US1824239A

US1824239A - To milwaukee gas

Info

Publication number: US1824239A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1931-09-22
Anticipated expiration: 1948-09-22

Description

Sept. 22, 1931.

R. H. sHA'DRVlCK THERMOSTATIC CONTROL Filed Jan. 6, 1927 Patented Sept. 22, 1931 TATES PATENT OFFICE RICHARD H. SHADRICK, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR, .BY MSNE ASSIGN- MENTS,'T0 MILWAUKEE G-AS SPECIALTY COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN,

A CORPORATION THERMOSTATIC CONTROL Application filed January 6, 1927. Serial No. 159,350.

line to the main burner. A further objectis to provide means of an extremely simple and practical nature for re-openin such valve and resetting the thermostatica y operated mechanism to its initial operative position. A still further object is to provide means for adjusting the operative sensitiveness of the device. Still further and more specific objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying draw-- ings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the adaptation of my device to the burner and fuel feed pipe of a common type of water heater, various parts being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the control unit, as seen in Fig. 1 but from the opposite side, various parts bein broken away, while others are in section, or purpose of illustration.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation, as seen on the irregular line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings more particularly and by reference characters A designates the casing of a hot water heater, having a storage tank B in which water is heated by a main burner C, fed with fuel from a pipe line D. The casing A may be insulated, as 'at E, to help retain the heat in the water. The pipe line D is provided with a valve F, which, as shown, is a hand valve, but may be avvalve of any other type without in any way interfering with the objects or functions of my inventions. I might add that the present invention fembodies several improvements over the constructions shown in my copending patent applications Ser. No. 50,246, filed Aug. 14, 1925, for thermostatic cut out for gas valves and the like now Patent No. 1,679,169, and Ser. No. 60,- 632, filed October 5th, 1925, for valve actuator, now Patent N o. 1,698,281; both of which patents show earlier designed thermostatic pilot control devices of somewhat similar natures.

Cut into the pipe line D, in advance of the valve F, is a second valve 4, having a core 5 and suitable means, such as a sprin 6, for yieldingly holding the head 7 of the core in closed contact with the seat of the valve. Projecting through a neck 8, of the valve, is a pin 9, which, when depressed, holds the valve open against the resistance ofthe spring 6. Valves of this type are of common and well known construction.

Secured to and carried by the neck of the valve 4, and preferably secured by a nut 10, is a frame creasing consisting of an end wall 11, and an inverted, substantially `U-shaped housing 12, having a ,curved top and open at its bottom and one end. Secured, as by screws 134 to the housing 12, is a pilot tube 14, having a goose neck eX- tension 15, at one end, which is connected with the main supply pipe D, above the valve 4 so that it will not be influenced by the open 4or closed position of this valve. The other end of the tube is provided with -a burner tip 16, which may be of any suitable construction, but which, in Fig. 2, is shown as of the Bunsen type. The pilot tube is extended through an aperture 17 in the heater Wall A, E, so that the burner or tip 16 will be in a lighting position with respect to the main burner C.

The valve 4 is opened and held open by a lever member 18, carried by a shaft 19, which is journaled in the side walls of the casing 12. This shaft is provided with an arm or handle 20, by which it may be turned to raise the lever to the vertical position shown in Fig. 2. The lever 18 is preferably provided with a` cam acting hump 21,I for engagement with the valve pin 9, and, as the shaft center 19 1s practically in the same plane with the pin 91t will be seen that when the lever is in its upper position the resistance of the spring projected pin 9 will be very slight and that very little effort will be requlred to hold the lever up, yet when the lever 1s released, the spring 6 will quickly and effectively project the pin and reseat the valve, moving the lever 18 and the arm 20 to the dotted line positions shown in Fig. 2. g

The lever 18 is normally held 1n. its upstanding position by engaging against the end of a strip of thermostatic metal 22, the same being securely fastened, at its other end, to the pilot tube 14, by a Screw 2.3. This strip is of the well known type 1n which two layers of metal, having different coecients of expansion, are fused together, so that when subjected to variable temperatures the strip as a whole will bend or be slightly distorted, whereby the free end will be moved up and down. A set screw 24, having a lock unit 25, is provided, for adjusting the operative position and sensitiveness of the strip. Tt will be noted that a partv of the strip 22 is in direct contact with the pilot tube while the rest of it 1s parallel with and adjacent to the tube, the object being to so locate it that it will retain substantially the same temperature of the tube. The tube acts as a heat conductor and is warmed by t-he heat of the pilot flame suiiiciently so that it will also keep the .thermal strip 22 at a temperature where its free end will be in a position to lengage the lever 18, as shown in Fig. 2, to keep the valve open. Now then if the pilot light goes out, when the burner C is inactive, the pilot tube will quickly cool, and, as the strip 22 will then also cool off, it will bend upward, releasing the lever 18, and thus permit the valve 4 to snap closed. This will cut off the supply of fuel to the valve F and the main burner, with a result that the main burner cannot be relit until the pilot burner has first been lit. This condition will readily be discovered, even in a remotely controlled valve F, because the operator will not be able to draw any hot water. To restore the parts to their original conditions the operator relights the pilot burner and as soon as the tube 141 and strip 22 are warmed by the flame he then pulls the handle 20 up until the lever 18 snaps behind the end of the now depressed strip 22.

It may be noted that as the pilot tube 14 acts as a heat conductor it is unnecessary to provide any other element for that purpose. It may also be noted that the strip 22 is removed from the influence of the intense heat of the main burner and thereby its sensitive characteristics are preserved, which is not the case where such metal is subjected to high or extreme changes in temperature. Tt may also be noted that while it is preferable, in some instances, to secure the fuel supply for the pilot, from the main pipe D, in advance of the valve 4, it is also possible and feasible, in other instances, to connect the pilot tube with the supply pipe, below the safety valve e, but in advance of the main valve F. In the latter instance, when the pilot goes out, then the valve 4 cuts off all possible fuel supply to both burners., But, as the escape of` unburned `fuel through the pilot burner is quite insignicant, in the arrangement shown, it is never dangerous, especially as heaters of this type are usually connected up with fiues which carry off such minor quantities of escaping gases.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the general design and structural details of the invention as herein shown and described, provided, however, that said modifcations come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having now therefore fully shown and described my invention, what I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent 1s:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a valve having a spring projected valve pin, a leverv having a cam portion for engaging the valve pin to open the valve.

`said lever having a fulcrum axis which is substantially in alignment with the valve pin, and thermostatically operated means for releasably securing the lever in a predetermined position, said means including a strip of bi-metal having end contact with the lever and which upon being subjected to predetermined temperature will entirely free itself from the lever thus permitting a quick closing action of the valve.

2. The combination with a valve having a tendency 'to close and a pilot tube having at `one end a burner, a member for holding the valve open, a strip of thermally responsive metal extending parallel with the tube and iny close proximity thereto so as to be influenced by the heat of the tube but removed from direct influence of the pilot burner and being rigidly mounted at one end whereby the other end is rendered movable, said member being releasably secured by said other end of the metal, and so arranged with respect thereto that it may be snapped into engagement therewith, and means for adjusting the operative sensitiveness of the strip of thermally responsive metal.

3. The combination with a yieldably closed valve, of a lever acting member for opening and holding the valve open, a pilot tube having a burner tip at one end, a strip of thermally responsive metal arranged parallel with and adjacent to the pilot tube so as to be subjected to the temperature thereof but removed from direct inuence of. the burner ame at said tip, one end of said strip being stationary while the other is movable, said movable end being arranged to releasably retain the lever acting member in its valve opening position, and means for adjusting the operative sensitiveness ofthe metal strip.

4. The combination with a valve in a pipe, said valve having a yieldingly projected valve stem, of a casing secured on and carried by the valve, a lever member pivotally mounted in the casing and having a cam acting portion engageable endwise against the stem to -open the valve, a pilot tube extending from the pipe and through the casing and having a burner tip at its end, a thermally responsive element secured to the tube and extending into the casing, in a direction away from the burner tip, for tripping engagement with the lever, whereby to releasably hold the same with the valve in its open position.

5. The combination with a valve in a pipe said valve having a yieldingly projecte valve stem, of a casing secured on and carried by the valve, a lever member pivotally mounted in the casing and 'having a cam acting portion engageable endwise against the stem to open the'valve, a pilot tube extending from the pi'pe and through the casing and having a burner tip at its end, a thermally responsive element secured to the tube and extending into the casing, in a direction away from the burner tip, for tripping engagement with the lever, whereby to releasably hold the same with the valve in its open position, and means, operative at the exterior of the casing, for operating the lever to open the valve.

6. The combination including a main burner, .a pipe for supplying fuel thereto, a main valve and a second valve in said pipe, a heat conducting pilot tube having a pilot burner at one end, for lighting the mam pilot tube warm, means including a thermally responsive element anchored on and in direct contact with the tube in a position burner and for normally keeping the` jected valve pin, a lever having a curved cam portion surface for engaging the valve pin to open the valve, said lever having a fulcrum axis disposed in a position substantiallyin alignment with the valve pin, and thermostatically operated means for releasably securing the lever in a predetermined position, said means including a strip of bimetal normally holding the lever in its valve opening position and which upon being sub` jected to a predetermined temperature will release the lever to'permit the valve to close. In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

RICHARD H. SHADRICK.

removed from direct influence of the main burner, for effecting a closing of the `second valve when the pilot burner'is extinguished and thereby permitting the pilot tube to cool, 'aid means including 'a lever acting member one end of which has direct releasable contact with the element.

7 A device of the character described, comprising a valve having a spring pro-