US981063A - Switch for electric circuits. - Google Patents

Description

H. W. CHENEY.

swrrcn FOR ELECTRIC cmom'rs,

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1907.

Patented; Jan 10,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

MWLZZ? H. W. CHENEY, SWITGH FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1907.

981,063, Patented Jan. 10,1911,

3 SHEETS-8HEBT 2.

$3M 6b. Wane/5 H. W. CHENEY. SWITGE FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS, APPLICATION FILED xov. 29, 1997.

981,068. Patented Jan. 10 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 31 Wax 030% I MW/MM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT W. CHENEY, OF NORWOOD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 ALLIS-CHAIMERS COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY, AND THE BULLOCK ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 10, 1911.

Application filed November 29, 1907. Serial .No. 404,349.

My invention relates to electric switches,

especially to those which open automatically on overload.

In most of the automatic overload circuitbreakers now in generaluse'the movable contacts have a reciprocating movement. This is the case whether they move rectilinearly or curvilinearly. As the result of this kind of movement the circuit is made and broken at the same points in the switch. so that the pitting of the contacts caused by the arcing which takes place on interrupting the circuit interferes with the proper making of the circuit on closing the switch.

In brief, my improved circuit-breaker consists of contacts arranged to be engaged and disengaged by relative movement in the same direction. and a reciprocable arm arranged when moved in one direction to bring said contacts into engagement and when moved in the other direction to disengage said contacts.

cry of a rotatable drum which also carries other similar contacts, the various contacts contact. in such case the reciprocable armbeing biased in the proper direction to cause such movement of the drum.

The various novel features of my mven-.

tion will appear from the description anddrawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations of my improved circuit-breaker, showing it in- Preferably one of said contacts is. fixed and the other is mounted on the periphclosed and openposition respectively; Fig. 3- is a front elevation of the circuit-breaker of Fig. 1, showing some of the/parts in section; Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the switch as shown in Fig. 1, the operating handlebeing in section; Fig. 5 1s a View show ing the-operating mechanism alone, the parts bemg in closed position; and Fig. 6 shows somewhat diagrammatically the elecirical connections.

The frame 10 of non-magnetic materialhas a base portion provided with the proper bolt holes for fastening it to the .base 11, and two side arms or bracket portions for sup porting the switch parts. In the outer .end of the two bracket portions is fixed a shaft or pin 12 of magnetic material. Loosely mounted on the shaft 12 is the sleeve 13 which carries the drum 14, the latter being made up of two outer disks 15 of metal or other conducting material, within which, though separated therefrom by insulation 16, is a coil of strap conductor 17. The in her end of the coil 17 is connected to the metal disks 15, while the outer end thereof is connected to the contacts 18, 18 and 18, here shown as three in number and as being equally spaced around the periphery of the drum 14. As thedrum is rotated in onedirection, say clockwise as seen in Fig. 1, the contacts 18, 18 and 18 are arranged to be brought'successively into engagement with the stationar spring-mounted contact 19, located in a low-out chute 20. This blowout chute is supported between the in-turned ends of two arms 21, which are of magnetic material and are fixed on the shaft 12 so that their ends form poles of the, electromagnet formed by the coil 17 and shaft 12. Thus a magnetic field is supplied for extinguishing any are between the contacts of the circuit breaker. The disks 15, to which the inner end of the coillZ is connected, are in constant engagement with brushes 22, which thus serve to take off the current from the inner end of said coil. The brushes-22 and contact 19 are the electrical terminals of this switch.

A notched disk 25 is fixed to the sleeve 13 so that it rotates with the drum 1-1. Arms 26 and 27 are loosely mounted on the shaft 12 and carry at their outer end pawls 28 and 29 respectively, which are springpressed inwardly into engagement with the'periphery of the disk 25. The latter is provided with three notches, one side of each of the notches bein higher than the other, as best shown in Fig. 5. The arm 26 is integral with one side of the U-shaped handle member 30. Links 31 and 32 are connected at one end to the arm 27 and the handle member 30 respectively, the other ends of said links be ing pivoted together and to the free end of the arm 33, which is pivoted to the frame 10.

The switch is shown in open position in Fig. 2. To close the Switch handle 30 is moved 'in a clockwise direction to the position shown in Fig. 1, the pawl 28 by its engagement with one of the notches of disk 25 carrying the drum 14 through the same angle as the handle 3% is moved. The switch is closed when the parts reach the position shown in Fig. 1, the circuit being complete from the stationary contact 19 to the contact 18, through the coil 17 and disks 15 to the brushes 22. The engagement of the stops 38 and 38 prevents further clockwise movement of the handle. As the parts reach the positions shown in Fig. 1, the cam surface 34* on a fixed arm 34 lifts the pawl 28 so that it will clear the lower or counterclockwise side of the notch in the disk 25 with which it has been in engagement at substantially the same time the pawl 29 drops into one of the other notches in the disk 25, as shown in Fig. 1. The roller 35 on the inner end of the spring-pressed. arm 36 is also moved inwardly at this time to engage the end of pawl 29 to prevent its clockwise movement from this position. If the handle 30 were released with the switch not fully in the position shown in 1, the spring 37, by which the handle member 30 is biased in a counter-clockwise direction, would have moved said member, together with the pawl 28, disk 25, and drum 14, back to the position shown in Fig. 2.

With the switch closedas shown in Fig. 1, the handle member 30 is biased in a counterclockwise direction, but isprevented from moving in such direction by the engagement of the roller 35 with the end of the pawl 29. In case it is desiredto open the switch, the

release button 41 is pushed upward to move the arms 36 and 36 to disengage such roller and pawl, whereupon the s ring 37, through the handle member 30, lin s 31, 32, and 33, arm 27, pawl 29, and disk 25,'moves the drum 14 farther in a clockwise direction into 'a position corresponding to that shown in Fi 2, but with the contacts 18%,.18" and 18 in the places where the contacts 18, 18 and 18 are respectively shown. \Vhen the arts reach such position, further counter-c ockwise movement of the handle member 30 is prevented by stop 38. The arms 21 are rovided with rearward projections 39, wiich serve as auxiliary poles for the magnet exin Fig. 1, act upon the cross-bar 40 of the adjustable arm 36" to move such arm to strike the upper end of the arm 36 and disengage the roller 35 and pawl 29. Upon such disengagement the handle member 30 is moved in a counter-clockwise direction and the drum 14 in a clockwise direction in the same manner as when the release button 41 is'pushed upward. In either case,iwhen the switch has reached the off position the pawl 28 drops into the next notch of the disk 25, and the switch can again be closed by movin the handle 30- in a clockwise direction. n the successive operations of the switch the contacts on the drum 14 are successively brought into engagement with the stationary contact 19.

lVith the arrangement here shown and described all the arcing takes lace between the counter-clockwise ends 0 the movable contacts and the clockwise end of the stawithout departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and all such I aim to cover in the following claims.

What I claim as new is:'

1. In a switch or circuit-breaker, a fixed contact, a rotatableme'mber carrying a plurality of contacts for respectivelycooperating with said fixed contact, a reciprocable arm, and means whereby successive movements of said arm in opposite directions respectively roduce complementary movements of saldrotatable member in the same direction to cause'the disen agement of said fixed contact and one of'tie movable contacts and the engagement of said fixed contact and'th'e next movable contact.

2. In a switch'or circuit-breaker, a contact, a group of contacts wit-lithe individual contacts of which said first contact successively cooperates, a'reciprocable arm,.and

means whereby successive movements of said contact, a rotatable member carrying a movable contact, a reciprocable arm, and mechanical connections betweensaid arm and said member by which upon a movement of said arm in one direction the rotatable member is rotated forward to bring the two contacts into-engagement, .and upon a moveounces ment of said armin the other direction the rotatable member is rotated forward to separate said two contacts.

4. In a switch for electric circuits, a fixed contact, a rotatablemember carryinga movable contact, a reciprocable arm biased in one direction, and mechanical connections between said arm and .said member by which upon a movement of said arm in one direction the rotatable member is rotated forward to bring thetwo contacts into engagement, and upon a movement of said arm in the other direction the rotatable member is rotated forward to separate said two contacts.

In a switch for electric circuits, a fixed contact, a rotatable member carrying a movable' contact, a reciprocable arm biased in one direction, mechanical connections, bes tween said arm and said member by which upon a movement of said arm in one direction the rotatable member. is rotated forward to bring the two contacts into engagement, and upon amovement of said arm in the other direction the rotatable member is rotated forward to'separate saidtwoflcontacts, and means for normally preventing movement of said arm in said latter direction when it is at its limit of movement in the former direction. a v

6. In a switch for electric circuits, a fixed contact, a rotatable member carrying a movable contact, a reciprocablearm biased in one direction, mechanical connections between said arm and said member by which upon m movement of said arm in one direction the rotatable member is rotated forward to bring the two contacts into engagement, and upon a movement of said arm in the other direction the'rotatable member is ro-' tatedforward to separate said two contacts,

means for normally preventing movement of said arm in said latter direction when'it is at its limit of movement in the former direction, and means for releasing said arm from said preventive me ns.

7. In a switch for ele trio circuits, a fixed contact, a rotatable mem r carrying a movable contact, a reciprocablearm blased'in one direction, and mechanical connections between said arm and sald member whereby u on a movement-of sald arm a ainst its bias the rotatable member is move to bring the two contacts in engagement, and upon a movement in the direction ofits bias the rotatable member is moved in the same direction as before toseparate said contacts.

8. In a switch for electric circuits, a fixed contact, a rotatable member carrying a mov-- able contact, a reciprocable arm "biased in one direction, mechanical connections between said arm and said member whereby u on a movement of said arm a ainst its blast-he rotatable member is move to bring the "two contacts in engagement, and upon a movement in the direction of its bias the ro- .tatable member. is moved in the same direction as before to separate said contacts, and

means for normally preventing movement of said arm 111 one direction when it is at its llmit of movement in the other direction.

9. In a switch for electric circuits, a fixed contact, a rotatable member carrying a movable contact, a reciprocable arm biased in one direction, mechanical connections between said arm and said member whereby upon a movement of said arm-against its bias the rotatable member is moved to bring the two contacts in engagement,.and upon a movement in the direction of its bias the rotatable member is moved in the salnc'direction as before to separate said contacts, means for normally preventing movement of said arm in one direction when it is at its limit of movement in the other direction,

and means for releasing said-arm from said preventive means. I

10. In a switch for-electric circuits, a coi1- tact, a group of contacts with the individual contacts of which said. first contact successively cotiperates, a" reciproca-ble arm, and meanswh-ereby the alternate half recipr0cations of said arm bring said first contact successively intoengagement with the contacts of said group, and the remaining half reciprocations successively separate the engaging contacts.

11. In a switch for electric circuits, a contact, a group of contacts with 'the individual contacts of which said first contact successively -coiiperates, a reciprocable arm, and

tions of'said arm bring said first contact sudessively into engagement with the contacts of said group, and the remaining half reciprocation's successively separate theengaging\contacts, said arm being biased in the direction to separate said contacts.

12. -In a switch for electric circuits, a contact, a group of contacts with the individual contacts of'which said first contact successively coiiperates, a reciprocable arm, means whereby the alternate half reciprocations of said arm bring said first contact successively into engagement with the contacts of said group, and the remaining half reciprocations successively separate the engaging contacts, said arm being biased in the direction to separate said contacts, and means for normally preventing movement of said arm to separate said contacts. A

13. In a switch for electric circuits, 9. contact, a group of contacts with the individual contacts ofwhich said first contact succcssively cooperates, a reciprocable arm, means whereby alternate half reciprocations of said .ar m respectivelybring said first contact into engagement with one of the contacts of said in the same direction, said arm being biased in the direction to separate said'contacts,

means for normally preventing movement of said arm to separate said contacts, and means for releasing said arm from said preventive means.

14. In a switch for electric circuits, a contact, a group of contacts with the i dividual contacts of which said first con-tacsuccessively cooperates, a reciprocable arm, means whereby alternate half reciprocations of said arm respectively bring said first contact into engagement with one of the contacts of said group and separate the engaging contacts, said arm being biased in the direction to separate said contacts, means for normally preventing movement of said arm to separate said contacts, and means for releasing said arm from said preventive means upon an overload.

15. In a switch for electric circuits, a contact, a group of contacts with the individual contacts of which said first contact successively cooperates, a reciprocable arm, means whereby alternate half reciprocations of said arm bring said first contact successively 'into engagement with the contacts of said group, and the remaining half reciprocations suc- Y cessively separate the engaging contacts,

said arm being biased in the direction to separate. said contacts, means for normally preventing movement of said arm to separate said contacts, and means for releasing said arm from said preventive means either manually or upon the occurrence of abnormal conditions.

10. In a switch or circuit-breaker, the combination of a fixed contact, a rotatable member carrying a movable contact arranged to cooperate with said fixed contact, means for rotating said rotatable member in the same direction to engage and disengage said contacts, and a spiral coil of ribbon conductor within said rotatable member for furnishing a magnetic field at the contacts as they are disengaged.

17. In a switch or circuit-breaker, the combination of a fixed contact, a rotatable member carrying a plurality of movable contacts arran 'ed to be successively brought into engagement with said fixed contact "as a the rotatable member is rotated, a coiled conductor within said rotatable member, said conductor being connected at one end to-the with said fixed contact as therotatable niember is rotated, a shaft of magnetic material for said. rotatable member, projections of magnetic material from said shaft which extend into proximity to said fixed contact, and a coiled conductor within said rotatable member and having its outer end connected {)0 the contacts carried by the rotatable mem- 19. In a switch or circuit-breaker, the combination of a fixed contact, a rotatable member carrying a plurality of contacts arranged to be successively brought into engagement with said fixed contact as the rotatable member is rotated, means for biasing said member to disengage said fixed contact and any one of the movable contacts with which it is in engagement, means for normally preventing movement of said rotatable member when such contacts are in engagement, and a coiled conductor within said member arranged to release the latter from said preventivemeans upon an overload.

20.- In a switch or circuitbreaker, the combination of a fixed contact, a rotatable member carrying a plurality of contacts arranged to be successively brought into engagement with said fixed contact as the rotatable 1nember is rotated, means for biasing said member to disengage said fixed contact and any one of the movable contacts when they are in engagement, means for normally preventing movement of said rotatable member when such contacts are in engagement, and a coiled conductor within said member arranged to release the latter from said preventive means upon overload and to furnish a magnetic field at said fixed'contact as it is disengaged from one of said movable con- HERBERT \V. CHENEY.

Witnesses:

Geo. B. SoHLEY, FRED J. Kisser.

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