Improvements in Electricity Meters.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 12th Jan., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electricity Meters.
I, GEORG AUGUST JULIUS TELGE of 5 Sophienstrasse, Oldenburg, Grand
Duchy of Oldenburg, in the Empire of Germany, 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 :-
The present invention relates to an electricity meter in which the pendulum
or it may be the balance spring of a clock movement is caused by means of
a pivoted or rocking beam under the influence of a solenoid core to undergo
variations in length or position or it may be variations in teusion such that
the difference between the times indicated by the clocks will give a direct
measure of the quantity of electricity that has passed through the solenoid.
The subject of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in
which :-
Fig. 1 is an end elevation, and
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus.
Fig. 3 illustrates the mode of attachment of the lever under the influence of
the current to the clock movement.
A pivotted beam e has suspended from the knife edges a on each end t of
said beam the pendulums of two clock movements which are arranged as
follows:--
of
Each pendulum rod 1 carries at its lower end a pendulum weight which is
At its other end
capable of being adjusted by means of the screw nut k.
each rod is connected by means of a suitable connection such as wide weak
spring m to the suspension device n. The escapement arm or anchor
the clock movement engages by means of a projecting part in a slot in the
rod which is arranged to be slightly adjustable with respect to this projecting
part in the slot. To the extension of one arm of the pivotted or rocking
beam there is fixed a cord p which passes round a pulley c that is fixed on
the axle of the pointer of an amperemeter. The said extension of the lever
arm is also provided with a damping or moderating or regulating device o for
the purpose of preventing sudden and jerky motion of the rocking beam.
Each end of the rocking beam e thus carries a pendulum arrangement of
similar construction.
The apparatus operates in the following manner :-
But when
So long as no current is passing through the solenoid of the amperemeter
the rocking beam maintains its horizontal position of equilibrium and both
pendulums have exactly the same period or duration of oscillation.
current is flowing through the solenoid of the amperemeter the pulley c will
rotate with the pointer of the instrument and thereby wind up the cord p to
a greater or less extent in proportion to the strength of the current and to
the angle of rotation produced thereby. By this means the rocking beam e
is moved from its horizontal position of equilibrium and it draws the pendulum up
past the projecting part r of the anchor. By this means the active or operative
length of the pendulum is shortened-consequently the duration or period of
each oscillation of the pendulum is reduced.

page_text: During this operation the depression of the other arm t of the rocking
beam has caused in an analogous manner the second pendulum (of the other
clock movement) to become longer and consequently to acquire a longer period
of oscillation that is to say to oscillate more slowly. The difference between
the times indicated by the clocks will then give a measure of the quantity of
electricity that has flowed through the solenoid.
In place of the said second pendulum and clock movement a simple balance
weight may be employed having merely the friction of counterbalancing the
one pendulum and thus reducing to a minimum the power required to be
exerted on the axle of the amperemeter in order to raise the measuring
pendulum.
Instead of the pendulum movement other clock movements may also be
employed in the construction of this apparatus with very slight constructional
modifications.
In such case the amperemeter is connected in like or other suitable manner
with the adjusting (regulating) lever " of the spiral balance spring of the
clock (as shown in Fig. 3) and acts by increasing (tightening or winding up)
or by reducing (letting go) the tension of the spring respectively to produce
an acceleration or a retardation of the movement of the clock which by the
difference of the time indications as compared with one another or as compared
with a standard clock respectively give a measure of the consumption of the
current.
It should be clearly understood that this apparatus which is gauged or
calibrated in the usual manner does not necessarily require the use of an
amperemeter but that any apparatus may be employed in place thereof which
depends as regards its extent of movement on the strength or quantity of
current flowing through it.
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 electricity meter in which a pendulum such as is suspended from a
rocking beam such as e and the latter connected so as to be actuated by a
solenoid such as a through which the current to be measured flows whereby
the pendulum is raised or lowered by the motion thus electrically imparted to
said rocking beam and a second and similar pendulum suspended from the
other arm of said rocking beam whereby the duration of oscillation of the
pendulums is altered in such a manner that the times indicated by the two
clock movements serve by the difference between them to give a measure of
the current that has flowed through the solenoid substantially in the manner
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
2. A modification of an electricity meter of the character specified in Claim 1
consisting in the employment of the arms t of the rocking beam e to transmit
their motion (which is dependent on the current flowing through the solenoids)
to adjusting levers such as u of the balance springs of two clocks and thereby
cause an increase or a decrease in the tension of said springs whereby an
acceleration or a retardation of the movement of the clocks is produced such
that the resulting difference between the time indications of the two clocks
gives.a measure of the current consumption substantially as and for the purposes
hereinbefore described.
3. A modification of the apparatus specified in Claim 1 consisting of the
employment of only one clock movement electrically actuated as hereinbefore
described in which case the current consumption is measured by ascertaining
the difference between the time indicated by the clock movement influenced by
the motion of the rocking beam and the time indicated by a standard time
piece or clock substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

page_text: 4. The improved electricity meter arranged combined and acting substantially
in the manner and for the purposes herein before described.
Dated this 6th day of December 1894.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.