US3387238A - Mechanical latching coordinate switch - Google Patents

Mechanical latching coordinate switch Download PDF

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Publication number
US3387238A
US3387238A US578733A US57873366A US3387238A US 3387238 A US3387238 A US 3387238A US 578733 A US578733 A US 578733A US 57873366 A US57873366 A US 57873366A US 3387238 A US3387238 A US 3387238A
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United States
Prior art keywords
cross
switch
contact
resetting
finger
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Expired - Lifetime
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US578733A
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English (en)
Inventor
Takamura Masao
Nakano Ichizo
Mitsuishi Shoji
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NATIONAL TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE PUBLIC CORP
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NATIONAL TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE PUBLIC CORP
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H67/00—Electrically-operated selector switches
    • H01H67/22—Switches without multi-position wipers
    • H01H67/26—Co-ordinate-type selector switches not having relays at cross-points but involving mechanical movement, e.g. cross-bar switch, code-bar switch

Definitions

  • a mechanical latching coordinate switch having a plurality of coordinately arranged contact groups, in each of which holding fingers and contact actuating cards are arranged in such manner that they are movable only in one direction, respectively, and the directions of their movements are perpendicular to each other, resetting bars for driving the contact actuating cards in each horizontal row, electromagnetic devices for driving said resetting bars and electromagnetic devices for simultaneously actuating the holding fingers in each vertical column, whereby the resetting bars and the holding fingers are driven by the electromagnetic devices to disengage the holding finger from the contact actuating card so as to maintain the desired cross-point connection and engage the both members so as to maintain the cross-point release.
  • This invention relates to coordinate switches to be used for switching networks of telephone exchange and more particularly to coordinate switches wherein mechanical latching is carried out with flat spring fingers.
  • the conventional cross-bar switches comprises a set of contacts arranged on horizontal rows and vertical columns, bars, each of which being common to two horizontal rows, bars, each of which being common to two vertical columns, flexible linear fingers attached to the horizontal bars, operating plates with notches and an electromagnetic means for driving rollers and bars mounted on hoding springs, whereby the linear finger enters into the notch of the operating plate to push or withdraw the finger and operating plate so as to operate the contacts and the roller mounted on the holding spring is fitted in the notch of the operating plate for keeping the contacts in the operation state.
  • the conventional switch is required for maintaining the operation and operating state of the contacts to provide two entirely different kinds of the holding springs provided with the finger and roller so that the switch is complicated in its construction and becomes inevitably expensive.
  • the reed switches are of a system wherein a set of reed switches and a core having a proper coercive force are arranged at a cross-point and a differential exciting winding is applied to the core so that the residual magnetization of the core may be reversed by an exciting current, the reed switches may be operated, held or released by the combination of the polarities of the residual magnetization and the contacts may be operated and released at a high speed of about 2 ms. Specifically, if the residual magnetization is reversed, the switches will operate. Therefore, it is a feature of this system that the exciting current pulse may be of a time width (of about ,uSGC.) required for the magnetization reversal.
  • the Ferreed switches have the following demerit that, the exciting current therein is so large (about 10 amperes) that the selecting circuit of the exciting coil terminals cannot be composed of such element of high speed operation as a semiconductor device or reed relay, a large e ectromagnetic relay slow in the operation must be used. Consequently, the time required for the final connection of a cross-point after a control signal which identify the exciting coil has been received, cannot be reduced.
  • the Ferreed switches are comparatively so large in the occupying volume and weight that, in the case of forming an electronic exchange apparatus the occupied space of the switching devices in the telephone office building is very large.
  • an object of the present invention is to provide a switching apparatus operated at a high speed by eliminating the various defects of conventional switching apparatus.
  • a further object of the present invention is to provide a switching apparatus of a small electric power consumption, a small size, light weight and low price.
  • a still further object of the present invention is to economically realize a telephone exchange system with high serviceability.
  • FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the operating principle of a conventional non-self-latching cross-bar switch
  • FIG. 1B is a view showing a cross-point connection in a conventional non-self-latching cross-bar switch
  • FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the operating principle of a mechanically latching cross-bar switch of the present invention
  • FIGS. 2B(a), 2B(b) and 2B(c) are elevations of FIG.
  • FIG. 3 is a view showing an inter-stage wiring to be forbidden when a mechanical latching cross-bar switch of the present invention is used;
  • FIG. 4 is a view showing an offering connection when a cross-bar switch of the present invention is used
  • FIG. is a partly sectioned elevation of a mechanically latching cross-bar switch of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of a yoke of a resetting electromagnet to be'used for the cross-bar switch of the present invention.
  • FIG. 1A The explanation of the operating principle of a non-selflatching cross-bar switch usually used for a conventional common control exchange is shown in FIG. 1A and the explanation of the selecting operation of a cross-point contact is shown in FIG. 1B.
  • Both drawings show a pair of cross-points belonging to one vertical column among cross-points arranged in a matrix. The case of selecting and connecting the cross-point on the upper side shall be explained in the following.
  • 1 is a selecting finger
  • 2 is a contact actuating card
  • 3 is a holding arm
  • 4 is a vertical unit frame
  • 5 is a vertical multiple contact rod
  • 6 is a cross-point movable contact spring
  • 7 is a selecting bar for actuating the selecting finger
  • 8 is a holding magnet for driving the holding arm
  • 9 is a pair of selecting magnets for driving the selecting bar.
  • FIG. 1A when the selecting magnet 9 of lower side is electrically energized to actuate upwardly the selecting finger 1 and select a horizontal row, the selecting finger 1 will be shifted into an operating clearance formed by the contact actuating card 2 and holding arm 3 as shown by 1 in FIG. 1B(a). Then, if the holding magnet 8 in FIG. 1A is electrically energized to horizontally move the holding arm 3 belonging to a desired vertical column as in FIG. 1B( b), the contact actuating card 2 (on the upper side of the drawing) will be pushed through the finger 1 so that the cross-point movable contact spring 6 and the vertical multiple contact rod 5 may be electrically connected.
  • the electrical energization of the selecting magnet 9 will be interrupted but the electrical energization of the holding magnet 8 for driving the holding arm 3 will be continued in order to maintain the cross-point connection.
  • FIG. 2A is a perspective view for explaining the operating principle of the mechanically latching coordinate switch of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2B is a view for explaining a cross-point connection. Both drawings show four cross-points belonging to two horizontal rows and two vertical columns among cross-points arranged in a matrix. The case of selecting and connecting the crosspoints on the lower side shall be explained in the following.
  • a resilient contact spring 10 made of an electric conductor and provided with a contact
  • a vertical multiple contact rod 11 made of an electrical conductor
  • a holding finger 12 and a finger driving magnet 13 are fixed to a frame 14 made of an electrical insulator so as to form a vertical unit.
  • a contact actuating card 16 made of an electrical insulator and provided with a projection to engage with the holding finger is fitted to the tip of the contact spring 10.
  • the holding finger 12 is in the form of a fiat spring and is made of a magnetic material high in tensile strength or is made by securing a magnetic material to a resilient spring material and is formed so that all the holding fingers mounted on the vertical unit may be directly electromagnetically and simultaneously attracted by the finger driving magnet 12 and two or more holding fingers are driven by one driving coil- As this holding finger is flat-shaped, it can move only vertically in FIG. 2A but does not move horizontally due to its rigidity.
  • a required number of the above described vertical units are arranged and as many resetting bars 18, which are provided with projections 17 to engage with the contact actuating cards 16 corresponding to the respective cross-points of the horizontal rows as the horizontal rows are arranged.
  • Each resetting bar is mounted to an armature 21 of a resetting magnet 19 at one end and is tensioned with a restoring spring 20 at the other end. Therefore, if the resetting magnet 19 is electrically energized, the resetting bar 18 belonging to said magnet will be pulled longitudinally and the contact actuating cards 16 in the same horizontal row engaging with the resetting bar 18 at the projection 17 thereof will move together with the resetting bar 18.
  • FIGS. 2A and 2B(a) show a state in which the projection 15 of the contact actuating card 16 is engaged with the holding finger 12 and the cross-point is released.
  • the mechanically latching coordinate switch has a self-latching function by using such magnetic material low in coercive force as pure iron for the electromagnet core and yoke so that,
  • Such cross-point selecting method as in the Ferreed switches has no need of releasing and controlling the switch upon the completion of a call and gives a convenience in the case of forming an exchanging system but has a defect that no offering connection can be made therein.
  • the resetting bar is operated to release the cross-point, there will be no problem on a subsequent network connection.
  • the following restricting conditions may be applied to the inter-stage wiring of v the switching network.
  • FIG. 3 is a view showing an inter-stage wiring to be forbidden when a coordinate switch according to the present invention is used.
  • Such wiring as makes each row of the switch in one stage (ith) an outlet and makes each row of the switch in the next stage (i+lth) an inlet as shown in FIG. 3 has a possibility of producing such crosstalk loop as is shown by the broken line for the connecting paths of a-b and c-d when the switch is not released upon the completion of a call and is therefore forbidden.
  • Such inter-stage wiring as from column to row or from row to column or from column to column is made, no cross-talk loop will be produced.
  • Such restriction will not be so disadvantageous, especially, in the case of constructing a switching network by the square matrix switch, because the row and column are quite symmetrical with each other.
  • FIG. 4 is a view showing an offering connection when the mechanically latching coordinate switch of the present invention is used. As shown in the drawing, it is possible to form a connecting path with c by connecting a contact d further to a connecting path connecting a and b.
  • the resetting bar 18 in the horizontal row will be subjected mostly to a tensile stress and can be made very light and, as the holding finger 12 is driven directly with the electromagnet, the mass of its moving part is very small.
  • the mechanically latching coordinate switch during a call, no electric current is required to electrically energize the electromagnet, merely a pulse current may be impressed in the case of the connecting operation, therefore the temperature rise of the exciting coil will be very small, thus the amount of copper required for the exciting coil may be small, the time constant of the exciting coil will become smaller and the operating time of the switch will be reduced very much.
  • the holding finger is flat-shaped as different from the known conventional selecting finger and its moving direction is limited to one, its operation will be sure.
  • the holding finger and the finger driving magnet are mounted on a verti cal unit and an electromagnetic attraction may act simultaneously on all fingers of column, so the structure of the finger driving magnet can be simplified and the relative positions of the holding finger, contact actuating card and finger driving magnet with one another can be realized accurately.
  • FIG. 5 is an elevation of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2A. As the vertical units Y and Y are used for pre-selection, it shows substantially a mechanically latching coordinate switch of 2 wires, 8 rows and 8 columns.
  • FIG. 5 shows an arrangement of the contacts 10, holding fingers 12 and resetting bars 18.
  • the contacts 10 and holding fingers 12 in the same vertical columns (Y Y Y are secured to the unit frame 14 made of a synthetic resin by injection molding, together with the finger driving magnet 13 so as to form one unit.
  • the contacts in each of the columns Y to Y are arranged in two columns, a horizontal multiple connection is made on the back surface of switch and the fixed contact is in the form of a vertical multiple contact rod.
  • the contacts are arranged in one column only backwardly.
  • the fixed contact and movable contact of each contact pair in the columns Y and Y are both electrically insulated in the vertical column and are independent of each other and an electric terminal comes out on the rear side of the switch so as to make a unit for pre-selection.
  • the left side contact spring terminals and the right side contact spring terminals of the vertical units Y to Y are horizontally multiple-wired with the movable contact spring terminals of the vertical unit Y and the movable contact spring terminals of the vertical unit Y respectively.
  • the fixed contacts in the same horizontal row of the vertical units Y and Y are connected with each other. Therefore, in the case of connecting the crosspoint, if the holding finger 12 belonging to one of the vertical units Y to Y and either one of Y and Y and resetting bar 18 in the desired row are operated, a so-called pre-selective connection will be made.
  • each contacts group of the unit for pre-selection comprises two pairs of make-break contacts, wherein the movable contact which is opened when the holding finger 12 is engaged with the contacting actuating card 16, is horizontally multiple-wired with the left side contact of the vertical units Y to Y while the movable contact respectively which is closed respectively is horizontally multiple-wired with the right side contact of the vertical units Y to Y
  • the fixed contact is indepedent'of each contacts and its terminal comes out on the rear side of the switch.
  • the pro-selective connecting function can also be provided by only addition of a pair of units for preselection and the number of the cross-points contained in the horizontal row can be selectively varied with the increase of the vertical units so that the switch can easily be constructed and is universal and can be mass-produced.
  • the yokes of these electromagnets can be made in a body and used commonly as a path of magnetic flux so that they may be easy to make and may be made light in the weight and high in the speed.
  • FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the structure of a yoke of a resetting magnet of a coordinate switch of the present invention.
  • the yoke 25 is bent by press working, has a core 26 arranged on one edge and is provided with a opening 27 in the part of the yoke 25 opposed to the core 26. This opening is effective to reduce the leaking magnetic flux between the core and the yoke and is useful for the high speed operation.
  • the required cross-sectional area of the Yoke will be sufiicient if it is such that, when one resetting magnet is electrically energized, no magnetic saturation will occur.
  • the amount of iron will be remarkably reduced to be smaller than in the case of providing individual resetting magnets with independent yokes. Thus, it is useful to reduce the weight of the switch.
  • these resetting magnets are arranged in one column, it is easy to make integral the hinge lug and back stop of the resetting armature or the restoring springs 20 of the resetting bar 18 (ref. FIG. 2A) also arranged in one column respectively. Therefore, it is very effective to the reduction of the number of parts and the reduction of the price of the switch.
  • the features of the mechanically latching coordinate switch of the present invention explained'above are 1) That it consists of vertical units on which crosspoint contacts, holding fingers and finger driving magnets are mounted, horizontal resetting bars and resetting magnets, that the mass of the movable parts is so small that a high speed operation can be made,
  • the exciting current pulse width of the switch is about 4 ms, the time which is required for the excitation of the switch driving magnet after the control signal is received, will be greatly reduced, and the controlling apparatus will be saved, moreover the switching apparatus will be made small, light and cheap and thus the telephone exchange system can be economically constructed.
  • a mechanical latching coordinate switch comprising a plurality of cross-point contact units having a plurality of contact groups provided with contact actuating cards having parts engaging with holding fingers and aligned in a vertical column, a plurality of holding fingers provided for respective contact groups and movable only in one direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the contact actuating cards and electro-magnetic devices for simultaneously acting on said holding fingers; a plurality of resetting bars arranged perpendicularly to said cross-point contact units so as to operate the contact actuating cards of the contact groups belonged to each horizontal row of said cross-point contact units; and resetting bar driving units provided with a plurality of electromagnetic devices driving individually said resetting bars in a vertical column and in the same surface of said cross-point contact units, whereby the ele .romagnetic devices drive the resetting bar and the holding finger, respectively, the holding finger disengages from the contact actuating card and then when the resetting bar is released, the contacts remain connected and the holding finger is prevented from its return,

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US578733A 1966-03-25 1966-09-12 Mechanical latching coordinate switch Expired - Lifetime US3387238A (en)

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Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP1790266 1966-03-25

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US3387238A true US3387238A (en) 1968-06-04

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BE (1) BE687313A (fr)
GB (1) GB1161506A (fr)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3478285A (en) * 1966-12-22 1969-11-11 Gen Electric Co Ltd Electric crossbar switches
US3631522A (en) * 1969-05-01 1971-12-28 Gen Electric Co Ltd Electric switches
US3662301A (en) * 1970-05-27 1972-05-09 Frederick H Clymer Jr Switching system
US20070151077A1 (en) * 2006-01-04 2007-07-05 Po-Tung Wei Self-restoration hinge

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2082911A (en) * 1935-11-08 1937-06-08 American Telephone & Telegraph Switch
US2350464A (en) * 1943-05-18 1944-06-06 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Switching mechanism
US2932773A (en) * 1956-04-23 1960-04-12 Baso Inc Electromagnetic control apparatus

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2082911A (en) * 1935-11-08 1937-06-08 American Telephone & Telegraph Switch
US2350464A (en) * 1943-05-18 1944-06-06 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Switching mechanism
US2932773A (en) * 1956-04-23 1960-04-12 Baso Inc Electromagnetic control apparatus

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3478285A (en) * 1966-12-22 1969-11-11 Gen Electric Co Ltd Electric crossbar switches
US3631522A (en) * 1969-05-01 1971-12-28 Gen Electric Co Ltd Electric switches
US3662301A (en) * 1970-05-27 1972-05-09 Frederick H Clymer Jr Switching system
US20070151077A1 (en) * 2006-01-04 2007-07-05 Po-Tung Wei Self-restoration hinge

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Publication number Publication date
GB1161506A (en) 1969-08-13
BE687313A (fr) 1967-03-01

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