US675517A - Controller for electric motors. - Google Patents

Description

Nu. 675,5l7. Patented Juno 4, l90l. F.- A. MERRIGK 81. E. W. STULL.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

(Application filed Aug. 28, 1900.)

(No Modal.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK A. MERRICK AND EMMET" IV. STULL, 'OF JOHNSTOWN, PENN- SYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE LORAIN STEEIJ COMPANY, OF PENN- SY LVA N IA.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

SPECIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 675,517, dated June 4, 1901. Application filed August 28,1900. Serial No. 28,295. (No model.)

To (ti/Z whom it may CON/corn.-

Be it known that we, FRANK A. MERRIOK and EMMETT W. STULL, of J ohnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Controllers for Electric Motors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention has relation to controllers for electric motors, and more particularly to means for governing the operation of the reversing-switch, our object being to guard against improper operation of said switch by accident or through the ignorance or carelessness of a motorman. YVe accomplish this object by the provision of a lock, which holds the reversingswitch from movement and which can be released only by some special deliberate act of the motorman. Inasmuch as the reversing'switch should not ordinarily be operated except the regulator-switch is at its open-circuit or off position and to facilitate the release of said look at that time whenever necessary, we provide means whereby its release may be effected by a special movement of the regulator handle or lever.

Our invention also consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, all as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of a controller embodying our invention with the handle of the reverse-switch removed; Fig. 2, a section on the line B B of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 a section on the line A A of Fig. 1.

The letter C designates the shaft of the regulator-switch, and O the operating handle or lever thereof.

D is the shaft of the reverse-switch, and D its operating handle or lever.

E is the controller-casing.

c is a lug or finger which prevents removal of the handle C except when the said lug is brought into alinement with a slot 0 in a guard-flange 0 (Z is a similar lug on the reof said pin or plunger.

verse-switch handle, and D a corresponding guard-flange therefor.

H is a locking-lever, which is fulcrumed at h to a depending lug of the controller-top. One arm of this lever carries a pin I, which is designed to enter any one of a series of apertures K in a plate or disk K, secured to the shaft D, there being one of these apertu res for each position of the reversingswitch. The other arm of said lever extends underneath the lower end of a verticallymovablepin or plunger L, seated in a guide I in the controller-top. M is a spring, which is seated between the first-named arm of said lever and the controller-top for the purpose of holding the pin I in locking engagement with the disk K.

It will be readily seen that a downward movement of the pin or plunger L will actuate the lever H to disengage the pin I from the disk K, and thus free the reversing switch, and various means may be provided for the purpose of so operating said pin or plunger. We prefer, however, to effect such operation bya special movement of the handle (3, and to that end we form the handle with a joint at 0 so that its outer portion may be moved in a vertical plane, and arrange the pin or plunger L directly underneath the said handle when the latter is at its ofi position, so that the depression of the handle through the slot 0 will effect the actuation In all other positions the handle is supported on the guard-flange 0 In order to prevent the handle 0 from dropping into said slot 0' each time it is moved to its off position, a spring S may be placed between the vertically-movable portion of the handle and the lug or finger c, as shown in Fig. 2, so that a positive depression of the handle is necessary in order to cause it to come in contact with the pin or plunger L.

It will be observed that inasmuch as the reverse-switch is locked at all times accidental operation thereof is impossible, and the likelihood of careless or improper opera tion is largely reduced by the fact that such operation must be preceded by a separate deliberate act.

We do not wish to limit ourselves to the particular construction, arrangement, and combination of parts which we have herein shown and described, as it is obvious that our invention, as hereinafter set forth in the claims, is much broader in its spirit and scope.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a controller for electric motors, the combination of a regulator-switch, a reverseswitch, and a manually-controlled lock for the reverse-switch, said lock being independent of and not afiected by the usual operation of the regulator-switch.

2. In a controller for electric motors, the combination of a regulator-switch, a reverseswitch, a lock for the reverse-switch, and a manually-operative device for eifecting the release of said lock, independently of the usual operation of the regulator-switch.

3., In a controller for electric motors, the combination of a regulator-switch, a reverseswitch, a lock for the reverse-switch operating at all positions of the said switch and of the regulator-switch, and means for eifecting the release of said lock, independently of the usual operation of the controller.

4. In a controller for electric motors, the combination of a regulator-switch, a handle therefor, a reverse-switch, a lock for the reverse-switch, and means for elfecting the release of said lockby a special movement of the said handle, additional to the usual forward, and backward movements thereof.

'5, In a controller for electric motors, the combination of a regulating-switch, a handle therefor capable of a horizontal and also of a vertical movement, a reversing-switch, a

lock therefor, and means for effecting the repreventing the removal of said handle except in a predetermined position thereof, a reversing-switch, a lever arranged to engage and lock said reversing-switch, and a verticallymovable pin or plunger arranged to engage the said lever, said pin or plunger being in position to be engaged by said handle when the latter is in a predetermined position.

8.111 a controller for electric motors, the

combination of a regulator-switch, a jointed handle therefor, means for permitting vertical movement of the handle on its joint when theswitch is at its off position, a reversingswitch, a plate or disk on the shaft of said switch having an aperture therein for each position of the switch, a locking-lever having a pin arranged to engage any one of the said apertures, and means whereby vertical movement of said handle actuates the said lever to release such engagement.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK 'A. MERRIOK. EMMETT W. STULL.

Witnesses:

B. M. SMITH, II. W. SMITH.

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