Improvements in Electric Tension Regulators or Apparatus for Automatically. Controlling or Regulating Electric Currents.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 21st Feb.. 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Tension Regulators or Apparatus for
Automatically. Controlling or Regulating Electric Currents.
1 JULIUS KALB of 10 Alexanderstrasse Leipsic in the Empire of Germany
Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to a tension regulator which automatically maintains the
tension of an electric current constant so as to obtain a uniform or steady light with
a varying number of volts.
In an apparatus constructed according to this invention there is provided what I
term a resistance frame consisting of coils or helices preferably of German silver
wire which are connected together in a closed series by contact plates or pieces
connecting the several coils at the opposite ends thereof so as to form the con-
tinuous series thereof the series being finally connected at each end to terminal
screws. The said coils or helices are connected to wires preferably of iron which
project in pairs to varying distances and are connected by two series of wires with
the aforesaid coils or helices between the same one wire of each pair leading
from say the upper connecting plate or the like of the coils and the other wire of
each pair leading to the opposite connecting plate or the like so that more or less
of the coils can be switched in or out to increase or decrease, the resistance in
accordance with the condition of the current.
The wires projecting to varying distances as aforesaid dip into what I term a
contact vessel preferably of glass containing mercury on the surface of which there
should be a thin layer of oil placed to prevent formation of sparks. This vessel is
secured to an iron tube or rod with projections or knife edges by which it is sup-
ported on one end of a lever to the other end of which (to compensate for the
weight of the mercury vessel and adjuncts) is a counter weight which is divided
into parts to facilitate adjustment smaller weights may also be provided on the
lever for adjusting small differences in the weights. The aforesaid iron tube or
rod constitutes the core of a solenoid-in the circuit in which the current to be
regulated or controlled passes. I also provide a braking arrangement which consists
of a vessel containing liquid such for instance as glycerine in which a brake disc is
accurately fitted. This disc is connected with the solenoid core by a link or
jointed guides so as to be independent in its movements of the said core. The
said brake disc is composed of two discs preferably of zinc and placed close together
and provided with slots or openings forming parts of circles so that by rotating one
disc the said slots or openings are closed or opened.
The one disc is connected directly to the core and the other disc is connected by
a tube with an adjusting nut so that by rotating it the area of the slots or openings
can be increased diminished or closed so as to regulate the passage of the liquid
and the rate of upward or downward motion of the discs and of the core to which
they are connected.
All the parts may be carried on a stout back plate or support of wood or other
suitable material.
The regulator is put into action by inserting the resistance coils or helices in a
shunt circuit from the dynamo and directly between the magnet coils of the
machine. The solenoid is inserted in the main circuit and the regulator is so
adjusted by means of the counterweights that in normal working so much resistance
is put in circuit as is allowed for the dynamo employed that is to say that the
mercury vessel stands exactly so that for example the four shortest wires from the
coils or helices do not touch the mercury and the current is caused to pass through

page_text: four of the coils or helices. When a falling of the number of revolutions below the
normal number and consequently a lowering of the tension in the machine does not
take place but only a temporary increase in the number of revolutions the regulator
can be so connected that in normal working no resistance is put in circuit that is to
say that all the projecting wires are in the mercury. At the moment when either
owing to increase of speed of the motor or to the extinction of a considerable
number of lamps the tension of the current rises above the normal the core is drawn
into the solenoid the mercury vessel is thereby lowered and the contact wires are
disconnected so as to place resistance in the circuit in proportion as the excess of
tension is greater the core is drawn farther into the solenoid and more resistance is
put in between the magnet coils so that normal tension is maintained. When owing
to reduction of the speed or other causes the tension falls the solenoid releases the
core which is raised by the counterweight and cuts out resistance. The brake is
employed to steady the movements of the apparatus and in order that it may not
act backwards and at the same time to adjust its sensitiveness to small variations in
tension.
As the core rises and falls with the discs the movements are retarded the disc
fitting accurately into the vessel so that the liquid therein cannot pass except
through the openings or slots in the discs.
According as the areas of the slots or openings are increased or diminished by
shifting the discs relatively to each other the core is enabled to move more or
less quickly and its sensitiveness to the action of the solenoid is increased or
diminished.
DL TAL
1000
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
. Improvements in Electric Tension Regulators or Apparatus for
Automatically Controlling or Regulating Electric Currents.
1, JULIUS KALB, of 10, Alexanderstrasse, Leipsic, in the Empire of Germany,
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a tension regulator which automatically maintains the
tension of an electric current constant notwithstanding irregularities in the con-
sumption or in the generation of the electricity.
In an electric tension regulator according to this invention a solenoid connected
with the main circuit so as to be influenced by variations in the current to be
regulated is caused to act upon a moveable contact making device which is balanced
by means of a lever and counterweight and which is capable of making and breaking
contacts as hereinafter described in such a manner as to increase or reduce the
number of artificial resistances in the magnet circuit of the dynamo and thereby
control the action of the latter and counteract any tendency to fluctuation in the
main current.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the
several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in front elevation and partly
in vertical section an automatic tension regulator constructed according to my
invention.
Figure 2 represents the apparatus in vertical section in a plane at right angles to
the plane of the section in Figure 1 and Figure 3 represents a detail of the damping
arrangement.
This apparatus is constructed with a resistance frame A carrying a number or

page_text: series of resistance coils or helices a preferably of German silver wire which are
connected together at their ends by contact plates a' a² the series being finally con-
nected at each extremity to terminal screws z 2. The said coils or helices a are
connected through the plates a¹ a² to wires b and c, preferably of iron, which, being
carried down below the frame, project to varying distances so that the lower ends
of these wires or conductors b and c are situated in an inclined plane as represented
in Figure 1. The wires are connected to the plates a¹ at the lower end of the.
frame A. and the wires c are connected. to the corresponding plates a² at the upper
end as shown. This arrangement enables the resistance coils to be put in circuit
one at a time as hereinafter explained.
The wires b and c projecting to varying distances as aforesaid dip into what I
term a contact vessel y preferably of glass containing mercury on the surface of
which there should be a thin layer of oil to prevent sparking. This vessel is
secured to a plate d on the upper end of an iron tube or rod e with projections or
knife edges by which it is supported on one end of a lever & on the other end of
which (to compensate for the weight of the mercury vessel and adjuncts) is a
counterweight preferably divided into parts to facilitate adjustment. Smaller
weights n may also be provided on the lever for adjusting small differences in the
weights. The aforesaid iron tube or rod constitutes the core of a solenoid o in
the circuit in which the current to be regulated or controlled is caused to pass.
For this purpose the apparatus is provided with two binding posts p through
which the regulator may be connected to the mains in parallel arc in the same
manner as a lamp.
I also provide a damping or braking arrangement which consists of a vessel or
cylinder containing liquid such for instance as glycerine in which works a piston
or brake disc r. This piston is connected by a link t and rods ss' to the solenoid
core e and moves vertically with the latter. The said piston (illustrated separately
in plan in Figure 3) is composed of two perforated discs preferably of zinc con-
nected together at the centre so that one is capable of rotary motion relatively to
the other after the fashion of a hit and miss valve so that by rotating one disc the
slots or openings ( Figure 3) are closed or opened as required. The lower disc is
connected directly to the piston rods and the other or upper disc is connected to a
tube v capable of rotation on the rods so that by rotating the tube v the area of
the slots or openings u can be increased diminished or closed so as to regulate the
passage of the glycerine or other liquid through the piston and the rate of upward
or downward motion of the latter and of the core to which it is connected. The
tube v connected to the upper disc can be secured in position by means of a screw
and nut. All the parts of the regulator hereinbefore described may be carried
on a stout back plate or support B of wood or other suitable material.
The resistance coils a being connected with the dynamo through the binding
posts in such a manner that the current in the magnets or exciting current is
caused to pass through the regulator and the solenoid o being connected with the
main circuit as hereinbefore described the counterweights m and n on the lever k
are adjusted in such a manner that during normal working the mercury contact
vessel g stands at such a level as to cause all or any desired number of the con-
ductors b and c to make contact with the mercury. In the arrangement illustrated
in Figure 1 one half of the conductors bc (those on the left hand) are in contact
and the other half (those on the right hand are out of contact with the mercury in
the vessel g.
Under these conditions the shunt current entering at the right hand
binding post z is caused to pass through the resistances or coils a in succession until
it reaches the connecting plate at the middle of the frame which is connected
through the conductor with the mercury in the vessel g and passes through this
mercury and through the conductor b at the extreme left hand end of the series to
the binding post.
Now when any irregularity occurs such as a diminution in the current in the
main resulting from a slackening of the speed of the motor for example the power
of the solenoid o to draw down the core e and lower the mercury contact vessel g

page_text: diminishes in proportion to the diminution of the current in the main circuit. This
immediately has the effect of causing the mercury vessel g to rise under the influence
of the weighted lever k and consequently a proportionate number of the shorter
conductors and c leading to the resistance coils on the right hand of the frame
make contact with the mercury thus enabling the shunt or magnet current to pass
through fewer resistance coils a in proceeding from the binding post to the binding
post Resistance being thus taken out of the shunt the current from the dynamo
is maintained at its normal strength or tension. On the other hand when, owing
to the extinguishing of lamps or other cause, the resistance in the main is diminished
the current in the solenoid is correspondingly increased and it is thereby enabled
to suck in the core e and draw it down along with the vessel thereby causing a
larger number of the conductors bande to break contact with the mercury. The
shunt current is consequently compelled to circulate in a correspondingly larger
number of the resistance coils and the current in the main is thereby reduced in
proportion to the requirements of the lamps or other apparatus to be supplied with
the current.
If desired the regulator may be so adjusted that no resistance is put in during
normal working. For this purpose it is simply necessary to so adjust the parts that
all the conductors and care in contact with the mercury during normal working.
The current then passes directly from the binding post to the mercury through
the first or extreme right hand conductor. This arrangement is permissible when
there is no risk of the tension being lowered by a temporary slackening of the speed
of the motor.
The damping arrangement or brake cylinder is employed to steady the move-
ments of the apparatus and in order that it may not act backwards or in the wrong
direction and at the same time to adjust its sensitiveness to small variations in
tension. As the core rises and falls with the piston" the movements are retarded
the piston fitting accurately into the vessel or cylinder so that the liquid therein
cannot pass except through the adjustable openings or slots u. According as the
areas of the said slots or openings are increased or diminished by shifting the discs
relatively to each other the core is enabled to move more or less quickly and its
sensitiveness to the action of the solenoid is increased or diminished.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An automatic tension or current regulator constructed with a solenoid
influenced by the main current and a series of resistances capable of influencing
the shunt current or current circulating in the magnets of the generator the said
resistances being controlled by means of a balanced contact vessel connected to the
core of the solenoid and provided with a damping arrangement and a series of
graduated contact makers or conducting wires connected to the resistance coils
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. The construction of automatic tension or current regulator consisting of the
solenoid o having a moveable core e resistances a contact vessel g connected to
the said core, graduated conductors or contact makers b and c and a damping
arrangement or brake cylinder q provided with a piston having adjustable
orifices u all combined and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. The combinations and arrangements of parts constituting the improvements in
electric tension regulators or apparatus for automatically controlling or regulating
electric currents substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Dadth: 15th Jan of La 1001