US1422923A - Automatic cut-out - Google Patents

Description

`B. L. CAMPBELL'. AUTOMATIC GUT-OUT.

APPLICATION F|LED.FEB. 20, 1920.

Patented July 18, 1922.

(WMF Y A TTUHNEYS PATENT orifice.

.BERT L, CAMPBELL, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC CUT-OUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1922.

Application filed February 20, 1920. Serial No. 360,149.

To all whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, BERT L. CAMrBELL, a citizen oi' the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and Stateof Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Cut-Outs, of which the following is a lull, clear, and eXact description.

My invention relates to automatic cutouts which are primarily designed for breaking the circuit between a generator and a storage battery which the generator is charging, when for any reason the current from the generator falls below a predetermined minimum or reverses. 4

Av further object of `my invention is to provide cut-out ot" the type described which is not liable` to get out of order, thereby eliminating any danger of the discharge oi the storage battery by cutting oil' the current at the proper time.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cut-out in which the making or breakinoor' the circuit is effected instantaneousl), due to a novel arrangement of parts.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device which is simple in construction and operation, and in which there is no danger otl burning out, due to the fact that a permanent magnet is used in lieu of an electro-magnet, tor directly operating the switch arm, an electro-magnet being liable to burn out at any time.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device in which the permanent magnet is recharged by the liow of the current through the cut-out, thereby insuring the long life of the device.

` Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part ot this application, in which- Figure l is 'a diagrammatic view ot an arrangement for charging a storage battery, showing the circuit breaker in circuit therewith.

. Figure 2 is a sectional view through the casing of the` circuit breaker, showing the parts in position when the circuit is broken, and

Figure 3 is a sectionv along the line of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a casing l which may be made oi an suitable non-magnetic material. vPivot-ally mounted at 2 on a bracket 3 on the interior of the casing is a permanent magnet 4; of the horse shoe type. The ends of this magnet are arranged to rest on an armature 5, as shown in Figure 3, when the cut-out is in position to open the circuit. Rigidly secured to the interior of the frame l is an electro-magnet having a U-shaped core 6 and a central windingl 7 An armature 8 is designed to rest on the top of the U-shaped core 6 when the circuit is open.v The armature 8 and the permanent magnet 4 are rigidly connected together by a non-magnetic connection 9 having a handle l0. In the drawings, I have indicated the non-magnetic connection 9 as being provided with lugs or tongues ll and l2 arranged to enter the magnet et and the armature '8 respectively for securing the parts together. Any other suitable means ot forming this connection might be used.

i Secured to the interior of the casing 1 is a contact 13 which is connected with a binding post 14 by means of a conductor l5. A second binding post 16 is connected to one end of the coil 7. coil is connected to a contact 17 similar to the contact 13 and carried by an arm 1S which is pivotally mounted at 19 on a portion of the casing 1. As will be seen from the drawing, the arm 18 is bent at 20, andy at this point a spiral spring 21 is attached, the other end ot the spiral spring being secured to an extension 22 ofthe connecting member 9. An arm 28 is secured to the extension 22 and is provided with a laterally extendingy portion 24 arranged to overlie the arm 1S between its pivotal point 19 and the point 2() at which the spring 2l is connected.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. In Figure l, I have shown a diagrammatic circuit arrangement for Vcharging a storagebattery. In this iigure, an engine E drives a dynamo D Yfor charging a storage battery B. In circuit with the dynamo and the battery is the coil 7 of the cut-out. The permanent magnet a is connected with a movable con- The opposite end ot the tact so as to close the circuit through the coil 7 oit the electro-magnet. ln charging the storage battery, the engine E is run in the ordinary manner, and the handle 1() ot the cut-out is pushed upwardly, thereby swinging the permanent magnet l toward the electro-magnet (3 and away from the armature 5, the armature S moving away Jtrom the electro-magnet. The point at which the spring 21 isconnected to the extension 22 will move so as to bring the spring 21 on the opposite side oi" the pivotal point 19 of the arm 18. As the spring passes the center, it will suddenly snap the arm 18 into position to bring the contacts 17 and 13 together. llomentarily there will be a flow ot current from the storage battery through the dynamo, but when the latter get-s up to speed, the current will now tlow from the dynamo through the coil 7 and through the storage battery. This current tends to aid in the magnetizationof the permanent magnet. The permanent magnet is held by the electro-magnet so as to keep the contacts 12% and 17` closed, as long` as the current is vFlowing through the electro-magnet in the nirertion to charge the battery B.

Then the current lrom the generator D reaches a predetermined minimum or reverses, then there is repulsion between the electro-magnet and the permanent magnet, but there is attraction between the permanent magnet 4l and the armature 5, as well as between the electro-magnet and the armature 8. These combined torces tend to sud` denly cause the movement ot the permanent magnet and the armature 8 downwardly. The spring 21 is now brought into a position on the opposite side ot the pivotal point 19 ot the arm 18, thus causing a snap action ttor opening the contacts 17, and 13, and thus breaking the circuit through the coil T. In order to insure the opening of the contacts, the arm 23 is extended as stated, and the lateral portion 24 positively engages the arm 18 to open the contacts.

A cut-out ot the type described has several important admintages over those forms ot out-outs in which only electro-magnets having` fine windings are used for operating the ffavitch arm. It otten happens that, owing` to excessive current, these fine windings will burn out, but with the permanent n'iagnet there is no danger oic this happening. so that the cut-outs will always work to break the circuit as long as the permanent magnet retains its magnetism. In view ot the i'act tha t it is subject to the magneti/,ing induence ot the electro-magnet during the charging of the battery, it is obvious that the permanent magnet will retain its charge indennitely.

A further advantage lies in the 'fact that no delicate balance is necessary in the pres ent device. ldlhere the current is reversed in the coil 7, there is always a repulsion caused between the electro-magnet and the permanent magnet. In cut-outs in which two coils are used, a change in the direction ot the current may, under certain circumstances, cause an attraction instead ot repulsion, and thereby defeat the other purposes o'f the device by causing the contacts to be held together instead ot' being separated.

T he device is relatively simple in construction, has iew parts, and is not liable to easily get out ot order.

1 claim:

1. A cut-out comprising a stationary electro-magnet, a permanent magnet disposed within the field ot the electro-magnet and movable toward and away Ytrom the latter` an armature on the opposite side oi.' said permanent magnet trom said electro-magnet, an armature on the opposite side ot said electro-magnet from said permanent magnet, means t'or connecting said last named arma` ture with said permanent magnet to move with the latter, a. stationary contact, a mov able Contact associated therewith, and means connected with said first named means Afor moving said movable contact toward and away trom said stationary contact.

A cut-out comprising a stationary electro-magnet, a permanent magnet disposed within the iield of the electro-magnet and movable toward and away from the latter, an armature on the opposite side ofi said. permanent magnet lrom said electro-magnet, an armature on the opposite side of said electro magnet from said permanent magnet, means tor connecting said last named armature with said permanent magnet to move with the latter, a stationary Contact, a movable contact associated therewith, means connected with said first named means tor moving said movable contact toward and away trom said stationary contact. said last named means comprising` a pivoted arm tor said movable contact, and a spring connected at one end with said pivoted arm and at the other end with the connecting means be tween the permanent magnet and the second named armature.

3. ln a cut-out, a casing, an armature car` ried thereby, a permanent magnet p'ivotally connected to a portion ot the casing and arranged to normally rest on said armature, an electro-magnet secured to said casing above said permanent magnet, a second armature disposed above said electro-magnet. means for rigidly connecting said second named armature and said permanent magnet together, a stationary contact, a movable contact in circuit with said electro-magnet. and means tor connecting said movablercontact with said {irstnamed means. for causing the movable contact to snap into or ont ot engagement with said stationary contact during the movement of said permanent magnet toward or away from said electromagnet.

4. ln a out-out, a easing, an armature oarred thereby, a permanent magnet pvotally connected to a portion of the easing and ar-v ranged to normally rest on said armature, an electro-magnet secured to said easing above said permanent magnet, a second armature disposed above said electro-magnet, means for rlgidly connecting said second named armature and sald permanent magnet together, a statlonary Contact, a movable Contact 1n circuit with said eleetroqnagnet, means :for connecting said movable Contact with said rst named means, for causing the movable Contact to snap into or out of engagement with said stationary Contact during the movement of said permanent magnet toward or away from said electro-magnet, and a handle secured to the connecting means between the permanent magnet and the second named armature.

BERT L. CAMPBELL.

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