US3094680A - Electric control device - Google Patents

Description

J1me 1963 F. E. BLAKE ELECTRIC CONTROL DEVICE Filed Feb. 6, 1961 OFF OUTPUT T0 MODEL TRAIN 1 l3 FIGZ FIGS

INVENTOR WEW United States Patent 3,094,680 ELECTRIC CONTROL DEVICE Francis E. Blake, Montgomery County, Md. (6113 Ramsgate Road, Washington 16, D.C.) Filed Feb. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 87,253 1 Claim. (Cl. 338-98) The present invention relates to electric motor control devices and more particularly to a novel form of electric motor control which may be particularly useful for controlling model or toy electric train motors.

Patent No. 2,974,268 to Blake et al., issued March 7, 1961, disclosed an electrical control system for model or toy train electric motors arranged to provide a simulated coasting and simulated braking control of the electric train motor as well as the conventional speed control. Prior to the teachings of the aforesaid patent, model or toy trains were conventionally controlled by a single speed control member and, since the gear reduction in the drive mechanisms of such trains is relatively high, the trains would not coast and their speed was directly proportional to the position of the rheostat or other speed control member. The control system of the aforesaid Patent No. 2,974,268 simulated coasting by providing for the retention of applied electric power to the model train motor after the speed control member was returned to the Zero or starting position. The retained electric power was automatically reduced gradually to zero to simulate a coasting reduction in speed for the model train. In addition, a second control member which may be termed a brake control was provided to control the retained application of electric power by reducing the retained power quickly to zero, thus bringing the model train to a stop quickly under conditions simulating braking. The system of the aforesaid Patent No. 2,974,268 was completely electrical in nature using electrical time constants to simulate both coasting and braking.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an electric motor control device for model or toy trains that is simplified and is entirely mechanical in operation and which will provide both speed and braking control with separate control members therefor while using a mechanical time constant to simulate the coasting and braking time instead of the electrical time constant system as disclosed by the aforementioned patent.

Further objects, features and the attending advantages of the invention will be apparent with reference to the following specification and drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the control mechanism with supporting framework omitted for sake of clarity;

FIG. 2 is a front side view similar to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detail of a modified form of the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, a rheostat resistance is shown to be connected between power input terminals 11, 12 and the output terminals 13, 14 for connection to model train tracks (not shown). A slider 14 is connected by jumper connection 15 to terminal 12 thus completing the electrical circuit for the rheostat. In place of the resistance 10, transformer taps or the like may be used as should be obvious to those skilled in the art. As the slider 14 is moved from the power off position to the power on position, to the left of the drawing, the effective value of resistance 10 in series with the model train and the applied power is reduced to thus increase the speed of the train from Zero corresponding to the slider position shown by the solid lines to full speed corresponding to the dotted-line position of the slider.

A firs-t control member which may be termed a throttle handle is movable to and from the off position shown by the solid line and the full-on position shown by the 3,994,680 Patented June 18, 1963 "ice dotted lines. The throttle 20 is fixed to the shaft 21 carried on the frame member 22 and lever 23 is also fixed to the shaft 21 to be rotated with the shaft as the throttle 20 is moved. The rheostat or control slider 14 is carried on a shaft 25 journalled in any suitable fashion in the slots 26, 27 of frame members 22, 28. As the throttle 20 is moved from the off to the on position, the lever 23 engages the slider pin 22 to correspondingly move the slider 14 from the power off position to the power on position. However, when the throttle 20 is moved back from the on position to the off position, the lever 23 disengages from the slider pin 25 and so that the applied electrical power through resistance 10, as determined by the position of the slider 14, is retained after the throttle 20 has been moved back towards the off position.

In order to simulate a coasting reduction in speed for the model train, the slider 14 is arranged to be moved slowly back to the right corresponding to the power off position after the throttle 20 has been returned towards its off position. A dashpot 30, which may be preferably of the pneumatic type, has its piston 31 connected to the coasting lever 33 abutting the slider pin 25 to tend to slowly return the slider pin 25 in response to the tension of the spring 34 as delayed by the dashpot vent 35. By suitably choosing the parameters of the spring 34 and vent 35 the return of the slider pin 35 towards the power olf position may be made as slow as desired to gradually reduce the retained electric power applied to the model train so as to simulate a coasting reduction in speed for the model train.

in order to provide a brake control when desired, a second control member which may be termed the brake handle 40 may be mounted on the frame 22 to be movable from the solid line off position to and from the dotted line on position. The brake handle 40 is connected by a link 41 to the brake lever 42 to cause the lever 42 to move to the right as the brake handle is moved to the right and vice versa. When the brake handle is moved to the right from the on position, the lever 42 engages the slider pin 25, assuming that the slider pin is not already at the power off position, and moves the slider pin 25 to the right and its power off position. If the brake handle is moved quickly, the slider pin 25 will be disengaged from the coasting lever 33 and will be moved quickly to the power off position thus reducing the retained electric power quickly to zero and bringing the model train to a quick stop simulating a braking action.

Obviously, when the brake handle 40 and brake lever 42 are moved to the right corresponding to the brake off position, the lever 42 disengages from the slider pin 25. When the throttle lever 23 is moved to the left, it will engage the slider pin 25 to move the slider pin and coasting lever 33 to the left compressing the dashpot spring 34.

A slightly modified form of the invention is shown by FIG. 3 of the drawing. In this arrangement, the brake lever 42 is movable to the right from the brake ofi position to the brake on position in which the bleed vent 35 is enlarged by the operation of the valve 36. Thus the brake lever 42, by increasing the size of the vent 35 when it is moved to the brake on position, causes the dashpot piston 31 and coasting lever 33 and slider 14 to return quickly to the power oil position in response to the spring 34 to accomplish the desired braking action simulation for the model train.

What I claim is:

A control device for an electric motor comprising, a variable electric power element having a slider movable back and forth between power off and power on positions, a first control member movable in a first direction from an oif position to engage with said slider to move the slider from power ofi position towards power on posi- 4 tion and disengageabl from the slider when moved in second control member is moved from its off position to the other direction towards its off position, a second conits on position engaging and moving the slider member trol member movable in a first direction from an elf positowards the power off position. tion to an on position to engage with said slider to move the slider from power on towards power off position and 5 References Cited in the fi of this patent di snga geable from the slider when moved towards its UNITED STATES PATENTS ofi position, and a spring loaded dashpot means engaging said slider to move said slider slowly back from power 625,454 Maxim May 23, 1899 on position to power off position, the engagement of said 726,593 Thomson Apr. 28, 1903 dashp'ot with said slider being di'sengageable when said 10 2,866,049 Maltbie Dec. 23, 1958

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