US2336827A - Electrical relay - Google Patents

Electrical relay Download PDF

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Publication number
US2336827A
US2336827A US397587A US39758741A US2336827A US 2336827 A US2336827 A US 2336827A US 397587 A US397587 A US 397587A US 39758741 A US39758741 A US 39758741A US 2336827 A US2336827 A US 2336827A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
armature
relay
container
winding
away
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US397587A
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English (en)
Inventor
Harold G Witmer
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Hitachi Rail STS USA Inc
Original Assignee
Union Switch and Signal Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority to BE477704D priority Critical patent/BE477704A/xx
Application filed by Union Switch and Signal Inc filed Critical Union Switch and Signal Inc
Priority to US397587A priority patent/US2336827A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US2336827A publication Critical patent/US2336827A/en
Priority to FR950950D priority patent/FR950950A/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H50/00—Details of electromagnetic relays
    • H01H50/16—Magnetic circuit arrangements
    • H01H50/18—Movable parts of magnetic circuits, e.g. armature
    • H01H50/24—Parts rotatable or rockable outside coil
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H47/00—Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular application of the relay and designed to obtain desired operating characteristics or to provide energising current
    • H01H47/02—Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular application of the relay and designed to obtain desired operating characteristics or to provide energising current for modifying the operation of the relay
    • H01H47/04—Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular application of the relay and designed to obtain desired operating characteristics or to provide energising current for modifying the operation of the relay for holding armature in attracted position, e.g. when initial energising circuit is interrupted; for maintaining armature in attracted position, e.g. with reduced energising current

Definitions

  • My invention relates to electrical relays, and it has particular reference to tractive armature type electrical relays of the class employed as track relays in railway signal systems.
  • An electrical relay having a pivoted tractive armature when employed as a track relay in a railway track circuit where it is controlled by the application of a train shunt of low resistance across its winding, is relatively quick in picking up but is comparatively slow in releasing. These characteristics are in a large measure due to the fact that the energy required to pick up the armature of the relay is considerably in excess of the energy required to hold such armature in its attracted positioned after it has picked up.
  • Such a relay must, of course, bedesigned to create its pick-up energy level, at least, in order to insure that the relay armature will be picked up properly, and as a result once this armature has reached its attracted position, the energy level in the relay then exceeds by a considerable de gree that necessary to maintain the armature in its picked-up position.
  • the shunt In order for a train shunt to be effective to release such a relay, the shunt must be sufficiently low in resistance to shunt away from the relay winding the increment of energy above the drop-away energy level of the relay.
  • Such shunt provides a low resistance or short-circuit path across the relay winding which maintains the flux in the relay for an appreciable interval of time, so that a correspondingly long time interval is required for a low resistance train shunt to lower the energy level of the relay below its drop-away value.
  • Various means have been proposed heretofore to accelerate the release of tractive armature type relays when shunted, and to provide relays having quick release, slow pick-up characteristics.
  • My invention is directed to the provision of novel and improved means for obtaining quick release characteristics in relays having a pivoted tractive armature.
  • Another object is to provide novel and improved forms of electrical relays particularly suitable for use as track relays in railway track circuits.
  • a further object is the provision of novel and improved means for obtaining quick release, slow pick-up characteristics in a relay having a pivoted tractive armature.
  • An additional object is the provision of a relay of the pivoted tractive armature type, having a drop-away level only slightly less than its pick-up energy level.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an electrical relay embodying my invention.
  • Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing a portion of the apparatus represented in Fig. 1.
  • Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views, each taken on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2, showing in more detail certain portions of the apparatus represented in Figs. 1 and 2.
  • similar reference characters have been employed to designate corresponding parts.
  • the reference characters l and la designate the track rails of a stretch of railway track divided by insulated joints 2 into a track section DE.
  • Section D-E is provided with a track circuit comprising a suitable source of current, such as a battery 3, connected in series with a resistor 4 across the track rails at one end D of the section, and the operating winding 6 of a track relay TR connected across the track rails at the opposite end of the section.
  • Relay TR comprises a magnetizable core 5 on which is mounted operating winding 5, and a tractive type armature l pivoted at 8.
  • the relay preferably includes also an auxiliary core 9 provided with an auxiliary winding [0 connected to a secondary winding H disposed on core 5, and an auxiliary armature 52 connected to armature l by a rigid member i3 preferably of non-magnetic material.
  • the relay further includes means operated by the armature for at times shifting the center of mass of the armature means to alter its moment arm and thus vary the torque required to cause operation of the armature means.
  • These means comprise a movable weight which, as shown, preferably consists of an envelope or container I4 in which is disposed a relatively heavy movable mass which may, for example, comprise a relaatively dense liquid, such as mercury, partially filling the container.
  • the container is carried by armature i and is arranged to cause the heavy mass or liquid to move toward or away from pivot 8 according as armature l is in its released or its picked-up position, respectively. As shown in Fig.
  • container is is supported by pivots l journaled in the legs of a bifurcated portion of member 53.
  • a bifurcated or forked operating member it (see Figs. 3 and 4) secured to armature l, and fixed stops ill and it, are provided for causing container i l to tilt, in a manner to be made clear presently.
  • armature l is released and drops to its back position.
  • container id remains in engagement with leg id of member it until the container engages back stop it.
  • Further movement oi the armature causes the container to rotate about its pivots it until the container rests on the lower leg 26 of operating member it.
  • his tilting of the container of course causes the mercury therein to flow toward the right-hand end (as viewed in Fig. l), or to the end of the container nearest pivot 8 of armature i.
  • Means, such as a baffle 25, may be provided in the container to restrict the flow of the mercury to a relatively low rate.
  • auxiliary armature i2 In the released position of armature l, auxiliary armature i2 is disposed adjacent auxiliary core 8, and when winding t again becomes enthe voltage induced in secondary winding H due to the growth of flux in core 5, causes a current to how in winding 3.
  • the flux due to this current in winding t threads armature i2 and opposes the tractive effect on armature l of flux due to current in winding 6.
  • Armature accordingly is retained in its released position til winding it becomes deenergized when the nun in core assumes substantially a constant state condition, which condition substantially corresponds to the pick-up energy level of the relay.
  • armature l is caused to operate to its upper position, as represented in Fig. l.
  • the arrangement is such that the moment arm is greatest when the armature is picked up, hence, by shifting the mass center and varying its moment arm, the torque required to hold up the armature may be adjusted to reach a value only slightly less than the torque required to pick up the armature when its mass center is shifted in toward the armature pivot. Under such conditions, it is apparent that even a low resistance shunt will cause the relay to release quickly, due to the fact that only a very small increment of energy above the hold-up level is available in the relay, and the flux accordingly will decay quickly to reach a value below the hold-up level, whereupon the armature drops away.
  • the tiltable container partially filled with mercury may be utilized also as a contacting device to close and open circuit connections in accordance with the position of the mercury column.
  • the container may be provided at either or both ends with contact ele ments (not shown) disposed to be immersed in and bridged by the mercury when the container is tilted to cause the mercury to flow toward the elements.
  • contact ele ments not shown
  • slow acting contact arrangements may be provided in that the bridging (or closing) of the contact elements is delayed for the interval required to operate the armature from one position to the other.
  • a tractive armature type relay an electromagnet, a pivoted armature biased by gravity away from said electromagnet, a movable weight carried by said armature, and means operable upon movement of said armature for controlling said weight to shift the resultant mass center of said armature and weight toward or away from said pivot according as said armature is released or picked up, respectively.
  • a tractive armature type relay an electromagnet, a pivoted armature biased by gravity away from said electromagnet, a container carried by said armature and partially filled with a relatively dense l quid, and means operable upon movement of said armature for causing said liquid to flow toward or away from said pivot according as said armature is released or picked up, respectively, whereby to increase the torque required to be exerted on the armature to maintain it picked up.
  • a tractive armature type relay an electromagnet, a pivoted armature biased by gravity away from said electromagnet, a container pivoted on said armature and partially filled with a relatively heavy liquid such as mercury, and means operable upon movement of said armature for tilting said container to cause said mercury to flow toward or away from said pivot according as said armature is released or picked up, respectively, whereby to cause the pick-up and dropaway energy levels of the relay to be substantially equal in value.
  • a track relay having an electromagnet and an armature biased by gravity away from said electromagnet and pivoted for movement toward and away from said electromagnet, an envelope pivoted intermediate its ends on said armature for rotation in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the armature pivot and containing a relatively heavy mass movable toward one end or the other of said envelope, and means engaged during movement of said armature for rotating said envelope to shift said movable mass toward or away from said armature pivot according as said armature is swung away from or toward said electromagnet.
  • a relay of the class controlled by the application of a low resistance shunt placed across a pair of shuntable conductors which connect a source to the winding of the relay comprising the combination of, a relay winding, an armature means biased by gravity away from said winding and pivoted for swinging movement to- Ward and away from said Winding, means carried by said armature means for shifting its center of mass toward or away from the armature pivot according as said armature is swung away from or toward said winding, respectively.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Arc-Extinguishing Devices That Are Switches (AREA)
US397587A 1941-06-11 1941-06-11 Electrical relay Expired - Lifetime US2336827A (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
BE477704D BE477704A (xx) 1941-06-11
US397587A US2336827A (en) 1941-06-11 1941-06-11 Electrical relay
FR950950D FR950950A (fr) 1941-06-11 1947-08-04 Nouveaux perfectionnements aux relais électriques

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US397587A US2336827A (en) 1941-06-11 1941-06-11 Electrical relay

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US2336827A true US2336827A (en) 1943-12-14

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US397587A Expired - Lifetime US2336827A (en) 1941-06-11 1941-06-11 Electrical relay

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (1) US2336827A (xx)
BE (1) BE477704A (xx)
FR (1) FR950950A (xx)

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR950950A (fr) 1949-10-11
BE477704A (xx)

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