IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION AND REGULATION OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake of the firm of Haseltine Lake
& Co. Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an invention
of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION AND REGULATION
OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS."—A communication from abroad by Hiram Stevens
65
LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake of the firm of Haseltine Lake
& Co. Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an invention
"
of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION AND REGULATION
OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS."—A communication from abroad by Hiram Stevens
Maxim, of Brooklyn, New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th March 1882.
THE
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake and Co Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings London "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
DISTRIBUTION AND REGULATION OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS." [A communication
from abroad by Hiram Stevens Maxim, of Brooklyn, New York, United States of
America.]
This invention relates to the distribution and regulation of Electric currents
supplied from a central or main generating station to devices for utilizing the same
as in the deposition of metal or in the production of heat, light, or power, and it
is more especially applicable to systems of lighting in which a large number of
incandescent lamps is employed, its object being to maintain a constant ratio
between the amount of current generated or thrown into the line and the number
of active lamps in circuit.
In systems of this kind the usual method of distributing the currents is by means
of two main conductors, connected respectively with the positive and negative
sources of current from one or a number of dynamo-electric machines, at a central
generating station. With these conductors, the lamps are connected in multiple
or derived circuits, and a regulator is employed (also in a derived circuit) the
functions of which are to cause an increase or diminution in the amount of current
generated, according to the number of lamps in circuit. The regulators usually
exert an influence on the generative capacity of the machines and for this reason,
the said regulators are placed in the immediate vicinity of the said machines, and
• -77

page_text: the current for actuating them is obtained by tapping the main wires close to the
machines. By this means it would appear that the light in the individual lamps
should be maintained of uniform intensity irrespective of the number in circuit.
This however is the case only when the lamps are situated in the immediate vicinity
of the generators or when from other causes, the resistance of the main conductors
does not enter to an appreciable extent, as a factor in the determination of the total
resistance of the circuit.
For a theoretical explanation of this phenomenon, let it be assumed that a certain
isolated district is to be illuminated by a current from a central station so remote
that the length or size of the intervening conductors offers a resistance of one Ohm
to the passage of the current
If the Conductors be joined by a single lamp of One hundred (100) Ohms
resistance a complete circuit is formed containing a total resistance of One hundred
and one (101) Ohms of which 100/101 is contained in the lamp circuit, while 1/101 is
contained in the conductors which offer therefore slightly less than one (1) per cent
of the total resistance. If the number of lamps be increased to ten the total
resistance is reduced to eleven (11) Ohms and that of the main conductors now
constitutes nearly ten (10) per cent of the whole. If the number of lamps be
further increased to one hundred, the resistance becomes only two (2) Ohms, one
for the lamps and one for the main conductors so that these latter now offer fifty
(50) per cent of the total resistance. It is therefore evident that a regulator
included in a cross circuit taken off close to the generator and having this constant
resistance to contend with, will not respond properly to the variations of resistance
due to the removal or insertion of lamps in the multiple circuits, for, the resistance
which influences the regulator, being made up of two elements one variable and
representing the resistance of the lamp circuits, the other constant, and representing
that of the main conductors, it obviously follows that the amount of current thrown
into the line by the regulator, will always be less than the lamps require, the
deficiency being greater as the number of lamps is increased.
To overcome this difficulty and to regulate the intensity of lights placed at any
distance from the generator, I have devised means which consist in operating the
regulator by a circuit taken across from the main lines at a point where their
influence as a varying factor in the resistance will be nearly, if not entirely
eliminated.
In carrying the said invention into practice I employ one or more generators
from which conductors lead for example, to a distant group of lamps; the regulator
circuit is taken off from the main wires at a point as near as possible to the centre
of the group of lamps. The wires of this circuit are brought back to the station,
where they are connected through a regulator and a galvanometer, which latter is
used in its ordinary capacity, to indicate the condition of the line. By theso means
the regulator, when once adjusted is controlled entirely by the variations in
resistance due to the removal or insertion of the lamps because whatever the
resistance of the regulating circuit may be, it is affected in the same manner as
though it were taken from the main wires close to the generator in cases where the
resistance of the main conductors is inappreciable. Thus when the resistance of the
main conductors intervening between the source of supply and the branches or
cross circuits containing the lamps amounts to an appreciable element of the total
resistance of the circuit, I control the amount of current generated or thrown into
the line, by means of a regulator included in a branch or derived circuit, which is
taken off from the main conductors at or near the centre of the group of lamps and
brought back to the generator. The character of the regulator employed, or by
which it is operated, will be governed by circumstances; for general convenience
however I prefer to use a regulator which shifts the position of the commutator-
brushes, and to locate it in close proximity to the generator or the engine which
drives it.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th September 1882.
"
THE
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm, of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
DISTRIBUTION AND REGULATION OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS A communication
from abroad by Hiram Stevens Maxim, of Brooklyn, New York, United States of
America.
The invention relates to the distribution and regulation of electric currents
supplied from a central or main generating station, to be utilized in the deposition
of metal, or in the production of heat, light, or power, or for other purposes.
The said invention is more especially applicable to systems of lighting in which
a large number of incandescent lamps is employed, its object being, in this case, to
maintain a constant ratio between the amount of current generated or thrown into
the line, and the number of active lamps in the circuit.
In systems of this kind the usual method of distributing the currents is by
means of two main conductors connected respectively with the positive and
negative sources of current, from a dynamo-electric machine or any number of such
machines located at a central generating station. With these conductors, the
lamps are connected in multiple or derived circuits, and a regulator is employed
(also in a derived circuit) the functions of which are to cause an increase or
diminution in the amount of current generated, according to the number of lamps
in the circuit. Regulators usually exert an influence on the generative capacity of
the machine, and for this reason the regulators are placed in the immediate vicinity
of the said machine and the current for actuating them is obtained by tapping the
main wires close to the same. It might be thought that this arrangement would
be efficient to ensure the maintenance of the light in each individual lamp at a
uniform intensity, irrespective of the number of lamps in circuit. This, however,
is the case only when the lamps are situated in the immediate vicinity of the
generators, or when, from other causes, the resistance of the main conductors
does not enter to an appreciable extent, as a factor in the determination of the total
resistance of the circuit.
As a theoretical explanation of this phenomenon, let it be assumed that a certain
isolated district is to be illuminated by a current from a central station so remote
that the length or size of the intervening conductors offers a resistance of one ohm
to the passage of the current.
If the conductors be joined by a single lamp of one hundred (100) ohms
resistance, a complete circuit is formed containing a total resistance of one hundred
and one (101) ohms, of which one hundred parts are contained in the lamp circuit
while one (1) part is contained in the conductors, which offer therefore slightly
less than one (1) per cent. of the total resistance. If the number of lamps be
increased to ten, the total resistance is reduced to eleven (11) ohms and that of
the main conductors now constitutes nearly ten (10) per cent. of the whole. If the
number of lamps be further increased to one hundred, the resistance becomes only
two (2) ohms, one for the lamps and one for the main conductors so that these
latter now offer fifty (50) per cent. of the total resistance. It is, therefore, evident
that a regulator included in a cross circuit taken off from the main circuit at a
point close to the generator and having this constant resistance to contend with,
will not respond properly to the variations of resistance due to the removal or
insertion of lamps from, or in, the multiple circuits, for as the resistance which
influences the regulator is made up of two elements, one variable and representing
the resistance of the lamp circuits, the other constant, and representing that of the
main conductors, it obviously follows that the amount of current thrown into the
line by the regulator will always be less than that required by the lamps, the
deficiency being in proportion to the increase in the number of lamps,

page_text: To overcome this difficulty and to regulate the intensity of lights placed at any
distance from the generator, I have devised the means illustrated in the
accompanying drawing, which means consist in operating the regulator by a circuit
taken across from the main lines at a point where their influence, as a varying factor
in the resistance, will be nearly, if not entirely, eliminated.
In this drawing, A indicates the position of the generator or generators, from
which the conductors B B' extend to a distant group of lamps L, L. C, C', is the
regulator circuit taken off from the main wires at a point as near as practicable to
the centre of the group of lamps. The wires of this circuit C, C', are brought back
to the station, where they are connected through the regulator R and through a
galvanometer G, which is used in its ordinary capacity to indicate the condition of
the line. By these means the regulator, when once adjusted, is controlled
entirely by the variations in resistance due to the removal or insertion of the
lamps, as, whatever the resistance of the regulating circuit may be, it is affected
in the same manner as though it were taken from the main wires close to the
generator in cases where the resistance of the main conductors is inappreciable, and
in this manner generally when the resistance of the main conductors, intervening
between the source of supply and the branches or cross circuits containing the
lamps, amounts to an appreciable element of the total resistance of the circuit, I
control the amount of current generated or thrown into the line by means of a
regulator included in a branch or derived circuit, which is taken off from the main
conductors at, or near, the centre of the group of lamps, and brought back to the
generator. The character of the regulator employed, or its location in the branch
circuit by which it is operated will be governed by circumstances; for general
convenience, however, I prefer to use a regulator which alters the position of the
commutator brushes, and to locate it in close proximity to the generator or the
engine which drives it.
In the foregoing description the regulator has been left out of consideration in
estimating the resistance due to the. connections between the two main conductors
notwithstanding the fact that it is in a constantly closed circuit. The regulating
imagnets take up so little of the current, that they may be disregarded.
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
foreign Correspondent, and shewn how the same may be conveniently and
advantageously carried into practice, I wish it understood that I Claim :-
:-
First The combination, with a main circuit and a group of branch or multiple
arc circuits containing devices for utilizing and converting the current, of a branch
circuit which is taken off from the main conductors at or near the centre of the
said group of branch circuits, and which contains devices for regulating the amount
of current supplied to the main circuit, substantially as set forth.
Second: The combination, in a system for generating and distributing electric
currents, of one or more generators A, the main conductors B B¹, and two or more
cross-circuits containing the devices for converting the current, with the circuit C, C¹,
taken from the main wires at or near the centre of the group of cross-circuits, and
brought back to operate the regulator R, connected with the generator or
generators, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this ninth day of September in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two: