US1395826A - Supervisory signaling system - Google Patents

Description

R. M. HOPKINS.

SUPERVISORY SIGNALING SYSTEM. APPLICATION F|LEDMAR.1S,1918.

1,395,826. Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

@me Ya/ULogv RICHARD 1M. HOPKINS, OF RTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN DISTRICT TELEGRALPE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SUPERVISORY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Patented Ncv.1.1921. y

Application filed March 18, `1918. Serial No. 223,146.

.To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, RICHARD M. HorKINs, a citizen of thel United States, and a resident of Rutherford, county of Bergen, and State of New Jersey, have invented certaln new and useful Improvements in Supervisory Signaling Systems, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part hereof.

This invention relates to supervisory signaling systems especially applicable to sprinkler or other water supply installations ings existing as a separate local unit. Itsgeneral purpose, as a whole, is to provide an eiiicient arrangement whereby any .change 1n the service condition of the sprlnkler or other water supply installation, o r of the doors and windows, etc., of a building or other elements to be supervised, will be locally signaled to a central station, such as the oiice of the local supervisor or person incharge, and whereby the particular locality in the installation or building where such change has occurred will be indicated, with the result that the installation or other .elements to be supervised may be kept at all times in a high state of eiliciency.

In the accompanying drawing formmg part of this specification, the system is shown y in normal condition in diagram, and 1n its preferred form as applied to a spr1nkler 1n stallation.

Referring now to the particular arrangement as shown in the drawing, 1 and 2 are main circuit wires leading from any convenient source of electric current.; Connecting with these main wires are one or more branch circuits or loops extending to various parts ofthe sprinkler installation. In the drawing, four of such branch circuits o1' loops are shown. The upper one bearing the legend Gate valve loop extends to the various gate valves of the sprinkler installa-- tion, the location of the gate valves being indicated by crosses on'the circuit loop. The next circuit loop extends to devices in the installation responsive to variations of they water pressure and bears the legend Pressure loop. The location of these pressure devices is also indicated .by crosses on the circuit loop. The next circuit loop extends to devices in the installation associated with the various tank floats and bears the legend 'Tank float loop. The locations of thesedevices are also indicated by crosses. on the circuit loop. The lower circuit loop extends to the various devices of the installation responsive to the water flow and bears the legend Water iow loop. The locations of these devices are indicated by thev contacts connected with the loop.

3 is a signahpreferably an audible signal, such as a bell, connected in the local circuit with a battery 4, such circuit being indicated by the wires 5l 'and 6. The wire 5 is connected with a' contact 7 movable between con- 80 tacts 8 and 9. Wire 6 is connected with a switch 10 resting normally on the contact 11 and adapted to be moved over to contact 12. The switching device consisting of the contacts 7, 8 and .9, is controlledby an electro- 85 magnet 13 in the circuit of the gate valve loop. For this purpose, its armature 14 carries an arm 15 which actuates the contact 7. When the magnet 13 is energized to draw up its armature 14the arm 15 moves 90 to the left and permits the contact 7 to rise to make connection with the contact 9. This is the position of the parts shownin the drawing. yWhen the magnet 13 'is denergized, its armature 14 moves to the left and 95 'the arm 15 moves to the right, thereby throwing contact 7 into connection with contact 8.

Armature 14 carries al visual signal 16- and the magnet and associated switching device are preferably inclosed within a box having' 100 an opening 17 through Awhich the signal k16 is visible when magnet v13 is denergized.

19 is one of the gate valves ofthe sprinkler installation. Associated with'it is 'a pair 'of contacts 20-and 21. When thegate valv'e'is 105 opened and its stem elevated, contacts 20y and 21 are closed, as shown in the drawing. When the gate valve is closed andits stem lowered, contacts 2O and 21 are thereby opened. In the preferable arrangement, as shown in the drawing, the gate valve loop is normally closed and the gate valves are all open to permit a free flow of water. The other gate valves and their contacts are the same as. that just described.

Instead of employing the contacts and 21 to eii'ect a break in the gate valve loop and thereby denergize magnet 13, as might be done, it is preferable to throw in an added resistance when these contacts are opened and thereby denergizemagnet 13, employing this added resistance being in the form of a coil for an electromagnet to operate a local signal to indicate the position of the gate valve. This arrangement is shown in the drawing, the added resistance being in the form of an electromagnet 22 connected in multiple with the contacts 20 and 21. When these contacts are opened, magnet 22 is energized and its armature 23 is drawn up, thereby lowering the target 24 to obscure the disk 25. The target 24 is ordinarily colored red and the disk 25 is ordinarily white. When the gate valve 19 is open, therefore, the white disk 25 will be displayed to indicate this fact. When the gate valve is closed, the target 24 will be lowered to indicate that the gate valve is closed. Therey are preferably similar electromagnetic and signaling devices associated with each gate valve.

When a gate valve,`such as 19, is closed, its contacts 20 and 21 will be opened to include in the circuit the magnet 22 whose added resistance to. the circuit denergize's magnet 13, thereby displaying signal 16 at opening 17 and closing contacts 7 and 8. This closes the circuit of signal 3, normally open, at contacts 7 and 8, and causes the signal 3 to indicate danger or give a call' indication as by ringing a bell. This draws the supervisors attention and by signal 16 he is able to observe that the signal has been transmitted from the gate valve loop which is thereupon inspected to` determine the lo cation of lthe particular gate valve from which the signal has been transmitted. The target 24, or other signal associated with the gate valve, having dropped, facilitates the inspection of the gate valves.

As soon as the supervisor issues the order to inspect the gate valves, he throws the switch 10 over to the right, thereby disconnecting the wire 6 vfrom contact 11 and connecting it with contact 12. This breaks the circuit of signalA 3 and its danger or call indication ceases. Contact 12 is connected by wire 26 'with contact 9. Hence, when the particular gate valve from which the signal has beenv transmitted has been opened to again energize magnet 13 and close contacts 7 and 9,

the circuit of signal 3 is thereby again closed andV signal l3 gives a second call in. dication to inform the supervisor that the gate valve has been opened and that the gate valve loop and signal 16 have been restored to normal condition. Thereupon hereturns the switch 1() to its normal position making connection with contact 11, cutting out signal 3 and restoring everything to normal. It will be observed that switch 10 acts to cut in and cut out certain of the contacts of switching devices 7, 8 and 9 to thereby control the call indication of signal 3 or such other signaling means as may be employed in lieu thereof.

Associated with the pressure loop is an electro-magnet 27 which controls signal 28 and switching device 29 similar tothe magnet 13 and its associated devices. The switching device 29 is connected with wires 5 and 6 in the same way as contacts 7, 8, 9 and is associated with a hand switch-30 similar to switch 10. The pressure loop is also provided at each pressure device with devices similar to that associated with gate valve 19. The tank float loop is provided With similar devices.

In the preferred arrangement, as shown, the supervisory circuits are normally closed. This has the advantage that any failure of current in these circuit loops or break in a circuit wire or connection will cause an alarm indication at the supervisors office, as

by signals 3 and 16.

In the water How loop, instead of employing normally closed contacts, such as 20, 21, normally open contacts, such as 31 and 32, are used. Contact 31 is connected by a wire to one end of amagnet coil 33, whose other end is connected with one side of the circuit loop. Contact 32 is connected with the other side of the water flow loop. By this arrangement, when contacts 31 and 32 are closed, a bridge across the two sides of the circuit loop is closed to shunt out magnet 34. Magnet 33 is included in this branch and when the bridge is closed'it is energized to display a signal in al manner similar to that of magnet 22. In other respects this circuit loop and its associated devices are the same as has already been described with respect to the gate valve loop.

Contacts, Such as 2O and 21, and contacts such as 31 and 32, may be termed signal transmitting devices because of their function in transmitting signals to the supervisors office.

What I claim is:

l. In a supervisory signaling system, the combination of a signal and a circuit therefor; a normally closed supervisory circuit including an electroresponsive device provided with switching contacts having a normal position and a position of jchange, a'

between the switch and said contacts Whereforth in claim l, and an electro-responsive by the latter may be cut into and out of the indicating device in lshunt to said circuit Signal circuit in bpth said positions, a circloser. 10 cuit closer in said supervisory circuit and a This specification signed this 15th day of 5 supervised devioe controlling said circuit March, A. 111918.

closer.

2. A supervisory signaling system as set RICHARD M. HOPKINS.

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