Improvements in Electric Controllers for Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 2nd Oct., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Controllers for Railway Vehicles.
I, SAMUEL HARRIS, of Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States
of America, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:―
an
My invention relates to that class of electric controllers used upon railway
vehicles to control the current to the motors thereon, and has for its objects the
provision of a cheap, simple and effective arc extinguishing device,
improved form of locking and step-by-step device and other improvements to be
hereinafter pointed out.
To these ends my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and
combination of parts to be described and claimed.
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of the inside of a controller, embodying
the features of my invention.
Figure 2 is a front view of the same, the central portions of the view being
broken away
Figure 4 is a diagram showing how I prefer to electrically connect the coils DD).
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Within the casing A is the operating drum B and a reversing and cut-out
drum B rotatable respectively with the movements of vertical shafts C and C',
to which are secured suitable levers (now shewn in the drawing).
DD are coils composed of a number of turns of insulated wire d, the whole being
covered with a suitable insulator as asbestos. D D are supported by wooden
blocks E E secured to the bottom of the casing.
The drum B, which I prefer to make largely out of magnetic material, rotates
within said coils, the winding of the coils and their position relative to the drum
being such that the opposite sides of the drum become magnetic poles when current
flows through d.
As the drum is rotatable and the coils are stationary, the pole portions of the
drum change as it rotates, but will always bear the same relation to the fixed
portions of the controller, including the fixed contact fingers contiguous to drum B.
I, therefore, place the coils in such positions relative to the position of the fixed
fingers that will cause one of the poles of the drum to be at or near the contact
portions of the fingers. By such an arrangement I am enabled to extinguish
quickly any arcs which tend to form when the drum is rotated.
If it is desirable to make the drum B without magnetizable material as a part of
its make-up, the same arc extinguishing effect may be obtained by adding more
turns of the wire d to the coils. With such an arrangement, free magnetism would
be depended upon altogether.
It is not essential to the effectiveness of the device, although it is preferable, to
have two coils as shown, as with one coil surrounding the free ends of the series of

page_text: contact fingers, the same result may be obtained, by adding more turns of the
wire d.
the drum B¹.
Fis the finger board upon which are secured the fixed fingers adapted to contact
with drum B. F is a similar finger board for the fingers adapted to contact with
Secured in recesses in F are the binding posts G¹, to one end of which suitable
connection is made with any desired part of the circuit. The other end of G
extends towards the drum B. Gis a flat spring secured between the members G¹
and G by screw o.
G is a contact secured to the free end of G. The pressure between G* and the
drum may be adjusted by the screw o¹.
The members G1, G2, G3 and G4, secured together as described, constitute a
compact and effective contact finger and is one of the series adapted to contact
with B.
Extending from, and secured to, the back of the controller is the projecting
support K, which extends between the plates H and H¹ surrounding respectively
the shafts C and C. Within a transverse opening through K are the members J,
J and S which, together with the discs H and H', comprise a novel, simple and
effective form of combined interlocking and step-by-step device for the two
controller switches.
J has a rounded end adapted to engage the periphery of H', J' has a similar
end adapted to engage the periphery of H. S is a spiral spring fitting within a
cavity formed by openings in both J and J. S is adapted to press each locking
member towards its respective plate. J' may slide within the opening in K and J
may slide within J.
The plates H and H¹ have depressions in their periphery corresponding circum-
ferentially with the operative positions of the switches to which they belong. In
Figure 1 both switches are at the "Off" position. In this position J' engages a
depression in the periphery of H, said depression being deeper than any of the
other depressions in the same plate. Because of the depth of this depression the
plate His enabled to rotate freely, the pressure of S being merely sufficient to
produce the desired step-by-step effect.
If J is on one of the depressions of H' and J¹ is engaging any portion of the
periphery of H except that portion which it is shown as engaging (Figure 1) H¹
cannot be moved.
I am, therefore, enabled by the use of my invention to automatically produce
the desired step-by-step effect; to prevent the reversing and cut-out switch from
being moved except when the operating switch is at the "Off" position; and to
prevent the operating switch from being moved when the reversing and cut-out
switch is at the Off" position.
I desire to be understood as limiting myself neither to the exact details shown
and described, nor to the use of my improvement with the exact type of controller
shown.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In an electric controller, in combination, a rotatable drum carrying a plurality
of contacts, and a coil surrounding a part of said drum and electrically connected
to any suitable part of the circuit.
2. In an electric controller, in combination, a rotatable drum, a plurality of fixed
fingers contiguous thereto, and a coil electrically connected to any suitable part of
the circuit and surrounding said plurality of fingers at their contact ends.
3. In an electric controller, in combination, a rotatable drum, a plurality of fixed
fingers contiguous thereto, and a coil electrically connected to any suitable part
of the circuit, the periphery of said drum being free to rotate within said coil.
4. In an electric controller, in combination, the operating drum of a controller

page_text: carrying a plurality of contacts, a series of fixed fingers contiguous thereto, a coil
electrically connected to any suitable part of the circuit and surrounding a portion
of said drum.
5. In an electric controller, in combination, the operating drum of the controller
constructed in part of magnetizable material, and energizing coils for directly
magnetizing said drum.
6. In an electric controller, an electro-magnetic arc interrupter comprising the
cerating drum of said controller and suitable energizing coils surrounding a part
of said drum.
7. An electro-magnetic arc interrupter for electric controllers comprising the
operating drum of said controller and coils for directly magnetizing said drum.
8. In an electric controller, a member constituting the core of an electro-
magnetic arc interrupter and the operating switch of the controller.
9. In an electric controller, in combination, a rotatable drum composed in part
of magnetic material, a plurality of fixed fingers contiguous thereto, and coils for
directly magnetizing said drum, one of the magnetic poles of the magnetized drum
being at or near the contact portions of said plurality of fingers.
10. In an electro-magnetic arc-interrupter for electric controllers, a combined
operating drum and magnet core, one of the poles of the magnet being
substantially at the contact breaking portions of said drum.
11. In an electric controller, in combination, a rotating shaft, a drum rotatable
with said shaft, field coils contiguous, parallel with and adapted to energize said
drom, and fixed fingers adapted to make contact with said drum.
12. In an electric controller, in combination, a support K rigidly secured between
two rotatable discs, two stops sliding within said support, means for pressing the
stops towards said disc and means for limiting the range of movement of said
stops.
13. An interlocking or step-by-step device comprising, in combination, two
rotatable discs, a rigid support between said discs, stops adapted to engage the
peripheries of said discs, one of said stops being carried by the rigid support, the
other of said stops being carried within the first mentioned stop, a spring in a
cavity within said stops adapted to press them in opposite directions toward said
discs.
100M
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.