Modular electrical switch
US6111208A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 25, 1998 |
| Grant date | Aug 29, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 25, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01H19/56
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A rotary switch includes a housing (14) with a pair of fixed select terminals (44a, 44b) and a fixed common terminal (44c). A rotor (28) that can pivot about an axis (A1), carries a connector (48) with a contact pad (60) for engaging one of the select contacts at a time and a common contact (58) for engaging the common terminal on the housing. The common terminal on the housing is in the form of a track extending in an arc centered on the rotor axis to enable the common contact to remain in continuous engagement with the common terminal as the rotor turns. The common contact on the rotor forms a pair of tabs (62) that slideably engage opposite sides of the track. The connector on the rotor can shift radially to the axis, and is biased by a spring (64) to urge the contact pad toward a select terminal. A cam arrangement shifts the contact pad radially away from a select terminal as the rotor begins to turn from a center position, to minimize the duration of electric arcs. The housing has an inner face (68) extending in an arc between the pair of select terminals, with the inner face having a plurality of axially-extending grooves (69), to minimize the duration of electric arcs. A plu…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.