HOIST ELECTRIC CONTROL HANDLE WITH FIRST OPERATING MEANS, INCLUDING A MOVABLE S-SHAPED RESISTOR, AND SECOND OPERATING MEANS

• US 3,769,480 A
• Filed: 06/15/1972
• Issued: 10/30/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Duff-Norton Co., Inc. (Columbus Mckinnon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kirkwood M. Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Kirkwood M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schaefer, Robert K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vanderhye, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US05/263,031
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 200/157,61.85 338/128,130,133,150,76,283,289,292,137
• US Class Current: 338/76
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/56 Arrangements of handles or pedals
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 3/0213 Combined operation of electric switch and variable impedance, e.g. resistor, capacitor H01H9/061 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/0214 Hand-held casings

Abstract

A pendant electric control handle for a power operated hoist comprises molded plastic side portions of complementary shapes, that are assembled to form a hand grip extending in a downwardly directed longitudinal axis and an inner control chamber within the hand grip. An outer surface of the hand grip offers clearance for an angular position of the thumb of a hand whose fingers encircle the hand grip, in which position the thumb may conveniently operate either of two push buttons that are connected to an electric control assembly in the chamber of the hand grip. The push buttons then are utilized to operate the control assembly to actuate lifting and lowering directional control circuits. There also may be a trigger in position to be moved in horizontal direction by finger for further actuation of the control assembly so as to control one or more speed circuits. The assembly has somewhat the shape of an inverted L inside the hand grip while enabling the trigger and push buttons to be mounted in appropriate positions. The control assembly is constructed for mounting current control elements in various combinations and shapes, including fixed contacts and a trigger operated S-shaped resistor that will proportionally control current of two circuits while requiring no flexible leads or further contacts. The handle can mount resistors and contacts in various combinations that enable the construction to have substantially universal utility and reducing costs when building control handles for hoists that require widely differing types of speed control.

Claims

1. A control handle for actuating electric control circuits of a power operated hoist, comprising an upper portion adapted for attachment to a cable containing the control circuits, walls extending from said upper handle portion and shaped to form a hand grip whose outer gripping surfaces are arranged about a downwardly directed longitudinal axis, inner surfaces of said walls forming a control chamber within said hand grip, current control means mounted in said chamber within said hand grip and adapted for connection to the cable circuits, first operating means for manually changing the direction of current flow in said current control means, second operating means for manually changing the magnitude of current flowing in the direction determined by said first means, locking means to retain said first means in a locked actuated position upon manual actuation of said first means, and release means associated with said second means to release said locking means upon actuation of said second operating means.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 in which a portion of said walls is formed in angular position relatively to the longitudinal hand grip axis so as to offer a clearance space for the thumb of a hand whose fingers engage the hand grip, and said first operating means comprises a member extending relatively to said clearance space for actuation by an angular position of the thumb while the fingers encircle the hand grip.

3. The construction set forth in claim 2 in which said current control means further comprise a part movable in directions transverse to the direction of movement of said element, and said second operating means includes a trigger in position to be actuated by a finger of the hand engaging the hand grip for moving said part of the control means.

4. The construction set forth in claim 3 in which said current control means further comprises a switch element mounted substantially for movement in the longitudinal axis of the hand grip, and said first operating means comprises a push button mounted in position to be actuated by the thumb of said hand.

5. The construction set forth in claim 4 in which said part that is moved by the trigger is equipped with electrical contact means that are mounted for movement integrally with the trigger, there being contacts mounted on said handle and coacting with said contact means that move with the trigger.

6. The construction as set forth in claim 5 in which an individual mounting member carrying said electrical contact means is keyed to said part that is moved by the trigger, readily enabling mounting members that have differing configurations of contact means to be assembled relatively to said part.

7. The construction set forth in claim 5 in which said contact means comprise a potentiometer resistor that slides relatively to a coacting contact.

8. The construction set forth in claim 7 in which said potentiometer resistor comprises coextending portions sliding each relatively to a contact mounted on the handle.

9. The construction set forth in claim 8 in which a portion of said walls of the handle is formed in an angular position relatively to the longitudinal hand grip axis so as to offer a clearance space for an angular position of the thumb of a hand whose fingers encircle the hand grip, and said current control means further comprising a current control element movable by said thumb in the longitudinal axis of the hand grip.

10. The construction set forth in claim 1 including interlocking means for maintaining said first operating means in an actuated position as long as said second operating means remains in an activated position after actUating said release means.

11. The construction set forth in claim 3 in which said locking means includes a control slide having a detent portion adapted to lock with a recessed surface.

12. The construction set forth in claim 11 in which said release means includes a cam shaped member mounted to said trigger portion of said second operating means adapted to release said detent from a locking position with the recessed surface.

13. A control handle for actuating electric control circuits of a power operated hoist, comprising an upper portion adapted for attachment to a cable containing the control circuits, walls extending from said upper handle portion and shaped to form a hand grip whose outer gripping surfaces are arranged about a downwardly directed longitudinal axis, inner surfaces of said walls forming a control chamber within said hand grip, current control means mounted in said chamber within said hand grip and adapted for connection to the cable circuits, manually movable operating means comprising a member extending between an opening in said walls and said current control means for operating said control means, a portion of said walls being formed in angular position relatively to the longitudinal hand grip axis so as to offer a clearance space for the thumb of a hand whose fingers engage the hand grip, said manually movable operating means comprising a member extending relatively to said clearance space for actuation by an angular position of the thumb while the fingers encircle the hand grip, said current control means comprising an element that is mounted for movement substantially in the longitudinal axis of the hand grip, said current control means further comprising a part movable in directions transverse to the direction of movement of said element, said manually movable operating means including a trigger in position to be actuated by a finger of the hand engaging the hand grip for moving said part of the control means, and means interlocking between said transversely movable part and said longitudinally movable element of the current control means so as to hold said element in an actuated position while said part is in an actuated position.

14. A control handle having a finger actuated trigger for controlling current to an electric motor circuit comprising, a resistor assembly mounted for movement in a linear direction in response to the actuation of said trigger, stationary contacts connected to the motor circuit and mounted in positions coacting with said resistor assembly during the linear movements of said resistor assembly, said movable resistor assembly comprising an S-shaped resistor having three substantially parallel connected branches, said stationary contacts comprising at least three contacts with each contact positioned along one of said three parallel branches of said S-shaped resistor, and said resistor moving in response to trigger actuation to slide each of said parallel branches of said S-shaped resistor along said stationary contacts to provide different currents between said three contacts.

15. The construction set forth in claim 13 in which said S-shape resistor in cooperation with said three contacts provides a proportional control of current between pairs of the contacts.

16. The construction set forth in claim 13 in which said trigger is connected to a part that is movable in response to trigger actuation, and said S-shaped resistor is mounted on an individual mounting member having a keyed relation to said movable part, readily enabling said movable part to be equipped selectively with other S-shaped resistors that have different resistance values offering differing control characteristics.

17. The construction set forth in claim 16 in which said handle comprises a hand grip offering outer gripping surfaces and opposed inner surfaces forming a control chamber, said mounting member being mounted to slide in said control member within the hand grip.