US2664474A - Circuit breaker - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 29, 1953 c. v. CHERMENDY CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed Sept. l2, 1951 INVENTOR: CARL l/ CHER/l//E/VDY Fig. 1 showing the central v`Section; and

Patented Dec. 29, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE CIRCUIT BREAKER Carl V. Chermendy, Dearborn, Mich. Application September 12, 1951, SerialNo. 246,244

(Cl. 20D-30) y8 Claims.. 1

This invention relates in general to a circuit breaker and is more particularly described as an ignition breaker of the type commonly used in automobiles.

In automobile circuit breakers, it is diilicult lto set and maintain the breaker points in alignment and to prevent them from becoming pitted or Wearing unevenly due to the rapid and continuous engagement of the circuit breaker cam in the rapid intermittent breaking of the circuit. The circuit breaker commonly used for automobile yengines is usually mounted upon a vibrating arm which requires accurate setting and adjustment by a skilled mechanic. The present invention provides an ignition breaker of a different type which may be substituted for the vibrating arms and the fixed breaker points in the present type of equipment and it is designed to be used as a substitute or a replacement therefor.

When subjected to continuous use, circuit breakers are engaged in the same direction by a cam which repeats its operation thousands of times per minute. Even though this is a wiping contact, such continuous action tends to press a contact projection and its mounting bars always in the same direction and even though over-sized bearings and parts are used, the tendency to warp is in one direction and tends to destroy the alignment of the circuit breaker.

An important object of this invention is therefore in the provision of a circuit breaker which makes a .line contact instead of a point contact and has an additional contacting means .interposed between the circuit breaker and the opery' .ating cam.

,an improved simple and small ignition breaker which has cast insulation adapted to lbe assembled upon a mounting base andto provide a unitary ignition breaker.

. Other objects of the invention will appear in the specification and will be apparent from ,the

accompanying drawings in Which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an ignition breaker having an interposed contactdevice in accordance -with .this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan ,view of the .breaker shown in portion thereof in Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the ignition breaker and the contacter.

I n the present invention, the xed and movable contact members are mounted upon the same block, the movable member being mounted Vupon parallel bars andthe contacting member is'pivoted at one end and movable to engage the contacting member of the parallel mounted breaker to protect the latter from the side sWiping action. or" a breaker cam.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a mounting block Il! has reduced ears each with a slot l2 for adjustablyattaching it to` a mounting lever i4 by means of adjustingscrews it. At the ends of the lever are perforations I8 and k:Ztl by means of which lthe'lever maybe adju ted and the screws I6 permitting separate adjustment of the block on the lever.

Extending vertically through the'block at o pposite sides are slots 2| and 22 which may be rectangular and connected through the block by va perforation l2,4. lExtending transversely through the block are end recesses 26 each having ra. shoulder portion A2t at one end for mounting a pair of bearing sleeves 30, the sleeves being of a diameter to slide within the shoulders y28, and the recesses 25 being slightly larger `than the sleeves to receive bushing sleeves e3-2 preferably of self-ailing material such as Oilite between vthe sleeves k30 and therecesses 26.` Between the pair of bushings 32 for each sleeve is a compressed coil spring `3ft tending to separate the bushings.

Seated in the slot 2| is an insulating bushing' preferably formed or cast to t in the slot and havinga central hole 38 to register with the perforation 24 in the block. Seated in the slot 221is a similar insulation 4D having a central hole 4 2 to register with the perforation 24. vSeated in the perforation 124 of the block is ashort sleeve 43 of insulating material which connects the insulations l36 and 4D and registers with the perforations thereof.

A 4rlxed circular contact bar 44 of .tungsten or other suitable contact material .is vconnected to a contact block y46 bybeingsolderedor otherwise vconnected in a recess 48 thereof andthe contact bar isof a length substantially the thickness of the block-i0. Theblock 46 is seated in theinsulatiOllB and extending inwardly from the face of 'the block 4B V is a stem which extends ,through the perforations of the insuiaticns sind '4o .and

vthroughthe insulating sleeve 152.Y theen'dff the stemis a washerSZ and aplaterlt 1vvhichex-l ktends vupwardly in the vslot of the insulation with a curled portionitoutsideof the blockat ing sleeves 38.

3 the upper end of the slot 22 forming an eye for receiving the end of a conductor 58 which is attached to and insulated from the block of the breaker.

A bolt or screw 60 is inserted through a perforation in the plate 54 and through the washer 52 into the end of the stem 50 for tightly binding the plate 54 and the washer against the insulation, and thereby binding all of the insulation pieces, the contact block 48 and the contact bai` 44 tightly in assembled position.

Extending through each of the sleeves 30 are rivet rods B2. Connecting the two opposite rods at one end is a contact plate 54 having an intermediate recess SS for seating a contact bar 88 therein. This contact bar is preferably of tungsten or other suitable contact material of substantially the same length as the fixed contact bar 44 and it is positioned in exact alignment to make a line contact therewith. The contact plate 84 is held upon the rivet by a head 18 at -the end of each rivet.

At the other ends of the rivets 62 is a backing plate 12 through which the rods extend and a bumper plate 14 having a central bumper projection 18 adapted to be engaged betwen the rivets E2 for moving them together with their backlThis bumper block may be of any suitable material, but preferably it is of a tough, hard, fibrous compostion which resists abrasion and wear, such as nylon, which also an insulating material and may be used for the insulating pieces 3G, 48 and 42. The plates 14 vare assembled upon the headed ends of the rivet rods 82 before sleeves 3i) and are held against the ends of the 12 and they are inserted through the sleeves by riveting the opposite ends 18 of the rods or by riveting the adjusting ends of the rods to form heads 18.

The sleeves and rivet rods are of proper length to provide a space between the inner side of the plate 12 and the adjacent surface of the block sufcient when the projection thereby compressing the springs 34, and as soon .pas this pressure is removed, the spring returns the contacts to their line engagement.

to separaate the contact bars 44 and 68 16 is engaged and moved,

In order to engage the projection 1S and to prevent the unequal wearing of the parallel end bearings due to the direct engagement of an operating cam therewith, an intermediate contact device is interposed between an operating cam 80 and the projection 18 which comprises a resilient arm 82 composed of sheet metal or any suitable supporting material to which is riveted or otherwise secured a contact block 84 of tough, hard, fibrous material which may be similar to the bumper plate 14 and has a projection 88 preferably located in alignment with the bumper projection 16. One end of the arm 82 has an angular extension 88 substantially at right angles to the yarm which has a perforation through which one .of the fastening screws I6 extend for securing .the arm extension iirmly to the block I8, the arm,

however, being substantially parallel but sprung 3' away from the burner projection 16 to normally provide a slight clearance between them.

At the end of the arm 82 opposite the block 84 is a spring curl 98 adapted to resiliently engage al brous pad 92 which is held thereby, this pad extending toward the projection 86 but terminating a short distance therefrom and even extendingY into the path of a lobe or projection 94 of the cam 88 to operate as a wiper forremoving oil or d other foreign materials from the contacting surface of the cam.

This intermediate contacting device may be applied to circuit breakers of the block type which are already in operation or it may be installed originally with them. As an attachment, it is readily applied by removing one of the screws I6 by which the circuit breaker is attached to the mounting lever I4 andinserting the screw through the opening provided in the lateral projection 88 of the contact arm.

With this construction, any wiping movement of the operating cam is not transmitted to the breaker operating projection 16, but the attachment is limited to a swinging action due to the resilience of the arm 82 and to the mounting of the arm upon a resilient means or spring at one end thereof. The arm 82 can only swing against the outer end of the projection 16 in a direct contact with it pressing the bumper plate 14 equally at both ends and preventing an unequal or side swiping movement from being applied to the parallel rivet bearings of the circuit breaker.

While this construction has been described in some detail, it should be regarded by way of example and illustration rather than as a limitation or restriction of the invention as various changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

l. In an ignition breaker, the combination with an ignition breaker device and an operating cam therefor, the device having a bumper projection for operating it and an interposed contacting block between the device and the cam having means for mounting it to swing in engagement with the projection of the breaker device, and a projection on the attachment engaged by the breaker cam and moving the arm directly in contact with the projection of the device.

2. In an ignition breaker, a breaker device having separable contact bars for making a line contact, parallel mounting means for relatively moving the contact bars and a bumper projection between the parallel mounting means, of a cam for operating the device and an operating attachment interposed between the device and the cam comprising an arm resiliently connected to the device and having a projection substantially in line with the projection of the device and adapted to be engaged by the cam and moved thereby so that the arm engages the said projection of the device.

3. In an ignition breaker, a mounting block having an insulated contact bar at one side of the block, a movable contact bar to engage the insulated bar in a line engagement, means comprising parallel mountings extending through the mounting block for supporting the movable contact bar, a bumper plate at the other side of the mounting block attached to the parallel mountings and having an intermediate projection, an arm resiliently mounted at one end of the mounting block and extending over the said projection, means forming a projection extending from the arm and outwardly from the projection of the mounting block, and a cam to engage the projection of the arm and to press it into engagement with the projection of the mounting block.

4. In an ignition breaker, the combination with an ignition device and an operating cam, of an vintermediate operating attachment for the de- 5 toward and from the device, a contact block carried by the arm having a projection therefrom in the path of the cam and movable by the cam to engage and operate the device.

5. In an ignition breaker, an attachment adapted to be inserted between an ignition breaker and a cam for operating it, the attachment comprising a resilient arm having an extension at one end for resiliently mounting the arm upon an ignition device, a contact block secured to the arm having a projection therefrom adapted to be engaged by the cam and moved to engage the device, the said arm movable upon its extension to directly engage the ignition device.

6. An attachment, in accordance with claim 5, in which a at wiper is secured to the arm and extends adjacent the contact block projection thereof at the side adapted to be engaged by an operating cam to wipe oil and other material from an operating cam.

7. An attachment in accordance with claim 5, in Which the arm has a spring curl at the end opposite the contacting portion thereof, and a brous pad inserted in and held by the spring curl and extending toward the projection thereof on the side to rst engage an operating cam therefor.

8. In an ignition breaker, a mounting block having attachment ears, an insulated contact bar parallel mounting means extending through the block to the other side thereof, a bumper plate secured to the mounting means at the other side of the block having an intermediate projection, a cam for operating the movable contact bar, and an operating attachment interposed between the said projection and the cam to prevent the side svviping action of the cam, said att chment having an arm with an extension connected to one ofthe Said attachment ears, the arin being of resilient material and sprung outwardly to clear the contact projection, and a bumper block secured to the arm having a projection substantially in line with the rst named projection adapted to be engaged by the cam for moving the arm to swing inwardly and in contact with the first bumper projection equally engaging both of the said parallel mountings.

CARL V. CHERMENDY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,167,839 Rhodes Jan. 11, 1916 2,515,078 Cowardin July 7, 1950

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