US1230728A - Voltage-regulator. - Google Patents

Description

H. A. LAYCOCK.

. VOLTAGE REGULATOR. APPLICATION HLED JAN.12= .916

1,230,728: Patented-M11619, 1917.

Fig.1. Fig. 2.

inventor; T'TQ ALF; acoc k, b S (/L/AK/M/Q Iran v L 4;. 1.. .3. slide HARRY A. LAYCOCK, (3F SCHEHECTADY, NVL YORK, ASSIGNOE To GEllEEAL ELECTEEfl CQIEPAITY, A COREQRATIQN IiEiF] YORK.

VOLTAGE-BEGULAE." l?

Lzggflgs Specification of ftctters Eatent. I a-tented 5 Application filed January 153, 916. Serial lie. 71,781.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, HARRY A. LAYCOCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voltage-Regulators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to voltage regulators for dynamo-electric machines, and more especially to the mechanical construction of a regulator which is particularly adapted for use upon a moving vehicle.

Voltage regulators of the type in which vibrating contacts are used to short-circuit a resistance included in the field circuit of the generator, are well known. One type of such a regulator, which is used for direct current machines commonly employs a vibrating contact associated with a fixed con tact, and it has been customary to support this vibrating contact upon a pivoted arnia ture, springpressed in one direction and adapted to be attracted by an electi'oniagnet whose winding is responsive to the voltage of the generator. ll hen such a-ccnslruction is used upon a moving vehicle, however, or is otherwise exposed to disturbing vibrations, the operation is unsatisfactory, be cause of the mass of the moving parts, and varies with the position in which the regulator is supported. In other cases the vibrating contact has been supported upon a resilient strip, which was commonly fiat and supported at one or both ends. ll hen supported at only one end, such a spring has insufficient rigidity to allow the regulator to be mounted in horizontal or "inverted position. Further, because of the fact that the useful length of this form of spring mustproject to one side of thecenter or the magnet, it commonly cannot, because of space limitations, be given enough length to mane it suiiiciently flexible in the normal dir ction ofmoveinent. If supported both ends, so as to get the desired rigidity to retain the moving contact in proper relation to the fixed contact, then the spring tension increases very considerably with a sligl'it increase in the movement of the contact, so

that an increase in voltage does not produce a correspondingly increased separation of the contacts. Furthermore, either of these forms of spring has a natural period vibration which, when made active by the jar of a vehicle, may disturb the forced vibrations caused by the electromagnet.

My present invention has for itsobjecttc overcome the diiliculties above nientionei, and to produce a regulator which is suitable for use upon a moving vehicle, as, for example, in connection with the lighting sys tem of an automobile. To this end, con; struct the moving parts of the egulatcr with as little mass aspossible, so that their action will be practically independent of the force of gravity, and so mount them that their position will be subst .ntially unafiected by the position in which the regulator is mounted. l also make the construction such that the vibrations of the vehicle shall have as little effect as possible npon'the movements the moving contact; and such that the contact between the two contact points when closed shall he firm. The moving armature of my regulator is spring-supported,and, in order that a nit change of liun may produce a corresponding unit increase in the separation of the contacts, I so construct the spring that its resistance to bending increases substantiaily directly as the force applied.

My invention will be better. understood bv reference to the accompanyin drawings, which Figure l is a. front ele nation of a combined regulator and reverse current relay, constructed in accordance with my invention; is a longitudinal section thereof taken in a plane at right angles to Fig. 1; 3 is a perspective view of the form of spring which I employ; while Fig. l: is a diagrammatic view showing the connec ons of the combined regulator and reverse cur rent relay in' a lighting system.

deterring to Fig. i, it will be seen that have illustrated my device in connection with a -"1n which comprises a direct-cur l. -ater 1 having a shunt field winding in series with which is an adjustable resistanc This generator, which may be driven by the engine of an automobile, or from the axle of a moving vehicle, is arranged. to supply current for charging the storage battery 2%, and for the lights or other translatin devices interposed between the'generator and the translating devices, I

have provided a combined regulator and cutout which comprises cooperating contacts 4 and 5 connected in shunt with the field resistance 3. As will be seen from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2, the contact a is relatively fixed, and is adjustably supported by means of a screw upon a stud attached to the base of the device. The movable con tact 5 is supported by means of a spring 6 formed of a light, thin, flat ribbon of steel rigidly attached at its ends to fixed supports 7, and provided intermediate the moving contact and the ends with relatively large, almost circular loops 8. Adjacent the contact 5, and approximately at the middle of the supporting spring, is secured a magnetic armature 9, which is adapted tocooperate with the'core 10 of an electromagnet. This electromagnet is preferably provided with a socalled shunt winding 11, which is of high resistance. and is commonly constructed of relatively fine wire. It will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 4 that this winding is connected across the terminals of the generator, and is, accordingly, responsive to variations of the voltage delivered thereby. Cooperating with the shunt winding 11 is a so-called series winding 12, which is of low resistance and is commonly constructed of a few turns of relatively large wire. Cooperating with the other end of the core 10 is an armature 13, mounted upon a pivoted member 14, spring-pressed by means of the spring 15 away from the core, and having its movement in this direction limited by means of a stop 16. This member 14 also carries a movable contact member 17, adapted, when the armature 13 is in its attracted position, to cooperate with the fixed contact member 18 to close the circuit between the generator and the translating devices. The

translating devices 25, instead of being directly connected to the storage battery, are preferably connected to an intermediate tap on the series winding 12. As a result, the under compounding effect of the current delivered to the lights 25 will not be as large as would otherwise be the case.

The operation of my improved regulator is, as follows: As in other regulators of this class, the resistance 3 is of such a magnitude that it has a considerable effect on the volt age of the generator, and, when included in circuit with the shunt field winding, reduces the voltage of the generator considerably below the desired value, and when removed therefrom allows said voltage to increase considerably above the desired value. If, therefore, the contacts 4 and 5 be rapidly opened and closed, the voltage of the generator will be repeatedly varied, and its value will depend upon the relative length of the periods during which the contacts are open and closed. Evidently, the length of these periods will depend upon the distance by which the fixed and moving contacts are ment here shown should increase substantially directly as the force applied over a considerable range of movement of the armature 9. Owing to the construction of my flat steel spring with relatively large circular loops, it will be seen that this result is satisfactorily accomplished, and, furthermore, that the looped spring provides a range of movement comparable with that of a helical spring and considerably greater than that of a fiat spring fastened at one or both ends. By my construction, in which I have provided a spring constructed of a thin, flat strip of steel secured at both ends, I have devised an arrangement in which the operation of the device is substantially independent of the position of the regulator. This will be seen to follow from the description of the spring, and from the fact that it is only necessary to make the armature 9 of such dimensions that it is of very small weight. Thus, the regulator will operate almost equally well in either a horizontal or in a vertical position.

As constructed, my regulator will ordinarily be combined with a reverse current relay, the function of which is to disconnect the generator from the storage battery when, owing to variations in the speed at which the generator is driven, the voltage thereon is lower than that of the battery. This prevents a reversal of current and any attempt to drive the generator as a motor, and is shown and described in my application Serial No. 776,517, filed June 30, 1913. When the generator voltage is sufliciently large so that it is ready to supply current to the storage battery and lights, the flux produced by the winding 11 will be sufficient to attract the armature 13 and close the circuit through the series winding. The flux produced by said winding will aid that produced by the winding 11. The effect of the series winding will result in giving the battery a satisfactory character of charge, by undercompounding the generator, whereby the current supplied when the battery is in a low state of charge will not be excessive, and the voltage appliedthereto will be gradually increased as the battery becomes more fully charged. It, now, at any time the speed of the generator, and, consequently, its voltage, decreases to a point where it is less than the voltage of the battery, then it is desirable to disconnect the battery from the generator. The force of the spring 15 should ordinarily be sufficient to open the contacts, but addition it will be seen that as soon as there is a reversal of arrangement of will be understood that I do not decurrent through the winding 12, due to this state of afiairs, said winding will produce a flux opposing that produced by the winding 11, thereby rapidly demagnetizing the core 10.

While I have shown and described one particular construction, which is the best my device now known to me, it sire to be limited to this exact arrangement, but seek to cover in the appended claims all those modifications and variations which come within the spirit and scope ofmy invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,-

1. In a vibratory circuit interrupter, the combination of an electromagnet, an armature associated therewith, circuit controlling means operated by said armature, and a looped spring supporting said armature, said spring being attached to a rigid support at each end.

2. In a voltage regulator, the combination and formed of a of an electromagnet, an armature associated therewith, a contact carried by said armature, a fixed contact in operative relation to said moving contact, and a spring supporting said armature and moving contact, said spring being rigidly supported at its ends, fiat, thin strip of resilient material looped between the armature and the supports.

3. In a vibratory circuit interrupter, the combination of an electromagnet, an armature associated therewith, circuit controlling means operated by said armature, and a supporting spring for said armature rigidly attached at its ends to a suitable support, and formed of a fiat strip looped between the center and each end, so that the center may move in the longitudinal axis of said winding and be restrained from movement trans versely thereof.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of January, 1916.

HARRY A. LAYGOCK.

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