US1152616A - Contact for electrical apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

T. A. EDI-SON.

CONTACT FOR ELECTRICAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13. 1912.

PatentedSept. 7, 1915.

THOMAS A. EDISON, OF LLEWELLYN PARK: WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIG'NOB. TO NEW JERSEY PATENT COMP-ANY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW J EBSEY.

CONTACT FOR ELECTRICAL APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. '7, 1915.

Application filed June 13, 1912. Serial No. 703,368:

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS A. EDISON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Llewellyn Park, West Orange, Essex county, New Jersey, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Contacts for Electrical Apparatus, of which the fol- 30, 1911, I have disclosed and claimed alternating current rectifiers similar to that described herein, in which carbon contacts are employed on the vibrating armatures. Said carbon contacts cooperate with block con-- tacts of metal and greatly reduce the tendency to spark. l

My present invention has for its object the provision of a simple and efficient form of contact adapted to radiate and dissipate the heat generated by the contacts in an eiii cient manner, thereby preventing excessive rise of temperature, and still further reduc' ing the tendency to spark.

My invention is described more fully here inafter and claimed. For the further description of my invention reference is had to the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification and in. which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rectifying device provided with one embodiment of my improved contact; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the contact; and Fig. 5 is.a diagrammatic view showing the rectifier connected in the rectifying system.

In the drawings, a frame or base is shown at 1, upon which is mounted a'permanent magnet 2 having an almost completely closed magnetic circuit. Armatures 3 and at are pivotally mounted on the frame so as to be capableof vibration in the gap of the magnet 2. -The armatures 3 and 4: are provided With contacts 5 and 6 respectively, preferably made of carbon and secured to the armatures in any suitable manner. A coil 7 surrounds the armatures 3 and 4 and is supported between the magnet 2 and up wardly extending lugs or projections of the frame 1. An L-shaped member 8 is secured to one of the poles of the magnet 2 and is insulated therefrom by insulating material 21. The insulating material 21 rests on the magnet 2 and the horizontal arm of the L-shaped member 8 rests on the insulating material and is secured to the magnet by means of a screw 10, which is provided with insulation 22 so as to insulate the L-shaped member 8 from the magnet. The horizontal portion of the L-sbaped member 8 is provided with guides 9 between which is received the adjustable stationary contact. The adjustable stationary contact has a U-shaped portion 23 which is provided with outwardly extending portions 11. Plates 12 and 13 of suitable material, such as copper, are secured on each side of the outwardly extending projections 11 and the plates 12 and 13 and the extensions 11 are riveted together. The copper plates 12 and 13 extend vertically upward, have considerable mass, and are sub-divided in order to provide considerable area for radiating and dissipating heat. In the form of contact which I have illustrated. the plates 12 and 13 are provided with upwardly extending teeth, making of each of the plates a comb-like member. The vertical arm of the L-shaped member 8 is provided in its lower portion with an adjusting screw 15, which near its inner end has a reduced portion extended through an opening 14 in the U-shaped portion 22 of the contact. By rotating the screw 15 the contact is adjusted along the guides 9 in order to insure proper cooperation with the carbon contacts 5 and 6. In the form of contact illustrated. the lower portion of the cooper plate 13 serves as a contact surface or face for cooperation with the carbon con-' tacts 5 and 6. The vertical arm of the i.-

shaped member 8 is also provided with a,

Referring particularly to Fig.

- nating current mains are shown at 30 and sition. Adjusting screw 15 is provided with a lock nut 20.'The armatures 3 and 4; are in electrical connection with the frame or base I through their pivots, and additional 5 connecting means may be provided by wires 23 and 2e secured to the armatures 3 and 4 respectively near their pivots. The other ends of the wires may be secured to the base or frame 1. 5, alter- 31. One terminal of the coil 7 is connected to one of the alternating current mains rent mains 31, and the frame 1 is connected by conductor 36 to a storage battery or other direct current translating device 37 which in turn is connected through an ad usta-ble rheostat 38 to the other alternating current main 30.

The mode of operation of the rectifying device is as follows :-Reversals of current 130 occur in the coil 7 and-an alternating flux is set up in the armatures 3 and 4, thereby making the upper ends of the armatures alternately north and south poles. 3 When the u per ends of the armatures are of north polarity, the south pole of the magnet is strengthened and the north pole weakened, and when the upper ends f the armatures are of south polarity, the north pole of the magnet is strengthened and the south pole 40 weakened; As a result, the armatures are vibrated in synchronism with the alternating current flowing through the coil 7 When the rectifying. circuit is closed, current flows from the alternating current main 30 through the adjustable rheostat-38, storage battery 37, conductor 36, to the frame 0 the rectifier, thence through the armatures, carbon contacts and stationary contact to conductor 35, and back to the alter- "nating current main 31. This condition of l'lfi'airs continues during one half wave of the alternating current. During the succeeding half wave, the circuit is broken between the carbon contacts and the stationary contact. In this manner uni-directional current is supplied to the storage battery or other direct current translating device 37.

v The adjustable condenser 34 in series with the coil 7 is employed to advance the phase of the current in the coil in order to compensate for the inertia of the armatures and to cause the circuit to be broken at the proper times to avoid sparking. The rheostat 38 is employed to regulate the current supplied to the storage battery 37.

By reason of the considerable mass of the copper plates 12 and 13 and their comb-like structure, the heat generated in the contacts is rapidly distributed through a comparatively large mass of very ood conducting metal and is rapidly radiated and dissipated. The temperature of the stationary contact is thus prevented from becoming excessiveand the tendency to sparking is materially reduced. As pointed out in my 76 prior application: mentioned hereinbefore, the carbon contacts also contributeyei'y materially to this result.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to protect 80 by Letters Patent is as follows 1. In electrical apparatus, a supportin member, a contact adjustably. mounted thereon, said contact having a portion cooperating with said supporting member and an upwardly extending recessed portion for radiating and dissipating heat and means for clamping said contact in adjusted position upon sa1d supporting member, substantiallyjas described.

2. In electrical apparatus, a metallic contact member comprising a substantially U- V shaped portion provided with outwardly extending projections at the ends thereof, and

lates secured to said projections, said plates .aving subdivided portions for radiating and dissipating heat, substantially as described. L

3. In electrical apparatus, a supporting member having guiding means, a metallic contact member having a portion coiiperating with said guiding means, and a plate secured to said portion, said plate having a contact surface and having also portions subdivided for the radiation and dissipation 10b of heat,-substantially as described.

4. In electrical apparatus, a stationary contact member and a vibrating contact member adapted to coeperate therewith, the stationary contact member being provided with a'heat-radiating and dissipating comblike extension of substantially greater area than the area of contact surface between said contact members, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 10th day of J une, 1912.

THOS. A. EDISON.

Witnesses:

HENRY LANAHAN, ANNA R. KLEHM.

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