A. Counter of Electricity..
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 30th, June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 29th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 5th May, 1894
A. Counter of Electricity..
I, FRANÇOIS ALEXANDRE BROCQ of 16 Boulevard de Vaugirard, Paris, France
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an instrument which registers the intensity of an
electric current multiplied by the time during which it is maintained, this instrument
being of cheap and simple construction, with its acting parts quite enclosed so that
the register cannot be tampered with. A closed cylindrical vessel' contains in it's
upper part a liquid in which there is a float, and in the lower part of the vessel.
which is of less diameter, there is a guided iron core free to move up and down this
core being attached to the float above. The lower part has two solenoid' coils
wound upon it the upper coil consisting of large insulated wire in the circuit of the
current to be measured,, the lower coil having many turns of fine insulated wire
which is intermittently connected in shunt to the circuit in the following manner.
When a current passes through the upper coil the core is attracted upwards raising
the float, but as, owing to the action of an annular valve, there is only a small
annular passage for liquid around the float, the ascent of the float is retarded, so
that the time of ascent is inversely proportional" to the intensity of the current.
When the float reaches the extreme of its upstroke, an iron button having a stem
passing through its top, attracts an external magnet which is pivotted' on a
horizontal axis and causes the magnet to tilt, so as to make a contact by which
current is directed in shunt through the lower solenoid coil. By this coil the core
is attracted downwards and the float descends with it rapidly, as the annular valve
rising permits the liquid' to pass freely. As the float approaches the extreme of its
down stroke it withdraws the button from the magnet, which thereupon becomes
tilted back, breaking the contact for the shunt solenoid, and at the same time the
core having descended, attracts a sliding bar at the bottom which by means of a
pawl turns partly round' a ratchet wheel geared' to a counter. The contact for the
shunt coil, being broken by the magnet above, the core is again attracted upwards
and the action is repeated, the float and core alternately ascending and descending
as long as the current continues, each reciprocation moving onwards the counter.
As the descent of the float is very rapid, the time occupied in the successive
descents inay be neglected, the ascents, however, being more or less rapid according
as the current has more or less intensity, the advance of the counter is practically
a measure of the product of the intensity by the time. The float is made with a
corrugated bottom or is connected to a smaller float above so that its floatation
is varied to compensate for changes of gravity of the liquid' due to changes of
temperature.
In order to provide against sparking when the contact for the shunt coil is
broken, several contacts, each connected with graduated resistances are successively
broken by the backward tilt of the magnet..
Dated this 30th day of June 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,.
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, FRANÇOIS ALEXANDRE BROCQ, of 16 Boulevard de Vaugirard, Paris,
France, 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 :-
My invention has for its object an electricity counter which is shewn in the
annexed drawings
Figs. 1 and 2, being vertical sections on planes at right angles to one another.
Fig. 3 is a sectional plan on M N and Fig. 4 on P Q of Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 5 is a front view of the lower part of the apparatus shewing the
clockwork.
The counter consists of a vessel made in two cylindrical parts A A¹ of different
diameter, containing a float B balanced in liquid contained in the vessel. Through
this float passes a tube C having at its lower end an iron steel or other magnetic
core D. On the narrowed part A' of the cylindrical vessel are wound two coils,
the upper one E of large wire traversed by the current to be measured, the lower F
of fine wire traversed at proper times by a shunt current between the terminals of
the circuit. A wire H soldered in the upper gripper d is stretched by a nut e at
the lower end of the axis of the vessel A A¹; it serves as guide to the whole
moveable system consisting of the float B and core D.
The float B has at its bottom a projecting flange G perforated as shewn in plan
(seen from below the float) Fig. 7; on this flange is laid free an annular valve s
of thin metal retained by pins 7 projecting above it. At the top of the float a
small cap h is screwed on the tube C, on which rests the soft iron button I which is
also guided by the wire H. This button I has a stem k terminating in a collar pi
when the float reaches the extreme of its ascent, the button cants the magnet J
which is pivotted at a (see Figs. 2 and 6). The magnet J carries 6 metal blades k
which can make contact at 6 with contact keys c of the 6 contacts K' to send a
shunt current through the coil F. In Fig. 6 the comb of blades K is supposed to
be removed. At the lower part of the apparatus below the core D there is a
pallet M having an arm N carrying a pawlf to act upon the ratchet wheel g which
drives the clockwork O.
The apparatus is quite closed in, the movements being made magnetically through
the walls. It is fixed against a piece of wood Z which can be hung on a wall by
a catch hole Y, the screw P (Fig. 2) fixes it in a vertical position. The connecting
posts for the currents 1, 2, 3, 3, are fixed at the inside of the wood; the posts 1, 2
are the ends of the coil E and receive, the one a wire of the station, the other a
wire of a subscriber, the double post 3, 3 receives the two other conductors. The
coil F and the interrupter K K are in shunt between 1 and 3, 3. The complete
counter is entirely closed and sealed, and does not require to be opened to be put
in place, which allows stamping. A plate Q, which can turn round R (Fig. 2) and
can be leaded at Q, covers at once the posts and the fixing screw. The counter
once placed is protected by a lead seal.
The apparatus operates in the following manner: Assuming the float B to be
down and the little cap I (Fig. 2) also down, the core D carried by the hollow
rod is at the lower part of the compartment A¹. If a current of intensity I
then traverses the coil E, the core D will be attracted to the middle of the coil E
and will ascend subject to a force of the form k 12. This force will produce above
and below the flange G a difference of pressure H proportional to k I say n k 12.
The velocity v of ascent will be proportional to the rapidity of flow of the liquid
through the annular passage left free between the edge of G and the cylinder A.

page_text: How may
represented as v =
or, which comes to the
same thing = k√nk IKI." The speed of ascent is consequently proportional
=
"
to I. If be the stroke and t the time of an ascent then t=.
When the float reaches the end of its upstroke, it rapidly descends again, as we
shall presently see; then it reascends, and so on successively. The pawlf and
ratchet g register the number of strokes.
It will be seen then that if the current has lasted a time T the number N of the
T Το ΚΙ
ratchet teeth moved will be N
T. The counter is therefore a
- t Τ
Coulomb meter.
=
=
-
When the float B reaches its upward extreme, the soft iron cap I carried by it
butts against the thin capsule X; it attracts the magnet J making it cant and
make contact at K K'. A circuit is thus closed from the post 1, wire a, coil F,
wire which connects to the comb K, this comb connects with the contacts c to
which is connected the wire y which leads to 3, 3. Thus a shunt current is sent
through F, the float is powerfully attracted downwards leaving the button I up-
(see Fig. 1). As the resistance of the liquid is relieved by the rising of the
annular valves, the float descends with such rapidity that the time of its descent
or its variations may be neglected in relation to the time of ascent with the maximum
of supply. At the same time the iron pallet M of the arm N is attracted upwards
and by the pawl f effects registration of a stroke on the dial of the clockwork.
When the float reaches the lower end of its stroke, the collar p at the lower end
of the stem causes the button I to fall, the magnet J then rises, the current
through F ceases and the pallet M falls again.
The float begins to ascend to produce a like sequence of movements.
The effect of variation of temperature on the balance of the float is compensated
as follows.
The lower face of the float is corrugated (see Figs. 1, 2, 7) so as to have certain
elasticity and it contains a gas or a volatile liquid so selected that the increase of
internal pressure is greater than that of the external pressure; it follows that
when the density of the liquid is lessened by rise of temperature, the volume of
the float increases, and with properly chosen materials the balance is constant
within given limits of temperature.
As shewn by the diagram Fig. 8 the float B may have attached to it and to a
small auxiliary float x two small chains y z having the same weight per unit of
length. It is obvious that in the first place the equilibrium of this system is the
same for all positions of the float, and farther, that the diameter of the tube v
may be so determined that the float a ascends in it discharging the float B of a
quantity equal to the lessening of the push owing to expansion of the liquid. I
prevent the variations of the speed of discharge of the liquid according to
variations of temperature by the following arrangement. The internal wall of.
the cylinder A and the outer wall of the float B are formed with sharp ridges or
grooves which render the surfaces rough; these will thus maintain the liquid
quiescent which is in contact therewith during the discharge. It may therefore
be said that there is no movement of liquid against the metal, but of the liquid
upon itself, and the friction due to this cause is nearly constant, whatever the
change of temperature may be.
Another important precaution relates to the suppression of sparking at the
contacts KK. These contacts are 6 in number and are made in succession.
Between them are introduced increasing resistances without self induction, for
example of carbon or of wires properly coiled. The resistances are connected to
the 6 contacts K¹ by 6 wires ε ε. The energy which would produce a spark at each
break is then employed to produce current in the next resistance, and the final
break is made on a resistance without self induction, as great as may be desired,
since all the resistances are then in series.

page_text: Further, in order to annul the effects of friction in registering small amounts,
I leave to the float B a certain power to ascend.
But, in that case, when the apparatus is at rest, the float B would rise to the
upper part of the cylinder A and the button I would effect the tilting of the
magnet J, causing the apparatus to register. In order to avoid such registration,
I regulate the upper level of the liquid in such manner that the float B cannot by
itself rise into the upper part of the cylinder A, but that it is necessary for this
purpose to send a current for example, of 0.15 to 0.2 ampères in order that the
core D may be attracted by the electromagnet E, thus causing the float to rise to
the upper part of the cylinder.
The registration when not at work may also be avoided by the attraction which
takes place between the iron of the float which has always some residual magnetism
and the pallet M which operates the clockwork; in order to regulate this action
the clockwork is fixed to the frame by slotted holes q so that it can be raised or
lowered to vary the distance between M and D.
The results of the arrangements adopted are as follows; they conduce to simple
and inexpensive construction of apparatus, occasioning no expenditure of electricity
except during the time of illumination; capable of being stamped, since it can be
conveyed and placed without having to interfere with any internal parts; and it is
entirely enclosed.
If in a counter such as has been described the coil F were dispensed with, and
the height of A' and length of the stem of the float be correspondingly modified,
an hour counter would be produced. For that purpose it would be sufficient to
leave the float with a certain ascending force, and to connect the posts 1 and 3
which would remain as posts for the circuit of which the duration of activity is to
be determined. In this case the apparatus would form in fact a clepshydra, the
reversal of which is replaced by the return of the float downwards at regular
intervals so long as the apparatus is in circuit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what mauner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a counter of electricity, measuring the intensity of an electric current
multiplied with the time, by the registration of the number of times a float B
rises, the displacement of which is produced. with a force proportional to the
square of the intensity, by the attraction of a solenoid E excited by the current,
upon a magnetic stem fixed to the float, such displacement being made to produce
a flow of liquid whose velocity is proportional to the square root of the said force
of attraction, while the descent of the float is effected rapidly by the action of a
solenoid F upon the same magnetic stem D which solenoid receives a shunt
current closed by a contact formed by a magnet J which is tipped over under the
action of the float when arriving at the upper end of its stroke, the valves of the
float being made to offer a free passage for the liquid in an upward direction,
substantially as described.
2. In apparatus such as is referred to in the first claim, compensating for the
effects of variation of temperature on the equilibrium of the float by forming one
face of the float with corrugations which allow of the variations of its volume
under the action of the expansion or contraction of a gas or volatile liquid,
substantially as described.
3. In apparatus such as is referred to in the first claim, neutralising the effects
of friction upon the registration of small supplies by providing the float with a
certain ascensional force, substantially as described.
4. In apparatus such as is referred to in the first claim, regulating the level of
the liquid of the apparatus in such manner that when not in operation the float
cannot rise to the upper part of the cylinder, so that the apparatus cannot register
when no current is passing, substantially as described.
5. In apparatus such as is referred to in the first claim, utilising the residual

page_text: magnetism of the core D and its action on the pallet M of the clockwork for
preventing the apparatus from registering when no current is passing.
6. Adapting the apparatus referred to in the preceding claims to act as a
counter of time by preventing the electromagnet F from acting, so that the float
will rise and fall at regular intervals so long as the apparatus is in action,
substantially as described.
Doted this 20th day of ML 1004
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.