Emerson Electric Company

Thomas V Ottersbach

Eugene F Hildebrandt

William D Crow

William R Lewis

Wayne J DeVries

A switch lever for use with a centrifugal starting switch of an electric motor. The starting switch has at least one switch contact which is moveable, in response to axial movement of a centrifugal actuator, between a start position in which a starting winding of the motor is energized and a run position in which the starting winding is de-energized. The switch lever of the present invention operatively connects the switch contact with the centrifugal actuator for movement in response thereto. The switch lever has a cam follower at one end which is engageable with an annular actuator collar of the centrifugal actuator. The cam follower includes a contoured rear cam face which prevents the cam follower from becoming 'stuck' behind a flat rear surface of the actuator collar during assembly or operation of the motor.

Contoured switch lever for centrifugal switch

A centrifugal actuator assembly adapted to be mounted on a rotatable shaft, the assembly including actuating levers responsive to the rotational speed of the shaft, guide means to guide the levers in a predetermined inward and outward path during movement between first and second spaced positions and positive positioning and limiting structure cooperative with the levers to positively position the levers for actuating operation and to limit their movement in the event of departure from such predetermined positively positioned path at both first and second spaced positions.

Positioning and limiting structure for an electric motor centrifugal

An electric motor includes a fan attached to the end of a rotor shaft extending through an opening in an end shield of the motor housing. The fan forces air about the housing to cool the motor components. A motor protector including a temperature sensor is connected to the stator windings and is sensitive to winding temperatures to shut off the motor when the temperatures exceed a predetermined level. A performed strip of material is positioned over the protector in a tent-like form to block flow of cooling air around the protector. Thus, the protector is kept sensitive to the winding temperature, the material block preventing the protector being influenced by the flow of cooling air within the motor.

Ventilation air flow block in an electric motor

A dynamoelectric machine includes a stator assembly having one or more sets of electrical windings. Apparatus for electrically interconnecting external electrical leads, a thermal protector and ends of each set of windings includes a protector block for commonly connecting one end of at least one winding set with the thermal protector. The thermal protector is housed in the protector block. A terminal block interlocks with the protector block to hold the thermal protector in place. An electrically conductive arm of the thermal protector extends through the terminal block to effect connection of the thermal protector with an external lead. The terminal block also provides for connection of the other end of each winding set with another external lead.

Apparatus for making electrical connections in a dynamoelectric machine

An insulator system for a plurality of male switch terminals protruding from a switch housing. An integrally formed insulative jacket has a skirt extending from the switch housing outwardly past the distal end of the male terminals. The jacket further has means internal of the skirt for frictionally engaging at least one of the male terminals. The jacket has an opening adjacent the distal end of at least one of the male terminals so that a female terminal may be connected to the male terminal. Female terminal has a surrounding insulative jacket which is engagable by the insulative jacket when the male and female terminals are connected, which sleeve, in cooperation with the frictionally engaging means, holds the insulative jacket in place on the switch housing.

Insulator system for switch terminals

Apparatus and system for terminating the winding wires of a dynamoelectric machine (e.g., a fractional horsepower electric motor) is disclosed in which wires (referred to as magnet wires) constituting the coils of the windings of the dynamoelectric machine are terminated in an electrically insulative block fixedly secured to the core of the motor. The magnet wires from the windings of the motor are fitted into respective receptacles of the terminal block and magnet wire terminals are forceably inserted into the receptacles so as to make electrical contact with the magnet wires and so as to securely hold the magnet wires within the terminal block. Then, other electrical connections, such as lead wires with removable terminals thereon or other electrical devices, such as a thermal protector for the motor, may be inserted into the terminals received within the receptacles of the terminal block thus eliminating the necessity of lead wire-to-magnet wire junctions and facilitating the automated assembly of the motor and the electrical connection of the terminals of the starting switch for the electric motor to the windings of the motor.

Apparatus and system for terminating the winding wires of a

A motor starting switch including a pair of auxiliary switches operable in response to the stopping of the drive motor of an electrical appliance or the like for disconnecting both sides of an electrical load in the appliance (e.g., for disconnecting a heating element) from the input power lines thereby to reduce shock and fire hazards of the appliance due to a short circuit of the load when the appliance is turned off, and for automatically connecting the load to the input lines of the appliance in response to start up of the motor.

Motor starting switch with dual load disconnect

A self-retaining electrical terminal readily insertible into a slot provided in a switch housing or the like which is positively retained in its slot by means of a retaining tab which self locks with the housing upon insertion of the terminal into its slot.

Self-retaining electrical terminal

A motor starting switch installable, for example, on a fractional horsepower electric motor and actuable between a run and a start position by means of a centrifugal actuator axially shiftable on the rotor shaft of the motor in response to start up or shut down of the motor. The starting switch includes a rotary actuator member having a cam follower engageable by a conical cam surface on the centrifugal actuator as the latter shifts axially from its run to its start position thereby to effect rotary movement of the actuator member and to effect actuation of the switch from its run to its start position as the centrifugal actuator moves through only a portion of its stroke. The rotary actuator member is further engageable with a cylindrical cam surface of the centrifugal actuator after the switch has been converted to its start position thereby to prevent overstressing of a switch arm within the starting switch upon continued movement of the centrifugal actuator to its start position.

Motor starting switch

A motor starting switch mountable on an electric motor and actuatable by a centrifugal actuator for energizing the starting winding of the motor during start up of the motor and for deenergizing the starting winding or other circuits upon the motor attaining a desired operating speed. A toggle linkage for operatively connecting the motor starting switch to the centrifugal actuator is included as a part of this motor starting switch, and it includes a slider for opening and closing one or more sets of contacts within the starting switch housing movable in the same direction as the actuator member of the centrifugal actuator, and a lever pivoted to the switch housing and engageable by the centrifugal actuator. The slider is privotally connected to the lever so that upon the centrifugal actuator pivoting the lever, the slider is moved to open or close the contacts.

A dynamoelectric machine, for example, an electric motor, having an enclosure which includes a cylindrical shell and end shields on each end of the shell, the enclosure and end shield combination delimiting a chamber containing a stator assembly and a rotor assembly including a shaft rotatably supported along the end shields, and a terminal board mounted within the chamber adapted to permit the electrical interconnection of the dynamoelectric machine to a source of electrical energy along external leads inserted through an opening in the enclosure is provided with guide means for directing the external leads to the proper location, generally an outboard endshield facing side of the terminal board for connecting the external leads to the motor. Because of the guidance provided, the external leads do not foul on other structural elements of the motor and may be connected easily by field or original equipment manufacturing personnel at some point in time after motor manufacture. In the preferred embodiment, the guide means and terminal board are integrally constructed with one another and the guide means includes a generally rectangular, slanted ramp having a side wall formed about three sides of the ramp perimeter. The open side of the ramp is arranged so that it opens on the proper connection side of the associated terminal board. Means also are provided for holding internal electrical lead wires of the dynamoelectric machine in proper position on an inboard, chamber facing side of the terminal board.

Motor lead guide and lead wire attaching means

A starting switch assembly is integrally formed with a terminal connection board and is adapted to be actuated by a conventional centrifugal actuator. The switch assembly is constructed so that the electrical contact points of the assembly abut one another under a predetermined pressure independent of the forces exerted on other structural components of the assembly. In the preferred embodiment, the terminal connection board is used to connect external power leads to the dynamoelectric machine. The switch assembly includes a terminal block integrally formed with the terminal connection board. Various windings of the dynamoelectric machine are connected to the power leads by switch assembly operation. The assembly includes a switch arm which is mounted for movement between at least first and second positions. The switch arm is designed to engage and disengage respective ones of a plurality of electrical contacts as the switch arm moves between positions. The switch assembly also includes provisions for some lost motion movement before switch operation in each direction of switch arm movement.

Growing community of inventors

Normandy, MO, United States of America

Thomas V Ottersbach