Improvements in or relating to Electrical Distribution, or to Apparatus for Supplying or Distributing Electricity to Electric Railways, Incandescent Lamps, or other like Purposes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 12th July, 1887.
Specification Accepted, 2nd Sept., 1887.
[Communicated from abroad by GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, Junior, of Pittsburg, County
of Alleghany, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Engineer.]
Improvements in or relating to Electrical Distribution, or to
Apparatus for Supplying or Distributing Electricity to Electric
Railways, Incandescent Lamps, or other like Purposes.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign Patent
Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street, Manchester, both in the
County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
The invention relates to an organization of circuits and apparatus designed to be
employed in connection with an alternate current system of electric lighting or other
translating system, for the purpose of storing up energy to provide against an
emergency, as for instance, the interrupting of the supply-circuit connections, and also
to the employment of the so-called secondary system of electric distribution for
operating electric railways.
The invention consists generally in employing, in connection with a supply circuit
and an electric converter receiving currents therefrom, an alternate-current motor
serving to operate a commutator which serves to rectify or straighten any required
portion of the current. This rectified current may be employed for useful work and
also to charge a storage battery. The current from the storage battery is reserved
until it is required for supplying the circuit which is normally supplied from the main
line, or for supplying other circuits.
In the accompanying drawings figure 1 shows in diagram an organization of circuits
and apparatus adapted to rectify currents for charging a storage battery at or near
translating devices which are normally operated by alternating currents. Figures 2
and 3 illustrate the application to electric railways.

page_text: Referring to figure 1, L represents a main line adapted to supply alternating currents
from a generator A to the primary coil p of a converter C. The secondary coils of this
converter has its respective terminals connected with a system of conductors 1, 1,
which supply translating devices such for instance, as incandescent electric lights d, d.
A storage battery N is employed for supplying the place of the converter C when,
for any reason the current transmitted or induced therethrough is interrupted. The
current from the storage battery would, it is evident, be a continuous current instead
of an alternating current, but the translating devices d could be operated thereby. One
pole of the battery N is connected, by the conductors 1 and 2, with a conductor while
the other pole is connected, by conductors and 5 with the conductor l. A switch S
serves to interrupt the connections of the conductors 2 and 5 except when it is necessary
to employ the battery.
For the purpose of charging the storage battery N it is necessary to straighten or
rectify the currents transmitted through the converter C.
For this purpose
conductors 6 and 7 lead respectively from the conductors 2 and 5 to contact-brushes b¹
and 62 of an alternate-current electric motor B. This motor may be constructed in any
convenient manner being adapted to respond to and move synchronously with, the
alternations in the current supplied through the main line L. The motor is preferably
constructed with field-magnets E', which may either be permanent magnets or have
their coils included in the circuit of a local battery o. An armature o revolves within
the circular field formed by the field-magnets. The armature is supported from a
shaft e¹ which extends through a suitable bearing united to the field-magnets. One
arm of the field-magnets may be extended, as shown at e³, to form a support for the
entire motor. The brushes and bear against corresponding contact-rings 63 and b
which are connected with the respective terminals of the armature coils. The motor
is so constructed that when revolving at a suitable speed, the number of poles of the
field-magnet passed by each pole of the armature per minute, will correspond to the
number of alternations per minute in the current supplied. The alternating current
will insure a continual synchronous movement on the part of the motor. The motor
is constructed to be driven by a small current and it may be always in motion.
Upon the shaft e¹ of the motor there is carried a rectifying commutator F.
consists of two series of contact plates f¹ and f* and two pairs of brushes g¹ and g³
and h³, h². respectively applied thereto. The first pair of brushes g', g³ are connected
respectively with the conductors 6 and 7, while the latter pair h', are respectively
connected, by the conductors 10 and 11, with the conductors 1 and 4 leading to the
storage battery N. The number of contact sections upon the commutator F is so
proportioned to the rate of revolution of the shaft, that the number of alternations per.
minute will correspond to the number of sections passing beneath the brushes of the
commutator, so that the circuit connections from the line 6 and 7 through the brushes g
and g' to the brushes h¹ and h³ will be reversed at each alternation of the current, and
the resultant current transmitted upon the lines 10 and 11 will be continuous. This
serves to charge the store battery N. A switch S¹ may be employed for interrupting
the connections of the conductors 6 and 7 when the battery N is employed for supplying
the current.
h³
This
For the purpose of interrupting the connections of the storage battery when the
latter has acquired a sufficient charge, an electro-magnetic cut-out M is included
between the conductors 3 and 4, for instance, leading to the battery. The armature m
is placed by hand in contact with its front contact-point m¹ with which the conductor 3
is connected. The conductor 4 leads from the armature. When the battery is
charged the current ceasing to flow the armature will be released, thus interrupting
the circuit.
The current consumed by the motor will be very small, and to prevent too great a
current from passing throngh it, an incandescent electric lamp d' may be included in
the conductor C. If the lights d, d are constructed to require currents of 100 volts,
then the light & should be made to require a current which when added to the
current required for the motor will equal 100 volts.

page_text: It is not necessary that the rectified current be derived from the secondary of the
induction coil, as it may be derived from the supply circuit L directly.
Referring now to figure 2, the generator A has its circuit L', L³, extending along
the vicinity of a railway track B1, B2, which is constructed in insulated sections, or in
any other convenient manner for delivering currents to an electric loco-motor,
designed to be impelled along the track. The generator A preferably delivers currents
of high potential, and such currents may be conveyed upon conductors of small cross-
section. It is desired, however, to reduce the potential before the currents are
delivered to the track, and to accomplish this the primary coil p of an electric
converter C is included in parallel circuit between the conductors L' and L' by means of
conductors 1 and 2. The secondary coils of this converter has its terminals in the
two contact-brushes gl and g³ of the rectifying commutator F, which is driven by the
motor B as already described. The brushes 61, 63 are respectively connected by
conductors 3 and 4 with the main lines L' and L. A current will thus be derived
from these main lines and delivered through the rings 63 and 6 to the armature. The
brushes and are respectively connected by conductors 5, 6, 7 and 8, 9, 10, with
two track rails B' and B2, and in this manner a current continuous in direction
will be supplied to the sections of the track. It is designed that the respective sections
which are to be supplied shall be each equipped with an apparatus of the character
described, for rectifying the currents, though it is evident that more than one section
may be supplied from a single rectifying commutator, if desired.
For the purpose of storing up whatever current may otherwise be wasted and also
providing a reserve, a storage battery N may be employed. This if used is designed
to be placed in connection with the conductors 5 and 8 respectively, by means of a
switch R which is capable of continuing the connections from the respective poles of
the storage battery to the two conductors 5 and 8 when desired. The manner of
charging the battery will be well understood.
A switch R is inserted between the conductors 6, 7, and 9, 10, whereby the
respective poles of the storage battery N may be connected through the conductors 11
and 12 with the conductors 7 and 10, and the connections with the conductors 6
and 9 at the same time are interrupted, when it is desired to employ the current from
the storage battery.
In some instances it may be desired to derive a current for the armature of the:
alternate-current motor, from the secondary coil of the converter C. This may be
accomplished by connecting the conductors leading therefrom with the brushes b
and b as indicated in dotted lines.
In figure there is illustrated an organization in which the rectifier and the storage
battery are placed upon the locomotor S. The alternating currents are conveyed
through the rails to the moving vehicle by means of rollers r, r, or in any other
convenient manner. The rectified currents are delivered to contact-points t¹, t² from
whence they may be delivered to a suitable motor for driving the vehicle. It is
evident that the currents may be converted two or more times if desirable.
The currents may be supplied through overhead or other conductors than the rails.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination of a source of alternating currents, a translating system
operated thereby, a commutating device for rectifying a portion of the alternating current
and a storage battery charged by such rectified current.
2. The combination with a source of alternating currents, of a storage battery, a
motor driven by the alternating currents, a commutator driven by the motor, and
conductors connecting said source with said storage battery through said commutator.
3. The combination with a main line and means for supplying the same
alternating electric currents, of a converter having its primary coil in circuit therewith,
au alternate-current-electric motor connected in circuit with the secondary coil of the
with

page_text: converter, a rectifying commutator driven thereby, conductors leading from the
secondary coil to said commutator and a storage battery connected with said
commutator.
4.. The combination with a source of alternating currents and a commutator for
rectifying such currents, of a storage battery, a switch for connecting the battery with
said commutator, and a switch for connecting said battery with conductors normally
leading from said source.
5. The combination, with a source of alternating electric currents and a system of
incandescent lights operated thereby, of a commutating device driven thereby, a storage
battery supplied with a continuous current through said commutating device, a switch
for connecting said storage battery with the translating devices and a switch for
disconnecting the same from the commutating device.
6. The combination, substantially as described, of an alternate-current electric
generator, a converter having its primary coil connected in circuit therewith, an electric
motor driven by the alternate currents derived from said generator, a rectifying
commutator driven by said motor, and an electric railway supplied with currents from
said commutator.
7. The combination, substantially as described, of an electric generator delivering
alternating electric currents, an alternate current motor driven thereby, a rectifying
commutator rendering continuous the current delivered from said generator or a
portion of the same, and an electric railway supplied by such continuous current.
8. The combination of an alternate-current electric generator, a converter reducing
the potential of the currents delivered thereby, a rectifying commutator rendering
continuous such reduced currents and an electric railway supplied by such continuous
currents.
9. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of an alternate-current
electric generator, a converter supplied with currents therefrom, a rectifying
commutator straightening the currents from said converter, an electric railway supplied
with such rectifying currents and a storage battery charged by currents from said
rectifying commutator.
10. The combination of an electric locomotor, a current rectifier upon said locomotor,
a source of alternating electric currents, and means for connecting said source with
said rectifier.
11. The combination with an electric locomotor of a current rectifier and a storage
battery carried thereby.