US244918A - Electrical signal-transmitter - Google Patents

Description

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G, S. MOTT.' l ELECTRICAL ,SIGNAL TRANSMITTER.

lim-244,918. Patented July 26,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATI-:NT OFFICE.

GARRET S. MOTT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL SIGNAL-TRANSMITTER.

" 4SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,918, dated July 26, 1881.

Application filed February 14, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

The object of my invention is to construct a simpleand efficient transmitting-instrument for electrical signals for re, district-telegraph, and other alarms and similar uses; and this object I attain by combining a movable contact-piece and brake-plate with an automatic bridge-lever, by which the said piece is kept from contact with the brake-plate when moved in one direction, but is allowed to come into contactwith such plate when moved in the other direction, as more fully described .hereinafter.

"In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a. face view of my improved electrical signal-,

transmitter with l the cover or case removed; Figs. 2 and 3, similar views with the movable parts in different positions; Fig. 4, a section on the line l 2, Fig. 3, drawn to an enlarged scale; Fig. 5, a perspective view of 'a part of the carrier and the contact-piece, and Fig. 6 a perspective view-of a modication.

To the casing or frame A of the instrument is fixed a center-pin, B, to which is adapted a barrel,D, free to turn thereon. To this barrel is secured a lcarrier-wheel, F, provided with the yielding contact-piece P, as more fully described hereinafter. r.I he said barrel also carries a coiled spring, E, which tends to keep the rod p of the carrier against the stop m, the outer end of the spring being secured to a pin,

.6, fixed tothe casing, while the end of the barrel is provided with a crank-handle, D', by which the carrier and its contact-piece may be rotated on the center-pin B against the action of the said spring. The carrier-wheel F, in the present instance, is toothed on its outer periphery, to serve the purpose of an escape-wheel, in connection with the weighted scape -lever F', (pivoted to a fixed stud, f, on the casing,) in order' to properly retard the action of the spring E on the barrel and carrier. To the casing A is also secured the breaker-plate G, which is, however, carefully insulated therefrom by a non-conducting ring, I, FigA.. This breaker-plate is electrically connected with an center-pin, barrel, and carrier.

`insulated binding-post, n', while the other terminal binding-post, n, is electrically connected with contact-piece P through the casing,

The breakerplate is provided with projections g, the number and spacingof which correspond to the character of the signal to be made.

As shown in Fig. 5, the contact-piece con- .sists of a block, P, which is adapted to slide freely o'n a pair of guide-rods, p p, fixed radially on the carrier-wheel F. A spiral spring,

4p', tends to pull the said block toward the carrier ,but the block is prevented from being drawn beyond a certain point by a stop-rod, p2, on the block coming into contact with the .periphery of the carrier, so that when the contact-piece is carried around the periphery of the breaker-plate G in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, as described hereinafter, a projection, p3, on the under side of the sliding block will come into contact with the projections g g on the breaker-plate, but will not come into contact with thesaid plate G between the said projections,`Fig. 4.

In my improved transmitter, as in others of the same class, the signal is to be made .by turning the handle D', this action causing the winding up of the spring E, which, on the release of the handle D', returns the parts to their normal positions. (Shown in Fig. l.) In order to permit the closing and breaking of the electrical circuit to make the signal only when the carrier and contact-piece move either on their forward or return stroke, I employ a brid ge-lcver, L, which, in the present instance, carries the contact-piece P clear ofthe breakwheel when the carrier is moved in the direction of the arrow, but permits said contactpiece to come into contact with the projections on t-he said plate on the return movement of the carrier. This bridge-lever, in the present instance, consists of a lever, L, pivoted to a stud, K, on the casing, in the same plane with the breaker-plate, and curved to the same general outline as the said plate, and with its op posite ends, l L', bent inward, but so as to a1- loW a slight oscillatin g motion of the said lever on its pivot, the motion beinglimited in one direction by the end l coming into contact with the insulating-pointt' on the breaker-plate Gr, Fig. l, and in the other direction by the end l coming into contact with the insulating.

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point i', Fig. 2. A spring, le, tends to keep the lever L in the position shown in Fig. 1, with the end l in contact with the insulatingpiece fi.

The operation of the device is as follows: When it is desired to make the signal the handle D is moved in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1, and as the carrier moves around with its contact-piece P the pin p3 on the latter comes into contact with the end of' the bridge-lever L, and the piece P is carried around the outer edge of the latter until it passes the end l of the lever L, Fig. 2, when, on the release of the handle,the spring E will cause the carrier to rotate in the opposite direction, and the projection p3 on the contactpiece will enter between the edge of the plate G and the end l of the bridge-lever, Fig. 3, since the latter has been caused by the spring It to keep or return to its normal position. As the carrier continues its movement the projection on the piece P will come into contact with the successive projections g, and in doin g so will make and break the electrical circuita number of times, and at intervals corresponding with the number of projections and the length ot' the spaces between them.

The number of signals may be increased by having two or more of the automatic bridgelevers in connection with a break-plate; and, if desired, gear-wheels may be arranged between the carrier and spring-movement, as in clocks, to retard the movement of the carrier.

The transmitter above described is arranged to work on an open circuit, the passage of the contact-piece over theprojectionsof the breakwheel causing the momentary closing of the circuit; but the transmitter may, of course, be arranged to work on a closed circuit, in which case the insulating-pieces i and i are dispensed with,and thecontact-piece is always in electrical contact with the break-plate G, directly or through the lever L, except when passing over the spaces between the projections g, the circuit then being momentarily opened to make the signal.

The construction of the bridge-lever and contact-piece maybe varied without departing from my invention. In the modification, Fig. 6, for instance, the bridge-lever L is a spring with one or both ends bent, one end, Z,bearing on the face of the break-plate G, while the other end, l, is at a slight distance from the plate, the projections g, in this case, being on the face ofthe plate around the edge, beneath the automatic bridge-lever L'. The contactpiece P consists simply of a spring-arm secured to the rotary carrier F, and caused to ride on the bridge-lever when moved in the direction ofthe arrow, Fig. 6, but entering between said lever and the plate G on the r turn movement, and coming into contact with the projections, but not the spaces between the projections. In this case the transmitter is shown arranged to bc worked on a closed circuit, theinsulating-points i fi being omitted, as above described.

I claim as my invention- The combination, in an electrical signaltransmitter, of a break-plate and rotating carrier, having a yielding contact-piece, with a pivoted spring-lever having one end adapted to bear on the said break-plate in the path of said contact-piece, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence ot' two subscribing witnesses.

GARRET S. MOTT.

Witnesses:

J AMES F. TOBIN, HARRY SMITH.

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