Improvements in Alternating Electric Current Meters.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 18th Dec., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Alternating Electric Current Meters.
I, GUSTAVE ADOLPHUS SCHEEFFER, of 617 Seventh Avenue, Peoria, in the County of
Peoria, State of Illinois and United States of America, electrician, 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 alternating electric current meters of that class in which a
motor is employed to actuate a measuring train.
One object of my invention is to produce a meter wherein the elements co-operating
to measure the consumed current are reduced in number; a second object of the
invention is the provision of simple means for imparting to the motor an initial torque
to compensate for the friction in the pivots and other working parts of the meter; a
third object of the invention is the construction of a meter wherein the proper
adjustment for alternations may readily be made.
By my improved construction I am enabled to provide a single rotatable element
mounted upon a shaft geared to the counting train which serves the double purpose
of an armature subjected to the turning effect of the fields or resultant field set up
by the meter coils, and as an element which is adapted to co-operate with a damping
magnet to retard the rotation of the shaft to produce a rotation proportional to the
amount of energy supplied to the circuit. My invention may be embodied in meters
of various forins. However, generally speaking, my invention comprises in its
preferred form a single rotatable element as a disk mounted upon a shaft geared to
the counting train, in combination with a shunt winding disposed about a magnetic
core, said core being disposed upon one side of the disk, a series winding disposed
upon the other side of the disk, and a damping magnet, preferably a permanent
magnet, between the poles whereof said disk rotates.
I will explain my invention more particularly by reference to the accompanying
drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment thereof.
In the drawings,
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the circuit connections of the meter;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of my improved meter;
Fig. 3 is a front elevation thereof;
Fig. 4 is a detailed view showing the manner in which adjustments are made for
alternations.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the different views.
The rotatable element or armature a, which is preferably made of aluminium and
in the form of a disk, is mounted upon a vertical shaft a¹ which is geared with the
measuring train. Placed beneath and to one side of the shaft, I provide a laminated
core b, preferably of U shape, the poles 61 62 being opposed to the lower face of the
disk and placed perpendicularly thereto. The polar axes are thus perpendicular to
the plane of rotation of the armature. Coils cc having many turns of fine wire,
surround the poles 61 62 and are included in series with each other in a bridge between
the distributing mains d d of the working circuit. These coils excite an alternating
field having a certain axis or direction and proportional to the voltage.
A coarse wire coil e of few turns is preferably located above the disk and the
poles 5¹ 6², the axis of the coil being preferably vertically disposed. The coarse wirə

page_text: coil is included in series with the distributing mains between the immediate source of
supply, in this instance a transformer f, and the translating devices. To secure the
The field
best results, I form the series coil in a winding free of any magnetic core.
excited by this coil is proportional to the volume of current. The resultant magnetic
field by its rotation, produces a speed of rotation of the armature proportional to the
watts or amount of energy consumed. The series coil sets up a magnetic field whose
axis is perpendicular to the disk or rotating element.
The
The poles 61 62 are constantly changing in polarity as the current alternates, as do
also the polar regions of the field set up by the coil e, as is well understood.
polar region of the field set up by coil e adjacent to the disk aids one pole in its
action, and opposes the action of the other pole; that is to say, at a given moment
the poles 62 may be of positive and negative sign respectively, while the adjacent
polar region of the field set up by coil e may be of negative sign. Thus, said polar
At another
region will aid the pole b¹ in its action, and oppose the action of pole b².
moment, the poles 61 62 may be of negative and positive sign respectively, while the
adjacent polar region of the field produced by coil e will be of positive sign. Said
polar region will then also aid pole 6' and oppose pole 62. The degree of the influence
of said polar region upon poles 61 62 varies with the current supplied to the translating
devices, the speed of rotation of the disk being governed accordingly. To retard the
rotation of the armature, I subject the same to the action, preferably, of a permanent
magnet, between the poles whereof the disk is adapted to rotate.
A threaded stem 63 is secured to the core b, the stem passing through a slot b' in
the base 6, the slot being disposed at right angles to the core. A wing nut be
adjustably secures the core in position. By loosening the wing nut the core may be
shifted toward or from the shaft until the proper adjustment for alternations is
secured, whereupon the core is fastened in position. To overcome the braking action
of friction in the working parts upon the disk or rotating element, I provide a small
strip g of magnetic material, as iron, which is located between the shaft and the core,
and nearer to the latter. To support the strip I provide a post g¹ secured at one end
to the casing of the meter and provided at its other end with a ring g' upon which
the magnetic strip is fastened, a set screw securing the ring to the post. By rotating
the ring or moving the same longitudinally upon the post the desired initial torque
may be secured.
The particular form of meter that I have shown and described is extremely simple
and very accurate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In an alternating-current meter, the combination with a rotating armature, of a
measuring train driven thereby, a shunt winding of fine wire arranged in a plane
substantially parallel with the plane of rotation thereof, and a series winding of
coarse wire also arranged in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of rotation
thereof, said windings by their arrangement producing polar regions whose axes are
substantially perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the armature, substantially as
described.
2. In an alternating-current meter, the combination with a rotating disc, of a
shaft upon which the same is adapted to rotate, a measuring train driven by the
shaft, a shunt winding of fine wire adjacent to one face of the disk, and a series
winding of coarse wire placed upon the other side of the disk, said coils being placed
substantially parallel with the disk, said coils or the greater portion thereof being
placed upon one side of the shaft, whereby polar regions are produced having axes
which are perpendicular to the disk and located upon one side of the shaft,
substantially as described.
3. In an alternating-current meter, the combination with a rotating disk, of a shaft
upon which the same is adapted to rotate, a measuring train, a laminated magnetic
core of U shape lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the disk, the poles

page_text: whereof are adjacent to one face of the disk, a shunt winding of fine wire disposed
about the core, a series winding of coarse wire placed upon the other side of the disk
and adjacent to the other face thereof, the latter coil being placed substantially
parallel to the disk, and a damping magnet arranged in proximity to the disk, said
core and series coil being located upon one side of the shaft, and the said damping
imagnet being located oppositely to said core and series coil upon the other side of
the shaft, substantially as described.
4. In an alternating-current meter, the combination with a rotating armature, of a
measuring train driven by said armature, a shunt winding of fine wire, a series
winding of coarse wire, said armature being arranged within the fields produced by
said windings, and a retarding device associated with the arınature and exerting its
influence directly thereupon, substantially as described.
5. In a meter, the combination with an armature, of a measuring train driven
thereby, a magnetic core, a shunt winding of fine wire disposed about said core, the
lines of force set up thereby finding circuit through the armature and core, and a
series coil of coarse wire without any magnetic core, substantially as described.
6. In a meter, the combination with an armature, of a measuring train, a magnetic
core, a shunt winding of fine wire disposed about said core, and a series coil of coarse
wire without any magnetic core so arranged with relation to the core of the shunt
winding that lines of force set up thereby are adapted to complete their magnetic
circuit through said core, substantially as described.
7. In an alternating-current meter, the combination with a rotating disk, of a
shaft upon which the same is adapted to rotate, a measuring train, a laminated
magnetic core of U shape lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the disk the
poles whereof are adjacent to one face of the disk, a shunt winding of fine wire on
said core, and a series winding of coarse wire placed upon the other side of the disk
and adjacent to the other face thereof, the latter coil being placed substantially
parallel to the disk, substantially as described.
8. In an alternating-current meter, the combination with a rotating armature, of
a magnetic core disposed substantially perpendicularly to the plane of rotation of the
armature, a shunt winding of fine wire disposed about said core, means for adjusting
the core toward or away from the axis of rotation of the armature in a plane
substantially parallel with the plane of rotation, and a series winding of coarse wire
adjacent to the armature, substantially as described.
9. In an alternating-current meter, the combination with an armature, of a series
winding of coarse wire, a shunt winding of fine wire, said armature being subjected
to the action of the fields created by said windings, the shunt winding being placed
substantially parallel with the plane of rotation of the armature, and means for
adjusting the shunt winding toward or away from the axis of rotation, substantially
as described.
10. In an alternating-current meter, the combination with a rotating disk, of a
magnetic core lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the disk, the poles
whereof are adjacent to one face of the disk, a shunt winding of fine wire disposed
about said core, a series winding of coarse wire placed adjacent to a face of the disk,
the latter coil being placed substantially parallel to the disk, and an adjustable
magnetic piece opposite to the magnetic core to produce an initial torque, substantially
as described.
11. In an alternating-current meter, the combination with a rotating armature, of
magnetic core placed substantially perpendicularly to the plane of rotation thereof,
shunt winding of fine wire disposed about the core, whereby a polar region is
produced having an axis perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the armature, and
series winding of coarse wire also arranged in a plane parallel with the plane
of rotation of the armature to produce a polar region having an axis practically at
right angles to the plane of rotation, substantially as described.
12. An alternating-current electric meter, in which the shunt winding is arranged
o produce a polar region or regions having an axis or axes perpendicular to the
plane of rotation of the armature.

page_text: 13. An alternating-current electric meter, in which the series winding is arranged
to produce a field having an axis perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the
armature.
14. An alternating-current electric meter, in which the shunt and series coils are
arranged to produce fields having axes perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the
armature.
Dated this 5th day of November, 1897.
GUSTAVE ADOLPHUS SCHEEFFER.
Haseltine Lake & Co.
45 Southampton Bldgs London W.C., Agents for the Applicant.