Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left. 22nd Sept., 1888.
Complete Specification Accepted, 26th Oct., 1888
L, EDWARD LYER OF ASHWin Street Dalston London Tectrical Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The negative element of a voltaic battery cell, after the battery has been for some
time in action, becomes polarised or coated with minute bubbles or molecules of
hydrogen which coating weakens the action of the battery. Thus a battery is subject
to great variation and irregularity; it is strong at first starting and becomes gradually
more and more feeble after some time of action. My invention relates to means of
ensuring greater uniformity in the action of a battery which I effect in the following
manner. In cach cell, instead of employing a single negative element such as a metal
plate or a carbon slab, I employ a number of these, each of which or cach pair or other
group of which I connect to a commutator so arranged that only one of the negative
elements or of the pairs or other groups of these is connected in the battery circuit at
a time. The commutator, being moved either continuously or intermittently by
clockwork, or it may be by hand or by any suitable motor, cuts out of the battery
circuit those of the negative elements which have for a time been in action bringing
into the circuit some of the others which have been in repose and have had time to
become depolarised or cleared of their hydrogen coating. Thus each negative element
or each pair or other connected group of these has periods of action and repose, being
by the repose brought into condition for effective action when it is again connected to
the circuit. As a convenient form of commutator, I employ a number of small cups
or troughs containing mercury, each of these being in electrical connection with one
of the negative elements or of the connected pairs or groups of these. Over these
cups or troughs revolve partly immersed in the mercury, discs, collars or projections
which are in electrical connection with the positive element of the adjoining cell. As
these revolve, a conducting part of each comes in succession into the mercury, while
others of them leave the mercury, thus respectively making and breaking the con-
nections to the different negative elements or their connected groups. I arrange the
conducting portions so that in revolving one does not leave the mercury until another
has fairly entered it, so that there is never a break of the circuit.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1888.

page_text: I EDWARD TYER of Ashwin Street Dalston London Electrical 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 :-
:-
The negative element of a voltaic battery cell after the battery has been for some
time in action, becomes polarised or coated with minute bubbles or molecules of
hydrogen, which coating weakens the action of the battery. Thus a battery is subject
to great variation and irregularity, it is strong at first starting and becomes gradually
more and more feeble after some time of action.
My invention relates to means of ensuring greater uniformity in the action of a
battery, which I effect in the following manner.
In each cell, instead of employing a single negative element such as a metal plate
or a carbon slab, I employ a number of these, each of which or each pair or other
group of which I connect to a commutator so arranged that only one of the negative
elements or of the pairs or other groups of these is connected in the battery circuit at
a time. The commutator, being moved either continuously or intermittently by
clockwork, or it may be by hand or by any suitable motor, cuts out of the battery
circuit those of the negative elements which have for a time been in action, and brings
into the circuit some of the others which have been in repose and have had time to
become depolarised or cleared of their hydrogen coating. Thus each negative element,
or each pair or other connected group of these, has periods of action and repose, being
by the repose brought into condition for effective action when it is again connected to
the circuit. As a convenient form of commutator 1 employ a number of small cups
or troughs containing mercury, each of these being in electrical connection with one
of the negative elements or of the connected pairs or groups of these. Over these
cups or troughs revolve partly immersed in the mercury discs, collars, or projections
which are in electrical connection with the positive element of the adjoining cell.
As these revolve, a conducting part of each comes in succession into the mercury,
while others of them leave the mercury, thus respectively making and breaking the
connections to the different negative elements or their connected groups. I arrange
the conducting portions so that in revolving one does not leave the mercury until
another has fairly entered it, so that there is never a break of the circuit.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a vertical section and Fig. 2 is a plan of a
battery according to my invention arranged with several groups of its negative
elements connected as shewn in Fig. 3 to a commutator of which Fig. 4 is a transverse
section to an enlarged scale. Z is the positive element which may be a zinc cylinder
within a porous pot P. Around the pot within the jar J are arranged a number (in
this case 12) of segmental bars C which may be of carbon forming three groups each
of four bars, each group constituting the negative element.
Of these C, O, C and C are all connected to one ring R¹; 0³ CC³¹² are

page_text: connected to a second inner ring R2 and C²C³ ³ C¹ are connected to a third inner-
most ring R³. From these rings three separate conductors LL L³ are led up to the
commutator, which as well as the positive element is connected to the outer circuit by
conductors M. N. In the commutator Figs. 3 and 4 there is on an insulated axis a
conducting cylinder from which project three blades B B B and which has at one
end a disc D. Under it there are in a base of insulating material four troughs
containing mercury which is in metallic connection with the conductors L L L and M
respectively. According as the axis A is turned round, one or other of its blades B
becomes immersed in the mercury below it, whilst the disc D always remains
immersed, and thus one or other of the negative element groups is brought into
circuit, the others of them being for a time left in repose. Obviously, instead of
connecting the conductors M N to an outer circuit, they may make connection with
other commutators and cells such as I have described, any desired number of which
might thus be connected to an outer circuit either in series or parallel. Also a
number of the commutators may be arranged in line so that all can be turned
simultaneously.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is,
Dividing the negative element of a voltaic battery into several parts or groups of
parts, connected separately to a commutator whereby any one of these parts or groups
can be included in a circuit while the others remain in repose, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.