Improvements Relating to Apparatus for Establishing and Maintaining Electrical Communication between Fixed and Movable Parts of Electric Circuits, chiefly Designed for Use on Railways.
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements Relating to Apparatus for Establishing and
Maintaining Electrical Communication between Fixed and
Movable Parts of Electric Circuits, chiefly Designed for Use
on Railways.
I WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO APPARATUS FOR ESTABLISHING
AND MAINTAINING ELECTRICAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN FIXED AND MOVABLE
PARTS OF ELECTRIC CIRCUITS CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR USE ON RAILWAYS" to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to conductors and contact brushes for maintaining
electrical connection between two parts of a circuit one of which is fixed and the
other movable.
The said invention is chiefly designed for use with an electric railway or
tramway, and comprises the novel arrangement of parts hereinafter described.
According to the present invention the electrical conductors, instead of being
either cables, rods, rails or the like, are formed of copper or brass bands of suitable
width and thickness.
The said bands or conductors are sometimes mounted overhead on insulated
supports erected at suitable distances apart. Upon each side of the vehicle
carrying the electric-motor are secured conducting rods carrying brushes adapted
to bear upon the said bands. Springs are arranged on the said rods for maintaining
a constant pressure between the conductors and the brushes. This arrangement for
the transmission of the current ensures an elastic pressure of the brushes upon the
conductors.
Instead of mounting the conductors as hereinbefore described, they may be
placed in a subterraneous trench and carried upon insulating supports of glass, china
or other suitable material.
The combination of flat conductors and of collecting brushes offers great
advantages over the systems heretofore in use, in which the contacts are formed by
rollers running upon a conducting cable, that is to say the contact is better and

page_text: more constant with brushes than with rollers; the action of the brushes serves to
maintain the surfaces of the conductors in a proper state; there are no rollers and
journals to wear out, and the brushes do not allow any interruption in the passage
of the current and consequently no sparks are produced, as is the case when
contact rollers are used, owing to sudden starts, and foreign bodies and dust on the
cable.
When the conductors are laid in trenches, pits may be made in different places
along the track, in order that water may be thrown into the trenches to clean the
conductors.
The conductors or bands, instead of being mounted on supports as hereinbefore
described, may be carried by brackets attached to the walls of the subterraneous
trenches by means of bolts or the like.
The vehicle upon which the electric motor is mounted carries two arms or rods
for keeping the slot in the track clear for the passage of the rods carrying the
brushes; and is also provided with a commutating device for changing the
direction of the current through the motor, thereby changing the direction in which
the vehicle is travelling.
It is obvious that the conductor and brushes may be used for other purposes
than for conveying the electric current to the motor, as the said current may be
used for any other purpose, as for lighting. If desired, a generator of electricity
may be arranged upon a vehicle and the current conveyed through the said brushes
and conductors to a signal box or the like.
Dated this is in

page_text: "
RELATING 10 APPARATUS FOK ESTABLISHING
AND MANTANING ELECTRICAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN FIXED AND MOVABLE
PARTS OF ELECTRIC CIRCUITS, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR USE ON RAILWAYS 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 conductors and contact brushes for maintaining
electrical connection between two parts of a circuit, one of which is fixed and the
other movable.
The said invention is chiefly designed for use with an electric railway or tramway
and comprises the novel arrangement of parts hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a view showing the arrangement of over head conductors.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figure 3. is a view showing the arrangement of underground conductors, and
Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of a motor provided with brushes bearing upon
the said conductors.
According to the present invention the electrical conductors, instead of being
either cables, rods, rails or the like are formed of bands a of copper or brass, of
suitable width and thickness.
These bands or conductors a are sometimes mounted over-head on insulated
supports erected at suitable distances apart. Upon each side of the vehicle c
carrying the electric-motor are secured conducting rods d carrying brushes e
adapted to bear upon the said bands.
Springs e¹, Figure 4, are arranged on the said rods for maintaining a constant
pressure between the conductors and the brushes. This arrangement for the
transmission of the current ensures an elastic pressure of the brushes upon the
conductors.
Instead of mounting the conductors, as hereinbefore described, they may be
placed in a subterraneous trench fand carried upon insulating supports of glass,
china, or other suitable material.
The combination of flat conductors and of collecting brushes offers great
advantages over the systems heretofore in use, in which the contacts are made by
rollers running upon a conducting cable, that is to say the contact is better and
more constant with brushes than with rollers; the action of the brushes serves to
maintain the surfaces of the conductors in a proper state; there are no rollers and
journals to wear out and the brushes do not allow any interruption in the passage
of the current and consequently. no sparks are produced, as is the case when
contact rollers are used, owing to sudden starts, and foreign bodies, and dust upon
the cable.
When the conductors are laid in trenches, pits may be made in different places
along the track, in order that water may be thrown into the trenches to clean the
conductors.
The conductors or bands, instead of being mounted on supports as hereinbefore
described, may be carried by brackets g attached to the walls of the subterraneous
trenches by means of bolts or the like.
The vehicle upon which the electric motor is mounted carries two arms or rods h
for keeping the slot in the track clear for the passage of the rods carrying the

page_text: brushes; and is also provided with a commutating device i for changing the
direction of the current through the motor, thereby changing the direction in which
the vehicle is travelling.
It is obvious that the conductor and brushes may be used for other purposes
than for conveying the electric current to the motor, as the said current may be
used for any other purpose; as: for lighting. If. desired a generator of electricity
may be arranged upon a vehicle and the current conveyed through the said brushes
and conductors.to.a signal box or. the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
=
The improved means for maintaining, electrical connection between two parts of
a circuit one of which is fixed and the other movable, comprising the electrical
conductors formed of flat bands of suitable metal, and the brushes bearing thereon,.
substantially as set forth.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.