Compressed gas actuated electrical switch with sleeve valves

Claim 1

In an electrical circuit breaker of the gas blast type, the combination comprising at least one switching point established by a pair of contact members, at least one of said contact members being movable for opening and closing a circuit through the members as the members disengage and engage, respectively, a chamber structure enclosing said contact members, a housing, said housing being in communication with said contact chamber structure and being at a low gas pressure when said contact members occupy their engaged and disengaged positions, a storage chamber for high-pressure gas adjacent said housing, a blast valve structure including a sleeve valve, a rod secured to said sleeve valve for actuating the same, said sleeve valve being movable between two limit positions in which said valve is closed and the valve being temporarily opened during an intermediate portion of the complete stroke of the valve to place said highpressure gas storage chamber in communication with said housing and contact chamber, a double-acting cylinder located within said housing, said cylinder including inlet ports at the opposite ends thereof, a reversing sleeve valve slidable within said cylinder, a double-acting piston slidable within said sleeve valve, a piston rod connected to said piston, and linkage means connecting said piston rod to said movable contact member for operation thereof such that said contact members are engaged and disengaged respectively when said piston occupies respective limit positions at opposite ends of said cylinder, said reversing sleeve valve being entrained by piston movement in each direction to shift said sleeve valve between limit positions at opposite ends of said cylinder and place the opposite end surfaces of said piston respectively in communication with the inlet ports at the opposite ends of said cylinder opening to said housing thereby to effect an actuation of saId piston first in one direction and then in the other upon successive actuations of said blast valve to admit high-pressure gas into said housing.