Improvements in Means for Supplying Current to Electrically Propelled Vehicles
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1898 Accepted, 27th May, 1893
Improvements in Means for Supplying Current to Electrically
Propelled Vehicles,
Communicated from abroad by DWIGHT G. STOUGHTON, of Hartford, Connecticut,
United States of America, Merchant.
I, WILLIAM HUMPHREY WHEATLEY, of the Firm of Wheatley & Mackenzie,
Engineers and Patent Agents, 40, Chancery Lane, London, in the County of
Middlesex, 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 improvement is specially applicable to vehicles which travel on rails and
which are electrically propelled from a line conductor situated midway of the rails.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a view in vertical cross section of the electric line conductor, the auto-
matically operating covering leaves and the electrical heater.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the electric line conductor, one of the automatically oper-
ating covering leaves, the traveling contact-piece and the electrical heater.
Fig. 3 is a view-chiefly in outline-from underneath of the traveling contact
piece.
Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but on a smaller scale illustrating the use of
one automatically operating covering leaf in the place of two.
Fig. 5 is a top view (small scale) illustrating the use of certain kinds of auto-
matically operating covering leaves; that on the right is of elastic material and
the other on the left-is composed of non-elastic slats
Fig. 6 is a view in central radial cross section of the wheel-electrode.
Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, showing the wheel-electrode in the form of
a hoop or ring supported and carried by roller-bearings.
Fig. 8 is a view (small scale) in vertical cross section showing one rigid cover-
ing leaf (the one at the left) and one (that at the right) automatically operating.
In the accompanying drawings the letter a denotes the electric line-conductor,
that is the main conductor of the electric energy; it is practically made in length-
wise sections with sloping sides, the sections being duly connected to each other
and supported upon a suitable insulating base b.
The letter e denotes-in Figs. 1 and 2-automatically acting covering-leaves
for the electric line-conductor made of a material, the nature of which it is to re-
turn to the normal position when forced out of that position. India-rubber, or a
composition thereof, well fulfills these requirements. These covering leaves are
duly supported, as, for instance, by the supports d, and the angle irons e; these
covering leaves converge or slope toward each other so that they may shed rain
and the like, and it is preferred that they meet and touch at a line which is cen-
tral over the middle of the rail a.
The electric energy is taken from the electric line-conductor a by a wheel-elec-
trode denoted as a whole by the letter F, whence it passes through a suitable con-

page_text: ductor to the electric motor on the vehicle, which propels that vehicle; 'the peculiar
construction of this wheel-electrode will be described later on.
The letter g denotes a staff carrying the wheel-electrode wnich is in turn carried
by the sleeve h. The letter i denotes two devices which may well be called leaf-
openers; they are situated respectively in front and rear of the wheel-electrode;
it is their function to open the covering leaves in advance of the wheel-electrode.
They are carried on staves & which are in turn carried by the sleeve h. This
sleeve has a capacity for sliding on the rod and, of course, carrying with it,
in these movements, the wheel-electrode and the two leaf-openers.
The rod is fast to the beam m and that is supported from the vehicle through
the medium of the pintle or pillar n. The letter o denotes a spring which nor-
mally holds the wheel-electrode down upon the electric line-conductor but permits
it to rise temporarily therefrom, when an obstruction is encountered.
The leaf-openers are practically wheels of wedge-shape at the circumference and
there at the periphery they are formed into hooks which are adapted to catch
and carry out of the enclosure, which contains the electric line-conductor, any par-
ticles of rubbish or refuse they may come in contact with. The letter p denotes
brushes which tend to clean the peripheries of the leaf-openers as they revolve.
The two leaf-openers are connected together by the yoke rand, as the staves k
are pivoted to the sleeve h, it results that when one of the leaf-openers is thrown
downward the other is thrown upward. The leaf-openers are caused to revolve
when thrown downward by then coming in contact with a V-shaped groove in the
periphery of the wheel-electrode which is seen in Figs. 3, 6 and 7. The leaf-
topeners may be held, in-either of their adjustments,-by means of the pawl-u which
is adapted to co-operate with the pins r¹ carried by the yoke
r.
Now for a more detailed description of the construction of the wheel-electrode;
its rim is made up of sections f of copper or the like which are separated by in-
sulating material f¹. The center of the wheel f is of insulating material, wood,
for instance. There are conductors f* from the rim sections f to the axis f. It
results from this construction that generally only one of the rim-sections f is in
circuit at one time and there are never more than two in circuit at any one time.
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
-
1. In combination; the enclosed electric line-conductor; the automatically oper-
ating covering leaves; the wheel-electrode; a leaf opener adapted to precede the
wheel-electrode, and a suitable support for the wheel-electrode and the leaf-opener,
all substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.
2. In combination, the enclosed electric line-conductor, an electric heater within
the enclosure, the automatically operating covering leaves, the wheel-electrode, a
leaf-opener adapted to precede the wheel-electrode, and a suitable support for the
wheel-electrode and the leaf opener, all substantially as described and for the pur-
poses set forth,
3. In combination, the enclosed electric line-conductor, the automatically oper-
ating covering leaves, the wheel-electrode, the leaf-openers in the front and rear
of the wheel-electrode adapted to be adjusted within or without the enclosure, and
a suitable support for the wheel-electrode and the leaf-openers, all substantially as
described and for the purposes set forth.
4. In combination, the enclosed electric line-conductor, the automatically opera-
ting covering leaves, the wheel-electrode, the leaf-openers in front and rear of the
wheel-electrode, the yoke connecting the staves carrying the leaf-openers and
adapted to cause one to fall while the other rises: and a suitable support for the
wheel-electrode and the leaf-openers, all substantially as described and for the pur-
poses set forth.
5. In combination, the enclosed electric line-conductor, the automatically opera-
ting covering leaves, the wheel-clectrode, a leaf opener adapted to precede said

page_text: wheel-electrode and to be rotated by contact therewith, and a suitable support for
the wheel-electrode and the leaf-opener, all substantially as described and for the
purposes set forth.
6. In combination, the enclosed electric line-conductor, the automatically opera-
ating covering leaves, the wheel-electrode, the leaf openers in front and rear of
the wheel-electrode, the sliding sleeve carrying the wheel-electrode and the leaf
openers, the rod adapted to permit said sleeve to slide thereon, and a suitable sup-
port for the rod, all substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.
7. In combination, the enclosed electric line-conductor, the automatically opera-
ting covering sleeves, the wheel-electrode, the rotary leaf-openers, and a suitable
support for the wheel-electrode and the leaf-openers, all substantially as described
and for the purposes set forth.
8. In combination, the enclosed electric line-conductor, the automatically opera-
ting covering leaves, the wheel-electrode, the rotary toothed leaf-openers, and a
suitable support for the wheel-electrode and the leaf-openers, all substantially as
described and for the purposes set forth.
9. The combination of the enclosed electric line-conductor with the wheel-elec.
trode divided into insulating sections, all substantially as described and for the
purposes set forth.
Dated this 14th day of April 1899.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.