Improvements in the Means for Effecting Conducting Connection between Overhead Conductors on Electrical Railways and Tramways and the Electrical Apparatus on the Vehicles.
Year: 1890

page_text: UITIVATION.
[Communicated from abroad by the firm of SIEMENS AND HALSKE, of 94,
Markgrafen Strasse, Berlin, Germany, Electrical Engineers.]
Improvements in the Means for Effecting Conducting Connection
between Overhead Conductors on Electrical Railways and
Tramways and the Electrical Apparatus on the Vehicles.
We, SIEMENS BROTHERS AND COMPANY LIMITED of 12 Queen Anne's Gate,
Westminster, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to that method of effecting conducting connection between
overhead conductors on electric railways and the electrical apparatus on the
vehicles, wherein sliding or rolling contacts are pressed upward against the
underside of the overhead conductors so as to slide or roll along the same as the
vehicle travels along. In the arrangements heretofore employed for this purpose
the supports or arms carrying the contact rollers or slides have been rigidly fixed
to the body of the vehicle, and owing to the vertical vibrations to which the body
is subject in travelling, or to the variations in the height of the conductor, the
electrical contact between the contact pieces and the conductors could not be
perfectly maintained.
According to the present invention this defect is obviated, according to one
arrangement, by supporting the arms carrying the sliding contacts, from the axle
boxes of the vehicle instead of from the body, so that as the distance between the
axle boxes and the overhead conductor does not vary, proper contact between the
latter and the sliding. contacts will always be maintained.
For this purpose a longitudinal horizontal bearer, serving as conductor, is
attached to the axle boxes on one or on both sides of the vehicle, but insulated
from the axle boxes, and to this bearer are attached the upright conducting arms
carrying the sliding contacts at their upper ends. As the said arms or supports
have to project some distance above the tops of the vehicles they may be
advantageously connected together at or near their upper ends by a horizontal
longitudinal rod, or be otherwise braced together to give them the necessary
strength without making them too heavy. When a horizontal connecting rod is
used for this purpose, only the supports at each end of the vehicle need extend
down to the horizontal bearer on the axle boxes, the intermediate sliding contacts
being carried by short supports from the upper horizontal rod.
It is preferred to make the sliding contacts to extend right across the vehicle so
as to be supported by a bearer on either side.
According to another arrangement we construct the said supports, whether
carried by the axle boxes as before described or by the body, with spring action,
so that they can automatically adjust themselves to the vertical vibrations of the
carriage, or to variations in the height of the conductor. For this purpose the
supports are by preference made with a hinge-joint at any convenient point of
their length, the upper part being acted upon by springs which tends to bring it
into a vertical position, so that on the distance between the overhead conductor
and the point of connection of the supporting arms decreasing, the upper part of
the arms will be deflected, and when the said distance increases again, they will be
brought into a more upright position.
With the above construction the upper hinged parts of the several arms may
also be connected together by a horizontal rod so that they are all deflected
together in parallelogram form. In this case the said horizontal rod may be

page_text: pivotted to the upper ends of the supports, and may carry short arms projecting up
rigidly therefrom, so that although the arms may be deflected to a considerable
angle, the sliding contacts will always be maintained in the same vertical position
relatively to the overhead conductor. According to another modification, the
supports together with the horizontal bar at top may constitute a rigid framework,
on the upper horizontal bar of which are pivotted short arms with spring action
carrying the sliding contacts. Instead of constructing the arms or supports with a
hinge-joint and spring action, they may be formed telescopic with vertical spring
action.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means for Effecting Conducting Connection
between Overhead Conductors on Electrical Railways and
Tramways and the Electrical Apparatus on the Vehicles.
We, SIEMENS BROTHERS AND COMPANY LIMITED, of 12 Queen Anne's Gate,
Westminster, 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:-
This invention relates to that method of effecting conducting connection
between overhead conductors on electric railways and the electrical apparatus on
the vehicles, wherein sliding or rolling contacts are pressed upward against the
underside of the overhead conductors so as to slide or roll along the same as the
vehicle travels along. In the arrangements heretofore employed for this purpose
the supports or arms carrying the contact rollers or slides have been rigidly fixed
to the body of the vehicle and owing to the vertical oscillations to which the body
is subject in travelling or to the variations in the height of the conductor, the
electrical contact between the contact pieces and the conductors could not be
perfectly maintained.
According to the present invention this defect is obviated, according to one
arrangement, by supporting the arms carrying the sliding contacts, from the axle
boxes of the vehicle instead of from the body, so that as the distance between the
axle boxes and the overhead conductor does not vary, proper contact between the
latter and the sliding contacts will always be maintained.
For this purpose a longitudinal horizontal bearer serving as conductor, is
attached to the axle boxes on one or both sides of the vehicle, but insulated from
the axle boxes, and to this bearer are attached the upright conducting armos
carrying the sliding contacts at their upper ends. As the said arms or supports
have to project some distance above the tops of the vehicles they may be
advantageously connected together at or near their upper ends by a horizontal
longitudinal rod, or be otherwise braced together to give them the necessary
strength without making them too heavy. When a horizontal connecting rod is
used for this purpose, only the supports at each end of the vehicle need extend
down to the horizontal bearer on the axle boxes, the interinediate sliding contacts
being carried by short supports from the upper horizontal rod.
It is preferred to make the sliding contacts to extend right across' the vehicle so
as to be supported by a bearer on either side.
I
According to another arrangement we construct the said supports, whether
carried by the axle boxes as before described, or by the body, with yielding or
spring action, so that they can automatically adjust themselves to the vertical
vibrations of the carriage or to variations in the height of the conductor and can
also be deflected on passing the supports of the conductors. For this purpose the
supports are by preference made with a hinge joint at any convenient point of

page_text: their length, the upper part being acted upon by springs or a counterweight which
tend to bring it into a vertical position, so that on the distance between the
overhead conductor and the point of connection of the supporting arms decreasing,
the upper part of the arms will be deflected, and when the said distance increases
again, they will be brought into a more upright position.
With the above construction the upper hinged parts of the several arms may
also be connected together by a horizontal rod, so that they are all deflected
together in parallelogram form. In this case the said horizontal rod may be
pivotted to the upper ends of the supports, and may carry short arms projecting
up rigidly therefrom, so that although the arms may be deflected to a considerable
angle the sliding contacts will always be maintained in the same vertical position
relatively to the overhead conductor. According to another modification, the
supports together with the horizontal bar at top may constitute a rigid framework
on the upper horizontal bar of which are pivotted short arms with spring action
carrying the sliding contacts. Instead of constructing the arms or supports with a
hinge-joint and spring action they may be formed telescopic with vertical spring
action.
The accompanying drawing shews by way of example various arrangements for
carrying out the above described invention.
Fig. 1 shews an end view, and Fig. 2 a side view of a tramcar with one
arrangement. The contact pieces a, b, which extend more or less over the
entire width of the car, are connected to the upper ends of rods A the lower ends
of which are connected to longitudinal horizontal bearers C that are connected in
an insulated manner to the axle boxes D. At their upper part the rods A are
connected together by the rods E.
In the modification shewn at Fig. 3 in which only the two end contact pieces a b
are directly supported by rods A the intermediate ones being mounted on short
rods A¹ carried by the tie rod E.
Fig. 4 shews the same arrangement as Fig. 2 without the tie rod E.
Figs. 5 and 6 shew the arrangement in which the contacts a bare carried by
short rods F that are pivotted at ¹ to the rods A and the tie bar E and are held
in the vertical position by means of springs of any suitable description so that, the
contact pieces with their rods can be more or less deflected when the distance
between the ground and the conductor varies owing either to unevenness of the
ground, or sagging of the conductor. Or the rods A may be themselves made
with hinge joints at F1 as at Fig. 7 so that the upper parts are capable of assuming
inclined positions as indicated by dotted lines, being brought back into the vertical
position by springs.
Fig. 8 shews the same arrangement, the tie rod E being dispensed with so that
each rod can assume an independent position.
Figs. 9 and 10 shew an arrangement in which the contacts are carried by short
rods c. d. e. f fixed rigidly to the rod E which is hinge-jointed to the rods A. A.
hinged at Fi as before.
With this arrangement the contacts a. b. do not alter their position relatively to
the conductor when deflected, as shewn in dotted lines, while in the arrangements
at Figs. 5 to 8 they have to assume a slanting position relative to the conductor.
Figs. 11 and 12 show an end and front view of an arrangement in which, instead
of bringing the deflected support of the contact back into its original position by
means of springs, it is brought back by a counter-weight. In this case, there being
only a single contact a b the support F is pivotted at F1 in bearings carried by the
bent upper parts A¹ of the rods A, the support F being extended below the pivots
and provided with a balance weight F which tends to bring it from the deflected
position at. Fig. 12 into the vertical position.
It will be evident that when the above described arrangements for permitting of
the deflection of the contacts are employed the conducting supports need not
necessarily be supported by the axle boxes, but might also be carried by the body

page_text: of the car, as the contact with the conductor will always be maintained in this
case notwithstanding the vertical oscillations of the body.
The bar C which, in all the above described arrangements, is in conducting
connection with the rods A, and is carried in an insulated manner from the axle
boxes, conveys the electrical energy passing from the conductor down through the
contacts and supporting rods, in any suitable manner to the electro motor on the
car.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In vehicles for electrical railways or tramways having overhead conductors,
mounting the contacts of the vehicle upon conducting supports that are carried in
an insulated manner by the axles of the vehicle, in order that the position of the
contacts may be rendered independent of the vertical oscillations of the body of
the vehicle, substantially as described.
2. In vehicles for electrical railways or tramways having overhead conductors,
mounting the contacts of the vehicle upon conducting supports so arranged as to be
capable of automatic vertical adjustment so as to maintain the contact with the
conductor notwithstanding variations in the relative vertical positions of the
conductor, the vehicle and the road substantially as described.
3. In vehicles having contacts arranged as set forth in the preceding claim,"
constructing the supports of the contacts with hinge-joints and acting thereon with
springs or counterweights tending to bring them back into their original position
after having been deflected, substantially as described.
4. In the arrangement of contacts with hinge-jointed supports referred to in the
preceding claim, connecting the contact supports rigidly to a horizontal bar or rod
which has an articulated connection to the upper end of hinge jointed conducting
rods fixed to the vehicle so that when the jointed parts of these rods are deflected,
the contact supports are maintained in their vertical position, substantially as
described.
Dated this 3rd day of April 1891.