Improvements in Electric Contact Apparatus, Chiefly Designed for Indicating the Level of Water in Reservoirs, the Movement of Hauling Drums, Lifts, and the like.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 7th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 20th Sept., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Contact Apparatus, Chiefly Designed for
Indicating the Level of Water in Reservoirs, the Movement of
Hauling Drums, Lifts, and the like.
I, CHRISTIAN WEUSTE, of Duisburg, in the Empire of Germany, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
This invention relates to electric contact apparatus, and has for its main object to
enable the level of water in reservoirs, the movement of hauling-drums, lifts and other
machines or devices to be indicated by a dial at a great distance through the medium
of the electric current. The improved contact apparatus serving for this purpose is
distinguished from the apparatus heretofore employed for similar purposes by its great
simplicity and perfectly safe action. It comprises a disc having in or upon it one or
more teeth, which disc is in the first place caused to turn by the float of a water
reservoir or by the machine or other device to be controlled. By this means a pin,
acted upon by a weight or a comparatively heavy ball, is carried away. As soon as
the aforesaid tooth has been turned far enough it releases the ball or the pin whereupon
the latter by reason of its weight or the action of the spring will move upon a suitable
guide back to its original position, making contact at the same time.
The apparatus can be carried out in various forms or modifications, some of which
are hereinafter described by way of example.
In one arrangement of the said contact apparatus a hollow disc supports a pin that
is continually pulled downward by a rod or lover to which a weight is attached. The
lowest point of this lever may be adapted to move in a straight guide in order to
prevent the weight giving rise to oscillatory movements of the same. The said pin is
prolonged beyond the rod or lever so that as the latter slides downward from one of
the teeth arranged in the disc it will be properly guided. This is obtained by providing
a stationary frame with two cheeks between which and the said hollow disc a
sufficient space is left for the upward and downward movement of the rod or lever.
Between the above mentioned cheeks constituting a guide are arranged two springs
or contact pieces on the same frame as the cheeks and two arms or levers are pivoted
to the said frame on either side of these contact pieces.
If the aforesaid disc is turned through more than 90 degrees either one or the other
of its two teeth according to the direction of the turning movement, will carry away
the pin, thereby raising the arm or lever. When the disc is turned far enough the
pin will drop from the said tooth upon one of the cheeks and move downward thereon.
In the latter movement the pin presses the above-mentioned pivoted arm or lever
which is in its way, against the contact pieces thereby closing the circuit which latter
may serve for moving the hand upon a dial forward or backward. In order to render
the contact more lasting, an air-buffer, a glycerine pump or other appropriate stop-
mechanism may be provided on the said arm or lever.
In lieu of an arm or lever acted upon by a weight and of the pin arranged thereon
a sufficiently heavy ball may be used, which performs the same part as the pin in the
example hereinbefore described.
A simplified arrangement of the contact mechanism can be obtained by substituting
for the aforesaid two teeth a single tooth. This tooth has two concave surfaces which
serve for the reception of the said pin. The latter is conducted by means of the tooth
and one of the cheeks to the corresponding contact piece. As soon as it reaches this
contact piece it will move downward along the same whereby contact is made. In this
case the cheeks only serve as guides.
Another form of apparatus differs from the last described arrangement only in that
the tooth is provided on a crank instead of on a disc, the mode of action remaining
the came

page_text: In the arrangements above described the spring or contact pieces are within the
disc. Without departing from the nature of my said invention the contact apparatus
may be further modified by placing the springs or contact pieces outside the disc.
Upon the periphery of the latter which may he made of any suitable shape is provided
a tooth which has the same shape as that used in the two last described arrangements
and which in the turning movement of the disc carries the pin with it. As soon as the
tooth has passed to its highest position the pin will slide from the disc and strike upon
the arm of a bell-crank lever, the other arm of which will then strike against the
spring and cause the same to make contact.
Dated this 13th day of November 1889.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Contact Apparatus, Chiefly Designed for
Indicating the Level of Water in Reservoirs, the Movement of
Hauling Drums, Lifts, and the like.
I, CHRISTIAN WEUSTE, of Duisburg, in the Empire of Germany, 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 electric contact apparatus, and has for its main object to
enable the level of water in reservoirs, the movement of hauling-drums, lifts, and
other machines or devices to be indicated by a dial at a great distance through the
medium of the electric current. The improved contact apparatus serving for this
purpose is distinguished from the apparatus heretofore employed for similar purposes
by its great simplicity and perfectly safe action. It comprises a disc having in or upon
it one or more teeth, which disc is in the first place caused to turn by the float of a
water reservoir or by the machine or other device to be controlled. By this means a
pin, acted upon by a weight or spring, or a comparatively heavy ball is carried away;
as soon as the aforesaid tooth has been turned far enough it releases the ball or the
pin whereupon the latter, by reason of its weight or by the action of the spring,
will move upon a suitable guide back to its original position, making contact at the
same time.
My electric contact apparatus can be carried out in various forms or modifications,
some of which are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings.
Figures 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8 are longitudinal and transverse sections
respectively of four different forms; and Figure 9 is a longitudinal section of a
contact-apparatus, the construction of which differs somewhat from that of the
apparatus shown in the aforesaid figures.
In one arrangement of the said contact apparatus represented in Figures 1 and 2 a
hollow disc a supports a pin b that is continually pulled downward by a rod or lever c
to which a weight is attached. The lowest point of this lever may be adapted to move
in a straight guide (not indicated) in order to prevent the weight giving rise to
oscillatory movements of the same. The said pin bis prolonged beyond the rod or
lever c so that as the latter slides downward from one of the teeth d, d, arranged in
the disc it will be properly guided. This is obtained by providing a
stationary frame with two cheeks e, e, between which and the said hollow
disc a a sufficient space is left for the upward and downward movement of the rod
or lever.
Between the above-mentioned cheeks constituting a guide are arranged two
springs or contact pieces ƒ and g on the same frame as the cheeks and two
arms or levers h, h, are pivoted to the said frame on either side of these
contact-pieces.
If the aforesaid disc a is turned through more than 90 degrees either one or the

page_text: other of its two teeth d, d, according to the direction of the turning movement, will
carry away the pin b thereby raising the arm or lever c. When the disc is turned far
enough the pin b will drop from the said tooth d upon one of the cheeks e and move
downward thereon. In the latter movement the pin presses the above-mentioned
pivoted arm or lever h, which is in its way, against the contact-pieces for g thereby
closing the circuit, which latter may serve for moving the hand upon a dial forward or
backward. In order to render the contact more lasting, an air-buffer, a glycerine-
pump or other appropriate stop-mechanism may be provided on the said arm or
lever c.
In lieu of an arm or lever c acted upon by a weight and of the pin 6 arranged
thereon, a sufficiently heavy ballo (Figures 3 and 4) may be used, which performs
the same part as the pin bin the example hereinbefore described with reference to
Figures 1 and 2.
A simplified arrangement of the electric contact-mechanism can be obtained by
substituting for the aforesaid two teeth d, d, shown in Figures 1 to 4, a single tooth,
as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. This tooth has two concave surfaces which serve
for the reception of the said pin 6. The latter is conducted by means of the tooth
and one of the cheeks to the corresponding contact-piece. As soon as it reaches this
contact-piece it will move downward along the same, whereby contact is made. In
this case the checks only serve as guides.
Another form of apparatus which is represented in Figures 7 and 8 differs from
the last-described arrangement only in that the tooth is provided on a crank arm
instead of on a disc, the mode of action remaining the same.
In the arrangements above described the spring or contact-pieces are within the
disc. Without departing from the nature of my said invention the contact apparatus
may be further modified by placing the springs or contact pieces outside the disc a as
shown in Figure 9. Upon the periphery of the latter, which may be made of any
suitable shape, is provided a tooth & which has the same shape as that used in the
arrangements described with reference to Figures 5 to 8 and which in the turning
movement of the disc carries the pin with it. As soon as the tooth d has
passed to its highest position the pin will slide from the disc, and strike upon the
arm of a bell-crank lever k, the other arm of which will then strike against the
spring contact-piece and cause the same to make contact.
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 :-
First. An electric contact apparatus wherein one or more teeth d are adapted to
turn and carry with them a pin, ball or other body, which they allow at certain
points to move back in definito paths for the purpose of pressing together two
contact-pieces, f, g, placed in their way, either directly or through the medium of a
lever-mechanism, k, k, thus completing a circuit.
Second. In electric contact apparatus, the combination of the body, bc by which
the circuit is completed with a stop mechanism, for the purpose of prolonging the
time during which contact is made.
Dated this 7th dox of Aurust 1800