US578925A

US578925A - Chusetts

Info

Publication number: US578925A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1897-03-16
Anticipated expiration: 1914-03-16

Description

Patented Mar. 16.1897.

NYENTDRS:

zu Q \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\W-\ (No Modem P. H. HASTINGS 8v P. J. PLAHERTY.

ELEGTROPNEUMATIG ORGAN ACTION.

\\m\\\ \\w m U ma w .w/

M w w @L d k? @L wmf UNITED STATES PATENT @Erica FRANCIS H. HASTINGS AND FREDERICK J. FLAI'IERTY, OF VESTON, MASSA- CHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO THE IIOOK do IIASTINGS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRGPN EU MATIG ORGAN-ACTlGN..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 578,925, dated March 16, 1897.

Application led March I2, 1896. Serial No. 582,848. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRANCIS H. HAsTINcs and FREDERICK J. FLAHERTY, of Weston, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipe-Organs, oi' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates chiefly to pipe-organs, and the object is to provide a simple 1 o and effective electrical]y-controlled valve for use in a so-called electropneumatic oiganaction, the admission of air to the pipes of the organ being brought about bythe closing of electric circuits by manipulation of the r 5 keys of the organ. Such an action is chiefly advantageous in providing 'for quick response by the pipes of the organ to the action of its keys, especially when the latter are unusually remote from the pipes, very slight zo and easy movement of the keys being snliicient to produce the desired result.

The invention consists in the improvements which will be found recited in the appended claims.

2 5 The drawings which accompany and form part of this specification illustrate an embodiment of the invention, especially as applied in the electropneumatic form.

Figure l shows a sectional view of a sulii- 3o cient portion of an organ to illustrate the invention. Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view ot' the electrically-controlled valve detached. Fig. 3 shows a side view of the casing of the electromagnet.

3 5 YThe same letters and numerals of reference indicate the same parts in all the lignres.

In the drawings the letter d designates a stop-charnber in a wind-chest, from which rises an organ-pipe l), said chamber being io supplied with live air, or air under pressure, from the bellows. Iithin the stopchamber there is arranged a valve Z1', nori mally closing the lower en d of said pipe where it enters the chamber and presses against its seat by a light spiral spring c, interposed between its back and the upper end of a standpipe d. The space between the back of the valve and the top of said stand-pipe forms an air-chamber CZ', which is separated from the 5o chamber a by a flexible wall e of leather or other suitable material in the form of a band fastened to the Valve and to the standpipe. The valve is preferably provided with a stem h2, which extends down into the standpipe for guiding purposes.

The interior ol' the stand-pipe forms a channel or windway d?, providing communication between the chamber d and the main windway f, which extends across the wind-chest along a number oi stop-chambers similar to 6o that marked d, and at one end may communicate with the atmosphere through a port g, and through another port g", opposite the latter, with a live-air chamber d. A doublefaced valve 'L' is placed in the windwayfbe- 65 tween the two ports and normally rests by its own weight upon the bottom of the windway, closing the exhaust-port g and opening the other port g, so that live-air pressure from the chamber a reaches the chamber d 7o through the windways f and dg and supplements the spring c in holding up the valve h. Atappet rod or stem t" is loosely engaged at its upper end with a socket in the under side of the valve "i, and passes through a suitable gnide ft2, and near its lower end carries a nut i3, which rests upon a bearing-plate t on a diaphragm j. The diaphragm j is a'lxed to a partition m in the casing h and covers an orifice 7e in said partition, the diaphragm and 8o partition subdividing the casing h into two chambers 'n and n, the chamber n being common to all notes oi' the series and being supplied with live air from the bellows, while the chamber it is again subdivided into chanibers, one for each note, each having an air outlet or vent 'ai which is closed by a valve n3 on the rod i', when the diaphragm is depressed by the weight ol the valve 'i and rod t" and its connections.

A passage is provided through thc partition rm., and a valve i is arranged to either close said passage or permit the passage ol live air through it, said valve being controlled by a key of the organ, so that when the key is depressed by the organist the said passage isl closed, the pressure above the diaphragm in chamber nl is relieved, (provision being made for a slight leakage in the valve m3,) and the live-air pressure in the chamber n raises roo the diaphragm., and with it the stem z",which is thus caused to open the exhaust-port n2 and the port g and close the port g. Air is therefore permitted to escape from the chambers d', and the valves b are opened by the live-air pressure on the external surfaces of the flexible walls e. Vhen the key is released, the valve 4 becomes loose, so that live air may pass freely from the chamber n to the chamber a, equalizing the pressure in said chambers and permitting the diaphragm to fall, so that the valve i closes the port g' and opens the port g', while the valve 92,3 closes the exhaust-port n2, whereupon the live air enters the chambers CZ and assists in closing the valves b".

The improvements above described, relating to the valves b and t', are set forth and claimed in the application of Francis H. Hastings, one ot the present applicants, iiled con currently herewith.

Our invention relates tothe electrically-con trolled means next described for holding and releasing the valve 4L. Said means include an electromagnet of which the valve 4 is the armature, said valve being a thin disk of sott iron. The magnet comprises a tubular casing 2, of soft iron, screw-threaded at one end to engage the surface of a hole formed for its reception in the partition m and provided with orifices 3 3, arranged to conduct air from the chamber n through the open end of the c'asing 2, the latter opening into the chamber n. The casing 2 contains a helix S and a core l0, which is secured to the casing by a cross-bar 9, the helix being included in a circuit adapted to be closed by the depression of a key.

rThe upper end oi' the casing is ilush with the upper end of the core, so that the armaturevalve a rests simultaneously on the casing and core, the casing constituting a part of the magnet and serving also as a seat for the valve. lVhen the magnet is energized, the armature-valve is held iirmly closed by both the casing and the core, and when the magnet is demagnetized the valve rests lightly and loosely on its seat and yields quickly to any excess of pressure on its under side, so that an equilibrium of pressure is immediately established in the chambers n a', with the result above described.

It will be seen that the valve is not required to control both the supply and the exhaust to operate the diaphragm and that it lies loosely against an electromagnetic seat, so that it has practically no distance to nieve when the electromagnet is energized. IIence it operates instantaneously and with great precision and certainty and requires only a light electric current.

The magnet and its armature-valve may be applied to control either the supply or the exhaust air and may be used in various other ways and relations without departing from to the magnet by any suitable means, sueh as a pin p, aiiixed to the valve and movable in a fixed guide p'.

The method oi attaching the magnet by a screw-thread and other details of construction here specified are not essential to the embodiment and use of our invention, there being various other methods to el'l'ect the same result Without departure from the spirit of our invention.

lVc claiml. In an apparatus of the character speciiied, anelectromagnet comprising a tubular casing constructed to Vform a wind-passage between two chambers, a core and helix within said casing, and a loose armature formed as a valve adapted to close said wind-passage when the magnet is energized and to permit the movement of air in one direction therethrough when the magnet is den'lagnetizcd, the said armature-valve arranged to rest by gravity in closing position against the end ot' the casing and core.

2. In an apparatus of the character speci- Afied, the combination ol' a live-air chamber, a chamber separated therefrom by a partition having an air-passage, a loose armature-valve formed to close said passage, and arranged to rest by gravity in closing position and an electromagnet arranged to attract said valve and hold it in position to close said passage.

In an apparatus of the character specilied, the combination of a live-air chamber, a chamber separated therefrom by a partition having an air-passage, a loose armature-valve formed to close said passage, an electromagnet arranged to attract said valve and hold it in position to close said passage, a pneumatic motor adapted to be operated by airpressure when the valve is attracted by the magnet, and a valve closing the exhaust-port of the said second named chamber and adapted to be opened by the operation of said motor. l et. In an apparatus of the character speciiied, the combination of a live-air chamber, a chamber having an exhaust-port and separated from the live-air chamber by a partition having an air-passage, an electromagnet having a tubular casing inserted in said passage, a loose armature formed as a valve adapted to close the passage, a diaphragm arranged to be moved by pressure in the live-air chamber when the valve is closed, an operating-rod connected with said diaphragm, and an exhaust-valve on said rod which closes the said exhaust-port when the diaphragm is depressed.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence oi two subscribing witnesses, this 15th day oi February, A. D. 1896.

FRANCIS IT. I'IASTINGS. FREDERICK J'. FLAHER'IY. Witnesses:

C. F. BROWN, A. D. iIAnnisoN.

Ixo

IIO