US1197485A - Lightning-arrester. - Google Patents

Description

W. J. HEINRITZ.

LIGHTNING ARRESTER.

APPLICATiQN FiLED JUNE 13, 1916.

PatentedSc-pt. 5, 1916.

INYENTOR ATTORNEYS WALTER JOHN HEIN'RITZ, 0F NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

L'IGHTNING-ARRESTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

Application filed June 13, 1916. Serial No. 103,379.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WVALTER JOHN HEIN- Rrrz, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norristown, county of Montgomery, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Lightning-Arrester, of which the following is a specification.

In my prior Patent No. 1,179,722, granted to me on the 18th day of April 1916, I have described and broadly claimed a novel lightning arrester of the horn gap type in which a plurality of horns are employed, one of such horns being movably supported and provided with an armature arranged in proximity to a magnet and its adjuncts so that electric current flowing to the ground is utilized to energize the magnet and thereby actuate the armature and attached horn so as to increase the air gap which the lightning has originally overcome until such increase is sufiicient to interrupt the flow of the current. In this prior patent in case of a heavy discharge of lightning another air gap is provided between a part of the magnet winding and the earth so that the full number of solenoid turns will. be affected only in case of a small discharge of lightning while under a severe discharge part of the turns will be in circuit.

My present invention while embodying in combination some of the features of my prior patent relates more particularlyto a device in which a plurality of solenoids are employed.

Vith the above in view my invention consists of a novel construction of a lightning arrester in which a plurality of separate and independent solenoids are employed one of which is cut out when a severe discharge of lightning is received.

Other novel features of construction and advantage will hereinafter more clearly appear in the detailed description of my invention.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in the accompanying drawing a typical embodiment thereof which will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results but it is of course to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Figure 1 represents diagrammatically a side elevation of a lightning arrester embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a modified construction in which a coil spring is employed instead of the flat spring seen in Fig. 1.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the line or electrical conductor through which the lightning passes to the holder 1 which is provided with an opening 31 therein, through which the leg 32 of the horn 2 passes, said leg being secured in the desired adjusted position by means of the set screws or other fastening device. The lightning being conveyed to the metal horn 2 jumps across the narrow air gap to the horn 3, the

upper portions of each of said horns diverging while the lower portion 3a of the horn 3 stands substantially upright and abuts against the pin or abutment el, said lower portion 31 being supported upon the preferably flat metal spring 7, which is secured to the holder 5.

The holder 5 is connected by a line 16 with the solenoid windings 8 and is connected by a line 17 with the solenoid windings 9. The lightning will. pass down the member 34 and spring 7 to the holder 5 thence through the line 17 to the solenoid windings 9 and the electric current will then pass to the ground E through the conductor or line F. As the current passes through the solenoid or solenoids 10 it will be apparent that a magnetic field is produced which will energize the magnet 41. and draw the armature 6 which is attached to the upright member 34 of the horn 3 away from the horn 2 until the parts assume approximately the position seen in dotted line in Fig. 1. The pin 18 limits the right-hand movement of the horn 3 while the pin 1 limits its left-hand movement and definitely fixes the spacing between the horns. When the horn 3 and its adjuncts are in the position shown dotted in Fig. 1 it will be apparent that the air gap between the horns 2 and 3 has been considerably increased thus offering an increased resistance due to the increased air gap introduced into the circuit thereby causing the arc to break immediately or after traveling upward on the divergent horns 2 and 3. The extreme right hand position as shown dotted which the horn 3 may assume will depend on the amount of current flowing in the solenoid 10. If a great excess or unusual discharge of lightning occurs, electric current will cause a potential across the winding 8 of the solenoid sufficient to overcome the resistance of the air or spark gap between the adj ustable members 13 and let which are supported in the holders 12 and 15, respectively, and locked in position by means of fastening devices and 36, respectively. Since the holder 12 is electrically connected with the solenoid coil 8 through the conductor C and since the holder 15 is electrically connected to the earth through the conductor D another path is offered under certain conditions through such conductor D to the earth 'IE, it being apparent that as the current is flowing through the turn or turns of the windings 8 the solenoid will attract the armature 6 by the magnetic force separating the horns 2 and 3 as hereinbefore stated.

The air gap is adjustable by sliding the leg 3:2 of the horn 2 in the desired direction in the holder 1 and thereafter locking said leg in position by means of the fastening device 33.

Under ordinary electric discharge the current flows through the line 17 and wind ings 9 to the earth. Under abnormal electric discharge the lightning passes through line 16 to windings 8 across the gap formed between the members 13 and let and thence by line D to the ground. It will be seen that in accordance with my present invention I have in effect a plurality of separate and independent solenoids having a common core or magnet. Ihe windings 9 of the one solenoid preferably have a greater number of turns than the windings 8 of the other solenoid.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction of a lightning arrester, which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description, and while I have, in the present instance, shown and described a preferred embodiment thereof which will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. In a lightning arrester, a fixed horn, a movable horn, a support for said movable horn, an armature attached to the movable horn, a magnet, a solenoid for said magnet having a plurality of separate windings each of which is connected with said support, a ground connection for one of said windings, and a ground connection for the other of said windings and including a spark gap.

2. In a lightning arrester, a fixed horn, a movable horn, a support for said movable horn, an armature attached to the movable horn, a magnet, a solenoid for said magnet having a plurality of separate windings each of which is connected with said support, a ground connection for one of said windings, a ground connection for the other of said windings and including a spark gap,

and means to vary the length of said spark gap.

3. In a lightning arrester, a plurality of horns, one of said horns being mounted on a fixed support, the other of said horns being movably supported, an armature attached to the last mentioned horn, a magnet coacting with said armature, a solenoid for said magnet having a plurality of separate and independent windings, each of which controls said magnet, connections from each of said windings to the support for said last named born, a ground connection for one of said windings including a spark gap, and a ground connection for the other of said windings.

In a lightning arrester, a fixed horn, a movable horn, a support for said movable horn, a solenoid having a plurality of separate windings each of which is connected to said support, an armature on said movable horn, a magnet for said armature and said solenoid, a ground connection for one of said windings, a ground connection for the other of said windings and including a spark gap, and means to adjust the position of the fixed horn with respect to the movable horn.

5. In a lightning arrester, a plurality of horns, one of said horns being mounted on a fixed support, the other of said horns be: ing movably supported, an armature attached to the last mentioned horn, a magnet coacting with said armature, a solenoid for said magnet having a plurality of separate and independent windings, each of which controls said magnet, connections from each of said windings to the support for said last named horn, a ground connection for one of said windings including a spark gap, a ground connection for the other of said windings, and means to limit the extent of movement of the movable horn. 1

6. In a lightning arrester, a fixed horn, a movable horn, a support for said movable horn, an armature attached to the movable horn, a magnet for said armature, a solenoid for said magnet having a plurality of having the lesser number of turns and inseparate windings, each of which is coneluding a spark gap.

nected with said support and one of which is provided with a greater number of turns WALTER JOHN HEINRITZ than the other, a ground connection for the Witnesses:

winding having a greater number of turns, H. S. FAIRBANKS, and a ground connection for the winding C. D. MCVAY.

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

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