Improvements in Electricity Meters.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Electricity Meters.
I, JOHN TOURTEL, of 67, Aldersgate Street, in the City of London, Consulting
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:-
This invention relates to improvements in that class of electricity meters
known as integrating meters in which the index of the ampere-meter is con-
nected to clock work or mechanism in such a manner that it is continuously
returning to the zero-mark at or within equal or uniform periods after it has
indicated the intensity of the current and during this retrograde movement
the index is coupled each time with a counting machine which adds or totalizes
the current intensity consumed in the single throws or strokes of the ampere-
meter index and indicates the total sum of the consumed current intensity on
a dial plate. The novelty of the invention consists in the arrangement by
which an entirely accurate and faultless registration is attained by the counting
mechanism which was not possible with such apparatus hitherto in use.
On the accompanying drawing is shown a suitable construction of such an
electric meter.
:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the interior counting apparatus,
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same with the ampère-meter indicator at
the zero mark and
Fig. 3 shows the interior of the counting mechanism as seen from above.
The indicator or index a actuated by an ordinary galvanometer coil and
having its fulcrum at c in a casing d plays with its lower end in front of a scale b
upon which it indicates the current intensity. Above the fulcrum c is located
a wheel uniformly rotated by clock mechanism or the like and on whose
axis of rotation a crank e is rigidly connected to the wheel f. At every rota-
tion of the wheel the pin of the crank e'engages with the upper end of the
index a and returns the latter from its limit of oscillation to the zero mark
of the scale.
The wheel is furthermore provided with a segment piece 9 which presses
against an upwardly bent arm h of a scale beam oscillating on the fulcrum p,
when it comes in contact therewith. The other arm of the scale beam is in
form of a balance weight, so that it is a little heavier than the arm h. A bow
piece is rigidly connected to the scale beam at its fulcrum p and to a corres-
ponding second fulcrum p. Below this bow piece i oscillates the pin k mounted
on the index or pointer a, such pin carrying on its free end, by means of a
hinge or the like, a vertically movable double armed lever o, whose arm nearest
the index is constructed like a weight and is somewhat heavier than the other
The arm of the lever o which is more distant from the index or pointer
arm.

page_text: (which arm bears a pin 7) engages, if depressed, into a ratchet wheel m, indi-
rectly actuating the counting apparatus.
The apparatus operates as follows If current is passed through the galvano-
meter coil, the index or pointer a makes a stroke or oscillation. As the crank e
of the wheelf rotates uniformly in a continuous manner the index a is
returned to the zero mark at every rotation of the said wheel. A segment g
is provided on the wheelf in such a manner that it begins to depress the arm
of the scale beam at the moment when the crank e releases the index a and the
latter commences to perform its new stroke again. By this depression of the
lever arm h, the bow piece i is at same time rotated towards the index, so that
the lever o may be freely adjusted under the influence of its loaded arm in such a
manner that it is not in engagement with the ratchet wheel m. When the
index is making a stroke, a coupling of the same with the counting mechanism
does not take place.
During the retrograde movement of the index a to the zero mark of the scale b,
the arm h of the scale beam is, however, free and is raised by the heavier arm q;
the bow piece i thereby presses against the pin of the lever o and causes the
latter to engage with the ratchet wheel m so that a coupling of the index with
the wheel m takes place and the latter is rotated, during the backward move-
ment or return of the index, to the extent of the angle of the stroke.
In view of the fact that the wheel m, during each retrograde movement of
the index to the zero mark, is correspondingly rotated, whereas during each
stroke, such wheel remains stationary on the point reached during the last
retrograde movement, the strokes are registered in sums or totals on a dial
plate.
The mechanism of the present invention operates with greater accuracy and
registers faultlessly, since no variations of the index effected by shocks or the
like can take place, which could not be avoided with the electricity meters of
this class hitherto in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is;
1. An electricity meter, in which the oscillations or strokes of an ampere-
meter indicator are transmitted to the counting registering mechanism and
totalled there by periodically returning such indicator into the normal position
by means of a crank or similar device securely connected to an uniformly rotat-
ing clock wheel or equivalent and by coupling the indicator during its return
with a ratchet wheel by means of a ratchet lever pivotted on the indicator and
so arranged that a segment g provided on the clock wheel f depresses an arm h
of a scale beam mounted on pivots ?, p¹ but releases the arm h during the
return of the indicator so that on the return of the indicator the yoke i of the
scale beam presses (in consequence of the excessive weight of a loaded arm g)
upon a pin 7 of the ratchet lever o' and causes the latter to engage with the
ratchet wheel m but on the indicator oscillating afresh the yoke i is caused to
release the pin 1 so that the lever o is lifted by its own small balance weight
from the wheel m.
2. An electricity meter constructed and operating in the manner substantially
as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this Seventeenth day of October 1899.