US1327009A - Electric switch - Google Patents

Description

W. E. ANDREE.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29. 1916.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920,

"UNITED STATES PATENT" omnon.

WILLIAM E. ANDREE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN LAUNDRY MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

ELECTRIC Specification of Letters Patent.

SWITCH.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Original applicationfiled June '7, 1916, Serial No. 102,296. Divided and this application f led June 29, 1916.

Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'WILLIAM E. ANDRiin, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of (look and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric switches, and more particularly to switches for controlling machine motors and operated in turn by the machine itself.

The objects of the invention are to provide, a Simple form of switch whose parts are readily accessible for repair or replacement and are not liable to get out of order; one which has the necessary parts for completing and breaking one or more circuits to produce the desired operations in proper sequence of the device which it controls, such as a motor or the machine operated thereby; one which produces a quick make and breakand thereby avoids the dangers of arcing; and finally a switch which can be operated or controlled by a plurality of movable members and which will either make or break the circuit by movement of the proper part or parts in either of two directions.

Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings, which represent one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is an elevation partly broken out and in section on the line 11 Fig. 2, showing the switch in one of its open positions; and Fig. 2 is a similar view from the right and on the section line 22 Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings the switch shown comprises a suitable hollow casing 1, which can be made in one or a plurality of parts bolted or otherwise secured. together, and whose bottom 2 is provided with a depending sleeve like boss 3 which may be attached to a bracket or other part 4 firmly secured to any suitable part 5 of the ma chine and forming a support for the switch mechanism.

Slidably mounted in the bore of the boss 3 is a switch tube 6, preferably of metal, and which is also preferably held against rotation in said boss, as by the key or spline 7. Said tube has upper and lower keeper pressed keeper member 10 and Which,when

engaged in either of the notches 8, holds the tube stationary. The notches and keeperhead are beveled or inclined as shown so that when the tube is moved longitudinallyin either direction the yielding head is forced back and springs into the other keeper notch when it comes opposite said head.

The lower end of the tube 6 is bored to form a recess 11. Its upper end is provided with a threaded extension 12 screwed into the lower end of an insulating switch tube 13, which may be made of hardrrubber, fiber, or a composition material. The upper end of said insulating tube is also provided with a counterbored recess 14:.

In the recesses 11 and 1.4 are located spiral compression springs 15, both surrounding a central switch operating rod 16,.sliding in the bore of the tubes 6 and 18, said springs at their inner ends bearing against the bottoms of the recesses and at their outer ends against nuts 17 screwed on the upper and lower ends of the rod 16. Said nuts are of larger diameter than the recesses 11 and 14:, so that when the rod 16 is moved endwise in one direction or the other said nuts engage the ends of the tube structure and cause apositive endwise movement thereof, as will appear.

Rod 16 is reciprocated longitudinally in any suitable manner, and for this purpose the drawings show the lower end of said rod provided with an operating head 18 having an elongated transverse slot 19 to receive a crank pin 20 eccentrioally disposed upon the face of a crank disk 21 rotated by a shaft 22. As said shaft is rotated the crank pin 20 travels around the axis of said shaft moving in a circular path, as shown by the dotted lines Fig. 1, and sliding back and forth in the slot 19.

The yielding tube 13 forms a support for one or a plurality of bridge members 23, three being shown, which are metal plates or segments sunk into the periphery of the tube at various points on its circumference and extending longitudinally thereof. These segments cooperate with pairs of separated contacts 24, suitably insulated from each other, and carried by a sleeve 25 surrounding and sliding longitudinally upon the tube 13. Each segment 23 is long enough to bridge the gap between the two contacts 24: of a pair which are located in longitudinal alinement with each other, and which, it will be understood, are connected to the lead wires of an electric circuit, say to the circuit of a motor for operating the machine which the switch controls, one of the elements of said machine being the shaft 22 before referred to.

The sleeve 25 is provided with a recess to receive a pin or projection 26 upon a head 27 adjustably secured, as by the set screw 28, to an operating rod 29, whose axis is parallel with the axis of the rod 16, and which is slidable vertically and guided in openings in the roof and fioor of the case 1. Said rod may be reciprocated in any suitable manner, such as by suitable connection to one arm of a lever 30 operated by the machine and pivoted at 31 thereon. The rod 29 is also provided with longitudinally spaced keeper notches 32, similar to the notches 9 and likewise cooperating with a spring pressed keeper pin 33 mounted in a boss on the upper portion of the casing.

The switch described operates as follows:

Let it be assumed that one or more of the pairs of contacts 24: are connected in the circuits of the motor for driving the machine. In the position of the parts shown in the drawings rod 16 is in its upper position and rod 29 in its lower position so that only the upper ones of the contacts 24. are against the bridges 23. The motor circuits are therefore broken. To start the machine lever 30 is swung about its pivot in the clockwise direction, Fig. 1, which raises the rod 29 until the pin 33 springs into the lower keeper notch 32, in which position all circuits to the motor are closed and said motor and the machine begin to operate. At the proper time in the cycle of operations of the machine shaft 22 is rotated by the machine and when it has turned through 180, or to the position of pin 20 shown in dotted lines Fig. 1, has moved the rod 16 downwardly to its lower position. The first effect of this movement is to com-press the upper spring 15, but as soon as the pressure of said spring is sufficient to overcome the friction of the keeper pin 9 said pin is forced back and the switch tube moves downwardly with a quick snap action, thereby opening the circuit suddenly and avoiding any danger' from arcing. The machine thereupon stops with both of the rods 10 and 29 moved to the positions opposite to those shown in the drawings. Lever 30 is then swung in the opposite direction to move the rod 29 downwardly, or to the position shown in Fig. 2, which again closes the circuits through the contacts and starts the motor. At the proper point in the cycle of operations the shaft 22 is again rotated through 180, moving to the position shown in full lines Fig. 1. The first eifect of this motion is to compress the lower spring 15 subsequently to produce a sudden upward snapping movement of the switch tube to again open the circuits, as before, which completes one cycle of operations.

The switch described is of simple construction and is adapted for use on any type of machine whose cycle of operations requires the motor to stop and start twice. The particular form shown in the drawings has been designed for use with power operated garment presses, although not limited to use with this type of machine, the particular garment press referred to being fully shown and described in my prior application for garment press, filed June 7 1916, Serial No. 102,296, and of which this application is a division.

What I claim is 1. An electric switch,comprising two members, one of which carries two contacts and the other a cooperating bridge adapted to span said contacts, both of said members being reciprocable, the ranges of movement of said members overlapping each other, whereby movement of either member through its range opens or closes the switch.

2. An electric switch, comprising two members, one of which carries two contacts and the other a cooperating bridge, both of said members being reciprocable, the ranges of movement of said members overlapping each other, whereby movement of either member through its range opens or closes the switch, and means for preventing rotative movement of both members.

3. An electric switch, comprising two cooperating telescoping members, one carrying two contacts and the other a cooperating bridge, both of said members being reciprocable along their common axis, their ranges of movement being equal and overlapping each other, whereby movement of either member through its range opens or closes the switch.

4. An electric switch, comprising two cooperating telescoping members, one carrying two contacts and the other a cooperating bridge, their ranges of movement being equal and overlapping each other, whereby movement of either member through its range opens or closes the switch, and means for preventing relative rotation of said members around their axis.

5. An electric switch, comprising two cooperating members, both ofwhich are reciprocable along a line, one of said members carrying two contacts spaced apart along said line, and the other carrying 'a CO-. operating bridge extending along said line and adapted to span said contacts, the ranges of movement of said members overlapping each other, whereby movement of either member through its range opens 01' closes the switch.

6. An electric switch, comprising two telescoping members, both of which are recipit rocable along a line, one of said members carrying two contacts and the other carrying a cooperating bridge, a reciprocating operating device for one of said members, and a yielding lost motion connection in both directions between said device and the member operated thereby.

7. An electric switch, comprising two telescoping members, one of said members carrying two contacts and the other carrying 5 a cooperating bridge, a reciprocatin operating device for one of said mem ers, a yielding lost motion connection in both directions between said deviceand the member operated thereby, and yielding means tending to hold said last named member in either of two positions at opposite ends of its range of movement.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM E. ANDREE. Witnesses:

S. JENSEN, C. H. MATHISON.

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