US1912163A - Electric switch - Google Patents

Description

May 30, 1933. M. SCHLENKER ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed March 24, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

T ,Y I, E n e M m C A 5 KI Q M B fl May 30, 1933. M. SCHLENKER ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed March 24, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

MQX 561 LenKer. I

ATTORNEY May 30, 1933.

M. SCHLENKER 1,912,163

ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed March 24, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 3, l1;

or rear,

FILE "'51 ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN GLOC'IK CO, IIIOIS' A CQRPORATION OF ILLINOIS Y Application-filed March 24, 1928. Serial No. 264,543.

My invention relates to electric clocks and electric clock driving mechanisms and has for its object the production of an electric clock having an electric driving mechanism in which the electrical circuit closing contact is made extremely rapidly with the socalled snapping action and when the circuit closing contact is once made the contact is maintained by one of the contact parts wiping over the co-operating contact part, while the clock driving power is being loaded and when said loading is completed the contact immediately opens the circuit in an extremely rapid manner with the above mentioned snapping action.

A further object of my invention is the production of an electric clock in which.

the spring winding mechanism as it approaches the point where the contacting mechanisms are being brought into operative position will not retard or dampen the force of the power and thereby cause the time indicating mechanism to slow up and thus effect the timing qualities of the clocks.

A further object of my invention is to produce a device of this character that will be permanent in endurance, capable of standing the severe requirements for the use of same for automobiles and be accurate and extremely reliable in operation and yet simple and inexpensive to produce.

I accomplish these objects by the means shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a rear view of an electric clock embodying my invention showing the position of the armature and the electrical contacting mechanisms at the point where the contacts have come into electrically operative position.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of an electric clock embodying my invention showing the position of the armature and the electrical contacting mechanisms at the point where the electrical contacting mechanisms have just come out of electrical operative POSi'x tion.

Fig. 3 is a side view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the electrical contacting mechanism showing the position of the operative-parts ina similar relation as is indicated in Figure 2.

-Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the arrangement of the principal parts of said Figure 4.

Similar parts are "indicated by the same numerals throughout the several views.

In the drawings 1 is the rear plate of an electric clock movement and 2 is the front thereof saidplates being fastened together by means of the pillars and nuts 7 shown. 3 is an electromagnet fastened to plate 2 said magnet having the pole pieces 4 and 5 and the wire winding 6, one end of said wire winding being connected to connecting post 8 electrically insulatedly mounted on an intermediate plate 9 which is fastened to plate 2 by means of the pillars and screws 10 as shown. Connecting post 8 is connected to one side of the electrical source of power indicated at 12 by means of the wire 11. The other side of source of power is grounded on the plate 2 at 13 by means of the wire 14. Mounted on shaft 15 which is journaled in plate 1 and bushing mounted on plate 2 as shown, and having its projections 16 and 17 adjacent respectively to pole pieces 4 and 5 is the armature 18 which is actuated when the magnet 3 is energized as will be described below. Fastened on shaft 15 is a part 21 which has fastened on it a rivet 22 on which is pivotally mounted a pawl 23 which engages the teeth 24 of a ratchet wheel 25 adjacent to said part 21 which ratchet wheel 25 is fastened on a sleeve 19 which is journaled on said shaft 15 and has a gear wheel 26 fastened to it which drives the time gear train 27 and 28 and others shown to properly and correctly operate, the hands 29 and 30 of the clock. The pawl 23 is held into engagement with the teeth 24 by means of the spring 31 which presses on projection 32 and pawl 23, the other end of spring 31 after it passes around a stud 33 fastened in member 21 is fastened in an aperture 34 as shown (see Fig. 4). Pivotally mounted on a rivet stud 35 which is fastened in part 21 is a suitably formed contacting lever (preferably bell crank in shape) 36 which has a toe part 37 on its "of which is connected to said lever and the I aperture shown and the other end to a post 39 fastened on the plate 2. The left hand part of said lever 36 has a similar projecting part 40 which engages a holding lever 41 which is pivotally mounted on plate 2 at 42 as shown. Lever 41 has a toe part 43 which projects into an aperture 44 in plate 2 which limits its motion of rotation in the clockwise direction and it is held in position against the upper side of said aperture 44 by means of the spring 45 fastened on plate 2 and touchlng said part 43 as shown. It is evident that the entire possible motion of the holding lever 41 is limited by the size of the aperture 44. Lever 36 has a contacting pin 47 projecting from its side which pin travels into the path of a co-operative contacting part 48 which is mounted by means of the screws shown but" electricall insulated therefrom, on the lever 49 WhlCh is fastened on a shaft 50 journaled in plates 1 and 2, and is held in its outward and operative position by means of a :Fring 51 one end of which is fastened on pl te 2 and the other end of which engages a projecting part 52 from said lever 49, and holds said part 52 in engagement with a projecting part of plate 1 as shown. The co-operating contact part 48 is electrically connected with the other end of the wire winding 6 of electromagnet 3 by means of the wire 53 and it is evident that when any metallic conducting part of the clock movement all of which is grounded as above mentioned, touches this 'co-operating contact part 48 the magnet 3 will be instantly energized and rotate the armature 18 in the counter-clockwise direction. It is this rotation of the armature that is utilized to operate the time indicating train and for this purpose I emFloy a coiled spring 54 one end of which is astened to a post 55 mounted on the plate 2 and the other end is fastened to the armature 18 by means of a post 56 (see Fig. 3).

My device operates in the following manner:

Assume that the magnet 3 has just been energized by virtue of the contacting lever 36 and the co-operative contacting part 48 having been in position shown in Figure 1 and rotated the armature 18 as above mentioned in a counter-clockwise direction and thus stored up the force in the power spring 54 which now pulls on the armature 18 turning it and its shaft 15 and the art 21 fastened on said shaft 15 in the c ockwise direction which power is communicated to ratchet wheel 25 and thence to the time indicatng mechanism and as the power is utilized the part 21 continues to rotatein the clockwise direction. As said part 21 rotates in the clockwise direction it is evident that the projecting part 40 moves upwardly over the left hand end of lever 41 and as it does the toe part 37 and the other end of lever 36 raises away from the part 21 (see Fig. 4) so that as part 40 passes over the point of lever 41 the spring 38 instantly snaps the lever 36 in a clockwise direction of rotation bringing its contacting pin 47 into electrically operative engagement with the co-operating contact part 48 energizing the electro-magnet 3 immediately moving the armature 18 in the counter-clockwise direction back adjacent to the pole pieces of said magnet 3 and again loading the spring 54 as above mentioned. As the armature 18 moves in this counter-clockwise direction the projection or toe part 37 rests against the upper part of part 21 and actsas a part thereof and as it continues said motion the projecting part 40 on lever 36 depresses the end of pivoted lever 41 against the action of the spring 45 until said end is depressed sufiiciently so that when in addition to the movement of the projecting part 40 on lever 36 the part 40 clears the said end of lever 41 to bring it in the position shown in Figure 4 thus locking the contacting pin 47 out of engagement with its co-operative contacting part 48 when the action above mentioned will be ready to be repeated and which will be repeated as long as the device is connected to a source of electric power. It will be further seen from the above description from the manner in which the lever 36 is connected by means of the spring 38 one end of which spring is connected to the said lever 36 and the other end to the plate 2 that said spring 38 instead of opposing the action of the power spring 54 as was common in these mechanisms before my invention, assists the action of the power spring 54 because it tends to rotate the armature 18 in the same direction of rotation that said power spring 54 does and accordingly prevents the usual dampening effect or slowing up of the balance wheel of the time indicating mechanism. 7

From the above description it is evident that the making and breaking of the electrical contacts in my electric clock operate extremely fast and that after the contact is made there is a considerable amount of movement of the contacting pin on the cooperative contacting part, which will keep the parts clean and bright insuring same to be in thorough electric operative condition and further that said mechanism is simple, (durable in action and inexpensive to prouce.

It will be understood of course, that while I have here shown one form of my invention, I do not wish to limit myself to the exact form shown, but desire to have it taken in a sense illustrative of any and all the forms that come fairly within the scope of my claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a shaft a non-contacting plate mounted on said shaft, a contacting lever pivotally mounted on sand plate, a

plurality of'pro ections and a contacting part on said lever one of which projections limits the motion of said lever in relation to said plate in one direction, resilient means associated with said plate and lever, a resiliently andpivotally mounted holding strut part that co-acts withthe other pro jection on said level so that said lever is moved around its PIVOt in relation to said plate thereby causing its limiting projection to move away from said plate and the other of its projections to-be released from said strut, with a resilient co-operating contacting abutment that engages said contacting part on said lever when thus released to circuit closing position producing a wiping action between said contacting part and said abutment.

2. In combination, ashaft, anon-contacting plate mounted on said shaft, a contacting lever pivotally mounted on said plate, positioning means on said lever, resilient means associated with. said platean'd lever, a resiliently and pivotally mounted'holding strut part that co-acts with the said lever so that said lever is movedaround its pivot relative to said plate and thereby operatively released from said strut, with a resilient co-operating contacting abutment that engages said lever when thus released to vcircuit closing position and producing a wiping contacting action between said lever and said abutment.

3. In combination, a shaft, a non-contacting plate mounted on said shaft, a' contacting lever pivotally mounted on said plate, positioning means on said lever,.'res ilient means associated with said plate and lever, a resiliently and pivotally mounted holding strut part that co-acts with the said lever so that said lever is moved around its pivot relative to said plate and thereby operatively'released from said strut, with a resilient co-operating contacting abutment that engages said lever when thus released to circuit closing position.

MAX sonnnmn.

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