IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC LAMPS, ELECTRIC CURRENTS, ELECTRIC POTENTIALS, AND THE SUPPLY OF ELECTRIC ENERGY
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Andrew Gray and Thomas Gray at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th February 1883.
ANDREW GRAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain Assistant
to the Professor of Natural Philosophy in the University of Glasgow, and THOMAS
GRAY, also of Glasgow, aforesaid, Electrician, "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
REGULATING ELECTRIC LAMPS, ELECTRIC CURRENTS, ELECTRIC POTENTIALS, AND
THE SUPPLY OF ELECTRIC ENERGY,"
The first part of our Invention consists in improvements or simplification in
apparatus described by us in our Specification, N° 3441, A.D. 1882, and refers to
applications of the continuous endless motor therein described in connection with
an are electric lamp. As the result of our experience we find that a continuous
endless motor (such for example as the Gramme ring referred to in the above
mentioned Specification or a Siemens armature similarly placed between the poles
of an electro-magnet) may in some cases be used without the addition of governing
apparatus for regulating the feed of the carbons or the length of the arc in an
electric arc lamp. We therefore use such a continuous endless motor either by
itself or in combination with governing apparatus other than that set forth in our
aforesaid Specification, and which may for example be an air fly or a set of veins
turning in a liquid or a friction governor or any other suitable and convenient
form of governing appliance.
In order to adjust the relation between the motive power of the motor and the
opposing motive power of the gravitation forces on the carbon holders in order to
ensure the highest efficiency of the lamps, we may either vary the mass of the carbon
holders or we may make such an arrangement that the points of the commutator
at which the current enters and leaves the armature of the motor may be varied
relatively to the fixed magnetic poles or that only a part of the current flowing
through the arc passes through the electro-motor, or that the resistance in the
circuit of the fine wire coil of the electro-motor when a fine wire coil is employed
as is the case where more than one arc lamp is used in series, can be changed by
introducing external resistances.
The second part of our invention consists of a counter of such a nature as is
suitable for use in combination with one of the arrangements of current meter and
the energy meter described in our Specification No 3441, of 1882.
In our form of this instrument a cone is made to move in the direction of its
axis by the centrifugal force of a mass or masses carried on one or more levers
hinged to one of the shafts of the wheelwork of the meter. This cone is made, by

page_text: means of gearing to the wheelwork of the motor, to revolve round its axis at a rate
proportional to the rate of motion of the liquid drum or its equivalent in the meter
while by properly shaping the cone, any desired fraction of the number of turns of
the cone is recorded by means of a friction wheel, the edge of which is made to
bear constantly against the side of the cone and the axis of which is in gear with
an ordinary counter.-The counter for this purpose, is either suspended or other-
wise arranged so that it presses by gravity or by the force of a spring or weight
against the surface of the cone.
The third part of our invention consists of an improved apparatus for regulating
the amount of electricity flowing through an electric circuit or the electro-motive
force between two points of the circuit of a dynamo or other generator.
In an arrangement of this apparatus an endless motor and liquid regulating
apparatus, such for example as those described in connection with our electric arc
lamp in our Specification No 3441 of 1882, is used for introducing resistance into
an electric circuit with the object of rendering the current of Electro-motive force
uniform. In the case of dynamos the resistance may be introduced either into the
main circuit or if the coils of the magnets be in a shunt circuit the resistance may
be put into this shunt circuit, or if a separate exciter be used for the magnets the
resistance may be introduced into the circuit of the exciter, or otherwise in such a
manner as will ensure the object desired.
The liquid in the regulating drum or its equivalent is taken advantage of for
the purpose of making electrical connection with the different parts of the set of
resistances hereinafter more particularly described. In order to effect this, wires
are passed through one side of the drum (preferably the side next the axis of the
drum that is to say in the inner wall enclosing the annular space) and are made to
project such a distance from that side that the liquid comes into contact with them
in succession as the drum is moved around.-The outside edge of the drum or a
metallic ring round the drum in continued contact with the liquid, is brought into
contact with one terminal of the apparatus through one of the bearings of the
drum, which may be an anti-friction roller, while one end of the set of resistances
is led through the other bearing of the drum to the other terminal. The shaft is
in two portions insulated from each other.-The resistances above referred to may
consist of iron or German silver wire or any other suitable substance and they
may be wound on a drum or made up into a bobbin of any convenient form.
They are in this particular form of the apparatus carried on the same shaft with
the regulating drum, the whole being so arranged that the system turns with
sufficiently nearly equal freedom at any part of a turn and that the electro-
magnetic forces remain sufficiently nearly constant for the same Electro-Motive
force, or current at any part of a turn.
When the instrument is intended to regulate currents, the whole or any
proportion of the current is sent through the coils of the motor and the force is
balanced by a weight hung by a cord which passes over a pulley on the shaft of
the motor, When the instrument is intended for the regulation of the Electro-
Motive force, between any two points or leads or main conductors of a system, the
coils of the motor are made of high electric resistance and they are put on as a
derived circuit between the two points or main conductors.
The instrument may be applied to regulate the amount of energy being supplied
to an electric circuit by causing it to change the electro-motive force, or the current,
or both. In this case one part, as for instance the magnets, of the motor must be
of low resistance and be placed in the main circuit while the other part must have
a high electric resistance and be placed in a derived circuit.