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The reed switch is an Electromechanics switch operated by an applied magnetic field. It was invented in 1922 by professor Valentin Kovalenkov at the Petrograd Electrotechnical University, and later evolved at Bell Labs in 1936 by Walter B. Ellwood into the reed relay. In its simplest and most common form, it consists of a pair of Ferromagnetism flexible metal contacts in a hermetic seal glass envelope. The contacts are usually normally open, closing when a magnetic field is present, or they may be normally closed and open when a magnetic field is applied. The switch may be actuated by an electromagnetic coil, making a reed relay, or by bringing a permanent magnet near it. When the magnetic field is removed, the contacts in the reed switch return to their original position. The "reed" is the metal part inside the reed switch envelope that is relatively thin and wide to make it flexible, resembling the reed of a musical instrument. The term "reed" may also include the external wire lead as well as the internal part.
A common example of a reed switch application is to detect the opening of a door or windows, for a security alarm.
A magnetic field from an electromagnet or a permanent magnet will cause the reeds to attract each other, thus completing an electrical circuit. The spring force of the reeds causes them to separate, and open the circuit, when the magnetic field ceases. Another configuration contains a non-Ferromagnetism normally-closed contact that opens when the ferromagnetic normally-open contact closes. A thin layer of non-ferromagnetic material is applied to the reed switch contact area to serve as an electrical contact switching (wear) surface and, for normally-open contacts, as a magnetic spacer whose thickness is important in controlling the magnetic field level at which the contact opens (the drop-out). Reed switch contacts are typically rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, or tungsten. There are also versions of reed switches with mercury-wetted contacts. Such switches must be mounted in a particular orientation, lest drops of mercury bridge the contacts even when not activated.
Since the contacts of the reed switch are sealed away from the atmosphere, they are protected against corrosion. The hermetic sealing of a reed switch make them suitable for use in explosive atmospheres where tiny sparks from conventional switches would constitute a hazard.
One important quality of the switch is its sensitivity, the amount of magnetic field necessary to actuate it. Sensitivity is measured in units of (AT), corresponding to the Electric current in a test coil multiplied by the number of turns in the test coil. Typical pull-in sensitivities for commercial devices are in the 10 to 60 AT range. The lower the AT, the more sensitive the reed switch. Smaller reed switches, which have smaller parts, are generally more sensitive to magnetic fields.
In production, a metal reed is inserted in each end of a glass tube and the ends of the tube are heated so that they seal around a shank portion on the reeds. Green-colored infrared-absorbing glass is frequently used, so an infrared heat source can concentrate the heat in the small sealing zone of the glass tube. The thermal coefficient of expansion of the glass material and metal parts must be similar to prevent breaking the glass-to-metal seal. The glass used must have a high electrical resistance and must not contain volatile components, such as lead oxide and , which can contaminate the contacts during the sealing operation. The leads of the switch must be handled carefully to prevent breaking the glass envelope. The glass envelope can be damaged if the reed switch is subjected to mechanical stress.
Most reed switches are filled with nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. After the final seal is made, the switch cools and the internal pressure is less than one atmosphere. Reed switches sealed with a pressurized nitrogen atmosphere have a higher breakdown voltage and are useful for switching 220–240 AC voltage mains power. Reed switches with a vacuum inside the glass envelope can switch thousands of volts.
Reed switches can be used to directly switch a variety of loads ranging from nanovolts to kilovolts, femtoamperes to amperes, and Direct current to radio frequency. Other magnetically-activated switching devices have a limited range of output voltages and currents, and generally do not directly control a final device such as a Electric lamp, solenoid, or Electric motor.
Reed switches have small leakage currents compared to solid state devices; this may be useful, for example, in medical devices requiring protection of a patient from tiny leakage currents. The reed is hermetically sealed and can therefore operate in almost any environment, such as where flammable gas is present or where corrosion would affect open switch contacts. A reed switch has very low resistance when closed, typically as low as 0.05 , whereas the Hall effect sensors can be in the hundreds of ohms. A reed switch requires only two wires whereas most solid-state devices require three wires. A reed switch can be said to require zero power to operate it.
At one time brushless DC electric motors used reed switches to sense the rotor's position relative to the field poles. This allowed switching transistors to act as a commutator, but without the contact problems, wear and electrical noise of a traditional DC commutator. The motor design could also be "inverted", placing permanent magnets onto the rotor and switching the field through the external, fixed coils. This avoided the need for any rubbing contact to provide power to the rotor. Such motors were used in low-power long-service-life items, such as computer cooling fans and disk drives. As cheap Hall effect sensors became available, they replaced the reed switches and gave even longer service lifetimes.
Reed switches are used in at least one brand of endoscopic capsule to switch on the power source only when the unit is removed from the sterile packaging.
Reed switches may be selected for a particular sensor application when a solid-state device does not meet requirements such as power consumption or electrical interface compatibility.
Electric and electronic used by pipe organ and Hammond organ players often use reed switches, where the glass enclosure of the contacts protects them from dirt, dust, and other particles. They may also be used to control diving equipment, such as flashlights or cameras, which must be sealed to keep water out under high pressure.
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