US1085920A - Electrical switch. - Google Patents

Description

G. A. KNAAK. ELECTRICAL SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1912.

1,085,920. Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

GEORGE A. KNAAK, OF OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN.

ELECTRICAL SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 3,1914.

Application lled June 10, 1912. Serial No. 702,740.

'provide a simple, economical and effective means for energizing a spring element whereby the stored power is directed in opposite directions, the invention being particularly applicable to double-acting springcontrolled snap switches or the like.

Another object of my invention is to ,provide a system of actuating levers for initially producing stored power in the spring or switch element whereby the spring energy imparts a quick movement in either direction to etfect closing or opening of an electric circuit, Which quick movement precedes the lever movement and is independent therefrom.

This invention is particularly designed as a circuit controller for electric motordriven fluid compressors whereby stored fluid pressure therefrom is predeterminedly regulated, the regulation being effected through the direct influence of the fluid pressure upon a piston or other movable element which in turn operates the lever mechanism for energizing the spring-controlled element that actuates the switch, :aid switch being preferably of the knife With the above objects in view the invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed. i

. In the drawings Figure 1 represents a face v1ew,of a controller mechanism embodying the features of my invention with parts broken away and parts in section to better illustrate certain structural features; Fig. 2, a detailed cross-section, the section being indicated by line 22 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3, a detailed cross-section of the make and break switch members, the section be ing indicated by line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring by characters to'the drawings, 1 re resents a fluid chamber that is provide with a diaphragm 2, which diaphragm carries a plunger 3 that constitutes a movable member adapted to be actuated under the influence of a fluid in one direction and a spring in the opposite direction. The fluid chamber is also provided with a supply throat 1' which is threaded for the reception of a. pipe that serves as a conductor from a fluid storage tank which is supplied with fluid from a compressor. All of this mechanism forms no part of my invention and is therefore not shown. The plunger 3 is arranged to engage the long arm of a bellcrank lever 4, which lever is fulcrumed to a bed-plate '5 that carries the controller mechanism together with the diaphragm chamber, the short arm of the bell-crank lever engages one arm of a master lever 6, which lever is also ful'crumed to the plate, its opposite arm terminating with a forked head, the tangs 6 of which each carry tappet screws 7 that extend vtowardeach other and are adapted to engage an ear 8 that projects outwardly from a short arm of a spring actuating lever 9, the same being also fulcrumed to the head-plate. The :long arm of the spring-actuating lever carries a splitstud 10, into the kerf of which is fitted a normally bowed leaf-spring 11, the stud being in engagement with the center portion of the leaf spring. The ends of the leafspring are shouldered and provided with reduced cars 11', which ears extend through slots that are formed in the ends of yield able arms 12, 12 of a bracket member, which member is provided with a foot 13 that is adjustably attached to the bed-plate 5 by screws that engage slots in said 'foot. The arms 12 of the bracket are formed from spring metal whereby yield at their free ends is had, the tension or resistance to yield of 'the arms being predeterminedly regulated by the gage of the metal. The end of the long arm of'the spring-actuating member extends beyond the stud in the form of a tappet finger 9, which tappet finger is adapted to alternately engage either one of a pair of iaws 14 that form part of a tum-.

bler 15, which tumbler is also fulcrumed to an electric circuit, said springs being insulated from each other and suitably connectbreaking the circuit.

ed to conductor wires as shown. Movement of the tumbler is limited in either direction by stop-pins 18 which engage the tumbler jaws when said tumbler is actuated.

The lower arm of the master lever is connected to one endof a heavy coiled spring, the opposite end of which coiled spring is rigidly secured to the bed-plate 5 by a screw or other element, it being apparent that said spring can be adjusted as to tension, whereby the controlling apparatus as a whole can be predeterminedly set so as to act under the influence of fluid at any desired pressure. 1

In the operation of my device when the fluid in the chamber 1 has reached the pressure to overcome the coiled spring 4;, it is apparent that the movable member or plunger carried by the diaphragm will act upon the system of levers and the parts .being in the position shown in Fig. l, the upper arm of the lever will move from left to right and in its travel the tappet screw 7 carried by said arm will engage the short arm of the bell crank lever 9. Hence the long arm of said lever will move downwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow and through its engagement with the leaf-spring said leaf-spring will be caused to gradually and slowly straighten out, the yieldable arms '12 of the bracket permitting lengthening of I said leaf-spring. At the instant that the leaf-spring has traveled past an imaginary line intersecting its end it is apparent that the stored power in said spring will exert itself and said spring will thus quickly bow outwardly in the opposite direction from that shown. This quick movement of the leaf-spring will cause the tappet finger 9 to engage the lower jaw 14; of the tumbler, whereby said tumbler is rocked upon its fulcrum to cause the insulated tail-piece thereof to travel upwardly and wedge the contact spring members 17, 17 apart, thus It should be understood that this electrical circuit, which is controlled by the spring members, is connected to a motor not shown, through which motor power is applied to a compressor. Hence it is apparent that when the circuit is broken as just described, that the compressor will be thrown out of operation and no further storage of fluid will take place until such time as the pressure in the storage tank has been reduced sufficiently to permit retraction of the movable or plunger member 3, which retraction is caused through exertion of the coiled spring 4 upon the master lever 6. By this arrangement it is also apparent that the spring member when applied to a switchwill cause the same to cut in or out instantaneously and thus eliminate the detrimental effects of a slow moving cut-out member, the stored spring energy being exerted positively in both directions whereby the movable elemcnt of the switch, which in this instance is a tumbler, is acted upon.

It will also be observed that the stored power in the switch is to a great extent determined by the flexibility of the bracket arms 12, which arms serve to buckle or bow the leafspring in opposite directions to accomplish the desired movements.

I claim:

1. An elliptical switch of the character described comprising a pivoted tappet-lever, a bow-spring secured to said lever and having its ends projectingin opposite directions, and a fixed bracket having yieldable arms in interlocked engagement with the bow-spring ends, the arms being adapted to spread coincident to fleXure of the bow-spring in either direction.

2. An electrical switch of the character described comprising 'a pivoted tappet-lever having a stud extending therefrom, a bowspring secured to the stud and having its ends projecting in opposite directions, and a fixed bracket having yieldable arms in interlocked engagement with the bow-spring ends, the arms being adapted to spread co incident to fiexure of the bow-spring in either direction.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Oshkosh, in the county of Winnebago and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

GEO. A. KNAAK.

Witnesses FRED R. Wmsn, BERNARD A. HOFFMAN.

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