US2012428A - Circuit controlling device - Google Patents

Description

1935. w. H. HOLLINSHEAD 2,012,428

CIRCUIT CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed March 16, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 171.372 E 42 '6 Invenior \N. H. Holhnshead.

Kltornegs.

1935. w. H. HOLLINSHEAD 2,012,428

CIRCUIT CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed March 16, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor- W. H. Hollinshead. B W

K't'tor-neys- Patented Aug. 27, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Sch-ins.

My invention relates to circuit controlling devices. While intended more particularly for use in connection with the control of. water levels in tanks and sumps, it is to be understood that the on device may be applied to other'uses. An object of th'e invention is to provide a device of this diameter which is emcient and dependable in operation and not affected by expansion and museum due to changes in temperature. An- Mi other object is to provide a. device which is capable of minute and accurate adlustment. Another obiect is to provide a device embodying a plurality of sets ofcontact members 1: frorn nne source of pressure. Another obiect is to so 'pnovide'a device embodying a' plurality of sets of edntactmanhers which can be independently -sothatauyoueofthesetscanbe adiusted without disturbing any other set. Another. object is to provide a movable support up carrying a plurality oi sets contact mmbers snamnted thatatleoa onoof said setswlll be brouaht into eneaked condition when the sup- .pm't'is moved inone direction and at least an- ;other ofv said sets will be bromht into enact d as condition when the support is moved in the other direction. The full" ohiects and advantages of am! inwentimrwill appear. in connection with the Metailed deocription theme! and the novel feawmresmnbcdiedm my inventive idea will be parum ticularly pointed out in the claims appended at :the'end of the specification. 7

In the accompany-ins drawings which illustrate a practical embodiment 0! my invention- *I"ig. l is a view in front elevatiim of the device 36 rafter the front of a c has been removed. #31 a is a view in vertical section on the line 9-11)! Fig. 3. Fig. 3 isalview in vertical section bOnthelineS-i oiFlg. 1.-Iig.4is aviewin vsrtioalsection on the line 4-4 0! Fix. 1. Fig. '00 5 isadragmentary view taken on the line i-S Vol-Fig.1; Pig. 6 is a. view in horizontal section on the line H of Fig. i.

Referring to the cons ruction shown in the r-drawings, the numeral 8 designates .a casing for cs5 the device. the front of this owing being prov vided-with a. door IQ hinged at the bottom as -indioated at I! in Fm. 3 and having a transparent panel it through which the interior of the M118 .oanbemen withoutopening the door. The cae- .,o0 ing may beoonstructed 0! any suitable material may be placed in any convenient location. hpipe l6 leads into the bottom of the casing, this pipe being connected to a liquid or gaseous supply which is to be controlled. The ad of thepipe in the casing is connected like the (Cl. 2M)

lower end of a diaphragm case M in whose upper end is secured an annular member 20. Within the ease l8, there is a long flexible diaphragm 22 whose upper end is tightly secured to the lower surface of the member 20. The diab phragm 22 hangs freely from the member 28 so that fluid pressure transmitted through the pipe it is impo ed upon the bottom of the diaphragm. A vertical tube 24 is centrally disposed within the diaphragm with its upper end extending u through the opening in the annular member 2|. A rod 26 in the tube 24 is threaded on its upper portion and provided with a nut 28 adapted to rest upon top oi the tube 24 whereby adjustment up and down my be made. The upper end of the rod 26 is provided with a knife edge 30 which emages in a notch ll formed in the lower side of an arm I! which at one end has a pivot 34 carried by a bracket member 86 secured to the inside of the casing I, it being noted from Fig. a) 2 that the upper end of the diaphragm case I8 is secured to the bracket 36. A coiled spring 38 is attached at its upper end to the movable end of the arm 32. This spring extends downwardly and its lower end is attached to a screw extending through the bottom of the casing 8 and provided on the outside thereof with a nut 42 by means of which the tension of the spring may be adjusted. One end of a flexible strip 44 is intermediately secured to the arm 32. The other end an of this strip is secured to the periphery of an annular disk 48 mounted for rotative movement on an enlarged portion of a bolt 48 carried by the support 36 as shown in Fig. 3. A pendulum i0 is secured to the disk by bolts 52 so that the bolt 48 constitutes the pivot of the pendulum. The lower end of the pendulum is provided with an arcuate slot 54. A bolt 56 passing through said slot and through a weight 68 serves to ad- Justabiy secure the weight on the lower end of so the pendulum. The upper end of the pendulum II is positioned between the annular disk 46 and a flanged member 60, the bolts 52 previously referred to passing through the flange of the memher I. 5

A supporting disk 62 is secured to the outer face of the member 60 by a screw 84 whereby the disk 62 constitutes a movable support which moves to and fro to ether with the annular disk 48 and the pendulum 50. The movable support 82 serves to carry a plurality of contact members shown in the present embodiment as consisting of two mercury switches embodying two tubes 66 and 68 disposed substantially diametrally upon the opposite sides oi the support 62. It will be or understood as a matter of course that the support 62 is capable of carrying additional contact members. The tubes 88 and B8 are held by similar clips '18 attached to segmental members "I2 respectively. Each segmental member is attached to the support 62 by a pivot screw I4 and is provided with an arcuate slot l8 through which a screw 18 passes whereby the tubes 86 and 68 may be independently adjusted. The tube 88 toward its outer end is provided with two terminals 80 and 82. The terminal 80 is connected by a wire 8 with a binding post 88 carried by a block 88 of insulating material secured inside of the casing 8 as shown in Fig. 3. The terminal 82 is connected by a wire with a binding post 82 carried by the block 88. The tube 88 toward its outer end is provided with two terminals 84 and 96. The terminal 94 is connected by a wire 98 with a binding post 1108 carried by the block 88. The terminal 08 is connected by a wire I02 with a binding post I84 carried by the block 88. Secured within the casing 8 isa bracket I06 to which the lower end of a bimetallic bar I08 is secured. The upper end of the bar I88 carries a clip H0 which holds a mercury switch embodying a tube I I2. The tube I I2 is provided with two terminals H4 and H8. The terminal H4 is connected by a wire II8 with the binding post I00 while the terminal H6 is connected by a wire I20 with a binding post I22 carried by the block 88. The bracket I06 carries a resister I24 of well known construction, the lower portion of which is connected by a wire I28 with a binding post I28 carried by the block 88. The upper portion of the resister is connected by a wire I30 with the binding post 86, the wire including a heating coil I32 wrapped around the bimetallic bar I08. The binding posts I28 and 92 are connected by wires I34 and I38 respectively with a motor which is to be controlled. The binding posts I04, I00, and I22 are connected by wires I38, I40 and I42 respectively with a motor starter associated with a motor, the wire I38 being a starting line, the wire I48 being a common line and the wire I42 being a stopping line as commonly employed in three wire systems.

The operation and advantages of my invention will be understood in connection with the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows the parts in the position which they assume when the pressure in the pipe I6 has reached the desired maximum and the motor is to be stopped. The pressure exerted on the diaphragm 22 has turned the disk 82 against the gravity of the pendulum 50 and the tension of the spring 38. Thiscauses the mercury in the tube 66 to bridge the terminals 80 and 82 so that current flows through the wire I34, the wire I26, the resister I24, the wireI30 including the heating coil I32, the wire 84, the wire 90, and out through the wire I38. The heating coil 32 soon flexes the thermostatic bar I88 from the position shown in Fig. 1 into that shown in Fig. 2, so that the mercury in the tube I I2 opens the terminals H4 and H8. Current now ceases to flow through the wire I40, the wire I t8, the wire I20, and the stop Wire 42 so that the motor is stopped. When the pressure in the pipe I8 falls sufiiciently so that the pendulum 58 and the spring 88 turn the disk in the opposite direction the requisite distance, the mercury in the tube 88 bridges the terminals 84 and 96. Current now flows through the wire M0, the wire 98, the wire I02, and the starting wire I38 so that the motor is started. It is to be noted that the thermostat I08 and the resister I24 serve as an electric snubber so that rapid vibration of the disk 52 due to surging in the fluid whose pressure is imposed on the diaphragm will not cause starting and stopping of the motor in rapid succession. Surging in the source of fluid pressure will not cause current to stop flowing through the stop wire I42 even if the disk 82 should be momentarily rocked sufficiently to bridge the terminals 94 and 80 since the current would first have to flow through the resists-r and the heating coil around the thermostat and for this to iiex the thermostat requires a greater period of time than the period of vibration due to surging. While I prefer to employ the electric snubber which has been described it is apparent that some other form of snubber might be employed so that it would not be necessary to provide the thermostat I08, the resister I24, the mercury tube H2 and the wires associated with these parts. My device has the advantage of not being materially affected by expansion and contraction caused by changes in temperature. By tightening the spring 38 some of the effect of the pressure exerted on the diaphragm 22 is overcome. The provision of both the spring 38 and the pendulum 50 acting on the arm 32 cuts down the period of vibration of the disk 52. It will be noted further that the device is capable of being minutely and accurately adjusted.

I claim:

1. A circuit controlling device comprising a support mounted for rotative movement, a plurality of mercury switches carried by said support, a source of pressure, a diaphragm subjected to ressure exerted by said source, an arm pivoted at one end, a rod actuated by said diaphragm and engaging said arm to exert an upward thrust thereon, a pendulum, a disk to which said support is attached concentric with the pivot of said pendulum, said disk and pendulum being secured together for movement in unison, a flexible strip secured at one end to the periphery of said disk and secured at its other end to said arm, means whereby a circuit is completed by one of said switches when said support is given rotative movement in one direction, and means whereby another circuit is completed by another of said switches when said support is given rotative movement in the other direction.

2. A circuit controlling device comprising a support mounted for rotative movement, a plurality of mercury switches carried by said support, a source of pressure, a diaphragm subjected to pressure exerted by said source, an arm pivoted at one end, a rod actuated by said diaphragm and engaging said arm to exert an upward thrust thereon, a pendulum having its pivot positioned underneath said arm, a disk to which said support is attached rotatable on said pivot and to which said pendulum is attached, a, flexible strip secured at one end to the periphery of said disk and secured at its other end to said arm, a spring exerting downward stress on the free end of said arm, means whereby a circuit is completed by one of said switches when said support is given rotative movement in one direction, and means whereby another circuit is completed by another of said switches when said support is given rotative movement in the other direction.

3. A circuit controlling device comprising a support mounted for rotative movement, a switch carried by said support, a source of pressure, a diaphragm subjected to pressure exerted by said source, a pivoted arm, a rod actuated by said diaphragm and cooperating with said arm to exert a thrust thereon, a pendulum, a disk to which said support is attached concentric with the pivot of said pendulum, said pendulum and disk being secured together for movement in unison, and a flexible strip secured at one end to the periphery oi. said disk and secured at its other end to said arm, said switch being closed when said support is given rotative movement in one direction and being opened when said support is given rotative movement in the other direction.

4. A circuit controlling device comprising a support mounted for rotative movement, a switch carried by said support, a pivoted arm, means for swinging said arm on its pivot, a pendulum, a disk to which said support is attached, said pendulum and disk being secured together for movement in unison, and a flexible strip secured at one end to the periphery of said disk and secured at its other end to said arm, said switch being closed when said support is given rotative movement in one direction and being opened when said support is given rotative movement in the other direction.

5. A circuit controlling device comprising a support mounted for rotative movement, a switch carried by said support, a pivoted arm, means for swinging said arm on its pivot, a disk to which said support is attached, and a flexible strip secured at one end to the periphery of said disk and secured at its other end to said arm, said switch being closed when said support is given rotative movement in one direction and being opened when said support is given rotative movement in the other ch'rection.

WILLIAM H. HOLLINSHEAD.

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