US1638582A - Heat regulator - Google Patents

Description

J. w. HOUCH HEAT REGULATOR Aug. 9, 1927.

Filed Feb. 1. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet l 1,638,582 1927' J. w. HOUCH HEAT REGULAT 0R Filed Feb. 1. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .[H H ll III III Ill Aug.9, 1927. 1,638,582

J. W. HOUCH HEAT REGULATOR Filed Feb. 1, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 9, 1927.

ATENT- OFFICE.

' J'AY W. HOUCH, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA;

HEAT REGULATOR.

Application filed February My present invention relates to improvements in heat regulators intended for general use, but especially adapted'for use in connection with heating plants and, more particularly, said invention provides automatic means for maintaining a predetermined degree of temperature and for automatically shifting the contacts of a thermostat, at predetermined different times, from either a high to a lower degree of temperature, and vice versa. The invention also provides various other improvements, as w11l hereinafter appear.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters.indi-- cate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the invention- Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same, with some parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the wall plate and parts carried thereby; Figs, 4 and 5 are views of the time-indicating scale and switch-carrying levers;

Fig. 6 is a view of the lower casing section removed from the wall plate and looking at the parts carried thereby, from the back- F ig. 7 is'a perspective view of the temperature-indicating scale and upper end portion of the pointer;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the p. m. lever;

, Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view of the switch-closing wheel and the dog for operat ing the same; and

Fig. 10 is a view showing a wiring diagram.

The numeral 11 indicates a wall plate having a marginal forwardly projecting flange 12 that is capped by a two-part casing comprising an upper section 13 and a lower section 14, the latter of which projects materially forward of the former. The wall plate 11 may be secured by screws to a wall or other support and the casing 13-14 is detachably secured to said wall 1, 1926. Serial 1T0. 85,175.

plate 11 .by screws, not shown, that have threaded engagement with the flange 12.

A standard thermometer 15 is secured to the front of the casing section 13 and an eight day clock is mounted in an opening in the front of the indicated as an entirety with the exception of its 17, Which,'of course, revolution every hour.

1 The clock 16 may be wound by ahorizontal shaft 18, having a knurled fingerpieee that extends through one side of the casing section 14 and is connected to the winding member of said clock at the back thereof by a pair of bevel gears 19.

For setting the hands of the clock y tl1e numeral 16, mlnute hand shaft makes one complete there is provided a vertical shaft 20, having a knurledfin erpiece, that extends upward through the ottom of the casing section 14 and 1s connected to the minute hand shaft 17 by a pair of bevel gears 21.

A thermostat 22, in a three-wire electric circuit 23, is provided for starting a motor, not shown, for operating whatmay be assumed to be the damper of a furnace, This thermostat 22 is mounted in the casing 1314 which may be of any well known construction, and is in the form of an inverted U, one leg of which is secured to a post 24 on the wall plate 11 by a binding casing section 14 andis screw 25 to which one of the wires 23 is attached. The other leg of the thermostat 22 extends between a pair of spaced contacts 26 and is normally out of contact therewith. These contacts 26 are in the form of a pair of needle-pointed screws that have threaded engagementwith insulated nut blocks 27 secured to the ends of a horizontal armature 28. This armature 28 is intermediately secured to an indicator in the form of an upright pointer 29 pivoted at its lower end just below said armature, as indicated at 30, for swinging movement parallel to the face of the wall plate 11.

The upper end portion of the pointer 29 worksthrough a passage 31 formed in the flange 12 and easing section 14, and its pointed upper end extends back of a segmental temperature-indicating scale 32 secured to the wall plate 11 above the casing Se tion 14. This scale 32 is graduated to indicate degrees of t-em erature from sixty to eighty. As shown, he pointer 29 is set for 70 degrees, and when the temperature drops below or goes above this degree, the

thermostat 22 will operate to en age one of the contacts 26 and close the circuit 23 to start the motor to either 0 en or close said damper, depcndin on which contact 26 1S engaged by said thermostat.

For automatically changing the position of the contacts 26 in respect to the thermostat 22 at predetermined times, so that a certain de ree of temperature wil bemaintaincd (Turin a predetermined part of the twenty-four liours of a day, and a different degree of temperature for the rest of the twenty-four hours will be maintained, there is provided a pair of electromagnets 33 and 34 arranged for action on opposite ends of the armature 28. When the magnet 33 1s energized, the pointer 29 will be swung to the left to cause the right-hand contact 26 to engage the thermostat 22 and close the c1rcult 23 to cause the motor to open the damper provided the same is not open owing to a low temperature. When the magnet 34 is energized, the pointer 29 will be swung to the right to cause the left-hand contact 26 to engage the thermostat 22 andclose the circuit 23, so as to cause the motor to close the damper, rovided the same is not closed owing to a iigh temperature.

The magnet 33 is in a shunt circuit 35, which has interposed therein a normally open two-part spring switch 36, and the magnet 34 is in ashunt circuit 37 in which is interposed a normally open switch 38 like the switch 36. The numeral 39 indicates a pair of lead wires to which is connected a transformer 39' .from which lead two of the wires 23 to which the shunt circuits 35 and 37 are connected.

For automatically and successively closin" the switches 36 and 38 at predetermined (li ferent times there is provided a rotatable wheel 40 having in its periphery twenty-four V-shaped notches 41 that leave therebetween wide teeth 42. This wheel 40 is journaled on a fixed headed stud 43 secured to 0. lug 44 on the casing section 14. The switch 36 is secured to and insulated from a p. m. lever 45 and the switch 38 is secured to and insulated from an a. m. lever 46. These levers 45 and 46 are pivotally mounted on the stud 43, the former between the wheel 40 and the lug 44, and the latter between said wheel and the head of the stud 43. Collars or hubs 47 on the stud 43 hold the levers 45 and 46 laterally spaced from the wheel 40.

A pair of diametrically opposite insulated pins 48 and 49 are secured to the wheel 40 and project from opposite sides thereof. Said pins 48 and 49 are arranged to successively close the switches 36 and 38, respectively, once each twenty-four hours, by passing thereover with a wi ing action and move the spring members 0? said switches into en 'agement with the fixed members thereof.

The wheel 40 is given one step of movement each hour, thus making one complete rotation everv twenty-four hours by means of a dog 50 rigidly secured to the hub of the To set the levers 45 and 46 for ad'ustably holding the switches 36 and 38 so t at they may be successively closed and 49 on the wheel 40 at pre etermined different times there is located within an open-, ing on the top of the casing section 14 a segmental scale 53 spaced from the edges of said opening to leave frontand rear slots 54 through the former of which the p. m. lever 45 projects and through the latter of which the a. m. lever 46 projects. This scale 53 is graduated by forming in the edges thereof longitudinally spaced opposite V- shaped notches 55. The levers 45 and 46 have V-shaped lugs 56 adapted to enter the notches by lateral springin movements of said levers and releasably hold said levers where set. The scale 53 is numbered between opposite notches 55, except the last, to read anticlockwise from 1 to 12, and said scale bar has a notation same temperature between said last notches. The notches 55 for the a. 1n. lever 46 represent the hours from midni ht'to 12 oclock noon, and the notches 55 or the m; lever 45 re resent the hours from 12 o clock noon to mi night. The spacing of the notches 55' is such as to permit the levers 45 and 46 to be moved in the arc of a circle 180 de ees.

.To stop the movement o the pointer 29 by the magnets 33 and 34 and position the same for high and low tem ratures there is provided a pair of stops 5 and 58 between which the free end of said pointer projects. These sto s 57 and 58 are in the form of inverted yo es that straddle the scale 32 for independent longitudinal adjustment thereon and have transverse pins 59 arranged to interlock with longitudinally spaced notches 60 in the upper edge of said scale and releasably hold said stops where set. It will be noted that the stop 57 is set to osition the pointer 29 at 60 degrees and that the stop 58 is set to position said pointer at degrees.

The operation of the above described invention may be briefly described as follows:

It will be noted that the a. m...lever 46 is positioned to hold the switch 38 in a position to be closed at 5 oclock a. m. and that the pins 48 the m. lever is positioned to hold the switch 36 to be closed at 10 oclock p. In. As

the lovers 45 and 46 extend out-ward of the casing section 14 the same may be easily adjusted without opening the casing.

As previously stated, the stop 57 is positioned tostop the pointer 29 at 60 degrees and that the stop 58 is positioned to stop said ointer at 70 degrees.

After the levers 45 and 46 are once set for predetermined high and low temperatures the apparatus is entirely automatic except for the winding of the clock 16 when necessary. The thermostat 22 will automatically operate to maintain a temperature at which the pointer 29 is set- The dog is in continuous rotation under the action of the minute hand shaft 17 and during each rotation, or in other words once each hour, the same enters one of the notches 41 and gives the wheel 40 a step of movement. As

the pins 48 and 49 pass the switches 36 and 38, respectively, said switches are closed for a relatively short period of time for energizing the respective magnets 33 and 34.

When the pin 48 passes over the switch 36 at 10 p. m. and closes the same, the'shunt circuit 35 will be completed and energized magnet 33 will draw the respective end of the armature 28 down until themovement of the pointer 29 is automatically positioned by the stop 59 at 60 degrees. This movement of the pointer 29 will bring the righthand contact 26 into engagement with the thermostat 22 and thereby complete the circuit 23 and start the motor to close the damper provided the same is open. The damper will remain closed unless the temperature drops below 60 degrees and in which case the thermostat 22 will operate to cause the damper to be opened.

At 5 a. m. the pin 49 will pass over the switch 38 and close the same to complete the shunt circuit. 37 and the energizedmagnet 84 will draw the respective end of the armature 28 down until the movement of the pointer 29 is automatically positioned by the stop 58 at degrees. This movement of the pointer 29 will bring the left-hand contact 26 into engagement with the thermostat 22 to complete the circuit 23 and if the damper is closed the motor will operate to open the same.

If it is desirable to keep a high temperature temporarily for a longer time than that at which the p. m. lever 45 is set, said lever may be manually set back one or more hours and then returned to its original position, or by setting both levers 45 and 46in the notches designated as same temperature the same temperature will be main: tained throughout the twenty-four hours unless levers 45 and 46 are shifted to other positions.

From the above description it is evident the thermostat for predetermined temperatures including an oscillatory indicator, a pair of adjustable stops in the path of move ment of the indicator for setting the device i'ori different temperatures, normally inactive automatic means for moving said device from one position to another at a predetermined time and then returning the same at a predetermined time, and clockactuated mechanism including an intermittently moved member for intermittently rendering said automaticmeans active.

The structure defined in claim 1 in further combination with a temperature incordance with which the adjustable stops are set.

3. In a heat regulator, the combination with means for maintaining a desired degree of temperature during a predetermined period of time, including a pair of spaced contacts and a thermally influenced element extending between said contacts and normally out of contact therewith, of a setting device for predetermined difi'erent temperatures by which said contacts are carried, reversely operated electromagnetic means including two open switches for moving said device from one position to another at a predetermined time and then returning the same at a predetermined time, and clockactuated mechanism including an intermittently moved wheel having means for intermittently closing the switches.

-4. The structure defined in claim 3 in further combination with a pair of levers mounted to move about the axis of the wheel, said switches being carried by the levers for independent circumferential adjustment in respect to the wheel to vary the time at which they are closed.

5. The structure defined in claim 3 in which said wheel is given a step of movement each hour.

dicating scale for the indicator, and in ac- 6. The structure defined in claim 3 in which said wheel is toothed and in which time at which they are closed, and a timeindicating scale b which said levers are set for the t1me at w ich the switches are to be closed.

R. The structure defined. in claim 8, in further combination with a pair of levers mounted to move about the axis of the wheel, said switches being carried by the levers fer independent circumferential adjustment 1n respect to the wheelto vary the t me at which they are closed, a time-indicating scale by which said levers are set for the time at which the switches are to be closed, and means for releasably holding the levers where set in respect to .the time-indicating scale.

9. In a heat regulator, the combination with a thermostat, of a device for setting the thermostat for predetermined temperatures, reversely operated electromagnetic means including two open switches for moving said device from one pos1t1on to another at a predetermined time and then returning the same at'a predetermined time, each of said switches being mounted for continuous ad'ustment by infinitesimal rogression, an clock-actuated mechanism or closing the switches.

10. In a heat regulator, the combination with a thermostat having an oscillatory indicator, of a device for setting the thermostat for predetermined temperatures, reversely operated electromagnetic means including two open switches for moving said device from one position to another at a predetermined time and then returning the same at a predetermined time, clock-actuated mechanism for closing said switches, and adjustable stops in the path of movement of the indicator for positioning the same for different temperatures.

v 11. In a heat re lator, the combination with a thermostat aving an oscillatory indicator and a 00-0 eratin temperature indicating scale, sai scale aving adjustable stops for positioning the indicator in different positions in res ect of said scale, of a device for setting t e thermostat for predetermined temperatures, reversely operated electromagnetic means including two open switches or moving said device from one position to another at a predetermined time and then returning the same at a predetermined time, and clock-actuated mechanismfor closing said switches.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAY W. HOUCFL

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