US292796A - Psotegtoe foe eleoteio gieouits - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. W. DYEB.

PROTECTOR FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

Patented Feb. 5, 1884.

{WM CU.

(No Model.) I 2 SheetsSheet 2.

J. W. DYER.

PROTECTOR FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

No. 292,796. Patented Feb. 5, 1884.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @EincE.

.TOSIAHWV. DYER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PEXXSYLYANIA.

PROTECTOR iFOR ELECTRlC ClRCUlTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 292,796, dated February K Application filed October S, 1883. (X0 model.)

To (0Z1? whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSIAH W. Drnn, of the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Protectors for Electric Circuits, of whichthe following is a specification.

Myiuvention has reference to devices adapted to protect electric circuits and the instruments therein from injury or destruction, due to the overcharging of said line with currents of high tension or great quantity, or both combined; and it consists in certain improvements fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form part thereof.

The object of myinvention to form a compact, durable, and cheap instrument, adapted to the requirements of telephone-circuits, telegraph lines and cables, or any electrical circuit in which instruments of considerable resistance are located, whereby the instruments in said lines or cable shall be protected from danger of being burned when the said lines are overcharged with electrical currents of high tension or great quantity, or both, such as produced by lightning or dynamo-electric machines.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of my improved electric-circuit protector. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of same on line as .r. Fig. 3 shows its attachment to a submarine cable; and Figs. & and 5 are skeleton views, showing the circuit-protector as applied to cables, the former illustrating the same when the electrical charge in the line or cable is normal, and the latter when the said charge is abnormal.

A is the base-plate, and B is a compound electro-magnet, in which the cores are surrounded with coils of high resistance, 0, and low resistance, D. These coils are shown as separate and on different portions of the core; but it is evident that the tine and coarse wire may be coiled one above the other, like an induction-coil. The line-wire enters the binding-post R, and the current passes by wire V through the fine-wire coils C, and connects by wire V with the armature-lever F, which latter is provided with the soft-iron armature E, and a contactbar, 1, respectively arranged on opposite sides of the fulcrum G, supported by standards H. J J are two standards, and are provided with spring-brushes K, which,when the armature E is drawn away from the magnet B by spring 1, made adjustable by ten sion-shai't Q, remain equidistant between the said posts J J and bar I, as shown. One end of the coarse wire of the coils l) connects with wire V or binding-post It by wire V and the other end connects with one of the posts or standards, J, and the other post or standard, J, is connected with the binding-post T by wire Vflwhich in turn is connected with the ground or line-wire binding-post U by wire Y. If desired, the post T may be considered the ground binding-post. The armature-lever F is provided 011 the back with a spring-contact, O,which,when the armature is away from the magnet B, presses against the contactscrew M, carried in standard L, and prevented from rotating by set-screw X. This post L is connected with the binding-post S by wire V.

If the instrument is used for telephony, the telephone circuit \V is looped in bindingpostsS and T, and contains the telephone apparatus X. The action is as follows: The on dinary electric current passes down wire Y, coils C 0, wire V armature-lever F, spring 0, screw M, post L, wire Y, binding-post S, wire TV, telephone apparatus X, wire XV, binding-post T, wire V binding-post U, and to ground without attracting armature. Now, should the line-wire become overcharged by the lightning and the electric charge have considerable tension but small quantity, then the coils G C of magnet B magnetize the core and cause the armature E to be attracted. This action causes the contact-bar I to .touch the two brushes K K, grounding the line through coils O and D and shunting the telephone apparatus X. As the armature is still further drawn over now by the combined magnetic effectproduced by both higlrresistance coils (i) and low-resistance coils D, the spring 0 leaves the contact-screw M, thereby opening one end of the telephone-circuit 1) and pressing the brushes K K over against the standards .7 J", making a positive connection. Xow the current passes through both coils G and 1'), bar 1, standard J to ground. It the excess ive current be only momentary, then the arnnr ture will [all back again and automatically switch in the telephone and break the ground connection of the coarse-wire coils D, so that all of the current once more passes through the fine-wire coils C. If a current from a dynamo-electric machine pass into the line-wire, then the instrument acts as before, and the main current passing over the coarse wire of the coils D prevents the fine-wire insulation from burning, and holds the armature up until the excessive current is removed. In practice the instrument is found to work instantaneously. In the case of marine cables, the cable is secured to post S, and preferably the screw M is screwed up until the contact with spring 0 is never broken. Now, when an overcharge of electricity gets into the airline it is automatically passed to ground by the armature, and the terminal of the cable is also automatically grounded through screw M, spring 0, lever F, bar I, standard J,wire

1N post T, Vire V", post U, and ground-wire,

and thereby the back, or what is technically known as the kick, current is allowed to pass off into the ground also. This extra current is produced in the cable in the opposite direction after the transmitted current has ceased. It is produced by the static charge in the cable. Of course, while I prefer to ground the cable-terminal, it is evident that by leaving the screw M set, as in case of telephony or telegraphy, the cable-terminal would be left open when the air-line was grounded. This method of working the cable from an airline in connection with a protector, such as described, is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, which figures show the protector under the influence of normal and abnormal currents respectively.

\Vhile I do not limit myself to any particular resistances for the coils O and D, yet for all practical purposes the resistance of coils 0 may vary from five to fifteen ohms, and coils D from one-fourth to one and one-half ohm.

In this application I do not claim the application of the two coils O and D of different resistances, broadly, as that forms subjectmatter of another pending application of mine. 1

If desired, a single-leg magnet may be used, and the apparatus may be modified in various ways without departing from my invention.

Having now described my invention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1.. In an instrument for protecting electric circuits and their receiving-instruments from damage by lightning or excessive electrical charges generally, two coils of wire of different resistances carried upon the same core, and acting upon an armature, in combination with a line-wire in circuit with the coil of highest resistance, and having receiving-instruments thereon, and mechanism controlled by the armature to first shunt said receivinginstrument and throw the low-resistance coils into circuit, and then break the original linecircuit close to the receiving instruments when the said line becomes overcharged with electricity, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of a line-circuit, -coils C and D, of different resistances, located upon the same core, with armature E and its lever, contact-springs, and circuit-closing devices actuatedby said armature to firstmake contact with said springs'to complete the line-circuit through the low-resistance coil, and simultaneously therewith shunt the coil of high resistance, and then make a solid contact to illsure the grounding of the line through said low-resistance coil, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. The combination of a line-circuit having receiving-instruments located therein, coils O and D,of different resistances, located upon the same core, with an armature, E, and its lever, contact-springs, and circuit-closing devices actuated by said armature to first make contact with said springs to complete the linecircuit through the low-resistance coil and simultaneously shunt said coil of high-resistance, and also said receiving-instruments, to ground, and then make a solid contact to insure the grounding of the line through said low-resistance coil, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of a line-circuithaving receivinginstruments located therein, coils O and D, of different resistances, located upon the same core, with an armature, E, and its lever, contact-springs, circuit-closing devices actuated by said armature to first make con tact with said springs to complete the linecircuit through the low-resistance coil and shunt said receiving-instruments to ground, and then make a solid contact to insure the grounding of the line through said low-resistance coil, and means to finally break said original line-circuit close to the receiving-instruments, and devices to regulate the time of said break, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. In an instrument for protecting electric circuits and their receiving-instruments from damage by lightning or excessive electrical charges generally, two coils of wire of different resistances carried upon the same core and acting upon an armature, in combination with a line-wire in circuit with the coil of highest resistance, and having receiving-instruments thereon, mechanism controlled by the armature to first shunt said receiving-instruments and throw the low-resistance coils into circuit, and then break the original linecircuit close to the receiving-instruments when the said line becomes overcharged with electricity, and means to regulate the time of said break in the line close to said receiving-instruments, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination of electro-magnet B, having coils C and D, of different resistances,

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armaturelever F, armature E, contact-spring O, contact-screw M, means to put said coil D in circuit upon moving said armature, re-

ceiving-instruments X, and connecting-cir- 5 cuits, substantially as shown.

7. The combination of electro-magnet 13, having coils G and D,of different resistances, armature-1ever F, armature E, contact-spring O, contact-screw M, means to put said coil D 10 in circuit, contact-bar I, contact-standards J J, receiving-instruments X, and connectingcircuits, substantially as shown.

8. The combination of clcctro-inagnct B,

having coils C and D, of different resistances, armature-lever F, armature E, contact-spring 15 O, contact-screw M, means to put said coil D in circuit, contact-bar I, contact-standards J J, springs K, receiving-instrnincnts X, and connecting-circuits, substantially as shown.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto 20 set my hand.

JOSIAH \V. DYER.

Vii-messes:

WILLuar MCWADE, R. M. HUNTER.

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