Tap changer apparatus

Claim 1

TAP CHANGER APPARATUS FOR CHANGING TAPS ON AN ELECTRICAL WINDING CONNECTED IN AN ALTERNATING CURRENT SYSTEM, COMPRISING: TAP CHANGER SWITCHING MEANS INCLUDING A MAIN CONDUCTOR ARM AND FIRST AND SECOND CONTROLLABLE CONDUCTOR ARMS DISPOSED IN PREDETERMINED SPACED RELATION ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE MAIN CONDUCTOR ARM, DRIVING MEANS FOR SAID TAP CHANGER SWITCHING MEANS, FOR SELECTIVELY ENGAGING THE TAPS ON THE ELECTRICAL WINDING, SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONTROLLABLE CONDUCTOR ARMS EACH INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND PARALLEL CONNECTED STATIC SWITCHING MEANS POLED TO CARRY ALTERNATE CURRENT HALF CYCLES AND EACH INCLUDING A CONTROL ELECTRODE WHICH CONTROLS ITS SWITCHING CHARACTERISTIC, FIRST MEANS PROVIDING SIGNALS RESPONSIVE TO THE MECHANICAL POSITION OF SAID TAP CHANGER MEANS, SECOND MEANS PROVIDING SIGNALS RESPONSIVE TO THE POLARITY OF THE ALTERNATING POTENTIAL OF THE ALTERNATING CURRENT SYSTEM, THIRD MEANS PROVIDING SIGNALS RESPONSIVE TO THE CURRENT ZERO POINTS OF THE CURRENT IN THE ALTERNATING CURRENT SYSTEM, SEPARATE CONTROL SIGNAL MEANS CONNECTED IN CIRCUIT RELATION WITH EACH OF SAID STATIC SWITCHING MEANS, EACH OF SAID CONTROL SIGNAL MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE SIGNALS PROVIDED BY SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD MEANS, PROVIDING CONTROL SIGNALS FOR SAID STATIC SWITCHING MEANS IN A PREDETERMINED SEQUENCE AS THE TAP CHANGER SWITCHING MEANS MOVES FROM ONE TAP POSITION TO ANOTHER, THE PREDETERMINED SWITCHING SEQUENCE OF THE STATIC SWITCHING MEANS ALLOWING SAID TAP CHANGER MEANS TO CHANGE TAPS WHILE MAINTAINING A CONTINUOUS CURRENT FLOW IN THE ALTERNATING CURRENT SYSTEM.