US767751A - Means for controlling movements from a distance. - Google Patents

Description

No. 767,751. I PATENTED AUG. 16, 1904. M. R. HANNA.

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING MOVEMENTS FROM A DISTANCE. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 18, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES. INYENTOR;

.ie w' ZVZM. MAX R/"fA/WVA W y WM UNITED STATES Patented. August 16, 190A.

PATENT OFFICE.

MAX R. HANNA, OF SCHENECTADY, NEV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEXV YORK.

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING MOVEMENTS FROM A DISTANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,751, dated August 16, 1904. Application filed January 18, 1904. Serial No. 189,433. (No model.

To (ZZZ whom. it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, MAX R. HANNA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Controlling Movements froma Distance, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to controlling the positions of movable members from a distance;

and its object is to provide a simple and efficient means for controlling the position of one or more movable members and shifting such members at will from one position to another.

My invention is applicable to controlling the position of the brushes of a plurality of motors on a car or train or controlling the position of the movable contacts of rheostats or other regulators and also to the control of many. other movable devices. although I shall describe my invention as applied to controlling the brush position of 1110- tors, it will be understood that my invention 5 'is in no way limited to this particular application.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows diagramatically a motor and brush-controlling devices therefor arranged in accord- 3 ance with my invention. Fig. Qshowsamodified form of the same, and Figs. 3 and Ashow special forms of pilot-motors adapted to my invention.

In Fig. 1, S represents the field or stator of a motor connected through the switch .9 and the line-wires 1 and 2. R represents the rotor or secondary member of the motor. The rotor R is provided with a commutator C, on which bear the brushes 6. Bis the brush- 4 holder ring or yoke which is, as usual, rotatably mounted in any of the ways well known in the art. Brush-holder ring B has gearteeth out on its lower side, which are engaged by the worm D, driven by pilot-motor M. Thus as motor M revolves brush-holder ring B will be rotated in one direction or the other,

depending upon the direction of rotation of motor M, and the brushes Z will be shifted.

Consequently,

Brush-holder ring B carries two movable contacts (Z andd, which are secured to ring B, 5 but insulated therefrom and from each other. These movable contacts engage the segments of the stationary commutator E, which is secured to the frame of the machine. (Not shown.) The segments of stationary commutator E are connected through the conductors 3 to 9 to the controlling-switch F. The movable contacts (Z (Z are connected to two terminals of the motor M, the other terminal of the motor being connected to the controlling-switch F. Controlling-switch F comprises ten stationary fingers f to f and ten movable contacts g to \Vith the controller in the position shown and with switch 8 closed there is no tendency for the motor M to rotate. 5 The circuit of the motor M is as follows: from line-wire 2 to movable contact 9 to g to contact f to motor M, to contacts (Z and (Z in parallel to the segment of commutator E, connected to conductor 6, to contact-fingerf, 7 contact 9, contact g stationary finger f switch a, and line-wire 1. Thus itis seen that the current from motor M is flowing in parallel through the two leads connected to (Z and (Z. he motor is so arranged, as will be herein after explained, that when the current is flowing through both of these leads there is no tendency for the motor to rotate. Now if controlling-switch F is moved in one direction or the other-as, for instance, toward the left until contact-fingerf engages contact it will .be seen that the circuit through movable contact (Z is broken, since the connection from switch 8 through the controller F has been shifted from contact-fingerf to contact-finger 5 f and consequently from conductor 6 to conductor 5. Movable contact (Z is in engagement with the commutator-segment to which conductor 5 is connected. Consequently current will flow from the motor through movable con- 9 tact (Z alone. The motor will revolve, rotating brush-holder ring B in a counter-clockwise direction and will continue to revolve until movable contact (Z makes contact with the segment to which conductor 5 is connected. At this instance both movable contacts (Z and (Z are in contact with the same segment. Consequently current again flows through the two in parallel, and the motor ceases to rotate. As controller F is shifted to another position the same operation is repeated. Thus it will be seen that each position of the controller corresponds to a certain position of the motorbrushes, and by simply moving the controller to any one of its positions motor M will automatically bring the brushes of the large motor to the proper position and will then stop. Furthermore, it is evident that the brushshifting devices and pilot-motors for any number of main motors may be connected to a single controlling-s witch F. Thus the brush position of any number of motors may be controlled from a single point. My invention is thus applicable. to the control of a plurality of motors on a car or train.

Fig. 2 shows amodification of the arrangement heretofore described. In the modified form brush-holder ring B is arranged to be returned to a given position when circuit of the pilot-motor M is broken. Brush-holder ring B is provided with an arm I, to which are attached two tension-springs z 2', which tend to return brush-holder ring B to the position shown in the drawings. In order to permit of the return of ring B, motor M is pivoted, and worm D, driven by motor M, is normally held out of engagement with ringB by tension-spring j. Solenoid H when ener gized acts upon its core h to oppose tensionspring 1' and to throw worm D into engagement with rack on ring B. Thus when switch 8 is closed worm D is thrown into engagement with ring 'B, and when controlling-switch F is moved to any of its positions the operationis the same as has already been described. Controlling-switch F is the same as in Fig. 1, eX- cept that finger f and contact g are omitted, their function being performed by the tension-springs i 2'. Also the movable contact g of Fig. 1 is divided into twocontacts g and g so that in the off position of the controller no current flows through the motor. This is to permit of closing the circuit through solenoid H and throwing worm D into engagement with ring B before motor M is started.

Fig. 3 shows a form of motor adapted to perform the functions of the pilot-motor M when the source of supply for the pilot-motor is alternating current. The motor, as shown in Fig. 3, has a primary member 10 and a secondary member 11, provided with short-circuiting commutator-brushes. Two leads 13 and 14 are provided for connection to the movable contacts (Z and d in Figs. 1 and 2. The motor acts as a repulsion-motor when either lead 13 or 1 1 is carrying current, the line of magnetization of the primary member being displaced in one direction or the other from the line of the short-circuiting rotor-brushes.

When current is flowing in the same direction through both leads, the resultant magnetization is parallel to the line of the short-circuiting rotor-brushes, and consequently there is no tendency to rotation. Resistances 9* may be inserted in the leads 13 and 14 to reduce the amount of current-flow.

Fig. 1 shows a motor adapted to act as a pilot-motor when the source of supply for the pilot-motor is direct current. The motor has an armature 15 and a field 16, the armature being connected to the middle of the field and the leads 18 and 19 to the two ends of the fieldwinding. If current is flowing in both leads 18 and 19, the magnetic effects of the two parts of the field oppose each other and there is no tendency to rotation. If either of the leads alone is carrying current, one-half of field 16 is operative and the motor revolves in one direction or the other, according to which half of the field is energized.

I do not desire to limit myself to the particular construction and arrangement of parts here shown, since changes which do not depart from the spirit of my invention and which are within the scope of the appended claims will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In combination, amovable member, amotor adapted to drive said member, movable contacts moving with said member and in circuit with said motor to produce rotation of said motor when one contact alone is energized, a series of stationary contacts arranged to be traversed by said movable contacts and each stationary contact being adapted to be engaged by one or both of said movable contacts, and means for selectively energizing any one of said stationary contacts.

2. In combination, a movable member, amotor adapted to drive said member, a series of stationary contacts, means for selectively energizing any one of said contacts, and movable contacts moving with said member and in circuit with said motor and adapted to coact with said stationary contacts whereby said motor is stopped when said movable contacts are in a given position relative to the stationary contact that is energized.

3. In combination, a movable member, amotor adapted to drive said member, means for starting said motor, contacts in the circuit of said motor and moving with said member and arranged to stop said motor upon reaching a predetermined point, and means controllable from a distance for shifting the position of said point.

4. In combination, amovable member, amotor adapted to drive said member and provided with terminals for forward and reverse rotation, means for energizing one set of terminals, automatic means for energizing both sets when said member has reached a predetermined point, and means controllable from a distance for shifting the position of said point.

5. In combination, a movable member, amotor adapted to drive said member and provided With terminals for forward and reverse rotation, a movable contact for each set moving with said member, a series of stationary contacts adapted to be traversed by said movable contacts and each stationary contact being adapted to be engaged by one or both of the 10 movable contacts, and means for selectively energizing any one of said stationary contacts. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of January, 1904.

MAX R. HANNA. WVitnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD.

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