US1337161A - Fire-alarm signaling device - Google Patents

Description

w. I. ROY AND J. B. DANEL.

FIRE ALARM SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11. 1919.

1,337,161, Patented Apr. 13,1920.

filly. 1

distant point and thereb STATES PATENT orrron.

WILLIAM JOSEPH BOY AIN'D JOSEPH BERNARD DAN'EL, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

FIRE-ALARM SIGNALING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

Application filed March 11, 1919. Serial No. 282,032.

To all whom it ma concern:

Be it known t at we, WILLIAM JOSEPH ROY and JOSEPH BERNARD DANEL, citizens of the United States, and residents of the city of Seattle, county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Alarm Signaling Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to signal devices intended for giving warning of the presence of fire or of any other sudden rise in temperature which might be dangerous as a means for causing fire.

The object of our device is to provide a mechanism which may be installed wherever desired and which is capable of being acted upon byysudden increase in temperature, to thereby act upon an alarm located at some y give warning of this dangerous condition.

Our invention consists of certain apparatus employing an. air chamber or chambers located at the point or points which it is desired to protect, such chambers being provided with means whereby the expansion of the air contained in the chamber, by reason of heat absorbed from thesurrounding air, will cause an increase in the pressure within this chamber and thus operate a make-and-break mechanism in an electric circuit, to thereby operate a warning mechanism located at a distant point.

The features of our invention, which we deem to be new and upon which we desire patent, will be herein described and then defined by the claims, it being understood that the description and the illustration of the mechanism given in the drawings are intended not to limit us to the exact construction shown, but to properly disclose the principles of our invention and the manner of carrying them out, it being understood that equivalent constructions may be substituted for those herein described and illustrated.

Figure 1 is a side view of one of our pneu- 'matic cylinders and the thermostatic makeand-break mechanism which is controlled thereby.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the air cylinder and the make-and-break mechanism. i

Fig. 4 is an end view on a larger scale effective portion of this area may be varied 4 in amount. The idea of this opening is to provide a vent opening of quite limited and controllable area which is at all times open so that air may flow through the same between the interior and the exterior of this chamber 1. The purpose of this will be stated later. Connected with this air reservoir 1, is a tube 2 which extends downwardly and is bent so as to have an arm 20 extending upwardly, thus forming a liquid trap or seal. This arm 20 is preferably terminated by a section 21 of a glass tube. There are two reasons for employing the glass: one, because of its transparency and the ability to see the level of the mercury, 22, contained therein; the other .is its insulating capacity,

whereby the contact wire 3 will not close the circuit by contacting with the side of the tube 21. 7 I

in the'bend 22 of the combined tube 2 and 21 is placed a certain amount of mercury, or other suitable conductive liquid. Une branch of this is freely exposed to the pressure of the air in the cylinder 1 and the other to the pressure of the exterior air. The rod or wire 3 has its lower end close ,to the surface of the mercury 22. So long as the pressures within and without the cylinder 1 are alike, or very nearly alike, the electric current is broken. One wire 4 of the electric circuit is connected in any suitable way with the wire 3 and the other Wire 40 of this circuit is connected in any suitable way with the tube 2. As shown, the wire I 40 is connected with the cylinder 1 and this.

of course, is in direct electrical contact with the tube 2.

At one end .of the cylinder 1 its head 11 is provided with a vent or equalizing opening 10, which opening is quite small in area. The bolt 5 has a conical point which corresponds with and seats against the conical surface of the enlarged outer end of the hole 10. The hole 1.0 is connected, by means of a port 12, with the exterior air, said port its inner conical end upon the corresponding surfaces of the hole 10. If, however, the bolt 5 be turned back slightly, an opening will be provided through which the air may pass in either direction, depending upon whether the pressure within or without the cylinder is the greater.

This vent is supposed to be open at all times. The size of the opening and its ability to pass the air will vary according to the adjustment of the bolt 5. Under the conditions described, if the cylinder 1 be suddenly heated, as would occur by the development of a fire or by any other means which would produce a sudden rise of temperature, the relieving capacity of the ports 10 and 12 will not be sufiicient to carry the air which would seek to escape from the cylinder 1. The air within this cylinder when heated would expand and would produce a higher pressure within the cylinder than without, unless this were in some way relieved.-

By providing a vent opening of graduated and small area, changes of temperature which occur slowly would not cause a sulficient rise in pressure to actuate the alarm mechanism, as time would be given to per-' mit gradual escape of air. In consequence, such changes of temperature as would be produced by normal heating apparatus or by reason of atmospheric or weather variations, would occur at too slow a rate to have any effect to actuate the alarm mechanism, while sudden rises in temperature would produce an expansion of air in the cylinder 1 such that the vent would not be capable of maintaining equilibrium between the external and internal pressures. In consequence, the distant alarm signal, which in the drawings is represented bv.an electric bell 6, would be actuated. This electric alarm mechanism may be of any type which is found suitable or desired. WVe have shown conventionally a battery 60 as a source of electro-motive force, by which the alarm signal is operated.

We have shown as combined with the above mechanism, another mechanism which operates on the valve body by employing a fusible member which is ruptured by the heat generated by a'fire, this serving as an additional protection in case of actual fire. We do not wish it understood, however, that this mechanism is essential for the operation of the pneumatically controlled mechanism described under ordinary conditions, but that it is used combined with it for extra precautions. This mechanism consists of the following parts:

A disk 7 is secured to the head of the bolt 5. To this disk is connected a spring 71 in such manner as to act upon said disk to turn it and the bolt with which it is connected, so as to close the valve. Mounted upon the same bolt, but loosely thereon, is a disk 8 which is provided with ratchet or saw teeth about its periphery. Lever 9 is pivotally mounted in a fixed position, as by a pin 90, upon the head 11 of the air reservoir. A tooth or sharpened end 91, at one end of the lever 9, fits between the teeth upon the disk 8 and will prevent the disk turning so long as it is held in the position shown in Fig. 4. This lever is held in this position by means of a small wire or link 92, which is made of an easily fusible material, so that in case the temperature rises above a certain point. this will soften or melt and thus release the lever 9 and thus permit free turningof the disk 8.

Means are provided whereby the spring 71 may be secured in adjusted position to the disk 7 and also whereby the two disks 7 and 8 may be secured in adjusted relative positions. This means, as herein shown, consists of a series of holes 70, formed in the disk 7 and a pin 72 to which one end of the spring 71 is secured, which pin is adapted to pass through one of the holes in the disk 7 and to enter the disk 8, to thus lock the two disks together. This permits adjustment of the bolt as may be desired and secures the spring thereto so as to correspond. So long as the link 92 remains intact, the spring 71 has no effect in the way of turning of the bolt. If, however, the link 92 becomes ruptured, the spring will immediately turn the bolt. Ordinarily a small portion of a revolution of this bolt will be sufiicient to seat the inner coned end of the bolt and thus to close the discharge port 12. When this happens, the escape of air is prevented and any further rise in temperature will be sure to cause the thermostatic device to close the circuit.

The contact bar or terminal 3 we have shown as secured to a bolt 30 which is adjustable in its supporting bracket 31, whereby the distance which normally separates this terminal 3 from the other terminal, the latter consisting of the mercury, 22, may be adjusted and in this way the rise in pressure required to close the circuit may be controlled. It is believed that the operation of the device may be clearly seen from the descriptionwhich has been given and that further recitation of the operation of the mechanism is unnecessary.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a fire alarm apparatus, a pneumatically operated circuit closing device placed in said circuit, an air reservoir connected with said circuit closing device to close the latter by an increase of pressure, said air reservoir having a pressure equalizing vent, a valve controlling saigl vent, and a locking means for said valvecontaining a fusible member normally operating to maintain the valve open.

2. In a fire alarm apparatus, a pneumatically operated circuit closing device placed in said circuit, an air reservoir connected with said circuit closing device to close the latter by an increase of pressure, said air reservoir having a pressure equalizing vent, a valve controlling said vent, a spring acting to close said valve, means for adjusting the point of connection of the spring with the valve to conform to adjustment of the valve, a locking means for said valve containing a fusible element, and means for adjustably connecting said locking means with the valve and its operating mechanism.

3. In a device of the character described, a rotatively adjusted venting valve, a toothed disk secured to turn therewith, a locking pawl engaging said disk, a fusible member holding said pawl in looking engagement, and a spring acting upon the valve to normally close it.

4. In a device of the character described, a rotatable vent controlling valve, a disk secured to said valve, means for securing said disk employing a fusible member, a second disk mounted concentric with the first and free to turn, a spring acting upon the second disk to turn the same, and means for adjustably connecting said two disks.

5. In a device of the character described,

a rotatable vent controlling valve, a disk se- WILLIAM JOSEPH ROY. JOSEPH BERNARD DANEL.

Images