Electrical commutating switches with ball bridging contacts

Claim 1

A rotary commutation device comprising a. a first stator member having a plurality of recesses arranged in a circular array, b. a second stator member having a plurality of recesses arranged in a circular array in alignment with the recesses of said first stator member, c. means for mounting said stator members so as to resiliently bias the same toward each other while at the same time permitting axial movement of one of said stator member relative to the other, d. a rotor mounted between the fiRst and second stator members and having a first plurality of holes opposed to the recesses of the first and second stator members and which sequentially communicate with said recesses in said stator members when said rotor is rotated, e. locating ball means positioned in said holes in said rotor, said locating ball means being dimensionally in excess of the rotor thickness, whereby movement of said rotor positions said locating ball means outside the recesses in said members thereby serving to overcome the biasing means and thus force the stator members axially apart from each other, f. means defining electrical contact areas on the faces of said stator members directed towards said rotor, g. said rotor being provided with a second plurality of holes which are sequentially in alignment with said contact areas on the faces of the stator members when said rotor is rotated, h. conductive ball means positioned in said second plurality of holes in said rotor, said conductive ball means having a diameter larger than the rotor thickness but smaller than the axial distance between the opposed contact areas on the faces of the stator members when the latter are resiliently biased toward their most adjacent position, whereby said conductive ball means are only operative to connect the contact areas on the faces of said stator members when the latter are in their most adjacent position with the locating ball means inside the recesses in said stator members.