US1098557A - Rotary converter. - Google Patents

Description

' S. M. BURK. ROTARY CONVERTER. APPLICATIOIIIILED JULY 20, 1912.

' 1,098,557, Patented June 2,1914.

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SIDNEY M. BURK, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF To GEORGE W. HOSFELID, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY CONVERTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1914.

Application filed July 20, 1312. Serial No. 710,658.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY M. Bonn, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Converters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to commutators designed for transforming a uni-directional or direct current into an alternating current and for transforming an alternating current into a uni-directional-or direct current. A commutator of this character is very desir able because of the fact that it very frequently happens that a uni-directional current or direct current only is available whereas the work to be done requires an alternating current or vice versa. Commutators of this character have heretofore been designed but they have not met with success commercially by reason of the complexity of their structure which has rendered them very expensive to build and'keep in repair.

It is the object of my-invention to provide a commutator capable of performing the fiuictions of transforming electric currents as above stated which shall be simple in construction and which may be manufactured economically.

My invention comprehends the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described in the specification, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings to which reference may be had for a clear understanding thereof. It will be understood, however, that changes in the details of construction and arrangement of the parts may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from my invention.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a sectional view taken transversely of the structure with the portions thereof, upon opposite sides of the plane upon which said view 1s taken, turned away from each other so that they rest upon the opposite ends of the structure and certain electrical connections being:

shown; and Fig. 2 is a view showing the commutator shaft in section and the commu. tater segments and disks in perspective'and the portions of the said shaft and said disks being separated from each other and the said view also showing certain electrical connections and contacts.

Referring to the drawings, a designates a shaft and b and c designate disks of electrical resistance material secured thereon and rotatable therewith. The said shaft a may be drlven in any suitable manner but should be driven and caused to rotate synchronously with the generator, when an alternatng current is being rectified or converted into a direct and uni-directional current.

Secured upon each of the disks 6 and c are contact members or commutator seg- 'ments which are situated at equal distances or intervals from each other. These contacts are designated and indicated upon the respective disks by the numerals 1, 2, 3, 4,

5, (3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Although I have shown twelve segments carried upon each of the respective disks 6 and c it should be understood that the number of these segments may be increased or diminished within the limits by two or multiples thereof.

The brushes it are in the preferred form electrically connected in groups of three by metallic members 01, c, f and g, separated from each other by distances equal to that between alternate segments upon the disks 7) and c. It should be understood, however, that the number of brushes connected by the members (Z, 6, f and 9 may be varied, depending directly upon the number of segments employed. The contacts it should be of less width than the distance between successive segments 1, 2, 3, etc, so as not to short circuit the current. In the drawings the segments 3, 5 and 7 upon the respective connected with the segments 10, 12 and 2 of the disk I) by the conductors k while segments 10, 12 and 2 upon the disk 0 are connected to the segments 4, 6 and 8 upon thedisk I) by the conductors 1.

It will be obvious that for the respective groups of conductors 1;, 7c and Z I may substitute single conductors each having branches at its opposite ends connected to the several segments 3, 5, 7 etc, as hereinbefore named.

The line Wires connected tothe brushes which are associated and cooperate with the segments upon. the respective disks 1 and c I have designated by the letters m, n, and p. The wires m and p are connected to a source of electricity and the current which is transmitted thereover is a direct current which fact I have indicated by the letters D. C. applied thereto. The wires 92 and 0 are connected to the service line and transmit an alternating current which fact I have indicated by the letters A. C. applied thereto.

Assuming that a direct or unidirectional current is entering the commutator through the line wire m and that the commutator disks are in the position indicated in the drawings, it will be seen that the current from the said line will pass from the connection 0, to the segments 3, and 7 and that it then passes along the conductors 2' to the segments 9, 11 and 1 upon the disk 0 and thence to the line wire 11. returning to the opposite disk b of the commutator through the wire 0 which is connected to the member f, From the latter the current passes to the segments 1, 11 and 9 on the disk 6 and then along the wires 71 to the segments 7, 5 and 3 also on the said disk 6. From the said segments last mentioned the current passes to the brush thence to the line therefore, that the connecting member and wire 39. It is apparent, current, when the commutator disks are in the position illustrated, passes directly through said disks. If, however, the shaft a with the disks 6 and 0 thereon should be rotated a single step in the directionof the arrows shown thereon in Fig. 1 so that the brush contacts h of the respective connecting members 0?, e, f and 57 would be brought into contact with the next adjacent segments upon the respective disks, it will be seen that the current from the line Wire m (assuming that it is entering the commutator over the said Wll? instead of pausing directly between the iametrieally opposite segments upon the disk passes from the segments 4, 6 and 8 thereon over the conductors k to the respective contact members 10, 12 and 2 upon the disk Z. The current then passes from the member f to the line wire a and returns over the line wire as to the member e thence to the segments 2, 12 and 10 on the disk 0 from whence it passes over the conductors Z to the segments 8, 6 and t upon the disk 0, thence to the brush connecting member 9 and line wire 2. It is apparent, therefore, that if the line wire a is supplied with a direct current it will be converted by its passage through the rotating commutator-s into an alternating current. The frequency of the said alternating current Will depend upon the rapidity with which the said commutators are rotated and also upon the distance apart of the segments 1, 2, 3, etc, upon the respective commutator disks 6 and c. It will also be understood that when the line Wires m and 39 or n and 0,

as the case may be, are supplied with an alternating current such current is rectified or converted into a uni-directionalor direct current if the reversal of cont-acts between the respective brushes and commutator segments is in synchronism with said alternating current.

1. The combination of a revoluble shaft, a support of electric resistance material thereon for supporting two series of segments the said series of segments each being arranged in groups, electric conducting means for directly connecting certain of the segments of one group of each series with certain other segments of the same group, and electrlc conducting means for connecting the segments of the other roup of one series with the other group of t e other series.

2. The combination of a revoluble shaft, a plurality of disks thereon, a series of segments on each disk, the said series respectively being arranged in groups, means for electrically connecting certain of the segments of one group with certain other segments of the same group on each disk, and means for electrically connecting the disks of the other group upon one segment with the disks of the other group on the other segment.

3. The combination of a revoluble shaft, a plurality of disks supported thereon and revolving therewith, each disk having a plurality of separate segments thereon, thcsegments on each disk being arranged in certain of the. segments of one group with certain other segments of the same group upon each disk, means for connecting the group of segments so connected with a source of electricity and with a service line, means for connecting the other group of segments upon one of the, said disks with a corresponding group upon the other of said disks, means for connectin the latter group with the service line and with the said source of electricity.

4. The combination of a shaft, a plurality of disks thereon and a similar number of groups of segments upon each disk, the diametrically opposite segments comprising one group upon each disk being electrically connected and the individual segments comprising the second group on one disk being electrically connected to the diametrically opposite segments of the second group upon the other disks, sets of brushes intermittently and successively contacting with said segments, and a source of electricity connected to one brush on each disk, and one brush Ion each disk being connected to a service me. l 5. The combination of a revoluble shaft, a plurality of disks of electric resistance ma terial thereon, groups of segments upon each disk, means for electrically connecting the groups, means for electrically connecting segments of one grou with the segments of another group upon t e same disk, groups of intermediate segments upon each disk means for electrically. connecting the said intermediate segments upon one disk with the corresponding segments u on the other disk, and brushes successive y contacting with the alternate segments of each disk, a

pair of said brushes being. connected to a source of current and a pair being connected 10 Copie: or this gatent may be obtained for an cents each, by mm the cu-mm 0t Washington, 1MB."

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