met.
  • a mercury capsule of this kind can hardly be miniaturized and is relatively expensive.
  • the problem which the invention aims to solve is to produce a miniature mercury switch designed to be able to be used in any position.
  • the mercury blade switch comprises a capsule containing an armature consisting of a blade of magnetic material terminated at its ends by two pole pieces capable of coming to bond alternately each against a separate fixed contact when the armature switches over.
  • the frame is suspended at the ends of a helical spring which extends axially around the blade of the frame and which is fixed inside the capsule by means of a cylindrical annular electrode attached to the part center of the spring.
  • a film of mercury wets the surface of the armature, the spring, the inner surface of the annular electrode and the surface of the contacts.
  • a mercury capsule according to the invention can be used with advantages in all applications where a long service life, high reliability and / or the possibility of working in any position is required, for example: test equipment, military equipment, telecommunications equipment and more particularly subscriber equipment, industrial process control equipment.
  • the armature 1 has a central part in the form of a blade 11 and two pole ends 12 and 13.
  • the fixed contacts 2 and 3 are situated at the opposite ends of the armature 1 so that each of the poles 12, 13 of the armature is capable of bonding alternately against one of the contacts 2,3 when the armature rocks.
  • the frame is made of a magnetic material, for example Permalloy or Crovar (product of the company Vacuumschmelze GmbH, Hanau, RFA).
  • the frame 1 is suspended from the ends of a helical spring 5 extending longitudinally around the central part 11 of the frame.
  • the suspension points 51 and 52 of the frame 1 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the middle of the length of the frame.
  • the spring 5 is made to work on bending.
  • the spring 5 is fixed at its central part inside a metallic cylindrical ring 6 kept fixed inside the sealed capsule 10.
  • the ring 6 serves as a central electrode.
  • the capsule is provided with external connections for the contacts 2 and 3 and for the central electrode 6.
  • the capsule 10 is formed by two glass tubes 10A, 10B arranged in alignment with a spacing between them, the annular electrode 6 being located symmetrically with respect to the pivot point of the frame 1.
  • the fixed contacts 2 and 3 are surrounded by metal tubes 20 and 30 serving as magnetic shunts.
  • the internal wall of the tubes 20 and 30, the surface of the armature 1, the spring 5, the internal surface of the annular electrode 6 and the surface of the contacts 2 and 3 are wetted with a film of mercury.
  • the cooperating surfaces of the poles 12 and 13 and of the fixed contacts 2 and 3 are lined with pellets of a material which cannot be wetted by mercury, for example chromium oxide. These pellets are denoted 7 in the view of FIG. 3. They must have a sufficiently small surface so that, when the reinforcement 1 tips over, the mercury which spurts from the contact zone is quickly replaced because otherwise the high frequency switching will would find it more difficult. Poles 12 and 13 of the armature must on the other hand have a large enough surface so that a too large drop of mercury which would be projected against the wall of the capsule can be sucked by said poles.
  • the capsule as described above must be supplemented with an excitation coil as is well known in the art.
  • an excitation coil as is well known in the art.
  • FIG. 4A the operation of the switch according to the invention is illustrated in Figures 4 A / D on which the excitation coil has not been shown
  • FIG. 4A the armature 1 is shown in the position in which its pole 12 sticks against the contact 2, leaving its pole 13 detached from the contact 3
  • the initial state of imbalance is created by one of the means which will be described later.
  • the left and right marginal parts of the spring 5 are subjected to a certain bending moment due to the initial state of imbalance and these marginal parts therefore store a certain mechanical energy.
  • the initial state of imbalance is created by magnetic means which will be described in the following with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8.
  • FIGS. 5 and 6 are illustrated two examples of embodiment using external permanent magnets to create the initial state.
  • two permanent magnets 21 and 22 are externally fixed on the capsule 10.
  • the strength and the position of the magnets relative to the pivot point of the armature are chosen and adapted according to the mode of desired operation.
  • two magnets of unequal forces will be chosen which are arranged symmetrically with respect to the pivot point of the armature or two equal magnets located at different distances from the pivot point.
  • An annular permanent magnet could also be provided in an off-center position relative to the transverse axis of the capsule.
  • FIG. 6 illustrates such an embodiment: the annular permanent magnet is designated by 23.
  • the external connection with the annular electrode 6 is ensured by means of a sheet of electrically conductive material 24 placed on the surface outside of the glass tubes 10A and 10B.
  • the initial magnetic state can also be created without the addition of external permanent magnets, by polarizing the armature so that it itself constitutes a permanent magnet.
  • Figures 7 and 8 graphically illustrate the polarization profiles of the armature 1 to achieve monostable and bistable operating modes.
  • the armature 1 is polarized in opposite directions on either side of a section 14 that is offset from the middle section.
  • the bistable mode (FIG. 8) the armature is polarized in opposite directions on either side of the middle section 15.
  • the annular electrode is generally connected to ground.
  • the small dimensions that can be given to the mercury capsule according to the invention allow one or more mercury capsules and the excitation coil to be housed in a protective housing provided with pins for external connections, thus providing a component. with miniature mercury as illustrated by way of example in FIG. 9.
  • This drawing shows a capsule 10 and the excitation coil 40 which surrounds it, housed inside the housing 50 mounted on a base 60 of where the connection pins 70 emerge.
  • the reference 80 designates a filling material.

Landscapes

  • Contacts (AREA)
  • Electromagnets (AREA)
  • Switches That Are Operated By Magnetic Or Electric Fields (AREA)
EP80870018A 1979-03-15 1980-03-14 Quecksilberbenetzter Miniaturschutzgasschalter Expired EP0017640B1 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AT80870018T ATE4399T1 (de) 1979-03-15 1980-03-14 Quecksilberbenetzter miniaturschutzgasschalter.

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
LU81053A LU81053A1 (fr) 1979-03-15 1979-03-15 Commutateur a lame au mercure minature
LU81053 1979-03-15

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0017640A2 true EP0017640A2 (de) 1980-10-15
EP0017640A3 EP0017640A3 (en) 1980-11-26
EP0017640B1 EP0017640B1 (de) 1983-08-03

Family

ID=19729123

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP80870018A Expired EP0017640B1 (de) 1979-03-15 1980-03-14 Quecksilberbenetzter Miniaturschutzgasschalter

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0017640B1 (de)
JP (1) JPS55143717A (de)
AT (1) ATE4399T1 (de)
DE (1) DE3064469D1 (de)
LU (1) LU81053A1 (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2131230A (en) * 1982-10-07 1984-06-13 Weston William A Electric switching devices
FR2620821A1 (fr) * 1987-09-17 1989-03-24 Inst Francais Du Petrole Dispositif indicateur de tension entre un organe et un element de liaison

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2685746B2 (ja) * 1986-10-06 1997-12-03 日本ヒユーレツト・パツカード 株式会社 低雑音水銀スイツチ

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3380006A (en) * 1964-08-11 1968-04-23 Fifth Dimension Inc Logic circuits
US3643185A (en) * 1970-10-05 1972-02-15 Gen Electric Mercury-wetted relay and method of manufacture
FR2242765A1 (de) * 1973-08-31 1975-03-28 Gillard Michel
SE388713B (sv) * 1974-08-22 1976-10-11 Mo Energeticheskij Institut Tungrele

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2131230A (en) * 1982-10-07 1984-06-13 Weston William A Electric switching devices
FR2620821A1 (fr) * 1987-09-17 1989-03-24 Inst Francais Du Petrole Dispositif indicateur de tension entre un organe et un element de liaison

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
LU81053A1 (fr) 1980-09-24
DE3064469D1 (en) 1983-09-08
EP0017640A3 (en) 1980-11-26
ATE4399T1 (de) 1983-08-15
JPS55143717A (en) 1980-11-10
EP0017640B1 (de) 1983-08-03

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