US1791446A

US1791446A - Electric switching device

Info

Publication number: US1791446A
Application number: US247705A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry G French
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1928-01-18
Filing date: 1928-01-18
Publication date: 1931-02-03
Anticipated expiration: 1948-02-03

Description

Feb. 3, 1931. H. G. FRNCH 1,791,446

ELECTRIC SWITCHING DEVICE Filed Jan. 18. 1928 Inverw'or' Herwr'g G. French,

by MM Hi 5 f'or'neg.

Patented Feb. 3, 1931 UNITI-:D STATES APATENT OFFICE HENRY G. FRENCH, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, lA SSIGNOIR. TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK -nLEc'rnIc swrrcnnro DEVICE A Application led January 18, 1928. Serial No. 247,705.

My invention relates to electric switching devices and particularly to switching devices of the type wherein a movably' mounted main switch unit is provided with disconnecting contacts adapted to cooperate with fixed contacts. One object of my inventlon is the provision of an improved switching device `oi. the above mentioned character which will insure that thel circuit controlled by the device will never be opened initially at the disconnecting contacts and will never be finally closed at those contacts. Another object of my invention is the provision of improved means for moving the main switch unit and for controlling its movement toward and from a fixed member supporting the fixed disconnecting contacts.

My invention will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims. l

Referring to the drawing, Fig. lis a side elevation o anelectric switching device involving my invention; and Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are detail viewsl of the same, Fig. 3 being a section on line 3-3 of Fig, 2.

I have chosen to illustrate my invention as applied to a switching device of the truck panel type whichinvolves a fixed housing or cabinet and a truck panel carrying a main switch and adapted to be rolled into and out of the housing, the truck panel and housing having cooperating disconnecting switch contacts. The housing 1, open at'its front side, is adapted to receive the truck panel 2 which fis mounted on wheels 3 so that it may easily be rolled into andout of the housing. Supported in the rear of the housing and the truck panel are the fixed and movable contacts 4 and 5 respectively of the lusual disconnecting switch which is controlled by the position of the truck panel in the'housing and carried by the truck panel is the main switch 7. This switch may be provided with operating mechanism common to this type of switch, which mechanism may be either power or manually actuated. In Fig. 1 the main operating lever 8 is shown eonnectedl to the hand lever 9 through the toggle links 10 and'r v11, rod` 12 and the trip free device 13. Tripping of the latter is effected by a tripping coil or coils in casing 14 operating the trip lever 15 in the well understood manner.

In acordance with my invention I have provided means for tripping open the main switch and for locking the operating mechanism in open circuit position. Thus to actu-- ate the trip lever 15 a shaft is mounted in the panel 2 having the arm 17 on the outer end adapted to raise the trip lever 15 and the arm 18 on the inner end connected by rod 19 through lever 20 to control rod 21, the arrangement being such that upward movement of rod 21 raises arm 17 to trip the switch to open circuit position. For locking the switch actuating mechanism in open circuit position I -have formed the link 11 of the toggle mechanism with the arm 23 having the pin 24 at the free end thereof and have provided the latch 25 to engage the pin when the switch is opened. The latch is operated by the rod 21 which passes through a lateral arm 26 on the latch and has a collar on the outer end thereof. Between a second collar on the rod 21 and the arm 26 is the compression spring 27. By this Aconstruction upward movement of the rod 21 in addition to tripping the main switch swings the latch 25 after the switch opens to a position to retain the lmechanism against closing movement until -hand operated, geared mechanism operable from the front of the truck panel and constructed to operate the aforedescribed control rod 21. Pivoted to the truck panel 2 at 30 is the frame 31 in which is mounted shaft 32 having the worm 33 and the rack 34 engaging and moved by the worm. The pivotal movement of frame 31 is limited in the upward and downward direction respectively by the

stops

35 and 36. Rack 34 slides on the plate 37 forming a partof the frame 31 and at one end has the lug or hook 38 which engages' in the notch 39 in the fixed member sion 51, thereby pushing up l tripping open the switch. the spring 27 is compressed causing the latch ythere is mounted in the frame 31 the slidable pin 48, one -er'id of which engages lever 49 to which rod 21 connects and in the other end ofwhich is mounted the roller 50. Rack 34 l is provided with the depression 51 therein positioned to receive the roller when the truck panel is inthe full in position as shown by Fig. 1. In this position of the truck panel, the control rod 21 is in its lowermost position when arm 17 is out of engagement with tripping lever 15 and the latch 25 is held away from the pin 24, thus permitting the free functioning ofthe main switch. When the truck panel is to be withdrawn from the holising the switch first should be tripped open in order that -the,circuit shall not -be interrupted by the disconnecting switch contacts which as is well understoodare not adapted for this use and might become badly burned. If the-operator should fail to trip openl the switch and begin to rack out the truck panel the initial movement of the mechanism will cause the roller 50 to roll out of the depreson the rod 21 and At the same time 25 to hook over' pin 24 as soon as the switch operating mechanism reaches full open posi` tion which effectively locks it against being reclosed until'the truck panel is returned to the full in position.

To give the operatorgan indication when the truck'panel has been' withdrawn a sufficient distance to cause a complete separation of the disconnecting contacts with an ample margin of safety I have provided a second fixed stop and a pawl 56 pivoted to the frame' 31. Also pivoted to the frame 31 is `the positionshown in Fig. 2 by the springA 'the latch 57 having a shoulder adapted to ena shoulder on the pawl 56 as shown in gage 2a The latch 57'is yieldingly held in Fig.

58 which acts through the sleeve 59 and the arm 60 thereon which latter is pivoted to the latch at 61.l When the truck panelhas been racked out to the point .where pawl 56 engages st'op 55 the movement is arrested and in this position of the truck panel the disconnecting contacts are separated a safe distance.4

If the operator wishes to completely remove the truck panel he pushes inwardly on the \socket 45 which moves the sleeve V59 and latch A57 to the position shown in Fig. 4. Pawl 56 is now rotated counterclockwise by the spring 63attached thereto to engage in the notch 64 away from .of latch 57 as shown in Fig. 4. 'Further ropanel a little further during which movement the inclined face 65 on pawl 56 rides up over the stop 55 slightly rotating the frame and rack on pivot 30 until the hook 38 on the end of the rack is lifted clear of the stop 40 shown in dotted lines. The truck panel now is free of the housing and may be rolled out to any desired place on the floor, handles for this purpose usually; being provided on the face of the panel.

When the truck panel is returned to the housing the hook 38 on the rack slides up the inclined surface of stop 40 until it drops into the notch 39 when further movement is arrested. Pawl 56 upon engaging the stop 55 rotates freely out of the notch 64 and permits latch 57 to return to its original position as shown in Fig. 2. While the truck panel has been removed from the housing there is a possibility that some one may have rotated' the worm so as to move the rack tothe position shown in Fig. 2 and may also have closed the main switch and so left it. If then the truck panel is pushed into the housing there would lbe danger of the circuit being finally closed bythe disconnecting switch contacts with ated as shown in Fig. `4, for in that case pawl 67 upon engaging stop 55 is freely movable and swings into notch 68. If, however, during the removal of the truck panel from the housing the rack has been moved from the extended position, for example, to the position shown in Fig. 2 in order to test the operation of the main switch, pawl 67 cannot rotate upon strikin stop 55 and will4 prevent the truck panel eingpushed into the housing until the rack is again extended tosuch a point as will permit the pawl to swing into the notch 68. As soon as the rack is moved its innermost position shown in Fig.- 2, lever 49 is raised to trip open the main switch bein reclosed. .The truck panel may now lsafe y be pushed into ther housing until stop ed by the engagement ofthe hook 38 in notc 39 after which it is drawnor racked into the full in position by means .of the tool 44. On reaching that positionlroller 50 drops into depression 51, permittinglthe closing and normal functioning of thel main switch. i What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An electric switching device comprising a disconnecting switch having cooperating fixed and movable contacts, a main switch if it be closed and to lock it againstmounted to move with said movable contact, said main switch having a tripping` device therefor and a means for locking the switch in open circuit position, and means responsive to an initial movement of the movable contact of the disconnecting switch to open Acircuit; position for operating both the tripping device andthe locking means.

Q. An electric switching device of the truck .panel type comprising a fixed housing, a truck of the truck panel when said contacts have been separated, and means operable by said handle for releasing said stop means to permit the complete withdrawal of the truck panel. l

l 3. An electric switching device comprising a fixed housing, a truck panel movable therein, disconnecting switch contacts secured respectively to said members, a main switch carried by said truck panel having a trippingdevice and a device for locking the switch in open circuit position, means carried by the truck panel comprising a worm and rack for moving the same into and out of its inal in position in the housing at which the disconnecting contacts engage each other, means controlled by said rack for actuating said tripping and locking devices and means comprising a pawl controlled by said rack for preventing the truck panel being pushed to its inal in position in the housing.

4. An electric switching device comprising fixed and movable units. adapted to be withdrawn one from the other, cooperating disconnecting contacts on said units, a main switch carried by the movable unit and having a tripping device, operating means for said switch, means for locking said operatingmeans in open circuit position, a resilient member connected to said locking means, and means operative upon the initial withdrawal of the movable unit from the xed unit for stressing said resilient member whereby the locking means becomes operative when the switch is tripped open.

5. An electric switching device comprising a housing and truck panel having cooperating disconnecting .switch contacts, a main switch carried by the truck panel having a 'tripping device, mechanism for moving the truck panel adapted to be actuated from the front of the same, means for locking the switch in open circuit position, and means responsive to an initial movement of said mechanism to cause the separation of the cooperating disconnecting contacts for operating said tripping device and said locking means.

G. An electric switching device comprising a iixed unit, a movable unit adapted to be withdrawn therefrom, cooperating disconnecting contacts on said units, a main switch having a tripping device carried by said movable unit, operating means for said switch, a locking member therefor, and a member actuated in response to an initial withdrawal of the movable member from the ixed member having a substantially non-yielding connection with said tripping means and having a spring connection with said locking member.

7. An electric switching device compris- `ing a housing and a truck panel having cooperating disconnecting contacts, a main switch having a tripping device carried by the truck panel, operating mechanism for the truck panel comprising a worm and rack,

means for locking the switch in open circuit Y