IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING SECONDARY BATTERIES OR ELECTRICAL ACCUMULATORS AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Scudamore Sellon of Hatton Garden in the County
of Middlesex Gentleman for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING
SECONDARY BATTERIES OR ELECTRICAL ACCUMULATORS AND APPARATUS
CONNECTED THEREWITH
""
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Scudamore Sellon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd April 1883.
JOHN SOUDAMORE SELLON of Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman "IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING SECONDARY BATTERIES OR ELECTRICAL
ACCUMULATORS AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH.'
"
The Invention has for its object the effecting the cutting out of or putting into
the charging circuit secondary batteries commonly called electrical accumulators
by means of the motion imparted to an acidometer or other instrument or appliance
such for instanco as a float or ball or vacuum box which can be made to rise or fall
or be actuated in accordance with the variation in strength density or specific
gravity during charging or discharging of the electrolyte or fluid employed in such
batteries.
The motion thus imparted to such acidometer float or suitable instrument which
may be suitably constructed either of metal or of glass or other material with
metallic attachments or conductors to cause contacts actuating mechanical or
electrical devices or a combination of same or which may act simply by pressure
upon a lever shunt valve or suitable mechanism so that the electrical current is
shunted off or on the cell or cells thus influenced and by this means each cell to
which such arrangement is attached or each set or sets of cells in connection
therewith which can or may be so controlled can be cut out of circuit of the
charging lead or main and can be made to fall in again as required.
For example. One simple arrangement for attaining this end is the employment
of a platinum float which may work on a joint or pivot in or on the solution-
making or breaking contact with the rise and fall of the density of the solution.
By the rise and fall of such float or contrivance as actuated by the density of

page_text: the solution it can be made to effect contacts and by such contacts through the
medium of a relay or other device to give sufficient power to work a switch or
suitable mechanical or electrical contrivance by which the main charging or the
discharging current may be cut in or out as desired.
This Invention is also applicable for the purpose of indicating by the rise and 5
fall of the acidometer float or instrument the condition of the batteries at any time
that is to say either the extent to which they have been charged or the amount of
electrical energy remaining in.
Another part of my Invention is an arrangement by which the amount of
current put in or taken out of the cells or batteries so controlled is indicated and 1
registered by meter-each contact made by the rise and fall of the float or instrument
at the time of charging or discharging actuating by magnetism a ratchet wheel or
other suitable device which sets in motion the necessary mechanism.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Scudamore Sellon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd October 1883.
JOHN SCUDAMORE SELLON of Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman "IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING SECONDARY BATTERIES OR ELECTRICAL
ACCUMULATORS AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
My Invention has for its object the effecting the cutting out of or putting into
the charging circuit of secondary batteries commonly called electrical accumulators
by means of the motion imparted to an acidometer or other equivalent instrument
or appliance such for instance as a float or ball or a vacuum box which can be
made to rise or fall or be actuated in accordance with the variation in strength
density or specific gravity (during charging or discharging) of the electrolyte or
fluid employed in such batteries.
The motion thus imparted to such acidomoter float or equivalent instrument
(which may be suitably constructed either of metal or of glass or other material
with metallic attachments or conductors to cause contacts) actuates mechanical or
electrical devices or a combination of the same or it may act simply by pressure
upon a lover shunt valve or equivalent mechanism so that the electrical current is
shunted off from or on to the cell or cells thus influence. and by this means each
cell to which such arrangement is attached or cach set or sets of cells in connection
therewith which can or may be so controlled thereby, can be cut out of circuit of
the charging or main circuit and can be made to fall in again as required.
For example one simple arrangement for attaining this end is the employment of
a platinum or other suitably constructed float situated in or on the solution and
making or breaking contact with the rise and fall of the density of the solution-
By the rise and fall of the said float or contrivance, as the density of the solution
varies, contacts can be made, and by such contacts, through the medium of a relay
or other device, sufficient power may be given to work a switch or suitable
mechanical or electrical contrivance by which the main charging or the discharging
current may be cut in or out as desired
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures
Figure 1 represents an instrument by means of which my Invention may be
carried into effect-The said instrument consists of a frame which is immersed in
the secondary battery cell and is provided with guides in which a rod a can rise
and fall freely-The said rod carries the float 6 and a contact making disc c-Upon
standards & two pairs of contact pieces e e and ff are adjustably supported-When
the liquid in the battery has attained any degree of density in accordance with the
storage for which the contacts e are set upon the standards d the float b will have
risen in the said liquid and the disc c will make contact between the contacts e e
and a current will flow to a switch or device (which may be such as are hereinafter
described or any other suitable device) and cause it to be actuated to cut off the
charging current to prevent over charging-In like manner when the battery has
become exhausted to any extent for which the contacts ff are set on the standards d
the density of the fluid being correspondingly reduced the float b falls and the disc c
makes contact between the contacts ff and actuates a switch device to again put
the charging current into circuit It will be understood that the contacts can be
adjusted so that the disc comes against them at any desired position of the float
and for enabling this adjustment to be readily effected a scale may be provided on

page_text: or near to the standards d. I prefer to make the end of the battery at which this
instrument is situated with a glass front and to slip the instrument into a small
space left for it at the said end of the battery-The contacts e e or the contacts fƒ
can be used alone but they are preferably used combined as shewn-The making
and breaking of the contacts may be caused to operate upon any suitable apparatus
for diverting the charging current from the accumulators or switching it on to the
same Figure 2 illustrates diagramatically a suitable arrangement-The accumu-
lators are indicated at A but for convenience of delineation the arrangement of the
float and contact makers and breakers is shown separately at A³ and in the said
arrangement mercury are shewn, (in place of solid metallic contacts) wires
dipping thereinto to make the one set of contacts or the other - The float or
acidometer so soon as the specific gravity of the electrolyte has risen by the
charging of the battery to a set point causes the mercury cup on the rod a² to
make contact with the wires ee and complete the circuit of the small battery or
relay leading to the electro magnet G and when the specific gravity of the
electrolyte has fallen by discharging the battery to a set point the wires f ƒ
make contact with the mercury cups ffs and complete the circuit of the small
battery or relay loading to the electro magnet H-When the cell or cells are
sufficiently charged the current passes round the line shewn by the arrows free of
the cells A but so soon as the cells are sufficiently emptied to cause the necessary
fall in the specific gravity of the electrolyte the float or acidometer descends and
makes contact at to complete the circuit of the battery or relay h and
magnetize the electro magnet H which attracts the armature ; on the arm
thereby releasing the catch at the end of the said arm from the end of the arm
carrying the armature ; and thereby allows the said arm to spring from the
magnet G which is now demagnetized and by this means the short circuit through
the solenoid K is opened and the charging current on the line passes through the
said solenoid and its cores are drawn in so as to actuate the switch L which is
thus made to come into contact with the piece a² and connect up the cells to the
charging line The arms and may be provided with springs or they may be
of spring metal. is an adjustable stop to limit the motion of the arm -When
the cells are fully charged the float or acidometer rises in consequence of the
increased specific gravity of the electrolyte and makes contact at ee causing the
current from the battery g to flow and magnetise the electro magnet G which
attracts its keeper i and thereafter the magnet H becoming demagnetised allows
the armature and lever jj to fall and lock the arm and armature in place to
short circuit the solenoid which being weakened allows its cores k to spring back
and turn off the switch L thus disconnecting the charging current from the accu-
mulators and as this is effected without breaking the main circuit dangerous
sparking is avoided and greater certainty of operation secured Resistances pro-
vided with contacts for the switch lever L to bear upon may be used as shewn in
Figure 3 so that the said resistances are put in before the line is broken and the
cells put in The resistances are indicated at M and the contacts at N―This
arrangement is especially suitable for series charging where it is obvious that
should the number of sets of batteries require an aggregate of electro motive force
larger than is afforded by the machine in use an arrangement for cutting out the
required number of sets by means of a magnet such for example as is described in
the Specification of my Patent No 217 in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three may be adopted-For multiple charging an electro
magnet may be employed in lieu of the solenoid K-The keeper of the said magnet
will be formed on or connected to the switch so that when the said magnet is
magnetised as described with regard to the solenoid the said switch is operated to
connect the charging line on to the cells maintaining a good contact so long as the
magnet is open circuited but so soon as the current can go round through the
least resistance as before described a spring will shift back the switch to put
the accumulators out of the circuit in substantially the same manner as that
.herein before described

page_text: It will be readily understood that if the magnets G, H, be not of very high
resistance simple devices may be readily attached for breaking the minor currents,
employed to magnetize them in order to prevent waste of electricity whilst the
contacts made by the float remain closed. Such devices may consist of any simple
or ordinary contact breaking mechanism and may be readily actuated by tho
movement of the armatures to or from their respective magnets.
My Invention can be also utilized for the purpose of indicating by the rise and
fall of the acidometer float or instrument the condition of the batteries at any time
that is to say either the oxtent to which they have been charged or the amount of
electrical energy remaining in them
My Invention can also be utilized for indicating and registering the amount of
current put in or taken out of the cells or batteries each contact made by tho rise
and fall of the float or instrument at the time of charging or discharging actuating
by mechanism a ratchet wheel or other suitable device which sets in motion the
necessary mechanism
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is-
First The use in combination with secondary batteries or electric accumulators
of an acidometer float ball or vacuum box or the like which is caused to rise and
fall in accordance with alteration of density strength or specific gravity in the
Electrolyte or fluid of the said batteries or accumulators and actuate contacts or
mechanism to complete a circuit to cause the cutting off of the charging current
or for putting the charging current in circuit one or both of them substantially as
hereinbefore described
Second-The instrument or device illustrated and described with reference to
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings for the purpose described-Also the
modification of the same shewn in Figure 2
Third The devices or arrangements of parts for putting secondary batteries or
accumulators into or out of the charging circuit through the alteration in density
strength or specific gravity in the electrolyte or fluid of the said batteries or
accumulators as hereinbefore described and also as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings
In witness whereof I the said John Scudamore Sellon have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal this twenty eighth day of September One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three