MULTI-FUNCTIONAL MULTI-PURPOSE MAGNETICALLY OPERATED ELECTRIC SWITCH

Abstract

A device capable of operating as an electric switch and more particularly as an electric switch wherein the movable contacts of the switch are moved by magnetic fields and also where the switch contacts themselves are connected to the magnets, or are the magnets themselves, using electrically conductive contacts which may either be fastened to, but insulated from the magnets, or are directly attached to the magnets themselves and each contact attached to conductive wire. This switch device was originally designed for fast switching applications and to handle high voltage spikes and small current arcs in order to drive and provide timing for an Energy Efficient motor/fan and POV display where the LEDs for the display are powered solely by, traditionally wasted, high voltage back EMF energy. The scope of this invention, however, covers any motor, fan, engine or other apparatus which is capable of being driven by electrical current flowing through the electric switch device described herein.

Claims

1. A device capable of operating as an electric switch and more particularly as an electric switch wherein the movable contacts of the switch are moved by magnetic fields and also where the switch contacts themselves are connected to one or more magnets, or are the magnet(s) themselves, utilizing electrically conductive contacts which may either be fastened to, but insulated from the magnets, or are directly attached to the magnets themselves, or are placed in close enough proximity to be pushed or pulled to physically interact with the contact(s) when a Trigger Magnet traverses past or near the device and each electrical contact then attached to conductive wire or electromagnetic coil if wireless electrical connection is desired.

2. An electric switch device with electrical contacts fastened to magnets or which are magnets themselves, that may be utilized in more than one application or function including but not limited to fast switching applications, including acting as an electromagnetic trigger like a Reed switch, a press button/plunger or toggle switch, limit switch, electromagnetic sensor, as a fuse, even as a power generation device, simultaneously without changing the design or altering any of the components after manufacture and also where distance between contacts may be adjusted to easily control or affect sensitivity of the switch which may affect performance factors, including, but not limited to switching speed and electrical current allowed to flow through the switch.

3. An electric switch device, as described in claim 1, capable of fast switching and requiring no electrical power input to operate, but capable of switching speeds greater than a Reed switch.

4. An electric switch that is triggered by a magnetic/electromagnetic force and which harnesses electromagnetic energy from the passing trigger magnet/electromagnet and also from the movement of the magnet(s) within the switch itself, captured in a pickup coil or set of coils positioned around the switch enclosure, capturing energy which may then be stored or otherwise utilized in the system and where said pickup coil may also be utilized as the receiver of a wireless electrical connection if an electromagnetically matched coil is placed in close enough proximity to the switch device and serves as the wireless power inducer/transmitter.

5. An electric switch, as described in claim 4, capable of fast switching and providing measurable voltages each time the switch is triggered for use in, but not limited to, for example, detecting every time the switch is triggered for speed measurement, or powering LEDs, but which requires no electrical input power to operate.

6. An electric switch device as described in claim 1 which is capable of fast switching but able to withstand currents exceeding the limits of presently available reed switches or Hall effect sensors, where current carrying potential is only limited by the wires and contacts, especially when switch magnets are thermally and electrically insulated from the contacts themselves.

7. An electric switch device, as described in claim 2, where contacts can be engineered to not fuse together as they do in a Reed switch, potentially creating a fire hazard in high power motor applications, by utilizing low temperature melting point metals or attaching electrical contacts directly to magnets in order to render them demagnetized if heat or electrical energy exceed a certain amount.

8. An electric switch device as described in claim 4 where back EMF may be harnessed directly through the switch without fusing the contacts together due to arcing, as typically occurs in a Reed switch or overloading and short circuiting the device as occurs with a Hall effect sensor.

9. A switch device, as described in claim 2, which can be utilized as a magnetic contact-less actuator as well as an electrical switch for a wide range of applications including motor switching and/or timing control, security systems sensing, or any device or application requiring electrical and/or mechanical switching using a magnetic field as the trigger where one moving magnet inside the switch enclosure is arranged to influence the movement of another magnet inside or outside of the same enclosure or tube forming somewhat of a mechanical relay whose interacting members may be attached to current carrying wire and rendered an electrical relay with a magnetic trigger.

10. A device as described in claim 2 in which mechanical switching is possible if a freely movable mechanical member is attached to the moving magnet inside the switch which will move each time it interacts with the trigger magnet(s) or if another magnet is placed in close proximity to the moving top magnet, preferably, outside the switch tube/enclosure and which may be used to trigger something else in a more complex system.

11. A switch device, as described in claim 4, which can perform as a multi function, high-speed capable switch, but which can also be made to function as an electromagnetic actuator by applying a voltage to the coil wrapped around the device's enclosure.

12. A switch device as described in claim 2, where contacts don't fuse together in a fault situation and where contacts separate from each other as in a fuse, accomplished by having a small spring-like mechanism that locks the movable magnet to the walls of the switch enclosure and which forces it to return to home position when disengaged by the trigger magnet or by placing a ridge inside its enclosure which can be placed in between magnets to ensure contacts touch but magnets don't, a scenario which is especially likely in embodiments where meltable contacts are used.

13. An electric switch device, as described in claim 1, which is capable of extremely long life, where the only moving parts are magnets which never touch so longevity is only limited by the life of the contacts, wires and physical integrity of the enclosure.

14. A switch device as described in claim 2 which, if positioned correctly, the switch, apart from transferring electrical power to trigger coils in a motor application also adds some small amount of mechanical impetus to the rotor; achieved when there is the correct interplay of magnetic forces as the rotor magnets pass by the switch pressing down the movable switch magnet, which recoils from the repulsion of the stationary bottom magnet and then adds a slight magnetic kickback to the now passing trigger/rotor magnet and/or attraction to the next approaching magnet in a rotating rotor with a plurality of magnets.

15. An electric switch device as described in claim 1 which due to being encapsulated can also be rendered completely waterproof once sealed but is low cost to manufacture, long lasting and requires no external electrical power.

16. A motor, fan, engine or other apparatus where the device described in claim 1 or any switching device derived from it is utilized in any capacity.

17. A motor, fan, engine or other apparatus which is driven by electrical current flowing through the electric switch device described in claim 2 or any switching device derived from it.

18. A motor, fan, engine or other apparatus which is driven by electrical current flowing through the electric switch described in claim 4 or any switching device derived from it.

19. A motor, engine, fan, generator or other device which utilizes electromagnetic coils with more than 2 separate windings for, but not limited to, the collection of electromagnetic flux energy from passing magnets and/or high voltage back EMF energy from a system where fast switching of the primary or any particular winding is employed.

20. A motor, fan, engine or other apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic coils with any number of windings and the switch device as described in claim 1.

21. An electric switch device, as described in claim 2, where distance between contacts may be adjusted to controllably and easily affect sensitivity of the switch which may affect performance factors, including, but not limited to, speed of rotation and electrical current allowed to flow through the switch.

22. A Persistence of Vision (POV) Display, especially a rotating POV display where LEDs are positioned radially along the path of trajectory or circumference around the path of trajectory of a mirrored moving or rotating mechanical member or fan blade which reflects the light from the LEDs and in so doing, remove the necessity for mounting the LEDs on the rotating member or fan blade itself.

23. A motor, engine, fan, generator or other device as described in claim 19 where voltage gains are achieved by utilizing a fast switching device to switch the generator pickup coils on and off in order to reduce drag, for example from Lenz effects, and also harness the high voltage back EMF which results from the collapsing field each time some or all of the coils are switched off.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a vertical side view, top-side view and bottom-side view of the Multi-Functional Magnetic Switch Device.

[0025] FIG. 2 shows an internal vertical side view, top-side view and bottom-side view of the Multifunctional Switch Device. This also shows magnets and contacts within the tube enclosure.

[0026] FIG. 3 shows an internal view of magnets close enough for contacts to touch.

[0027] FIG. 4 shows an internal view of switch device with an attempt to illustrate different materials utilized such as 2 different types of magnets or a magnet and a small copper cylinder where the cylinder is stationary and the magnet is moved by the trigger and returned to home position with a spring as a cheaper construction method. Also attempts to show the switch with the pickup coil are included in figures B, C, and D.

[0028] FIG. 5 shows the magnetic switch device with screw plug which is used for sealing of the device and adjustment of switch sensitivity, a view of the device with top and bottom wires and also a view of the device with side mounted electrical wires and a press button on the top.

[0029] FIG. 6 shows the top, top-side and side profile view of the motor/fan apparatus for which the switch device was originally developed.

[0030] FIG. 7 shows the bottom and bottom-side view of the motor/fan apparatus.

[0031] FIG. 8 shows multiple views of the motor's rotor with and without magnets.

[0032] FIG. 9 shows the entire system with the motor and switch device integrated into the POV Display Mirror Fan application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0033] In FIG. 1 depicted are 3 views (A is profile side view, B is the top-side view, C is the bottom-side view) of one embodiment of the Multifunctional Magnetic Switch Device, without screw-in plugs, where 1Multifunctional Magnetic Switch Device Enclosure Housing denotes the outer shell of the device within which is placed 2 or more magnets with electrical contacts and wires fastened to them. Other embodiments of the design included a rectangular tube, however, the circular design was more adjustable and could be manufactured somewhat smaller due to the round cylindrical internal area for the cylindrical or circular magnets. A tube that is rectangular in shape would be necessary for rectangular shaped magnets and other shapes maybe envisioned by those skilled in the art.

[0034] In FIG. 2 there are depicted 2 internal views (A and B) of the switch device where 1Enclosure denotes the enclosure housing for the magnets and contacts. 2-Adjustable Screw-In Plug and 5Bottom Adjustable Screw-In Plug denotes the top plug and bottom plugs, respectively, which are adjustable by turning the screw a few degrees at a time to increase or decrease separation between the contacts. 3Top Magnet and 4Bottom Magnet illustrate the resting position of the top and bottom magnets which are connected to the top and bottom contacts by the top and bottom wires shown in FIG. 3. The physical location/orientation denoted as Top or Bottom is relative and could easily be denoted as Left Magnet and Right Magnet or magnet 1 and magnet 2 when the tube is rotated 90 degrees.

[0035] In FIG. 3 an internal view of the Switch device is presented which shows 6-Top Magnet Wire and 7Bottom Magnet Wire. 1Enclosure, 2Adjustable Screw-In Plug, 5Bottom Adjustable Screw-In Plug, 3Top Magnet and 4Bottom Magnet are also depicted but the only difference between this illustration and FIG. 2 is the Switch Input/Output electrical leads denoted as Top and Bottom Magnet Wires.

[0036] In FIG. 4A there is an attempt to illustrate different materials which may be utilized, for example, 2 different types of magnets or a magnet and a small copper cylinder, denoted by 3Top Magnet and 4Bottom Non-Magnetic Contact where the cylinder is stationary and the magnet is moved by the trigger and returned to home position with a spring as a cheaper construction method. Instead of using two cylindrical objects which connect together to complete the electrical connection (i.e. Top Magnet and Bottom Magnet), whether 1 is magnetic and 1 non-magnetic, or both are magnetic, only 1 magnet and a wire would also work nearly as well. The Top Magnet, for example, could be made through repulsion of the Trigger Magnet to make contact with a wire or small flat electrically conductive contact of some kind mounted through the side of the tube or anywhere else on the enclosure as shown in FIG. 5C. This secondary contact may even be wireless if that terminal is terminated into a coil with turns matched to the power transmitter/receiver coil connected to the power source. Consequently, different configurations using only 1 or possibly more than 3 magnets may be envisioned by those skilled in the art.

[0037] FIG. 4B attempts to show the switch device with Top and Bottom Magnet Wire depicted by 6Top Magnet Wire and 7Bottom Magnet Wire, respectively, and with the pickup coil shown as 5Switch Device Pickup Coil with its input and output connections denoted by 8Pickup Coil Connection 1 and 9Pickup Coil Connection 2. One of these connections may also be connected to the Top or Bottom Magnet wire and, in this manner, transform the pickup coil into one end of a wireless power link whereby placing a matched coil in close proximity would allow for a somewhat wireless switch. A completely different coil may also be utilized instead for a wireless power connection terminal. FIG. 4A also attempts to illustrate which direction the trigger magnet travels in, which would typically be on a path perpendicular to the housing of the switch itself. The switch is very flexible and can be triggered from the top, bottom or side butwith varying sensitivities and reliability. FIGS. 4C and 4D show alternate views of one intended design for the switch device and the product name.

[0038] FIG. 5 shows three internal views (A, B, and C) of the switch device where the Adjustable Screw-In Plug is shown from the top-side perspective and all other items are highlighted in previous Figures. In FIG. 5C, however, an illustration of a Push Button variation of the switch device is presented wherein the top screw-in plug, 2Adjustable Screw-In Plug, is replaced by a button (or non magnetic cylinder), depicted as 8Press button, which is free to move in and out of the internal cylindrical cavity of the switch and is connected physically and/or electrically, but not necessarily fastened to the top magnet. This can be achieved with a spring between the button and magnet, for example. When the button is pressed the top magnet is also depressed and forced to make contact with the bottom magnet then, of course, is repelled back with the magnetic repulsion between the two magnets.

[0039] In FIG. 6 there are depicted four views of the fan system's enclosure housing (A, B, C and D), which the magnetic multifunctional motor switch device of this invention was originally designed for. In FIG. 6A a top view is presented. In FIG. 6B 1Fan Enclosure, 2Axle Bearing Mount 1 and 2, and 3Mirrored Inner Surface of the enclosure are shown. FIG. 6C shows a side view and 6D shows a bottom-side view of the Fan enclosure without any rotor, coils, switch device or fan blade included.

[0040] FIG. 7 shows one embodiment of one of the rotors used in the fan system providing 3 views, top-side view A, side view B and bottom-side view C. In this embodiment the rotor was designed with 6 2Magnet Holes to contain 6 magnets each separated by 60 degrees. Tests were conducted using 3 and 6 magnets and the results of 2500 RPM consuming 12V/40 mA without a fan propeller were achieved using 6 magnets that were each 32 mm Diameter and 10 mm thick. The 3Axle Shaft Hole shows where the fan shaft is mounted and the shaft/axle is removable to facilitate easy blade changes. The 4Bottom Bearing Shaft Nipple contains diameter 8 mm and length 4 mm with a ridge around it like a bearing spacer which allows it to be mounted and removed from/to the 2Axle Bearing Mount 2 shown in FIG. 6. The length of 4 mm allows it to be mounted into but not extend through the body of the bearing which was utilized or its mount.

[0041] In FIG. 8 depicted is one embodiment of the fan rotor with 3 magnets, instead of 6, denoted by 1Rotor which is the body of the rotor itself, 2Rotor Magnet which were 20 mm in diameter and 45 mm in length for this embodiment and a top view of the 3-Axle Shaft Hole

[0042] In FIG. 9 there are depicted four views of the complete fan system including the Multifunctional Magnetic Switch Device shown as a top-side view A, a top-view B, a bottom-side view C and an alternate top-side view D. In FIG. 9A 1-Fan Enclosure denotes the outer housing shell of the fan system, designed like an induction vent fan to make the design portable. In the event the LED POV system or mirrored blades are needed then the design allows it to be plugged in standard induction venting AC systems. The design is meant to be mountable to a flexible rotating stand like a traditional table fan but also mountable to the ceiling with additional brackets. The round design was also necessary for this particular POV design developed with this fan system where the LEDs would not be mounted to the fan blades themselves but instead have their light mirrored off of the mirror blades (3Mirrored Fan Blades) and circular mirrored interior face of the enclosure. This creates not only a POV display reflected on the fan blades instead of emanating from them, but also a holographic effect due to the focal point distance of the circular mirrored design. In this way the design makes the fan system multifunctional and not only the original switch which drives it. FIG. 9A also shows the position of the 7Rotor, 4Electromagnetic Coils and the 5Multi-Functional Magnetic Switch Device.

[0043] FIG. 9B shows a top view where 3Axle Shaft can clearly be seen which serves as the axle that is mounted into the Axle Shaft Hole depicted in FIG. 8 and upon which the 3Mirrored Fan Blade is mounted. FIG. 9C shows a bottom-side view in which the 4Electromagnetic Coils can be seen more clearly. In FIG. 9D a view is presented of a 9Alternate Mirrored Blade which shows a somewhat sleeker Fan blade design which provides different performance characteristics to the first fan blade shown in FIG. 9A. The positions of the LED strips are also shown where standard RGB and also UV LEDs were utilized in various alterations to this embodiments of the design. An attempt is also made to show the mirrored surface which forms the interior wall of the fan enclosure (11Mirrored Internal Surface).