Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Operation of Electric - motors.
Year: 1898

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Operation of Electric -
motors.
I, CLINTON EDGAR WOODS, of 340, Dearborn Street, Chicago, in the County
of Cook and State of Illinois, United States of America, Electrical 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:-
My invention relates to apparatus for controlling the operation of electric
motors; and it consists in an improved combined controller and braking
apparatus whereby the passage of effective current to the motor is prevented
while the brake is applied and the application of the brake prevented while
current is passing through the motor.
The preferred embodiment of the invention may be generally described as
consisting in the combination, with a controller for varying the condition of a
circuit including the motor, of a brake for engaging and checking the motion
of a portion driven by said motor, actuating mechanism for actuating the brake
and controller, said controller being adapted to open or render ineffective the
circuit through said motor, said operating mechanism being adapted after having
actuated the controller to open or render ineffective the circuit through said motor
to disengage itself from the controller and in its further operation to apply the
brake, means being preferably provided for locking the controller in the position
it occupies when the motor-circuit is open or rendered ineffective.
The invention in all its features will be described in connection with the
accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my combined controller and brake apparatus ;
Fig. 2 is a perspective front view of the apparatus' shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a reversing switch;
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the association of the apparatus of
my invention with working circuits.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the different views.
I will first describe the circuits and instrumentalities for controlling the
application of current to the motor or motors by reference to all views.

page_text: In this particular instance, I have shown in Fig. 5 four generators g h i k,
made up of storage batteries gl g¹ h¹ h¹ i¹ i¹ kk respectively. Said generators
have their terminals g² g³ h² h³ ³ and mounted preferably upon an in-
sulating support 7 (Figure 4) which is preferably stationary. Said generator
terminals or contacts are each preferably formed with two jaws or clips con-
structed in one body or casting, the contacts of the movable element of the
controller being engaged between the said jaws. The conductors leading from
the generators to the terminals are preferably inserted in sockets extending
from the terminals. The sets m n and o (Figure 4) of controller contacts are
mounted upon the insulating support o¹, which in this instance is of square
cross-section and preferably revoluble, each set being mounted upon a face of
the support. The contacts m, n, and o are preferably in the form of blades
which are adapted for insertion between corresponding jaws of the generator-
terminals. Certain of the controller-contacts of each set are electrically con-
nected.
I preferably form the electrically-connected contacts in a single body, prefer-
ably an integral casting. The contact-jaws are constructed to have a spring like
engagement with the contact blades.
Referring to Figs. 3 and 5, the contacts m n and o are adapted to connect the
generators in circuit with the motors PP, the motors being connected by said
sets of contacts with said batteries respectively in parallel, series-parallell, and
in series, to vary the torque and speed as required. Full lines are connected
with the generator terminals to show the grouping of the generators effected by
the set of contacts m; dotted lines are employed to show the grouping effected
by the set of contacts n; dot-and-dash lines are employed to show the grouping
effected by the set of contacts o. In this particular instance I have shown two
motors which I preferably employ in operating vehicles. The pole-changing
switch (Figure 3) is employed to vary the direction of current through one
of the elements of each motor-in this instance, the armature-to control the
direction of movement of the motors or bodies driven thereby. The motor-
terminals, l, are preferably mounted upon an insulating base (Figure 3),
said terminals or contacts being preferably similar in construction to the gene-
rator-terminals. The reversing switch is in this instance provided with two
sets of contacts and which are preferably mounted upon a rotatable element
of square cross-section, each of the latter contacts being preferably of construc-
tion similar to that of the contacts upon the movable element of the grouping-
switch. In one position the contacts or blades of the set r serve, by their
engagement with the jaws of the motor-terminals to pass current through the
armature in the direction indicated by the arrows drawn in full lines. For
example the contact-blades of the set serve to reverse the current through the
armatures. The connections that are established by the contacts of set r be-
tween the motor contacts or terminals are indicated in full lines, (Figure 5);
the connections established by the contacts of set 1 are indicated by dotted lines.
Referring now particularly to Figures 1, 2, and 4, I will describe one form
of my improved apparatus for governing the relative operators of the controller
and brake. The feature of the invention is illustrated in connection with the
particular form of controller herein shown, but it may be also used in connection
with other forms of controllers. I mount the pinion o2 upon the revoluble
element o of the controller and rotate said controller element by means of said
pinion and a segmental actuating gear s, which is adapted to rotate the contact
blades of the controller in one direction or the other. The actuating gear is
preferably operated by a lever t which, by the familiar mechanism illustrated,
may be maintained in either of three positions, corresponding to the different
positions of the controller. The pinion o² and the segmental gear s constitute
a form of multiplying gear, whereby a given angular velocity of the levert about
its axis is accompanied by a greater velocity of the pinion 02 and the controller
actuated thereby. I thus am enabled to employ a lever which is adapted to

page_text: operate the mechanism for controlling the current and applying the brake, the
lever requiring, by this construction, only a short range.
The rotatable element and the lever mechanism for operating the same may
be said to constitute the controller for adjusting the condition of the motor
circuit.
In the position of the parts illustrated, no current is flowing, the movable and
stationary contacts of the controller being out of engagement. As this condition
of the apparatus is brought about, the pinion has been rotated to a position to
bring a cam or lug u into position to be engaged by a shoe ¹, the cam in being
brought into this position by the controller permitting the further operation
of the lever, while at the same time the revoluble element of the controller is
locked to prevent accidental inclusion of the motors in circuit with the
generators.
The brake cable is attached to an extension of the actuating gear and
through the medium of the gear and the shaft s¹ thereof with the lever t. The
engagement of the shoe and cam is of sufficient duration to permit the brake
cable to have the required range of movement. The brake cable is adapted to
engage any brake portion with a rotating portion driven by a motor, such as a
wheel. Other means than those herein shown and particularly described may
be employed for locking the controller in position during the operation of the
brake and the precise means shown for preventing the passage of effective
current through the motor during the application of the brake may be modified.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The combination with a controller for varying the condition of a circuit
including a motor, of a brake for engaging and checking the motion of a portion
driven by said motor, operating mechanism for actuating the brake and con-
troller, said controller being adapted to open or render ineffective the circuit
through said motor, said operating mechanism being adapted, after having
actuated the controller to open or render ineffective the circuit through said
motor, to disengage itself from the controller and in its further operation to
apply the brake, and means for locking the controller in the position it occupies
when the motor circuit is opened or rendered ineffective thereby, substantially
as described.
2. The combination with a rotating member of a controller, of a pinion
mounted thereon, an operating lever, an actuating gear connected therewith and
adapted through a portion of its range of movement to actuate said member to
effect the required changes in circuit conditions, and braking mechanism also
operated by said lever, said actuating gear during the remainder of its movement
being adapted to be operatively disengaged from said pinion, the operating lever
in moving the actuating gear through the remainder of its range being adapted
to operate the braking mechanism, substantially as described.
3. The combination with a rotating member of a controller, of a pinion
mounted thereon, an operating lever, an actuating gear connected therewith
and adapted through a portion of its range of movement to actuate said member
to effect the required changes in circuit conditions, braking mechanism also
operated by said lever, said actuating gear during the remainder of its move-
ment being adapted to be operatively disengaged from said pinion, the operating
lever in moving the actuating gear through the remainder of its range being
adapted to operate the braking mechanism, a lug fixedly mounted with relation
to the rotatable member, and a shoe fixedly mounted with relation to the actuat-
ing gear adapted to engage the lug during the operation of the mechanism,
substantially as described.
4. The combination with a lever t, of a controller for a motor circuit, a multi-
plying gear interposed between said controller and lever for increasing the speed

page_text: of the controller relative to the speed of the actuating lever, and a brake adapted
to engage a motor driven portion also operated by said actuating lever, substan-
tially as described.
5. The combination with a lever t, of a controller for a motor circuit, a multi-
plying gear interposed between said controller and lever for increasing the
speed of the controller relative to the speed of the actuating lever, and a brake
adapted to engage a motor driven portion also operated by said lever, said lever
serving to relieve the controller of the actuating influence of the multiplying
gear after having been shifted through a predetermined range of movement,
substantially as described.
Dated this 7th day of September 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.