Improvements in Current Collectors for Electric Traction.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1898-Accepted, 4th Feb., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Current Collectors for Electric Traction.
I, EDUARD PENNING-DUPUIS, of 24, Delitzscherstrasse, Halle-on-Saale, Ger-
many, Professor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what man-
ner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement;-
This invention relates to current collectors for overhead systems of electric traction
which collectors possess the great advantage of being less easily disarranged at
switches and also make less noise than ordinary collecting rollers. By the present
construction the objections to this kind of collector, viz. lack of mobility, and
consequently great absorption of power, are almost entirely avoided.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1
is a front view of the upper part of the collector. Figure 2 is a longitudinal
section, on a larger scale, through the current collecting part or series of rollers,
of which Figure 3 shews a cross section.
The collector comprises a bow frame formed of steel tubes which, to ensure
the necessary degree of strength, are connected together in the manner shewn in
Figure 1. The two principal members 1 and 2 are braced by the bent or looped
members 4 and 5 to which they are rivetted at 3, said members being rivetted
at 31 to the looped member 5¹ by which they are connected to the arm of the
collector, the structure being thus rendered very rigid and able to resist lateral
thrust. The members 1 and 2 are connected together at the top by a steel tube
6, which forms the shaft for a series of rollers acting as the current collectors
which are mounter along the shaft 6 and are constructed of tubes of suitable
material, their ends being provided with bronze bushes 7 8, as shown in Figure 2..
The right hand bush 7 and the left hand bush 8 of two such adjacent rollers are
coned so that they fit well the one into the other and thus afford excellent pro-
tection to the ball bearings enclosed between them which are thus protected from
dust. As shewn in Figure 3, annular grooves 9 are turned in these bushes to
form races in which balls 10 run. By this arrangement of the ball bearings the
individual contact rollers 11 of the whole current-collector are enabled to turn
very easily independently the one of the other so that only that section of the
collector that is actually in contact with the line wire 12 will revolve so that the
weight of the revolving portion is reduced to a minimum and consequently the
energy consumed by the advancing movement of the collector is very small.
The tubular spindle 6 is provided with lateral holes 61 and contains a wick of
suitable material impregnated with the best lubricating oil, for example graphite
oil, so that the oil continuously escapes through the holes while the apparatus is
in work and keeps the bearing surface of the spindle properly oiled.
The subject matter of this invention combines all the advantages of other
forms of construction and in particular is unsurpassable in ease, of running, and
as its rigidity under lateral vibrations is perfect by reason of the excellence of
design and, furthermore, since the penetration of dirt into the ball bearings
is entirely precluded, a more advantageous construction would be almost
mpossible.

page_text: Having now 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;-
The herein described current collector constructed of a bow or frame formed of
two principal members such as 1, 2, braced by members such as 4, 5, and 5' and con-
nected by a transverse tube perforated and containing lubricant, the said tube
forming the axis for a series of contact rollers fitting together by coned end
bushes with intermediate ball bearings so as to be easily and independently,
revolvable and thereby diminish the power absorbed by the current collector as
specified
Dated this 10th day of December 1030.
A. M. & WM. CLARK.
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.