US1150356A - Circuit-controller. - Google Patents

Description

T. T. GAFF.

CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

APPLlCATlON FILED mum. 1914.

1 1 50,356. Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

an on 1 l'l'oz T/zamas Ida/1f THOMAS T. GAFF, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

CIRCUIT-CONTROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

Application filed Marclil}, 1914.; Serial No.'822,218.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS T. Gal na citizen of the United States, residing at W'ashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in' (lircuit Controllers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a circuit controller intended mainly for use in connection with counters or other measuring instruments ac tuated by a series of electrical impulses produced by a make and break contact device connected or attached to some moving element, such as'a rotating shaft. In devices of this class, it may happen that the moving element stops, while the contacts are closed, thereby leaving the battery in a closed circuit whichresults in wasteful and possibly injurious discharge of the battery, and produces other undesirable results.

It is the object of my invention to remove this difficulty by providing means for automatically breaking the battery circuit un; der such conditions and means for restoring the circuit to proper indicating condition as soon as the moving element resumes its motion.- These and other results I obtain by means of' the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a diagram of the system as a whole; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the moving element, in this instance, a shaft.

Referring to the drawings, A is a shaft on which is mounted a flanged sleeve B, the flange C having on its periphery one or more, preferably insulated, contact plates D. Arranged to engage this contact plate, at each revolution of the shaft, are contact springs E, F. From the spring E, the connections of what may be termed the main circuit are through wire 1, to indicator G, which may be of any suitable construction and is provided with indicating or registering mechanism, actuated by the electrical impulses. From G the circuit is through wire 2 to battery H, wire 3, thermostatic circuit-closer 4, wire 5, switch lever K (pivoted on support L), contact M,.wire 6, and spring F. The making and breaking of this otherwise normally intact circuit operates the register or indicator G in any well known manner. If, however, the shaft A should stop in the position shown in Fig. 1, the continued flow of current through the thermostatic device heats the thermostat and causes the closing of a secondary circuit from battery H through contacts N, 0, wire 7, electromagnet P and wire 8, back to the battery. The magne IP is energized and attracts the lower end ofv the switch lever K and breaks the contact between the upper end of the bar K and contact M, thus breaking the main circuit. As current has now ceased to fiow, the thermostatic device cools down and breaks the secondary circuit at N, 0, thus denergizing the magnet. To prevent the switch lever K from being retracted by the light spring T, I provide a latching device comprising a spring hook Q which engages a pin R secured to some stationary part of the mechanism. In order to again restore the main circuit to its operative condition when the shaft again rotates, I provide the pin S on the face of the flange C and in such angular relation to the contact plate D that, as soon as the contact is broken by the passing of the spring F off such plate, the pin S willengage the projection Q on the end of the latch, raise the latch and permit the spring T to pull the switch lever K into contact with the terminal M, thus restoring the main circuit to its normal operating condition. The magnet P is so proportioned as to exert enough pull to overcome the tension of the spring T.

The operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing description.

While I have described somewhat in detail a particular apparatus for accomplishing the results desired, it will be understood that the construction of the various parts may be widely modified without departing from the scope of my invention.

I claim l. A circuit controlling device comprising a moving member, a circuit making and breaking device cooperating therewith and included in an electric circuit containing a battery, an indicating or registering device and a switch, in combination with means for automatically operating said switch to break the circuit upon continued passage of the current therethrough, and means carried by the moving member to automatically restore the circuit to normal condition, after being so broken.

2. A circuit controlling device comprising a moving member, a make and break device having one element thereof mounted on said moving member, a switch, thermostatically-controlled means for opening said.

switch, and automatic circuit-reestablishing means carried by said moving member.

3. A circuit controlling device comprising' a moving member, a make and break device having one element mounted on said member, a switch, thermostatically-controlled means for opening said switch, a latch having a member carried by said switch, and a pin on said moving member for disengaging the latch.

4. A circuit controlling device comprising a rotating member, a make and break device having one element mounted on said rotating member, aswitch, a thermostati- Cally-controlled means for opening said switch, and switch-closing means carried by said rotating member, said means including a pin located in such angular relation with the make and break devlce as to cause the switch-closing means to operate as soon as the make and break device breaks the circuit.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS T. GAFF,

J. H. BRICKENSTEIN.

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