US1875042A - Generator regulator - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 30, 1932.

B. M. LEECE 1,875,042

GENERATOR REGULATOR Filed Aug. 26, 1929 Bevwvirr ALLA-sci:

Patented Aug. 30, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT? OFFICE BENNETT I. LEEGE, F OLEVEL AND, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO THE LEECE-NEVILLE COM- PANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO GENERATOR REGULATOR Application filed August 26, 1928. Serial No. 888,336.

This invention relates to generator regulation and has particular reference to systems of control or regulation employing vibrating regulators for regulating for voltage, current, or both voltage and current.

The object of the present invention is to improve the operation of such regulators and their action on the system. More particularly, it is the aim of the invention to provide certain improvements which increase the rate of vibration of the vibratory members of the regulator or regulators and to provide more uniform or steadier vibration and vibration of less amplitude, thus making it more quiet in its action both mechanically and electrically from the radio standpoint.

A further object which I believe to be attained by the increase in rate and reduction in the amplitude of vibration is to reduce the inductive kick when the contacts are opened and, therefore, to reduce sparking at the contacts and provide longer life for the latter, as well as to better adapt the generator for radio service.

The above objects are attained by my invention which may be here, briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts which will 39 be described in the specification andset forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheet of drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a box or casing containing control elements, including regulators employed in connection with a generator subject to variations in speed and load, such as employed on engine propelled vehicles, including automobiles, busses, airplanes, and the like, my invention having particular utility when employed for the regulation of generators employed for these purposes; and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the control elements and their connectionswith the generator-load circuit.

Though I have illustrated one specific embodiment of the invention, I wish to make clear before describing the control elements and the details ofthe regulators illustrated, that my improvements are useful not only with generators having a single supply circuit, but also with generators having two supply circuits generally of different voltages, these being particularly useful on airplanes in connection with the usual elements of the load, such as the battery and lights, and also in connection with the radio receiving or both receiving and sending apparatus. Such generators have a common held and one armature which may have a single winding or two windings with two commutators when the current supply at the high and low voltages is D. C. in both instances, or a commutator at one end and slip rings at the other when the low voltage current is D. C. and the high voltage current is A. 0. Additionally, though my invention is here illustrated in connection with a control system having vibrating regulators for regulating for both voltage and current, the invention may be used to advantage in a system employing either a voltage regulator only or a current regulator only, as Well as in one employing both regulators. Furthermore, in the application of the invention to a voltage regulator the latter may be of the type employing a single coil for producing the vibratory movement of the armature or employing a plurality of coils for this purpose. The invention, in so far as the voltage regulator is concerned, is illustrated as applied to a vibrating voltage regulator having two coils similar in function and arrangement to the coils of my prior Patents Nos. 1,540,698 and 1,633,671, for I find that the invention is very useful with a voltage regulator of this type (as well as with one having a single coil) for causing the armature to vibrate and for changing its rate of vibration in accordance with the voltage changes of the generator.

Referring now to the drawing, the control elements, including the regulator or regulators, as illustrated in Fig. l, are mounted in a box or casing 10 having a removable cover, not shown, and provided with an insulating base on which all of the control elements are mounted. The control elements in the box include, in this instance, a reverse current cut-out 13, a current regulator 14, a voltage regulator 15, and aswitch 16 which is adapted,

voltage and reversal of current through the series coil, or in the event it should fail to open in the first instance when the reversal of current occurs in the series coil of the cut-out. The specific arrangement and form of these control elements are not important to my invention, and reference is-had particularly to the diagrammatic view which clearly illustrates the invention in simplified form.

In Fig. 2 l have shown a shunt generator 17 having a field winding 18. The load may consist of the usual elements, such as a starting and lighting battery 19 and lamps 20, but when the invention is employed on airplanes, the generator may be used also to energize the filaments and plates of radio apparatus carried by the plane.

The reverse current cut-out may consist of the usual elements, namely, a magnet frame 21, a series coil 22, a shunt coil 23, and a pivoted armature 24 biased toward open position by a spring 25 and adapted to open and close the generator-load circuit at the contacts 26.

The current regulator comprises a frame 27, a series coil 28, and a pivoted vibratory armature 29 biasedtoward closed position by a spring 30. The contacts 31 of this current regulator, when closed, short-circuit a combined field resistance and demagnetizing coil 32 which, when the contacts are opened, is inserted in the field circuit of the generator. This resistance is arranged as a coil preferably concentrically with the main series coil 28 of the regulator, and it is difierentially wound with respect to the latter so that when it is thrown into the field circuit by the separation of the contacts it has a demagnetizing efiect, with the advantages by which the objects of this invention are attained, as will later be referred to more fully.

When the seriescoil 28 is traversed by a heavy flow of current from the battery 19, as when the armature of the cut-out 13 is accidentally closed at a time when there is little, if any, generator voltage opposing the battery voltage, the armature 29 opens the switch 16 so as to open the generator circuit and disconnect the shunt coil 23 from the battery, thus preventing the armature of the cut-out being magnetically held in closed position and preventing the discharge of the battery. This switch is more fully described and is claimed in my pending application Serial No. 377,720, filed July 12, 1929.

The switch 16 comprises a plunger 33 arranged so as to be actuated by the armature 29 under the circumstances mentioned above, and carrying a bridging contact 34 adapted te m to bridge a pair of stationary contacts 35 arranged between the series coil 28 of the current regulator and the series coil 22 of the cut-out, the switch being biased toward closed position by a suitable spring 36.

The voltage regulator comprises a field frame 37 and either one or two main vibrating soils which cause the armature 38 to vibrate with a suitable increase in rate of vibration as the generator voltage rises and a corresponding decrease in rate as the generator voltage falls. In this instance, the regulator has two main coils 39 and 40 which are connected so that they will function as described in my two prior patents alreadyreferred to, the coil 39 corresponding to the coil 21 of Patent No. 1,540,698 and to the coil 18 of Patent No. 1,633,671, and the coil 40 corresponding to the coil 22 of my Patent No. 1,540,698 and to the coil 19 of my Patent No. 1,633,671. These two coils, whose magnetic efiects are additive, may be wound concentrically on the core of the field frame 37. The armature 38 of this regulator has a contact which engages a stationary contact, the contacts being designed 41, and this armature is biased toward closed position by a spring 42. When the contacts are closed, they short-circuit a combined field resistance and demagnetizing coil 43, this combined resistance and coil being arranged on a suitable part of the frame or armature of the regulator 16 and being connected in circuit so that when the contacts are separated it is thrown into the field circuit and is traversed by a current having a demagnetizing action i. e., an action difierential with respect to that of the coils 39 and 40. Although the coil 43 may be mounted on any suitable part of the frame of the voltage regulator, I find that the best results are obtained if it is arranged close to the contacts 41. I, therefore, prefer to support it so that it surrounds the armature 38, as shown in Fig. 1, the armature extending freely through the coil so that its vibratory movement will not be restricted by the coil. The contacts 41 may, if desired, be bridged by a condenser 44.

The circuit connections may be briefly described as follows: One terminalof the generator is here shown connected by a conductor 45 to the field frame 37 of the voltage regulator 15 and the field frame 37 is connected by a conductor 46 to the series coil 28 of the current regulator 14. This coil is connected through the contacts of the switch 16 to the series coil 22 of the reverse current cut-out and the coil 22 is connected to the field frame 21 and through the contacts 26, by way of conductor 47, to one side of the load circuit. The other side of the load circuit is connected by conductor 48 to the other terminal of the generator.

One terminal of the shunt coil 23 of the I conductor 46 on the generator side of the switch contacts 35, so that this switch, when opened, will disconnect the coil from the battery. The other terminal of the shunt coil 23 of the cut-out is connected by a conductor 50 to the main current carrying conductor 48.

The coil 39 of the voltage regulator has one terminal connected to the field frame 37 and its other terminal connected by conductor 51 to the main current carrying conductor- 48. Thus this coil 39 is in effect connected across the terminals of the generator but its circuit is not affected by the opening and closing of the contacts 41 of the voltage regulator. Preferably, though not necessarily, a resistance 52, which, in some instances, may have a positive and in other instances a negative temperature coefiicient, is in the conductor 51 so as to be in the circuit of the coil 39. The coil 40 of the voltage regulator has one terminal connected to the conductor 51 (between the resistance 52 and the conductor 48). -The other terminal of the coil is connected to the stationary contact 41 of the voltage regulator.

The combined field resistance and demagnetizing coil 43 of the voltage regulator has one terminal connected to the stationary contact 41 of this regulator and its other ter-- minal is connected to a suitable part of the field frame 37 or to the armature 38.

One terminal of the field winding 18 of the generator is shown connected to one terininal of the generator and the other terminal of the field winding is connected by a conductor 53 to the stationary contact 31 of the current regulator 14. The armature or field frame of the current regulator is connected by a conductor 54 to the stationary contact 41 of the voltage regulator. Consequently, when the contacts of the current regulator 14 and the contacts 41 of the voltage regulator 15 are closed, the field winding 18 is connected directly across the terminals of the generator, the combined field resistance and demagnetizing coil 32 of the current regulator and the combined field resistance and demagnetizing coil 43 of the voltage regulator then being short-circuited by the contacts. When the contacts of either set are open, the corresponding field resistance and demagnetizing coil is cut into the field circuit, and when both sets are open at the same time, both of the combined field resistances and demagnetizing coils are connected in series in the field circuit, so as to reduce the ampere turns of the field winding. It will be understood that until the load reaches a predetermined value, determined by the strength or adjustment of the spring 30 of the current regulator, the contacts of the current regulator remain closed, but .when the load current exceeds said predetermined value, the armature 29 vibrates so as to cut the combined field resistance and demagnetizing coil 32 into and out of the field circuit, this continuing until the value of the load current drops below the predetermined point. Likewise, it will be understood that the armature 38 of the voltage regulator operates continuously, at least while the armature 29 of the current regulator is stationary, and as its voltage rises, the effect of the coil 39 isto increase its rate of vibration, the combined field resistance and demagnetizing coil 43 being cut into the field circuit each time the contacts of the voltage regulator are separated.

I find that by arranging the field resistances controlled by the current and voltage regulators as demagnetizing coils, the vibratory action of each regulator is less sluggish than it otherwise would be, in fact its rate of vibration is greatly increased and is rendered more smooth and uniform, as is desired to produce the best results for both current and voltage regulation. By reason of the fact that the rate of vibration is increased, the amplitude of movement is decreased and this renders the action of the regulator quieter. Oscillographic tests show that the voltage across the contacts of each regulator when the contacts are open, due to inductive action, is considerably less when my invention is employed than is the case when ordinary field resistances are employed without the accompaniment of the demagnetizing action secured by my improvements. This may be explained by the fact that the increase in the rate of vibration is such that the inductive kick cannot rise to its maximum before the contacts are again closed. At any rate, while I am not certain that this is the case, comparative tests show that with the use of the present invention the rather high induced voltage heretofore prevalent is greatly reduced, with the result that sparking at the contacts is reduced, the contacts have much greater life, less condenser capacity is required, and the apparatus is rendered more satisfactory for radio work.

Finally, it might be stated that my invention can be used on a great variety of installations where close regulation is desired, but it is especially useful, as already stated, in connection with generators employed under widely varying speed and load conditions, as on gas engine propelled vehicles of various kinds. The invention has added advantage when employed on airplanes in connection with a generator for energizing filaments and plates on radio apparatus where smoothness of operation is especiallv desired. N aturally, the current regulator vibrates at a lower rate than the voltage regulator, and for some installations it is desirable that the current regulator be eliminated and that the regulation be obtained entirely from the voltage regulator and in such instances the voltage regulator, constructed and operating in acclaim:

cordance with the present invention, gives exceedingly good results insofar as all parts of the load are concerned, including the radio apparatus.

In view of what was stated in the early part of the specification, it will be apparent that I do not regard my invention'as limited to the particu ar embodiment illustrated, either as to the number of control or regulat-'- ing elements employed in the system or as to the details of the regulator and the method of connections, the important point being that the conductor or resistance element 7 I which is out into a circuit to reduce thecurrent flowing therethrough and in this instance to reduce the ampere turns of the field winding of the generator has a demagnetizing efiect with respect to the main coil or coils of the regulator.

Having thus described my invention, I

1. The combination with a generator having a fieldwinding, of a voltage regulator for the generator comprising a magnet having an armature, one or more coils for vibratlng the same, and a conducting element serving as a demagnetizing coil for the regulator and also to change the ampere turns of the field winding of the generator and rendered V efl'ective and ineffective by the vibration of the armature, saidconducting element being arranged to surround said armature.

2. In a system such as described, a generator. adapted to be connected to a load circuit and having a field winding, a voltage regulator comprising a vibratory armature and two voltage coilsadditive in their magnetic actions,- and one having its circuit unaffected and the other having its circuit affected by the movement of the armature, and a third coil differentially wound with respect to the two first named coils and'adapted to be cut into and out of the field circuit by the vibratory action of the armature, said third coil being arranged to surround said vibratory armature.

,- 3. The combination with a generator having a field winding, of a regulator for varying the ampere turns of said field winding and comprising a magnet having a vibratory armature, a coil for actuating said armature,

and another coil surrounding said armature and having a demagnetizing efiect on the first mentioned coil.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

BENNETT M. LEEGE.

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