US1073047A - Electric switch. - Google Patents

Description

M. L. HUBERMANN.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30, 1912.

1,073,047, Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

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nx LOUIS HUBEBMANN, OF I08 ANGELBB, CALIFORNIA ELECTRIC SUIT-0H- ama letters Patent. Patented Sept. 9, 1013.

Application filed Iaroh 80, 1912. Serial 110. 887,475.

To all whom it may concern Be it lmown that I, Max L. HpnnnMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented anew and useful Electric Switch, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in electric switches, and its ob ectis to provide a switch designed particularly for use in connection with devices for controlling the storage of fluid, as, for instance, the maintenance of a body of water in a tank.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an electric switch of suitable type and an actuating means therefor whereby the switch it closed may be moved suddenly to the open position, or it open may be moved to the closed position, and this actuating device is under the control of a suitable float carried by the body of water in a reservoir, while means are provided whereby the rise of the water level to a certain predetermined height will cause a movement of the actuator to open the switch, while the fall of the water level to a certain predetermined minimum will cause a movement of the actuator to close the switch.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that while there is disclosed in the drawings a practical structure capable of operating successfully, the invention is by no means confined to the structure disclosed, but various modifications in form or size or arrangement of parts may be made which do not mark a departure from the scope of the claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of an electric switch and actuator therefor, and also showing a sufiicient portion of a reservoir and connections therefrom to the actuator to illustrate the operation of the invention. 'Fig. 2 is a plan view of the electric switch and actuator together with the base upon which the parts are mounted.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a base 1 which may be made of slate or marble, or any suitable insulating material, such as is customarily used in connection with electric apparatus, and under some circum' stances it is feasible to make the base of wood.

Near one end of the base there is erected a post 2, to the free end of which is pivoted one end of a switch arm 3, and in the path of the outer end of the switch arm there is another post 4 rovided with adjacent wings, between w ich the free end of the switch arm may enter, this being a structure commonly employed in the type of switches lmownas ack-knifeswitches, the drawmg a slug e arm switch is illustrated, but it will be understood that other forms of switches may be used, since the invention is not confined to any particular type of switch. An electric conductor 5 is shown connected to the post 2, and another conductor 6 is shown connected to the post 4, and these conductors may be taken as the terminals of a circuit including or controlling suitable electric translating devices, as, for instance, an electrically operated pum such as is commonly used in connection wit water storing plants.

Erected on the base, 1 at the end remote from the post 2 is another post 7 to the free end of which there is pivoted a rock arm 8 preferably at a point intermediate of the length of 52nd arm. Also erected on the base 1 are spaced parallel guides 9 between the ppst 7 and the post 4 and in position to permit the passage between them of the end of the arm 8 directed toward the post 4. This and of the arm 8 has attached thereto a chaln 10 or other flexible medium in turn connected to an eye 11 fast on the free end of the switch arm 3. Fast to each guide 9 1s a pm 12, and fast to the arm 8 near the end remote from that connected to the chain 10 is a p1n 13 projecting through the arm to opposite sides thereof. Connected to the pins 12 are the corresponding ends of spr ngs 14, and the other ends of these springs are connected to the pin 13, there bemg a spring 14: on each side of the arm 8. The distance of the ins 12 from the base 1 is the same as that o a pivot pin 15 connectmg the arm 8 to the post 7, so that when the arm 8 1s m parallel relation with the base 1, the springs 14 and the pins 12, 13 and 15 wlll all in the same plane, so that the springs in this position are ineffective or neutral and are, also, extended to the greatest degree, while on either side of this plane the pin 13 is closer to the ins 12 than at the said neutral position. y placing the springs 14 under initial tension, any movement of the arm 8 to either side of the neutral plane will permit the active operation of the springs to turn the arm 8 in the appropriate direction about its ivot 15, and this movement of the arm un er the action of the springs will be transmitted throu h the chain 10 to the switch arm 3 to move the latter into engagement with the blades of 10 the post 4 or out of engagement therewith in accordancewith the direction of movement of the arm 8. The structure so far described is located adjacent a reservoir 16, which is more or less diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1

.witho-ut any attempt to show relative proportions of the reservoir to the electric switch and its actuator. Within the reservoir is a float 17 responsive to change in 20 level of water therein, and this reservoir and float may be taken as typical of any storage device, wherein the quantity of material stored is maintained within predetermined limits, either by level or any other suitable characteristic.

Considering the reservoir as designed for the storage of water and the controlling characteristic as the level of the water, then the float 17 is employed and is connected to a rope or other suitable flexible strand 18 carried over guide pulleys 19 to the exterior of the reservoir and there at the end remote from the float 17 carrying a weight 20, which latter, however, is not of suflicient size to move the float 17 from engagement with the water in the reservoir. The rope 18 is passed through an eye 21 fast on the end of the arm 8 remote from that connected to the chain 10, and on each side of the eye 21- there is secured to the rope 18 a stop block 22, 23, respectively, each block being made fast to the rope by a suitable number of set screws 24, two being usually employed for each block, but this does not preclude the use of a greater or lesser number of set screws.

In the particular showing of Fig. 1 of the drawings it is assumed that the switch 3 is closed, and then the end 21 of the arm 8 is at its highest point, the base 1 being considered as horizontally disposed. Under these circumstances the electric circuit through the conductors 5 and 6 is closed and the devices controlled thereby are active to cause an inflow of water into the reservoir 16 whether this inflow be through the intermediary of a pump or by opening of a valve in an inlet pipe or otherwise, these features not entering into the present invention and 0 being of common form. As the level of the water in the reservoir 16 rises, the float 17 also rises and the weight 20 falls, and this continues until ultimately the stop 22 is brought into engagement with the eye 21 and 35 the action of the weight 20 is to move the arm 8 about its pivot 15 against the tendency of the springs 14, until 'the neutral position of the arm 8 has been reached and passed, when the springs 14 immediately become active to carry the arm 8 to its limit of movement in the same direction in which it has been moving under the impulse of the weight 20, the stop 23 being sufficiently out of the range of movement of the eye 21 to permitsuch movement of the arm 8. The extent of such movement of the arm 8 is suflicient to cause the chain 10 to exert a pull on the eye 11 and through the latter on the switch arm 3 to move the said switch arm out of engagement with the blades of the post 4, thus breaking the circuit and thereby rendering the electric translating devices inactive, the assumption being that this will step further flow of water into the reservoir 16, this determining the maximum level. If, now, water be used from the reservoir, the level of the water will fall and the float 17 will follow thisfalling of the water level, the weight 20 rising and ultimately the stop 23 is brought into engagement with the eye 21 and the arm 8 is rocked in the opposite direction to that first considered, until the central or neutral position is passed, when the springs 14 become active to move the arm 8 suddenly to the first position. and this sudden movement of the arm 8 under the action of the springs 14 in turn acts through the chain 10 upon the switch arm 3 to close the same onto the blades of the post 4, thus again completing the circuit and rendering the electric translating devices active to cause an inflow of water in the reservoir.

By adjusting the steps 22 and 23, the water level in the reservoir may be maintained at a close approximation to constancy, so that the only variation in such level is that needed to move the arm 8 from either extreme of itstravel to and past the neutral position. By separating the'stops 22 and 23 to a greater extent, a correspondingly greater variation in the water level between the maximum and minimum may be established.

It will be observed that by the employment of two springs on opposite sides of the actuator arm 8 all side strains tending to wear the parts unevenly are avoided. The flexible orslack or lost-motion connection between the actuator arm 8 and the switch arm 3'permits an inactive movement of the actuator from its neutral or intermediate position sufliciently extensive to permit the actuator arm to acquire high speed of movement before the slack of the flexible con- 25 nection is all taken up, 'so that the momentumof the actuator arm produces a sudden jerk on the switch arm, especially in the direction to open the switch and the circuit is therefore suddenly ruptured, thus prerange of movement of the rock arm nected at one end to the relativel venting formation of an are which is liable to be established when a circuit such as a motor is slowly broken. The flexible or chain connection admits of a relative arrangement of the actuator and switch arm, so that the slack in the connection will be comparatively great at the neutral position of the actuator when the switch is in the closed position, while the movement of the actuator in a direction to close the switch after it has been opened, permits the actuator to pass the dead center position and acquire speed to move the switch to the closed position with great rapidity and force, thus overcoming any liability of imperfect contact and resultant heating.

What is claimed is 1. In an electric circuit controller, a suitable base, an electric switch having a switch arm pivotally mounted on the base, a rock arm, a mounting on the base for the rock arm in which mounting the rock arm is pivoted at a point intermediate of its length, a fixed member on the base between the pivot mounting for the rock arm and the switch arm, a spring connection from the fixed vmember to the rock arm on the side of the pivot of the latter remote from the fixed member, the pivot mountings for the switch and rock arms and'the spring connections to the fixed member being substantially in line and the end of the rock arm to which the spring connection is connected having a range of movement with said end of the spring connection to each side of said line, and a flexible connection between the end of the rock arm adjacent to the fixed member and the corresponding end of the switch arm of the electric switch, said flexible connection being of a length to pro vide a slack when the rock arm is in a neutral position, which slack is less than the to one side of the neutral position.

2. In an electric circuit breaker, an electric switch including a pivoted switch arm, a rock arm having a pivot support at a point between its ends, a relatively fixed part located between the pivot support of the-rock arm and the switch, springs confixed part and at the other end to that on of the rock arm remote from the switch, the point of connection of the springs 'to the relatively fixed part, the pivot support for the rock arm and the pivot support for the switch arm being all in substantially one plane, and the end of the rock arm to which the springs are connected having a range of movement with said ends of the springs to each side of said plane, and a chain connection between the switch arm and that end of the rock arm adjacent to the switch arm, said chain connection being of a length to provide a slack less than the extent of movement of that end of the rock arm to which the chain is connected to one side of a neutral position with respect to the springs.

3. In an electric circuit breaker, an electric switch including a pivoted switch arm, a rock arm having a pivot support at a point between its ends, a relatively fixed part located between the pivot support of the rock arm and the switch, springs connected at one end to the relatively fixed part and at the other end to that end of the rock arm remote from the switch, the point of connection of the springs to the relatively fixed part, the pivot support for the rock arm and the pivot support for the switch arm being all in substantially one plane and the end of the rock arm to which the springs are connected having a range of movement with said ends of the springs to each side of said plane, and a chain connection between the switch arm and that end of the rock arm adjacent to the switch arm, said chain connection being of a length to provide a slack less than the extent of movement. of that end of the rock arm to which the chain is connected to one side of a neutral position with respect to the springs, means being also provided at that end of the rock arm remote from the chain for moving said end of the rock arm from either extremity of its travel to the neutral position against the action of the springs and for then releasing the rock arm to movement to the other extremity of its travel under the act-ion of said springs.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

MAX LOUIS HUBERMANN.

Witnesses:

E. W. FORGY, C. P. BLAOKMORE.

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