US820877A - Controller for electric circuits. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAY 15, 1906.

H. KA NMAGHER. I CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 22.1904.

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No! 820,877. PATENTED MAY 15, 1906. s. H. KANMAGHER.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

' APPLICATION ILLED JUNE22.1'904.

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SAM H. KANMAOHER, OF SUHENEC'IADY, NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR TO GE!- ERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

' CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC Cancun-s.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1906.

Application filed June 22, 1904. Serial No. 213.589.

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAM H. KANMAoHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Controllers for Electric Circuits, or" which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to controllers for electrio circuits, and is particularly applicable to systems employing local and distant control.

In an application for United States Letters Patent, Seria No. 208,892, filed by Arthur A. Buck May 20, 1904, and assigned to the General Electric Company, is described a s stem of control for motor-operated bulkhead doors and similar devices. In this system a controlling-switch for the motor is placed at each door which is arranged to connect the motor for raising and lowering the door. A solenoid is provided for moving each switch to the proper position to connect the motor for lmvering the door. -By means of these solenoids a number of doors may be closed from a distant point. The switch is furthermore arranged so that it may be moved manually to either position for raising or lowering the door without disturbing the circuit of the solenoid. In this way a man at the door can take control away from the distant station temporarily, so as to raise the door, but when he releases the switch it will return to the position for lowering the door, provided the circuit oi the solenoid has been closed at the distant point.

In an application, Serial No. 213,254, filed by J. W. Kellogg June 20, 1904, and assigned to theGeneral Electric Company, is disclosed a modified arrangement of a switch and its operative connections for such a system. In the arrangement of this latter application both operative positions are placed on the same side of the oif position, the lowering position being between the oil and the raising position. With this arrangement it is not necessary to move the switch through the off position when shifting it from lowering to raising, and since this movement is against the tension of the spring this reduction of the necessary length of movement is an advantage. The operative connections of the switch are modified so as to permit a control similar to that in the first-mentioned application. In the arrangements described in both of the above applications two sm'ings are connected to the distant-control device.

em loyed. One spring, which serves norma ly to hold the switch in off position,B is y straining this spring the distant-control dcviee is enabled to shift the switch to an operative position. The second spring connects the switch to the distant-control device. By straining this latter spring manually the switch may be moved to its other operative position without disturbing the distant-control device.

My invention consists in an improvement in the switch described in the latter of thc above-mentioned applications, in which both operative positions are on the same side of the oil position. 7 arrangement of the switch-contacts to dis pensc with one of the springs. I employ a single spring connected directly to the switch to hold it normally in off position, and I eniploy simply a lost-motion connection between the switch and the distant-control device to permit the desired movement of th switch withoutilisturbingsaid device. By lost motion I mean a loose yet positive direct mechanical engagement between the two parts.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a controlling-switch and its operating mechanism arranged in accordance with my invention, the front part of the casing being removed. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the same, the casing being shown in cross-section; and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the electrical connections of the several parts of the switch as employed in a system for the local and distant control oi one or more motors.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, K represents a water-tight'casing, in which is journaled the shaft 0, which is rotatable by means of the hand-wheels a, one or both of which may carry an index a. llvilOUllllfid on the shaft a. is the movable switch member A, which carries the l'novable contacts to c", three of these contacts being shown in Fig. 1. Supported from the casing are stationary (',ontacts tof, which are arranged in two groups of four each, as showi'i. These contacts are so positioned that when the switch member A is moved to bring ontact into engagement with contactj, as shown in. Fig.

I take advantage of this TOO f respectively.

position.

1, contact 0 will be brought into engagement with contact f and when the motion of movable member A is continued to bring contact 0 into engagement with finger f contact c will be brought into engagement with fin gerf". Movable member A is normally held in the ol'l' position, as shown by a tension-spring F, one end of which is connected to a pin f on the casing and the other end to a pin g on the cam-plate G, carried by shaft a. The tension of the spring F presses cam-plate G against the stop g, mounted on the casing. Since both operative positions are on the same side of the off position, a single spring suflices for holding the. switch normally at ol'l' position.

H is a pivoted member carrying the roller 7t and pressed against the surface of camplate G by the tension-spring I. The camplate is shaped so that roller h is brought into engagement with the shoulder {1 when the shaft a is moved to bring contact 0 into engagen'icnt with finger Member H thus forms a yielding stop which enables the shaft to be moved quickly and positively to its first position. l

The distant control is accomplished by means of the solenoid B, which is provided with a movable core I). Core Z: engages the lever D, pivoted at d, which carries at its forward end the link E. Link E is provided with a pin which engages a slot 6 in the movable switch member A. The solenoid B is provided with a stop I), which limits the upward movement of core 5 when solenoid B is energized. This stop is so posltioned that when solenoid B is energized member A is rotated a sui'licient amount to bring contacts 0 and 0" into engagement with fingers f and This position of the contacts connects the motor for lowering the door, as will be hereinafter described.

If a man at the door desires to raise the door while the solenoid is energized. and the switch is in the position forlowering, he can rotate the shaft amanually to bring contacts c and c into engagement with lingers and f", respectively, which is the position for raising the door, as will be hereinafter described. This movement from lowering to raising posilion is freely permitted by the lost-motion connecti n between the core I) and switch member A, formed by the pimand slot. The slot is made of suflicient lrngth to permit the necessary nn'iven'ient of niemb r A in passin; from lowering to raisingpositi'in. Vtnen solenoid i3 is not energized, shaftc may obviously be freely moved to either lowering in rai ing position. In passing from the ff position. as shbwn in Fig. l, to lowering position, link l; will not be moved, since the d t is of sullicient length to enable the. member A to be moved from off to lowering II it is desired to pass through the l l l l l l l l lower end of slot (2 will engage the pin carried by link E and the core I) will be raised, or if slot 0 is made long enough core I) will not be moved. In either case the construction of the switch permits of free manual control, while, on the other hand, since the solenoidxcircuit is not disturbed by the manual control, the switch will return to the oll' or lowering position when released by hand, according as the solenoid-circuit is opened or closed.

In Fig. 8 is shown a diagram of the circuit connections of the switch as employed in a system. of local and remote control having a plurality of motors. Two motors M and M are indicated with two controlling-sudtithes C and C L represents a source of current connected to the line-wires Z Z. B and B represent the windings of the solenoids, by means of which the switches are moved to lowering position from a distance,as has been heretofore described. These solenoidshave their circuits completed through the switches S and S, which. are at the distant-control station. E and it represent two resistances which are connected always in circuit with the motors, so that in case the motor-circuit is not broken when the door has reached the extremity of its travel and the motor has stopped, the current through the motors will be kept at a value too low to injure the motors. The resistances r and r are connected in shunt to the motor-armatures when the motors are connected for lowering the door. The purpose of these resistances is to produce a strong field, thereby preventing the motor from racing and giving it a high torque for closing the door.

The circuit connections are follows: When the switch (I is moved into its lirst or lowering position, either manually or by means of the solenoid B, a circuit is closed as follows: from line-wire Z to fingcrf, to contact 0''. Here the current divides, part passing through 'fingcrf and nrotor-armature M and part passing to contact 'iingerf and resistance '1'. Resistance 1' is thus placed in shunt with motor-armature M. The current then passes through resistance it, linger f contact contact 0 iingerf", motor-field m, 'l'ingerf", contact 6, contact a", linger and line-wire l. When the controller L is moved .toits second or raising position, the resistance 1' is opini-circuited and the motor-field is reowning po l l o o the raising position, the side of the door the controller has to be placed It will be noted that one fin er is left blank in both controllers, the blank inger being diiierent in the two.

Other arrangements and connections of the controller-contact may of course be em ployed without departing from the spirit of my invention. Furthermore, 'changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the several parts of the control-switch Accordingly, I aim to cover all such modifications which are within the spirit and scope of my invention. 7

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

'1. In combination, a switch having a plurality of operative positions on one side of its off position, means controllable from a distance for movin said switch to an operative position, a stop lor said moving means to arrest said switch at said position, a lost-motion connection between said moving means and said switch whereby the movement of the switcn may be continued manually to another operative position, and means con nected directly to said switch for holding the switch normally in off position.

2. In combination, a switch having a plurality of operative positions on one side of its off position, an electroresponsive device adapted and arranged to move said switch to an operative position, a lost-motion connection between said device and said switch whereby the movement of said switch may be continued manually to another operative position without moving said device, and

means connected directly to said switch for holding the switch normally in oil position.

3. In combination, a switch having a plurality of operative positions on one side of its oil position, an electromagnet adapted and arranged to move said switch to an operative position, a stop for arresting the movement of said electromagnet when said switch reaches said operative position, a lost-motion connection between said switch and said electromagnet whereby the movement of said switch may be continued manually to another operative position, and means connected lirectly to said switch for holding the switch normallyin oil position.

4. In combination, a switch having a plurality of operative positions on one side of its ingsaid switch when in off position, an elec troresponsi-ve device adapted and arranged to move SillClSWlilCh away from said stop to an operative position, a lost-motion connection between said devlcc and said swltch whereby the movement of'said switch may be continued manually to another operative position without moving said device, and a spring connected directly to said switch and normally pressing the switch against said step. c

' 6. In combination, a switch, a stop engaging said switch when in off position, an electroresponsive device adapted and arranged to move said switch away from said stop to an operative position, means for arresting said device when the switch reaches said operative position, a lost-motion connection between said switch and said device whereby the movement of said switch may be continued .manually to another operative posi tion, and a spring connected dlrectly to said switch and normally pressing the switch against said step. I

7. In combination with an electric motor, a reversing-switch for said motor having both operative positions on. one side of its oil' position, means controllable from a distance for moving said switch to one of its operative positions, a lost-motion connection between said switch and said moving means whereby the movement of said switch may be continued manually to the other operative position, and means connected directly to said switch for holding the switch normally in off position. a

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of June, 1904.

' SAM H. KANMACHER. l/Vitnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD.

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