Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for the Production of Electricity, and its Utilization for Lighting, Ventilating, and other Purposes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 30th June, 1894
CUBIE LEIE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for the Production of
Electricity, and its Utilization for Lighting, Ventilating, and
other Purposes.
A communication from abroad by ISAAC NEWTON LEWIS, Fort Wadsworth,
Richmond County, New York, U.S.A., Electrician.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of No. 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
London, Consulting Engineer and Chartered 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 :—
This invention relates to apparatus in which a storage battery is employed and
is charged by a dynamo driven at a variable speed as, for instance, from a car axle
or from a windmill.
The invention relates particularly to an electrical combination of devices for
keeping the charging current for the storage battery constant despite changes in
the speed of the car axle or other driving power.
Heretofore the attempt has been made to compensate for the varying speed of
the car by varying the resistance in a shunt field circuit from the armature by
devices responsive to the changes in speed of the vehicle, the action being so
adjusted that the charging current will be kept constant. In this arrangement a
special adjustment of the resistance has to be made with reference to the two
factors of increased armature speed, accompanying axle speed, and increased voltage
of the terminal which leads to the shunt field.
This invention consists in combining with the armature driven from the car axle
or other power, a separately excited field or one which is constant despite changes
of axle speed, being for such purpose excited by a shunt from the storage battery
around the translating devices supplied therefrom on the car or by current from
any other constant source, and a variable resistance or other current controller in
the main circuit from the armature for adjusting the charging current as delivered
from the said armature revolving on a constant field so as to keep the charging
current constant. In this plan of operation a charging current can be promptly
developed as soon as the car starts which cannot be always the case when the
dynamo is self-excited in shunt in the old plan, while moreover as the voltage will
obviously vary directly as the speed of the car, it becomes a simple matter to
proportion or adjust the resistance initially during construction of the apparatus
while under the old plan the adjustment or proportioning of the same for the
fluctuations of speed is a matter of trial necessitating the running of the apparatus
complete.
Another feature of the invention relates to means for preventing waste of the
battery current through the dynamo field when the dynaino is run at variable speed
to supply a circuit to which a battery and translating devices, such as electric
lamps, are continually connected in multiple.
The invention also consists in a switch adapted to operate automatically when
the dynamo starts and to first connect the storage battery to the separately excited
field magnet and to afterwards connect the armature and the battery when a
predetermined speed is reached.
Fig. 1, is a sectional side elevation of an apparatus embodying the inventio..
Wan who of

page_text: Fig. 3, is a sectional detail of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4, illustrates a modification.
Fig. 5, shows in detail a form of governor and reversing switch that may be
employed.
Fig. 6, is a general diagram of the apparatus.
I will first describe the means which are preferably employed for connecting the
dynamo and its driving power when the latter is a car axle.
A, indicates the car sill of an ordinary passenger car and B, the main frame of
the swivelling truck which said frame is spring supported upon the equalizing
bars C, by the springs C¹. The said main frame, as is well understood in the art,
forms a frame from which depend yokes carrying a suspension bar or cross piece
upon which is imposed the elliptic or other springs supporting the swinging bolster.
The swinging bolster itself has the car sill imposed directly upon it.
The equalizing bars of the truck are imposed directly upon the upper journal
box bearings so as to be always in fixed relation to the axle. Mounted directly or
indirectly on bars C, of the truck so as to be supported thereon in fixed or
immovable relation to the car axles, are arms or brackets C³. The preferred
construction of this part of the apparatus involves the use of the cross bar or
arm E, uniting the equalizing bars and bolted at its opposite ends in the iron
shoes which pass over the equalizing bars and are fastened against said bars by
set screws h. By this construction is avoided the necessity of drilling the
equalizing bars C, which would be very objectionable because tending to weaken
the same.
The arms or brackets C³, are furnished with bearings for the power transmitting
shaft F, which is shown as a counter shaft parallel to the car axle and geared
therewith through spur wheel gearing or otherwise connected so as to be driven or
rotated from the car axle. The counter shaft F³, transmits the power from the
axle directly or indirectly to the armature.
G, is a vertical shaft also mounted in a bearing on a bracket supported by the
equalizing bars C, and connected with the dynamo on the car through a proper
flexible connection to be presently described. The shaft Gt, is driven by a bevel
gear connection with the counter shaft and transmits motion through the universal
joints 99, 100, and a telescope sleeve 111, to a shaft 122, rotating in suitable
bearings on the car body.
Shaft 122, may have its upper bearing in a bracket rising from the dynamo base.
Upon this bracket may be also mounted a stationary portion of the variable
resistance switch which operates to control the strength of the current supplied to
the battery.
The universal or flexible connecting shaft, capable of longitudinal extension and
contraction and constructed as just described for the purpose of carrying the
power from the car axle to the dynamo, cannot itself be operated at very high
speeds. In order, therefore, to permit the proper multiplication of movement
between the car axle and dynamo, so that the latter may be driven at the proper
speed, I propose to locate the speed multiplying gear on the car between the said
connecting shaft and the dynamo instead of mounting the multiplying devices upon
the car truck itself or at such point that they would impart a multiplied speed
through the universal joint and telescoping sleeve or shaft. By this means it is
found perfectly practicable to employ the universal joint and extensible shaft, as
described, which it would not be practicable to use were the multiplying gear
located at the other end of the system.
By multiplying gear in this connection, is meant any device for rotating the
dynamo armature at a greater speed than the operating shaft 122. As an example
of such a device I show a bevel gear wheel G, that is mounted on the shaft 122,
and engages with a bevel gear upon the shaft of the dynamo, the latter gear being
sufficiently small to give the desired speed to the armature.
By these means a positive practical and durable connection of the dynamo and
car axle is obtained without the use of belts. The device will be practically

page_text: unaffected by any vertical or swivel motions of the car body or the truck frame..
The dynamo might be mounted in other positions as the connecting devices
described will take up any movement of the dynamo relatively to the car axle.
K, is any switch device operated through a rod 22, the office of which switch is.
to control a circuit of the armature with the storage battery as also the connections
of the field magnet: By suitable attachment of the variable resistance the switch
also serves to control the current flowing from the armature to the storage.
battery.
The switch may be constructed as follows:-
72, is a head fastened at the top of the rod 22, and adjustable up and down
thereon by means of a nut 73. This head carries two springs 75, 76, which are in
connection with one another through said head and bear upon the plates M, N..
One of these plates M, is of conducting material and the other is made up of
insulating and conducting spaces as follows, (see Fig. 6):-
78, is a conducting plate upon which the spring 76, closes to complete the
connection of the field magnet with the constant source of energy as soon as the
car starts to move.
The contacts 79, are connected to the several sections of a variable resistance R,.
and the spring 76, by reciprocating over said contacts varies the amount of
resistance in the circuit between the armature and the storage battery.
The spring 75, and plate N, can be in constant connection with one pole of the
storage battery as indicated in the diagram.
The rod 22, might be operated by any proper device responsive to the change in
speed of the car, but for simplicity it is preferable to operate it by means of a
centrifugal governor, the balls. of which, indicated at 38, are mounted upon.
projections 19, of the shaft 122, and carry two segments engaging with a toothed
rack or slide upon which the short rotary spindle 22, is stepped.
Also mounted on the vertical rotary shaft, is any suitable reversing switch C',.
placed in the main circuit between the dynamo armature and the storage battery
for the purpose of preserving a constant direction of charging current with
reversals of direction in which the car is run. This switch C, may be constructed
and connected as follows:-The wires a', and ', leading from the armature are
connected to diametrically opposite contact sectors a², 63, and the charging
wires 9, 10, of the storage battery 12, are connected to the alternate diametrically
opposite contact sectors c, c, of said switch. The movable electrical connecting
pieces 40, of the switch C, are mounted beneath the partially rotary disc 24,
frictionally connected to the shaft 122, by means of block 42, compressed on said
shaft by spring 43, and the rotation of such disc is limited by the abutment of its
projecting stop 45, upon stop pins 46, 47. According to the direction of revolution
of the shaft 122, the projection 45, is thrown against stop pin 46 or 47, accordingly
determining the connection of the wires b', to 10, and a to 9, in the one instance,
or the connection of the wires b', to 9, and a', to 10, in the other instance. Thus,
the current in 9, 10, through storage battery 12, is maintained in a constant direction,
irrespective of the direction of charging current generated by the dynamo, the
shaft of which is reversible to accommodate itself to the direction of travel of
the car.
The lighting and power circuit is independently connected to the storage battery
as usual in the art and supplies the electric lamps or other translating devices 13,
in multiple arc or may supply any other devices as, for instance, the motors of
ventilating fans or electric heating appliances.
The field magnet of the electric motor indicated at 90, is constantly or separately
excited by a shunt from the storage battery as shown more clearly in the diagram,.
one terminal of said field being connected directly to the storage battery and the
other to the plate 78, of the switch where it is thrown into connection with the
storage battery by the spring 76, as soon as the car starts.
The general operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
When the car is at rest the switch operated by rod 22, stands in the position

page_text: shown in the diagram, the circuit of the field 90, from the storage battery being
broken so that the battery may not discharge through the same.
It will be understood that the separate excitation provided by the connection
from the storage battery shown might be provided from any other source and the
switch operated in the same manner.
One of the charging wires 9, 10, connects directly with one pole of the storage
battery and the other connects with the other pole thereof through the variable
resistance R, or other current controlling armature.
As will be seen the charging circuit is broken as the spring 76, is out of contact
with the upper one of the series of contacts 79, to which wire c, is directly
connected.
As soon as the car begins to move the exciter circuit is closed by spring 76, but
the main circuit remains open until the speed of the car has reached such point
that the armature will give. sufficient voltage to charge the battery. The main
circuit is then closed by the spring 76, coming in contact with the upper one of the
plates 79, the circuit then being from the armature by way of the circuit reversing
switch, through spring 75, plate N, storage battery, and back by wire 10. If the
speed increases so as to raise the voltage of the dynamo beyond a predetermined
amount the resistance devices begin to operate to cut down the main current, and as
will be seen they may be made to provide a uniform main current despite the
changes in speed of running the car.
It will be also seen that as the field is separately excited no time is lost in
bringing the dynamo up to the voltage necessary for charging the battery as would
be the case if it were a self-excited shunt wound machine.
It should be understood that the brushes of the armature have a zero lead
requiring no re-adjustment when the car reverses its run and the dynamo armature
changes its direction of revolution.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination, substantially as described, of a dynamo driven from a source
of intermittent or variable speed power, a storage battery charged thereby, a field
for said dynamo having a constant excitation from said battery or from other
source and independent of variations of speed of the driving power or of the load
upon the working circuit, and an automatic current controller in the direct circuit
between the armature and the storage battery, responsive to changes in speed of
the driving power.
2. The combination of a dynamo, an intermittent and variable speed driving
power therefor, electric lamps or other translating devices operated from said
dynamo, a storage battery in shunt across the supply wires, a field for said dynamo
having a constant excitation by current from said battery, and a switch responsive
to changes in the speed of driving of the dynamo for breaking the circuit from the
battery through the field when the driving power stops or its speed decreases to a
predetermined amount.
3. The combination, substantially as described, of a dynamo, a storage battery,
a field circuit connected to the storage battery, a switch responsive to changes of
speed of the dynamo, and contacts and connections of said switch for first
completing the connection of the field circuit and battery when the dynamo starts
and subsequently connecting the armature and battery.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.