US1470948A - Automatic electric generating system - Google Patents

Description

- Oct. 16, 1923. 1,470,948 A. R. VAN HORN AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC GENERATING SYSTEM Filed May 7, 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 A0 REVERSE CURRENT Ill RELAY g AwJQz/w -w,

Oct. 16 1923.

A. R. VAN HORN AUTOMATIC BLEG'I'RIC'GENERATING SYSTEM FiledMay 7, 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 16,1923. v 1,470,948

A. R. VAN HORN AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC GENERATING SYSTEM Filed May 7, 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet s Patented Oct. 16, 1923.

UNITED STATES ALFRED B. VAN HORN, OF PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA; J S. VAN HORN EX- ECUTBIX OF SALD ALFRED R. VAN HORN, DECEASED.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC GENERATING SYSTEM.

Application filed Kay 7,

- will be completely automatic in its operation so long as the engine is supplied with provide novel means for insuring the start 'o fuel and the operative conditions are normal; the arrangement and connections of the apparatus being such that an abnormal condition will cause the system, with the ex(eption of the distributing circuit, to automatically shut down and become inoperative, at the same time putting in operation a signal device which will give an alarm indicatingthe existence of said abnormal condition. 4

-A further object of my invention is to ing of the engine without possibility of its back firing; the invention contemplating means for automatically causing a rich fuel mixture being delivered to the engine while it is being started, together with a novel device for .insurin the enriching of the fuelwhen and as ong as the engine is at .a low temperature.

It is also desired to provide an automatically controll electric nerating system in which the s rting an stopping of the engine and the operation of a generator shall be dependent on and responsive to V8.- riations inthe specific gravity of the storage battery electrolyte as well as upon variations in the load on the system and the.

invention includes a novel arrangement of apparatus and connections whereby injury to any of the contacts of said apparatus due to arcing is efl'ectually prevented; said arrangement being such as to prevent 1njury t the system by accidental or mali; of the movable contact 'm'em cious shifting bersl Anotherobject .Of vide anarrangement of circuits and'apparatus 'whereby it shall be possible to overhar the'stora batte whenthis'is de-. 0 ge ge ry I and this valve is normally held closedby a sirable.

I also desire to provide a system of the character above noted in' which the governthe invention is to 1919. Serial No. 295,861.

ing instruments shall be so' connected that. in case any of them develo s either electrical'or mechanical faults, t e system will be automatically operated to its shut down condition; the arrangement being such as to permit such fault to be easily and quickly located.

Another object of the invention is to provide the governing controller with such a construction and arrangement of coacting contacts-as will'efiectually prevent burning of these when they make or break the circuits of which they form part; said invention contemplating a novel form and mounting for the fingers and drum seginents for attaining this end.

These objects and other advantageousends I attain as hereinafter set forth,'reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. l is a diagrammatic'view illustrating the apparatus and associated connections constituting my system;

Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section and largely diagrammatic, illustrating an engine cylinder with certain of the apparatus associated therewith in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the mo- 7 tor-driven controller forming part of my invention, illustrating the non-arcing construction and arrangement of the coacting contact members; a

F ig. 4 is a diagrammatic elevation illustrating the construction of the relays formin part of my invention;

ig. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the load coiland certain of its associated apparatus; and

Fig. 6'is a diagrammatic elevation of the controlling hydrometer withits associated parts.

In the above drawings 1 ternalcombustion engine connected in-any suitable manner to a dynamo electric ma chine 2, so that under certain conditions it may either operatethe same to generate electric current or be operated by it when it is desirable that said engine "shall/be cranked for starting. purposes The cylinder 3 of this-engine is provided with a valve 4 which may be opened-torelease the compression spring 5 operative on its stem. A suitable form of electromagnet such as the solenoid represents an inv 6 is so mounted, preferably on the cylinder 3, that a lever 7 connected to its core 8 will act upon the valve stem to open the valve 4 when said solenoid is properly energized. This same lever carries a screw 9 which may be adjusted to enga the terminal of the spark plug 10 or ort circuit the s ark plug gap of the engine so as to groun the spark when the solenoid 6 is energized and the valve 4 is o deenergized, the spring 5 will automatically close the valve 4 and so raise the lever 7 as .vide an electromagnet 11 whose core 12 carries a plate or disc 13 in such mannerthat when said magnet is energized said disc is moved into position to close the air inlet of the mixing chamber Hof the engine'so that on the succeeding suction stroke a relatively rich mixture is drawn into said chamber from;

the supply chamber 15. The flow of fuel from this supply chamber 15 to the chamber is controlled by arunning valve 16 and also by a starting valve 17, of which the former is provided. with a headed and threaded stem for purposes of adjustment. The valve 17 is connected to the core of, an electromagnet 18 which when energized will .open it and thereby admit an increased amount of fuel to the mixing chamber. In order that such increased quantity of fuel shall be dependent upon or governed to a greater or less extent by the temperature of the engine, I connect said magnet 18 in a circuit including a pair of contacts 19 and 20 extendinginto the tube of a thermometer 21 in such manner that they will be electrically connected when the mercury has risen to a predetermined point.

On starting the engine, the magnet 18 is I energized as hereafter explained, so that the valve 17 is opened, and after it has con-- tinned in operation long enou 'hto be capable of with fuel of the normal richness, as determined by its temperature, said solenoid is short circuited by the action of the thermometer which is so placed as to be afiected by or having the height of its mercury dependent upon; such engine temperature. Obviously any other suitable form of thermostat may be mounted on or adjacent the engine so as to cause operation of the electromagnet and secure the above noted results without departing from my invention.

' With the above arrangement of parts when the engine is started the magnet 18 is ener supply of fuel admitted 11. When said solenoid is gized and raises its'core so as to open the valve 17 to an extent determined byan adjustable screw 22. Excem fuel is thus admitted from the chamber 15 by the opening of the valve 17, in addition to the regular b the valve 16, and the engine is thus supplied with a surplus of fuel suflicient to cause it to properly start even though the tem rature is low as might be the case in relat-i ely cold climates.

As the engine continues to operate its temperature and that of its. associated parts will gradually rise, thus beating the thermostat provided by the thermometer 21 until this short circuits the magnet 18, which is thereupon deener and caused to releam its core. The f g of the latter'closes the valve 17 and thus cuts oi the surplus fuel, althou h the engine continues to be supplied with 01 through the running valve 16. When the engine stops operation and cools, the mercury in'the thermometer 21 will fall sufliciently to break the connection between the contacts 19 and 20 and thus remove the short circuit ,of the magnet 18, thereby restoring the various parts to their original relative positions ready for a repetition of the above described cycle of operations.

In addition to the engine 1 and dynamo electric machine 2, my includes a storage battery 23, which in the present instance has its negative terminal connected to. the negative terminal of said machine while its positive terminal is connected to one of the line conductors 24 leading to the apparatus to be supplied with. current. The

system further includes a governing device in the form of a drum controller 25-whoae movable element is turned by a small electric motor 26. Said element which is usually called the drum, consists of a shaft or spindle 27 turned by the motor 26 and having fixed upon it a 'sericsof tal contacts 28- 36, all electrically connected, and as shown .in Fig.3, to electrically coad; with a series of relatively fixed contact fingers 37-45. A

The motor 26 is its armature and therefore the shaft 27 of the controller, must nrily turn'in but one direction only, as indicamd by the arrow in Fig. '1, and in order to prevent burning of the ,active surfaces of the segments and fingels I construct these as shown indetail in Fig. 3. Each of the .fingers'of which that shown at 42 is typical, preferably has a substantially T-shaped form and is pivoted to a supporting structurei46 of insulating material so that its long arm.or stem projects at'right angles thereto. For so supporting each finger it is movably connected 'to a base piece 47' by a pivot screw or pin 48 and said base ieceinturnisheldinplaceby astud orbo t 49 extending through the insulating support 46. This also holds place a plate 50 whereby a spring 51 is retained in a passage extending through the insulatin support and bearing upon one of the arms the finger 42 so as to hold it in engagement with the contact segment of the controller with which it cooperates.

Each of the segments such as that shown at 33 is made of a definite angular length and may have fixed to that one of its ends which is designed to first make contact with the cooperatlng fin r 42, a cam structure 52 rigidly held to but insulated from it in any above indicated is first engaged by the cam structure 52 so that it is forced outwardly to a greater distance from the shaft 27 than that of the cylindrical surface of the segment 33. As the rotation of the shaft 27 continues said finger is dropped from its elevated position on the outer end of the cam 52 upon the cylindrical surface of the se mental contact 33 and thereafter electricalfy engages it until the spindle 27 has so far turned as to permit said finger to drop off of its abruptly terminated end. As a consequence there is no burning of either the finger or the segment when these are first engaged and the are formed by breaking the circuit between the finger 42 and said segment is struck between the two surfaces 53 and 54. It therefore any burning or roughening occurs from this arcing, it in no way affects the active contact surfaces formed by the under side of the contact finger or the cylindrical surface of the contact segment so that it is possible to maintain these in ,the highly polished unoxidized condition t suited for high conductivity and mi in m interference with the current flow. oreover by, the arrangement shown the life of the contacts is indefinitely prolonged, since in the absence of the burning or cutting which customarily results from arcing the wear occurring is practically negligible.

M ystem further includes two relays A and whose preferred construction is illustrated in Fig. 4. In thecase of the relay A, there is provided a permanent ma net 55 to one of whose poles is pivoted a epending iron or steel armature 56 free to move by magnetic attraction toward either of two pole pieces 57' and 58 mounted on its second pole: Two fixed contacts 59' and 60 are so engaged when said armature is attracted to the pole piece 58.

In constructing the relay, the pole pieces 57 and 58, as well as the yoke 61, are preferably made of soft iron and upon-them are mounted two pairs of coils, of which those indicated at 62 and 64 are connected differentially with respect to a similar pair of coils 63 and 65. In other words, the coil 62 is so connected to the coil 64 that when a current flows in the direction of the arrow the magnetism of one of the poles, as 57, is increased while that of the other pole 58'is decreased. The two coils 63and 65 are likewise connected but with a resultant reversal of polarity of the two poles with a current flowing in the direction of the arrow. Obviously it is not absolutely necessary to provide two coils 0' each of the pole pieces 57 and 58, since tiie device can be made to operate with but a single coil and for convenience of description I have so illustrated the relays A and B in Fig. 1.

With the above described arrangement of parts the armature 56 is included in the circuits which include the fixed contact members 59 and 60 and said armature engages the contact 60 when the coil 62 is energized and engages contact 59 when the coil 63 is energized. The relay B is constructed similarly to the relay A, having a pair of fixed a so-called load responsive device consisting of an electromagnet 71. whose movable element is connected to a movable switch mom ber, 72 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 5. For this purpose Isuspend a fiat metallic ribbon 73 from a suitably fixed structure e74; and on this ribbon mount a balance arm 75, on one of whose ends is carried an adjustable weight 76 retained in any desired position by a set screw 77.. From the other end of the balance arm is suspend-ed a soft iron plunger 78 constituting the core of the electromagnet 71, which has extending axially into its interior from its lower end a longitudinally adjustable element in the form of an iron screwv 79 having a lock nut 80 whereby it is retained in any given position and constituting a damping or limit device for the plunger 78 togovern its downward movement. The flexible ribbon 73 iscontinued below the balance arm 75 and its lower end is formed to constitute or carry a contact member 81 which may engage either of two contacts 82 or 83, depending upon the energization of the magnet 71. n

The winding of the magnet 71 is designed to be connected in series with the circuit supplied by the system, and is so designed that when the load on the line increases to a predetermined extent, the core 78 is drawn down, thus causing the contact 81 to engage the contact 83 and permitting current to flow through the circuit in which these elements are included so as to cause starting of the engine as hereafter explained. On the other hand when the load decreases to a' certain extent the weight 76 causes an upward movement of the core 7 8 sufiicient' to bring the contact 81 into engagement with the contact 82, thus completing an- ,other circuit and resulting in stopping of times'immersed in and filled with the electrolyte of one of the storage battery cells 90 so that it rises and falls with changes in the specific gravity of this liquid, Moreover the device possesses the well known advantage of automatically compensating for changes in the temperature of .the electrolyte so that regardless of such changes,-

when the specific gravity of said battery has fallen to the predetermined point, de-

n on the amount of discharge of battery, the bulb 88 falls, so tilting the balance arm 86 that the extension 91 of the ribbon is swung to one side sufiiciently to bring the contact 92 carried by it into engagement with the fixed contact 93. On the other hand, when the specific gravity of the electrolyte rises to a predetermined int, as determined by the charge of the atte the bulb 88 moves upwardl thereby swinging the contact 92 away cm the contact 93 and into engagement-with asecond contact 94. As in the case shown in Fig. 5, the swinging contact 92 forms part of an electric circuit which includes the suspending ribbon 85 and a suitable termi nal connected thereto on. the supporting.

structure 84.

In setting up the hydrometer when the storage battery is first mstalledthe bulb 88 and open neck 89 are filled with electrolyte of the same specific vity as the surroundjing electrolyte. The weight 87 is then moved on balance arin 86 until the movable contact 92 is just out of contact with fixedcontact 94. As shown in the drawings the neck 89 is a relatively 1o 'curved tube of.

force tending to cause circulation between the .electrolyte within and without the bulb. Therefore, as the batter dischar s, the electrolyte within the b b maintains very approximately its original specific gravity and consequently the mass of the ap ratus suspended from the left hand end (%i of balance arm 86 remains substantially stant. However, as the specific gravity of the electrolyte outside the bulb decreases during discharge of the battery, the relative mass of the bulb and its contents increases and pulls down the left end of arm 86 until the battery is discharged to a predetermined extent at which time contact 92 will close against contact 93.

With re rd to the automatic temperature compensatlon of the hydremeter, it is ap-- parent that the specific avity of the electrolyte both within an without the bulb will be affected in equal roportions by changes in temperature. bus on an increase of temperature the li uid wit-bin the bulb will expand a very smal amount and a minute quantity of electrolyte will be forced from within the bulb through neck 89 into the exterior electrolyte, thus preventing the development of any pressure within the bulb. k Since theoutside electrolyte also ex pands it is obvious that temperature changes will not produce any movement of the balance arm or contact 92, so that the hydrometer is automatically compensated for changes in temperature.

An additional element of my apparatus consists of a reverse current relay G which, like the relays A and B, includes a permanent magnet frame 95 having wound upon it coils 96 and 97 connected in series. This relay also includes a swinging contact member 98 designed to be drawn into engagement with the fixed contact 99-when the current flows in one direction through the coils 96 and 97 and to be moved into engagement with the second fixed contact 100 whenever the current flows through said coils in an opposite direction. I also employ an alarm 101 which may be either of the audible or of the visible type and so connected as hereafter described as to automatically give notice of any-faulty action of my system, it bein also caused to operate whenever the relay .is operated by a reversal of the current flow through its coils.

A fuse or equivalent device 102 is connected on the negative side of the system immediatelygadjacent the negative terminal of the dynamo electric machine 2 and has in shunt with it a resistance coil 103 so designed'that when for any reason; said fuse blows, suflicient current may" jtill 'flow through the resistance to cause operation of the reversecurrent relay- C without operating the dynamo electric machine 2 as a motor. Q verysmall diameter, and t ere is but little AS a matter of convenience the coils 62, 63,

- a conductor 105 connected both to the con 69 and 70 of the relays A and B are so wound that when any one of them is supplied'with current its cooperating movable element 56 or 68 is not attracted but is repelled. Under normal conditions the armature or movable contact member 98 of the relay C is always in engagement with the contact 100 and is so formed and mounted as to be conveniently moved by hand.

Without naming in detail the conductors connecting the various pieces of apparatus comprising my system, it may be noted that a normally closed switch 104, is included in tact 59 and to the coil 63 ofthe relay A as well as to a conductor 106 extending between the contact finger 40 of the controller 25, the ignition apparatus 107 of the engine and the contact 99 of the relay 0. The ignition controlling apparatus 107 of the internal combustion engine 1 is supplied with current from this same line 106 through a conductor 108. The shunt field winding 109 of the dynamo electric machine 2 is connected in circuit with the thermostat 21 and the magnet 18 and through two bodies. of resistance 110 and 111 with the conductor 105. The latter of these bodies of resistance however is designed to be short circuited when the switch 104 is en aged with contact 140, although this switsi, under normal conditions, engages the contact 141. The serieswinding 112 of the dynamo electric machine is connected between its positive terminal and .the fin r 44 of the controller 25.

f it be assumed that the apparatus to be supplied, with current is connected to the line conductors 24 and 24 and that such current is bein delivered from the storage battery 23 t rough the load coil '71, the engine 1 and dynamo electric machine 2 are idle and the drum of the controller 25 occupies such a position that it is. engaged by the fingers 3745 on the line ac-mso that only the segments 29, 30 and 33 are in circuitwith their eooperating fingers 3'8, 39

v and 42.

The switch 104 engages the contact 141, the armature 56 of the relay A is in engagement with'the contact 59 and it is assumed that the armature 72 of the load relay occupies a position disengaged from its coopcrating contacts 81 and 82, while the arma-i ture' 68 of the relay B is in engagement with the contact 66. It is further assumed that the contact 92' of the "hydrometer is disengaged from both of its contacts 93 and 94 and thearmature 98 of the relay C engages the contact 100. All of these conditions will continue unchanged under normal operating conditions until the discharge of'the stora e battery has,conti nued to such an extent tEat the resulting fall of the specific gravity of its electrolytepermits the bulb 88 to fall sufiiciently to bring the contact 92 intocem gagement with the contact 93. A circuit is thus established from the positive terminal of the storage battery to the contact finger 42 of the controller 25, thence through seg-- ments 33 and 29 to finger 38, coil 62 of relay A, contacts 93 and 92 of the hydrometer,

contacts 66 and 68 of rela B, contacts 100 and 98 of relay C, contro er motor 26 and thence to the negative terminal of the storage battery.

Although the resulting flow of current is insufficient to start said motor because the a coil 62 is in series with it, the current will energize the coil 62, -causing the armature 56 of the relay A tb be repelled and engage the contact 60. This completes a circuit from the positive side of the storage battery to the contact finger 42, segments 33 and 29, finger 38, contact 60 of relay A, armature 56, contacts 66 and 68 of relay B, contacts 100 and 98 of relay C, motor 26 and to the negative the finger 37. A circuit is thereupon completed from the positive side of the storage battery through the drum of the controller as previously noted, to the finger 37 and thence directly through the controller motor 26'to the negative terminal of the battery. This shunts the contacts of the relay A and permits the controller motor to operate independently of them until the revolution of the controller drum brings the finger 40 into engagement with the segmental contact- 31, thuscompleting a circuit from the .positive side of the battery to said finger 40, through resistances 110 and 111, through the priming coil 18 on the engine 1 and the' shunt field winding 109 of the dynamo electric machine 2, to the negative terminal of the battery 23. A second circuit is' also completed by the contact finger 40 and segment 31 through the ignition apparatus 107 of theengine. v

The continued rotation of the controller drum next brings the contact 36'into engagement with the finger 45 so that current flows from the positive side of the storage battery to saidfin r and thence through the compression re easing coil 6 of the engine, series field coil 112 ofthe machine 2, through the armature of the latter and to the negative side of the storage battery. Since the field thus energized and its armature is supplied with current, it is set in operation as a motor, and being mechanically connected to the engine lpwill crank it.

Since the coil 6 is als a z d, he alve 4 will be held open, this releming the comfromthe pression of the engine and at the same time the spark plug will be undezl so that back firing cannot occur. 11 themeantime the operation of the controller motor 26 brings the segment of its drum into engagement with the finger 44, whereupon current flows from the positive side ofthe storage batte to said-finger, directly through the series eld 112 and armature of the machine 2 to the negative side of the storage battery, thus shun the coil 6. As a conuence this latter is deenerigized and the v ve 4 is automatically close by its spring 5, while in addition the ground is removed ark plug 10 so that the engine, being supl iiied with fuel, should to fire and at once take up its duty. I

As the controller drum turns further, the contact 34 engages the finger43, thus permitting current from the itive side of the storage battery to flow rough said finger to the coil 11 and thence to the ground to which the negative side of the storage battery is connected; The core 12 of the magnet 11 is thus raised, causing the valve 13 to cut oi the supply of air to the mixing chamber 14 so that a rich mixture of fuel is deliveredto the engine. The rotation of the controller. drum shortly causes the con tact 34 to disengage the fi'nger 43 so that this latter circuit is broken and by reason of the deenergization of the magnet 11, the valve 13 is allowedto move to its open position permitting the engine to operate on its proper fuel supply and operate the machine as a generator. 7

Current is now supplied .to the line 24-24 and also to the storage battery, which is charged, the machine 2 now acting as a compound wound generator, until by reason of the continued rotation of the controller drum, segment 35 is disengaged from finger 44, to open the circuit between the series field and the positive side of the battery and the segment 32 is brought into engagement with the finger 41, thus completing a circuit from the positive terminal of the generator 2 through the two wind' 97 and 96 of the reverse current relay finger 41, segments 32 and 33, finger 42, to

. the positive side of the storage battery and through thelatter to the negative terminal of the nerator. lThe series field winding 112 is us shunted by coils 96 and 97 and cut out of circuit by segment 35 so that said generator operates as a shunt wound machine, its shunt field circuit being completed from the positive terminal thereof through the coils of the relay C to the finger 41,

thence through xgments 32 and 31, finger 40, resistances 110 and 111, electromagnet 18 and shunt field 109 to the negative terminal of the generator. The drum of the controller s ill continues to turn under the action their respective drum segments.

Under these conditions the engine is in operation driving the generator, which is supplying current to the" line and at the same time charging the storage battery 23. As said battery, gradually becomes charged, the increased specific gravity of its electrolyte will cause the bulb 88 to rise until the contact 92 engages the contact 94 oi the hydrometer switch thereb establishing a circuit from the positive side ofthe generator 2 through the coilsof the reverse current relay 0', controller fi er 41, se 32 and 31, finger 40, switc 104, coi 63 of relay A, contacts 94 and 92, contacts 66 and 68 of the rela B, contacts 100 and 98 of the relay C, t rough the controller motor 26 to the negative side of the generator.

The resulting current flow is not sufiicient to operate said motor 26 but it energizes the coil 63 suflicientl to repel the armature contact 56, causing it to electrically engage the fixed contact 59. A circuit is thus -completed from the positive side of the generator through relay C, finger 41, contacts 32 and 31, finger 40, switch 104, contacts .59 and 56 of relay A, contacts 66 and 68 of relay B, contacts 109 and 98 of relay C,

' motor 26 and t6 the negative side of the gem erator. Said motor is thus again put in operation in the same direction as origi ents nall causing disengagement of the control er segment 32 from its finger 41 and opening the armature circuit of-the generator. The further rotation of the controller drum shortly thereafter causes disengagement of the segment 31 from the The storage battery is now in a charged:

condition and supplies current to the 24-24, while all of the contacts of theseveral relays etc. are in their original positions, with the exception thatthe hydrometer contacts 92 and 94' are engaged, al.-

though they are separated as the battery discharges or until the battery/is so far discharged as to'cause operation of the-h drometer switch, whereupon the above cycle of operations will be repeated.

If when the system is shut down more than a predetermined current should be taken on the line 24-29; the etc ergization of the load coil 71 results in its contact 72 being moved into engagement with the contact 83, so that current is free v the relay B to be repelled into engagement with the contact 67, with the result that said relay, as well as the contacts 81-83 of the load relay are shunted, current from the positive side of the storage battery passing from the finger 39 through contacts 67 and 68 of relay B, contacts 100 and 98 of relay C to the negative side of the storage battery through the controller motor 26. Said controller motor is thus put in operation and turns the controller drum to cause starting of the engine 1 as heretofore described.

Said engine will thereafter continue to operate until b reason of the reduction of the load on the ine to a predetermined amount the contact 81 of the load coil will move into engagement with the fixed contact 82, with the result that a circuit is completed from the positive'side of the generator 2 through the coils of the relay C, contact finger 41, segments 32 and 31, finger 40, switch 104, contacts 59 and 56 of relay A, coil of relay B, contacts 82 and 8101? the load relay. contacts 100 and 98 of relay C, controller motor 26 and to the negative side of the generator. The energization of the coil 70 reels the armature contact 68 and by shuntlng out of circuit said coil and the contacts 82 and 81 of the load relay, permits sufiicient current to flow to 'the controller motor 26 to put this in operation. The resulting rotation of the controller drum thereupon causes stoppage of the engine and shuttingdown of the system as previously described. a

The relay C is so designed that in case current flows through its coils'in a direction opposite that occurring when the generator 2 is supplying current, its armature contact 98 'is caused to move into engagement with the contact 99. When the engine is operating the generator and the latter is supplying it! lacl; offuel, faulty ignition, or because of any me hanical trouble, the generator 2 would be at once supplied with current from the storage battery and would tend to operate as a motor, a circuit being completed from the posi i e side .o said battery to thev finger 42', segments 33 and 32, finger 41, coils 96 and 97 of the relay C, armature of the generator 2 and to the negative side of the battery. As above noted, such a current flow would cause the machine 2 to tend to operate the engine, but the reversal of the current through the coils of the relay C causes its armature contact 98 to disengage the contact 100 and engage the contaxt 99, thus establishing a circuit from the positive side of the storage battery through finger 42, segments 33 and 31, finger 40. contacts 99 and 98 otrelay C and controller motor 26 to the negatii e side of the storage battery. Said controller motor now starts and rotates the drum of the controller into such a position as will shut down the system as heretofore described. However when said drum comes to rest under these conditions with the contact fingers engaged along the line arw, one of two circuits is established, depending upon whether the engine prior to its failure had been started by the operation of the hydrometer swit'h or whether it had been started by the load relay.

In the former case, the armature contact 56 of the relay A is in'engagement with the contact 60 and the armature contact 68 of I the relay B-is'in engagement with the confault causing the shut down is rectified and the armature 98 of the relay C is operated manually to cause it to engage with the contact 100, whereupon the engine will automatically start and thereafter operate as previously described. Y

If on the other hand the load coil 71 had operated to start the engine prior to its failure, then the armature contact 68 of the relay B is in engagement with the contact.

67. Under these conditions the circuit is completed through the alarm as last described with the exception that the current flows through the segment 30 and controller finger 39.-

If the engine should not be supplied with fuel or in case anything should occur which would prevent its starting when itwas cranked as above described, then when the contact. finger 41 was engaged bythe segment 32 of the controller, the generator 2 would act or tend to act as a motor by reason vof the current supplied from the storage battery. As such current flow however would pass through the coils 96 and 97 armature contact 98 of said relay will disengage the contact 100 and move into engagement with the contact 29. As a result the controller drum will continue to revolve until it is engaged by the fingers along the line a:a:, which as before described will res ult in the shutting down of the system.

Should the engine be blocked or should some accident occur which would prevent the armature of the generator rotating, the fuse 102 would blow, causing current to flow through the resistance 103. The latter however would limit the amount of such current to that necessary to operate the reverse current relay C and the controller motor 26 without permitting such a current flow as would be necessary to run the generator as a motor. However, as previously described, when the contact finger '41 is engaged by the segment 32, the reverse current through the coils of the relayC will cause the drum to take the position as just de-' scribed. When-the drum of the controller has turned sufiiciently to cause the finger 41 to engage the segment 32, the reversed. current flow through the relay C will so operate the armature contact 98 as to cause it to engage the contact 99, thereby supplying current to the controller motor 26. The latter will then operate until the drum is turned to a position in which the fingers engage it on the line a:a: which causes the breaking of the circuit between the generator and storage battery, opens the ignition circuit of the engine, stops the controller motor 26 and completes thecircuit through the alarm 101.

The function of the resistances-110 and i 111 is to permit such a current flow through the shunt field of the machine 2 as will cause it to generate current at a definite voltage, and the switch 104 is connected as shown From, the above description it will be noted that my systemis primarily capable of automatically dealing with any of the accidents likely to occur under conditions of use and the apparatus is so designed and connected as to prevent injury in the event of -the occurrence of abnormal conditions. The existence of such conditions is indicated by an alarm and the various pieces of apparatus are automatically disconnected by the action of the controller The latter will operate to automatically shut down the system in case the engine is overloaded,

'when the supply of fuel is exhausted, or

when for any reason the ignition system ceases to properly function.

.If the engine or generator should be blocked or in such condition as to not be free to'operate properly when the controller would ordinarily start the dynamo electric.

motor starts and turns the drum through a complete cycle of operationsso that it comes to rest at its starting point (the line H)- without resulting in the cranking and subsequent starting of the engine, then it is obvious that some mechanical trouble exists which has caused blowing of-the fuse 102,

so that the discovery and removal of the cause of such action will permit the system to be started and properly operated when such fuse is replaced. Obviously any electrical fault with the generator 2 will similarly cause blowing of the fuse, in which in order that it shall be possible toover-case the' resistance 103 limits the current charge the storage battery 23 if this is desirable. When said switch is engaged with contact 140 and the generator 2 is charging the battery (the fingers 40, 41 and 42 being engaged with their respective segments), it at the same time preventsstopping of the engine when the specific gravity of the batteryhas reached its predetermined high point by opening the circuit to coil .63 of relay K As a consequence the generator will continue to operate and will overcharge the battery until the switch 104, which is manually operated, is made to engage contact 141 when the engine is caused to .Shllt down. The resistances 111 and 110 are arranged to be inserted in series with the shunt field of the machine 2.. When the switch 104 engages the contact 140, resistance 111 isshunted, causing a larger current flow through shunt field of generator 2 and raising the voltage of said generator as is necessary to overcharge the battery.

-fiow to that suflicient to permit the controller motor to operate and turn the controller drum to the'position H.

Should any of the relay contacts at any time be maliciously or accidentally moved from one position to another, this would in no way injure the system 'but would merely of the apparatus so that in no case could the storage battery and generator be so connected as to cause injury to themselves or to the apparatus with which they are associated in my system.

One important feature of my invention resides in the provision of the load coil 71 with the fixed core portion 79, which as previously described extends for an adjustable distance within the same. In the absence of this fixed core, the movable core or armature 78 would oscillate when the current flowing through the coil "was increased by a large amount, so that the contact 72 would be brought into engagement with the contact 83 and cause starting of the system when even though less than the redetermined load had been applied. With the arrangement shown in Fig. 5 however, a relatively large increase of the load or current flow through the coil, less than that designed to start the system, will draw in the movable core 78 for a predetermined distance but without causing it to .move beyond a definite point or oscillate and as a consequence the contacts 72 and 83 are not brought into engagement until the current flow through the coil has actually been increased by the predetermined amount intended to start the generator 2.

Another important feature of the invention resides in the equipment of the hydrometerand loadcontrolled switches with the two relays A and B respectively, for it will be noted from the foregoing description that the closure of either one of these primary switches immediately causes operation of its relay and a consequent starting of the controller motor 26, regardless of whether or not the particular switch which has operat ed, remains closed. For example, if the hy' drometer balance arm should be manually depressed so that it momentarily occupied a position corresponding to a considerable fall in the specific gravity of the battery electrolyte, a momentary closure of the switch contacts 92-93 would at once cause engagement of the relay contacts 56-60, so that even though said arm were immediately released, the controller motor 26 is started and the controller drum is caused .to pass through its complete cycle of operations as above described. The advantage of these relays resides in the fact that burning or other injury to the contacts of the primary switches is efi'ectually prevented so that their life and designed method of operation are indefinitely prolonged. Similarly the relation of the relays A and B to the controller is such that after the latter has once armatures remain in their the storage battery to the dynamo electric machine and start the prime mover, means for starting the controller when the load on the battery is greater than a certain amount, means for stopping the controller and causing the dynamo electric machine to be driven by the prime mover, means ,forreized relay, another switch operated by changes in the load on the system for operstarting thecontroller when the battery is ating the other polarized relay,a switch operated by the latter polarized relay to atfect the reverse current relay, and means for intermittently moving the said controller and sequentially bringing the dynamo electric machine and the prime mover into operative relation with the storagev battery for the purpose specified.

3. In a system of the character described, a prime mover, a dynamo electric machine, a

storage battery, a controller, two double-acting electro-magnets,a reverse current relay,

a load relay, a hydrometer switch, connections between the switch and one of the electro-magnets for starting the controller when the specific gravity of the battery, falls below a given point and for starting the controller when the specific. gravity reaches a predetermined point, means of connection between the load relay and the other electro-magnet for starting the controller when the demand for current exceeds a given amount-orfalls below a given amount, and means of connection between the reverse current relay and the load relay and its electromagnet and the controller and the dynamo electric machine for controlling the starting and stopping of the controller and the dynamo electric machine.

4. In azsystem of the character described. a storage battery, a load coil normally con-* nected in a Work circuit with the storage battery, a reverse current relay, a motor driven controller, a prime mover, a dynamo electric machine, two 'electro-magnets, means con-- trolled by the condition of the charge in the storage battery for throwin the cont-rollerand the reverse current re ay in circuit with one of the electro-magnets, means for shunting the said electro-magnet, means for shunting the said relay, a shunt field resistance, means for bringlng the shunt field resistance into circuit, means for causing the dynamo to run as a motor and start the prime mover, a priming coil thrown into circuit with the starting of the prime mover, means for stopping the controller, means for starting the controller and stopping the en gine when the battery charge reaches a predetermined condition, and means for stoping the controller in its original position with the load coil and battery in circuit and the controller, electro-magnet and relay out of circuit.

5. A controlling apparatus for a system of the character described, comprising a motor-driven controller, a load coil, a reverse current relay, two electro-magnets,a hydrometer switch, means of connection between the load coil and one of the electro-magnets for starting the controller motor, means of connection between the hydrometer switch and the other electro-magnet for startihg the controller motor, and means of connection between the reverse current relay and the controller, said apparatus being adapted to be used in connection with the dynamo electric machine, prime mover and the storage. battery.

6. The combination in an electric generating system of a storage battery; a dynamo electric machine; an internal combustric generating system of a storage battery; a dynamo electric machine; a prime mover for operating said machine; a controller for governing the operation of the system; a motor for driving said controller; a circuit controlling device in series with said machine and with said motor; and a body of resistance in shunt with said device for limiting the current flow to an amount sufficient to operate the motor after said device has opened its circuit.

8. The combination in an automatic electric generating system of a storage battery; a dynamo electric machine; a prime mover for operating said machine; a controller for overning the operation of the system; a motor for driving said controller,'a reverse current relay controlling said motor; a circuit controlling device in series with said machine and with said motor; and a body of resistance in shunt with said device for limiting the current flow to an amount sutiicient to operate the relay without operating the machine after said device has opened its circuit.

9. In a system of the character described, a storage battery, a dynamo electric machine, a prime mover, a motor-driven controller, a load coil in series with the battery, an electro-magnet switch controlled by the load coil for starting the controller motor, a hydrometer switch responsive to the condition "of the battery, an electro-magnetic switch operated by said latter switch for starting the controller motor, and a reverse current relay switchhaving contacts connected to the load coil switch, to the conti'olle'r 'and to the dynamo electric machine fOILEQ-Stfiltlfig and stopping the controller motor.

In witness whereof I afiix my signature.

ALFRED R. VAN HORN.

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