US1664215A - Annunciator relay - Google Patents

Description

Muth 27, 1928. 1,664,215

L. F. HUNT ANNUNGIATOR RELAY Filed April 21. -1923 5 Sheets-Sheet l @es @im INVENTOR lloyd iHv/1f BY s AoRNEY 7. 2 .y 2. t 5 E e e m h y 6 m l F .lo .m 8 Y 3 S A a 2 9 W 2 ...iff Y Q O A 9 11|: T m 1 N R U n a i-- o H O 1 r1.. 7 .l Q 3 F W Fi c. 9 N A /2 L U 5 N d 22 N e A n.. irl... L Q ry 6 3 m0 lla-.. ra 3 u., O

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L. F. HUNT ANNUNCIATOR RELAY Filed April 21, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 F@ la MET/4W ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

LLOYD F. HUNT, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGI-IOUSE ELEC'- 'IRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY,

A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ANNUNCIATOR RELAY.

Application filed April 21, 1923.

My invention relates to relays and particularly to relays of the annunciator type.

One object of my invent-ion is' to provide an annunciator relay for stations such,y as automatic stations employing a plurality of protective devices that respond to various abnormal conditions in order to preclude further automatic operation of the station.I that shall serve also to indicate to an attendant, upon inspection, Which protective device effected the shutting down of thestation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a relay, of the above-indicated character, having a plurality of indicating semaphores that normally are hidden from view, but, upon the operation of a predetermined protective device, shallv be actuated to positions in Which they shall be visible through the casing of the relay.

Another object of my invention is to provide a relay, of the above-indicated character, having a casing embodying ati-ansparent portion adjacent to the indicating semaphores and a. resetting. member extending through the casing whereby the semaphores may be reset in their initial non-indicating positions without removing the casing of the relay.

With the present trend toward automatization of stations and substations, it is desirable and necessary. to provide protective devices for all of the different abnormal conditions that might occur in the station. Under some conditions, it is desirable to stop the operation of any unit which may bc operating when the abnormal conditions occur and to preclude further operation of that unit until the abnormal conditions are cleared.

At present, automatic stations or substations are periodically visited and inspected to check the proper condition and operation of the apparatus in the station and also to clear such abnormal conditions as may have arisen. Since there are several conditions Which may noty clear themselves, but which are indicative of a persisting, fault in the apparatus, it is deemed advisable, upon the occurence of such conditions, to stop thc,

operation of the apparatus and to preclude further operation until. these conditions are cleared. In order that thevisiting inspector mayl readily ascertain the. cause ofthe shutdown so that he mayreadily locate andv clear Serial No. 633,890.

the faulty condition, it is desirable to provide some means of indicating which of the. several protective devices effected the automatic stopping of the operation of the station.n

In practicing my invention, I provide an annunciator relay embodying an electromagnetically-operated switch and a plurality of indicating semaphores that normally are hidden from view but are actuated, When the relay 1s energized, to an indicatingv position ,1n which they are visible. A single resetting member extending through the casing of the relay permits the resetting of the switch and pf the -indicating semaphores with one operaion.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevational view of the relay embody.- ing my invention, with the cover removed.

Fig. 2 is a side view, partially in elevationr and partially in section, of the relay shown in Fig. 1, with the cover in. position to show the disposition of the resetting device.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are,` respectively, plan, front and end views of a bracket through which the indicating semaphores of the relay may be observed when actuated to Aindicating position.

Figs. 6 and 7 are, respectively, front and end elevational views of the supporting bracket for the resetting member for the indicating semaphores.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are, respectively, front, plan and end views, in elevation,of the resetting member for the-semaphores.

Figs. 11 and 12 are front and end views, respectively, in elevation, of one of the indicating semaphores.

Figs. 13 and 14 are, respectively, front and side elevational views ofthe switch contact member of the relay.

Figs. 15 and 16 are front and side views of the resetting member extending through the casing of therelay.

Fig. 17 is an end view of the interlocking. portion of the reset-ting member of Fig. 14, which engages the switch controlling member that is illustrated in Fig. 14, and

Fig. 18 is al diagrammatic view of an electrical system shown in simplified detail to illustrate the co-operation of the annunciator relay with the various elements thereof.

The annunciator relay 1 embodies, in general, an electromagnet 2,A a switch. 3 thatl is controlled thereby, indicating mechanism 4,

resett-ing mechanism comprising a resetting element for the switch and a resetting member 6 for the indicating mechanism 4.

The relay mechanism is normally enclosed in a casing comprising a base 7 and a cover 8 that is provided with a transparent portion or glass window 9. A resetting meinber 10 is controlled by a handle 11 which is disposed outside of the cover 8 to effect the simultaneous actuation of the switch resetting member 5 and the indicating resetting member 6. l

rlhe electromagnet 2 comprises a stationary core member 13 and a winding 14 for energizing the same to att actan armature 15 against the tension force of a spring 16 which normally holds the armature member 15 away from the core member 18 a predetermined distance, dependingupon the setting of an adjustable stop member 17. rhe stop member 17 is adjustably secured to an er;- tended portion 18 of a bracket 19 that is disposed upon, and actuated with, the armature member 15.

Normally, the bracket memberl 19 serves as a latch for a switch-operating member 21 which is actuated upon the operation of the electromagnet 2 by a spring 22 to move the switch 8 from the illustrated posit-ion in which its lower contacts are engaged to the operated position in which its upper Contact members are engaged.

The indicating mechanism 4 comprises, as'- is illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, a plurality of electromagnets 24, 25, 26 and 27, each of which is provided with a semaphore 28 that normally is hidden from view by a curtain bracket 29. r1`he bracket 29 is provided with four apertures disposed directly in front of the electromagnets. The indicating semaphores are adapted, when operated, to register with the corresponding apertures in which position they are visible from outside of the relay. Each semaphore 28 is provided with a tail portion 31 that depends, after the operation of the semaphore, into the path of the resetting member 6, whereby the indicating semaphores may be reset in their respective initial positions.

rlhe resetting member 6 for the indicating semaphoi'es comprises a shaft 82 that is provided with a depending pin 88, that serves an actuating member, and a plurality of laterally disposed pins 84 which are adapted to engage the tail portions 81 of the indicating semaphores to reset the same. The resetting mechanism 6 is also provided with a spring 35 which is disposed on the shaft to 4return the shaft to its initial position after the resetting handle 11 is released by the operator.

The shaft is mounted in, and supported by, two bearings 36 and 37 of a supporting bracket 88, that is illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. lWhen in normal position, the spring 85 messie is disposed between the left-end pin 34 and the bearing 36 and serves to maintain the shaft normally to its extreme left-hand position toward the left-hand side with the depending pin 88 serving as a stop in co-operation with the bearing portion 37 of the bracket. Thus, when the depending pin 88 is actuated to operate the rod to its righthand position to reset the semaphore, the spring 85 is placed in compression and, upon the release of the resetting member, immediately ac-tuates the rod 32 to its extreme also guided on that side and maintained in horizontal position to preclude the shaft from turning.

The construction of the switch 8 and its controlling member 21 may be more readily understood by referring to Figs. 18 and 14. rfhe switch comprises, in general, a resilient strip 40, of conducting material, which is secured to a shaft 41 of insulating material that is supported by, and between two brackets 42 and 43.l The conducting member 40 is provided with contact members 44 and 45 at each end thereof that are adapted to engage, and complete the circuit between, two sets of resiliently mounted contact members 46 and 47 (see Fig. 2). The contact members 44 normally engage the springs 46 to complete the circuit therebetween and, when the relay is operated, the switch is actuated to its other position in which the contact members engage and complete the circuit between the spring contact members 47.

The shaft 41, upon which the switch is mounted, has the operating member 21 secured thereto to effect the actuation of the switch in a direction depending upon the force impressed on the operating member 21. The shaft 41 is also provided with a pin 48 'extending therethrough by means of which the switch mechanism may be reset.

The resetting means for the relay, which is illustrated in Figs. 15, 16 and 17, comprises a reset shaft 50 that extends through the cover 8, the resetting' handle 11 that is secured thereto on the outside of the casing 8, a reset arm 52 that is secured to the reset shaft 50 and a spring 58 that is disposed between the reset. arm 52 and a stationary pin 54 to return the reset element to its initial position when the handle 11 is released by the operator.

The inner end of the reset shaft 50 is drilled to lit over the end of the switch supporting shaft 41 and is slotted, as illustrated in Fig. 17, to receive the operating pin 48 so that movement of the reset handle 11 will operate the shaft 41 to permit the bracket 19 of the electromagnet armature member to re-engage and latch the operating member 21 that is secured to the switch bearing shaft 41, as is illustrated in Fig. 1. The operation of latching member 21 simultaneously tensions spring 22.

The reset arm 52 is secured to the resetshaft by being inserted through a hole drilled through the shaft and then clamped in position by a machine screw 55 against a flattened portion of the arm adapted to receive the screw.

Upon reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the operating position of the reset arm 52, relative to the operating pin 33 of the reset mechanism or the indicating semaphores, will be apparent. Thus, when the reset handle 11 is moved by the operator at the sta-- tion, the switch and the indicating semaphores are all reset fory subsequent operation.

As illustrated in Fig. 1S, energy is supplied to a motor of a motor-generator unit 60. The current and temperature conditions Within the motor are measured by an overload relayl 61, and by a temperature relay 62 which is merely illust-rated here as indicative of any protective device which may be adjusted to operate at any predetermined abnormal temperature condition in the machine. The motor-generator unit is provided with bearings 63, 64 and 65. Temperature-responsive devices 66 are disposed therein to be responsive to the temperatures thereof and are adjusted to operate when a predetermined abnormal temperature is attained in the bearing indicating a. dangerous operating condition.

Upon the occurrence of any abnormal condition for which the respective protective devices are provided, the associated switches will be operated to energize the corresponding electromagnets ot the annunciator relay and also the main operating magnet, whereupon the indicating semaphore associated with the irst-mentioned electromagnet will be actuated to its visible position and the main electromagnet will be energized to open the main switch of the relay.

Vhile I have shown a preferred form of relay embodying my invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A combined relay and indicator comprising a switch, a main operating coil therefor, a plurality of auxiliary indicator coils, an armature for the main coil serving as a latch to maintain the switch normally in one position, a spring to move the switch to another position when the armature is actuated by the main coil, indicator elements respectively associated with the indicator coils, said elements being normally hidden from View and being severally actuated to visible position when the corresponding indicator coil is energized, and means for resetting the armature, the switch controlled thereby and the operated indicator element.

2. A combined relay and indicator comprising a switch, an electromagnet including a coil for controlling the operation thereof, a plurality of indicators, an operating coil `for each indicator, the coils being severally connected in series With the electromagnet coil to permit simultaneous energization of both by external means provided therefor, and means for simultaneously resetting the switch and any of the indicators that may have been operated.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 10th day of April 1923.

' LLoYD F. HUNT.

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