US1019060A - Circuit-breaker. - Google Patents

Description

A. D. T. LIBBY. UIRGUIT BREAKER.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 17, 1904.

Patented Mar. 5,-1912.

lav/f operation.

UNITED STATES ALBIGN'D. T. LIKE Y, OF ELYRIA, OHIO,

SUPPLY COMPANY, OF cmceeo, ILLINOIS, .A CORIQRATIOQI OFiT-IIiLlNOiS."

CIRCUIT-BREAKER. v 1,019,QGO. Specification otllllettersjlatent. PatenfedwMii -5 1912;.

Application filed December 17,1904. Serial No.'237,,23i p To all whom it may concern." I circuit the movable reed into Be it known that I, ALBION D. T.' Liner, a citizen of the United States, residing in Elyria, county of Lorain, and Sta-to of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Im provcment-s in Circuit- Breakers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a circuit breaker and particularly to a device of this class, which is adapted for opening a circuit whene'\-'Qr 'a...currentof the reverse direction from that desired flowsthrough the 'samennd whenev r'an' underloador an overload current" traverses the circuit.

One objectof my invention-is to provide a v simple and inexpensive piece of apparatus of this type'and which shall be efficient in In its preferred form I prises a permanent horseshoe magnet pro;

vided with a pivoted coil carryingia brush'a'tits free end which is adapted'iii its closed position to make contactwith the other brush that is supported upon butinsulated from one leg of the magnet. The pole developed at the free 'end of the coil by the current flowing through the coil will cause said end to be attracted or repelled as the case may be. The permanent magnet .isi-prefera-bly supported in the vertical plane upon :any suitable base so that when the'current flowing in the pivoted coil ceases or falls belowa certain amount the weight of the pivoted coil causes its free end to drop, thereby ca r- .rying its brush avay from the cooperating brush and opening the circuit. In case the current flowing through the movable coil is reversed in direction from that intended to Flow thercthrough, the said coil'is also mtwed into its open pi'rsition thercoyopening the circuit and preventing injury to any appara- 1'. us tha may he in it hysuch reverse current.

As a. further improvement I provide the reverse current and. nnderlcad deviceso far described with an overload attachment consisting preferably of a solenoid so. arranged; that when an overload ourrent flovvs'over the my invention coin 'base upon which-the varions f parts,jo f.the.in 6'0 manent magnet 3 of the'hprs' shoeitype sup- -.g I I ported 'a'tfa slight distance from thefaceofq the base plate by the pre ferably copper-S washers or nuts 4 and clamped inplace .by:.*

the copper .o'r bras's' screws 5 iftssing:through the'platje 2, the coppenavas ers or. nuts 4;; and tapping into the permanent magnetat; the center and near theends of the two legs as indicated in Figs. 1 a-nd.2 The coil :6- fs supportedloetween the legs of; the permanent magnet ,3 upona suitable soft iron core; 7, the rear end 'of wvhichis pivoted in the slotted head 8 of a. b6lt-,-ex.tending' through (the permanent ,magnt; -,and which receivesa nut 9'upon itsput-eej'endu '1-Up on I the forward end of the core ant iron -platelll is secured in any desired Yinannemand forms the pole of the magnet. 'Eqtheout'er side of 5 this platen) the lower brush l2 of the "switch-- is secured by an end 13.extendingtatright, 4

anglesacross the end'ofthe coiL-and upon the outerside ofwhich isacopplerblock lat,-

which is clamped to the blockglflibyflmeans of screws 15 passing through said block the ,end 13 of the brush andgtapping into the I plate 10. These screws .are insulated from I the block l i and theplate 1-3 hy mcans of insulat-ing bushings 16 and an insulating plate 17 placed between the plates l0 and-113. A-lhandle 18 of insulating material is:threa'ded f into the outer edgeofthefplate-LO hy means ofv which the switch. may be. readily opened,

' and closed; A -oindin'g; screw-1 threaded-rite side of said leg.

the edge of the block 14: and incrts an aperture 20 into whieh one end of the Wind? ing of coil 6 projectsend is engaged bythe' screw 19, thereby electrically connecting the brush 12 with the coil 6. The upper brush suitably insulated from the leaf brush, ex-

tends throu h the said brush and engages the end of t e upper leg of the permanent magnet. By means of this screw the tension of the said upper brush may be adjusted to any desired degree to cause the opening of the circuit at any desired current within the limits of the device. A copper rod 24 is soldered or otherwise mechanically and electrically secured'to the upper brush 21 and is bent toward the rear and extends through the base to provide means for readily securing the conductor of the electric circuit thereto. Nuts 25 and 26 are threaded upon said rod 24 upon each side of the base to hold it rigidly in position. Additionai nuts 27 serve as a means forclamping the wire of falls by the circuit thereto. A similar terminal 28 is located near the ivot of the coil and is connected by a flexible conductor 29 with the inner end. of the winding of said coil.

Assuming the circuit conductors to be connected with the terminals 24 and 28 it is oben the movable coil 6 is raised 18 to its upper position the late between the brushes 21 H said coil is in circuit there- Now i f the current is of sufiicient with. strength and is of the proper direction the plate 10 or poleof the same is attracted to the upper leg of the ermanent magnet and thecircuit remains c osed. In case the current falls below the amount necessary to at-" tract said magnet to its upper position it ravity into its lower position and circuit is opened. Likewise if the current is reversed so that a pole is developed 5 at the free end of the coil 6 of the same character as that at the end of the upper leg of the magnet said coil will be repelled and the circuit will be opened. Also in case mistake has been made in connecting the primary leads to the circuit as sometimes occurs in charging storage batteries, it will beimpossible to maintain the circuit closed when the handle 18 is released, thereby saving. the storage batteries from injury.

As a further feature of the invention I provide the solenoid 30 supported at its ends u on the base 2 by the p ates 31 and 32, w

An adjusting screw 22,-

ieh are secured to the base by the screws.

34. The core of the solenoid convsists of a copper tube 35 having an enlarged bore throughout the coil in which the movable plunger 36 freely reciprocates and which is furnished with a screw threading into its lower end and provided with an en larged head 37 at its lower end to provide a stop for the same when it is drawn up into the coil and which normally rests u on an "djusting screw stop 38 carried 1n the gracket 39 secured to the plate 32. In the upper end of the tube 35 a second plunger 40 is similarly mounted, its lower end being providedwith a head 41 which acts as a stop for itsupyjvard movement when it is struck and lifted b the plunger 36, its upper end to engage the handle 18 of the coil 6 when in its upper position, whereby when'the solenoid is energized and theplunger is lifted the. head 42 of the plunger 40 engages the inner end. of lever 43 to depress its outer end and thereby to depress the handle 18 of the coil 6, and separate the brushes 12 and 21-to open the circuit of the device. It is thus seen that the instrument as a whole protects the circuit against overload, underload and reverse currents.

The te'iuninal 28 or binding post is connected by .conductor 45 with one end of the' -w1nding of thesolenoid while the opposite end connects by conductor 46 with a similar connector or post 47 covered by the base.

I Fig. 3 indicates the electric circuit of the device as a whole, the same being traceable from-the upper post 24; through brushes 21 and 12, and thencethrough coilsG and'30 to the post 47.

. It will be apparent from the foregoing that the device is simple and inexpensive and that it must be efiiclent in operation.

While but one form of the device has been described .it is apparent that it may be embodied in other forms and that various changes and alterations may be made therein without-departing from the scope and principle of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a single series electric circuit for the device, a pair of cotiperating contacts in series in said circuit, an over-load coil in said circuit, and a combined under-load and reverse current coil in said circuit, means cooperating with said under-load coil to hold said contacts closed, and means controlled by said coils to circuit, of a pair of series electromagnetic windings, a permanent magnet and one of said windings coiiperating to hold said contact closed, said permanent magnet and mechanical means operated by said windings cooperating to open said pair of contacts in case of an under-load, over load or reverse currentin the circuit thereof, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with .a horseshoe magnet, of a pivoted coil having its free pole bet-ween,the poles of the magnet, said magnet completing the magnetic circuit of the coil, a switch contact carried by the free end of the coil and cooperating with another spring contact to open and close the circuit through the coil, whereby the free pole of said coil is repelled and the switch s opened when the current in the circuit wntrolled by the switch is in a reverse direction or whereby the said. free pole is repelled by said spring contact when the said current decreases from the normal value, substantially as described. e

l. In a device of the class described, the combination with a permanent horse-shoe magnet, of a pivoted electrdmagnet having its free end between thepoles of the permanent magnet and adapted to be either attracted or repelled by one pole of said magnet, a switch contact movable with the electromagnet, a second contact coiiperating therewith to close the circuit through the coil, whereby the free pole of said coil is repelled. by the permanent magnet and the switch is opened when the current in the circuit controlled by the switch varies below the normal or flows in a reverse direction, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a switch, of a permanent magnet, a release magnet having its coil in. the circuit of the switch, one end of the coil being attached to the neutral portion oi the permanent magnet and the other end being movable between the poles of said permanent magnet and controlling in its movement the opening and closing of said switch,

' substantially as described.

6. in a device of the class described, the combination with a permanent magnet, of a movable coil having one end adjacent a pole of the permanent magnet, a switch contact carried by the movable coil, a coeperat ing stationary contact, said .coil being-Hincluded in the circuit of the switch, whereby the coil is released or repelled and thesw' e is opened when'the current inithecoil falls below the normal value .or is reversed, ,and.

a second magnet also in the circuitofthe' switch and arranged to. open saidsw t'ch when the current rises above the' normal value, substantially as described.

7. In a circuit breaker, the combination switch in the circuit of said coils, a permanent magnet cooperating with one of said coils to hold said switch closed, said switch being adapted to be opened by under-load current or reverse current in said coil, and means whereby an over-load current in the other coil will also'open said switch, substantially as described.

8. In a circuit breaker, the combination with a single pair of coils connected in. series, of a switch in the circuit of said coils, a permanent magnet cooperating with one of said coils to closesaid switch, means associated with the other one of said coils for opening said switch when the current therein becomes greater-than a pre-deter1nined value, and means associated with the first coil for opening said switch when the current therein becomes less than a pro-deter; mined value, saidlatter means also serving for opening said switch when the current in the latter coil reverses its direction, substantially as described.

9. In a circuit-breaker, the co nation with a movable coil, of a station; 1/ coil connected in series therewith, a switch in'the circuit of both of said coils controlled bythe movement of said movable coil, a plunger as a core for said stationary coil, said "plunger being adapted to move said movable coil to aid in the control of said switch, substantially as described.

10. In an automatic switch, a single pair .01 separable cocperative contacts, a series circuit, a controlling means for said contacts comprising an over-load coil. in said circuit, and controlling means for said contacts comprising an under-dead coil included in said circuit, and a permanent magnet 00- operative with said under-dead coil in its control of said contacts substantially as deder-load coil and permanent magnet, and a series circuit including said coils and said contacts, whereby said coils are. energized to cause cooperation between said contacts, substantially as describe with a pair of coils connected in series, of a by the movement of said movable armature,

a plunger as a core for said second coil, said plungerbemg adapted to move sald armature to aid in the control of said switch, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name in the presence of two Witnesses. ALBION D. T. LIBBY.,

Witnesses:

WILL VAN MIDDLESMITH, ROBERT LEWIS AMES.

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