IMPROVEMENTS IN CONTACT AND REVERSING GEAR FOR DYNAMO- ELECTRIC MAGNETO ELECTRIC AND ELECTRO-DYNAMIC MACHINES to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: We, EDWARD JOHN HOUGHTON of N° 1 Pilkington Road, Peckham in the
County of Surrey, Electrical Engineer and THOMAS MARSHALL COLLET, of
N° 4 Great Winchester Street in the City of London, Managing Director of the
Railway Electrical Contractors, Limited, do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONTACT AND REVERSING GEAR FOR DYNAMO-
ELECTRIC MAGNETO ELECTRIC AND ELECTRO-DYNAMIC
MACHINES to be as
follows:-
"
In the specification to patent No 2579 of 1883 was described an arrangement
of apparatus for generating Electricity from motive power applied thereto in
different directions, in which two sets of commutator brushes of a dynamo-electric
or magneto-electric machine were arranged on swinging carriers actuated by a
governor driven from the electrical machine so that according as the machine was
driven in one direction or another, the governor caused the one or the other set of
brushes to make contact with the commutator, while at the same time the governor
actuated contact makers in such manner that when a certain speed was obtained,
the field magnets of the machine were first excited and then the circuit to the
battery was completed.
According to our present invention, we effect the above described operations,
without the use of a governor and sliding contact makers by means of the following
arrangement of apparatus.
A vessel containing mercury or other conducting fluid has at each end a vertical
tube of insulating material and contains a screw blade, the axis of which is
driven by a belt from the revolving armature spindle of the electrical machine, so
that according as the screw blade is driven in one direction or the other, the
mercury is caused to rise in the one or the other tube, and, when the armature
spindle attains the required speed, to make electrical contact with an adjustable
contact screw at the upper end of the tube, whereby in either case, the shunt or
field circuit of the electrical machine is closed. The revolving armature of the
machine carries a magnet which, when excited by the said closing of the shunt
circuit, attracts an armature fixed on a lever which, in being thereby moved on its
fulcrum, causes the one or other set of commutator brushes to be brought into
contact so as to close the accumulator and lamp circuit. For this purpose, the lever

page_text: carries a small spindle running parallel with it, one end of which carries a cross
bar round which passes a strap that also passes round the armature spindle. The
other end of the small spindle is connected to an upright rod having a screwed
sleeve at its upper end, a loop on which embraces a curved bar carried by opposite
curved arms on the one rocking frame of the commutator brushes.
The before mentioned strap passing round the cross bar at the other end of the
lever is so arranged that when the armature spindle begins to rotate, it moves the
strap so as to cant the cross bar and consequently to partially rotate the small
spindle in one direction or the other, thereby also bringing the loop of the upright
rod to the one or the other extreme position on the arms of the brush frame, so
that on the subsequent movement of the lever consequent on the attraction of its
armature as before described, the said rod cants the brush frame in one direction
or the other on its pivot, thereby bringing the one or other of the brushes in
contact, and this brush frame, being connected with the other one in any suitable
manner, will cause a corresponding motion of the latter. When the speed of the
electrical machine is reduced to a certain extent, the mercury will fall in the before-
mentioned tubes so as to break contact with the contact screw and will thus
instantaneously cause the field or shunt circuit to be broken.
The lever that actuates the commutator brushes being now released by the
magnet of the revolving armature, drops and thus causes the brushes to move
back into their middle position so as to break the charging circuit, and thus
prevent the reversal of the current.
It will be evident that the above described improvements may be applied to any
shunt dynamo-electric, magneto-electric and electro-dynamic machines.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.

page_text: We, EDWARD JOHN HOUGHTON of N° 1 Pilkington Road, Peckham in the
County of Surrey, Electrical Engineer and THOMAS MARSHALL COLLET, of
No 4 Great Winchester Street in the City of London, Managing Director of the
Railway Electrical Contractors; Limited do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONTACT AND REVERSING GEAR FOR DYNAMO-
ELECTRIC, MAGNETO-ELECTRIC AND ELECTRO-DYNAMIC MACHINES" and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
In the Specification to Patent No 2579 of 1883 was described an arrangement
of apparatus for generating electricity from motive power applied thereto in
different directions, in which two sets of commutator brushes of a dynamo-electric
or magneto-electric machine were arranged on swinging carriers actuated by a
governor driven from the electrical machine so that according as the machine was
driven in one direction or another, the governor caused the one or the other set of
brushes to make contact with the commutator, while at the same time the governor
actuated contact makers in such manner that when a certain speed was obtained,
the field magnets of the machine were first excited and then the circuit to the
battery was completed.
According to our present invention we effect the above described operations,
without the use of a governor and sliding contact makers, by means of the
following arrangement of apparatus.
A vessel containing mercury or other conducting fluid has at each end a vertical
tube of insulating material and contains a screw blade, the axis of which is driven
by a belt from the revolving armature spindle of the electrical machine, so that
according as the screw blade is driven in oue direction or the other, the mercury is
caused to rise in the one or the other tube, and, when the armature spindle attains
the required speed, to make electrical contact with an adjustable contact screw at
the upper end of the tube, whereby in either case, the shunt or field circuit of the
electrical machine is closed.
The revolving armature of the machine carries a magnet which, when excited by
the said closing of the shunt circuit, attracts an armature fixed on a lever which,
in being thereby moved on its fulcrum, causes the one or the other set of
commutator brushes to be brought into contact so as to close the accumulator and
lamp circuit. For this purpose, the lever carries a small spindle running parallel
with it, one end of which carries a cross bar round which passes a strap that also
passes round the armature spindle. The other end of the small spindle is connected
to an upright rod having a screwed sleeve at its upper end, a loop on which
embraces a curved bar carried by opposite curved arms on the one rocking frame
of the commutator brushes.
The before mentioned strap passing round the cross bar at the other end of the
lever is so arranged that when the armature spindle begins to rotate, it moves the
strap so as to cant the cross bar and consequently to partially rotate the small

page_text: instantaneously cause the field or shunt circuit to be broken.
The lever that actuates the commutator brushes being now released by the
magnet of the revolving armature, drops and thus causes the brushes to move back
into their middle position so as to break the charging circuit and thus prevent the
reversal of the current.
It will be evident that the above described improvements may be applied to any
shunt dynamo-electric, magneto-electric and electro-dynamic machines.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings shews a vertical section of part of an
electrical machine with the arrangement of my above described invention applied
thereto which I prefer to employ. Figs. 3 and 4 shew details and Fig. 1 shews
a diagram of the electrical circuit and connections.
Within a cylindrical casing C, containing mercury or other conducting fluid is a
worm or coarse threaded screw A the axis of which carries a pulley A¹, driven
in one direction or the other by a belt B from the spindle P of the armature
of the electrical machine, so that by the rotation of the screw A in one direction
or the other, the mercury is caused to rise in the one or the other of the tubes D D,
fixed to the casing C. These tubes, which are made of glass, insulite, or other
suitable non conductor of electricity have their upper ends fixed in a metal cap
containing two contact screws E E and a passage F establishing a communication
between the tubes.
The position of the contact screws E is so adjusted that when the dynamo
spindle Pattains the desired speed, the mercury is raised by the action of screw A
to such a height in one of the tubes as to make contact with one of the screws E
thus closing the shunt or field circuit of the electrical machine. Immediately upon
this occuring the two poles of the electro-magnets G¹ attract the armature G
fixed on a lever H pivotted on a fulcrum at I, so that that end of the lever is
raised and the opposite end is depressed. The lever H is of a trough shaped
section, as shewn at the cross section Fig. 4, and within it is a metal rod J capable
of rocking in bearings on the lever, and having at one end a beam K containing a
strap L which passes round the armature spindle and is adjusted so as to be just
tight enough to support the lever H in the position shewn when no current is
flowing through the fields of the electrical machine. The other end of the rod J
has a crosshead to which is pivotted a rod M, the upper end of which is screwed
to the socket of a loop N embracing the curved rod O carried by the arms Z'
projecting on either side of the lower frame Z of the commutator brushes, as
shewn in the cross section of this part at Fig. 3.
At the first movement of the
armature spindle J, in one direction or the other, it causes the strap L to cant the
beam K and consequently to rock the rod J on its axis in one direction or the
other, whereby the rod M will have its loop N moved over to the one or the other
end of the rod O when the motion of the rod will be stopped. The spindle P con-
tinuing to revolve, the strap L will slip upon it, until by the beforementioned
raising of the lever consequent upon the attraction of the magnet G¹ the strap
will become quite loose upon the spindle. By such motion of the lever, the
downward pull of the rod M will cause the brush holder Z to be canted on its
axis Q so as to bring the set of contact brushes R which correspond to the direction

page_text: of rotation in contact with the commutator S, while at the same time the lower
brush holder is made to cant the upper one in a corresponding direction by means
of the connecting rod T.
When the speed of the armature spindle becomes reduced sufficiently to break
contact between the mercury and the screw E, the field or shunt circuit is instantly
broken whereby the magnet G' will be made to release the lever H, so that the
rod M in rising will allow the brushes R to move out of contact with the commutator,
and will retain them there, thus breaking the charging circuit.
In the diagram of the connections at Fig. 1 U is the battery, B the electrical
machine, C the mercury contact apparatus, and D the switch.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is
1. In combination with a Dynamo-Electric, Magneto-Electric or Electro Dynamic
machine the use of contact apparatus consisting of a screw or worm contained in a
vessel charged with mercury or other conducting fluid and having two vertical
tubes provided with contact screws at their upper ends, the said screw being
rotated by the electrical machine so that when this attains a certain speed the
liquid in rising in the one or other of the tubes will make contact with the screw
substantially as and for the purposes herein described.
2. In a Dynamo-Electric, Magneto-Electric or Electro-Dynamic machine arranged
to run in both directions the use of reversing apparatus for the commutator
brushes consisting of a lever one end of which carries an armature that is
attracted by an electro-magnet when the machine attains a certain speed, the said
lever being so arranged in combination with a rod that is connected at one end to
the brush holders and at the other end to the armature spindle of the machine
that on the commencement of rotation, the spindle first moves the rod into position
for bringing one set of brushes into contact, after which the lever, being attracted
by its magnet, causes the rod to bring the said brushes into contact, substantially
as herein described.
3. In reversing apparatus for the commutator brushes of a Dynamo-Electric,
Magneto-Electric or Electro-Dynamic machine, the combination of the lever H,
armature G, electromagnet G1, rod J, beam K, strap L, connecting rod M N, curved
rod O and arms Z' on the brush holders Z, arranged and operating substantially as
herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination of the contact apparatus referred to in the first claim and
the reversing apparatus referred to in the second claim with the armature spindle
of a Dynamo-Electric Machine in such manner that on first starting the machine
in one direction or the other the contact apparatus is first made to close the shunt
or field circuit of the machine, after which the reversing apparatus is caused to
bring the one or the other set of commutator brushes into contact and close the
charging circuit, substantially as herein described.
ABEL &-IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.