US2842634A - Electrical regulator - Google Patents

Description

July s, 1958 L. A. RICE 2,842,634

ELECTRICAL REGULATOR Filed April 23, 1954 62 5| INSULATION 42 a Q 39 3a 44 Q INSULATION 19A 52/ B 3'19 l|||| 58 as WI 1' I lllllllllmmr yman A. Rice INSULATION 24 His Alto/hey Unitcd States Patent ELECTRICAL REGULATOR Lyman A. Rice, Anderson, Ind., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application April 23, 1954, Serial No. 425,085

6 Claims. (Cl. 200-87) This invention relates to adjustment means and more particularly to a vernier adjustment for use in circuit controls.

It isan object of the present invention to provide a stationary contactin acircuit control. or. regulator with a prismoidal mounting so that the air gap of said regulator may be adjusted when said mounting is rotated relative to the contact. 7

It is another object of the present. invention. to provide a fine adjustment for the air gap in a circuit control. This object is materialized by supporting a stationary contact of the control regulator on a part having. a tapered surface so that the part when. rotated will cause the spacing between the contact and the electromagnet. to vary for finely adjusting the air gap spacing between the magnet and the armature of the control.

A more specific object ofv the present invention is to provide means for adjusting the air gap between the armature and electromagnet in a circuitcontroL. This object is accomplished by including a tapered member between a stationary contact and the supporting structure therefore so that the tapered member, when rotated, will cause the position of the stationary contact to change, relative to a movable contact carried by an armature, and thus adjustably vary the air gap between the armature and core of the electromagnet when the contacts are in engagement with each other.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following descniption, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown. 7 1 j In the drawing: a Figure 1 is a view partly in section of a regulator embodying the a present invention.

, Figure 2 is an enlarged view along line 2-2 in Figure l.'

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the stationary contact and support therefore in Figure 1.

In the drawing, the numeral 20 designates a circuit controller or regulator similar to the type disclosed in patent application Serial No. 371,133, as filed July 29, 1953, by I. H. Bolles and L. A. Rice and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Regulator 20 includes a base 22 whercon a cover 23 is sealingly positioned so that the internal parts. of the regulator are protected from damage. These internal parts of the regulator comprise an electromagnet assembly 24, a stationary contact assembly 26, and a movable contact assembly 28.

The electromagnet assembly 24 has a magnetic core 30 that is secured to base 22 and spaced from the movable armature 38 portion of movable contact assembly 28 when regulator winding 34 is deenergized. Winding 34 which is wound on core 30 is suitably insulated from base 22 and has one end connected with an external terminal 34 and the other end connected to a contact arm 36 of the stationary contact assembly 26. The armature 38 of movable contactassembly 28 has a movable contact 39 2 ,842,634 Patented July 8, 1958 on one end and an arm 40 bent at right angles of the plane of the armature 38 on the other end. The armature 38, a spring hinge 42 and a plate 44 are secured to each other so the hinge 42 which extends beyond plate 44 and has two spaced tongues, not shown, may be secured to one end of a magnet frame 46 that is disposed adjacent the electromagnet assembly 24 and has the other end secured to the base 22 by an extension of the core 30 which passes through an opening in the base. The plate 44 is provided with a hook or a spring seat 48 that supports one end of a spring 50 that has the other end suitably secured to an adjustment means 52 as clearly outlined in the Bolles and Rice patent supra. When assembled the spring 50 urges armature plate 38 in a clockwise direction to maintain the movable contact 39 in a closed position with the stationary contact 52 with a predetermined force. The spring force by which the contacts 39 and 52 are kept in engagement may be adjusted by an adjustment means 53 so as to change the tension of spring 50 and thus vary the magnetic force that must be developed by the eIectrornagnet assembly 24 for separating contacts 39 and 52.

The stationary contact assembly 26 includes the stationary contact 52 as carried on one end of contact arm 36 which has the other end insulated from and secured through an adjustment means 54 to a bracket 56 thatv is mounted on the electromagnetic assembly 24, as clearly seen in Figure 3. The bracket 56 has a suitably threaded opening wherein the threads of screw 55 are tightened against lock washer 51 that seats on an insulating washer 57 for holding the contact arm in position on a prismoidal shape member 58, as will be hereinafter more. fullydescribed, which in turn is held against insulating washer 59 that seats on bracket 56.

The prismoidal member 58, in the preferred embodiangularity relative tobracket .56 as shown in positions A and B in Figure 3.

Generally at least two adjustments must be made on the. regulators ofthe type herein disclosed to correct for manufacturing inaccuracies and to correctly calibrate the regulator for the circuit wherein it is included. This invention is directed to the adjustment of the air gap. This is accomplished by inserting a feeler gauge of the proper thickness between the core 30 and the movable armature 38 and depressing the armature into contact with the feeler gauge, against the force of spring 50 so that a predetermined air gap is realized between the core 30 and the movable armature 38. When the armature is in this depressed position, and the screw 55 has been loosened, the adjustment member 58 may be rotated, as by a wrench, so'that the angularity of contact arm 36 changes and causes contact 52 to move and engage contact 39. When the parts are in this position, the screw 55 is tight ened and the parts are thus maintained in the correct position with each other so as to provide a proper spacing for the air gap of the regulator.

The adjustment of the tension of the spring 50, which varies the magnet force required to move armature 38 and thus calibrate the regulator to a predetermined current and/ or voltage is accomplished by adjustment means 53 as is clearly set forth in the patent to Bolles and Rice, supra.

It is manifest the rotation of member 58 will cause conchange its position relative to This tilt is not objectionable in that it is of a small magnitude and will not aifect the engagement between the contacts 52 and 39 because of the rounded end surfaces on each of the contacts. In this connection it is to be pointed out that the air gap adjustment required generally is of a small magnitude and if contact arm 36 is an inch in length, a two degree change in its angularity will move contact 52 approximately .035 inch which generally exceeds the amount of adjustment required. Further if desired the shape of member 58 may be other than disclosed to accomplish. an adjustment of the air gap when the angularity of the contact arm 36 is changed relative to the other portions of the apparatus. For example, the member 58 may be a cylinder with tapped ends or may be divided into a plurality of segments that have one or more faces tapered so that the arm 36 will move when the various segments are rotated relative to each other. These embodiments are not shown and are all within the scope of the present invention.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a circuit control, the combination comprising; an electromagnet, an armature adapted to be moved by said electromagnet and spaced therefrom when said magnet is deenergized, a movable contact carried by said armature, a flexible blade carrying a stationary contact at one end thereof that is adapted to engage said movable contact when said armature is deenergized, and means for supporting said blade adjacent the opposite end thereof including a prismoidal member spaced from said stationary contact, said prismoidal member having nonparallel end surfaces arranged for moving said contact relative to said magnet for varying the spacing between the armature and magnet.

2. In a circuit control, the combination comprising, an electromagnet, an armature normally spaced from said magnet when said magnet is deenergized having a contact portion thereon, a stationary contact means in contact with the contact portion of said armature when said magnet is deenergized, a flexible arm having the stationary contact on one end, and a prismoidal member supporting the flexible arm at its other end, said prismoidal member having an upper inclined face that engages the flexible arm whereby said arm is moved when said prismoidal member is rotated. a

3. In a circuit control, the combination comprising; an electromagnet, an armature normally spaced from said magnet when said magnet is deenergized having a contact portion thereon, a flexible blade carrying a stationary contact at one end thereof that is arranged to engage the contact portion of said armature when said'magnet is deenergized, a member having one tapered end surface supporting said flexible blade at a spaced distance from said stationary contact and adapted to move said contact support and stationary contact for varying the spacing between said armature and magnet, said member operating as the sole support for said flexible blade.

4. In a circuit control the combination comprising; an electromagnet, an armature normally spaced from said magnet when said. magnet is deenergized having a contact portion thereon, a stationary contact in contact with the contact portion of said armature when said magnet is deenergized, a flexible blade supporting said stationary contact adjacent one end thereof, and a member having converging end surfaces supporting said flexible arm adjacent an opposite end thereof, said member being spaced from said stationary contact and adapted to move the blade and contact for varying the spacing between said armature andmagnet when such member is rotated relative to the blade.

5. In a circuit control, the combination comprising; an electromagnet, anarmature normally spaced from said magnet when said magnet is deenergized, a movablecontact portion on said armature, a stationary contact in con! tact with the movable contact portion on said armature when said magnet is deenergized, a flexible lever carrying the stationary contact on one end, and means including a block spaced from said stationary contact and arranged to support the other end of said flexible ilever, said block having spaced surfaces in nonparallel planes arranged to move the contact carrying end of said lever for varying the space between said armature and magnet when said 3 block is rotated relative to said lever.

6. In a circuit control, the combination comprising; an electromagnet, an armature norm-ally spaced from said magnet when said magnet is de-energized and having a contact portion thereon, a rotatableme'mber, a flexible blade supported in cantilever fashion by said member and having a contact spaced from said member that engages the contact portion of said armature when said magnet is de-energized, and cam meanson said rotatable member engaging said blade to adjust the same when said member is rotated, said rotatable member being the sole supportfor said blade.

7 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STAT ES PATENTS 200,132 Great Britain July 2, 1923

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