provements in and connected with Electrical Switches.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th June, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Mar., 1900—Accepted, 23rd June, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in and connected with Electrical Switches.
EDWARD JOHN WADE, Electrical Engineer, and THE ELECTRIC MOTIVE POWER
COMPANY, LIMITED, Motor Carriage Builders, both of 74, Caistor Road, Balham,
in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows
Our invention relates to improvements in those classes of electrical controller
switches which are used for coupling up storage cells or other sources of EMF
in various combinations of series & parallel and is especially applicable in con-
junction with switches of the type described in our Patent No. 11525/98 in which
intermediate pass-over combinations are provided between the working com-
binations.
All connections that have to be made in arranging the cell combinations are
of two kinds; the joining together of positive terminals in sets & of negative
terminals in sets to parallel the cells; and the bridging together of the positive
& negative terminal of adjacent cells to complete the series of cells.
The usual method of carrying this out is to construct the switches with one
row of fixed contact pieces for all the necessary cell terminals, both positive &.
negative, & to join these together as required by means of movable contacts
which are attached to & revolved with a cylindrical drum. This arrangement
necessarily entails a number of cross connections being made between the drum
contacts, or else a duplication of some of the battery terminals.
The object of our invention is to enable the combinations to be effected with
the minimum number of terminals, contact pieces & cross connections, & in the
smallest space, thereby reducing the size of the switch & the cost of its manu-
facture.
For this purpose we provide two rows of fixed contact pieces facing each
other or opposite sides of the drum, one row for all the positive cell connec
tions & the other row for all the negative connections.
The corresponding fixed contacts on either side of the drum are connected,
pair by pair, to the positive and negative terminal respectively of adjacent
battery cells, and the end positive and negative of the battery are also con-
nected to a corresponding pair of terminals.
By this device all the connections for paralleling the cells can be effected
by metallic contact pieces which run the lengthways of the drum, and all the
bridging connections for completing the series of cells by transverse pieces which
pass round the drum, a separate transverse strip being provided for each corre-
sponding pair of terminals, except for the pair to be connected to the end
positive & negative terminals of the battery. To prevent the lengthways con-
necting pieces and the transverse connecting pieces from touching each other,
the former may preferably be fixed to the surface of the drum, & the latter let
O into circular grooves of sufficient depth so as to pass clear underneath them,

page_text: only projecting up to or above the surface at those points where they have to
engage with the fixed contacts.
30 1 1
T
1000
Improvements in and connected with Electrical Switches.
EDWARD JOHN WADE, Electrical Engineer, and THE ELECTRIC MOTIVE POWER
COMPANY, LIMITED, Motor Carriage Builders, both of 74, Caistor Road, Balham,
in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be perfornied, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
―
Our invention relates to improvements in those classes of electrical controller
switches which are used for coupling up storage cells or other sources of EMF
in various combinations of series and parallel, and is especially applicable in
conjunction with switches of the type described in our Patent No. 11525/98 in
which intermediate pass-over combinations are provided between the working
combinations.
All connections that have to be made in arranging the cell combinations are
of two kinds the bridging together of the positive and negative terminals of
cells to complete the series of cells, and the joining together of positive ter-
minals in sets and of negative terminals in sets to parallel the cells or series of
cells.
The usual method of carrying this out is to construct the switches with one
row of fixed contact pieces for all the necessary cell terminals, both positive and
negative, and to join these together as required by means of other contacts
which are attached to and revolve with a cylindrical drum. This arrangement
necessarily entails a number of cross connections being made between the drum
contacts, or else a duplication of some of the battery terminals.
The object of our invention is to enable the combinations to be effected with
the minimum number of terminals, contact pieces and cross connections, and in
the smallest space, thereby reducing the size of the switch and the cost of its
manufacture.
For this purpose we provide two rows of fixed contact pieces facing each
other at opposite sides of a drum, one row for all the positive cell connections
and the other row for all the negative cell connections.
The fixed contacts directly opposed to each other on either side of the drum
are connected, pair by pair, to the positive and negative terminals respectively
of adjacent battery cells, and the end positive and negative of the battery are
also connected to a corresponding pair of contacts. The term " adjacent" as
used in this specification does not necessarily imply cells or terminals which
are in mechanical juxtaposition to each other, although for convenience sake
this is mostly the case, but indicates those which require to be in immediate
connection electrically.
By this device all the connections for paralleling the cells can be effected by
metallic contact pieces which run the lengthways of the drum, and all the bridg
ing connections for completing the series of cells by transverse pieces which
pass round the drum circumferentially, a separate transverse strip or ring being

page_text: provided for each pair of fixed contacts, except for the pair to be connected
to the end positive and negative terminals of the battery.
To prevent the lengthways connecting pieces and the transverse connecting
piece from touching each other, the former may preferably be fixed to the
surface of the drum, and the latter let into circular grooves of sufficient depth
so as to pass clear underneath, only projecting up to or above the surface at
those points where they have to engage with the fixed contacts.
In the accompanying drawings illustrating our invention, in which like letters
refer to like parts. Fig. 1 is a sectional plan through the drum and fixed
contacts.
Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 1, 2 of Figure 1.
Fig. 3 is a developed plan of the surface of the drum.
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the connections between the storage cells or
other sources of EMF, and the fixed contacts or their corresponding terminals.
Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are diagrams showing what connections are made between
the fixed contacts by means of the contact pieces on the drum when putting the
cells in 6, 4, 3 and 2 parallels respectively. A A' are two rows of fixed contact
pieces at opposite sides of a rotatable drum B. Metallic pieces or rings C, suit-
ably insulated from each other, pass round the drum, a ring being provided for
each pair of opposing contacts, except for the pair a a¹ to which the end ter-
minals of the battery are to be connected. For convenience of construction
these rings may if desired be made up of two or more segments in proper
metallic connection and they need not necessarily entirely encircle the drum.
Each ring engages with the pair of opposing contacts and puts them in
metallic connection by means of portions C¹ which are raised or project out at
certain parts according to the combination it is desired to effect.
Other metallic pieces DD' for putting any required number of contacts in
the same row in connection with each other run the lengthways of the drum.
The piece or pieces which engage with one row of contacts must be insulated
from the piece or pieces which engage with the other row of contacts, and
both or all of them must be insulated from the ring contacts above described.
According to the method shewn in the drawings, the ring contacts Care sunk
into circumferential grooves beneath the surface of the drum, which is composed
of hard wood or other suitable insulating material, and project up to or above
its surface as at C₁, where they have to engage with the fixed contacts.
other contact pieces DD are fixed to the surface of the drum and pass over
the ring contacts in the grooves without touching them.
The
The fixed contact pieces A. A¹ shewn in Fig. 2 are blocks of metal attached
to the ends of metallic strips or springs E. These springs are curved round
and attached to two rows of terminals TT mounted on a strip of insulating
material For otherwise suitably insulated.
The outer casing or the base & brackets which support the bearings in which
the drum spindle revolves and by which the terminal board is carried are not
shewn in the drawings nor the method of driving the drum. All these may
be of any ordinary or suitable construction.
Fig. 4 shows diagrammatically twelve storage cells or sets of storage cells or
other sources of EMF connected to the terminals of the two rows of fixed
contact pieces.
-
The two terminals + M and M are the main terminals to which the motor
or main circuit is to be connected.
These connections and the arrangement of contact pieces on the drum shewn
in Fig. 3 are for coupling the cells or other sources of EMF in six, four, three
and two parallels respectively, together with suitable pass-over combinations
between those working combinations as described in our Specification No. 11525/98
Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 show diagrammatically which of the terminals of the con-
troller are connected internally by means of the fixed contacts and drum con-

page_text: tacts, to give the said four working combinations respectively, and the portions
of the drum contacts which are then engaged with the fixed contacts are indicated
in Fig. 3 by the perpendicular lines numbered 6, 4, 3 and 2 respectively. It
will be understood that this special set of combinations is only shewn for illus-
trative purposes. The contacts can be arranged to give other combinations and
sets of combinations, and even for any given combination or set of combinations
may sometimes be arranged in more ways than one without in any degree
departing from the essence of our invention. The number of drum contacts,
fixed contacts, terminals and connections to the storage cells or other sources
of EMF will also vary according to the combinations required.
We prefer to revolve the drum only, as described, but if desired the drum
may be fixed and the "fixed contacts" revolve round it, or both may move
in opposite directions to each other.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In electrical controller switches, the method of arranging the connections
and the contact pieces so that the positive and negative ends of the storage cells
or other sources of electromotive force are in two distinct sets or rows, and so
that pairs of corresponding or opposing contact pieces, one in each set, are
respectively connected to the positive and negative ends of adjacent cells, or other
sources of electromotive force substantially as set forth.
2. The combination. in an electrical controller switch, of two distinct sets
or rows of contact pieces connected to the storage cells or other sources of
electromotive force, two other contact pieces or sets of contact pieces adapted to
put any requisite number of those in the two first named sets or rows in metallic
connection, each row amongst themselves and further contact pieces adapted
to put pairs of opposing or corresponding contacts, one in each of the two first
named sets or rows. in metallic connection; the one series of contacts being
movable relatively to the other series substantially as set forth.
3. In combination, in an electrical controller switch, a rotatable drum, a set
or row of metallic contact pieces or rings located transversely on said drum.
two other contact pieces or sets of contact pieces mounted lengthwise on said
drum. and two distinct sets or rows of contact pieces located at diametrically
opposite sides of said drum and connected to the storage cells or other sources
of electromotive force; the two first named sets or rows of contact pieces making
contact with the last mentioned sets or rows of contact pieces and the one series
of contacts being movable relatively to the other series substantially as set forth.
00w of Vanch 1900
E. J. WADE,
THE ELECTRIC MOTIVE POWER COMPANY, LIMITED.
PERCY M. NORTHEY,
Managing Director.