An Improved System of and Apparatus for the Collection of Electricity from Overhead Conductors, and in Conduits connected therewith.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1896-Accepted, 13th June, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved System of and Apparatus for the Collection of
Electricity from Overhead Conductors, and in Conduits connected
therewith.
I, WILLIAM JOHN BREWER of 1 Queen Victoria Street, London E.C. Civil
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 relates to an improved system of and apparatus for the collection
of electricity from overhead conductors and also to conduits connected therewith,
and has for its object the obviation of the disadvantage of the overhead systems at
present in use and the provision of a simple and effective entrance to a conduit
where it is desired at places to collect the current from an underground conductor
laid in a conduit such as where the tramway crosses square or other space, which
it is desired shall be unencumbered by overhead wires and their supports.
In the systems of distribution of electrical energy at present in use for tramway
purposes in which the conductor is carried at some height above the ground the
said conductor is usually supported on arms projecting laterally from vertical poles
arranged at intervals along the roadway, usually at or near the centre thereof, it is
obvious that unless placed very high indeed, these projecting arms take up a great
deal of the road way and run very considerable risk of damage. The usual method
of collection is by a collecting device contacting with either the upper or underside
of the conductor.
My invention consists firstly in the system of collecting the electricity from a
conductor mounted direct upon the post or support without the intervention of any
arm or lateral projection other than the insulator upon which the conductor is
supported; secondly in the apparatus by which the electricity is collected from a
conductor arranged as above described and transmitted to the motor on the car,
and thirdly in a special construction of an entrance device to a conduit whereby a
hanging collector under the car is guided by inclined surfaces into the conduit so as
to properly enter the slot in the roadway.
In order that my invention may be the better understood I will now proceed to
describe the same in relation to the drawings hereunto annexed, reference being had
to the letters and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 shows the upper part of a post or upright with the insulators carrying
the conductors, and one form of collecting device carried by the car.
Figures 2 and 3 are views of the cars on the road showing the apparatus collecting
the current from the overhead-conductors.
Figure 4 is a view showing a modified collector, and
Figures 5 and 6 show a vertical section and plan respectively of the conduit
entrance device.
It will be seen from the drawings that the posts or uprights A carry at their
upper part the supports B upon which the insulators C are mounted. These
insulators are of a triangular form with the apex of the triangle extending laterally
from the post, and are provided at the apex with a recess to receive the conductor D,
which is kept in place by a thin copper strip E wrapped round the conductor and

page_text: attached to the insulator by screws or any other fastening device. The collecting
device is adapted to engage the conductor side ways under spring pressure to take
up the displacement due.to sag of the conductor. As shown in Figure 1 the
collecting device is arranged with two wheels F one being adapted to run on
the upper side of the conductor and the other on the lower side of the same. The
wheels F are mounted on axles G upon which they turn. The axles are supported
on a sliding frame, H which is spring pressed outward by a spiral spring . The
standard J carrying the collecting device is adapted by any suitable gearing K to be
turned about its axis by the driver, and is also if desired made detachable so that it
can be removed from one side of the car and placed on the other for example in making
the return journey. The electrical continuity of circuit is effected in any of the well
known ways usually adopted for removable.fittings. The wheels G may be of any
desired form and can rotate on any axis provided that their peripheries together
form a recess, in to which the conductor can engage. The rims of these wheels can be
made detachable and can thus be renewed from time to time when desired. In Figure 4
a brush L is arranged as a collecting device in the place of the wheels G. This
brush L is jointed to an arm M so as to move in a horizontal plane through a
certain distance in order that it can adapt itself to the direction of lead of the
conductor. The arm M is mounted in a spring pressed manner on the arm J, for
example the arm may be attached to the sliding frame H in place of the wheel F
and their axles G. In the case of a brush collector it is desirable that the arm M
should trail after the car in an angular position. The conductor may be some-
times carried down from the poles into a conduit so as to dispense with carrying
said poles across large squares or open spaces in towns and cities. In this case the
car must be supplied with an adjustable contact arm from underneath the car
which will be under the control of the driver.
Where the conduit commences I construct it with an entrance device N, Figures 5
and 6, in which the slot O is commenced with sides P wide apart, which gradually
narrow with converging sides to the normal width of slot and with the bottom Ŕ
starting from the road level and gradually slanting downwards into the conduit.
This arrangement allows the collector to be guided into the slot and gradually
lowered into the conduit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inveu-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1st. A system of collection of electricity from overhead conductors consisting
of the carrying by insulated supports mounted directly upon posts or the like, of a
conductor so that the collector can contact with the upper lower and one lateral
side of the said conductor, the supporting device of the collector being adapted to
take up the sag in the conductor in a horizontal plane substantially as described.
2nd. In a system of collection of electricity from overhead conductors a
conductor supported on posts at intervals along the track, with its upper lower and
one lateral side adapted to contact with the collector carried by the vehicle, in
combination with a collecting device adapted to be moved on its support in a
horizontal plane and provided with a contact device spring pressed outward toward
the conductor adapted to contact with the conductor substantially as described.
3rd. In a system of collection of electricity from overhead conductors, a
collecting device consisting of two or more wheels mounted on axes in such a way
that their peripheries form a recess at one portion of their circumference into which
the conductor can engage.
4th. In combination with apparatus for the collection of electricity from over-
head conductors an entrance device for conduits with bellmouthed or converging
surfaces and an inclined plane adapted to guide and gradually lower the collector
into the conduit to collect the current from the conductor laid therein at positions
where it is not desirable that the conductors should be overhead substantially as
described.

page_text: 5th. The construction and arrangement of devices for the collection of electricity
from overhead conductors substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated the 12th day of May 1896.
FELL & JAMES,
1 Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.