Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Depth of Water in Reservoirs or Tanks by Electricity.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Depth of Water in
Reservoirs or Tanks by Electricity.
I, LUKE BERRY of Howard. Street Rotherhamn in the County of York, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus by means of which the depth
of water may be indicated in the Office of the Engineer, or at other desirable
place, of Reservoirs or supply Tanks at considerable distances apart, its action being
automatic.
In carrying out my invention, I fix on a suitable support in the reservoir or tank,
a float which is raised by the action of the water and falls by gravitation; a cord or
chain attached to the float passes over a grooved pulley fixed upon an axle supported
above the float, in such a manner that the rise and fall of the float will cause the
axle to be turned in one direction or the other.
Upon the said axle 1 fix a wheel having a number of projecting pins arranged
to come in contact with and raise a slide, and the said action being continued, a
pawl connected with a ratchet wheel is brought into action and causes the ratchet
wheel to be moved forward one tooth, the said slide having in the mean time regained
its first position; this action is repeated every time the pin wheel raises the slide,
whether such motion is in one direction or is reversed.
The ratchet wheel when moved by the pawl before mentioned depresses a lever or
arm to which one of the electric wires is attached, until it is brought into contact
with a small bath of mercury in connection with the other electric wire and so
completes the circuit. To prevent this action being momentary I prefer to connect
the opposite end of the lever or arm to a piston by which its return action may be
retarded.
The electric current thus set up by the action of the above described apparatus
which I call the Transmitter, passes through a galvanometer to complete the circuit
for the Electro magnets, and by means of its magnetic action upon a lever and
ratchet movement in connection with suitable wheels the finger of the recorder is

page_text: moved a given distance upon the dial, representing any desired measurement; thus
the pins on the pin wheel of the Transmitter may be calculated to act on the slide at
every inch of rise or fall of the float.
To indicate the difference between the rise and the fall of the water it is
necessary to change the current of electricity, and 1 accomplish this by means
of a commutator which is fixed upon the axle of the pin wheel and float pulley.
It may be made in the form of a roller of a suitable non-conducting substance,
capable of being carried partly round by frictional contact upon the axle, but
having its movement in either direction terminated by a metallic spring stop
which comes in contact with a projecting pin connected with the positive or the
negative poles.
Thus when the commutator is carried round upon the shaft aforesaid, in one
direction it is brought into contact with the spring stop and pressed against it
until the reverse action of the float causes the said shaft to revolve in the opposite
direction, and brings the projecting pin in contact with the opposite stop and reverses
the current.
Each current from the reservoir, causes the movement of a separate magnetic
needle and lever, which cioses the circuit of one or the other of two electro magnets
actuated by their own batteries; each magnet is in connection with and operates a
lever provided with a pawl which engages with the teeth of a ratchet wheol in gear
with the dial finger.
Thus at, each movement of the slide at the reservoir (before described) the electric
circuit is completed, the magnet actuates the lever, and the pawl revolves the ratchet
wheel one tooth, moving the finger of the dial the required distance; on reversing
the current the opposite action takes place.
נ.י.
200
1000
ROBT. F. DRURY,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Depth of Water in
Reservoirs or Tanks by Electricity.
I, LUKE BERRY of Howard Street Rotherham in the County of York, 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 relates to improvements in apparatus, which by the aid of
electricity, will indicate in the Office of the Engineer, the variations in the height
of water in Reservoirs or supply Tanks at considerable distances, such action being
performed automatically.
The object of my invention is as follows:-
1st to reduce friction to a minimum.
2nd to minimise the consumption of electrical energy.
örd to render the action more certain, and thus make the instrument reliable.
And in order to render my Specification intelligible, and that the invention may
be clearly understood by those who are at all acquainted with electrical apparatus, I
annex some illustrations of the appliances necessary to carry out my invention.
Fig. 1, is a plan of the transmitting instrument.
Fig. 2, sectional elevation of transmitter, with the end standard and other parts
omitted.
Fig. 3, side elevation of galvanometer and recorder.
Fig. 4, diagram showing course of electric currents.
In carrying out my invention, I fix a suitable float that will be raised and lowered
by the rise and fall of the water in the reservoir, and I also fix in such a position
that it can be operated by the float, a transmitter such as is shown in Figs. 1
and 2.
A cord or chain attached to the float is passed over a grooved pulley A, fixed
on an axle supported in bearings, so that as the float rises and falls the pulley
and its axle will be caused to revolve in one direction or the other.
On the said axle I fix a wheel B, having on one side a number of projecting
pins C, arranged to come in contact with the underside of two pivotted legs D¹, D³,
and to raise the slide D; this upward movement of the slide, allows an attached
pawl E, to pass over one of the teeth of the ratchet wbeel F, and on the descent
of the slide, the pawl moves the ratchet wheel a certain distanco round on
its axis.
This movement causes one of the lower teeth to act against a projection on the arm
or bar G, and depresses it until the platinum wire H, dips into the mercury cup 1,
and thus completes the circuit.

page_text: To prevent false indications being given by small waves in rough weather, the
slide D, is sustained in an elevated position when raised by means of a catch pin 5,
fixed to the end of an arm 4, which passes under a projection from the side of the
slide, and shown in dotted lines; this catch pin is released by the continued movement
of the pin wheel raising the horizontal arm 6, which is connected with the arm 4,
and when released the slide drops.
To prevent the circuit being broken as soon as made, I prefer to connect the
opposite end of the arm G, to a pneumatic piston, by which its return action is
retarded, as will be well understood."
The electric current thus set up by the action of the transmitter, passes through
the wire to two galvanometers L, deflecting the magnetic needle L', of one of them,
the other needle being held stationary as hereinafter described, (the axis of which
at one end works in a mercury cup L³) depressing a crosslever M and dipping a
wire N, into the mercury cup O, thus completing the circuit through the wire P,
to one of two pairs of electro magnets Q.
The needles of the galvanometers are constructed to move in opposite direc-
tions only, the movement in the other direction being prevented by a stop, thus
one needle is deflected when the current is sent by the wire attached to terminal 8,
and the other needle is actuated when the current is sent through terminal 9.
The action of one pair of the electro magnets Q, is to draw down its armature (2)
and by means of a 'vertical rod (3) connected therewith, and provided with a detent
engaging with a ratchet wheel and train of wheels; the axle R which carries
the dial finger, is caused to move in one direction; and vice versa the action
of the opposite pair of electro magnets, causes the dial finger to move in the opposite
direction, but I lay no claim to this part of the mechanism.
To indicate whether the movement of the slide D, is caused by the rise or the
fall of the water, a reverse movement must be given to the finger of the recorder
and to accomplish this the current of electricity must be switched on to the opposite
wire.
For this purpose I use a commutater S, which is fixed upon the axle of the pin-
wheel B, and the float pulley A; it is made in the form of a roller of suitable non-
conducting material, is not keyed or similarly secured to the axle, but is capable of
being carried partly round for a limited distance by the force of applied friction, the
movement being terminated by a pin U projecting from its surface and working in a
slot, formed in a spring arm T.
On opposite sides of the periphery of the commutater and let into the surface,
are two diagonally-placed wires V, (Fig. 1) each end of each wire is attached to
a short platinised strip W, WI, and X, X¹ placed in a line with the axis, and
at a distance from these short strips, equal to the length of the slot in T, are
fixed two long metallic strips reaching from end to end of the commutater or
thereabouts.
Four spring connecters Z1, Z2, Z3, Z, seen in Figs. 1 and 2 are arranged for their
platinum points to press against the long or the short strips beforementioned, as
they are presented to them by the action of the commutater.
When the spring connecters are in contact with the long strips Y, Y¹, (bearing
against each end of the said strips) on opposite sides of the commutator the
electric current passes direct from the battery to the wire terminal 7, through 23,
long strip Y connecter Z, and left hand terminal 8 to the left hand galvanometer,
returning through terminal 9 in a similar course to terminal 10 and battery; this
is shown in the lefthand diagram annexed.
When the commutater is turned in the contrary direction, and the spring
connecters bear against the short strips W, W', X, X', the electric current is switched
from Z3 through the diagonal wire V, to Z, through terminal 9 to the right hand
galvanometer and returns through terminal 8, spring connecter Z*, across the
diagonal wire on the underside, to Z', and to battery; this course is shown in the
right hand diagram.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what 1
claim, is :-
1-In apparatus for indicating the depth of water in reservoirs by electricity, the
construction of a Transmitter substantially as herein before described, and illustrated
in Figs. 1 & 2.
2-In a Transmitter for the purpose hereinbefore specified, a Commutater constructed
substantially as described and illustrated.
3-In a Transmitter for the purpose specified, a slide D, having two pivotted
legs D¹ & D³, a pin wheel B, ratchet wheel F, arm G with platinum wire H and
mercury cup I, constructed and arranged substantially in the manner described and
shown.
4-In apparatus for the purpose specified, the combination with a galvanometer,
of a lever or arm M, platinum point N, and mercury cup O and L', constructed and
arranged to act with a recording instrument, substantially as hereinbefore described
and shown.
Data Namba- 1000