US1278967A

US1278967A - Circuit-interrupter.

Info

Publication number: US1278967A
Application number: US85564914A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph N Mahoney; Walter M Austin
Original assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: CBS Corp
Priority date: 1914-08-07
Filing date: 1914-08-07
Publication date: 1918-09-17
Anticipated expiration: 1935-09-17

Description

J. N. MAHONEY & W M. AUSTIN.

CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ. 914.

Patented Sept; 17, 1918.v

I7 Joseph N Mahone NVENTOR y WaHer/VL Ausrin.

ATTORNEY cm", [1. c

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JOSEPH N. MAHONEY, 0F WILKINSBURG, AND VJALTER M. AUSTIN, OF SWISSVALE,

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS 'lO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND: MANUFAGTUB.

CIRGUIT-INTERRUPTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept..1:'7, 1918.

Application filed August 7, 1-914. Serial No. 855,649.

To all whom it'may concern:

Be it known that we, Josnrrr- N. MAHONEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of \Vilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and lVALrnn M. Ausrrn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ct Swissvale, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Circuit-Interru-pters, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to circuit interrupters and particularly to. those that are automatically operated.

One object of our invention is to provide means for decreasing the current in the winding of a closing, holding and tripping electromagnet of a circuit interrupter utter the contact members of? the same are engagcd.

Another object of our invention is to provide a simple type of toggle and' tripping mechanism. for a circuit interrupter having means for removing part of the load from the operating electromag-net when the cir cuit interrupter is in its closed position.

It has. heretofore been proposed to pro vide a single el'ectromagnet winding for closing a: circuit interrupter, for holding the same in a closedposition and for tripping thesame. Since it does not require so large a current toretain a circuit interrupter of this. type in its closed position as it does to close the same it is highly advisable that some simple means be provided for reducing the current in the electromagnet winding when the circuit interrupter is closed.

According to the present invention we provide a circuit interrupter comprising an operating toggle mechanism having a lost motion connection, an operating, holding and tripping electromagnet and a resilient member for opposing the action of the same, and

we so arrange the toggle mechanism, the electromagnet and the resilient member that the load upon the electromagnet is reduced when the contact members are engaged, and we also provide means for decreasing the current traversing the winding of the elec tromagnet in accordance with the reduction in the load upon the same.

Our device is so arranged that the load upon the electromagnet, after the contact members are engaged, is only sufficient to overcome the pressure of the resilient member. Thus, when the current traversing the electromagnet. is interrupted, the resilient member will trip the circuit interrupter, substantially as hereinafter set forth.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is aside view, partially in elevation and partially insection of a circuit interrupter embodying our invention Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryfro-n-t elevatioi-ial view of the circuit interruptcr shown in- Fig. 1, and Fig. 3- is a diagrammatic view of circuit connections of one application to which our invention may beapplied.

The circuit interrupter embodying the present invention is especiallyadapted to be employed in systems in which it is de sired to connect together two conductors 1 and 2 (Fig. 3) when the voltage between each of the said conductors and a common return cond-uctor3 is substantially the same, the circuit interrupter being shown conventionally at l. However. our invention may be employed equally well in any place where an electrically operated circuit interrupter is needed.

The electromagnet winding of the circuit interrupter 4 is connected in series with a resistor 6 toform a circuit from the conductor 1 to the return wire 3', substantially as shown. A relay 7 is provided having two su plemental windings 8 and 9,. a movable core member 10, and a bridgingcontact member 11, substantially as shown. One of the windings of the relay 7 is connected between the conductors 2' and 3: and the other is connected between the conductors 1 and 3. These windings are so proportioned that the movable core member 10 of the relay 7 will be drawn upwardly when the voltages across the circuits are of predetermined values. The bridging contact member 11 and its cooperating stationary contactmember 11 form a switch for the circuit that includes the clectromagnet winding 5 and the resister (3'. A knife blade 13 which eotiperates with a stationary contact member 14.- is adapted to short circuit the resistor 6 when the circuit interrupter 4 is opened.

The circuit interrupter 4 comprises main stationary contact members 15', a main bridging contact member 16, a stationary auxiliary contact member 17, a movable auxiliary contact member 18, a stationary by resilient members 16 to provide a time interval between the operation of the same. The contact members and means for supporting the same are substantially the same as is shown in a copending United States application Serial No. 535,437, filed Dec. 29, 1909, and assigned to the Vestinghouse Electric '& Manufacturing Company.

Tothe base member 22 is attached an operating electromagnet 27 which comprises,

besides a winding 5 and a movable core member 12, a stationary core member 28, a spring 29 and adjustable limiting screws 30.

The springs 29 are disposed with-in the movable and stationary core members of the electromagnet 27 and are arranged to oppose the operation of the electromagnet 27, as hereinafter set forth.

The toggle mechanism 21 comprises a bell crank lever 31 that is pivotally mounted upon a shaft 31 supported by the brackets 22*, links 32 that operatively connect the pivotally mounted arm 23 to the upper arm of the bell crank lever 31, and a link 31 that operatively connects the other arm of the bell crank lever to the movable core member 12 of the electromagnet 27 The link 33 is provided with a relatively large opening 34 where it connects with the bell crank lever 31 to form a lost motion connection between the movable core member 12 of theelectromagnet 27 and the bell crank lever 31. The springs 29 are disposed about rods 35 which are located within openings in a portion 28 of the stationary core member of the electromagnet 27. The rods 35 engage the knife blade members 13 to effect disengagement of the same from the stationary contact member 14 when the springs 29 are compressed. The limiting screws 30 are adjusted to support the weight of the movable parts of the interrupter when the same is closed and thus restrain the same in its its closed position. The portion 28 of the stationary core member 28 is screw threaded and adapted to be adjustablewith respect to the main portion of the stationary core member.

When the voltage between the conductors 1 and 3 and 2 and 3, respectively, are substantially the same and of such value as to energize the relay 7 sufficiently to draw the movable contact member upwardly, current will'tra'versc the winding 5 of the circuit interrupter '1 causing the movable (Ore member 12 to move downwardly. The downward movement of the movable core member 12 rotates the bell crank lever 31 in a counterclockwise direction forcing the

movable arms

23 and 25 in a counter-clockwise direction to cause the engagement of the respective stationary contact members of the circuit interrupter. The downward movement of the movable core member 12 compresses the spring 29 to cause disengagement of the knife blade member 13 from the stationary contact member 14. Thus, the short circuit aroundthe resistance 6 is opened to decrease the current traversing the winding 5. The toggle mechanism 21 is restrained from opening the circuit interrupter by reason of its being overset to assume an off center position that is determined by the adjustable limiting screws 30.

If the voltage between either of the conductors l and 2 and the common return conductor 3 decreases, the movable core member 10 of the relay 7 will move downwardly to interrupt the current traversing the winding 5 of the electromagnet 27 Since the current that normally traverses the winding 5 is only sufiicient to overcome the springs 29, when the flow of current therein is interrupted, the springs will expand, causing the movable member 12 to move upwardly throwing the toggle mechanism 21 across its dead center position to interrupt the circuit between the conductors l and 2. The opening 34 in the link 33 permits the movable core member to attain a relatively great amount of energy'before the toggles are upset or collapsed. The upward movement of the movable core member 12 and the rods 35 permits the spring 36 to move the knife blade member 13 into engagement with the stationary contact member 14. In this position, the circuit interrupter is a ain ready for operating when the relay 7 is again sufliciently energized.

While we have shown our invention in its preferred form, it is not so limited, but, is capable of various modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

\Ve claim as our invention:

1. A circuit interrupter comprising stationary cont-act members, movable contact members, a pivotally mounted arm for the movable contact members, a bell-crank lever, a link for operatively connecting the pivotally mounted arm to one arm of the bell-crank lever, an electromagnet mounted entirely below the bell-crank lever, and a pinand slot lost-motion connection between the other arm of the bell-crank lever and the movable member of the electromagnet.

2. A circuit interrupter comprising stationary contact members, movable contact members, a pivotally mounted arm for the movable contact members, a bell-crank lever, a link for opcratively connecting the pivotally mounted arm to one arm of the bell-crank lever, an electromagnct mounted entirely below the bell-crank lever, and a link having a lost-motion connection between the other arm of the bell-crank lever and the movable member of the electromagnet.

3. A circuit interrupter comprising cooperating movable and stationary contact members, a bell-crank lever, a link for operatively connecting the movable contact member to one arm of the bell-crank lever, an operating electromagnet disposed entirely below the bell-crank lever, and a link hav ing a lost-motion connection between the movable member of the electromagnet and the other arm of the bell-crank lever.

4-. A circuit interrupter comprising cooperating movable and stationary contact members, a bell-crank lever, a link for operatively connecting the movable contact member to one arm of the bell-crank lever, an operating electromagnet disposed entirely below the bell-crank lever, a link having a lost-motion connection between the movable member of the electromagnet and the other arm of the bell-crank lever, and a spring for opposing the closing movement of the.

electromagnet.

5. A circuit interrupter comprising a stationary contact member, a movable contact member, a pivotally mounted arm for the movable contact member, a bell-crank lever mounted below the pivotally mounted arm, a link for operatively connecting the pivotally mounted arm to one arm ofthe bell-crank lever, an operating electromagnet mounted entirely below the bell-crank lever, and a link operatively connected to the movable member of the electromagnet and having a lost-motion pin-and-slot connection with the other arm of the bell-crank lever.

6. A circuit interrupter comprising a sta tionary contact member, a movable contact member, a pivotally mounted arm for the movable contact member, a bell-crank lever mounted below the pivotally mounted arm, a link for operatively connecting the pivotally mounted arm to one arm of the bellcrank lever, an operating electromagnet disposed below the bell-crank lever, and a link' operatively connected to the movable member of the electromagnet and having a lostmotion pin-and-sl'ot connection with the other arm of the bell-crank lever.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this th day of July,

JOSEPH N. MAHONEY. lVALTER M. AUSTIN. Witnesses:

A. H. BAKKAM, B. B. HINES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.