US1332020A - Circuit-controlling apparatus - Google Patents

Description

J. M. ANDERSEN.

cmcun CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-26,1916.

Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I -jnveniar 7 mom J. M. ANDERSEN.

CIRCUIT CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.26, 1916.

1,332,020. Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Fig: 2.

QUNiTE s rnrns PATENT orrron.

JOHAN M. ANDERSEN ,.OF BOSTON, MAssAoHnsErTsnssIeNon; 'roALBnn'r & J. M.

ANDERSON MANUFACTURING- COMPANY, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, aconl PORATION OF MAINE. v 1

CIRCUIT-CONTROLLING APPARATUS. I

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 24,

Application filed September 26, 1916. Serial No. 122,294.-

'1 b all 2072 0222, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHAN M. ANDERsnN,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Circuit-Controlling Ap has provision for permitting the circuit controller to be manually operated at any time, and to be automatically operated by a motor after the lapse of a predetermined length of Provision is made for varying the time.

length of time between the manual operation and the automatic operation by varying the time the motor is in operation.

The invention is especially applicable among other uses to be employed in thecircuit of arc lamps, especially'those used on the streets of cities and like places, whereby an operator can operate the circuit controller to cut the arc lamp into circuit, as for instance in the afternoon or evening of one day, and leave the lamp in circuit for a predetermined length of time, as for instance until the morning of the following day, whereupon the circuit controller is automatically operated by the motor mech anism to cut the lamp out of circuit. These and other features of this invention-will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is :1 front elevation of an ap- "paratus embodying this invention, and

Fig. 2, a section on the line 2-2 Fig. 1,

. showing also a section of areceptacle or casing in which the apparatus is placed.

In the present instance I have illustrated one form of apparatusembodying the invention, in which (4 represents as a whole a rotary electric snap switch of known construction, having movable contact members Z) actuated by a rotatable shaft 0, and cooperating with stationary contacts or circuit terminals cl, attached to a suitable base ,6 which is fastened to a plate f, which forms part of the framework of a motor mechanism.

The shaft 0 is eXtended through the plate plate and has loosely mounted upon it the hub 10 of a gear 12, which is designed to be rotated in one direction indicated by the arrow 13 in Fig. 1, by the motor mechanism, which is shown as a spring 14:, having one end fastened to the stationary casing 15 attached to the plate 7, and its other end fastened to the hub 10. I

The gear 12. is designed to turn freely in one direction byrotation of the shaftc and to turn the said shaft when moved in the opposite direction by the motor or spring let.

To this end, the gear 12 has pivoted on it a pawl 16 which cooperates with teeth or projections 17 18 on a disk 19, mounted on a reduced portion 20 of the shaft a so as to rotate with said shaft, the said pawl being held against the disk 19 by a spring 21, see

Fig. 1.

The gear 12 also has attached to it as by screws 22, a segmental plate 23 provided with a hub or boss 24 journaled in a stationary plate 25, forming part of the framework, the said hubhaving a socket 26, which is polygonal in cross section for the reception of a key (not shown), by means of which the hub 24 and the gear 12' may be turned in the direction of the arrow 26 in Fig. 1 to wind up the spring and thus store.

a reduced portion 28 of the shaft or spindle I c, which is polygonal in cross section and is designed to have fitted over it a suitable key (not shown), by means of which the shaft 0 may be turned by the operator, so as to change the relation'of the movable contacts b to the terminals (Z at the will of the operator.

Rotation of thegear 12 under the influence of the motor or spring 14 is regulated by a time train or clock movement of known construction, which is numbered 30 and of which the gear 12 and the spring 14: form'a part, the latter constituting the main spring of the said clock movement.

Provision is made for enabling the operator to select the length of time which must elapse between the. closing of the switch manually and theopening of the switch automatically, or in other words, the operator can determine at his will how long the andto this end, the hub or the gear 12 has loosely mounted upon it a disk 31, which is provided with aboss 32 carrying a pin 33, which is designed to project beyond the boss and enter one of a series 01 holes in the stationary plate 7, the said pin being held in the selected hole 3 1 by a spring 35,

see Fig, 2. The pin locks the disk 31 to the plate 7" against rotation, and thereby a the disk stationary until the pin 33 is withdrawn from its hole 31*, by the ope'rator pulling upon a thumb piece or head 36, which also serves as a handle by means 01' whlch the operator can turn the disk on the hub 10, of the gear 12. The'disk 31 is pro--. vided with a' stud or pin e0,which projects into the path of movement of a stud or pin 41 carriedby the gear 12 and extended onv both sides of the same. The pin al-Oserves to limit the movement of the gear 12, when the latter is turned by the key in the hands of the operator'in the direction of the arrow 26 so as to store up power in the spring or motor 14. The stud or pin 4E1 also coiiperates with a stud or pin 4C5, projecting from the plate 25 into the path of movement of the stud 'or pin 11. The stud or pin 40 carried by the rotatable member or disk 31, serves as a stop to limit the rotation ofthe gear 12 in the direction of the arrow 26 and m be designated the back stop, and the stud d5 acts as stopto limit the movement of the gear 12 in the opposite direction indicated by the arrow 13 and may be designated the front stop. 3

The back stop 40 is movable with the disk 31 and itis capable of being carried in a circularpath away from the front stop 15 different distances within limits, with the result thatthe back stop ma -be positioned at the will of the operator, so that the clock will run a-longer or shorter time, as may be desired, betweenthe time the switch is closed by the operator and the time the switch is opened by the motor, which opening of the switch takes place at or about the time the clock is stopped by the stud ti on the gear 12 engaging the stud do on the plate 25.

In the present instance the stationary I plate 7 is shown as provided with twenty 'tromthe first hole 34: which is numbered 7 one holes 34, which are arranged in the upper hall of a c1rcle'hav1ng the shaft 0 as a center. The distance between achacent holes represents an interval of one half hour, and

the front stop %5 is arranged a little more than the'distance ofa-quarter of a ClI'ClG in 1, and which indicates that when the pin 33 is inserted into the hole marked 7, andthe gear 12 is turned in the direction indicated by the arrow 26 until'the pin -11 on the gear 12'engages the backstop 10'on the disk 31, a period'of sevenl'iours will elapse while the motor is turning the gear 12 so'as to carry the pin 41 from engagement with the back stop 10 into engagement with the front stop 45, or in other words a period 01 seven hours will elapse from the time the operator closes the switch to the time the latter is automatically opened."

11 it is desired that the circuit of the arc lamp should remain closed a longer period oi time,'.the operator withdraws the locking pin 33 and turns the disk 31 until the looking pin has been brought into alinement with the hole 3% indicative of the desired period of-time. In Fig. 1, the locking pin 33 is represented as entered into the hole v3-1- which is numbered 12. The operator then turns the hub 2%. with G e large keyreferred to until the pin 4:1 is engaged with the back stopO, at which time the motor or spring 141 will have been wound up enough to insure it turning-the gear 12 for the period of 12 hours. hen the motor has been wound u; as described, the operator then tor is stopped bytne engagement ofthe pin 41 with the front stop 15, as represented in Fig.1. By reference to Fig; 1, it will be seen that when the gear 12 is turned in the direction or the arrow 26 to wind up the spring 1 t 1e pawl '16 is moved away from the-tooth 17 but is held in engagement with the'disk 19 byrits spring 21, and when the pin 11 engages the back stop e0, the pawl 16 will have been moved away from the V tooth 17 sufficiently far to permit the shaft 0 and the-disk 19 thereon to. be moved a quarter turn by the small key when the operator rotates the shaft 0 in the direction of the arrow 26' to close the switch. The tooth 17 is thus placed in the path of movement of the pawl 16 so asto be engaged thereby after the gear 12 has been moved a certain distance in the direction indicated by the arrow 13, which engagement takes place toward the end of the selected period of time, and after thepawl 16 haspieked up the tooth 17, the-disk turned with the gear 12 a certain distance before the switch is opened, so as to wind up the spring 50 of the snap switch and effect 21 quick opening of the; latter at or about the time the pin-engages the front stop 45.

If it is desired that the lamp should burn a. longer period of time, as for instance from 13 to 17 hours, the locking pin 33 is moved into engagement witlrthe hole 34 bearing 19 and its shaft 0 are 'ciently to remove the number-indicative of the desired period of time, say 17, and the gear 12 is then turnedby the large key rmtilarrested by the pin 41 engaging the back stop 40, whereupon the switch wis closed with the smaller key referred to.

When the gear 12 is turned more than a half circle the pawl 16 is carried beyond the tooth on the ratchet disk 19 in theclosed position of the switch, adistance suflicient to insure that a period of time over the 12 hours should elapse before the pawl is en gaged with the tooth 18 so as to turn the shaft 0. The snapswitch a'is peculiarly adapted for use in theapparatus, as it is constructed to provide for a quick break of the switch, by means of the coiled spring 50, which is wound up by turning the shaft 0 while the desired period of time is lapsing from the time the switch is turned on by the operator to the time it is automatically opened by the spring 50, being coiled suffithe contact members I) from the terminals (5; From the above description, it will be seen that the apparatus is especially serviceable among other uses, to be used for controlling arc lights employed in cities for street lighting, as it enables the lights to be turned on by an operator at any desired time at night, and renders it unnecessary for the operator to turn OK the lights in the morning, and by reason of the fact that the length of time the light shall burn is under the control of the operator, light shall be turned off may be varied to suit the different periods of the year, that is, in the summer time the lights can be automatically turned off at an early hour in the morning and in winter, at a materially later hour, and in the spring and fall at times between these extremes.

' The apparatus may be conveniently placed in a suitlble receptacle, as for instance in achamber 51 in the hollow metal pole 52 which supports the street are light,

said pole having a movable section 53 which forms a door for the receptacle 51 and is provided with an opening 54 in line with the shaft 0, so as to enable the operator to turn on the light and wind up the spring 14: with his keys without opening the door 53. I have herein shown one construction of circuit controlling apparatus embodying this invention but itis not desired to limit the invention to the particular construction shown. 1

Claims: V

1. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a snap switch provided with a shaft, a gear loosely mounted on said shaft and provided with a hub, a spring motor having one end connected with said hub, a stationary casing to which the other end of said spring motor is anchored,

and the time at which the a stationary disk having a series ofholes spaced apart and representing periods of: time, a disk mounted on the hub of said gear to turn thereon, a pin carried by said movable disk and cooperating with the holes in the stationary disk to secure saidmovable disk in a fixed position, a back stop carried by said movable disk, a'projectionxon said gear cooperating with said back stop, a toothed disk mounted on the shaft of the said snap switch to rotate therewith, a pawl carried by said gear cooperating with said toothed disk to eflectrotation of the snap switch shaft by rotation of said gear, and a front stop cooperating with a projection on the gear to arrest rotation of the gear under the influence of said spring motor.

2. In an apparatus ofthe character described, in combination, a circuit controller having a movable member and a rotatable shaft to which said movable member is operatively connected, a toothed disk mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith, a gear loosely mounted on said shaft, a pawl pivoted to said gear and cooperating with said toothed disk, a spring motor connected with said gear to be wound up when the said gear is rotated in one direction, and to 1'0 tate said gear and said shaft in the opposite direction, adjustable means for limiting the movement of said gear in one direction in different positions, and means to' limit the movement of said gear in the opposite direction.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a circuit controlling member, a shaft to which said member is operatively connected, a gear mountedon said shaft to be turned thereon in one direction independently of the said shaft, a motor for rotating said gear in the opposite direction, means for coupling said gear with said shaft to effect rotation of said shaft by said motor and to permit the, shaft to be rotated manu'ally independently of said gear, and means for limiting the rotation of said gear in opposite directions.

1. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a rotatable shaft, a

gear loose on said shaft, means for coupling said gear with said shaft to permit the said gear to be manually rotated in one direction without rotating said shaft and to permit the shaft to be rotated independently of the gear, and to permit the said shaft to be rotated by said gear in the opposite direction, a motor to rotate said gear, a device carrying a back stop and rotatable about said shaft, means for securing said device in different positions, means on said gear cooperating with said back stop to limit rotation of the said gear and thereby the extent to which said motor is wound up, and a front stop to limit rotation of said gear by said motor. i

5;In an apparatus of the ch'aracterda scribed, ,in combination a rotatable shaft, a gear loosely mounted on said shaft, means for coupling said gear with said shaft to permitthe: said gear to be manually rotated in one direction Without rotating saidshaft and'rtopermit the said-shafttoberotated by said gearin the opposite direction, a motor to rotate said gear, aback stop cooperating with said-gearto limitmanualrotation of the latter and movable into dilferei1tpositions to vary the distance saidgear maybe manually rotated, and a front stop cooper ating with said gear to limit the rotationof the latter by said motor. i

6. In an apparatus of the character deloosely mounted concentrically with relation to said shaft, means for securing said carrierinfiXed positions to adjust said back 25 stop in different positions, adevice on said gear'cooperating with said backstop, and

a front stop cooperating'with the device on said gear.

In testimony name to this specification.

' .JOHAN M. ANDERSEN.

whereof I hare signed my 30

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