US1492486A - Furnace draft regulator - Google Patents

Description

A ril 29- 1924. X 1,492,486

A. M. SMITH FURNACE DRAFT REGULATOR Filed July 26. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3% Ts'fi ALZER/M.

awe/W A. M. SMITH FURNACE DRAFT REGULATOR Filed July 26. 1921 2 Sheets-Shefiat 2 Patented Apr. 29, 1.92

FURNACE DRAFT REGULATOR.

Application filed July 26,

ToaZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN M. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnace Draft Regulators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which 1t appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in draft operating mechanisms for furnaces, and is an improvement on my prior Patents 1,234,500, patented July 24, 1917, and 1,245,282, patented November 6, 1917. I

In each of these prior patents the thermo stat was so constructed that the stationary contacts were adjustable, individually, toward and away from the corresponding con tact points on the flexible bar of the thermo stat. This was objectionable as it was too unreliable, and a means simpler than that of adjusting each of the contact points separately, for a change in the desired tempera- ,ture, was found necessary. The present structure is designed to make it easy to regulate the closing of the circuit through the bar and contacts under greater variations of temperature, the adjustable contacts being capable of movement, bodily and simultaneously, as well as individually.

Another novel and improved feature of the present device is in the mechanism for operating the draft door of the furnace and the damper in the flue, whereby when said door and damper are set to the desired positions, all danger of movement from such positions, except through a change of temperature, is eliminated. In the former patented structures, the mechanism depended upon weights for its operation, and these.

weights, when subjected to jarring, would gradually move and cause the door and damper to gradually move from their set positions.

A further object of the present invention is to provide for the use of the ordinary. house current, thus obviating theunsatis factory and unreliable battery cells.

Other objects and advantages will be ap- 2 parent from the following description when 1921. Serial no. 487,626.

Figure- 6 is an elevation of one of the switches.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional detail through the switch of Figure 6, on the line 7-7 thereof.

Figure 8 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sectional view taken centrally through the thermostat, on the line 8-8 of Figure 1'. Figure 9 is a rear elevation of the front plate of the thermostat, showing the indicator hand.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawings, 10 represents a furnace having the draft door 11, and the flue damper 12, to which are properly connected the chains or cords 13 and 114, respectively.

Mounted on the wall 15, at a suitable distance from the furnace, is a box 16, and disposed through the rear wall ofthe box, and

through a transverse bar 17, in the front of the box, is a horizontal shaft 18. Supported for rotation on this shaft 18, is a large peripherally grooved wheel or disk 19, and secured. to one face of the wheel is 'a smaller peripherally grooved wheel 20, said wheels being arranged to rotate in unison. Engaged over the smaller wheel 20", within the groove thereof, and secured to the'wheel, is a flexible element 21, which may be a chain, cord, or wire, as desired. The depending ends of the flexible element 21 have secured thereto the cores 22 and 23, of the solenoid magnets 24 and 25, respectively, which are arranged in the box 16, below the wheels.

- Also arranged in the box, and directly beneath the larger wheel 19, is athird' solenoid 26, and in the coil thereof is a movable core 27 which carries on its upper end a block 28 having a friction element 29 secured thereto for engagement with the periphery of the larger wheel. Between the magnet 26, and the block 28, and encircling the upper por-' tion of the stem of the core 27, is a coil spring 30, which normally urges the block upwardly to engage its friction element '29 against the wheel 19, for the purpose of holding the wheel against accidental rotation, in either direction, as will be more clearly explained hereinafter. Engaged in the groove of the larger wheel 19, and in the lower portion thereof, is a flexible element 31, similar to the element 21, the ends of said element extending upwardly over the pulleys32, mounted in the ceiling of the cellar or furnace-room, and over pulleys 33, and thence downwardly where the end 34 is connected to the damper 12, and the end 35, is connected to the draft door 11. Carried by each portion of the flexible element 31, at points between the wheel 19 and the pulleys 32, is a counterbalancing weight 36.

Mounted on the opposite sidesof the box 16, are the blocks of insulation 37, and secured to these blocks of insulation are the flexible metal contact members 38 and 38. Pivotally connected to the blocks of insulation 37, respectively, are the switch arms 39 and 40, arranged to be moved into engagement with the contact members 38 and 38, when swung upwardly, and to engage with the stop member 41, when swung downwardly, said stop members being carried by the lower portions of the outer faces of the blocks. Carried by, and extending from the periphery of the larger wheel 19, are the flexible pins 42 and 43, the same extending from spaced points, as clearly seen in the drawing, so that as the wheel rotates in one direction, one pin will depress one of the switch arms 39 or 40 out of engagement with its contact 38, while the other pin will, at the same time raise the other switch arm into contact with its contact member 38. By this arrangement the circuit will be simultaneously made or completed through one switch and broken through the other. Normally one of the switches is closed and the other open, the switch 3840 being shown closed. The thermostat includes a vertical el0n gated casing 44, having the removable front plate 45, and which plate carries, on its outer face, the thermometer 46. In the plate 45, above the upper end of the thermometer 46, is a transverse slot 47, and on the outer face of the plate, above the slot, is the scale 48, indicating difierent temperatures. Pivotally supported on the lower portion of the rear face ofthe plate45, is an upwardly extending index hand 49, the upper end of which is offset to extend through the slot 47, and traverse the scale 48. The lower portion of the hand 49, below the pivot thereof, is

formed with an open-ended slot 50, the purpose of which will presently appear. G211" ried by the lower end of the casing 44 is a cup-shaped member 51, which receives the casing of the clock 52.

Mounted on the lower portion of the rear wall of'the casing 44 are through forwardly extending apertured ears 53, and through which extends the threaded stem 54, said stem being threaded through one of said ears. One end of the stem 54 has a milled head 55, disposed externally of the side of the casing. The intermediate portion of the stem 54 is disposed through and rigidly secured to a block of insulation 56, and carried by the outer sides of the bifurcated upper end of the block are the upwardly extending metal fingers 57 and 58, the pointed pins 59 and 59 being threaded therethrough. Carried by the upper end portion of the plate or rear wall of the casing 44, is an outwardly extending stem of insulation 60, and secured to this stem is the upper end of the thermostatic bar 61. The lower end of the bar 61 is disposed between the pointed ends of the pins 59 and 59, within the bifurcation of the block 56, for engagement with the said pins, as the bar flexes in either direction. Thus, by turning the stem 54, the block 56 can be moved toward the right or left, to vary the distances of the lower end of the bar 61 from the ends of the pins 59 and 59 and by turning the pins the distances can be further varied, with the result that the closing of the circuit, through the flexing of the bar 61, due to changes in temperature, can be accomplished at greater or lesser intervals, and under wider variations of temperature. Disposed through one side of the member 51, and soldered thereto, is one end of a wire 63, the other end of the wire being suitably connected to the contact pin 59. Secured in the rear wall of the member 51, and extending forwardly therefrom, is a metal pin 64, said pin being properly insulated from the member 51, and being arranged to be engaged by the winding stem 65 of the alarm mechanism of the clock 52. From this pin 64 extends a wire 66, which is connected, at its other end to a binding screw 67, carried by the casin 44, and which is properly insulated therefrom. Additional binding screws 68 and 69 are carried by the casing 44, and insulated therefrom. Connected to the other finger 58, of the block 56, and to the binding screw 68, is a wire 70, while a wire 71 is connected to the upper portion of the bar 61, and the remaining binding screw 69.

Extending from the screw 68 to the pivot of the switch arm 39, as clearly seen in the diagrammatic View Figure 5, is a wire 72. Connecting the screw 69 with one end of the coil of the solenoid 26, is a wire 73, while a wire 74 connects the screw 67 with the adjacent contact member 38. The other contact member 38 is connected with the one end of the coil of the solenoid 24:, by the wire 75. A screw plug 7 6,7adapted to be engaged in the ordinary electric lamp socket, has its wire 77 connected with one end of the coil of the solenoid 25, and to the other end of the coil of the solenoid 24. The switch arm 40 is connected, by the wire 78, to the other end of the coil of the solenoid 25. To the other end of the coil of the solenoid 26, and to the other wire 79, of the plug 76, is connected a wire 80.

When the temperature rises above the predetermined degree, the bar 61 will flex into contact with pin 59. The circuit will be closed from the source at the plug 76, with the result that the coil will draw the core 23 therewithin causing the wheel 19 to be rotated toward the right, to close the check damper 12, and permit the draft door 11 to close. The circuit, in this case, follows the following course; from the plug 76, wire 77, coil 25, wire 78, arm 40, contact 38, wires 74:, binding screw 67, wire casing 51, wire 63, contact 59', bar 61, wires 71, binding screw 69, wire 7 3, coil 26, wire 79, back to the source at the plug 76. The rotation of the wheel 19 contra-clockwise brings the pin 42 (to the left in Figure 2) into contact with the switch arm 39, opening the circuit thereat, and the pin 43 into engagement with the arm 40, closing the circuit at such point. Simultaneously, with the energization of the solenoid 25, the solenoid 26 is energized, drawing the brake member 2829 away from the wheel 19, so that the latter may turn. When the wheel 19 has turned to the proper distance to accomplish the movement of the elements 11 and 12, the circuit is broken through the solenoids 25 and 26, and the spring reengages the brake member with the wheel, to prevent accidental turning of the wheel and the displacement of the members 11 and 12.

When the temperature drops below the desired degree, the current will flow through the'solenoids 24 and 26, the latter releasing the wheel 19 so that it may turn, while the former causes the check damper 12 to be closed, and the draft door 11 to be opened, thus permitting the fire to burn up.

What is claimed is:

1. A draft regulator for a furnace including a thermostat, a motor operated means connected with the draft elements of a furnace, said motor operated means including a rotatable disk, energizable solenoids, flexible connections between the solenoid cores and the rotatable disk, the core of one of the solenoids having a brake block normally engaged with the rotatable disk, and temperature controlled circuit closers for imparting and removing driving impulses from the motor actuated means, the brake operated solenoid being operable simultaneously with the removal of the driving impulse from one or the other of the other'solenoids.

2. The combination with the draft elements of a furnace, of a thermostat, a rotatable disk, flexible connections between the disk and the draft elements of the furnace, solenoids connected with the disk for operation thereof, a brake normally engaging the disk, a solenoid for moving the brake into and out of contact with the disk, and a movable member having contacts for engagement by the thermostat, to close a circuit through one of the first solenoids and the brake solenoid to simultaneously remove the brake and rotate the disk and subsequently apply the brake to the disk to hold the disk against rotation in either direction.

3. In a draft operating means for a furnace, a rotatable disk connected with the draft elements of the furnace, three solenoid magnets two of which have their cores operatively connected with the disk for rotating the latter in opposite directions, a brake element carried by the core of the other solenoid magnet normally and yieldably engaging the periphery of the disk to prevent rotation thereof, switches operable by the disk to simultaneously open the circuit through one of the first-named two solenoids and close the circuit through the remaining solenoids to remove the brake element and rotate the disk and subsequently apply the brake element, and a temperature controlled circuit closing means in circuit with the solenoids and the said switches.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

ALLEN M. SMITH.

Witnesses:

C. A. HEDEKIN, ADELAIDE D. HEDEKIN.

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