Improved Means for Regulating the Speed of Electrically Propelled Vehicles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 31st Mar., 1896-Accepted, 16th May, 1896
Date of Application, 1st July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 31st Mar., 1896-Accepted, 16th May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Regulating the Speed of Electrically Propelled
Vehicles.
We CAMILLE BRAULT and CHARLES JEANTAUD both of 39 Rue de l'Arcade
Paris in the Republic of France Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:—
This invention relates to improved means for enabling the speed of a vehicle
driven from any suitable source of electricity to be regulated with ease and
precision irrespective of the gradient of the road or rail on which it may be
used.
In the following description of regulating arrangements constructed according to
our invention the electric energy employed is derived from a battery of
accumulators.
According to cur invention the armature of the motor is connected to the
battery of accumulators by a reducer provided with several contact pieces or
blocks permitting of the various elements of the battery of accumulators being
successively introduced into the circuit or the reducer may be replaced by a
commutator with a different grouping of the elements.
A commutator with several blocks interpolated is arranged in an auxiliary
circuit connected derivatively with the inducing wire.
This commutator consists of seven contact pieces or blocks with a central dead
block but any number of blocks as desired may be employed the said commutator
is the essential part of the regulating mechanism.
:
Suitable resistances are interpolated between the others. The extreme block on
the left hand side is connected with one of the ends of the inducing wire a
resistance being interposed between the two. The extreme block on the right
hand side is connected with the same end of the inducing wire one or more
elements of the storage battery being however inserted between them. Lastly
the central terminal of the commutator handle is connected with the other end of
the inducing wire.
The action of the apparatus may be described as follows.
When the handle of the commutator is placed against the dead block the action
of the motor is that of one in ordinary series that is to say the current is increased
with the increase of energy, whilst the speed decreased in conformity with a fixed
law, which depends on the arrangement of the motor.
For a given gradient of the road, or rail the moter would therefore revolve with
a certain speed depending on the degree of energy required.
Should it be necessary to increase the speed, the handle of the commutator is
shifted to the left, the decreasing resistances are thereby shunted on to the
inducing wire, the discharge is diminished and the speed increased. If, on
the other hand, it is necessary to diminish the speed, the handle is shifted to the
right, the elements of the secondary battery are thereby connected derivatively
with the inducing wire, the discharge is increased and the speed reduced.
It is to be observed that when the discharge current is thus increased, by
connecting the elements derivatively with the inducing wire, the main current
decreases and under certain conditions becomes negative.

page_text: Thus steep gradients of the road may be utilised for recharging the battery.
The dynamo acts then as a generator and produces a brake.
If the diminution of the speed obtained by shifting the regulator onto the last
block of the commutator is not sufficient the reducer must be operated in order to
diminish the number of accumulators in the circuit.
We have thus a speed-regulator and a recuperative brake combined both
sensitive and powerful, and the power of which may be increased by connecting the
brushes in short circuit with the last block of the reducer.
Lastly the general arrangement may also include for backward motion bi-polary
reversing gear which simply reverses the current both in the armature and in the
inducing wire.
Instead of taking the current from the auxiliary circuit, or from the battery
itself one or several distinct elements may be used.
It is also possible to completely separate the auxiliary circuit from the main
circuit. In such a case the discharge is quite independent of the current passing
through the armature and if the voltage of the battery remains the same, the
motor revolves with an almost constant speed, no matter what the gradient of the
road be, it being solely determined by the intensity of the exciting current which
can be regulated at will.
In order to make our description clearer we have assumed that there were two
separate apparatus.
1. A reducer or grouping apparatus on the main circuit.
2. A commutator on the auxiliary circuit.
In practice it is preferable to combine the two in one apparatus which would
give in succession the following combinations.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: Improved Means for Regulating the Speed of Electrically Propelled
Vehicles.
We, CAMILLE BRAULT and CHARLES JEANTAUD, both of 39 Rue de l'Arcade,
Paris, in the Republic of France, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the saine is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improved means for enabling the speed of a vehicle
driven from any suitable source of electricity to be regulated with ease and
precision irrespective of the gradient of the road or rail on which it may be
used.
In the following description of regulating arrangements constructed according to
our invention the electric energy employed is presumed to be derived from a
battery of accumulators, but the electric current may be supplied from other
source.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shews the general arrangement of the
circuits diagrammatically.
According to our invention the armature A of the motor is connected to the
battery of accumulators B by a reducer R provided with several contact pieces or
blocks permitting of the various elements of the battery of accumulators being
successively introduced into the circuit. Or the reducer may be replaced by a
commutator or switch adapted to connect the cells or sections of the batteries in an
equivalent manner.
A commutator C with several contact blocks is arranged in an auxiliary circuit
(indicated by dotted lines) connected derivatively with the inducing wire ! in
parallel or multiple arc.
This commutator C as illustrated consists of seven contact pieces or blocks 1, 2,
3, 0, −1, −2,—3 but any desired number of blocks may be employed, and the said
commutator is the main medium for the adjustment or regulation of speed. The
central block therefore is a dead or idle block.
Suitable resistances are interpolated between the others as shewn. The extreme
block on the left hand side (-3) is connected with one of the ends of the inducing
wire, a resistance being interposed between the two. The extreme block on the
right hand side (3) is connected with the same end of the inducing wire, one or
more elements of the storage battery B being however inserted between them.
The central terminal a of the commutator handle is connected with the other end
of the said inducing wire I.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
When the handle a of the commutator is placed against the dead block 0, the
motor acts as an ordinary series motor, that is to say, the current is increased with
the increase of energy, whilst the speed decreases in conformity with a fixed law,
which depends on the particular construction of the motor.
For a given gradient of the road or rail the motor would, therefore, revolve with
a certain speed depending on the degree of energy required.
Should it be necessary to increase the speed, the handle a of the commutator C
is shifted to the left, that is onto the blocks -1, -2, -3, and decreasing resistances
thereby shunted to the inducing wire cause the excitation to be diminished and the
speed increased. If, on the other hand, it be desired to diminish the speed, the
handle a is shifted onto the blocks 1, 2, 3 and the cells F of the secondary battery
are thereby connected with the inducing wire in parallel the excitation is increased
and the speed reduced.
It is to be observed that when the excitation is thus increased, by connecting

page_text: the cells F in parallel with the inducing wire the main current decreases and under
certain conditions becomes negative.
Thus steep gradients may be utilised in recharging the battery and in that case
the dynamo acts as a generator and a brake.
If the diminution of speed obtained by shifting the handle a on to the last block
of the commutator C be not sufficient the reducer R must be operated in order to
diminish the number of cells of the battery in the circuit.
We have thus combined a speed-regulator and a brake whose power is recovered
which is both sensitive and powerful, and the power of which may be increased by
short circuiting the brushes at the last block of the reducer.
The arrangement may also include for backward motion bi-polary-reversing
gear (not shewn in the drawing) which reverses the current both in the armature
and in the inducing wire.
Instead of taking the current from the auxiliary circuit, or from the battery
itself, one cell or several cells F may be used as shewn diagrammatically in the
modification illustrated in Figure 2.
Or the auxiliary circuit may be entirely separate from the main circuit as shewn
in Figure 3. In this case the excitation is independent of the current passing
through the armature and if the voltage of the battery remain constant, the motor
revolves with a practically constant speed, no matter what the gradient of the road
may be, it being solely determined by the intensity of the exciting current which
can be regulated at will.
We have assumed in Figures 1 and 2 that there are two separate operating
devices.
1. A reducer R in the main circuit.
2. A commutator or switch C in the auxiliary circuit.
In practice, it is preferable to combine the two into one apparatus so that all the
following combinations producing changes in speed may be obtained by the

page_text: In traction on roads steep inclines are often met with which produce when
braking very strong charging currents which are injurious to the accumulators.
To obviate this objection which also occurs in the case of sudden stops we use the
arrangement shewn in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings which has for its
object to form the following connections.
When the arm is on the block 0 the vehicle is stationary. When on the
block 1 it is started the circuit then comprising the armature and the inducing
wire, the battery and the whole resistance. When on the block 2 or 3 or 4 a part
of the resistance is removed. When on the block 5, all the resistances have been
removed. When on 6 a first resistance is inserted in shunt on the inducing wire.
When on 7 for mean speed a second resistance is inserted in shunt on the inducing
wire. When on 1 the brake is on. The inducing wire is in circuit with the
accumulator D and the armature circuit includes the whole resistance.
on -5 the maximum brake power is applied.
When
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In electrically driven vehicles the combination with a series inotor of an
auxiliary circuit connected in parallel or multiple arc between the terminals of the
inducing wire and a commutator or switch so as to enable the following double
combination to be obtained, viz., either increase of speed by shunting the inducing
wire, or diminution of speed by increasing the excitation by the introduction into
the said auxiliary circuit of a special cell or special cells, or a cell or cells of the
main battery substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In electrically driven vehicles the combination with the auxiliary circuit, as
hereinbefore defined, of a reducer of the battery for the purpose of controlling or
regulating the speed, substantially as hereinbefore
ribed.
3. The combination with electrically driven vehi in one apparatus of a series
motor an auxiliary circuit commutator and a bery reducer substantially as
hereinbefore described.
4. The combination with electrically driven vehicles of a series motor with
separate excitation, a battery reducer, and a commutator or switch for regulating
the exciting current, substantially as herein before described.
Dated this 31st day of March 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.