US2015468A - Carbon pile regulator - Google Patents

Description

Se t. 24, 1935. A; J. 5. BROWN ET AL 2,015,468

CARBON FILE REGULATOR Filed Oct. 4, 1954 26 29 @,/JOZ 27 4105' 5.4 1 p 4 :i' O 25 I 22 5 0 11 Patented Sept. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE cannon PILE REGULATOR Arthur James Stephen Brown, Bromley, and Aubrey Laurence Ash, .Thorpe Bay, England, assignors to J. Stone 85 Company Limited, Deptford, England, a corporation of Great Britain Application October 4, 1934, Serial No. 746,898 In Great Britain July 28, 1933 7 Claims.

tions and the like.

For certain purposes in such installations, it is desirable to control one factor in two different ways, or in dependence upon two different factors, at different stages of the regulation process. In particular, for battery charging purposes, it may be desired to charge the battery initially under current control, e. g. at constant current, and subsequently under voltage control, e. g. at constant voltage. With such a charging process, complete reconditioning of the battery can be effected in the minimum period feasible without overloading the generator, and the danger of detrimental effects due to over-charging, sulphation and so forth can be largely avoided. The principal object of the present invention is to provide a simple and reliable carbon pile regulator which permits of the exercise of such a double control, especially for the purposes just mentioned.

One embodiment of the invention by way of example will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:--

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the regulator partly in section,

Figure 2 is a verticalsection thereof, and

Figure 3 a circuit diagram.

The regulator illustrated comprises two electromagnetic units mounted back to back with their back-plates I integral with a common frame IOI. A carbon pile resistance is mounted between said units upon a plate I02 secured to the frame I 0|, said resistance thus forming a separately removable and replaceable unit. The magnet and spring systems of the units may advantageously be of either of the types described in the specifications of United States patent application of Alfred H. Chilton, Serial No. 683,557, filed August 3, 1933, and United States patent to Alfred H. Chilton, No. 1,963,825, dated June 19, 1934. In the example illustrated, the magnet and spring systems are of the type described in Pa ent No. 1,963,825. Essentially the magnet ystems comprise magnets 2 2 carrying windmgs 3 3", and spindles 6 I5 upon which rotors I I are mounted to rock between the poles of said magnets. The spring systems, which are matched with their respective magnet systems, comprise tension springs 32 32 connected by flexible tapes 33 to segmental discs I0 I0 fast on the spindles I3 6 adjustment means 35 and 36 being provided for setting the initial spring tension and rate respectively. Movement of the discs I6 I6 is damped by similarly disposed dash-pots one of which is shown at 31 and 5 limited by co-acting stop- means 39, 40. The pile unit comprises a crank I1 pivotally connected at I8 to a push rod I9 which acts through a compression plate 20 upon the carbon pile 2|. At its upper end the pile bears against an abut- 10 ment plate 22 having an upward extension 23 which is pivotally connected at 24 to an anchorage 25.- This anchorage is mounted in a forward extension I03 f the plate I02 and can be vertically adjusted and locked by a knurled nut 15 21 and lock nut 28 engaging a threaded stem on said anchorage. The arrangement of the pile itself is thus essentially similar to the arrangement adopted in the above mentioned specifications.

For the purposes of the present invention, however, the crank I'I, with which is connected a lever I3, is mounted upon a ball-bearing on a separate spindle 14 located between the aligned spindles 6 It of the magnet systems and sep- 25 arately supported in forward extensions I04 from the plate I02. Connected to the lever I3 isa tension spring I5 which is adjustably anchored at I05 and serves to maintain the pile 2| under an initial compression which is kept practically 30 constant despite wear in the pile. Mounted peripherally upon the discs I6 and I6 of the units are fingers I6 I6 extending horizontally to points underneath the end of the lever I3 which has spaced abutment surfaces 'I'I each engage- 35 able by an adjustable abutment I8 on one of said fingers. The regulator is set so that in the initial or inoperative condition the abutments I0 are both just out of contact with the surfaces TL 40 For the above mentioned case of batterycharging under dual control, the winding 3 of one unit is excited by or proportionately to the dynamo output current and the other 3 by the charging voltage (Figure 3) through a tempera- 5 ture compensating resistance I06. The pile 2| is disposed in series with the field I01 of the dynamo I08 from which the battery I09 is charged. Upon commencing to charge a discharged battery, the lattertends to take a rela- 50 tively large current at a low voltage. The effect of the large current in the winding 3 causes the rotor I to be attracted and to bring the finger I0 into contact with the lever I3, thereby rocking the latter in the directionfor decom- 55 thus the current output of the dynamo.

pressing the pile 2|. The resultant increase of the pile resistance reduces the excitation and Y suitable design of the magnet system 3 1 the charging current can by this means be kept substantially constant. Meanwhile the charging voltage on the winding 3" is too low to cause attraction of the rotor I so that, in this initial stage, the charging is solely under current control.

As charging proceeds, however, the charging voltage eventually reaches a value at which the rotor 1 is attracted, causing the finger 16' to overtake the lever 13 and momentarily to assist the finger 16 in decompressing the pile M. The resultant additional increase of resistance of said pile at once acts to reduce the charging current, so that the said other finger tends to drop away from the lever 13. As charging proceeds, this eflect is accentuated and the subsequent charging is completed solely under voltage control. The point at which the control is changed may be set to suit requirements but will generally be set for a comparatively advanced stage in the charging process.

- I! it is desired to increase the charging current to the battery during the initial part of the period of charging under substantially current control (when the charging voltage is lowest), the current-controlled unit may carry, in addition to the winding 3, a small proportion of turns excited proportionally to the battery voltage.

We claim:

1. Electro-magnetic regulator adapted for reg ulatlng in diii'erent ways at diil'erent stages of the regulation, comprising a single carbon-pile resistance, two magnet systems having independent excitation windings and independent ro tors, spring systems respectively connected with the said rotors and matched with and opposing the said magnet systems, and independent pres-v sure-controlling means for the said resistance each operatively connected with one oi the said rotors and each engageable, one at a time, with said carbon-pile resistance for the sole control of the said resistance over one stage of the regulation.

2. Electra-magnetic regulator adapted for regulating under current and voltage control I respectively at diiierent stages of the regulation,

resistance for the sole control of the said carbon pile over its respective stage of the regulation.

3. Electro-magnetic regulator, comprising two independent magnet systems having rotatable rotors each having a spindle, said spindles being in alignment with each other, a single carbonpilc disposed between the said magnet systems, spring systems operatively connected to the said rotor spindles, and independent pile-controlling members operatively connected to respective rotor-spindles and adapted for acting upon the pile independently of each other.

4. Electro-magnetie regulator, comprising two independent magnet systems having rockable rotors, a common carbon pile, a common pile-controlling levermounted independently of the said rotors, and pile controlling fingers operatively connected to respective rotors and each independently engageable with the said lever for exercising sole control of the said pile.

5. Electro-magnetic regulator, comprising two independent magnet-systems having rockable rotors, spring systems acting upon the said rotors, a carbon pile, pile-controlling means operatively connected to respective rotors and engageable, one at a time, with the said pile for the sole control thereof over a range of operations. and separate spring means acting upon the said pile for maintaining it under initial compression.

6. In a regulator device, a resistance element variable under compression, a pivoted member, a compression member acting at an end of said element, and a link interconnecting an end of said pivoted member and said compression memher, a pair of electro-magnets, a pair of independently rotatable shafts, an armature for each magnet secured to each of said shafts, lateral extensions secured to said" pivoted member adjacent its end opposite said link, an arm on one of said shafts and a second arm on the other of said shafts, said arms being movable to engage said lateral extensions as said shafts rotate, a spring acting on one of said armatures, a second spring acting on the other of said armatures, said springs tending to rotate said shafts in a direction to move said arms out of engagement with said lateral extensions, said shafts being rotatable independently to bring either of said arms into engagement with its respective lateral extension upon energization of either of said magnets to decompress said pile to a degree dependent upon the degree of energization of one of said magnets alone.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein said springs are matched with their respective magnets so that said armatures move in response to critical values of excitation of their respective magnets.

A. J. BROWN. A. L. ASH.

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