Improvements in Electro-magnetic Wave Apparatus.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sept., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 30th July, 1900-Accepted, 1st Sept., 1900
Date of Application, 29th dept., 1999
Complete Specification Left, 30th July, 1900-Accepted, 1st Sept., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
.Improvements in Electro-magnetic Wave Apparatus.
We, JAMES TARBOTTON ARMSTRONG, of Moorgate Station Chambers, Moor-
fields, London, E.C., Electrician, and AXEL ORLING, of the same address,
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to transmitting and receiving apparatus employed for
operating and controlling distant mechanisms (without the use of wire or other
like connection) by means of electro-magnetic or Hertzian waves, and has for its
object improvements whereby any one of many distant apparatus may be operated
or controlled independently of and without producing any material effect upon
cther apparatus which may be in proximity therewith or within the range of the
transmitted waves.
In carrying out our invention we employ a suitable wave propagating apparatus,
such as an induction coil, in which the discharging terminals are preferably
immersed in oil or other suitable resisting medium so that the disruptive dis-
charge may take place through it. In this way a maximum effect is obtained
with a very short spark gap.
These terminals which are hollow and preferably spherical are adapted to
contain metal balls or pellets, the number of which may be varied with the
result that the character of the waves propagated is changed accordingly.
These waves are received at the distant station by a suitable conductor by
which they are led through a variable resistance of peculiar construction (herein-
after called a coherer) to the earth.
The effect of these waves upon the coherer is to improve its electric con-
ductivity enabling a sufficient current to flow through a closed electric circuit,
of which it forms a part, to energise an electro-magnet or solenoid whose co-
operating armature or core actuates the mechanism it is desired to operate
directly or through suitable relays.
Our coherer is composed of a hermetically sealed tube of nonconducting
material, provided with suitable connections which make contact with a suitable
number of metal balls or pellets (contained by the said tube) whose size or mass
bear a certain relation to the character of the waves by which the electric con-
ductivity of the whole is alone improved.
We have found that the waves propagated when the discharging terminals
contain a given number of these balls or pellets are only capable of producing
the effect hereinbefore mentioned in a coherer of the kind described containing
balls of a given size or mass, we therefore provide the different receiving
apparatus with coherers which differ in this respect and actuate the particular one
desired by varying the number of balls or pellets contained in the terminals
of the transmitting apparatus.
In order to enable the number of these balls or pellets to be varied for this
purpose, the discharging terminals are provided with tubes or channels made
of a suitable nonconducting material, by which the said balls or pellets may be
introduced or withdrawn one by one.
This we may effect by means of a valve of convenient form, which may
consist of a disc or plug provided with openings capable of holding one of the

page_text: said balls or pellets which are allowed to pass in the required manner by
rotating the said disc or plug.
The number of these balls or pellets may, however, be varied in any other
convenient manner.
After every impulse the cohesion (or improved mutual contact of the parts) of
the coherer is broken down by suitably vibrating it; or this result may be
obtained by applying to the colierer an electro-magnet (energised by the coherer
circuit directly or by means of a relay) in such a manner as to polarise the
balls or pellets in a direction transverse to that resulting from the influence of
the transmitted waves, or we may use a permanent magnet whose influence is
weaker than that of the waves, for this purpose.
The sensitiveness of the coherer may be regulated by varying its angle between
the vertical and horizontal.
Dated this 29th day of Sertember 1800
JAS T. ARMSTRONG,
AXEL ORLING,
Applicants.
Improvements in Electro-magnetic Wave Apparatus.
We, JAMES TARBOTTON ARMSTRONG, of Moorgate Station Chambers, Moor-
fields, London, E.C., Electrician, and AXEL ORLING, of the same address,
Electrical 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 transmitting and receiving apparatus employed to
operate and control distant mechanisms (without the use of wire or other like
connection) by means of electro-magnetic or Hertzian waves, and has for its
object improvements whereby any one of many distant apparatus may be
operated or controlled independently of and without producing any material
effect upon other apparatus which may be in proximity therewith or within
the range of the transmitted waves.
According to our said invention, we employ with our transmitting apparatus
any suitable form of wave propagator, such as an induction coil, which we
provide with hoilow discharge terminals adapted to contain metal balls, pellets
or the like, the number of which may be varied with the result that the character
of the waves propagated is changed accordingly.
These waves are received at the distant station by a suitable conductor by
which they are led through a variable resistance of peculiar construction (herein-
after called a coherer) to the earth.
The effect of these waves upon the coherer is to improve its electric con-
ductivity and enable a sufficient current to flow through a closed- electric circuit,
of which it forms a part, to energise an electro-magnet or solenoid, whose co-
operating armature or core actuates the mechanism it is desired to operate
directly or by means of suitable relays in a well known manner.
Our coherer consists of an hermetically sealed tube of non-conducting material
provided with suitable connections and containing a suitable number of metal
balls pellets or the like, whose size or mass bears a certain relation to the condi-
tion of the discharge terminals in the transmitting apparatus from which emanate
those waves by which the electric conductivity of the said coherer is alone
sufficiently improved.
We will now proceed to more particularly describe our invention, which com-

page_text: Irises certain other improvements hereinafter set forth, reference being made
for this purpose to the accompanying drawings in which like letters indicate
like parts throughout.
Figure 1 shows, in sectional elevation, parts of a transmitting apparatus con-
structed according to our invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section, through one of the discharge terminals.
Figure 3 is a diagram, showing one form of our improved receiving apparatus
and,
Figure 4 is a diagram, showing a modification thereof.
According to our invention, the wave propagator a (which may be an induction
coil as shewn) forming part or the transmitting apparatus, is provided with
discharge terminals b, c, which are preferably immersed in oil or other suitable
resisting medium, d, contained in a vessel, e, mounted upon the base f of the
wave propagating apparatus.
The vessel e, also supports a plate of glass or other suitable material d
located between the parts outside the resisting medium, d, for the purpose of
preventing any premature discharge taking place between them. Or, this
difficulty may be obviated by locating the terminal connections on the sides
respectively furthest from each other, which connections, when necessary, may
pass through glands (not shewn) in the sides of the said vessel e.
The discharge terminals b, c, are provided with tubular members g, h, and
are adjustably supported at the ends of the rods i, j, respectively, each of whicht
are provided with nonconducting handles k, l, and are likewise supported adjust-
ably by the insulated pillars m, n, which are suitably joined up with the
secondary coil by connections o, p.
The terminals b, c, contain a suitable number of metal balls, pellets or the
like 7, (see Figure 2), which may be introduced or withdrawn through the
tubular members g, h, for which latter purpose the said terminals are removed
from the vessel e and inverted, or this latter purpose may be served by the
employment of a second outlet (not shown) or any other convenient means may
be utilised to effect the said introduction or withdrawal of the said balls, pellets
or the like.
To facilitate this purpose the said tubular members may be provided with
suitably located valves r, s adapted to pass the said balls, pellets, or the like, q,
one by one, and a counting device of any well-known suitable form may be
employed to indicate the contents of the said terminals b, c.
A convenient form of valve is shown in Figure 2, consisting of a plug t
provided with a pocket u large enough to contain one of the said balls, pellets
or the like, which is transferred from one side of the valve to the other by the
rotation of the plug t.
Our receiving apparatus comprises the coherer (see Figure 4) consisting of an
hermetically sealed tube of glass or other suitable non-conducting material,
containing metal balls, pellets or the like, . with which electrical contact may
be made through metallic contacts, which are fused into the tube.
The coherer forms part of a closed electric circuit (see Figures 3 and 4)
deriving its current from a local battery 1 and containing a relay magnet 2.
Under normal conditions the energy of the relay magnet 2 is balanced by the
pull of the spring 3 of its armature 4. When, however waves of the specific
character hereinbefore referred to, arrive, the resistance of the coherer vis
reduced, permitting a stronger current to energise the magnet 2 which is now
enabled to attract its armature 4 and close the relay circuit through the contact 5
(see Figure 4) or other apparatus may be actuated such as the needle, coil, or
cther equivalent part of a galvanometer. After the reception of such waves the
conditions set up by them are destroyed by suitably vibrating the coherer by any
suitable means. For this purpose an ordinary vibrator may be employed and
its magnet 6 (Figure 3) may be energised by a shunt from the coherer circuit or
by a relay.

page_text: Or, instead of vibrating the coherer, we may employ a magnetic field so applied
to the coherer as to produce a similar effect to that resulting from the reception
of the waves but in a different direction.
This result we achieve by providing the coherer circuit with additional
magnets 7, 8, (see Figure 4) so applied as to effect this purpose immediately
after the waves are received. The magnets 7, 8 may instead be energised by a
relay or permanent magnets (not shown) may be employed whose influence upon
the coherer is less than that of the waves, and therefore only effective in their
absence.
When transmitting waves, one of the discharging terminals is led to earth E
and the other terminal is connected with an aerial conductor 9, while, at the
distant station the waves are received by an aerial conductor, 10, and led to
earth through the coherer .
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
-
1. An electro-magnet wave system, comprising a transmitter characterised by
the employment of a wave propagator having hollow discharge terminals adapted
to contain a variable number of metal balls, pellets or the like by means of
which the character of the waves emitted is controlled, and a receiving apparatus
provided with a coherer consisting of an hermetically sealed non-conducting
tube, having suitable connections and containing a suitable number of metal
balls, pellets or the like, whose size or mass is regulated according to the character
of the transmitted waves and the condition of the discharge terminals whence
they emanated, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth in the
specification.
2. In electro-magnetic wave apparatus, a transmitter characterised by the
employment of a wave propagator provided with hellow terminals containing
metal balls, pellets or the like, and means whereby the number thereof may be
varied, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.
3. In electro-magnetic wave apparatus, a receiving apparatus, characterised
by the employment of coherer consisting of an hermetically sealed non-con-
ducting tube containing metal balls, pellets or the like and provided with
electrical connections therewith, substantially as described and for the purposes
set forth.
4. In electro-magnetic wave apparatus, a receiving apparatus of the kind
referred to in Claim 3, in combination with a de-cohering device substantially as
described with reference to Figure 3 of the drawings and for the purposes set
forth in the specification.
5. In electro-magnetic wave apparatus, a receiving apparatus of the kind
referred to in Claim 3, in combination with a de-cohering device, substantially
as described with reference to Figure 4 of the drawings and for the purposes set
forth in the specification.
6. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting transmitting and
receiving apparatus of an electro-magnetic wave system, substantially as described
in the specification with reference to the various figures of the drawings.
Dated this 30th day of July 1900
EDGAR A. GODDIN,
For Applicants.