US1278610A - Automatic controller. - Google Patents

Description

G. B. DOWNS.

AUTOMATIC CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6. 1915.

1 378,6 1 O Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

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G. B. DOWNS.

Autommc CONTROLLER. APPLICATION FILED M'ARQIB, 1915.

1 ,278,6 1 0. Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

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G. B. DOWNS.

AUTOMATIC CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. s. 1915.

1,278,610. Patented Sept. 10,1918.

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G. B. DOWNS.

AUTOMATIC CONTROLLER.-

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6. 1915.

. 1,278,610. PatentedSept. 10,1918.

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Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

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GARRETT B. DOWNS, or MAUoHoHUNK, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC CONTROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent. i Patented Sept, 10,1918.

Application filed March 6, 1915. Serial No. 12,577.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GARRETT B. Downs, a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at -Mauch Chunk, in the county of production of a simple and efiicient means T for causing the direct or main line current to pass through the entire resistance at each time the current is cut in or desired to pass through the driving motors. I

Other objects and advantages of thepresent invention will appear throughout the following specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings 2 Figure 1 is a top plan view of the controller showing the manner of attaching the contact box thereto. I

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the controller box. 9 I r Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the controller box. p i

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the controller box taken on line 14 ofFig. 2. V Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 5--5 of Fig.2.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic View of the electrical circuits involved in connection with the present one series controller.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the starting mag net and a portion of the controller box.

Fig. 8 is an end view of the lower end of the controller box.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the pivot switches used in connection with the presentinvention for cutting the resistance in and out.

Fig. 10 is a transverse section taken on.

line 1010, of Fig. 3.

Fig. 11 is a detail perspective of the con tact block carried by one end of the controller box, and which is adapted to be electrically connected to the operating motor for the contact box.

Fig. 12 is a detail perspective of a type of main contact switch which may be used in connection with the present invention. v

, Fig. 13 is a longitudinal section through the contactbox.

Fig. 14 is'a front box. i

Fig. 15 is a perspective View of one ofthe contact arms. I

Fig. 16 is a section taken through the contact arm support, which. contact arm is adapted to close the circuit thereby causing the current to pass through the contact box motor.

Figfl'? is a longitudinal section through the rear end of the contact arm which'is adapted to close the circuit through the contact box operating motor showing the manner in which the same is connected to the last magnet cut-out-arm.

.By referring to the drawings it will be seen that 1 designates the frame of the controller box which is provided along the bottom" thereof with a plurality of contact sockets indicated by the numerals 2,3, 4-, 5

and 6 respectively. guiding rack '7 is supported upon the frame 1 as clearly. illustrated in Fig. 2, and a plurality of vertically extending arms 8 pass through the I rack 7.21s clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Thearms S carry coil springs 9, which coil springs are held at their proper tension by means of the collars 10. Anna ture plates 11 are carried'bythe upper ends of the arms 8 and are adapted to be attracted by means of the magnets 12 as illustrated clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The arms 8 pivotally engage the contact bars 13 and are adapted to 'move the contact bars 13 into and out of engagement with the respective contacts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Each bar 13 is provided with a contact lip 14 for thepurpose of constituting an efiicient contact. The bars 13 are pivotally supported at their rear ends upon the brackets 15, whichbrackets are provided with binding posts 16 for the purpose of allow ing the wires 17 to be secured thereto, said wire passing from the magnets 12 as is clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Themagnets 12 aresupported upon an intermediate platform 18 and have their upper ends engaging the'top plate 19 of the frame 1.

Five contact blocks 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24' elevation of the contact trated in Fig. 2, and these contact blocks are adapted to receive the cut-in switches 25, which switches are pivotally mounted upon the brackets 26 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 f the drawings. An armature plate 27 is carried by each of the cut-in switches 25, and these armature plates are adapted to be attracted by the magnets 12 when said magnets are energized. A coil spring 28 is interposed between the bridge 29 carried by the top plate 19 and the rear end of each cut-in switch 25 for the purpose of normally holding the contact point 30 of the cut-in switch 25 out of engagement with the contact blocks or plates to 24.

A distributing bar 31 is secured to the rear face of the top plate 19, and each of the cut-in switches is electrically connected thereto by means of a wire-32. This connec tion is clearly shown in the diagrammatic view of Fig. 6. A high resistance wire 31 is connected to the contact 6 and the distributing bar 31.

A starting magnet 33 is carried by one end of the frame 1 and is mounted within a casing 34 as clearly illustrated in detail in Fig. 7. A pivotally mounted contact arm 35 is secured to the frame 34 and is adapted to be thrown into engagement with the contact points 36 carried by the frame 34. A coil spring 37 is secured to the frame 34 and is also secured to the rear end of the contact arm 35 so as to hold the same out of engagement with the contact points 36 formed upon the casing 34. The magnet 33 is electrically connected to one of the confacts 6 by means of a wire 38, and the mag-.

net in turn is connected to the contact plate 36 by means of the wire 39. This contact point v36 is in turn electrically connected to a contact box 40, hereinafter more fully described, by means of a wire 41.

A motor contact switch 42 is pivotally secured to the opposite end of the frame 1 upon a bracket 43, and this contact switch 42 is adapted to engage the contact points 44, which points are secured to the top of the frame 1 and are electrically connected to a motor 45 by means of a wire 46see diagram Fig. 6and this motor 45 is adapted to actuate the contact boX 40 above referred to and hereinafter more fully described. The motor 45 is grounded through a wire 47 illustrated in the diagram in Fig. 6.

The construction and operation of the contact box is described as follows The contact box 40 carries a trip roller 48 having a plurality of knobs 49 properly arranged thereon for the purpose of raising the contact arms 50 at their proper time. The contact arms 50 are arranged in proper number to correspond with the contact arms 57 upon the controller box, and these contact arms 50 are pivotally secured upon the sup porting shaft illustrated clearly in Fig. 13.

These contact arms are connected to a bridge bar 52 by means of the spring metallic strips 53, and are electrically connected to a wire 54 clearly illustrated in Fig. 13 of the drawings. Each contact arm 50 is provided with a contact lug 55, which lug is adapted to engage the contact lug 56 of the spring contact arm 7, this contact arm 57 being connected to a wire which passes through one of the contacts 20 to 24 inclusive or the contacts or contact points 36 and 36 of the starting magnet 33. The roller 48 is connected to the motor 45 by means of a reduction gear 58 for the purpose of driving the roller 48. It should be understood that the contact box 40 is provided with a plurality of binding posts placed thereon which will be designated by the proper numerals in the following description with respect to the electrical wiring connection more clearly disclosed in the diagrammatic view illustrated in Fig. 6.

Referring now to the diagrammatic View in Fig. 6 which discloses the electrical circuit involved in connection with the controller, it will be seen that the distributing bar 31 is electrically .connected at one end to the contact point 59 of the contact box 40 by means of a wire 60, and that the wire 41 is connected to a companion contact point 61. It Will, therefore, be seen that as the arm 50, which is adapted to close the circuit through the contact points 61 and 59 is raised, the contactis closed between these points and that a circuit will pass down from the main line 62 through the trolley pole or underground connection 63 through the main switch 64 which has been closed, through the wire 65 through the distributing bar 31 through the wire 60, contacts 59 and 61 through the wire 41 through the contact 36 through the wire 39, starting magnet 33 through the wire 38 through the contact plate 6 through the grids 66, 67, 68 and 69 through motor and through the ground wire preferably the wheels of the vehicle 96 through the ground. Vhen the controller motor circuit is closed by means of the snap switch, it will be seen that the current will also pass through the box 71 which contains the snap switch and other mechanism suitable for such a box, through the wire 72 through the arm. 42 throughthe contacts 73 through the wire 46 to the motor 45 through the ground wire 47 to the ground. The motor 45, of course, actuates the contact box in order that the circuit may be closed through the contact points 59 and 61. After the starting magnet has been actuated so as to close the circuit across the cont-act points 36 and 36 and when the contact roller 48 is rotated to the position desired so as to close the circuit through the contacts 74 and 75, the current will pass from the distributing bar 31 through thecontact arm 35 and the contact point 6 and at the same time close the contact across the contact plates 24 and the first contact arm 25. Uponthe continuation of the rotation of the contact roller 48, the circuit will be closed between the contact points 79 and Will then pass from the distributing bar 31 through the first contact arm 25 through the contact point 24 through the wire 80 through thewire 81 through the contact point 23 through the wire 82 to the second magnet 12 through the wire '83 to the second bar or cut-1n switch 13 and through the grids 67 to 69 inelusive and down through the wire 96. This operation will continue until the magnets are step by step energized until the last magnet 12 is energized, whereupon the current will pass from the distributing bar 31 down through the next to the last contact arm 25 down through the contact point 21 through the wire 90 through the contact points 91 through the wire 92 through the contact.

point 20 through the wire 93 to the last magnet 12 through the wire 94 through the last bar or cut-in switch 13through the wire 96 to the motor thence to the ground. A contact point 20 is placed opposite the contact point 20 and a contact point 24 is placed opposite the contact point 24 as shown in Fig. 6. The last magnet 12 being energized will draw the contact 25 downwardly be tween the contact points 20 and 20 by means of the last contact arm 25 being thrown into engagement therewith and cause the current to pass down through the wire 94 through the switch 94 to the driving motor 95 to the ground through the wire 96. The arm 25 being attracted, the arm 42 will be drawn out of contact with the contact points 73, thereby cutting off the operation of the motor 45.

The main switch 64 may, of course, be.

formed of any suitable construction, but for the purpose of illustration a contact point 97 has been employed to which the wire is attached, and this contact point 97 is adapted to be engaged by a plunger 98, which plunger is in turn connected to the wire 99 illustrated clearly in Figs. 12 and 6.

It should be understood that should the current be accidentally cut off, all of the contacts will assume their normal positions, and in order to again throw the direct or main line current into the operating motor, it will be necessary for the controller box to go through the same operation as that above described, that is to say the step by step cutin operation of the electro-magnets.

By carefully considering Fig; 6, it will be seen that a direct connection is made between the bar 31 and the contact 6. This direct connection, however,'is made by means of a resistance wire 31 and operates as follows: After the main switch 64 is thrown to an operative position, the currentflows through the wire 65, through the-bar 31, through the wire 31 and connecting bar 31 to the'c'ontact 6, through the contact 6, through the resistance grids 66, 67 68 and 69 in series with each other, through the last fixed contact binding post 15, through the wire 94 to i the switch 94, through the wire 94, through the motor 95, through the wire 96 to the ground. i The contact box'also' set in operation by the switch 71 through the wire 72, through the contact 73, through the wire 46 to the contact box and motor 45, through the wire 47 to the ground, will bring the contacts 59 and 61 connected to the wire 60 from the bar 31 and wire 41 to motor side of contact 36 of starting magnet 33 into engagement causing enough current to flow throughthe starting magnet 33 to energize it sufficiently to pull its armature. into place and close the contact points 36 and 36 which in turn energize the wire 7 6, which operation continues until all the magnets are energized.

In brief, the explanation covering the operation of the control mechanism is simply that the wire connecting bar 31 and contact 6 is composed-of a resistance material known as the resistance wire and is of sufficient resistance to give the current an easier path 9 through the starting magnet 33 than through the w1re 31 with just enough magnetism to hold the armature in contact after the contact box has thrown the magnet '33 in circuit. It, of course, should be understood that this wire 31 should not carry too much resistance which would be likely to causea noticecontact arms adapted to be thrown into engagement with said contact points, means for normally holding said contact arms out of engagement with said contact points, a distributing bar electricallyconnected to said contact arms for supplying current to said arms, each magnet being electrically connected to one of said contact points, resistance means carried by said frame, a plurality of plungers supported by said frame and operated by said magnets, a plurality of resistance contact bars mounted upon said frame and operated by said plungers, said members carried by said frame, magnetic means carried by said frame below said contact members for operating said contact members as said magnetic means is energized, distributing means electrically connected to said contact members, contacts adapted to be engaged by said contact members, said magnetic means being electrically connected to said contacts, resistance means carried by said frame below said contact members, means for electrically connecting said resistance means with said magnetic means, means for closing a circuit through said resistanc means, said magnetic means operating said closing means to open the circuit through said resistance means, and means for electrically connecting said distributing means and said resistance.

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

GARRETT B. DOlVN S.

Witnesses JAMES RICHMOND, STANTON S. DOWNS.

Copies of thin patent may be obtained to: five cent: each, by addressing the Gomminioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

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