Improvements in Apparatus for use in Propelling Vehicles by Electricity.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1290
Complete Specification Left, 4th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 4th Dec., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for use in Propelling Vehicles by
Electricity.
1, FRANK WYNNE, of 9 Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention has reference to improvements in apparatus for use in propelling
vehicles by electricity of the kind in which road contacts insulated as well as is
practically convenient and normally disconnected from an insulated main conductor
are, as the vehicle travels, connected in consecutive order with the said maiu
conductor by automatically operating contact making devices. I connect each
separate pair of adjacent road contacts by a conductor in the circuit of which is
one or more solenoids, or a portion of a solenoid, forming part of an electro-
magnetic contact making device adapted when excited to place each of the road
contacts constituting a pair, in electrical connection with the main conductor, and
on the vehicle to be propelled I provide an electric generator the poles of which
are connected to contacts, (hereinafter called battery contacts) that are preferably
spaced at a distance apart greater than that of the length of a road contact and
are adapted to travel in contact with the road contacts in advance of the ordinary
car contact of the car motor.
By these means several advantages in the construction and working of electrical
tramways or railways of the kind mentioned are or can be obtained of which the
following may be mentioned. The road contacts can be made shorter than
otherwise for a given distance between the contact making devices, thereby
enabling them to follow the curvature of a road and facilitating their being readily
laid; contact can at all times and in any position of the vehicle on the track, be
remade between a road contact and the main conductor after such contact has been
accidentally or otherwise broken; the use of auxiliary charging conductors each
adapted to place a solenoid and its connected road contact in connection with the
main conductor by a contact making device immediately in rear of such solenoid
and road contact as described in the Specification of former Patents granted
to me Nos. 747 of 1887 and 16537 of 1887 and in the Specification of my
Application for Patent No. 2504 of 1890, can be sometimes dispensed with; the
contact making devices can be placed further apart than heretofore for a given
length of car whilst the same covers and thereby protects the ordinary traffic from
the charged road contacts; and, when the auxiliary charging conductors are
dispensed with, one line or track is rendered available for working vehicles in
either direction.
For working vehicles in opposite directions on one line without turning the
vehicles round end for end, the battery contacts must be so arranged that they can
always be placed in advance of the car contact. These battery contacts should
also be so mounted as to be capable of longitudinal motion in relation to the car
motor contact or to the vehicle to facilitate the remaking of the contact between
a road contact and the main conductor to restart the car motor after the same has
been broken.
The electric generator on the vehicle may be a primary or a secondary battery,
the circuit of which when exciting a contact making device never goes to earth.
The battery circuit may be independent of the car motor circuit, but in practice it
will usually be so arranged when using a secondary battery that either the whole
of the current passing to the car motor is caused to pass through and charge the
battery, or that the battery shall only be placed in the car motor circuit when a
switch or regulator handle is in a certain position or notch. In this latter case it

page_text: would be convenient to employ more than one cell and make arrangements for
using any cell or collection of cells for primarily exciting the contact making
devices. A resistance may be interposed between the battery and one of its
contacts for the purpose of diminishing the discharge of certain cells that are not
for the time being used for primarily exciting a contact making device.
The road contacts, which may be in the form of straight. crenellated or
corrugated plates placed vertically and longitudinally of the road, are as well
insulated as is convenient and are preferably so arranged that each is out of line
with those immediately preceding and succeeding it. A convenient way to
insulate them is to embed them in asphalte so that only their upper surfaces
are exposed.
Road contacts connected in pairs in the manner hereinbefore described may be
used with auxiliary charging conductors arranged as described in my said former
Specifications, and extending over the whole or part of a line. In this case the
battery on the vehicle need only be used as occasion may require. When auxiliary
charging conductors are used as and for the purpose described in my said former
Specifications, the advantages of short road contact bars can be obtained by
connecting them in pairs by a conductor or conductors to one end of a solenoid
common to them. The contact piece in each contact making device, that serves to
directly connect a solenoid with the main conductor is preferably insulated
from the armature which carries it and which moves into the open position by
gravity.
Dated this 4th day of December 1890.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for use in Propelling Vehicles by
Electricity.
I, FRANK WYNNE, of 9 Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, Civil
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 :-
This invention has reference to improvements in that general type of apparatus
for supplying electricity to electrically propelled vehicles in which road contacts
normally disconnected from an insulated main conductor, are, as the vehicle travels,
connected in consecutive order with such main conductor by automatically
operating contact-making devices, for example as described in the Specifications
of my former Patents No. 747* of 1887, and No. 16537 of 1887; an object of my
present invention being to make one series of road contacts serve two purposes;
namely (1) as a medium for conducting electricity from the insulated main con-
ductor of electricity to the car motor; and (2) for completing the circuits of the
solenoids. For this purpose I arrange the road contacts longitudinally of the
roadway one behind the other, and electrically connect them in separate pairs by
a conductor, connected to, or in circuit with solenoids or electro-magnets,
preferably two in number forming part of an electro-magnetic contact-making
device.
And in order that the nature of my invention and the manner of carrying it into
practical effect may be fully understood I proceed to more particularly explain
the same with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings, whereof,
Figs. 1, and 3 are respectively a plan, a longitudinal vertical: section, and a
transverse section, of part of a roadway provided with apparatus according to this
invention.

page_text: Fig. 4 is a vertical section illustrating a modified construction of contact making
device.
Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive are diagrammatic views hereinafter described.
In Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, 1, 1ª are road contacts arranged in pairs one behind
the other, and longitudinally of the track A. Each separate pair of these road
contacts 1, 1 is connected by a conductor 2 in circuit with which are two
solenoids 3, 3 each having a separate magnetic core 4, for operating an armature 5
carried by or forming part of a lever 5. 6 is an insulated contact piece carried
by the lever 5ª. In electrical connection with the solenoids is a contact 7. 8 is
another contact electrically connected by a conductor 9 with, an insulated main
conductor 10. When the circuit of the solenoids is completed, the armatures 5
will be attracted, and cause the contact piece 6 to bear against the contacts 7
and 8. These contacts will then be placed in electrical connection with each
other and will consequently electrically connect the corresponding pair of road
contacts 1, 1 through the conductors 2, and 9 with the main conductor 10. When
the current ceases to flow through the solenoids, the armatures will assume by
gravity the normal positions shown, and automatically break the connection
between the road contacts and the main conductor.
The solenoids and 3 may (as shewn) be provided each with a core 4. and
magnetic sheath 4* to form a pot elec.ro-magnet. They may be arranged at right
angles to each other as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, or parallel as in Fig. 4. These
solenoids, the armatures. 5, and the contacts 6, 7 and 8 are supported within, but
preferably not connected to a removable air tight box 15 that acts after the manner
of a diving bell to exclude water as described in the Specification of my former
Patent No. 2504 of 1890. This box may be arranged with its top level with the
roadway so as to form part thereof. Through an opening 16 in its bottom 17 the
conductors 2 and 9 pass.
In Figs. 5, 5 and 5, 11 is an electric battery or generator (hereinafter called a
battery) placed. on the vehicle to be propelled, and whose circuit is so arranged
that it will be automatically closed through successive contact making devices
without going to earth. It is provided with forward and backward contacts 12
and 13 respectively, arranged to travel in contact with the road contacts 1, 1ª.
14 is the car motor having one terminal. electrically connected to one pole of the
battery and with the contact 12, and its other terminal connected to a return
conductor shewn as earth E.
When the vehicle is in the position shewn in Fig. 5 receiving current from
contact making device a only the current from the main conductor 10 will pass
The battery
wholly to the car motor through the rear contact 13 and battery 11.
in this case would be a secondary battery of one or a few cells and would at this
time be charged by the current passing through it.
When the vehicle moves into the position in relation to the road contacts shewn
in Fig. 5ª the contact 13 bridging the space between two contacts, the current
from the main conductor 10 through the conductor 9* and contact 13, divides
according to well known laws and a part flows through the solenoids 3, and 3*
situated at a into the motor 14, thereby energising 3 and 3*, and attracting the
armature 5 completing the circuit between 7 and 8 the current from the main
conductor then flowing through the conductor 9 to the car. The current will then
divide part flowing through 12 and part through 13, into the motor as before.
The use of the battery 11 is to remake when necessary the connection between
the main conductor and the road contacts. This it effects when its front and rear
contacts 12 and 13 are respectively on road contacts 1 and 1 by discharging
through the solenoids 3 and 3* energising them and so attracting the armature 5.
It will be seen that when the battery is thus employed to excite a contact making
device, its circuit is not completed through earth.
If the vehicle happens to stop in a position in which the ordinary contacts 12
and 13 have not a contact box between them (for example as indicated in Fig. '5")

page_text: they have to be slidden along to such a position as to have a contact box between
them a sliding connection being indicated to permit of this, or spare contacts
have to be put in to replace them in the proper position.
Vehicles can be worked in opposite directions on one line, without turning the
vehicles round end for end. For this purpose the contacts 12 and 13 should be so
mounted and arranged that they can be reversed in position so that the contact 12
shall lead.
By the construction and arrangement described several advantages in the
construction and working of electrical tramways or railways of the kind mentioned
are obtained. The road contacts can be made shorter than otherwise for a given
distance between the contact making devices thereby enabling them to follow the
curvature of a road and facilitating their being readily laid.
Fig. 6 shews an arrangement by which the contact making device at the rear
of the car shall be made to break so soon as the forward contact device acts, and
also any spark which may occur in the rear contact making device dropping out
may take place outside the box and preferably in the car. To obtain these results
the rear contact is divided into two parts 13 and 13". The circuit from 13" is made
to the car motor through a contact 16ª operated by an electro-magnet whose
solenoid 16 is in the circuit from 12. The position shewn in the figure is that in
which the contact making device bis about to be energised by part of the current
through 13 passing through 13 through the solenoids 3 and 3ª of the contact band
thus allowing the current from 95 to pass through 12 and the solenoid 16 energising
it and breaking the contact 16" where any spark from the breaking of the current
from 9 will take place. For this purpose the contact 16" may be a carbon
contact. When the current from 12 ceases to flow through 16* the contact may
be remade by gravity or otherwise, 16 being preferably conveniently situated in a
closed 'box on the vehicle so that the spark is not seen.
A switch may be provided to discharge the battery through the solenoids of one
of the contact making devices when required. The arrangement shewn in Fig. 7
shows an automatic switch. 18, 18 are two contacts in connection with one end
of the solenoid 16, and 19, 19ª are two contacts in connection with opposite poles
of the battery 11. 20 is a switch lever which, when a current is flowing to the car
motor, is raised into the position shewn in dotted lines by an electro magnetic
device 21 in the car motor circuit. When the car motor circuit is broken this
switch automatically falls into the position shewn in full lines and connects
contacts 18 and 19 so that the battery can be discharged through the contact
making device at a and remake the car motor circuit. The distance between the
contacts 12 and 13 should always be greater than that of a road contact 1 or 1ª.
As will be obvious my improved arrangement of road contacts can be used
without a battery on the vehicle to be propelled. The contact making devices
will then be operated in successive order as hereinbefore explained, solely by the
current that passes to the car motor from one pair of road contacts to the other
through the contact 13, when this contact is bridging the gap 1 between two pairs
of road contacts as shewn in Fig. 5. In this case sufficient resistance should be
placed in the direct circuit between the contact 13 and car motor to cause sufficient
current to flow in the direction mentioned, some convenient means being provided
for re-making connection with the main conductor after the car motor circuit has
been broken.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In apparatus of the kind herein referred to for supplying electricity to
electrically propelled vehicles, arranging the road contacts longitudinally of the
roadway one behind the other and electrically connecting them in separate pairs
by a conductor connected to or in circuit with solenoids or electro-magnets forming

page_text: part of an electro-magnetic contact making device for connecting the said road
contacts with an insulated main conductor substantially as herein described for the
purpose specified.
2. Providing a vehicle having an electric motor for use with road contacts
arranged and connected as specified in the preceding claim, with an electric
generator the poles of which are connected to forward and rearward contacts
arranged to travel against the said road contacts and complete the circuit of each
contact making device in turn, so that as the vehicle travels along, the separate
pairs of road contacts will be connected in consecutive order with an insulated
main conductor substantially in the manner hereinbefore described.
3. Providing a vehicle having an electric motor for use with road contacts
arranged and connected as specified in Claim 1, with an electric generator having
one of its poles connected to one terminal of the motor and to a forward contact,
and its other pole to a rearward contact or contacts, the said forward and rearward
contacts being arranged at a distance apart greater than the length of a road
contact and so as to travel in contact with the said road contacts substantially in
the manner herein before described for the purposes specified.
4. For propelling a vehicle by electricity, the use in conjunction with the
vehicle, road contacts, and circuit closing devices arranged in the road, of an
electric generator on the vehicle, with circuit, the arrangement being such that
the said circuit will be automatically closed consecutively through successive
contact making devices without going to earth.
5. My improved apparatus for supplying electricity to electrically propelled
vehicles constructed arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference respectively to Figs. 1 to 5° inclusive, Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 of the
drawings annexed.
Dated this 4th day of September 1891.
FRANK WINNE,
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.