SWITCHING DEVICE

Abstract: A switching device comprising a reed switch (11) of a normal open type turned on and off by magnetic field, a fixed bias magnet (12) located in an area where the switch operates stably, and a starting magnet (14) located opposite to the fixed bias magnet with the switch interposed between them and capable of applying magnetic field, reverse to that of the fixed bias magnet, to the switch. When the starting magnet (14) is carried close to the switch (11), its magnetic field overcomes that of the fixed bias magnet (12) to control the switching-on and -off of the switch, and when it is carried remote from the switch, the fixed bias magnet controls the switching-on and -off of the switch.

Description: The present invention relates to a switching device as described in the opening clause of independent claim 1 for use with sea rescue systems such as the radio buoy, radar transponder (SART) and emergency position report radio beacon (EPIRB) which uses the satellite. As well known, the sea rescue systems must meet standards provided by IMO (International Marine Affairs Organization), ITU (International Tele-communication Union) and the like. In addition, they must satisfy various kinds of regulations provided by Classification Societies. Those technical ones, which are associated with the switching device, of these standards and regulations include the following sentences in addition to the common provisions. 1) Its machinery and tools shall be reliable under any extreme conditions. 2) It shall be provided with appropriate means for preventing it from being mistakenly made operative. 3) It shall have such a water-tight arrangement as to be durable for five minutes in the depth of 10 m in the sea (its electric circuit shall be durable against destructive influences caused by freeze and water leakage). 4) It shall be automatically operated. 5) It shall be manually operated and stopped (It may be so through remote control). 6) It shall be easily tested (without transmitting signals). 7) It shall not be damaged even when it is dropped from the height of 20m into the sea. 8) While it is on board, it shall be normally operated even if shock and vibration usually added to the decks of navigating ships come out of a certain range. The mercury switch (or inverted switch) can be cited as the switching mechanism which is often used with the conventional systems under the above-mentioned conditions. This mercury switch uses mercury contacts and when the system is made upside up on the sea or in its container, the mercury switch is closed to automatically start the system. When it is to be stopped, the system is made upside down. In other words, the system is housed, its upside down, in the container. When the system is set like this, however, the following problems are caused. 1) It is likely to be lead to malfunction by forces such as shock, vibration and shake applied from outside. 2) It cannot be easily tested (or operated) (by one touch of finger). 3) It is likely to be mistakenly operated. This is because the system must be set upside down because of the structure of the mercury switch in the case of the switching device for use with the conventional sea rescue systems. Document CH-A-565 445 discloses a switching device havung a switch turned on and off by a magnetic field and a fixed bias magnet located in an area where the switch operates stably, and a starting magnet located opposite to the fixed bias magnet with the switch interposed between them and capable of applying a magnetic field, reverse to that of the fixed bias magnet to the switch. When the starting magnet is brought close to the switch, its magnetic field overcomes that of the fixed bias magnet to control the switching-on and -off of the switch, and when it is taken away from the switch, the fixed bias magnet controls the switching-on and -off of the switch. The switch in this prior art is a reed switch of the normally open type and the fixed bias magnet applies a magnetic field to the reed switch to close the latter. The present invention is therefore intended to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks and the object of the present invention is to provide a switching device most suitable for use with the sea rescue systems and capable of providing such advantages that the system is unlikely to be lead to mulfunction by forces such as shock, vibration and shake applied from outside, that it can be easily tested (or operated) and that it is unlikely to be mistakenly operated. To achieve this object, the above described switching device is further characterized by the features of the characterizing portion of claim 1. This invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing the switching device according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a view for illustrating an arrangement of a magnet relative to a reed switch; Fig. 3 is a diagram intended to explain the arrangement and position of the magnet; and Fig. 4 is a partially broken front view showing a radio buoy into which the switching device according to Fig 1 is incorporated. An embodiment of the switching device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows the switching device roughly and in Fig. 1, numeral 11 represents a magnetic reed switch. The reed switch 11 is embedded and fixed in body or mold member 13 made of resin. Reed switch 11 is embedded in mold member 13 in such a way that it is adjacent and parallel to a flat surface of mold member 13. Each Reed switch 11, 11' comprises a pair of strip reed terminals 11a serving as contacts and made of magnetic material, and elongated glass tube 11b for sealing these terminals 11a therein. The base ends of the reed terminals are fixed to both ends of glass tube 11b, respectively, and a contact is formed on a free end side of each of reed terminals 11a. These contacts face each other in the center of glass tube 11b with a certain interval interposed between them. Two reed switches 11 of the normal open type are used in this second embodiment. Reed switches 11 which are electrically connected at their one ends and thus connected each other in series are embedded, parallel to each other, in mold member 13. Closed chamber 13a is formed, adjacent to and above first reed switch 11, in mold member 13. First starting magnet 14a is housed in closed chamber 13a in such a manner that it can move to and from first reed switch 11 in upward and downward directions (shown by arrows in Fig. 1). First starting magnet 14a is shaped like a plate and it is S-polarized at the lower side thereof while N-polarized at the upper side thereof. An open chamber 13b is formed, adjacent to and below second reed switch 11', in mold member 13. This open chamber 13b is communicated with outside the mold member 13 through horizontal and vertical passages 13c and 13d. Second starting magnet 14b is housed in open chamber 13b in such a way that it can move to and from second reed switch 11' in upward and downward directions (shown by arrows in Fig. 1). Second starting magnet 14b is plate-shaped and its lower side serves as N polarity while its upper side as S polarity. It is embedded in float 21 with its top exposed. When the switching device having the above-described arrangement is as shown in Fig. 1, first reed switch is closed by the magnetic field of first starting magnet 14a which is in the stable operation area but second reed switch 11 is opened because it is out of the influence of the magnetic field of second starting magnet 14b. Since reed switches 11, 11' are connected in series, the line of these reed switches 11, 11' opened. When the switching device is put into the sea, first starting magnet 14a is held close to first reed switch 11 due to its own weight, thereby keeping first reed switch 11 closed, while second starting magnet 14b is lifted close to second reed switch 11' and brought into the stable operation area by float 21 on the water entering into open chamber 13b, thereby causing second reed switch 11 to be closed. As the result, the line of reed switches 11, 11' is closed, rendering an electric circuit (not shown) operative. When the switching device is turned upside down in the sea, first starting magnet 14a comes remote from first reed switch 11 thanks to its own weight to thereby open this reed switch 11, while second starting magnet 14b is carried remote from second reed switch 11' by float 21 to thereby open this reed switch 11'. The switching device is under on-state when it is kept upside up in the sea, but it is under off-state when it is turned upside down in the sea. The reason why the magnets 14 are located at one end of reed switch 11 will be described referring to Fig. 2. The operation of reed switch 11 which had the above-described arrangement was checked, moving permanent magnet 10, which was N-polarized at one end thereof and S-polarized at the other end, in the longitudinal direction (or direction d) and traverse direction (or direction g) of reed switch 11. Fig. 3 shows results thus obtained. The lateral axis denotes distances of permanent magnet 10 shifted in the longitudinal direction of reed switch 11 while the vertical axis those of permanent magnet 10 shifted in the traverse direction thereof. Symbol A represents an opened area where the terminals of reed switch 11 are opened, symbol B stable operation areas where they are stably closed, and symbol C unstable operation areas where they are opened and closed. Considering these results obtained, starting magnets 14 are usually located not in the center of reed switch 11 but at one end thereof, that is, in the stable operation area. When starting magnet 14 is moved out of the stable operation area and into the unstable operation area, reed switch is closed. A radio buoy into which the switching device is incorporated and which serves as the sea rescue safety system will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Numeral 13 represents a body case of the radio buoy (which corresponds to mold member 13). The switching device shown in Fig. 1 is arranged in the bottom of the body case and connected to electric circuits (not shown) in the body case. This radio buoy floats upside up on sea 32 as shown in Fig. 4 and sea water enters into open chamber 13b through horizontal and vertical passages 13c and 13d in the bottom of the body case. First starting magnet 14a comes close to first reed switches 11 due to its own weight, thereby closing these reed switches 11, while second starting magnet 14b is brought close to second reed switches 11 by float 21 on the sea water entering into open chamber 13b, thereby closing these reed switches 11. Therefore, the radio buoy can be easily rendered operative only by dropping it into the sea. When the radio buoy is pulled up from the sea, float 21 loses its buoyancy and second starting magnet 14b thus moves downward due to its own weight and comes remote from second reed switches 11, thereby opening these reed switches 11. Therefore, the radio buoy can be rendered inoperative only by pulling it up from the sea. When the radio buoy is turned upside down, first starting magnet 14a moves downward due to its own weight and comes remote from first reed switches 11 to thereby open these reed switches 11. Even when the buoy is mistakenly turned upside down, therefore, it can be kept inoperative. When the radio buoy which is kept upside up is to be manually operated, the float is lifted by a finger 33 through vertical passage 13d in the bottom of the body case and brought close to second reed switches 11. These second reed switches 11 are thus turned on to thereby make the electric circuits operative. When the radio buoy is not used, a fixing member such as safety pin 34 is inserted between the ceiling of the open chamber and second starting magnet 14b through horizontal passage 13c in the bottom of the body case. Second starting magnet 14b is thus locked, thereby preventing the radio buoy from being mistakenly rendered operative.

Claims: A switching device comprising a housing (13) having a chamber (13a), a first magnetically operated normally open type switch (11), and a magnet (14a) for closing said first switch (11), characterized in that said housing (13) has another chamber (13b) and passage means (13c) communicating said another chamber (13b) to the outside of the housing, said magnet (14a) is movable due to its weight in the chamber (13a) between a first position where the first switch (11) is open and a second position closer to the first switch where the switch (11) is closed, another magnetically operated normally open type switch (11') is provided in the housing (13) and connected to said first switch (11) in series, and another magnet (14b) is provided in said another chamber (13b) and movable due to the buoyancy of an attached float (21) in its chamber (13b) to a first position where said another switch (11') is closed from a second position further from said another switch (11') where said another switch (11') is open. The switching device according to claim 1, characterized in that said both switches (11, 11') are fixedly embedded in the housing (13). The switching device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said housing (13) floats in water in such a manner that said another chamber (13b) is positioned under the water so that water is introduced into said another chamber (13b) through the passage means (13c) so that said float (21) carries said another magnet (14b) into its first position. The switching device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that said passage means (13c) includes at least one passage horizontally extended in the housing (13). The switching device according to claim 4, characterized in that at least one passage (13d) is formed in the housing (13) to vertically extend to the bottom of the housing (13) from said another chamber (13b).

Inventors: ICHIKAWA, MUNEHIRO C/O PATENT DIVISION, NAGANO, SUKETOSHI C/O PATENT DIVISION, YONEYAMA, TAKASHI C/O PATENT DIVISION
Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
Application year: 1988
Main classification: H01H36
IPC codes: H01H36