A Bi-planar Electric Switch.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Dec., 188g
Complete Specification Left, 8th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 29th Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Bi-planar Electric Switch.
I, ERNEST WILSON of 2 Rose Mount, Church Lane, Charlton S.E. in the County of
Kent, Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Many apparatus such as holophotes, guns, telescopes, and the like are so arranged
as to be moved right or left in a horizontal plane, or up or down in a vertical
plane, or by compounding these motions, in intermediate planes, the mechanism by
which these movements are produced being controlled by electric currents trans-
mitted from some station at a greater or less distance from the object moved. My
invention relates to a bi-planar switch so arranged that by the movement of its handle
to right or to left, or upwards or downwards, contacts are made for transmitting the
electric currents required for giving the distant object corresponding movements. A
simple form of bi-planar switch for this purpose is of the following description.
I pivot a semicircular ring at the ends of its diameter so that it can oscillate up
or down on a horizontal axis, and I pivot in like manner another semicircular ring
so that it can oscillate to right or left on a vertical axis. One of the semicircles is
smaller than the other, so that it is free to move within the other. To both semicircular
rings I attach a switch handle, by guides, so that the handle can be slid along either
ring carrying the other ring with it. On each side of the middle point of each ring,
(that is to say the extremity of a radius perpendicular to the vertical plane of the
four pivots) at some distance from that middle point there is a contact.
handle can be moved to any one of these contacts so as to close any one of the four
circuits, with which they are connected.
The switch
When the handle is in middle position all the circuits are open and the distant object
remains at rest, but by moving the handle to the right or the left contact on the
one ring, or to the upper or lower contact on the other ring, the distant object is
caused to move to right or left, or up or down as far as may be desired, and the
handle is then brought back to its middle position. Obviously the right or left contact
can be made simultaneously with the up or down contact, and thus the object can be
made to move in a plane intermediate to the horizontal and the vertical planes. Instead
of a single contact on each side of the middle point there may be several successive
contacts for cutting out resistances so as to cause greater speed of movement to the
object.
Instead of semicircular rings, rings completely circular or forming arcs of
circles greater or less than semicircles may be employed, these being pivotted so that
the two arcs along which the handle moves are concentric.
Dated this 19th day of December 1889.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
1...
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Bi-planar Electric Switch.
I, ERNEST WILSON, of 2 Rose Mount, Church Lane, Charlton, S.E. in the County
of Kent, 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 :-
Many apparatus such as holophotes, guns, telescopes, and the like are so arranged
as to be moved right or left in a horizontal plane, or up or down in a vertical plane,

page_text: or, by compounding these motions, in intermediate planes, the mechanism by which
these movements are produced being controlled by electric currents transmitted from
some station as a greater or less distance from the object moved.
My invention relates to a bi-planar switch so arranged that by the movement of its
handle to right or left, or upwards or downwards, contacts are made for transmitting
the electric currents required for giving the distant object corresponding movements.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side view and Fig. 2 is a front view of
a switch according to my invention.
I pivot a semicircular ring A at the ends of its diameter so that it can oscillate up
or down on a horizontal axis, and I pivot in like manner another semicircular ring B
so that it can oscillate to right or left on a vertical axis. The semicircular ring A is
smaller than B, so that it is free to move within B. To both semicircular rings I
attach a switch handle C by guides, so that the handle can be slid along either ring
carrying the other ring with it. On each side of the middle point of each ring (that
is to say the extremity of a radius perpendicular to the vertical plane of the four
pivots) and at some distance from that middle point, there are contacts a b c
the first of which, (a) closes the circuit, and the others bc.
out resistances 12
desirable
are for cutting
, in order to increase the speed of the movement if
Any number of resistances can be employed according to the range and rate of
variation of speed required, with a corresponding number of successive con-
tact a b c ..
The switch handle C carries the brushes D and can be moved
to any of these contacts so as to close any of the four circuits with which they
are connected, and to determine the speed of the movement to be produced.
Fig. 5 is a side view, Fig. 6 an end view and Fig. 7 a plan of a modified form of
switch with its two sets of contacts, the one set E in a vertical plane and the other
set F in a horizontal plane.
The one set of brushes H are fixed to a lever L which is pivotted at O and moved
by the handle P. The other set of brushes, K are fixed to a lever N which turns
round the vertical axis. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the electrical connections for
one of the semicircular rings of the switch of the form shewn by Figs. 1 and 2, and
Fig. 4 is a diagram of the connections for the switch shewn by Figs. 5, 6 and 7. In
these diagrams G indicates the generator and M the motor which is to be started or
stopped, a b c . . indicate successive contacts and r1 r2 resistances. The parts marked I
are of insulating material.
The upper set of contacts a b c in Figure 3 are supposed to be on the one side of
the ring, and the lower set on the other side; the brushes D are opposite to one another
and move together with the handle C. According as they are on the one side or the
other of the middle position, the current for the motor M is in the one or the other
direction.
The direction of the currents by the conductors arranged as in Figure 3 may be
understood from the following example.
Assuming that the handle C is moved so as to bring the one brush on the contact b
in the lower part of the figure then the other brush being moved to the same extent
along the other ring will be at x in the upper part of the figure. A current from the
terminal y of the generator G can then take the following course. From y by the
wire p to the contact piece d through the brush at x to i thence to the terminal z¹ of
the motor M. From the other terminal y¹ by wire p¹ to i¹ thence through the brush
to b thence by wire the resistance 2 and wire q₁ to the terminal z of the
generator.
When the handle is brought to middle position the motor is short circuited on itself
being thus for the moment converted into a generator producing an opposing E M F
which acts as a brake immediately stopping it. The connections for the other semi-
circular ring being similar to those shewn in Figure 3, by moving the handle C to the
right or left contacts on the one ring, or to the upper or lower contacts on the other
ring, the distant object is caused to move to the right or left, or up or down as far
as Loay be desired, the handle C being then brought back to its middle position.

page_text: Obviously the up and down contacts can be made simultaneously with the right
or left contacts, and thus the object can be made to move in a plane intermediate to
the horizontal and vertical planes.
In Fig. 4 G indicates the generator and M the motor as before for the one set of
contacts, the other set being similarly connected to the generator G and its motor.
In this case the action is the same as above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A biplanar electric switch with electrical contacts and connections, substantially
as described with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
2. The modified arrangement of biplanar switch with contacts and connections
substantially as described with reference, to Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7.
Dated this on day of September
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.