US460059A - mcelroy - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. F. MoELROY.

ELECTRIC REGULATOR.

Patented Sept. 22, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. MCELROY, OF ALBANY, NEV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE CONSOLI- DATED CAR HEATING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,059, dated September 22, 1891.

Application filed February 11, 1891- Serial No. 381,104. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.- current flowing through it depends on the l 3e it known that I, JAMES F. MOELROY, a electrical pressure in its working circuit. citizen of the United States, residing at Al F is the armature-lever of the controllingbany, in the county of Albany and State of magnet. 5 New York, have invented certain new and G is the movable core of the magnet E, se-

useful Improvements in Electric Regulators, cured to one end of the armature-lever.

of which the following is a specification, ref- H H are two stationary contacts, and I is a erence being had therein to the accompanying spring, all so arranged that when the pull of drawings. the magnet E becomes greater or less than 10 This invention relatesto newand useful imthe resistance of the spring I the lever is ()0 provements in electric regulators; and the indrawn against the contacts H II, respectively. vention consists, primarily, in the novel 0011- J and .l are two opposing motor-magnets struction and arrangement of the motor deplaced horizontally in axial line with each vices, whereby the contact-hand is made to other and provided with hollow spools.

5 move quickly to prevent sparking in chang- K is a movable armature placed between ingitspositiomand theinvention consists, furthe two opposing motor-magnets and adapted ther, in the novel construction and arrangeto be drawn into either one. The inner ends ment of the parts, whereby the device is not of the spool of the opposing motor-magnets only simple and readily adjusted, but also are preferably made conical, and the ends or 2 with the different parts so balanced that its cores project into and are made of corre- 7o operation will not be disturbed by the motion sponding shape and have secured to them the on board of a railway-train, thus adapting the guide-bars L, which guide the movable armadevice specifically forusein electric car-lightture in its horizontal movement and limit such movement by means of adjusting-nuts 25 111 the drawings, Figure l is a diagram of L, placed upon them. my device, showing the different electric con- M is a rocking lever pivotally suspended nections. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same. upon a fulcrum N above and between the Fig. 3 is a section on line 5c 00 in Fig. 2. Fig. motor-magnets and loosely engaging with its 4 is a section on line y y in Fig. 2. lower end into a slot K, preferably enlarged,

3 A A represent a circular series of stationin the movable core. The upper end of this So ary' contacts, which are connected to a series lever is provided with two pawls l\' and M of resistances B, and C is a contact-hand which are on opposite sides of the center line. adapted to move over these contacts and In the center of the circular series of conthereby introduce more orless resistance into tacts is secured or revolves upon a suitable 35 the circuit of thefield-magnets of the dynamo shaft or bearing a toothed wheel 0, which D by turning to the right or. left. Instead of carries the contact-hand O, and which is free introducing resistances, however, the conto be revolved in either direction by its entacts may be connected to the different cells gagements with the pawls M M -that is, of a storage-battery, so that the motion of the if the movable core K is drawn to the right 4 contact-hand will switch in agreateror lesser the wheel 0 and contact-hand C will be re- 0 number of cells, and hencevarythe potential volved to the left the distance of one eonof the currents exciting the field-magnets, and tact, and vice versa when the core is drawn thereby regulate the lights in the working in the opposite direction. circuit of the dynamo, the latterarrangement P is a retracting-lever, mounted trans- 45 being the one to which my device is especially versely the rocking lever M upon a fulcrum 5 well adapted, on account of its reducing the P and provided with two pins or offsets Q Q, sparking to a minimum. adapted to bear against lateral offsets or arms E represents the controlling-magnet, the R R, formed on the rocking lever, by the terminals of its energizing-coil being in contension of a spring S, secured to the retract- 5 O tact with the poles of the dynamo, so that the ing-lever, all so arranged as to normally hold thereby the rocking lever M in its middle or normal position between the motor-magnets, in which position the pawls M' M are both out of engagement with the toothed wheel 0. Below the free end of the retracting-lever is pivotally secured the contact-breaking lever T, which is adapted to make and break contact with the adj usting-screw U. The breaking of said contact is effected by the retracting-lever P, which when depressed to its limit, or nearly so, by the movement of the rocking lever to one side or the other presses said lever down.

V is a trip-dog adapted to hold the lever T out of contact with the screw U when it is pressed down by the lever P, and when the latter again returns to its normal position it trips the dog V and restores again the con tact with the screw U by the tension of the spring WV.

Electrical connections are further made as follows: One terminal of the controlling-circuit is connected to the lever F and the other to the contact-screw U, and the coils J and J have their terminals connected with the contact-screws H II, respectively, and with the contact-lever T.

The operation of the device is intended to be as follows: Then the pull of the controllingmagnet E becomes greater than that which the spring I is adjusted to resist, contact is made with the contact-screw H, and the regulating-circuit is thereby closed through the magnet J, which on becoming energized pulls the armature K to the left. This, on account of the lost motion which the rocking lever IWI has in the slot K and the weight of the core K and rocking lever M, imparts a quick motion to the rockinglever, which, like a blow, strikes the toothed wheel and turns it to the right, moving thereby the contact-hand the distance of one contact to the right, and owing to this quick blow being given there will be but a minimum of sparking when the hand breaks contact. At the same time the movement of the rocking lever depresses the retracting-lever, which at or near the limit of its depression strikes the contact-lever T and breaks the contact at U, thus cutting out the magnet J. lhis allows the retracting-lever to be drawn back again by its spring S and restores the normal position of the armature K and rocking lever M, and by tripping the dog V also restores the contact of the lever T with the screw U. It will be noticed that the circuit thus remains open until the rocking lever and armature K have assumed their normal position; but while the rocking lever receives and delivers its blow the circuit remains closed, thus utilizing the full energy of the magnet. If the pressure should still continue too high, the same operation is repeated again and again until an equilibrium is established, and if the pressure sinks below contact will be made at the screw II, and the magnet J now becomes the active motormagnet and the contact-hand C will be moved inthe. opposite direction. The lever F is free to respond to the slightest fluctuations in the electric circuit. At the same time it is balanced so that if placed on a railway-car it will not be affected by the jolting produced in the motion of the car. The upper portion of the rocking lever is made suitably weighty to balance, or nearly so,thelever portion thereof, including the armature K. In. this way the lever is so balanced upon its point that the jolting of the car in the plane of the lever will have no tendency to disturb it. It will be noticed that the pins Q and Q, on the retracting-lever are at such relative distances from the fulcrum of the rocking lever as to produce a like degree of depression by the movement of the rocking lever to either side.

hat I claim as my invention isl. The combination, with a dynamo-electric generator and its working circuit, of a loop in said circuit, two motor-magnets in normally-open branches of said loop, an armature adapted to be oppositely actuated by said motor-magnets and connected to the dynamo-regulating devices, means operated by changes of current in the working circuit of the dynamo for closing the circuit through either of the motor-magnets, a retracting mechanism for the armature of the motormagnets, and a make-and-break mechanism in said loop actuated by said retracting mechanism, substantially as described.

2. In electric regulators, the combination, with the working circuit of an electric generator, of two opposite motor-magnets located in normally-open branches of a loop in said working circuit, a movable core or cores forming an armature adapted to be oppositely moved by said magnets, a rocking lever actuated by said armature, a contact-hand adapted to be moved by said rocking lever to regulate the flow of the current through the fieldmagnets of the dynamo, a retracting-lever for said rocking lever, a make-and-break mechanism in the circuit of the loop actuated by the movement of said retracting-lever, and means operated by changes of current in the working circuit of the dynamo for closing the circuit through either of the motor-magnets, substantially as described.

3. In electric regulators, the combination, with the working circuit of an electric generator, of two opposite motor-magnets located in normally-open branches of a loop in said working circuit, a movable core or cores forming an armature adapted to be oppositely moved by closing the circuit through one or the other of said magnets, a normally-open switch-lever adapted to close the circuit through one or the other of said motor-magnets, a controlling-magnet actuating said switch-lever upon changes of current in the working circuit, a rocking lever actuated by the armature of the motor-magnets, a contacthand actuated by said rocking lever to regulate the magnetic intensity of the field-magnets of the dynamo, a retracting-lever applied to return said rocking lever and armature to its normal position, and a make-and-break mechanism adapted to make and break the circuit through the loop by actuating the retracting-lever in its extreme period of movement, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a concentricallyarranged series of contact-strips and a centrally-pivoted contact-hand of an electric regulating device, of a toothed wheel carrying such contact-hand, two solenoids placed opposite each other and provided with hollow spools, an armature slidingly supported between said spools in axial line therewith and provided at its opposite ends with cores extending into said spools to move said armature in opposite directions, a rocking lever engaged at one end with said armature, two pawls carried by the other end of said lever on opposite sides of the toothed wheel and normally out of engagement therewith, and a retracting-lever adapted to bear against said rocking lever at points on opposite sides of its fulcrum, substantially as described.

5. The combination,with the series of fixed contacts and the movable contact-hand of an electric regulating. device, of a toothed wheel carrying said movable contact-hand, a rocking lever carrying two pawls on opposite sides of said Wheel and adapted to turn said wheel in opposite directions, respectively, by the movement of said rocking lever, two 1notor magnets provided with a movable core or cores engaging with said rocking lever and adapted to oppositely actuate the same, and a retracting-lever adapted to bear against said rocking lever at two points at opposite sides of its fulcrum, respectively, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a concentricallyarranged series of contact-strips and a centrally-pivoted contact-hand of an electric regulating device, of a toothed wheel carrying said contact -hand, two opposite motormagnets having a sliding armature adapted to be oppositely actuated by the same, and a rocking lever carrying at one end two pawls on opposite sides of the toothed wheel, normally out of contact with said wheel and adapted to actuate the same in opposite directions and having its other end engaging loosely into an enlarged slot in said armature, substantially as described.

'7. The combination, with the rocking lever, of the motor magnets having hollow spools, the movable armature engaging with one end of said rocking lever and having cores formed at its opposite ends projecting into the spools and adapted to move such armature in opposite directions, and the adj usting-nuts on said cores for regulating the amplitude of motion of said rocking lever, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the motor-magnets having a sliding armature oppositely actuated by said magnets, of a rocking lever engaging with one end into said armature and provided at the other end with means for actuating the dynamo-regulating devices, said lever being arranged to balance with the armature, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with the motor-mag nets having a movable armature, of the rocking lever oppositely actuated by the same and provided with the lateral offsets R R, the retracting-lever P, provided with the projections Q Q, adapted to bear against said offsets, and the spring S, substantially as described.

10. The combination, with the motor-magnets having a movable armature, of the rocking lever oppositely actuated by the same and connected to the dynamo-regulating device, the retracting-lever P, the spring S, and the make-and-break mechanism consisting of the makeand-break lever T, the stationary contact U, the trip -lever V, and the spring W, substantially as described.

11. The combination,with a concentricallyarranged series of contact-strips and a centrally-pivoted contact-hand, of an electric regulating device, a toothed wheel carrying such contact-hand, a rocking lever operated by the motor devices of the regulator and carrying at one end two pawls on opposite sides of said toothed wheel, and a retractinglever arranged to normally engage on oppo-. site sides of and hold said rocking lever with the pawls out of engagement with said wheel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix 1n y-signatnre in presence of two witnesses.

. JAMES F. MCELROY. lVitnesses:

EDWIN A. SMITH,

JOHN B. BRAIDwoon.

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