US991481A - Current-controlling device. - Google Patents

Description

A. J .-G LINE.

CURRENT CONTROLLING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JU -Y8, 1909.

Patented May 9, 1911.

UNITED strarns PATENT OFFICE.

LLAN .TficLmE, or CHICAGO, nun 01s.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALLAN J. Crime, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State ,of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Current-Controlling Devices, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention ertains to improvements in current contro ling devices of a general type which may be designated as distancecontrol devices.

In many cases 1t is desirable to control a central source of power from a distant point or from any of many distant points. In such a condition it-is customary to provide the power devices with controlling devices,

whicheontrollin devices themselves are operated or be designated control circuits since their function is to transmit current to the cen trally situated controlling device to cause that device to exercise upon the motor the control desired.

My improved .device comprises a seriesof contact plates,

a movable brush holder carrying brushes for making contact with said contact plates, a pair of opposingly placed solenoids for moving T said brush holder in o positedirections, an armature or plunger is connected to the brush holder, and a restraining device for the plunger, the device thus described being associated with auxiliary switching devlces and circuit connections.

In the drawings, Fi ure 1 shows a complete' system, 'Fig. 2 s ows wznodification thereof, 'Fi 3 shows the restraining de vice, and oil-normal switch,

Referring first to Fig. 1, I show a motor 1 which may be driven by electric current received-from main power w res 2 and 2'.

Control buttons or control switches 3, 4 and 5,are adapted to be'placed'in any location and at any desired distances either from '-the-motor .1 or from the current controlling device which may be designated as a whole 6. Any or all of these control keys may be dliplicated as manytimes as desired. Auxiliary electro-magnetic switching devices 7 and 8 are shown in connection with the controller 6. V

ted two co'zitact'barsfl a'nd'lO and two rows a v Specification of Letters Patent. I Application filed. July 8, 1909. Serial No. 506,515.

contro led by circuits which may or the solenoids which plunger.

1g 1 shows a modified form of .IUpon'a nonconducting' base 6' are'mouritcrmREnr-oommoLmNG Davies.

l a tented May 9, 1911.

.of contact plates 11 and 12; also two solenoids 13 and 1 1. The solenoids have a common plunger 15 which carries the brush holder 16, the brush holder in turn carrying brushes 17 18, 19, 20. Brushes 17 and 18 are connected together electrically, and brushes 19 are connected together electrically. \Vhen the plunger 15 is attracted by solenoid 13, it carries the brush holder 10 to the left connecting 9 and 10 and connecting succcssively oppositely situated contactplates of the series 11 and 12. The series of plates 11 are connected by resistances 21 and the series of, plates 12 are connected by resistances 22. The solenoids 13 and 14 are shunted by noninductivc shunts 13 and 14: to reduce. sparking in the controlling circuits.

The controlling circuits are as follows:

For starting or increasing thespeed of the a motor 1, the controlling circuit extends from power wire 2 through switch blade 23, conductor 24:, conductor 25,-kcy 3, solenoid 13, conductor 26, switch blade 27 to power conductor 2; when the key 3 is closed, solenoid.

13 is energized attracting its end of plunger 15 and moving the brushes toward the left over 9, 10, 11 and 12. For decreasing the speed of the motorthe control circ it extends. from power conductor 2 filirough switch blade 23, conductor 24, conductor 28, platefi), brush 19, which is in connection with and 20 plate 9 because the motor 1 is assumed to be running when the speed-decrease control circuit'is to be operative, brush 20, plate 10, conductor 29, conductor 30, solenoid 14, conductor 31, key 1, conductor 32, conductor 33, conductor 34, conductor 26, switch blade 27 to power conductor 2, thus energizing solenoid 14-when key 4 is closed. Solenoid 14 will attract its end of plunger 15 and draw the movable brushes toward the right. If

,thekey is held down a sufficient length of time, the brushes willbe drawn to the right to the lifnit of their possible motion, thereby interrupting the circuit just described be- 5 tween 9 and 19 and also between 10 and 20 and at the same time interrupting the motor circuit and stopping the-motor 1.

The stop control circuit -is as from power. conductor 2 throughswitch blade 23, conductor 24, conductor 28, plate 9, brush 19, brustPQO, plate 10, conductor 29, conductor 35', bridging brush of unenergized follows:

solenoid'switch 8, conductor 36, key 5, conductor 37, solenoid 'ofswitch 7, conductor 34,

I the continuance of the cuit the solenoid 8 holds open the which current noid switch 7 -38, br ging stopping and switch blade'27 to power This is the quick-stop control It is normally a closed circuit in flows continuously and soleis continuously energized. The operation of key 5 breaks the circuit of energizing solenoid 7 which drops its switching brushes to its lower pair of contacts and its upper pair thus breaks the main circuit of the motor 1, thus stopping the motor conductor 26, conductor 2'. circuit.

quickly, at the same time closing an auxiliary stopping circuit comprising elements 2, 23, 24, 2s, 9, 19, 20, 10, 29, 30,14, solenoid of s, 3 brush of 7, 33, 3-1, 26, 27, 2'. This auxiliary stopping circuit energizes l solenoids 14 and 8. Solenoid 8 by lifting its bridging brush interrupts the quick-stop control circuit and holds it interrupted so long as the auxiliary stopping circuit remains closed. The solenoid 14: draws the movable brushes to the right and as they reach the limit of their motion, the auxiliary circuit is interrupted between 9 and 19, and also between 10 and 20. During auxiliary stopping circircuit containing solenoid 7, thus the solenoid 7 can not be energized until after the complete return to normal of the brush therefore the motor l can not be. started; except when brush holder 16 is in its normal position. i The operation ot starting the motor 1 is as follows: On closing the key 3 solenoid 13 is energized as has been described. Brush holder lo is moved to the left amt closes by its brushes l9 and 10, the control circuits for decreasing the speed or for stopping the motor. It also closrs by its brushes 17 and 18 a path between the lirstplate of series 11 and the first plate of series 12. circuits closed by brushes 1%) and 20 extend from power wire. 2 through-23, 2st, 28, 9, 19, 2O, 10, 2.) to the junction of conductors 30 and 35 and then pass in multiple through 30, it, solenoid of 8, 3R. brush of T, 33, to 34, 26, 27, 2. and also in multiple through 35', brush of 8, so, 5, 237, solenoid of 7 to l 34, 26, 27 Upon the closing of this double circuit current tlows through solenoid of 7 fed through brush of 8 and also through I solenoid of 8 fed through brush of 7. These devices are so constructed mechanically and i electrically that device 7 responds and interl rupts the circuit of device 8 and atthe same time closes the main motor circuit which extends as follows: from 2 through switch blade :23, conductor 39, all of resistance 21 to first plate. of series ll, brush 1.7, brush 1%, first plate of series 12, all of resistances conductor Ll, motor 1, conductor ing brush and upper contacts of solenoid switch 7, conductor 10. and switch blade 27 to,-po\\'cr culnlllct'm t2. 'lhis turns motor 1 l at its lo\\ speed lwcuuscof the inclusion in l holder in and- The control l t l driving it rapidly.

l l t t 42, bridgthe motor 57 is increased,

series with it of all of the resistances 21 and 22. As the control switch 3 is held down continuously, or as it is closed at intervals, the solenoid 13 draws its end of plunger 15 into the solenoid, moving the brush holder 16 at intervals toward the left and. cuttin out by successive steps the resistances 21 an 22, thus increasin the speed of themotor 1 until when the limit of travel of the brush holder 16 is reached all series resistance has been removed from the path of motor 1. No other circuit changes are effected by the movementof the current controlling device. The plunger 15 is horizontal and remains inert, in any position when none of its control circuits are being controlled by the respective keys 3, 4 or .1. The method of decreasing the speed and stopping the motor 62 have been described above.

The keys 3, 4 and 5 may be controlled manually or in any way suitable to the conditions. For instance, where the motor 1 operates a pump to keep a water tank'supplied, a low-level float valve may control key 3 and a high level float valve may control key t or 7-. \Yhere an air pressure is to be maintained, keys 3 and 4 or 5 are replaced by pressurecontrolled electrical contactmaking devices.

The arrangement of brushes upon the brush holder 16 and the arrangement of contacts for the brushes and the circuits controlled thereby will vary with the different installations in which my improved current controller is used. A modification is shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows acondition adapted particularly for printing presses where, in some of the processes of making a press ready for service, an extremely slow movement of the press is desired and a comparatively fast movement is required after the press is ready for printing. This has been accomplished in some instances by the use of two motors.-a small motor operating through speed reducing gears to turn the press' very slowly, and a. larger motor for In the system of Fig. 2 the control circuits and the method of controlling the movement of the brush holder 16' are the same as in.Fig. 1. When the first contact plates of series 11' and 12' are engaged, no circuit' is closed through 11 and a circuit through 12 is closed through elements 2, 23, 39. 50, both of resistances 52, brushes 53, and 54, contactplate con- .ductor 56, motor 57, conductor 58, conductor 59, upper contacts and brush of solenoid switch 7', conductor 40', switch blade 27', power conductor 2'. is sta ted at its slowest speed while the large motor 60 is not, started at all. At the second of the series of contact pieces the speed of and the motor 60 is started through circuit containing elements '27, 2. At the next step with the brushes control switch 4, the engagement of brush.

53 with contact piece 12 will start the small motor, and the next two steps will increase the speed of the small motor, preparingthe small motor to take the load of the ress when the lar'ge motor stops or becomes inefficient in operation at a very low speed. In like manner the contacts of brushes controlled by the plunger 15 may be modified to care for alternating currents of two phase or three phase varieties.

When alternating currents are used for the motor, it is desirable sometimes to operate the control circuits by direct currents; In any instance control circuit conductors 24 and 26 are carried to the source of controlling current, and power conductors 29 and are carried to the source of 'power current. In Fig. 1 these two pairs of conductors are shown carried to thesame source, namely the power mains 2 and 2, but it is I obvious that they may be carried to difl'erent sources when desired. By thismeans, the vc ontrolling circuits may be operated. by direct currents and an alternating current may be controlled thereby.

- In Fig. 3 is shown a detail which has first the. function of centering the brushes of the brush holder 16 or of preventing the brushes from occupying an arcing position upon the contact plates 11 and 12, and second thefunction of opposing the movement of the pluii' ers and brush holders as they approach t eir left-hand position. The

spring carrier 65 is attached to brush holder 16 and carries wheel 66 which travels upon track 67. By reason of the notches in the track 67 the wheel 66 causes theflbrush holder, when not under the influence of the -'solenoids, to take and hold a suitable position with reference to the contact plates. As the plunger 15 passes into the solenoid 13 the magnetic attraction is increased. This is m-part compensated for by the angle taken by thetrack 67 at the left, so that too rapid .a movement. of the plunger is not permitted.

A modifica'tionis shown 'in Fig. 4. In this figure the right hand end of the solenoid 14 is shown labeled 14"- and within it is the right hand end of the plunger labeled 15". Plunger 15 is provided with the insulating stud 70 which presses a ainst ppriwg' '11 holding it out of engagemen withspring 72 when the plunger 15 -is in its extreme right hand position. This constitutes an oft-normal switch opened when the plunger 15" is in. its normal or extreme righthand position and closed under any otl er position ofthat plunger. -It will be seen that its function is the same as that performed by the parts 9, 19, 20 and lO'which in themselves constitute an ofi'-no rmal switch, and

by connecting the spring 72 andiil to conductors 28 and 29 of F ig. 1, the contact plates 9 and 10 and the brushes 19 and 20 may be omitted.

By closing the back end of each of the solenoids, a dash pot is formed for the plungers, preventing too rapid a motion of the brushes over the contact plates. The core working into the solenoids lies horizontally,

hcncehas no tendency to move in either direction when neither solenoid is energized. When thesize of the core is large, and its weight, therefore, is great, friction-reducing means may be desirable such as rollers or lubricated bearing surfaces, the provision of which licswithin the skill of any workman. The core should be of magnetic construction, suitablefor the conditions of service. A solid core of iron is suitable for direct signal currents, buta laminated core or a core of a bundle of wires, or even a helix maybe required when the control currents are alternating. lVhile the solenoid type of construction is illustrated herein and seems desirable, a modified type may be constructed .using elcctromagnets of other forms.

It is immaterial in mounting the device represented by Fig. 1, whether the solenoids be above or below the base or mounted sidewise as upon a wall. I prefer to mount the contact-making device of Fig. 1 upon the top, side or bottom of a resistance housing containing the resistances 2i and 22, the device thus mounted being independent of the housing and being wired to the resistances.

I do not wish to limit myself to the exact device here shown, this device being'merely a typical one embodying my invention, and

many modifications being possible.

' .llhat I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a current controlling device, an electric switch having a movable part. solenoids for moving said movable part into and out of its normal positions; an auxiliary switch;

anda control circuit including one of said solenoids and said auxiliary switch, said included solenoid being adapted to restore said movable switch part to its normal position, and said auxiliary switch bcingndapted to open said control circuit when said movable switch part is in its normal position. substantially as described.

2. In a current controlling device, an eleciric switch having a movable part, solenoids for moving said movable part into and out of its normal positions, a plurolity of corn trol circuitswfor directly controlling the operating of said moving part, an auxiliary switch and acontrol circuit including one of said solenoids and saidauxiliary switch,

sa-id included solenoid being adapted to restore said moving switch part to its normal condition, and said auxiliary switch being adapted to opensaid control circuit when said moving switch part is in its normal position, and means for gradually retarding said movable part as said movable part passes into one of said solenoids for the purpose herein described.

Signed by me at Chicago, county of Cook 15 and State of Illinois, in-the presence of two witnesses.

' ALLAN J. CLINE.

lVitnesses: I I

- DAVID S. Homnsn,

HARRIET L. SMITH.--

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