IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO ELECTRO- MAGNETIC MOTORS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Phillips Thompson, of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, British and International Patent and Trademark
Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO ELECTRO-
MAGNETIC MOTORS." A. communication from abroad by Wesley Ward Gary,*
of Washington, in the District of Columbia, United States of America.
Sealed the 8th September 1877, and dated the 14th June 1877.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Phillips Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th June 1877.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, British and International Patent and Trademark Agent. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND RELATING TO ELECTRO-MAGNETIC MOTORS." A communication
from abroad by Wesley Ward Gary, of Washington, in the District of Columbia,
United States of America.
The object of my Invention is to utilize to the greatest possible extent the
attractive force exerted by permanent magnets as a motive power, and to produce
a motor in which the power shall be derived mainly from permanent magnets by
the employment of a small battery power, and to this end the Invention consists in
arranging a vibrating electro-magnet, the poles of which are reversed at each
movement between two permanent magnets arranged with their opposite poles
facing each other.
The Invention also consists in certain minor and secondary details hereafter
described.
In constructing my motor I provide two permanent magnets, and arrange them
firmly in suitable supports at a short distance apart, with the negative pole of each
oppositive the positive pole of the other. Between the permanent magnets thus
arranged, I mount, in such manner that it may vibrate freely back and forth
between them, an electro-magnet attached to the driving mechanism or mechanism
for transmitting power from the motor. The helix of the electro-magnet. I connect
with an ordinary galvanic or other electric battery, and also with an intermediate

page_text: device for changing the current and reversing the polarity of the electro-magnet,
said pole-changing device being connected with the moving parts of the motor in
such manner that it is caused to operate automatically and reverse the polarity of
the electro-magnet at or near the end of each of its movements.
By the combination of the two permanent magnets, the electro-magnet, and the
automatic pole-changing device, as above described, I am enabled to apply constantly
and directly the full power of all three magnets, and, by a proper proportioning of
the size and power of the magnets, to develope a large amount of power while using a
small electro-magnet and a correspondingly small battery. As it makes no difference
in the power of the motor whether the force to actuate the vibrating arın emanates
from the permanent magnets or the electro-magnet, it is obvious that the same
results may be attained by the use of powerful permanent magnets in connection
with a weak electro-magnet and weak battery, as are ordinarily attained by the
combination of permanent and electro-magnets of equal strength, or the combination
of a powerful electro-magnet and weak permanent inagnets, so that by increasing
the size and power of the permanent magnets, I am enabled to produce motors of
great power, and to operate them with small batteries at a trifling expense.
It will be perceived that under my plan of construction, the power of the motor
may be increased to any extent required without increasing the amount of battery
power required, thus producing a large and powerful motor, which may be actuated
by the same battery as a small one. -In-practice however it will be found best to
increase the size and power of the electro-magnet and its battery in proportion to
the increased power of the permanent magnets, which latter may however in all
cases be advantageously made of a size and power exceeding that of the electro-
magnet very greatly. The form and position of the electro-magnets and permanent
magnets, the construction and arrangement of the pole or current changing devices,
and the arrangement of mechanism for transmitting the power from the moving
magnets may be varied at will, as they form no important part of my Invention.
It is preferred to employ horse-shoe magnets, and to arrange them in sub-
stantially parallel planes, but they may be made in other forms, and arranged in
different relative positions, the only essential requisite being that the electro-magnet
shall be free to vibrate between the others.
It is manifest that instead of arranging the electro-magnet to move, it may be
fixed, and the permanent inagnets arranged to move, the relative position of the
parts being unchanged, so that precisely the same effect of the magnets is secured.
It is not considered desirable however to move the permanent magnets, and hence
such arrangement is not shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 represents a top plan view of one form of my motor, Figure 2, a sido
elevation of the same.
Figure 3, a detail view shewing the construction of the current changer.
Figure 4, an elevation showing another form of the motor.
.
Referring to the first three Figures, A and B represent two permanent magnets
arranged in substantially horizontal positions one above the other, a short distance
apart, with the positive pole of each opposite the negative pole of the other. C re-
presents an electro-magnet secured to one end of a horizontal beam D, which
latter is pivoted at its middle, so that it may vibrate vertically, and connected at its
rear end by a pitman E to a crank pin or a wheel Fattached to the driving shaft of
the engine, as shown in Figure 1, so that the vibration of the beam and electro-
magnet will set the shaft in motion. The ends of the electro-magnet, and also of
the permanent magnets, are flattened, and the parts so arranged that the electro-
magnet is free to vibrate up and down between the others, and to approach very
near them. The electro-magnet C is connected with a battery, but between the
magnet and the battery there is interposed a current changer H, which automatically
reverses the current of electricity at the end of each vibration or movement, so as
to change its polarity, in consequence of which the magnet C is alternately repelled
by the magnet A, and attracted by the magnet B, and then attracted by the magnet

page_text: A, and repelled by B, so that it is kept moving constantly up- and down. between
them. As before stated, the vibration of the electro-magnet C operates the beam,.
which in turn, through the pitman and crank, operates the driving shaft. The current
changing or reversing device consists of a pivoted vibrating arm H, having one end
forked and actuated by a tappet C attached to the beam D, and the other end
provided with two spring-conducting fingers d and e, which are connected with
opposite ends of the helix, and arranged to play over three metal plates f, f, and g,
the two former connected with the negative, and the latter with the positive
pole of the battery. The two fingers always connect with opposite poles of the
battery, and each finger alternates from the negative to the positive plate in such
manner that the current of electricity has its course through the helix of the
magnet reversed at each movement of the fingers.
In order that the permanent magnets may be adjusted in case of necessity, and
that when composed, as in the Drawing, of a series of thin plates or magnets, plates
may be added to or removed from them to vary their strength; they are mounted
on vertical screw rods h, and secured by nuts i above and below, as shown. In
practice I find that it is best to make the faces or ends of the electro-magnet as
wide or wider than those of the permanent magnets, in order to prevent the lattor
from in any degree neutralizing each other.
The motor represented in Figure 4 is essentially the same in construction and
mode of operation as that represented in the preceding Figures, the only difference
being that the one last shown has the vibrating beam arranged in an upright
instead of a horizontal position, and that the permanent magnets are arranged with
their ends facing each other instead of being parallel.
I am aware that many electro-magnetic motors have been hitherto devised, that
an outside circular series of permanent magnets have been combined with a central
rotating series of electro-magnets, and also that it is old to arrange a vibrating
armature between two electro-magnets, which were either polarized alternately, or
else had their polarity reversed at each movement of the armature, but my motor
is superior to all others in that it fully utilizes the power exerted by both the
permanent and the electro-magnets, that unlike the rotary machines it applics' the
power of the magnets in a direct line in the path in which the electro-magnet
moves, instead of at a tangent, and that it admits of a large amount of power
being developed with a small battery.
It is obvious that instead of having a single electro-magnet, and one pair of
permanent magnets, there may be a similar combination used at each end, or two
or more combinations used at either or each end.
.
Having thus described my Invention, what I claim is,-
lat. The combination in an electro-motor of two permanent magnets, an electro-
magnet arranged between them, and an automatic current changing device,
substantially as shown and described.
2nd. The combination of two permanent magnets arranged with their opposite
poles facing each other, a vibrating electro-magnet arranged between said permanent
magnets, and connected with devices, substantially such as shown, for transmitting
motion from said electro-magnet to a shaft or other desired object, and an automatic
current changing device to reverse the polarity of the electro-magnet at or near the
end of each movement.
3rd. The combination in an electric motor of a reciprocating or vibrating electro-
magnet connected with an automatic pole-changing device, and two compound
permanent magnets arranged on opposite sides of the electro-magnet, and consisting
each of a series of thin plates or magnets, united in such manner that the series may
be increased or diminished in number at will.
4th. The combination in a motor of two permanent magnets, an intermediate
electro-magnet, and a pole changing device, so arranged that in action the electro-
magnet is brought into close proximity with the other two alternately, either by a
movement of the electro-magnet or of the permanent magnets.
5th. In combination with the magnets A, B, C, the beam D provided with the

page_text: tappet C, and the arm H provided with the fingers d and e, moving upon the plates
ff, g,g, as shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said William. Phillips Thompson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
EDW. G. COLTON,
G, Lord St.,
L'pool.
W. P. THOMPSON. (L.S.)