US2354965A - Electrical input controller - Google Patents

Description

1944- H. J. OSTERMANN EI'AL 2,354,965

ELECTRICAL INPUT CONTROLLER Filed July 51, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. f/nnsll- Osfermann and Headers/1.0km

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4 H. J. OSTERMANN ETAL ELECTRICAL INPUT CONTROLLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 31, 1940 INVENTOR. -//an Jflslermann am med/246110 "M 21% ATTORNEYS.

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I 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL INPUT CONTROLLER.

Hans J. Ostermann and Theodore A. Cohen, Chicago, 11L, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Wheeloo Instruments Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 31, i9, Serial No. 349,026

3 Claims. (Cl. 200-33) This invention relates to an improved current interruptor means for adjustably varying the power supply to 'an electric circuit without the power losses usually attendant upon the use of rheostats and the like.

The primary object of this invention is to provide such an interruptor which is simple of construction, efilcient in operation and convenient of installation, renewal and repair.

Other and further objects of this invention will be more apparent hereinafter as the same becomes better understood from an examination of the specification and claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional elevation, at the line l-i of Fig. 2, of a current interrupter and housing therefor and associated parts forming a self-contained unit, with parts omitted, embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken at the line 2-2 of Fig. l; V

F 3 is a vertical section, somewhat enlarged, and taken at the line 3-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the interruptor elements in circuit so as to deliver 100% of or full required power to the load;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the interrupto elements in circuit so as to deliver no current to the load:

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail front view from the left of Fig. 1 showing the adjustable indicator mechanism.

Referring to the drawings more particularly. reference character I designates a front frame section cast to provide a central opening and mount for a ball bearing unit 2 and an integral rearwardly' extending arcuate support I for a combined reduction gear and motor housing l-J. A rear housing section 6 has an annular integral forwardly extending wall I which fits within an annular rearwardly extending peripheral flange I on the casting i. A removable annular flange 2, shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2, may be provided for mounting the unit in a panel (not shown).

The ball bearing unit 2 rotatably supports a sleeve II. The sleeve it carries, at one end, an integral circular manually rotatable cup shaped member II and, at its other end, a cam l2 for rotation therewith. iA broken shaft It extends through the sleeve Iii, permitting relative rotational movement between said shaft and sleeve, the other end of said shaft being mounted in a suitable bearing Ii in the reduction gear housing integrally formed with a coupling for the two sections of said shaft, is locked to said shaft section by set screws Ila and is adapted to be driven by the motor 5. The cam II also forms part of a friction clutch l'l having faces II and it, face I! being yieldably connected to cam l2 and rotat able therewith by means of pin Ho and compression spring i2b. Friction facing Ills attached to cam II and rotatable therewith.

The outer end of shaft ll hasmounted thereon, for rotation therewith, a circular disk 2i which is graduated in two hundred equi-angular divisions arranged about its entire circumference. These graduations are visible, a predetermined number at a time; through a window 22 in a cover 23 in cup member II. The window 22 has an index'pointer 29 so that the cup shaped member ll may be manually rotated to move cam ii to any desired rotational position with respect to cam ii. The cams l2 and II are modified degree cams, that is around half of their circumference they are high and the other half they are low.

Within the housing l and attached to casting I there is mounted a pair of single polebolted in spaced relation by bolts 21 and'spaeer 28 and each provided with an operating roller II and ll for contacting cams l2 and I5 respectively. These roller operated snap action switches are of a type well known in' the art. The rotation of cams l2 and I! move rollers ill and ii up and down to thereby open and close the contacts of the respective switches 2| and 26. I

A terminal plate 82 having current conducting terminals 33 is mounted upon casting I, within the housing I -6, by suitable brackets 3i as shown in Fig. 2.

When it is desired to provide full required power for load 38 from line supply 31, the cup shaped member II is revolved manually to cause relative movement between the cams by virtue of slippage between clutch faces i|ll to bring said cams to coincidental relative position shown in Fig. 4.- In this position the indicator pointer 22 would read ill. on dial 2i. With the cams' l2 and I! as shown, the switches 25 and 26 will have their contacts 28a and 25b and 26a and 26b closed for 180 degrees of rotation of shaft ii. The remaining 180 degrees of rotation of shaft I3 and double throw snap action switches 25 and 20' rotation time of shaft H5 may be chosen as reuuircd but in the form ahown is one revolution per minute and for the cam position shown current wfli flow for 186% of this time cycle.

5 is shown the obverse condition for oi the time cycle, wherein the cam 12 has been rotated 130 degrees with respect to cam I! by manual operation of cup to cause an indicator reading of zero on dial 21. With the cam as in Fig. 5, switch 25 has contact 25a and 25c closed and 25a and E56 open while switch 26 has contacts 26c and 58-h closed and 28a and 28c open dimng 1&0 degrees of rotation of shaft it. No current may fiow from line 31 to load during this as the circuit is open. The some open circuit condition remains during the remaining 186 degrees oi rotation of shaft ll wherein switches '25 and to reverse their contact positions so that contacts and 2% are closed,

its and 250 are open with 28c and 26b open and 23a and 26c closed. Thus for the full 360 degrce rotation of shaft 52 the circuit remains open and no current can flow to load.

Any intermediate position between these two extreme positions shown of 150% input and 0% input may be chosen by appropriate corresponding setting of the indicator assembly ll, 2| and 25*. For example, should 59% be desired, cup I l would be rotated so that pointer 29 would read 50" on dial M (Fig. 6), the cam positions would be such as to cause switches 25 and 25 to mainmm the current new circuit to load 38 closed for 50% of the cycle and open for the remaining 50% 01' the cycle. Thus it shaft II has a rotational cycle of 1 R. P. M. the circuit will be closed for 15 seconds during the first 180 degrees of rotation and open for 15 seconds during this 180 degrees rotation, closed again for 15 seconds and open again for 15 seconds for the remaining 180 degrees of rotation. In a 366 degrees rotation there will be two closed circuit periods and two open circuit periods, each period 15 seconds long.

It will be seen that the power from line to load may be varied without loss by use of the aforedescribed apparatus because power consumed in it load is the product of watts and time, c. g. watt hours used, and the input may .be reduced by fractionally reducing the time portion of the product of watts and timc.

The circuit may be seen to be a variety of three way switching. It is obvious that the circuit may be otherwise arranged than as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, for instance the connections between contacts 26b and Ebb and between contacts 250 and 25c may be wired so that a connection is made botween contacts "b and lie and another connection between contacts 28b and "c without disturbing the function.

In addition the ruggedness and simplicity of construction or the apparatus described as well as the manner and convenience or its use, installatlon and accessibility for inspectlon, renewal and repair, as well as other advantages, will be apparent without further description.

We are aware that many changes may be made and details varied without departing from the principles or our invention and we therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described.

We claim:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a pair of cams, means for driving the same at a predetermined rate 0! speed, manually operated means for adjusting the relative position or one cam with respect to the other so as to obtain an adjustable range of zero to input to load and cooperating switch means operable by said cams.

'2. In an apparatus of the character described, a pair of cams, means for driving same at a predetermined rate of speed, manually operated means for adjusting the relative position 01' one cam with respect to the other so as to obtain an adjustable range of zero to 100% input to load and cooperating switch means operable by said cams, said switch means including switches interconnected so that the load circuit is completed during such portions of the rotating cycle in which the switches are in corresponding positions and open during such portions of the rotational cycle in which the switches are in noncorrcsponding positions to thereby control the ratio of time on to time of! of input to load.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a pair of cams, means for driving same at a predetermined rate of speed, manually operated means for adjusting the relative position of one cam with respect to the other so as to obtain an adjustable range of zero to 100% input to load and cooperating switch means operable by said cams, said switch means including switches interconnected so that the load circuit is open during such portions 01 the rotating cycle in which the switches are in corresponding positions and completed during such portions of the rotational cycle in which the switches are in non-corresponding positions to thereby control the ratio of time on to time on of input to load.

HANS J. OS'I'ERMANN. THEODORE A. COHEN.

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