US1486071A - Combined locking apparatus for the distributing switches of electriclighting installations of motor cars - Google Patents

Description

BOHL! March 4 1924i;

THE DISTRIBUTING SWITCHES GF' STALLATONS GF MGTOR GRS Patented Mar. 4, 1924.

UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE.-k

JACQUES BOHLI, 0F SOLOTHURN, SWITZERLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 THE SCINTILLA, OF SOLOTHURN, SWITZERLAND.

COMBINED LOCKING APPARATUS FOR THEDISTRIBUTING'SWITCHES 0F ELECTRIC- IONS 0F MOTOR CARS.

Application led July 12, 1922. Serial No. 574,518.

To all whom 'it may conce/m:

Be it known that I, JACQUES Bonini, a citizen of the Swiss Republic, and residing at No. 304 Obach, Solothurn, Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvenients in Combined Locking Apparatus for the Distributing Switches of Electric-Lighting Installations of Motor Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved combined locking apparatus for the distributing switch of electric lighting installations such as are employed in motor-cars.

As a rule such distributing switchescomprise two main actuating members, namely a first member for distributing the current to the various consuming devices, and a second member for actuating the starter. Each of these said members has its own locking apparatus which is separate from the locking a paratus for the other member. Frequent y one of these locking apparatus is also Vutilised to eiiect the cutting out of the ignition. This use of the locking apparatus is attended by the drawback that its position for cutting out can only be the one terminal position in which the locking is effected. In this manner it is not possible', for instance during a night journey, to lock a lighting apparatus in a determined position, because this would necessitate also cuttin out the ignition apparatus and stopt ping t e car engine at the same time.

4 It has been proposed (see Swiss Patent No. G. 13826 to the firm Scintilla) to construct a combined lockingapparatus in which the locking member may be moved into three positions: when it is in one terminal positiony the lighting control switch and the switch for cutting out the ignition apparatus are both locked; in its other terminal position it operates the starter and releases both the above-mentioned switches, and in its mid position it releases the iighting control switch and the ignition cut-out switch so as to leave them free 'lor opeiation, while at the same time it cuts out the starter.

The resent invention resides in improvements in the foregoing three-position type of combined locking apparatus, wherein a locking pawl is be capable of roeling and biased so as to employed mounted so as to tend to take u a locking position for the purpose of hol ing the cut-out switch of the ignition apparatus in a position which prevents ignition, that is a non-operative position, when the locking member of the lightdistributing switch is situated in its midposition. This locking pawl is arranged to be forced aside when the cut-outswitch 1s a light-distributing switch and a locking pawl for the cut-out switch of the ignition apparatus:

igure 1 shows the apparatus held b the opera-ting key in the locked position wit the cut-out switch ofl the ignition apparatus llocked in the non-operative position;

Figure 2 shows the apparatus held by the o erating key in the unlocked position with t e cut-out switch of the ignition apparatus locked in its non-operative position;

Figure 3 shows the apparatus held by the operating key in the starting position, in which the cut-out switch of the ignition apparatus has been completely released and the starting motor circuit completed.

In the drawings the ignition cut-out switch c which can rock on the ivot w can be opened and closed as desired by hand so long as the locking member a is not situated in the locking terminal position, shown in Figure 1. Whenit is moved into its non-operative position it is locked by the locking pawl s which is pivoted at o and is held in its locking position against the stop y by a spring t. lighting control switch b and the locking member a are all hand operated, the latter by the key g.

AOn applying increased pressure in the direction of the tension of its spring g the The switch c, thev cut-out switch c. can be moved out of its nonoperative position into the operative position shown in Figure .3, and vice versa. By applying pressure in the opposite direction the said switch c can be movedont of the operative position into the non-operative position. In each case the pawl sis forced aside in -cpposition to the vaction of its spring 2.

Qn the upper end of the locking member a there is located a pin u which engages the end of the locking pawl s. If now, by means of the key g, `which is capable of locking the system in any of the three positions illustrated, the locking member a be brought into the terminal position shown in Figure 3, in which the switch magnet o receives current through the contacts d and f and closes the switch p and thereby brings the starting motor into operation, t e pin u will move the locking pawl s along with it and lift it oft the cut-out 'switch c so that the latter is freed from the locking action and is moved automatically by the action of the spring g from the non-operative position into the operative position.

r is a spring provided for the purpose of automatically returning the locking member a into the mid-positlon shown in Figure 2. This .spring acts upon a lever .e which is arranged to ce rotated so as to bear against the locking member a and to be returned by said spring into a. (position which is determined by a stop an which corresponds to the mid position.

In this position the contacts d and e are connected together and thereby the pilot lamp m is lighted. The lighting up of this lamp shows whether the automatic switch It (for connecting the battery Z with the dynamo is immediately the latter has attained the requisite voltage) has broken this connection immediately the voltage of the dynamo has drop ed below the voltage of the battery, in or er to prevent an unintentional discharge of the battery through the dynamo.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentiszl. A combined locking apparatus for the distributing switches of electrical installations for motor-cars, including a. lighting control switch, a biased ignition switch, a movable locking member capable of resting in three positions, viz, a locking position,

an unlocking mid-position and a terminal position for switching in a startin motor, a biased pivoted locking pawl, and a projection on said locking member coacting with part of said pawl, said locking pawl tending to hold said ignition switch in a. non-operative position when said movable locking member rests in its mid-position and being forced aside when said ignition switch is moved over by external pressure, said locking pawl being carried alon by the said projection on said movable locing member and freeing said ignition switch immediately said movable locking member is brought into its third or terminal position for starting' said ignition switch when freed being move automatically by its own bias from the non-operative into the operative position.

2. A combined locking apparatus for the distributing switches for electrical installations for motor-cars as claimed in claim 1,

including a spring tending to return the movable locking member from the terminal starting position into its mid-position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JACQUES BOHLI.

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