Means and Appliances for Indicating at one End of an Electric Circuit the Position of an Arm or Pointer at the other End of the Circuit.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Sept., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 25th May, 1899-Accepted. 8th July, 1899
Means and Appliances for Indicating at one End of an Electric Circuit
the Position of an Arm or Pointer at the other End of the Circuit.
I, PARNELL RABBIDGE, of The Elms, Hook, near Winchfield, County of Hants,
Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The purport of this invention is to place an indicator such as a volt meter or
ampere meter carrying a pointer, at one end of an electric circuit, and a rheostat
or number of cells at the other end of the circuit, which rheostat or number of
cells is or are increased or diminished in accordance with a movable arm or
pointer, the whole being so arranged that the pointer of the meter will follow
the movement of the rheostat arm.
By this invention, the position of any particular arm or pointer can be located
from one point at another point, such as to indicate at the bridge of a ship the
position of the ship's rudder, or to indicate in any compartment of a railway
carriage the position of a pointer or arm in the guard's or other van which is
set for the purpose of showing the next station the train stops at, or for use in
offices and hotels.
When using an am-meter or milli ampere meter, the rheostat can be used in
series with it, so as to vary the current, but I prefer to use it as a shunt on the
meter, so that the pointer is deflected by increasing or diminishing the shunt
resistance in accordance with the movement of the rudder &c.
When using a volt meter, the movement of the rudder or arm is arranged
so as to cut in and out a number of cells in accordance with its position. The
volt meter will then show the E.M.F. of those in circuit and take up the same
position as the rudder.
Means and Appliances for Indicating at one End of an Electric Circuit
the Position of an Arm or Pointer at the other End of the Circuit.
I, PARNELL RABBIDGE, of The Elnis, Hook, near Winchfield, County of Hants,
Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
077

page_text: the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement;-
-
The purport of this invention is to place an indicator such as a volt meter or
ampere meter carrying a pointer at one end of an electric circuit and a rheostat
or number of cells at the other end of the circuit, which rheostat or number of
cells being increased or diminished in accordance with a movable arm or
pointer, the whole being so arranged that the pointer of the meter will follow
the movement of the rheostat arm.
By this invention, the position of any particular arm or pointer can be located
from one part at another point such as to indicate at the bridge of a ship the
position of the ship's rudder, or to indicate in any compartment of a railway
carriage the position of a pointer or arm in the guard's or other van which is
set for the purpose of showing the next station the train stops at, or for use in
offices and hotels.
When using an am-meter or milli ampere meter, the rheostat can be used in
series with it so as to vary the current but prefer to use it as a shunt on the
meter so that the pointer is deflected by increasing or diminishing the shunt
resistance in accordance with the movement of the rudder.
When using a volt-meter the movement of the rudder or arm is arranged
so as to cut in and out a number of cells in accordance with its position. The
volt-meter will then show the E.M.F. of those in circuit and take up the same
position as the rudder.
My invention will be clearly understood by the annexed drawings.
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view indicating a rheostat in series with an am-
meter.
Figure 2 is a similar view indicating a resistance in shunt with an indicator:
Figure 3 is a similar view indicating a series of electric batteries in connection
with a volt-meter.
In Figure 1, which indicates a rheostat in series with an am-meter, A is an
arm attached to, say, the rudder of a ship so as to be always in the same position
as the rudder. B, is a resistance coil or rheostat which the arm A slides over
and makes contact with. C, is the pointer of the am-meter C, and D is a key
to press for closing circuit, these being placed on the bridge of the ship. E, is a
battery, preferably a storage battery in this case.
It will be clearly seen that when the key D is depressed, a current will flow
through the am-meter C¹ in proportion to the resistance B and the pointer C
will deflect accordingly: which resistance will be varied according to the position
of the arm A, consequently the pointer C will also vary in accordance with the
árm A as the arm A regulates the current through the am-meter C¹.
In Figure 2 the resistance B is in shunt with the indicator and connected so
that the current flows through the resistance B in the opposite direction from
the arm A.
It will be seen from this view that if the arm A moves more to the right, the
resistance B will be greater, consequently the current through the indicator C¹
will he greater; if the arm. A moves nearer to the left the resistance will be less,
consequently more current will be shunted from the indicator C and the deflection
With this principle,
of the pointer C will be less, as shown by dotted lines.
ordinary batteries can be used as the current needed would be small and the
internal resistance of the battery would not affect it to any great extent.
Figure 3 shows an arrangement with a volt-meter C at one end and batteries E
at the other, the arm A being brought into contact with the same pole F of the
different cells in such a manner that as the arm A passes from left to right it
introduces an extra-cell corresponding to an extra electro motive force, which
on pressing the key D would cause the pointer C to indicate and come into a
similar position to that of the arm A: on this principle, very little current would
be used and with carefully made cells, the electro motive force should remain
constant for some considerable time.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is;
-
1. Placing an indicator C¹, such as a volt meter or ampere meter, carrying a
pointer C at one end of an electric circuit, and a rheostat B or a number of
cells E at the other end of the circuit, which rheostat B or number of cells E are
increased or diminished in accordance with a movable arm or pointer C, the
whole being so arranged that the pointer C will follow the movement of the
arm A as and for the purpose herein specified.
2. The use of a pointer C at one end of an electric circuit which is controlled
by an instrument similar to a volt or ampere meter and a resistance or number
of cells at the other end of the circuit which is varied by the movement of an
arm, such as A; the whole being so adjusted that when the circuit is complete
the pointer C will come into the same position as the arm A as and for the
purpose herein specified.
3. The combination of an electric indicator, a resistance, in shunt therewith, a
battery, direct connections between the same and the pointer of the indicator, a
pivotted arm movable over the resistance, a make-and-break device, and electrical
connections substantially as described, whereby the said pointer moves syn-
chronously with the said arm, as and for the purpose specified.
The 25th day of May 1899,
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Parnell Rabbidge.