Control device for variable sequential connection and disconnection of plant components

Claim 2

A control device for the sequential connection and disconnection of components of a plant as function of a plantoperating characteristic, comprising means for connecting a variable number of said components in a predetermined sequence for maintaining a specific operating condition and for subsequent disconnection of said components in an opposite sequence, means for changing the sequence in response to a predetermined condition so that the components, in order to maintain said operating condition, are connected in another sequence and subsequently disconnected in the opposite other sequence, said device further including a plurality of supervising elements, each of said supervising elements being connected sequentially to a respective component and adapted to actuate said component in response to the supply of a predetermined partial voltage being a function of said plant operating characteristic to said element, a step switch for connecting one of said supervising elements to a starting component in the sequence and means for actuating said step switch to connect another component as a starting component.

Claim 3

An electronic control device for the sequential connection and disconnection of the components of a plant as function of a plant-operating characteristic, said device including a number of supervising elements which consist of a number of plug-in units corresponding to a number of components provided in the plant, each one of said units including a resistor, said resistors being connected in series with corresponding resistors of said other plug-in units to form a resistor chain which, with the exception of the resistor of the plug-in unit located at the starting unit in the prevailing sequence, divides a control voltage, the voltage level of which is a function of a base voltage, depending upon the operating condition of the plant, in a number of partial voltages, each of said units having a switch for sensing the voltage level at the resistor, said switch being adapted to actuate one of the components, said device also including a sequence switching device for feeding the control voltage to a predetermined plug-in unit having its resistor in said voltage dividing resistor chain, and to determine which one of the plug-in units is to be the starting unit in the sequence.

Claim 4

An electronic control device for the sequential connection and disconnection of the components of a plant as function of a plant-operating characteristic, said device including a number of supervising elements which consist of a number of plug-in units corresponding to a number of components provided in the plant, each one of said units including a resistor, said resistors being connected in series with corresponding resistors of said other plug-in units to form a resistor chain which, with the exception of the resistor of the plug-in unit located at the starting unit in the prevailing sequence, divides a control voltage, the voltage level of which is a function of a base voltage, depending upon the operating condition of the plant, in a number of partial voltages, each of said units having a switch for sensing the voltage level at the resistor, said switch being adapted to actuate one of the components, said device also including a sequence switching device for feeding the control voltage to a predetermined plug-in unit having its resistor in said voltage dividing resistor chain, and to determine which one of the plug-in units is to be the starting unit in the sequence.

Claim 5

A control device for the sequential connection and disconnection of components of a plant as function of a plant-operating characteristic, means by which a variable number of said components are electrically connected in a certain sequence for maintaining a specific-operating condition, means to thereafter disconnect said components in an opposite sequence, said means being effective in response to an impulse condition to change the sequence so that the components, in order to maintain said operating condition, are connected in another sequence and thereafter are disconnected in the opposite other sequence, each of said components including a resistor, said resistors being connected in series with the resistors of said other components to form a resistor chain, which with the exception of the resistor of the component located as the starting component in the sequence, divides a control voltage, the voltage level of which is a function of a base voltage, depending upon the operating condition of the plant, in a number of partial voltages, each of said components having a switch for sensing the voltage level at the resistor, said switch being adapted to actuate one of the components, said device also including a sequence switching device for feeding the control voltage to a predetermined component having its resistor in said voltage dividing resistor chain, and to determine which one of the components is to be the starting component in the sequence.

Claim 6

A control device for the sequential connection and disconnection of components of a plant as function of a plant-operating characteristic, means by which a variable number of said components are electrically connected in a certain sequence for maintaining a specific-operating condition, means to thereafter disconnect said components in an opposite sequence, said means being effective in response to an impulse condition to change the sequence so that the components, in order to maintain said operating condition, are connected in another sequence and thereafter are disconnected in the opposite other sequence, each of said components including a resistor, said resistors being connected in series with the resistors of said other components to form a resistor chain, which with the exception of the resistor of the component located as the starting component in the sequence, divides a control voltage, the voltage level of which is a function of a base voltage, depending upon the operating condition of the plant, in a number of partial voltages, each of said components having a switch for sensing the voltage level at the resistor, said switch being adapted to actuate one of the components, said device also including a sequence switching device for feeding the control voltage to a predetermined component having its resistor in said voltage dividing resistor chain, and to determine which one of the components is to be the starting component in the sequence.

Claim 7

Electronic control device according to claim 2, characterized by the provision of an emitter follower circuit (T1, T3) arranged so as to transform said base voltage (V) to two auxiliary voltages (V1, V2) which are functions of the base voltage and preferably have an adjustable constant voltage difference VO, which voltage difference forms the control voltage which is divided by the resistor chain (R9) with the exception of the resistor R9 of the plug-in unit (P) which momentarily is number one in the sequence.

Claim 8

Electronic control device according to claim 2, in which said sequence switching device consists of a step switch and a sequence switch in each plug-in unit, said sequence switches of the various plug-in units being arranged so as to be connected in turn to the various contacts of the step switch.

Claim 9

Electric control device according to claim 2, in which the sequence switching device is arranged by changing the control voltage level to connect an extra component at the switching before switching occurs and to cause that an earlier connected component is thereafter disconnected.

Claim 10

Electronic control device according to claim 2, in which it is provided with a time delay circuit arranged so that the starting of a certain component from stand still takes place with a certain time lag after sequence switching, a capacitor being for this purpose charged before an electronic switch in the circuit is thrown in.

Claim 11

Electronic control device according to claim 2, in which each plug-in unit has a time delay device arranged so as to prevent simultaneous throwing in of two components by causing one component to be connected with a certain time lag after the preceeding component has been connected.

Claim 12

Electronic control device according to claim 2, in which the connection between said time delay device and the immediately preceeding plug-in unit is arranged so as to be interrupted, for instance in dependence of an operating condition of the pertaining component.

Claim 13

Electronic control device according to claim 1, in which the connection and disconnection hysteresis of a switch which produces the connection and disconnection of components is made variable by variation of a control voltage common for a number of plug-in units.