US1187126A - Lightning-arrester. - Google Patents

Description

A. E. BEATTIE.

LIGHTNING ARRESTER.

APPLICATION FILED on. 14. 1915.

1,1 87,126. Patented June 13, 1916.

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ARTHUR ELLIOT BEATTIE, OF ST. MICHAELS, TORQUAY, ENGLAND.

LIGHTNING-ARRESTER.

Application filed October 14, 1915.

To all '10 hom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR ELLIOT BEATTIE, subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at St. Michaels, Torquay, in the county of Devon, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lightning-Arresters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to arrangements for protecting telephone, telegraph and the like instruments against lightning and excessive electric potentials.

According to the invention, for the above purpose, an ele'ctro-magnet is included in the connection between each line and the instrument to be protected, which magnet is so proportioned and its armature is so restrained, that by normal working currents the armature of the magnet is unaffected, but by currents of excessive potential the armature is attracted and earths the line, and breaks or short-circuits the connection between the line and the instrument.

A diagrammatic representation of an arrangement according to the invention, is illustrated by way of example on the accompanying drawing, in which A and B are the two lines of a telephone circuit, and C and D are the two terminals which connect the lines to the telephone instrument. The arrangement 'for protecting the instrument against lightning and excessive electric potentials is interposed between the lines A, B and the terminals C, D. The line A is connected to the one winding a of an electro-magnet and the line B is connected to the other winding 5 of the electromagnet. In addition, the line A is connected to a plate 0 and the line B is connected to a plate (Z.

c is a spring-restrained armature of the elcctro-magnet a, I). This armature a car ries an earthed plate f insulated therefrom and situated adjacent to the plates 0, d. On an excessive current traversing the windings a, b of the electro-magnet, the armature 0 will be attracted and will carry the earthed plate f into closer proximity to outstanding flanges of the plates 0, d, until within sparking distance therefrom or actual contact therewith. The lines will thus become earthed and the instrument protected. On the lines A and B being earthed, the magnet a, b will become sufficiently deenergized to release its armature e and restore the circuit to its original normal condition.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1916.

Serial No. 55,792.

The usual fixed lightning arrester g is preferably still retained with the present arrangement, in which case the armature plate f conveniently is connected to the earth plate of the lightning arrester, as shown. Moreover, a stop it for the armature e is preferably connected to the earth plate of the lightning arrester g, and has a block 2' presenting a surface adjacent to but insulated from the armature e. The armature c on its approach to the electro-magnet a, b, encounters with its outer end a spring mounted lever j and when sufficiently attracted, displaces same. The outer end of this lever j encounters and displaces another spring-mounted lever is. This lever is in its turn displaces by means of an insulated abutment, a spring-mounted lever Z.

The lever Z forms part of the circuit between the winding a of the electro-magnet and the instrument terminal C, so that on being displaced, the lever Zmoves away from .an adjustable contact m and interrupts the connection between the line A and the terminal C. The lever Z on its displacement also by an insulated abutment displaces a spring-mounted lever n, which forms part of the circuit between the winding 1) of the electro-magnet and the other terminal D of the instrument. The lever n is thereby moved away from an adjustable contact 0 on, the terminal D, and interrupts the connection between the line B and the terminal D. Thus in addition to earthing the lines the arrangement also breaks the connections between them and the telephone instrument on lightning or other excessive electric potential affecting the lines.

The armature e and the levers j and is when displaced into mutual contact provide a return for the current so keeping the circuit through the electro-magnet intact while short-circuiting the instrument. A parallel and alternative path for the current traversing the windings a and b of the electromagnet, is also provided by a resistance 79 approximately equal to the resistance of the telephone instrument and bridging the windings of the electro-magnet. By virtue of this alternative path for the current provided through 19, the magnet will remain energized after the circuit has been broken at m and 0, even if not established through the armature c and levers j and k, and until the earthed plate 0 is within discharging range of the plates 0 and d.

The arrangement may be employed as a calling device. To effect this the lever j may be of sonorous metal to act as a sounder when struck by the armature c, and the latter may be so weakly spring-restrained as to be attracted into contact with the lever j, by a calling current which is too weak to energize the magnet sufliciently to displace the system of levers and break the circuit to the instrument. Alternatively or in addition to the lever j acting as a sounder, the contact of the armature c, with the lever j may, as illustrated, close the circuit of an electric bell t. The bell t is preferably, as indicated by the diagram, a continuously ringing bell.

It may sometimes be desirable, for in stance during seasons not liable to thunder storms, to connect the telephone instrument directly to the lines A, B, thus short-circuiting the electro-magnet and lever contact breakers. F or this purpose the instrument terminals C, D are each connected to a separate pole of the plug g, which can be in serted in a spring jack 1', the appropriate poles of which are directly connected to the respective lines A, B. Alternatively, by inserting the plug 9 in the metallic collar 8 of the jack 7 so that the poles of the plug are short-circuited by this collar 8, the telephone can be short-circuited, while leaving the electro-magnet and lever contact breakers operative for protect ng the line and calling purposes.

The above described arrangement is of especial utility in tropical countries, where the intensity of lightning is far greater than in temperate countries, and where the necessity to use the telephone is often urgent during a thunderstorm, for example when lightning has set fire to cane fields and assistance has consequently to. be summoned. Hitherto during such periods, the instrument generally has broken down and the operator-has been exposed to shock. The arrangement w th suitable modifications may be used for protecting wireless stations against lightning.

I claim:

1. A device for protecting telephone, telegraph and like instruments having a line wire, against lightning and excessive electric potentials, comprising a terminal connected to the line wire of said instrument, a magnet having a winding connected between said instrument and said line wire, an armature for said magnet, an earthed connection carried by said armature adapted to contact with the said line terminal on attraction by said magnet, a system of spring mounted levers, a contact in connection with said line wire normally in contact with one of said levers, said system of levers being adapted to be operated by movement of said armature to break the said contact of one of the levers with the line wire whereby the instrument to be protected is disconnected from the circuit.

2. A device for protecting telephone, telegraph and like instruments having line wires, against lightning and excessive elec tric potentials, comprising a separate terminal connected to each line wire of said instrument, a magnet having a separate winding connected between said instrument and each of said line wires, an armature for said magnet, an earthed connection carried by said armature adapted to contact with said line terminals on attraction by said magnet, a system of spring mounted levers adapted to be displaced by movement of said armature, and a contact in each of said line wires normally in contact each with mutually insulated levers of said system,

whereby on operation of said system of levers by movement of the ari'nature the connections to the instrument to be protected are broken.

3. A device for protecting telephone, telegraph and like instruments having a line wire against lightning and excessive electric potentials comprising a terminal connected to the line wire of said instrument, a magnet having a winding connected between said instrument and said line wire, an armature for'said magnet, an earthed connection carried by said armature adapted to contact with said line terminal on attraction by said magnet and an open electric circuit including an electric bell and a source of electric power adapted to be closed by movement of said armature whereby an alarm is sounded on a heavy current traversing the line wire.

4. A device for protecting telephone, telegraph and like instruments having line wires against lightning and excessive potentials, comprising a separate terminal con nected to each line wire of said instrument, a magnet having a separate winding connected between said instrument and each of said line wires, an armature for said magnet, and an earthed connection carried by said armature adapted to contact with both of said line terminals on attraction by said magnet, and an open electric circuit includ ing an electric bell, a source of electric power, and means whereby said circuit is closed by movement of the armature.

5. A device for protecting telephone, telegraph and like instruments having a line wire against lightning and excessive electric potentials comprising a terminal connected to the line wire of said instrument, a magnet having a winding connected between said instrument and said line wire, an armature for said magnet, an earthed connection car ried by said armature adapted to contact with said line terminal on attraction by said magnet, a system of spring mounted levers one of said levers forming part of the cirno A cuit to the instrument, a contact in said line wire normally in contact with the lever in the circuit, said system of levers adapted to be displaced by movement of the armature, thereby breaking the contact of said lever with said line wire contact and disconnecting the instrument, and an open electric circuit including an electric bell and a source of electric power connected to said armature and to the first lever of said system, said circuit being closed by'contact of the armature with said first lever of the system.

6. A device for protecting telephone, telegraph and the like instruments having line wires against lightning and excessive electric potentials comprising a separate terminal connected to each line wire of said instrument, a magnet having a separate winding connected between said instrument and each of said line wires, an armature for said magnet, an earthed connection carried to be operated by movement of the armature to break said contacts, and an open electric circuit including an electric bell connected to said armature and to the first lever of said system so as to be closed by contact of the armature with said first lever of the system.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ARTHUR ELLIOT BEATTIE.

copies of thin patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

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