Improved Means for Feeding Electricity to Railway and similar. Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1897-Accepted, 21st Aug., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Feeding Electricity to Railway and similar.
Vehicles.
We, DR. LUIGI CEREBOTANI, of Sendlingerstrasse 63 Munich, Bavaria, Professor,
and CARL MORADELLI, of 2 Baumstrasse, Munich, Bavaria, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of the present invention is to provide a reliable system for feeding
electricity to motor cars, and one, which involves no danger in consequence of
contact with the conductors.
: 1.
And in order to render the present specification more easily intelligible, reference
is had to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference denote
similar parts throughout the several views :-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section,
Fig. 2 a cross section,
Fig. 3 a plan,
Fig. 4 a longitudinal section of one of the circuiting devices arranged in the
line and
Fig. 5 a cross section through the same.
As will be seen from Fig. 3 the circuiting devices are arranged at certain intervals
along the line between the rails in boxes K, which are closed on all sides. These
boxes are connected by the positive and negative line wires L and L³, near which
feeding conductors may be arranged if desired. (These conductors are not shown
in the drawings.) In each box, a double pole switch is arranged, capable of trans-
mitting a current of 500 Volt tension, and having a spark extinguishing device,
and when said switches are operated, the branch lines and 12 are brought into
connection with the line wires L1 and L2. In the drawing the device is so arranged
that the fixed contact points c, c¹ are in connection with the branch lines and 1,
whilst the line wires L' and L2 are in connection with the flat springs b and 6¹.
The branch lines connect to the rails S1 and S2. Two irons e and e¹ are arranged
in the top of the box and an armature a is arranged thereunder, said armature being
insulated from the said flat springs, but rigidly connected thereto. The joints of
the rails are so arranged that the section of the rails are insulated one from the
other and the rails themselves are coated, with exception of the upper surface,
with a damp proof enamel varnish to avoid loss of current to the earth in damp
weather.
The frame of the car is provided with a double pole electric magnet-system
(Figs. 1 and 2) as at E, E, said magnets being excided by means of accumulators
and provided with two wrought iron pole shoes as at P, P. The wheels of the car
are insulated from the axle and the bosses of the said wheels are provided with
copper rings R having brushes B.
Both brushes of one side are in connection with the positive clamp of the con-
trolling device and those of the other with the negative clamp of said device.
The

page_text: controlling device is further provided with a contact for switching in the magnet
energising battery.
The rail sections should be as long as the pole shoes and each section is provided
with a circuiting device arranged at a distance from the section end equal to the
distance of the end of the pole shoe from the axis of the front wheel of the car,
in order to prevent the circuiting device from operating until the front wheel of
the car has passed on to the section in question.
The device operates in the following manner:-
"
When the car is started, the driver turns the lever of the controlling device to
" start and this movement operates to close the contact or circuit to the accumu-
lator in order to energise the magnet system. This causes the armature a to be
attracted to close on to the irons e, e¹ thus causing the springs b, b¹ to close against
the contacts c, c¹. Thus the potential difference of the line wires L' L is conducted
in the manner described to the clamps of the controller, from which the motor is
operated in the usual manner. When the car is running, the armature of the box
will remain in operative position until the car has passed on to the next section,
or rather as long as the pole shoe is above the same. As soon as the pole shoe has
passed the box, the armature falls breaking contact with the line wires, and the
rails are no longer subjected to tension. In the mean time the pole shoe will have
operated the next box.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
-
Device for feeding electric current to railway and similar vehicles which consists
of a series of underground circuiting devices, mounted between the rails, which are
insulated one from the other and a magnet system on the car to operate said
circuiting devices, substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd day of Tul.. foo