US452163A - Thermostat - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

A. M. BUT-Z.

THBRMUSTAT.

No. 452,163. Patented May 12, 1891.

UNITED STATES Fries.

ALBERT M. BUTZ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

THERMOSTAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452,163, dated May 12, 1891.

Application tiled May 6,1890. Serial No. 350,794. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT M. BUTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Thermostats, o i' which the following is a specification.

As is well known, thermostats are devices intended to regulate the heat of a building by automatically shutting off or admitting` the heat to any part of such building, thus maintaining an even temperature and preventing waste of fuel.

My object is to provide a simple and efficient thermostat Which shall be reliable and not easily gotten out of order; and the invention consists in the features and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical elevation ofy my improved thermostat, showing its connection with the valve; Fig. 2, a plan view of the upper part of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a vertical elevation of the right-hand -side of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a section on the line 4 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 5, a section on the line 5 of Fig. 6, and Fig. 6 a section on the line 6 of Fig. 1, these last two sections being on, an enlarged scale and taken in the direction indicatedby the arrows.

In my improved thermostat I make use of a hard-rubber tube, of suitable dimensions, inclosing a metallic rod, the expansion or contraction of suchtube, due to the rising and falling of the temperature, serving to operate suitable apparatus, whereby the heat is shut oit or admitted. I have discovered that the expansion or contraction of such tube is insuflicient, acting directly to operate the hereinafter described devices, unless such expansion or contraction be very great, from which it results that the device will not operate for slight changes in temperature. I have therefore combined with this tube a series of levers connecting the tube with the operating mechanism, such lever being so arranged as to multiply or compound any movement of the tube wherebythe device is adapted to act in case of slight variations of temperature.

A is a hard-rubber tube; A', a plate; B, a rod; C, avalve; C', a valve-lever; D D', operating levers or rods; E,`a diaphragm; E', a frame; F, a valve-stem; G G G, pipes; I-I, a worm-wheel; I, a shaft; i, aworm; fi', agearwheel; J, another gear-Wheel; J', its shaft; K, a hand or pointer; K, a dial, and L a case.

The tube A is made of hard rubber or other suitable material and of any suitable dimensions, being, preferably, about four feet in length. To the lower end of this tube is attached a plate A of any suitable material and of any desired size. Attached to this plate or integral therewith, as desired, is a valve-chamber A", provided with three passages a d a, which connect with three pipes G G G, as shown in Fig. 5. The pipe G leads from an7 suitable source of air, steam, or water supply, the pipe G connects with the diaphragm hereinafter to be described, and G is the exhaust-pipe. In this valvechamber is placed a spindle'valve or cock C, the construction of which is more particularly shown in Figs. 5 and 6. rlhis valve, as shown, is provided with three ports adapted to connect with the passages a, a c, the port which connects with the passage a being necessarily larger than either of the others, so as to be open when either a or d is open. In the position shown in Fig. 5 the pipe G is open to the exhaust through the passages d d, which are connected by means of the valve. the left, the exhaust will be closed and communication established through the valve between the pipes G G. To this valve is attached an operating lever or stem C, preferably extending up through a slotin the plate,

lf now the valve be rotated toward as shown in Fig. 6. I next provide a rod B, l

of any suitable metal, but preferably made of steel. This rod passes through the tube A and extends out at either end thereof, as shown, the upper end of the rod being, preferably, screw-threaded, for the purpose hereinafter' described. A lever D is then constructed and pivoted, as shown, in a ring or collar d, attached to the tube A. The longer arm of this lever is connected by means of a slot and pin to the lever C. An L-shaped lever D is then provided,pivotallysupported at d', the short arm of this lever being connected with the lower end of the rod B and the longer arm connected to the shorter arm of the lever D by means of a ring M or other IOO suitable connection. A spring N is preferably provided, pressing against the end of the valve-spindle C to keep it in place, and provided with a suitable set-screw n.

The preferred construction of the upper end of the tube and rod is more particularly shown in Fig. 4:. The tubeis closed by means of a screw-cap O, and in this cap is secured a double-flan ged collar O. The upper end of the rod B is screw-threaded, as above stated, and an internally-threaded worin-wheel II is screwed down over the rod and rests against the collar O. A shaft I is then provided, supported in suitable bearings, preferably attached to the cap O, and on this shaft is a worm lz', engaging with the worm-wheel Il.. The shattis provided with a suitable thumbscrew I, and as it is turned in one direction or the other the rod B will be raised or lowered, as desired.

I next construct a dial K, having any desired number of degrees of temperature arranged, as shown, about its circumference. In the drawings these degrees run from 60O to SOO; but any other graduation may be used. A hand or pointer l is mounted upon a shaft J', and to this shaft is secured a cog J, meshing with another cog i, secured on the shaft I. The object of these lastly-described devices is to regulate or set the thermostat, and the worms and cogs should be so adjusted that when the shat't I is revolved, raising or lowering the rod B and turning the pointer K in one direction or the other, the amount of such raising or lowering of the rod shall correspond to the number of degrees indicated by the travel ot the pointer. For instance, it it is desired to set the thermostat so that it shall close the valve to shut oft the heat at a temperature of o the shaft I is turned until the pointer comes opposite the ligure 70 on the dial, the rod B being at the same time so adjusted that when the temperature of the room reaches 70O the expansion of the tube A shall act, as hereinafter described, to close the valve, and similarly for any other temperature.

To enable the thermostat to close the valves which regulate admission of water, air, or steam to the radiators, I provide diaphragms E, one of which is attached to the valve-stem F of each of the valves. This diaphragm is supported in a suitable frame-work, such as E', and is made of any suitable dimensions and material. It is connected, as above stated, with the pipe G. The valve with which this diaphragm is connected is 011e ot the ordinary Well-lznown kind, and requires no further description. A spring P is provided to assist in opening the valve.

Cases L L are preferably provided to inclose the parts and exclude dust, the.

The device operates as follows: The hea-t of the room in which the thermostat is placed acts ot course to expand the tube A. The

tube carries with it the plate A. As this moves downward it rocks the lever D upon its pivot and this in turn rocks the lever D, which swings the valve handle or lever C and lever toward the left, Fig. l, and establishes connection between the pipes G G. A very slight rise in temperature will be sufficient to open this valve, since the slight consequent expansion of the tube A will be multiplied by means of the arrangement of the levers D D'. so that although the tube may move but slightly the lower end of the lever D will move far enough to swing over the valve-lever and open the valve. The air then passes through these pipes, enters the diaphragm and expands it, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, and seats the valve, cutting ott the supply of air, steam, hot water, or other heating medium. lVhen the room falls below the temperature for which the thermostat is set, the tube A contracts, raising the plate A and reversing the action of the levers, revolving the valve C toward the right, Fig. l. This brings the valve into the position shown in Fig. 5, closing the pipe G and opening the pipe G to the exhaust. The expansive force of the spring I) raises the valve-stem and collapses the diaphragm, opening the valve. This operation is repeated whenever the temperature rises above or falls below the point for which the thermostat is set, and in this way the temperature of the room or other place in which the thermostat is situated is properly regulated.

Either air, steam, or water may be used to expand the diaphragm, the action of the thermostat being, of course, the same in either case, its purpose being to automaticallyopen and close a valve as the temperature rises and falls above or below any predetermined point. It is also, of course, immaterial what the heating medium maybe, the air or steam admitted by opening the valve C. operating to close the valve operated by the diaphragm to shut off the supply of heat, whatever it may be.

I claim- In a thermostat, the combination of a hardrubber tube A, a plate A', attached thereto, ametallic rod or bar B within such tube, a three-way cock C, having handle C', pipe G, diaphragm Il, connected to valve-stem F, pipes G G, and pivoted levers D D, connected, as shown, to each other and to the tube A, and rod B, whereby as the tube expands or contracts the levers are operated to open the valve C and admit air, steam, or water to the diaphragnl, or to close the valve and open the diaphragm to the exhaust, substantially as described.

ALBERT M. BUTZ. 1"vl/Titnesses:

GEORGE S. ParsoN, SAMUEL E. IIIBBEN.

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