Improvements in Electrio Controllers.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1896-4ccepted, 27th Feb., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electrio Controllers.
I, WILLIAM HENHY MORGAN, of Alliance in the County of Stark and State
of Ohio, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to an improvement in electric controllers, one object of the
invention being to so construct the apparatus that the contact arm of the rheostat
will be turned in the same direction when the operating lever is movel in either
direction from its normal position, thus rendering it possible to employ a graduated
resistance.
A further object is to construct the apparatus in such manner that the motion
of the contact arm of the rheostat shall be accelerated when it approaches the
forward end of its movement.
A further object is to improve and simplify the general construction of the
controller and to so construct it that it shall be effectual, in all respects in the
performance of its functions.
With these objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of
construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter set forth
and pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is n side elevation; Figure 2 is a similar view from the other side of
the machine; Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views; Figures 5 and 6 are detail views
and Figures 7, 8 and 9 are diagrammatical views.
A represents an annular frame or shell made in a single casting and preferably
baving peripheral openings whereby to reduce the weight of the apparatus. Some
of these openings will be closed by means of sheet iron 1, whereby to protect the
resistance coils located within the shell, and through the bottom opening, air may
enter for the purpose of ventilation. One side of the shell A is made with an
inwardly projecting integral flange or ring 2 and within said flange or ring, a spider 3
is dispesed, the arms 4 of said spider being made integral with the flange or ring 2.
The spider 3 is disposed transversely, in the center of the shell and is braced by
means of arms 5 extending to and niade integral with the shell at points above and
below the spider.
The spider serves as a bearing for a transverse shaft 7, to one end of which, a
switch arm B is secured but insulated therefrom contact devices or brushes B¹ are
secured to the respective ends of the switch arni B and adapted to move over a
series of contact plates 8 mounted on suitable insulation on the ring or Hange 2.
The contact plates 8 are adapted to receive the ends of arms 9 projecting from an
annular series of frames 10 located within the shell A. Each trame 10 is made
with two arms 9 which pass through perforations in the ends of the contact plates
and the free ends of said arms are screw threaded for the reception of nuts 11.
The frames 10 are also seated on blocks 12 of iusulating material bearing against
the inner face of the ring or flange 2. Thus the frames 10 ani contact plate: 8
are supported by but insulated from the ring or flange 2 and electrically
connected together. Each frame 10 is adapted to support a coil 13 (preferably
metallic ribbon), of resistance material, said frames also serving to space the
resistance coils apart whereby to permit a free circulation of air between them.

page_text: The resistance coils are arranged in the form of a ring, divided into two
semicircular sets so that brushes on the ends of the contact arm B will bear
simultaneously ou contact plates of the two sets of resistance coils and thus cut in
or out, two coils at a time when said switch arm is moved. The coils at one end of
ench set are made smaller i.e., composed of a less amount of metal, than the remaining
coils for a purpose which will be hereinafter more fully explained.
The side of the frame or shell A having the flauge or ring 2 is preferably
closed by means of a sheet metal plate 14, and the opposite side of the frame
or shell is closed by a sheet metal plate 15 and ring or casting 16 of open work.
A housing 17 for a reversing switch is located on top of the shell A, which
latter is closed at this point by a plate 18 through which conductors are passed, a
perforated insulating plate 19 boing secured to said plate. The housing 17
comprises a base portion 20 and a hinged cover 21 the base portion being made
with standards 22 which constitute bearings for the shaft 23 of the drum 24
of the reversing switch. The drum 24 is made of insulating material, preferably
porcelain, and may be composed of two sections separated by an insulating
disk 25.
To the drum 24, four series, i, j, k, l, of contact blocks are secured, and in order
to electrically connect certain of the contact blocks the druin is made with
longitudinal perforations for the reception of a series of electrical connectors.
The block of the series i is electrically connected with the block j of series j,
by means of a conductor m-m'; with the block of series by means of a
conductor mm and with the block of series by means of couductor m-m².
Block of series is counected with block of series k, by means of a conductor m';
block of series is connected with block of series by means of a conductor m*;
blocks and are connected by a conductor me and blocks and are connecte.
by a conductor m'.
On the base portion 20 of the housing at opposite sides of the standards 22,
porcelain blocks 26 are mounted each of which supports a series of contact devices
or brushes insulated from each other by means of porcelain plates 27. These
contact devices or brushes are thus arranged in two groups r,,, and s, s', s² 8,
at the respective sides of the drum 24 and each comprises a frame 28 in which a
transverse contact bluck or brush 29 is loosely mounted and free to move in one
direction when engaged by the contact blocks on the drum and limited, in its
movement in the other direction by flanges 30 which abut against the frame 28.
Lugs 31 project upwardly and outwardly from each frame 28 nud between their
free ends an arm 32 is pivotally connected. Each arm 32 is provided at its free
end with laterally projecting pintles 33, to which a plate 34 is loosely connected
and adapted to bear against the outer ends of the contact bluck or brush 29, aguiust
which it is held with a yielding pressure by means of springs 31, one end of ouch
of which is attached to the frame 28 and the other end to lugs 36 projecting
laterally from the arm 32, at points between the ends of the latter. Each arm 32
is preferably made with a thumb piece 37. The contact devices B' of tho
rheostat are somewhat similar in construction. Each contact device B' comprises
a frame 38 having an arm 39 secured to the switch arm B. In each frame 38, a
block or brush 40 of carbon is loosely mounted and adapted to bear ngainst the
contact plates 8. An arm 41 is pivotally connected between lugs 42 on the
frame 38, and to the free end of this arm, a plate 43 is loosely connected and inade
to bear against the carbon brush with a yiolding pressure, by means of springs 44,
one end of each of which is connected to the frame 38 and the other end to the
arm 41.
On one end of the shaft 23 of the drum 24, bifurcated arm 46 is secured and
made with a curved lower edge having a depression 46 between its ends and having
stops 47 at its ends. A short bar 48 is pivoted at one end to the shell A and
provided hetween its ends with a roller 49 to bear against the curved under edge
of the armn 45 against which it is forced with a yielding pressure, by means of a
spring 50 inserted under the free end of the bar 48. From this construction, it

page_text: will be seen that the action of the spring pressed bar 48 will be to retain the drum
against accidental movement and the roller 49 will constitute an abutment for the
stops 47, whereby. to limit the movements of the drum.
In order to operate the rheostat and reversing switch simultaneously and without
subjecting parts of the apparatus to injury from sparking at the contacts, the
appliances now to be described will be employed. A lever 51 is pivotally
connected to the lower part of the shell A and adapted to be guided by a slotted
arm 52 secured to the upper part of said shell, said lever being provided with a
pir 53 to enter the bifurcated arm 45 and operate the reversing switch.
Between its ends the lever 51 is made with a lateral enlargement or enlongated
portion 54, at the respective ends of which, rollers 55 are mounted and adapted to
enter can grooves 56, 56, made in a plate 57 secured to the shaft 7.
It will be seen that the lever 51 is so constructed, and the rollers so located with
relation to cam grooves, that when the lever is in a vertical position or medial
point, euch roller rests opposite and adjacent to the open month of its respective
cam groove, hence when the lever is moved in one direction, say toward the right,
one of the rollers enters its groove and benring against the side flanges or walls
thereof, turns the cam and with it the contact arm shaft on which the cam is
secured. By reversing the direction of movement of the actuating lever so as to
bring it back to its normal position or inedial point, the direction of rotation of the
cam is reversed and the contact arm restored to its normal position. If now the
nctuating lever be moved toward the left, the other roller enters its cam groove
and bearing against the walls thereof, turns the cam in the direction it turned when
the lever was moved from its medial point to the right. Thus it will be seen that
the cam, shaft and contact arm are moved in the same direction irrespective of the
direction of movement of the lever from its normal or medial point.
The shape of the cain grooves is such that the motion of the contact arin is not
uniform for a given or uniform motion of the actuating lever. Thus if we divide
the distance between the medial or normal position of the lever and its limit of its
outward throw in either direction into two equal parts, and move the lever at a
uniform speed throughout the entire throw, the contact arm would move a less
distance in the first half of the throw than in the last half.
By the use of the construction of operating devices above described, I am enabled
to employ a gradnuted resistance, as hereinbefore mentioned, which is a great
advantage.
When the drum is oscillated in one direction or the other, either the series of
contact blocks i, & or the series j, I will make electrical contact with the contact
devices of the reversing switch, whereby to cause the current to flow in one
direction or the other through the field magnet coils of an electric motor and cause
the operation of the latter in one direction or the other, all of which will be more
fully explained in the following description of the circuits.
In the diagrammatical views, X, Y, represent the line wires. The wire X is
connected with the contact arm by means of a wire t. The contact arm s¹ is
connected with one end of the field magnet coil D of an electric motor, by means
of a wire. The other end of said field magnet coil is connected by a wire with
the contact arms. The contact arm is connected with one end of the set C of
resistance coils by a wire and the contact arm is connected with the contact
armr by a conductor . The contact arın is connected with one end of the
set C of resistance coils by means of a wire to and the contact arm is connected
with the contact arin by a conductor t'. The contact arm is connected by a
wire with one of the commutator brushes of the armature D' of the motor,
and the other commutator brush is connected with the minus line wire Y, by a
wire t".
When the operating lever is in its norinal or intermediate position, the circuit
through the apparatus will be open and the connections will be as above explained
and shown in Figure 7.
When the operating lever is first moved from its normal position, in one direction

page_text: or the other, the circuit will be closed, including the entire resistance, but as the
movement of the lever is continued over the contact plates of the resistance coils,
the said coils will be gradually cut out of circuit, two at a time, as the movement
of the switch arm continues. By moving the operating lever back and forth, the
number of resistance coils included in the motor circuit can be varied to regiilnte
the speed of the motor as desired.
When the reversing switch is thrown in one direction the circuit will be traced
as shown by the arrows in Figure 8 and when the switch is thrown in the other
direction, the circuit through the switch will be as indicated by the arrows in
Figure 9.
to
With the position of parts shown in Figure 8, the circuit will be as follows:-
From the leading-in wire X, to contact arm by conductor t; then to contact
block; then to block ; then to contact arms; by wire t to field magnet
coil D of motor; then by wire to contact arm ; to block to block
contact arm; to set C of resistance coila; through switch arm B to set C of
resistance coils; by conductor t to contact arm ; to block ; to block to
contact arms, then by conductor to armature d' and then by conductor to to
line Y.
When the motor is to be run in the reverse direction the operating levor will be
moved to throw the reversing switch to cause a reversal of the direction of the
current through the field magnet coils, and under such conditions, the circuit can
be traced as follows and as shown in Figure 9.
The current will enter the controller at the contact arm as above described,
but the drum of the switch having been oscillated the relations of the contact blooks
to the contact arms have been changed, and the current will pass from the arm
to the contact block; then to block ; then to contact arms; to field magnet
coil by wire from field magnet coil by wire to contact arms; to contact
block; to block; to contact arm; through conductor and arm to set O'
of resistance coils; through more or less of said coils to switch are B; through
Baid switch arm to the set of coils C; through more or less of the set of coils ;
then by wire t' to contact arm ; through conductor and contact arm ŕ to block i¹;
to block; to contact arms; then to armature of motor by wire t' and from the
armature to the minus line wire, by the wire t".
It is evident that instead of reversing the current through the field magnet coils
of the motor as above described, the connections in the reversing switch could be
so arranged as to cause the current through the armature to be reversed to reverse
the motor.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. In an electric controller, the combination with a shell or frame, of an annular
series of coils therein, said coils arranged in two semicircular sots, the coils at one
end of each set containing less material than the coils at the other end, contact
plates connected to said coils and a contact or switch arm adapted to be moved
over said contact plates and cut the coils into or out of circuit, two at a
time.
2nd. In an electric controller, the combination with a set of resistance coils, the
coils at one end of the series containing less metal than the coils at the other
end of the sories, contact plates connected with said coils, a contact or switch
arm to move over said contact plates and devices constructed to operate said switch
arm so as to cause the latter part of its movement to be accelerated substantially as
set forth.
3rd. In an electric controller, the combination with a shell or frame, of an annular
Feries of resistance coils therein, divided into two sets the coils at one end of each
set containing more metal than the coils at the other end and contact plates
'connected with said coile, of a contact or switch arm adapted to bear on a contact

page_text: plate of each set simultaneously, an operating lever, and connections between said
operating lever and contact or switch arm, whereby to cause the contact or switch
arm to always move over the contact plate in the same direction, regardless of the
direction the operating lover is moved from its normal position.
4th. In an electric controller, the combination with a frame or shell, resistance.
coils therein, and contact plates for said resistance coils, of a reversing switch, and
a lever adapted to operate said reversing switch, said lover having lateral enlarge-
ments between its ends, rollers on said enlargements, a shaft, a contact arm on said
shaft to engage said contact plates, and a plate secured to said shaft and having
two cam grooves to receive the rollers on said lever whereby to cause the contac
arm to be moved always in the same direction, regardless of the direction of inove-
ment of suid lever from its normal position, substantially as set forth.
5th. In an electric controller, the combination with a frame or shell having a
flange or ring on one side, and a spider within said shell, of a series of resistance
coils supported by said flange or ring, contact plates for said coils, a shaft.
mounted in said spider and a contact arm secured to said shaft, substantially as set.
forth.
6th. In an electric controller, the combination with a frame or shell having a ring-
or flange on one side, and a spider within said shell, of a series of frames secured
to but insulated from said ring or flange, contact plates electrically connected to-
said frames and insulated from said ring or flange, a shaft mounted in said spider
and a contact arm carried by said shaft and having brushes to move over said
contact plates, substantially as set forth.
7th. In an electric controller, the combination with a rheostat, of a reversing
switch comprising an oscillatory drum of insulating material carrying contact blocks-
conuected together in pairs, and a set of contact devices at each side of said
drum, each of said contact devices comprising a frame, a sliding contact block
in said frame a pivoted arm, a plate loosely connected to said arm and bearing
against the sliding contact block and springs connected to said pivoted arm
and to the frame, and an operating lever common to said rheostat and reversing
switch.
8th. In an electric controller, the combination with an open shell having a ring
or flange at one side, a spider made integral with said ring or flange and braces for
said spider made integral with the shell, of frames secured to said ring or flange-
and insulated therefrom, contact plates attached to said frames, a shaft mounted
in said spider, means for operating said shaft, a contact arm secured to said shaft
and having contact brushes to move over said contact plates, and sheet metal plates
closing the open portions of the shell, substantially as set forth.
9th. A contact device consisting of an open frame of a sliding contact block.
therein, an arın pivoted to said frame, a plate loosely connected to said arm and
adapted to bear on said sliding contact block, lugs on said pivoted arm and springs.
connected at one end to said fugs and at the other end to said open frame, substan--.
tially as set forth.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Applicant..