Improvements in Telpherage Systems.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 7th June, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES EVELETH MAYNADIER, of Taunton, Massa-
chusetts, United States of America, Counseller-at-Law.]
Improvements in Telpherage Systems.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKK, of 45 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, 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 :--
My invention relates to those systems in which the track is provided with a number
of coils through which the car is propelled by electrical energy, and consists mainly
in the use of alternating currents in the main coils and in one or more coils which
form part of the car.
Heretofore in all such systems the currents used were always direct and not
alternating, and the main advantage of my alternate current system is, that the first
I cost is very greatly diminished while the operating cost is also less.
The second feature of my invention consists in a number of supports for the car so
arranged that the weight of the car shall rest mainly upon one set of supports for a
short time, and then upon another set for a short time and so on, the purpose being to
prevent undue heating when the car travels at the very rapid rate which is highly
desirable in systems of this kind.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is an elevation of one form of car with a main coil in section on a
horizontal plane ;
Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 on a larger scale;
Figure 3 is a partial cross-section, on a large scale, on line 3--3 of Fig. 1 ;
Figure 4 is a partial cross-section, on a larger scale of the main coil and track, on
line 4 4 of Fig. 1 ;
Figures 5 and 6 are sectional views on a larger scale and Figures 7 and 8 are
elevations showing the oil holder and its shoe.
Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12 illustrate electrical connections with a source of alternating
currents;
Figures 13 to 18 illustrate the arrangement of the tracks in order to bring the shoes
successively into operation.
A represents the body of the car which is formed of a frame (preferably of brass or
other non-magnetic metal) to which are firmly connected a number of soft iron wires
or plates a, the whole wrapped with one or more coils a¹ in order to form one member
of a converter or transformer; the other member of this converter or transformer
is one of the main coils B. The core 6 is laminated or composed of a number of soft
iron wires which are preferably upon the exterior of the main coil B.
A series of these main, coils B surround the track and in one form of apparatus
each main coil has its terminals connected to one of the leads L, these leads being
kept at a proper difference of potential by alternating current dynamos D, so that an
alternating current will be set up in a main coil B whenever the car enters it, if the
coils of car A be closed, but when the car is not in it, the counter-electro-motive
force due to the presence of core b will practically prevent any current.
If the car A with its coils a' closed be supposed to be inserted within a main coil B and
held there, the two will then operate on the well known principle of the converter or
transformer now in common use, except that unless the middle of the car (assuming
its coils a¹ to be arranged symmetrically) be exactly opposite the middle of the main
coil the car will tend to move through the main coil. See United States Patents
Nos. 363,185 and 363,186 to Elihu Thompson, March 17th 1887.
It will be seen that in that form of my apparatus shown in the drawings, the

page_text: coils a¹ of the car A, are a number of independent coils, the terminals of which are
connected to electrodes a³, so that each of the coils a¹ may be closed independently of
the others, and in operation the foremost coil a' is closed when the car has entered
a main coil B far enough to bring that coil slightly past the middle of the main coil B;
and so of the other coils a¹ of the car A, each is closed as it passes the middle of the
main coil B. In this way the car is propelled through each main coil, with greater
power than if the coils a¹ were closed at all times.
As a matter of convenience I have shown the electrodes a³ which serve to connect
the electrodes a² of the coils a¹ with the leads L arranged between the main coils B,
there being more room for them there than in the main coils. This is obviously a mere
detail of construction and together with other details shown in the drawings of minor
consequence, these being matters which will be varied largely by different constructors
and under different circumstances.
The car may, of course, be provided with wheels on the familiar bicycle principle or
otherwise, but I prefer to use runners which slide upon the tracks g. It will be seen
that there are six pairs of those runners, and it will also be seen that but two pairs act
mainly at one time to support the car, the others then being auxiliary merely. In
Fig. 13 the runners fare in contact with the track g, while the runners f¹ and fare
out of contact with their tracks g¹ and g³, but after track g has extended a mile or so,
it is depressed at one side and elevated at the other slightly, for say two hundred
yards, so that the car is turned on its axis sufficiently to relieve runners f and throw
the weight of the car mainly upon f¹ as shown in Fig. 14. This is in order that
runners may be allowed to cool. This contrivance which constitutes the second
feature of my invention is clearly shown in diagram in Figs. 13 to 18, in which the
runners fff are shown in operation and out of operation. It will be clear that
two or four tracks might be used instead of three, but this is obviously within the
principle of my invention, which consists in the use of a multiplicity of supports or
bearers whether wheels or runners which come successively into operation so that each
may have time to cool.
Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 illustrate the preferred construction of the runners or supports
for the car.
In Figures 5 and 6, one of the runners f rests upon the track ; and this acting
runner is thereby forced close against its carrier and oil holder 1, against the stress
of spring thereby setting the valve stud so that oil will escape, as will be clear
from Fig. 5, which shows a portion of the car in cross section with the carriers and oil
holders and runners also in cross section; the upper valve stud being
open to allow oil to escape around it and through apertures, as shown, to the face
of the runner.
Figure 6 shows a lengthwise section through the oil holders l, which are also
carriers for the runners; while Fig. 7 shows the runner fand its carrier in elevation,
looking edgewise at the runner f, and Fig. 8 is a plan of Figure 7, the runner f being
shown in dotted lines, while its carrier is shown in full lines.
The broadest feature of my invention I regard as a compound converter consisting.
of a number of main or exterior coils arranged end to end each acting with the same
interior coil whether a single coil or a number of coils, and whether the coils be
connected with the source of power, or one-supplied with induced currents only, while
the other is so connected.
In Fig. 9 the main coils B are connected, one at a time, with the source of alter-
nating currents, the car coils a¹ consisting of a number of copper rings properly
insulated from each other. Here the main coil B is made part of an alternate current
circuit as soon as the middle part of the car coils a' coincides with the middle of the
main coil; the coils B being brought into and out of circuit by the passage of the
car coils a¹ as clearly indicated in the diagram, Fig. 9.
In Fig. 10 the main coils B are in multiple with the leads L L of the alternate current
dynamo D, and the car coils a¹ form two sets of 9 coils each, the odd numbered coils
forming one coil, and the even numbered another coil, the two coils thus formed heing
oppositely wound. Here the circuit is closed through the coil made up of the odd
L

page_text: numbered coils as the first coil enters the main coil, and the circuit remains closed
through this coil until the car coils are nearly through the main coil, when the odd
numbered coil is open circuited and the even numbered coil is closed; that is the
currents in the first coil are in a direction to cause the main coil B to attract, but the
currents in the second coil are in a direction to cause the main coil B to repel
the car coil.
In Fig. 11 the main coils B are not connected to the leads L; but the terminals
of that coil are connected together; consequently coil B is always a closed circuit,
but there will be in it unduced currents only. The car coil a' is a single coil whose
terminals are connected to electrodes a²; and when these electrodes a are in contact
with the brushes a alternating currents from the leads L, will be set up in the
coil a'; and this will induce alternating currents in coil B.
In Fig. 12 the terminals of the main coils B are connected to leads L, and so are
the electrodes a. The car has a number of coils a¹, the terminals of each going to
its electrodes a', which when in contact with the brushes a' complete the circuit
from the leads L, through each car coil a¹.
While the soft iron cores are not essential yet they add greatly to the effect as will
be clear without further description.
The stopping of the car gradually as it nears its destination by electrical or
magnetic energy will be clear to all skilled in the art from what has been above
described as to its propulsion; but I deem it preferable to stop it by omitting the main
coils at the receiving end of the system for a distance sufficient to cause the speed of
the car to be so reduced that it may be safely received in a cylinder of sufficient length
on the dash-pot or air-cushion principle; or otherwise as may be deemed best by the
constructor.
The runners are connected to oil holders and control a valve so that oil is permitted
to flow from each holder when its runner supports the weight of the car; as clearly
shown in Figs. 7 and 8.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
First. The system above described composed of a number of coils with tracks
extending through them; a car of which a coil forms a part; an alternate current
dynamo; and conductors; all arranged and operating substantially as described to
propel the car through the track coils by the energy of alternating currents.
Second. A car with a plurality of sets of supports attached to it in combination
with a plurality of pairs of tracks, each set of supports supporting the car upon one
pair of tracks until the plane of that pair of tracks shifts as described to bring another
set of supports into operation.
Dated this 18th day of March 1890
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.