US1767180A - Regulator - Google Patents

Description

June 24, 1930. B. M. LEECE 1,767,180

REGULATOR Filed Feb. 20, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 24, 1930.

B. M. LEECE REGULATOR Filed Feb. 20, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwvwntoo wwmszlz-w 315. W

Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BENNETT M. LEECE, OI CLEVELAND, OHIO, ABSIGNOR TO THE LEEGENEVILLE COMPANY, 01' CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO REGULATOR Application filed February so, 1928. Serial in. 255,585.

.6. ferent conditions of speed and load, such,

. mined amount.

for example, as lighting and battery charging generators of automobiles and other en- 'ne driven vehicles. More particularly, the mvention relates to a combined voltage and current .regulator and in certain of its ,aspects is an improvement over Patent No. 1,374,856, dated April 12, 1921, and granted in the names of H. C. Branch and myself.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide a regulator which regulates the output of the machine both for voltage and current, maintaining the voltage substan tially constant under widely different conditions of speed and load, and which controls the current out ut so that the generator will have a desire le current characteristic, the present regulator in so far as the current re ulation is concerned becoming efi'ective w en the load reaches a predeter- In this respect, the regulator is an improvement over that which constitutes the subject matter of the patent referred to. I

In the accompanying sheets of drawings, Fig. 1 is a front view of a regulator em bodying my invention, the same being in this instance combined with the usual reverse current cut-out; Fig. 2 is a side view 'of the same; Fig. 3 is a sectional view substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification which for reasons to be explained is preferred to that shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the circuit connections.

he regulator herein illustrated includes a base 10 of a suitable insulating material, which base may be applied to a suitable part of-theautomobile or other vehicle, as-

' suming that it is used in connection with an engine driven vehicle. At the top of the base is attached the usual reverse current cut-out consisting of current and voltage coils which are superposed and designated in Fig. 1 by the ,reference character 11 and which are shown diagrammatically in Fig. 5, wherein the current coil is designated 11" and the volta e coil 11". The coils surround a core carrie by a frame 12 having a pivoted armature 13 provided with a contact which cooperates with a stationar contact. As this cut-out embodies the usua parts or features, and as it functions in the usual way, it need not be further described.

he regulator, in so far as the voltage regulation is concerned, may have a single voltage coil which will respond to slight changes in voltage to effect the voltage regulation but preferably it is provided with two voltage coilsarranged and functionin substantially as illustrated and describe in my prior Patents No. 1,540,698, granted June 2, 1925, and No. 1,633,671, granted June 28, 1927. These two coils are superposed on a core attached to a frame 14 secured to the base 10 and are designated generally by the reference character 15 in Figs. land 2, but in the diagrammatic View of Fig. 5 they are designated respectively 15 and 15 The frame 14 carries a vibrating armature 16 having a contact 17 which is adapted to engage a stationary contact 18, the armature being biased toward closed position by an adjustable coil spring 19. It will be observed that the armature 16 which is pivoted to the frame 14 by means of a pintle 20is provided with an enlarged extension 21 projectin outwardly beyond the magnet frame 14, t is extension as well as the armature proper, the frame 14, and the core which is surrounded by the coils 15 and 15 being formed of magnetic material;

My improved regulator includes also a series coil 22 which in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and. 3 is supported b a frame 23 attached to the base 10. his frame, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, includes a core 24 which the series 0011 surrounds, which core is secured to outstanding legs of the frame 23 and may be adjusted in anendwise direction or axially 0f the coil 22. This core has at one end a lateral extension 24 which lies alongside or overlaps the enlargement 21 of the armature 16. The core .24 is formed of magnetic material but core of the series ma et overla s the eittension 21 ofthe arms ure 16 but t see overlapping members do not at any time actually engage each other. The ga between these parts may be adjusted by ifting the core 4 axially of the coil by first loosening the screws 25 by which the core is supported on the legs of the non-magnetic frame 28, these screws passing through elongated slots in the core.

It will be observed that magnetic flux threading between the extension 24" of the core 24 and the extension 21 of the armature 16 will exert a pull on the armature against the pull of spring 19, and accordingly, this magnetic pul has the eect of decreasing the strength of spring 19 andthus tends to separate the contacts of the vibrator. The arrangement and construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 8 are such that because of the lack of aclosed magnetic path for coil 22, the seriescoil does not assist the volta coil or coils to reduce the magnetic field o p the nerator until the load reaches substanti y a predetermined value, and at or about the time this load value is reached the series coil does become efl'ective by its action on the armature 16'of the vibrator to control the voltage and therefore the current output.

A quite similar but slightly more efiective arrangement is illustrat in Fig. 4 to which reference will now be had before describing the circuits. In Fig. 4 the vibrator and the reverse current cut-out are the same as in Figs. 1 and 2, and these parts need not be again described, the same reference characters which are applied to Figs. 1 and 2 serving for the corresponding parts ofFi 4. The re lator illustrated in Fig. 4 di ers simply in the arrangement of the series magnet and the way it cooperates with the v1- brator to afiect the voltage and, therefore, current output of the generator. In this instance the series coil 22 surrounds a core 26 supported by a frame 27' of magnetic material. This series magnet has a pivoted armature 28 to which is connected it s ring 29 which holds the armature away rom the core against a sto which the core normally engagesis armature has an extension 31 which overlaps the extension 21 of the vibrator armature 16 and is adapted to engage the face of the extension 21 on the side toward the spring 19. The arrangement with this construction is such that the armature 28 is ineflective in so far as havin any regulating function is concerned untfi the load exceeds a predetermined value, at which time the armature 28 is attracted away from its seat 80 toward the core 26, and when this occurs the extension 81 of the armature 28 will exert a pressure on the extension 21 of the vibrator armature, which ressure varice with the load in excess of t e predetermined value and is against the pull of spring 19. p e a It will as observed; therefore, that with the construction shown in Fig. 1 the magnfitic pull exgertedtha by thtedseriesdcoil wealrepl: t es '1. e'xten epen' u 'nt" load f a ii siibstantially the l ifee rhimd load value is reached whereas with the construction illustrated in Fig. 4 the armature of the aariaama acts mechanically on the vibrator armature the vibrator sprin 19, and here again the pressure exerted y armature of the series ma is proportional to the load after the reaches a pfedetermined value. In both instances the series coilwhen the mined load value has been reache thus w: tthe voltage coil or. coils in their tendency to separate the vibrator contacts.

The circuit connections of the devices In Fig. 5 the regulator is shown connected to a generator 82 having 'tive and ne tive brushes 88 and 84. In t is instance a nut generator is shown, havin a field winding 85. The load is illustra sistin of lamps 88 and a It wi 33 of the enerator is connected to a terminal 88 which in turn is connected by a conductor 89 to one terminal at the series coil 22 of the regulator, the other terminal of this coil being connected bya conductor 40 to a terminal 41 leading to oneside of the load. The other load terminal 42 is connected b a conductor 48 to the stationary contact 8 of the reverse current cut-on the armature 18 of the-cut-out being electri= cally connected to the cut-out frame 12, to which is connected one end of the series coil 11' of the cut-out, the other end being conbattery 87.

nected by a conductor44 .to a terminal 45, p

which in turn is connected to the negative brush 84 of the generator. The field winding 35 is shown as having one end connected to the negative brush 84 and its other end connected to a terminal 48 to which is con-' nected a conductor 47 in turn connected to a field resistance 48 which is connected by a conductor 49 to the conductor 40 leadingto redeter acts on the vibrator armature in a direction such asto tend to separate the vibrator contacts,"

to be somewhat preferable to that be observed that the positive brush ustrated the r the positive brush 33 of the generator. At this point it might-bestated that when the vibrator contacts are 0 en the resistance 48 is in series with the eld windin 35 but when the contacts are closed the resistance is short circuited.

The voltage coil 11 of the cut-out has one terminal connected to conductor 49 and its other terminal connected to conductor 7 44, and therefore this is connected directly across the terminals or brushes of the generator.

The vibrator is preferably provided with two voltage coils as previously explained, these being designated 15 and 15". The coil 15 may be termed the primary coil, this coil corresponding to the coil 21 of m Patent N 0. 1,540,698, or to coil 18 of my atent N 0. 1,633,671, this coil having its circuit unaffected by the contacts of the vibrator. One end of this coil 15 is connected to the vibrator frame 14 which is connected by a conductor 50 to conductor 39 leading to the positive brush of the generator. The other end of this coil is connected by a conductor 51 to a resistance 52, which is preferably though not necessarily employed, this re sistance being connected by a conductor 53 to the cut-out frame 12 and therefore to conductor v44 leading to the negative terminal or brush of the generator.

One end of the vibrator e'oil 15 is connected by a conductor 54 to a conductor 55 which is connected to conductor 47 leading to one end of the field winding 35 and is also connected by a conductor 56 leading to the stationary contact 18. These contacts may be and preferably are bridged by a condenser 57. The other end of the vibrator coil 15 is connected by a conductor 58 to the conductor 53 and to the resistance 52. This coil l5 corresponds to the coil 22 of my Patent No. 1,540,698, and to coil 19 of my Patent No. 1,633,671. When the contacts are closed this coil 15 is connected across the brushes of the generator in parallel with the field Winding, and when the contacts are open it is in series with the field winding 35. To trace the circuits under both conditions, it might be stated that when the contacts are closed the circuit of' the coil 15 is as follows: From the positive brush 33, conductor 39, field frame 14, vibrator contacts, conductors 56 and 54 to the oneend of coil 15*, and from the other end of this coil by way of conductor 58 to conductor 53 to field frame 12 of the cut-out to series coil '11' of the cut-out to conductor 44 and hence to the negative brush of the generator.

When the contacts are open, the circuit may readily be traced as follows: From the positive brush of the generator by conductors 39 and 50 to vibrator coil 15', through this coil and by conductor; 51 to resistance 52 and from this resistance by way of conductor 58 through coil 15 and by conductors 54, 55 and 47 to one end of field winding 35 and through the field winding to the negative brush 34.

In other words, the connections are as in my patents above referred to. Therefore, as in my prior patents the coil 15 causes the armature to vibrate by the rapidly interrupted or varying current passing through coil 15 but its rate of vibration is determined principally by the current passing through the coil 15 and therefore by the voltage of the generator impressed on this coil. That is to say, the voltage impressed upon the coil 15 determines the rate of vibration of the vibrator armature until the load exceeds the predetermined value at which time the series coil becomes effective to increase the rate of vibrations by weakening the spring connected to the vibrator armature and thus protecting the generator from overload and giving a current characteristic such as is desired for the best working conditions.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a dynamo electric machine having a field winding, of a regulator "for varying the ampere turns of the field winding, said regulator having a vibratory armature, one or more voltage coils responsive to changes of voltage for vibrating the same, and a series coil for affecting the rate of vibration when the load reaches a predetermined value, the voltage coil or coils and the series coil having separate magnetic paths.

2. The combination with a dynamo electric machine having a field winding, of a regulator for varying the ampere turns of the field winding, said regulator comprising a vibratory armature, one or more voltage coils for vibrating the same, and a series coil for exerting a forceon the armature when the load reaches a predetermined value, the series coil being mounted on a core separate from that on which the voltage coil or coils are mounted.

3. The combination with a dynamo electric machine having a field winding, of a regulator for varying the ampere turns of the field winding, said regulator having one or more voltage coils, a vibratory armature responsive to changes of voltage, a spring opposing the movement of the armature, and a series coil having an armature for exerting a force on the vibratory armature in opposition to the spring when the load reaches a predetermined value.

4. The combination with a dynamo electric machine having a field winding, of a regulator for regulatin the ampere turns of the field winding, sai regulator having a vibrating armature, one or more voltage coils for vibrating the same, a spring for opposing the movement of the vibrator under the influence of said coilor coils, a series coil responsive when substantially a predetermined load is reached for exerting a force on the armature opposite to that exerted by a the sprin and means whereb the series coil is ine ective below said loa 5. Thazhcombinationwith a dynamo electric m ine having a field winding, of a ator for the ampere turns of m the field winding, sai regulator comprising a shunt magnet aving a vibratory armature and one or more voltage coils for vibrating the same and responsive to changes in voltage, and a series magnet which when sub- [5 stantially a predetermined load is reached exerts a force on the vibrato armature to assist the voltage coil or 00' said series magnet having a series coil and a core separate from the shunt magnet. 20 6. In combination with a dynamo electric machine having a field winding, of a ator for varyin the ampere turns of the field winding, sai regulator comp a vibratory armature biased toward a position by a spring one or more voltage coils responsive to c anges of voltage for vibrating the armature, and a series magnet having an armature adapted when the armature is attracted at substantially a predeterw mined load to exert a force on the vibratory armature in opposition to the spring.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afix my signature.

BENNETT M. LEECE.

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