IMPROVE- MENTS IN ELECTRIC GOVERNORS to be as follows:-
Year: 1885

page_text: I WILSON HARTNELL of Benson's Buildings Leeds in the County of York
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ELECTRIC GOVERNORS to be as follows:-
"
This invention has for its object improvements in electric governors.
The current is made to control the position of an instrument and this instrument
when it has been correctly placed is afterwards by the power of the engine, motor
or current itself applied to move the throttle valve or other mechanical part of the
engine or motor, or it may be of the dynamo relay resistance or the like which has
to be moved to regulate the current.
This can be effected in the following manner:-the electric current circulating
in the coils of a solenoid determines the position of a core which is suspended
within it from a spring. The instrument mentioned above is connected to the core
and moves with it.
When the instrument is shifted from one place to another it operates in con-
junction with a reciprocating part of the engine or motor to move the throttle
valve or other appliance having a like function.
The solenoid core and the instrument which it carries move when they are free
to do so without impediment and afterwards a reciprocating part of the engine or
motor pushes the instrument so set against a part connected mechanically with the
throttle valve or controlling part of the engine or motor. The amount and direction
of the movement so imparted is dependent on the previous movement of the solenoid
core and the instrument which it carries.
The instrument connected with the solenoid core may conveniently consist of a
pair of reversed wedges against which a reciprocating part of the motor operates ;
it presses them against the parts connected with the throttle valve or other con-
trolling part of the engine or motor.
When by the movement of the solenoid core a thicker part of one of the wedges
is brought to the nip a corresponding movement of the part of the throttle valve
or controlling part of the engine or motor results.

page_text: The electrical arrangement may be varied for example an electro magnet may be
substituted for a solenoid. A reciprocating part of the engine may in this case be
The
caused to force the armature from the magnet through a spring connection.
armature then leaves the poles sooner or later according to the strength of the
current passing in the coils. The instrument or part corresponding to the wedges
of the previous arrangement here receives movement from the engine or motor
the
until the instant when the armature escapes from the poles of the magnet;
armature however when it gets free locks the instrument in the position which it
occupies at the moment of release and whilst so locked it is applied by a recipro-
cating part of the engine or motor to operate the throttle valve or other controlling
part of the engine or motor.

page_text: °°
The back of the piece E may be covered with leather, as the drawing indicates,
to prevent noise when the parts E and H come in contact.
It will thus be seen that the only work which the solenoid is called upon to
perform is to raise and lower the piece E and the balancing parts with which it is
connected. The movement of the lever F and the throttle valve or other governing
part is then effected by the mechanical force of the motor or engine which imparts
motion to the rod H.
Figure 2 represents another form which may be given to the lever F, it is
here provided, as will be seen, with another projection F which is intended to
come into action in case a break in the electrical continuity of the circuit should
occur. The solenoid core then falls to its lowest position whilst the piece E rises
so that projection E' passes over the top of the incline F' whilst the projection F
is caught by the lower projection E of the part E, with the result that the lever F
receives a movement which causes the throttle valve to be closed and the engine to
be stopped in time to prevent damage to the dynamo machine which otherwise
might occur.
Figure 3 shows another form of the apparatus:-The parts A, B, C, D, are
arranged as already described; from the outer end of the lever D a plate I is
suspended, in it there is an inclined slot-J is the stem of the throttle valve or
other part requiring to be moved to regulate the speed of the engine or the current
passing in the circuit. The stem J has upon it a die J¹ entering the slot in the
plate I There is a sleeve K surrounding the stem J and able to slide upon it; the
die J¹ passes through an elongated opening in this sleeve. The sleeve receives a
reciprocating movement from a lever L connected with an eccentric or otherwise
actuated. KK are collars on the sleeve which, as the sleeve moves to and fro,
come to abut upon the edges of the plate I, first on one side and then on the
other So long as the solenoid core remains without movement the reciprocation
of the sleeve K does not cause any movement of the stem J or of the throttle
valve, but when the solenoid core and consequently the plate I assumes a new
position then one or other of the collars K₁ K² pushes against the plate and
moves it laterally, and a corresponding movement is imparted to the valve or
other governing part either in one direction or the other in accordance with the
movement of the solenoid core.
Figure 4 represents another form of the apparatus-M is a piece which, as
before, hangs suspended from the lever D, and it is raised or lowered by the
operation of the solenoid-M¹ M¹ are a pair of inclines upon it, and step-like teeth
are formed on the surfaces of these inclines-The inclines M¹ are contained within
a case N in which they are free to move vertically. The case N receives a
reciprocating movement by means of a lever and rod from an eccentric or other-
wise, as already described in respect to Figure 3. 00 are the two parts of a
divided rod connected with the throttle valve of the engine or other part which it
is desired to move-They are rigidly connected together by a frame or yoke
outside the case N which however is not shown in the drawing-These two parts
of the rod O also terminate in points O¹ 0' one on either side of the inclines M¹ M'-
So long as the solenoid core remains in one position the reciprocation of the case N
produces no change in the position of the rod O and the throttle valve or other
part connected therewith, but immediately a change takes place in the position of
the core and a corresponding change in the position of the part M the reciprocation
of the case N brings one or other of the inclines M¹ into contact with the
corresponding point O¹ and the rod O is shifted to a new position, where it remains
until another change takes place in the position of the solenoid core.
Sheet 2 Figure 1 shows another form. The instrument D has a vertical motion
imparted to it by the variation of the electric current in the coils of the
solenoid A. and except when in its mean position has a reciprocal movement given
to it by the points P P₁ being brought into contact with the teeth F. The
pieces are slides working in a suitable guide and terminating in joints R
upon which the propellers S S pivot. When the instrument D is lifted or lowered

page_text: from its mean position one or other of the sliding pieces Q or Q' is brought into
action and the extremity of the propeller operates against the teeth of the wheel T
which by any convenient intermediate gear is connected with the throttle valve or
other part requiring to be moved to regulate the electric current.
The recipro-.
cating piece P* carrying the teeth P P slides horizontally in a suitable guide and
may be connected to an eccentric rod as shown or driven by any convenient
mechanism. In Sheet 2 Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 are variations of the mechanism in
respect to which no further description is necessary.
Sheet 2 Figure 6 shows mechanism which may be employed in connection with
the foregoing where a movement constantly maintained requires to be regulated.
A connecting rod U has motion given to it from a mechanism similar to that
described in respect to Figure 1 Sheet 1; this governs the position of the rod V
which is jointed to the eccentric rod of an engine. The eccentric rod also as shown
gives motion to a slotted link and this receives a radius rod X connected with the
slide valve of a steam engine.
On the rod V are fixed two pointed ore edged pieces V₁ V' which come into
contact with a notched lever W and determine its position relatively to the
centre W¹. The lever W₁ is keyed to the same shaft as the lever W and is
connected with the radius rod X which is thus lifted or lowered in the slotted
link and so a less or greater amount of reciprocating movement is imparted to
the valve. The position of the levers W and W' is maintained by a frictional
arrangement Y until the points V1 V2 operate to move them.
Figure 1, Sheet 3 shows another form of my apparatus in which an electro
magnet is employed in lieu of a solenoid.
a is the electro magnet and b is its armature. The armature is attached to a
rod c around which a spring d is coiled, and this spring abuts upon a collar c¹ at
the extremity of the rod c. Upon the rod c there is also the moveable collar e and
it receives movement from a rocking lever f which is operated by a connection
with the eccentric of the motor or any other convenient way-every reciprocation
the lever compresses and releases the spring d. The lever arm f¹ which is on the
same axis with ƒ also gives a reciprocating movement to a block g being connected
with this block by a link or links. The rod h passes through the block g which is
able to slide on the rod but with a regulated amount of frictional resistance.
a socket at the lower end of the rod h in which a piece i with inclined ends is able
to slide. The part i has movement imparted to it by a connection with the
eccentric rod of the engine or otherwise, causing it to slide to and fro in the
socket h¹.
h' is
This movement of the piece i takes place between two points k k which
correspond to the points 0, 0¹, in Figure 4, sheet 1, and in like manner are
connected with the throttle valve of the engine or other part which requires to be
moved to control the speed of the motor or to control the electric current passing
through the coils of the magnet a the rod h passes through a somewhat elongated
hole in the stem c and it is able to move freely through this hole so long as the
armature of the electro magnet is in contact with its poles. is a spring
attached at its upper end to the stationary guide and at its lower to the rod h.
In the operation of the apparatus the action is as follows:-
The lever when it compresses the spring b operates to draw the armature away
from the poles of the magnet at the same time also in consequence of the frictional
connection between the lever f' and the rod h, this rod and the inclined block i
are lowered. The movement continues until the strain on the armature b is such
as to cause it to leave the poles of the magnet. An endwise movement of the
rod c then ensues and it causes the rod h to be locked in the guide in which it
works. The rod h now remains securely held whilst the horizontal movement of
the block i brings it in contact with one or other of the points thereby shifting
these points and bringing them to a new position, and likewise moving the throttle
valve or other parts connected with the points ke k.

page_text: When the return movement of the levers f and fi takes place the spring dis
released and the armature a returns to the poles of the magnet whilst at the same
time, the rod h is lifted by the frictional holding of the block g. The upward
movement of the rod h continues until the frictional holding is overcome by the
resistance of the spring which limits the upward movement of the rod h whilst
the block g completes its stroke.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
(1.) My improvement in electric governors consisting in so arranging that the
electric current, by a solenoid and core or other means controls the position of an
instrument which is then applied by mechanical force to produce the movement of
the throttle valve or other part by which the regulation is effected.
(2). The several forms of my electric governor substantially as herein described
and represented by the annexed drawings.