US1286357A - Switch. - Google Patents

Description

S. G. LNGLEY.

SWITCH.

1 APPLICATION FILED DEC. I3, ISIS, Patented De@.3,1918.

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SAM G. LANGLEY, OF MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSGNOR TO NEVI JERSEY PATENT COMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A GORPORATIN OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

y Original application led June 18, 1912, Serial No. 704,338. Divided and this application filed December 13,

. 1916. Serial No. 186,781.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, SAM G. LANGLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Maplewood, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches, ofv whichthe followingis a description.

My invention relates to switches and more particularly to an improved automatic switch which is adapted to act as a relay for apparatus carrying large currents, this application being a division of my application Serial No. 704,388, filed June 18, 1912, and entitled Means for charging storage batteries.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a simple and eiiicient switch which shall be very sensitive and yet positive in its action, and -a switch of such con# struction that the evil eiects of chattering, which are liable to occur in alternating current apparatus, are obviated. l

My invention includes also the combinations o-elements and details. of construction hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For, a clearerunderstanding of my invention, attention is directed to the accompanyr ing drawing, forming part of this specification, and in which lliigure 1 is a side elevation of my improved switch; v

Fig; 2 is a plan viewoi the same; and lFig. 3 is a vertical `View at right angles to the view of Fig. 1, the upper portion being shown in section and the lower portion in elevation, and the contacts being shown in closed position.

Referring to the drawing, reference character 10 represents a supporting member which may be made of a single pieceo sheet metal and which has a horizontal portion 11, an upwardly extending vertical portion 13, and a horizontal portion 14 entending outwardly from the upper end of the vertical portion 13. The supporting memq ber 10 supports the parts ot my improved automatic switch and may be secured to any suitable base `member 15. it the base member 15 is of conducting material, the supporting member 10 is preferably insulated therefrom, but if the base member 15 is .of insulating material, further insulating means are not necessary in securing the supporting member 10 to the base member 15.

On the horizontal portion 14 of the supporting member 10 a solenoid is mounted, which includes a vertically disposed hollow spool 16 which may be made of metal and is preferably non-magnetic, and which is secured to the portion 14 in any suitable manner, as for example, by soldering. The spool 16 is provided with a high resistance solenoidv winding 17 suitably insulated from the spool. In the hollow core of the spool a plunger is provided, the lower portion 18 of which consists of magnetic material and is preferably of soft iron, and the upper portion 19 of which consists of non-magnetic material, such as brass or copper, preferably hollowed out to reduce its weight. The upper non magneticv portion of the plunger is provided with a shoulder 20 or other suitable means for limiting the downward movement of the plunger, and also with 'a vertical slot 22 through which lpasses a pin 21 soldered or 4secured inany other suitable manner to the top of the spool 16 and serving to limit the upward movement of the plunger. In the operation of the device, the pin 21 permits the plunger to rise to a position which is substantially its position of equilibrium for the normal strength of current carried by thecoil 17. By having the lower portion of the plunger of soft iron and the upper portion of hollow non-magnetic material, the

entire plunger is elevated to the desired position in the solenoid without necessitating the use of such an amount of iron as would render the plunger unduly heavy, and

greater sensitiveness of operation is thereby attained. The lower end of the plunger is provided with a piece of insulating material 23 secured thereto to prevent the plunger from coming into electrical contact with the metallic member 56 upon which it impinges when it moves into lowered position.

A plate of insulating material 43 has one end secured to the under side of the horizontal portion 14 and serves as a support at its other end for a hollow tube 44, which is made of metal, as for example, brass, and which is screw threaded at its lower end into the insulating plate 43. At the upper end ot the tube 44 a plug 47 of insulating material is inserted, through which extends a conlos ducting member 46 screw threaded'at its upper end and provided with a contact 45 at its lower end. The upper end of the mem- .v

through the bottom thereof and through the insulatin plate 43 .is an elongated member 52 provi( ed at its upper endwith a contact 51 and screw threaded at its lower end. A

coiled -spring 59 yencircles the member 52 within the hollow cylinder and is located between a. Shoulder on the upper portion of the member' 52k and a shoulder in the lowerV portion ofthe tube 544, thereby tending to elevate the member 52 and to force contact 51 in to contact with the contact 45. A bracket 54 is held in place on the insulating plate 43 by thecylinder 44, the lower end of the cylinder beingextended through a portion of the bracket lying on the upper surface of the insulating plate 43. The bracket 54 is insulated from the horizontal supporting portion 14 by the vinsulating plate .43. The bracket 54is provided with lugs 55, upon which an elongated member 56 of light Weight, which may be made of fairly stiff sheet metal, is pivotally supported. The member 56 has an opening through which the lower end of the member 52 passes loosely, and nuts 53 are provided at the lower end of the member 52 and beneath the elongated member 56 in such a manner that the elongated member 56 is supported in an approximately horizontal position and its free end is located immediately beneath the insulating block .23 of the plunger 18. The bracket 54 is provided with a screw and Washer 58 for connecting a conductor 95 in circuit, the conductor 95 being'in circuit with the conductor 94. It' will be observed that the bracket 54 is in electrical connection with the tube 44 and the contact 51.

If for any cause there is a failure of current or abnormal decrease in current strength of the coil 17, plunger 18 drops by gravity and impinges upon the free end of the pivoted-member 56 and separates contact 51 from Contact 45 against the action of the sprin 59, the tension of the spring 59 and Weig its of the member 56 and the plunger of the solenoid being properly proportioned to produce this result. The separation of contacts 51 and 45 causes the circuit through conductors 94 and 95 to be broken. When current comes on again or the voltage rises to the required amount in the circuit of the solenoid winding 17, the 'core 18 is lifted out of contact with the member56, permitting the closing of the conalso to secure are obviated. That lportion of the devicev lincluding' the solenoid winding 17 and the contacts 45 and 51 acts as a relay for the circuit of conductors 94 and 95 adapted to carry large currents. With my improved sw1tch I am enabled to cmbine sensitivenesswith positiveness of action, and no chattering whatever occurs.

Having now described my invention, what lunger 18 disconnected I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is as follows 1. In apparatus of the class described, an insulating plate, a hollow cylinder mounted on one end thereof and vertically disposed, va stationary contact mounted on the upper end of the cylinder and insulated therefrom, an elongated member extending through the bottom of the cylinder and the insulating plate and having in its upper end a contact adapted to co'cperate with the xed contact, a spring for closing said contacts, a pivoted member operatively related to the movable contact-carrying memberso that when the free end of the pivoted member is depressed Vthe movable contact is separated from the lixed contact, a solenoid mounted vertically on said insulating plate, and a gravity-actulated plunger for the solenoid located to impinge upon the free end of the pivoted member when the current in the solenoid is reduced a predetermined amount, substantially as described.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a vertical hollow member, a stationary contact mounted thereon, a member movably mounted in said hollow member and extending therefrom, said movably mounted member having applied thereto a contact adapted to.

coperate with said stationary contact, means for closing said contacts, a pivoted member operatively related to the movable contact carrying member so that when the free end of the pivoted member is depressed the movable contact is separated from the stationary contact, and a solenoid having a gravityactuated plunger located to impinge upon the free'end of the pivoted member when the solenoid is denergized, substantially as. de scribed.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a Xed contact, a reciprocatory member having a contact adapted to coperate with the fixed contact and biased to contact-closing position, a pivoted member loosely connected with said reciprocatory member for moving the same out of contact-closing position, a solenoid, and a plunger held free from said pivoted member when the solenoid is energized but located to impin e upon said pivoted member when the so enoid is denergized to cause separation of the fixed and movable contacts, substantially as described.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a vertically disposed solenoid, and a plunger therefor having its lower portion of magnetic material and its upper portion of non-magnetic material, said upper portion being hollow and having means for limiting the downward movement of the plunger, substantially as described.

5. In apparatus of the class described, a

, vertically disposed solenoid, and a plunger ltherefor having its lower portion of magnetic material and its upper portion of nonmagnetic material, said upper portion being hollow and having means for limiting the WiLLIAM A. HARDY, AnoLPH F. GALL.

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