Switch system

[57] ABSTRACT

A switch system for connecting any one of a plurality of transmitters to any one of a plurality of antennas by providing a base structure on which identical module switch elements, made of conductive resilient cantilever line sections, are mounted on the front and back of a base to provide continuous vertical line conductor elements on the back connected to transmitter terminals and provide continuous horizontal line conductor sections on the front connected to antenna terminals, rotatably mounted rotors having flat conductive cam sections at right angles to each other engage the cantilevers and cross connect any one of the transmitter lines to any one of the crossing antenna lines. Each module includes a face plate carrying an insulator supporting a pair of resilient conductive cantilever line sections embracing the cam sections of the rotor to connect with similar resilient conductive cantilever sections for line continuing relation or for cross connection by the cooperating rotatably mounted rotors insulatingly supported.

Claims, 7 Drawing Figures

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Patented May 30, 1972

3,666,902

Sheets-Sheet 1

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BY

INVENTORS

KENNETH OWEN STEPHEN W. KERSHNER

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Patented May 30, 1972

3,666,902

Sheets-Sheet 2

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FIG. 2.

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Patented May 30, 1972

3,666,902

Sheets-Sheet 3

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FIG. 3.

INVENTORS

KENNETH OWEN

STEPHEN W. KERSHNER

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Patented May 30, 1972

3,666,902

Sheets-Sheet 4

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<img file="US3666902A_D0009.tif" />

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FIG. 6.

IH

INVENTORS

KENNETH OWEN

STEPHEN W.KERSHNER

BY

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3,666,902

SWITCH SYSTEM

The present invention relates to a switch system such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,223,812 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,004 and is particularly made for connecting any one of a plurality of transmitters to any one of a plurality of antennas to directionally direct the signal. The invention more particularly relates to the connection between coaxial cables in which the center conductor is shielded by the outer conductor to reduce cross-talk.

Heretofore, various switch systems have been provided, some of which have depended upon a plunger action to crossconnect crossing lines in which a plurality of generally parallel horizontal lines are connected to a number of antennas and a plurality of vertical crossing lines which are located in a plane spaced from the antenna lines are connected to transmitters and plunger-like cross-connecting switches serve to connect the various antenna lines to the transmitter lines.

An object of the present invention is to provide a switch system which is relatively inexpensive and overcomes the difficulties of the prior art.

Another object is to provide a switch system for connecting any one of a plurality of transmitters to any one of a plurality of antennas by means of rotatable elements.

Other and further objects will be apparent as the description wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of the switch system showing the transmitter connection terminals at the top and two of the antenna connect terminals at the back;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section taken on line 2—2 of FIG. 1, ’ showing the manual and electrical operation structure for the rotor having cam sections at right angles made of a double fork conductive element and showing the connection of the middle antenna line to a coaxial terminal;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective with the base and supporting structure omitted showing the operation of the rotor conductive cam making connection between transmitter T4 and antenna A2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective with parts broken away looking from the front toward the back showing the spring contacts for grounding the conductive rotor cam when in inoperative position at the right and showing the grounding spring out of contact with the double-forked element in crossconnecting position at the left;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective of the top left structure and showing the cross-point between transmitter T1 and antenna Al;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section taken on line 6—6 of FIG. 2 showing the grounding spring engaging the rotary cam ele- ₅₀ment in line continuing inoperative position;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary detail exploded view showing the construction of the rotor cam showing the double-forked conductive element, the insulators supporting the same and the extension shafts for the manual and rotary solenoid operation. 55 Referring more particularly to the drawings, a base plate B or main support is shown as provided with a plurality of switch receiving openings O extending in horizontal rows and vertical columns for the rotor cams shown of conductive, doubleforked elements S. Extending horizontally on each side of the 60 horizontal rows of openings O are I-beams IH, and extending vertically in columns are a plurality of I-beams IV secured to the base B by any suitable manner, thereby providing shielded passages for the horizontal antenna lines at the front and the vertical transmitter lines at the back. To reduce the number of reference numerals, postscript B means back and postscript F means front. H and V mean horizontal and vertical respective-

Fixed to the outer flanges of the I-beams IH are a plurality of face plates 10 at the front and at the back. Apertures in the 70 face plates 10 provide bearings for the counterbored reduced ends of cylindrical insulator shafts of teflon or other suitable insulating material 11 which are snugly received in the forked ends of the rotor cam S of conductive material. The doubly forked rotatable conductive rotor cam element S includes a

----- ----u^^urvuiao U1C ucauiipuun i . 11 J . -ts-o— —” VX n»w proceeds and upon reference to the accompanying drawings ^{piale 311(1 a conventIonal} washer is positioned between the ^{r J b} Of front «ηπηπ tuoclia- 1 *&gt;C *1__X&gt;____r· ., . . -30 pair of forwardly extending tines SI, SI and a pair of rearwardly extending tines S2, S2 forming flat cam sections SI, SI; S2, S2 at right angles to each other. The rotor cam element is made from a cylindrical conductive bar which is bored inwardly from each end and then milled to provide the pairs of tines SI and S2 of substantially the same length but the body is milled so that the cylindrical disc portion S&lt;, is spaced from the inner end of the notch formed by the tines SI, SI, a greater distance for contacting grounding springs 22A, 22A, hereinafter described, to prevent cross talk by grounding the rotors S in their inoperative positions. The insulator shafts 11, 11 are held in position by roll pins R passing through aligned apertures in the shafts 11 and the cooperating tines SI, SI and 15 ^{S2, S2, the c}y^lindrical bore formed between the tines serving to snugly engage the cylindrical insulators 11 to prevent rocking movement about the pins R. A knob carrying shaft 12 is received in the counterbore of insulator 11 and is prevented from rotation therein by a roll pin R passing through a trans, verse aperture in the knob shaft 12 and received into a slot

IIS in the insulator. A pair of grooves 12A and 12B receive horseshoe-shaped spring washers 12S on the front and back of plates 13 mounted on the face plate 10 by means of spacers 13A. A warped spring washer 12W engages the back of the front spring washer 12S and the front of the plate 13 to thereby maintain the knob receiving shaft 12 against axial movement. A hand operating knob 14 is mounted on the forward extension of shaft 12 by means of its axial bore which is of a length to space the inner end of the knob 14 away from the plate 13.

A rearwardly extending shaft 15 is received in the counterbore of the reduced portion of insulator 11 and held against rotation by a roll pin R and such shaft 15 is part of a stepping switch 16 of the rotary solenoid type such as that manufactured by Ledex, Inc., Series 312, or any other suitable type, making a complete turn in a predetermined number of activations such as 12 actuations of the rotary solenoid 16, for example. The rotary solenoid 16 actuates the three wafer switches and one switch thereof causes the rotary solenoid to stop after three steps making a 90° rotation. Other wafer switches may be used to disconnect and connect the transmitter and to indicate the position of the particular switch. Other types of activators may be used to produce the 90° rotation.

A shaft 17 is shown to operate a two-wafer switch 18 which is arranged to operate a signal board to indicate the condition of the particular switch and another wafer is used to control the transmitter to assure that the transmitter is turned off be. fore the contacts are made or broken in the particular switch being operated. A suitable signal board and transmitter control is shown in the prior patents referred to above.

Each face plate 10 is provided with a bent-over flange 19 to which is attached an insulator 20 by means of rivets or bolts 20A and mounted on each insulator 20 are a pair of resilient conductive cantilevers or leaf spring line sections 21 in a first plane, each leaf spring having means such as an aperture adjacent one end receiving a fastener element such as a bolt 21A which extends through aligned apertures in the leaf spring sections 21, 21 and secured together with a nut to maintain the cantilever springs in position. It will be apparent that the cantilever springs may engage fixed insulatingly supported abutments on the fixed ends 21B of adjacent line continuing conductive cantilever springs.

The adjacent I-beams IH at the front of the base B are provided with slots 22 which receive electrically grounded leaf springs 22A which engage the rotatable conductive cam elements S in the inoperative position thereof to ground the elements S so that the conductive rotary element S is grounded in its inoperative position by the springs 22A, 22A to prevent cross talk. Such springs are retained loosely in the slot by peening over a portion of the flange of the I-beam IH and by tapering the ends of springs to be loosely received in the slots 22 on one or both ends so that such springs 22A can assume a straight position as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 6 when the

3,666,902

4 rotatable conductive element is turned to its operative cross connected position shown in dotted lines.

The springs 22A, 22A ground the rotor S when in line continuing relation and prevent capacitance coupling between the crossing lines at the cross over points. ;

To assemble the switch system, the I-beams IH and IV are mounted on the front and back of the base B which has previously had openings O made therein. The insulators 20 are mounted on the face plates 10 and the resilient conductive cantilevers or leaf spring section conductors 21 are secured to ¹¹the insulators. The face plates 10 with the insulators and the leaf springs are then mounted in their proper positions by means of screws or the like. The leaf spring sections 21 are biased to have their free ends urged together so that the spacing therebetween is less than the height of the insulators 20 ^1;and therefore the free ends of the springs are closer than the conductive abutments or fixed ends 21B of the leaf spring previously mounted. If desired, the cantilever leaf springs may engage fixed abutments insulatingly supporting the adjacent -, line continuing cantilever springs. To provide for assembly, the face plates 10 are provided with apertures 23 arranged in spaced relation for receiving a tool such as a U-shaped wire 23S, the tines of which are spaced apart a sufficient distance to hold the free ends of cantilever leaf springs 21, 21 of the 2‘ module separated so that the module can be assembled by axial movement along shaft 11. The module is held in place by suitable screws such as spacers 13A which have a threaded stud at one end and a threaded bore at the other end so that the threaded stud of spacer 13A secures the face plate 10 to a 3C threaded opening in the I-beam while screws 13S secure the plate 13 in position.

The conductive rotatable element S is assembled with the insulators 11 and secured together by the roll pins R and such unit is inserted before the back plate 10B is attached with the 35 face plates 10 and 10B providing the bearings for the rotatable elements.

The back face plates 10B are then applied and the U-shaped wire 23 is used to spread the springs 21 as previously described and thereafter the plate 24 is secured in place by ⁴⁰spacers 13A and screws 13S.

Each leaf spring 21 is secured intermediate its ends in a notch 21C so that the end 21B curving inwardly acts as a fixed conductive abutment and lies outside of the notch 21C formed in insulator 20 and is adapted to be contracted by the fingers ⁴⁵21D, 21D formed in the free end of the leaf spring section 21, dimples 21E being formed in the fingers 21D, 21D to provide contact projections on the upwardly curved free ends of the fingers 2ID to contact the fixed abutment formed by the curved stationary end 21B of the adjacent resilient conductive cantilever leaf spring section 21.

In FIG. 2 a channel shaped conductive extension 25 is secured to the adjacent insulator 20 and outwardly of the spring sections 21 with a bolt 25A securing the channel 25 to the adjacent leaf spring sections 21, the channel 25 being connected to a central contact 25B which is supported on a suitable insulator and projects rearwardly through a clearance opening in the base B to be attached to a female coaxial extension 25C receiving the contact 25B, an outer flange connec- ₆₀tion 25D providing the connection to the shielding conductor of the coaxial cable, the parts being held together by suitable bolts 25E. The line sections are effectively shielded by suitable conductive plates.

In FIG. 5 a connection from the vertical transmitter line T1 65 shows a channel member 26 mitered at right angles rearwardly and connected by a bolt 26A to the adjacent leaf spring section 21 and insulator 20, a horizontal portion 26B extending rearwardly and being connected to the center contact 26C for the transmitter T1 which is connected to the central conduc- 70 tor of a coaxial cable, the outer conductor being secured in position in a manner similar to that of the member 25D of the antenna connections.

From the above description, it will be apparent that a switching system has been provided in which any one of a plu- 75 rality of transmitters may be connected to any one of a plurality of antennas by a conductive rotative element having insulator shafts 11 of Teflon or other suitable insulating material rotatably supported in face plates 10 with the cantilever leaf ’ spring sections 21 applying a uniform radial pressure on the rotor S and the insulators 11 in all positions of the rotatable conductive element S which prevents objectionable radial forces between the bearing surfaces of the plate 10 and the 5 reduced portion of the insulators. Some insulating material such as Teflon takes on a permanent set when subjected to pressure in one direction, and by having equal radial pressure by the cantilever springs this pressure in one direction is avoided. The grounding springs 22A, 22A also produce a - uniform balance of radial pressure.

The manually operated switch 18 and the rotary solenoid operated switch 16 are secured to the plates 24 by suitable fasteners and serve to operate an indicator board showing the position of the particular switch and also having connections ) which disconnect the transmitter before the circuit is broken as previously explained.

The resilient conductive cantilevers or leaf spring sections 21, 21 may be of other shapes such as a rod or the like, with provision to connect to a similar rod by means of the resiliency &gt; of the rod, or other shapes, to make and break the contact as described above. The cantilever springs may engage conductive abutments and be supported on conductive abutments, which conductive abutments are insulatingly supported on insulators such as 20.

One feature of the invention is the cantilever arrangement of the springs to provide for the resiliency and the spring biased closing of the free end of the cantilever with the relatively fixed end of the adjacent aligned cantilever or abutment. The flow of current with the cantilever rotor spring sections has two paths with the coaxial arrangement described in detail and by using the two fingers formed by the notch between fingers 21D at the free end of each spring four points of contact for the passage of current are provided, thereby increasing the efficiency.

A balanced line arrangement may be provided in which the spring leaf sections 21, 21 on each module are insulated from one another by having attaching screws threaded into the insulator 20, thereby avoiding interconnecting the two leaf spring sections in the module. The rotor cam conductive switching element S is then arranged to have one tine SI connected to one tine S2 and such connections being insulated from the conductive connection between the other tine SI and the other tine S2, thereby providing for cross-connecting the pairs of conductor lines to accomplish a similar result to that of U S Pat. No. 3,500,004.