US2344164A - Electroreciprocal system - Google Patents

Description

ELECTRORECIPROCAL SYSTEM Original Filed OGt. 22, 1936 I INV NTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 14, 1944 UNITED, STATES FAT'ENT OFFICE ELECTRORECIPROCAL SYSTEM Thomas}, Murphy, Stamford, Conn.

Original application October 22, 1936, Serial No. 106,935. Divided and this application June 19, 1941, Serial No. 398,801

4 Claims. (Cl. 1'72'126) The invention relates to a-novel means of electrically exciting or energizing windings so *disposed or located, that a magnetic member operating therewith, may be caused to oscillate or vibrate at practically any velocity and amplitude.

This application is a division of my prior application, Serial #106,935 filed October '22, "1936, and issued July 8, 1941, as Patent No. 2,248,110.

A main feature of the invention is that a large number of reciprocating devices can be operated simultaneously from a central distributor.

It is an object of the invention to produce such a device, which is simple in construction and operation, and may be 'built as a unitary assembly, and which may be operated by merely connecting it to a source of electrical supply.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, but it is distinctly understood that the drawing is merely illustrative,

and various modifications may be employed without departing from the principle of the invention.

In the drawing, the figure is a diagrammatical View of the distributor and a reciprocating device to be actuated, together with the necessary electrical connections essential to and between the respective devices.

Broadly speaking the principle of the invention involves a plurality of gaps between electrodes, connected to a source of alternating current supply. Means of successively causing a disruptive electrical discharge across the electrodes to render the gaps conductive. Further means of connecting the electrodes to windings of a translating device, said windings embracing the path of movement of a magnetic element, which is caused to reciprocate or oscillate in step or some sub-multiple of the impressed frequency of current supply.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that one end of each of the coils l1, l8, H! and are connected by a lead'5l to one side of the A. C. supply indicated at' 52. The other end of each coil is connected to one side of a spark gap through the leads a b, c, and d respectively, the coil ll being connected to one side of the gap 53 while the other coils I8, [9, and 20 are connected to one side of the gaps 54, 55 and 56 respectively.

"The electrodes '51 and 58 of these gaps may be stationary members of any suitable material, but they are preferably rollers made of artificial graphite and arranged to rotate in opposite circuit andalso to prevent rapid disintegration or undue heating of the electrodes and thus greatly increase their life. The electrodes 58 on the opposite sides of the gaps from the electrodes '51 (connected with the coils) are connected to the opposite side of the A. C. supply 52 as indicated by the lead 59.' The gaps are so proportioned that the voltage of the A. C. supply is insufiioient to initiate a flow of current across the gaps. It will thus be seen that the main circuit through each coil also includes a discharge gap.

Each gap is also in a secondary circuit which circuit includes a rotating timer member 60 which is rotated at the proper synchronous speed by a synchronous motor El so as to pass successively across contacts 62, 63, 64 and 55. Contact 62 is connected by lead with the coil side of the gap 55. The contact 63 is connected by lead 81 with the corresponding side of the gap 56, and contacts 64 and 65 are connected by leads 68 and 69 respectively with the correspond ing sides of the gaps 54' and 53 respectively. The electrodes 58 on opposite sides of the gaps are connected as shown bylead 1'0 with the rotating contact 60 through a secondary coil H of a transformer across whcih is connected a condenser 12. The primary coil 13 of this transformer is connected with the source of A. C. supply 52 as indicated through a non-inductive resistance 14 across which is connected a condenser 15. This transformer 13-11 builds up a sufficient voltage in the secondary circuit to initiate a disruptive discharge across the various gaps in "succession as the contact member 6!) rotates'across the contacts 62 to 65, this discharge is oscillatory because of the condenser 12 which is charged from the transformer. Immediately the disruptive discharge is initiated across one of the gaps this reduces the resistance in the main circuit through the corresponding coils l1, I8, l9 or 20 so that there is a flow across the gap through this main circuit and the coil. As will be seen from the drawing each coil is shunted by a non-inductive relatively high resistance 16 which prolongs the duration of the disruptive discharge across the gap thus permitting the current to rise to the initial value in the exciting windings I1, l8, 19 or 20' in whichever circuit the gap happens tobe. Withoutthisnoninductive resistance shunting the winding the duration of the discharge across the gap would not be sufilcient to build up the current in the coil to the desired value due to its inductance.

With this resistance, however, which should be about 1,500 ohms for each coil for a 240 volt supply, the discharge is suificiently prolonged as indicated above to permit the current to rise to its full initial value in the coil and thus give its maximum pull on the reciprocating element 2|.

With the contact or timer bar 60 in the position shown in the drawing, it will be seen the disruptive discharge is across the gap 53 and the coil 11 is energized bringing the reciprocating element H to the right hand or fully retracted position. As the member 6|] is further rotated to the right or clockwise as indicated, its upper or right hand arm moves away from the contact 65 opening the circuit through the gap 53. At the same time its lower or left hand arm moves to the contact 62 thus closing the circuit through the gap 55 and energizing the coil I9 and deenergizing the coil [1. This immediately pulls the hammer II to the left and as it passes through the coil l9 the element 60 moves from the contact 62 to contact 63, thus closing the circuit across the gap 56 and energizing the coil 20 and deenergizing the coil l9. This coil 20 still further accelerates and increases the speed of movement of the reciprocating member 2| so that it may impart a maximum blow.

Continued movement of the contact 60 carries it to the contact 64 which closes the circuit across the gap 54 energizing the coil [8 and deenergiz ing coil 20'. This therefore gives a pull on the reciprocating member in the opposite direction and. as it passes through coil l8 member 60 moves to contact 65 closing the circuit across the gap 53 to again energize the coil [1 to draw the reciprocating member to its full retracted position. The synchronous timer or timing bar 60 perfectly rotates at 900 R. P. M. on a 60 cycle circuit to successively discharge the condenser 12 across the graphite gaps in the order indicated. In the process described the current will flow in the energizing coils I1, l8, l9 and 20 progressively and will reciprocate the hammer member 2| rapidly back and forth. It is preferred that the alternate coils l1, l8, l9 and 20 be wound in the opposite sense, that is, if coil I1 is minus the coil l8 would be plus, the coil l9 minus, and the coil 20 plus. With this arrangement there is no reversing of the flux in the magnetic cores or poles l4 and IE, or through the hardened moving element 2|, and therefore no hysteresis loss. It will be seen in this instance that if coil l1 energizes pole la on its right as south then pole l5b would be north, and then if coil IB is reversed, when it is energized pole l5b would be still north and pole l5 south and so on. However, they are not necessarily so arranged. The reciprocating element 2| i reciprocated at a frequency one-half that of the fundamental of the A. C. current. As the magnetic flux in the moving element 2| is not reversed it is not necessary to make this element of a laminated structure.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a reciprocable element, a plurality of windings embracing the path of the element and placed in succession along this path, adjacent windings being wound in opposite senses, a main circuit, means for connecting said circuit with a source of alternating current, said circuit comprising a plurality of parallel paths with one of said windings in each path, a discharge gap in each path, said source being of insufficient potential to initiate a flow of current across the gaps, means for disruptively discharging a condenser across the gaps in succession to permit current from said alternating current source to flow in the respective circuits in succession to reciprocate the element, and a non-inductive resistance shunting the respective windings to permit an initial current flow in the respective paths through said discharge and prolong the discharge sufficiently to permit current from the alternating current supply to flow through the windings.

2. In combination, a main circuit, means for connecting said circuit with a source of electric energy, said circuit including an inductive Winding and a discharge gap in series with said source, said circuit having insufficient potential to initiate a flow of current through the gap, means for forming a momentary arc across said gap by the disruptive discharge of a condenser to permit flow of current from said source across the gap, and a relatively high non-inductive resistance shunting said inductive winding to permit sufllcient initial current to flow in the main circuit to prolong the discharge sufficiently to permit current from the supply to flow through the winding.

3. In combination, a main circuit, means for connecting said circuit with a source of alternating current, said circuit including an energizing winding and a discharge gap, said circuit having insufficient potential to initiate a flow of current across said gap, an auxiliary circuit including said gap, means in said auxiliary circuit to supply a potential sufiicient to initiate a disruptive discharge across said gap, a non-inductive resistance shunting said winding to permit an initial current flow in the main circuit through said discharge and prolong the discharge suiliciently to permit current from the alternating current supply to flow through the winding, and means for closing the auxiliary circuit across the gap in synchronism with the alternations of the current in the main circuit.

4. In combination, a reciprocating element, a plurality of windings embracing and arranged along the path of the element with adjacent windings being wound in opposite senses, a main circuit, means for connecting said circuit with a source of alternating current, said circuit comprising a plurality of parallel paths with one of said windings in each path, a discharge gap in each path, said source being of insuificient potential to initiate a flow of current across the gaps, an auxiliary circuit having branches in each of which is one of said gaps, said auxiliary circuit being of sufficiently high potential to initiate a disruptive discharge across said gaps, a noninductive resistance shunting the winding in each path to permit an initial current flow in the respective paths through said discharge and prolong the discharge sufiiciently to permit current from the alternating current supply to flow through the windings, and means in the auxiliary circuit for causing a disruptive discharge of a condenser across said gaps in succession and in synchronism with the current in the main circuit to energize said windings in succession and reciprocate the element.

THOMAS J. MURPHY.

Images