US894643A - Contactor. - Google Patents

Description

- PATENTED JULY 28, 1908.

G. H. HILL. CONTAGTOR. APPLICATION FILED p20. 31, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

mm T w Mr 0 e s Witnesses;

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been made 0 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. HILL, OF SOHENEOTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK CONTACTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. July 28, 1908.

Application filed. December 81, 1903. Serial No. 187,287;

The invention relates more particularly to that type of contactor employed in systems of motor-control in which a motor-controller of the separately-actuated contact type under the control of the master-controller is employed.

In electromagnetically-actuated switches especially adapted for the purpose above stated and whlch are control ed from a distance, the operating parts have heretofore quite heavy material, and the movable contact-fingers of the switches have been pivotally connected to the frame on which the actuating means for said fingers ismounted.

The object of my invention is to produce a more simple construction of the contactor or switch, and to this end I substitute for the heavy pivoted castings forming the movable contact-finger a spring armor strip of springconducting material rigidly fastened to the.

supporting frame and constructed in such a manner as toallow asliding engagement of the contacts of the switch.

Some of the advantages of my improved construction of contact-finger over the standard construction. lies in the omission of hinged connections and heavy castings with a consequent reduction of wear, and also in the omission of the shunt in the electrical circuit around said hinged connections. The reduction of the weight of the contact-finger causes an increase inthe rapidity of movement of the contactor and by the use of a spring contact-finger so mounted that it will exert some said contactor and Figs. :5 and 4 are side and front elevations respectively of the contact'or.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the to and hottom plates of the frame upon which the ac tuating coil is mounted are represented by 5 and 6 respectively. The said plates are held,

together by means of bolts 8 (shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4). the actuating coil 7 is indicated by 9. The movable core 10 passes through an opening 11 in the bottom plate 6 and has pivotally mounted at12 on its lower end a stlrrup 13. The movable contact-finger or fingers 14 are rigidly fastened at one-end 15 to the bottom plate 6 and pass through and are supported y the stirrup 13. Inthe'contactor illustrated', 'two movable contact-fingers operated by the same coil are'shown, (see especially Fig. 4), but it will of course be understood that one or any number of contact-fingers may be. employed and other means aside from the specific means shown may be used for operatlvely connecting the spring iinger or fingers to the core .1() or other actuating means. Mounted within the stirrup 13 are twobow-shaped pieces of material 16 each of which carries a lug 17 which engages a recess 18 formed in the lower part of the stirrup 13. The bow-shaped pieces 16 form bearing plates on which'the contact-fingers operate during the opening and closing movements of the switch. The cooperating lug and. recess 17 and 18 prevent the pieces 16 from be normal operationot' the contac -or, while at the same time they allow the said pieces 16 to move in said stirrup with a rocking motion which p'ermits great freedom of move ment 0f the fingers 14. The lingers 14 preferably carry removable .contact tips 19 which are adapted to engage the fixed contacts 20 within the blowout chute 21. Mounted on the insulating plate22 within tlnhousin 23 above the blow-out chute 21 is thecoi 24 of the blow-out magnet, the core of which is designated by 25 and the poles by 26. The sides of the blow-out chute adjacent the contacts are provided with pieces 27 of fire-resisting material. The bind ing-posts or terminals through which the circuit con.- nections are made are indicated by 28 and '29 reslpectively. V

eferring now to Fig. 2, it will be clearly seen how the circuit connections for this con tactor are" made. The controlled circuit The fixed core ofing moved out of the stirrup 13 during the may be traced from the terminal 28 through the spring contact-finger 14, the contact tips 19 and 20 and then through the blow-out coil vention as applied to an electromagnetically-- actuated contact, it will be'clear that the actuating means may be any other desired power, and in'the claims hereto a ended I aim to cover all modifications whic do not involve a departure from the spirit and scopeof my invention. 1

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

I. In a power actuated switch, a fixed contact member, a movable contact member comprising a curved spring strip rigidly secured at one end and biased for movement I away from the fixed contact, a solenoid, and a core in said solenoid loosely connected to o the curved portion of said. spring strip intermediate its ends, whereby the latter is moved into sliding engagement with said fixed contact.

2. In a power-actuated switch, a movable contact-finger composed. of a strip of springconducting material rigidly fastened at one end, a rod carrying a stirrup through which said contact-finger loosely passes, means foroperating said rod, and a bearing plate carried by said stirrup on which said contactfinger operates during the opening and closing movements of the switch.

3. In an electric switch, a fixed contact member, a movable contact member comprising a curved spring strip rigidly secured at one end, and means for moving the free end of said strip into engagement with the fixed contact and changing the curvature of the strip to produce a sliding connection.

4. In an electric switch, a fixed contact member, a movable contact member comprising a curved spring strip rigidly secured atone end, and means for moving the, 'free end of said strip into engagement with the a loose connection between said spring strip and the actuating means.

6. In an electric switch, an electromagnet,

a frame within which said electromagnet is arranged, a fixed contact supported upon said frame at one side of the electromagnet, and a' U-shaped spring strip secured by one arm to said frame. at a point opposite the fixed contact and having its other arm clon gated and providedwith a contact piece, together with a loose connection between the elongated arm of said spring strip and the core of the-electromagnet.

71 In an electric switch, an electromagnet, a frame within which said electromagnet is arranged, afixed contact supported upon said frame at one side of the electromagnet, and'a curved spring stri secured to the frame at the-opposite si. e, of the electro magnet and provided with acontact piece at its free end, together with a loose connection between said spring strip and the core of the ele'ctromagnet.

8. In an electric switch, a fixed contact, a movable contact adapted to make a wiping or sliding contact therewith, the engaging surfaces of said contacts being adapted to meet in a plane substantially at right angles to the motion of said movable contact, .a curved spring strip fixed at one endand carrying said movable contact at its other end, and an electromagnet having its core-loosely connected to said springstri In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of December. 1903.

GEORGE H. HILL.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. hone,

MAReARE'r 'E. WOOLLEY.

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