Electromechanical chopper

Claim 1

AN ELECTROMECHANICAL CHOPPER COMPRISING A SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, A PAIR OF C-SHAPED CORE MEMBERS MOUNTED ON SAID STRUCTURE AND EACH INCLUDING A PAIR OF POLES DEFINING AN AIR GAP THEREBETWEEN, THE POLES OF SAID CORE MEMBERS BEING TRANSVERSELY ALIGNED, A SINGLE PERMANENT MAGNET SEPARATING SAID CORE MEMBERS SO AS TO MAGNETIZE THE POLES ON THE SAME RELATIVE SIDES OF THE AIR GAPS TO HAVE NORTH-SOUTH CHARACTERISTICS RESPECTIVELY, A COIL OPERATIVELY WOUND RELATIVE TO THE OTHER CORE MEMBER POLES TO AFFECT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SAID OTHER POLES WITHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY AFFECTING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SAID FIRST-MENTIONED POLES AND ADAPTED TO BE ENERGIZED BY AN AC SOURCE, SAID COIL BEING WOUND TO IMPART SIMULTANEOUSLY THE SAME NORTH OR SOUTH CHARACTERISTIC TO SAID OTHER POLES DEPENDING UPON THE INSTANTANEOUS SIGN OF THE ENERGIZING AC SOURCE SIGNAL, AN ARMATURE MOUNTING SHAFT HELD BY THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND AN ARMATURE FIXED TO THE SHAFT FOR FREE ARMATURE MOVEMENT THROUGH ARCS BETWEEN THE POLES DEFINING AIR GAPS, THE ARMATURE MOVEMENT BEING INFLUENCED BY THE ATTRACTION BETWEEN DIAGONAL POLES OF OPPOSITE CHARACTERISTICS AND AT THE SAME TIME BY THE REPULSION BETWEEN THE OTHER TWO DIAGONAL POLES OF LIKE CHARACTERISTIC, CONTACT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID SHAFT TO MOVE IN RESPONSE TO SHAFT ROTATION AND BEING SPACED FROM SAID ARMATURE, A PAIR OF SPACED CONTACTS ADJACENT SAID CONTACT MEANS AND ARRANGED SO THAT THE CONTACT MEANS ENGAGES ONE CONTACT WITH THE SHAFT ROTATES IN ONE DIRECTION PAST A PREDETERMINED CENTER AND THE CONTACT MEANS ENGAGES THE OTHER CONTACT WHEN THE SHAFT ROTATES IN THE OTHER DIRECTION PAST THE PREDETERMINED CENTER, AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS TO SAID CONTACT MEANS AND SAID SPACED CONTACTS FOR CONDUCTING ELECTRICAL CURRENT THERETHROUGH DURING ENGAGEMENT.