Patent GB-191219203-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in, and relating to, Apparatus or Appliances for Electrically Operating and Controlling Valves.
Inventor: BRYAN ARTHUR
IPC: H01H43/12
Filed: 1912-08-22
Granted: 1913-08-21
Abstract: 19,203. Bryan, A., and Mountfort, L. F. Aug. 22. Actuating. - In an electric control system for sewage and other intermittently - operated valves, a timeswitch is employed to control the circuits of the operating - coil of the valve, the switch being provided with fixed contacts and adjustable . contacts controlled by hand or automatically to vary the interval between the opening and closing of the valve. Several valves may be simultaneously or successively controlled by the same time switch, while signal lamps are provided at the control station to indicate the condition of the valve, the circuits of these lamps being controlled by a switch operated by the valve. The valve may be controlled to obtain ' steady flow ' or ' intermittent flow ' working. The operating coil b<1> of the switch c<1>, Fig. 1 (Provisional), is placed across the battery b by closing either of the pairs of contacts a, a<1> or d, d<1>. The switch c<1> controls the circuit of the valve-operating coil c. Signal lamps e<2>, e<3> are placed at the control station, the circuits of the lamps being completed by closing the contacts e<4>, e<5>, e<6>, e<7> by movable contacts operated by the valve. The time switch controlling the contacts a, a<1>, d, d<1> is shown in Figs 1 and 2, and comprises a fixed switch 11 having a fixed contact a and a movable contact a<1> held in the ' off ' position by means of a spring 13; an adjustable switch 15 mounted on a revoluble disk 14 and comprising a fixed contact d and movable contact d<1> normally held in the ' off ' position, and a disk 18 provided with a cam 17 and revolved by a clock or motor. The closing of the contacts a, a<1> controls the opening of the valve, and the closing of the contacts d, d<1> controls the closing of the valve, the interval between these two operations being varied by varying the angular distance between the switches 11, 15 by rotating the member 14 by a hand-wheel 19. An automatic control of the interval between the opening and closing of the valve is provided by means of a float 22 connected to the disk 14. The frequency between two successive openings of the valve may be varied by manually or automatically varying the speed of the disk 14. The time switch controlling the coil b<1> may comprise a rotating disk of insulating material carrying on its periphery a contact adapted to engage a fixed roller or brush contact and a similar movable contact. The switch controlling the lamps e<2>, e<3> comprises a plate 30, Figs. 3 and 4, operated by the valve and carrying contacts 26, 27, 28, 29, and fixed lamp circuit terminals e<4> e<5>, e<6>, e<7> adapted to be bridged by the movable contacts to close the lamp circuits. A time-switch for controlling a number of valves comprises a series of closing switches 11, Fig. 6, a series of adjustable opening switches 15 and a series of cams 17 mounted on a rotating drum 18. The valves may be simultaneously or successively operated by placing the cams 17 in alinement or in staggered relationship. When the valve is operated by an electric motor, the valve may be operated either for ' steady flow ' or for ' intermittent flow ' working, the connexions being varied to change from one method of working to another, while the gear between the motor and the valve may be of the kind described in Specification 3699/12 and 20,380/12. The connexions for changing from the steady flow ' working to the ' intermittent flow ' working are shown in Fig. 7, in which four coils e, e', f, f<1> are employed to control the main switch, and a threepole switch is provided for changing the working of the arrangement. When the switch is in its upper position for ' steady flow ' working, the closing coil e is controlled by the contacts a, a<1> and the opening coil f is controlled by the contacts a, a<1> and the contacts g<1>, g<3> of the valve, while the closing-coil e<1> is controlled by the contacts d, d<1> and the opening-coil f<1> is controlled by the contacts d, d' and the contacts g<2>, g<4>. When the contacts a, a<1> are closed, the coil e is energized to close the main switch and the motor is started to open the valve, and when the latter is in its ' full open' position the contacts g<1>, g<3> are closed to complete the circuits of the opening coil f and signal lamp, after which the contacts a, a<1> are opened to break the circuits of the coils e, f. Similarly at the end of the flow period, the coils e<1>, f<1> are energized to close the valve. When the three-pole switch is moved to its lower position for ' intermittent flow ' working, the coils e, e<1> are in parallel across the battery and under the control of the contacts a, a<1>, while the coils f, f<1> are in parallel across the battery under the control of the contacts d, d<1>, g<2>, g<4>. The energization of the coils e, e<1> operates the main switch to close the motor circuit, which remains closed until the contacts d, d<1> are closed to open the circuit of the motor. In a further modification, for ' intermittent flow ' working, the motor is connected to the valve spindle through reducing- gear, the main switch coil being energized through a time-switch to close and open the main switch.