Water Level and similar Purposes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Water Level and similar Purposes.
1, GUSTAV BINTER of Brunnstrasse 9, Münich, in the Empire of Germany,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my 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 consists in an improved electric apparatus for indicating distant
water level and similar purposes.
The said apparatus is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. I is a side elevation.
Fig. II front elevation.
Fig. V a longitudinal section, showing at the same time a stop device.
Fig. VI front view of the same (rear part of the contact apparatus).
Fig. VII a detail view.
Figs. III and IV are diagramatic representations for the application of the
apparatus.
The improved apparatus consists essentially of
1) the drum of brass or other metal a Figs. I & II.
2) the contact disc c provided with a lever arm b and having an insulating
inlay at el.
3) the two rollers or cylinders e and e² covered with rubber or other insulating
material supported in movable indiarubber bearings d' d² d³ d' of vulcanite or other
insulating material and held in contact by means of the springs dd with the brass
drum the said rollers carrying the contact levers ff with the contact screws g¹ g²
terminating in platinum points; these two levers are covered at h h with indiarubber
or other insulating material and their movement is determined by the pins i to
one direction.
a,
4) the pin wheel (Figs. I and III) carrying the lifting pins 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and the
contact breaker disc with the contact teeth 10 20 30 40 50 and the indiarubber or other
Insulation 1.
5) the spring on currving the contact head m²

page_text: 6) the pendulums secured on the axle a of the brass drum a and weighted with
the lead poise ¹ and
7) the two stop levers secured on the brass drum a, and the stop wings
corresponding thereto and situated on a hollow shaft a over the axle of the pin wheel k.
This arrangement and its particular purpose are hereafter explained.
The following is a description of the contact apparatus without that part of the
device for ensuring the contact.
The above mentioned contact spring m is supported upon a pillar m² insulated from
all parts of the apparatus by the vulcanite or other underlayer shown, and the screw
hole lining n.
The contact levers f¹ and 2 are respectively electrically connected with the
insulated terminals o and of Figs. I and II and thereby with the leads and ² which
lead to P Fig. 3.
The contact spring m Figs. III is connected with the earth-or back-lead, which
leads to an electric battery 7 and thence to the extremities of two electro-magnet
coils M¹ M2 Fig. III.
The other two ends of these electro-magnet coils are connected, M with »² and M²
with 2 and through these each with one of the two contact levers
Fig. III.
The pendulums secured on the drum axle a and having its lead poise
Figs. III and III is maintained thereby normally in its vertical position the
contact disc lever being placed at a right angle thereto is therefore held in its
horizontal position at u, and the platinum points of the contact screws g' g² stand
each within the insulating surface c¹ is a fragment of a wheel over which passes the
chain carrying the float usual in water level indicating apparatus, said wheel being
situated on the axle of the pin wheel for setting the latter in corresponding
rotation when moving forward or backward.
The tooth wheel w on the shaft of the drum a (Fig. I in dotted lines, Fig. II in
full lines) gears with the spur wheel 2 situated on the shaft w¹ and rotates by means
of the worm wheel on said shaft w¹, the worm or shaft y carrying the governor y
and journalled in the arms Z Z. This device serves to diminish the accelerated falling
of the pendulums whereby a secure contact, lasting a certain time is produced.
The apparatus works as follows:
The pendulums being at rest (Fig. I at t shown in dotted lines) on the turning of
the pin wheel k (by chain-wheel or other device Fig. I towards St) the lever and
with it the pendulum s is lifted by one of the pins of the wheel from u to u¹. In
consequence of this movement the lower cylinder e revolves by friction with the
drum a and the platinum point of the contact screw g² arrives in contact with the
insulated inlay c¹ of the contact disc c, the latter moving under the contact screw g².
At the same time however the contact screw g' on the upper contrarily revolving
roller e¹ has been removed from the contact disc c during the raising of the lever ;
at the moment however (Fig. 1 shows the position of the mechanism at this moment)
when the lever b slides off the lifting pin and the drum a revolves in the contrary
direction under influence of the weighted pendulum g the contact screw g¹ falls upon
the metallic surface of the disc c which had meanwhile arrived below it and the latter
revolves in electric contact with the contact screw g. By the return movement of
the drum a also the contact screw g² was however raised from the drum. This move-
ment being determined by the pin ¹ electric contact with the parts of the apparatus
being prevented by the insulating layer h.
C
During the hereinbefore described movement the current-breaker has at the same
time arrived in metallic contact through one of its teeth with the spring m and as
said disc is in metallic connection through axle and frame of the mechanism
with all insulated parts of the apparatus, therefore also with the drum a, the latter is
at this moment connected with the earth or return lead Fig. III and thereby at P with
the negative pole of an electric battery q.
As the contact lever is connected with the lead Fig. III it is in electric
connection at P through the electro-magnet coil M! with the positive pole of the
battery q, the current being closed, at the moment that the contact screw g¹ slides

page_text: over the metallic surface of the contact disc c, thus influencing the electro-magnet M¹
at P.
When the contact disc lever having been taken back from u to u² commences its
upward swing the contact screw of the lever arrives and slides upon the metallic
surface passing below it; the circuit is then completed through the lead and the
electro-magnet M2 thus influencing the latter.
In case however the contact disc lever is lifted to the extreme limit and let back
without falling off the contact screws or g² do indeed slide along over the metallic
surface of the contact disc c, but no current passes since the pin wheel and the
current breaker recede in this case with the lever and consequently the respective
tooth of the said breaker recedes from the spring m, the latter sliding away on the
insulation .
If for instance a suitable indicator is arranged in combination with the electro-
magnets M and M2 so that on rise of the water, the electro magnet M' causes the
hand to move in one direction and on a falling of the water the magnet M2 causes the
hand to move in the contrary direction a very exact indication of the level of the
water at any distance may be obtained.
Fig. IV represents a scheme, in which the above described contact device produces
In this case
the same effect by means of only one wire r and earth-return conduit.
for instance the contact lever is connected with the negative pole of the battery B¹
and contact lever f2 with the positive pole of battery 12, these batteries are united
with the other two poles to the lead the latter being connected at P with a polarised
relay M which on the other side is again in connection with the contact device through
the earth or return conduit. According as one of the contact levers for f is in
action a current is produced in one or other direction and the relay is correspondingly
influenced so that local circuits for the electromagnets M³ M² are completed.
The apparatus described above may be sometimes caused to fail by the contact lever
falling quickly off after contact with a pin of the wheel k by the action of the
pendulum, thereby causing a rapid passage of the respective contact tooth over the
spring m thus occasioning an insecure contact when by sudden change of the water
level (and consequent rapid rotation of the float chain wheel) so immediately on the
contact of a pin with the front surface of the contact-lever b, the pendulum s¹ falls
rapidly off with the same, without allowing a contact tooth of the interruption disc to
come in contact with the current supplying spring m.
Certain contact is therefore ensured as follows (Figs. V and VI).
The contact breaker disc is secured on a hollow sleeve a shifted over the axle k¹
and revolvable on the same which sleeve carries on the extremity opposite to the pin
wheel two stop stars ° ° and also a so-called disc n°. The latter has a recess or
cut, into which engages the nose n³ of a spring n² secured to the pin wheel (Fig. VII).
The sleeve and therefore the stop stars 20 10 secured thereon are thereby constantly
maintained in a certain position relatively to the pin wheel secured on the axle k¹.
The position must be such that the points of the stop-stars correspond to the
pins 1, 2, 3... of the pin wheel (Fig. V); the lever of the contact disc c retains its
arrangement as described above.
On the contrary side of the metal drum a, two other levers 61 62 (stop-levers) are
secured, one acting with the forward movement of the chain-wheel, the other during
its rearward movement whereby each time an absolutely secure contact is established
at the given moment, by a contact tooth of the contact breaker disc being kept a
little longer in contact with the spring m, than it is the case with the arrangement
described above.
For this purpose the lever ends 61 correspond with two successive pins of the
wheel k. The lever ends are slightly rounded off and slide at the corresponding time
on the lateral rims of the circularly recessed stop stars 1°, b₁ slides on the revolution
of the chain wheel in the direction indicated by an arrow, on the subsequent falling
of the pendulum on 1°. 12 slides, on the contrary revolution upon °; this takes place,
also when the chain wheel proceeds in the same direction.
As mentioned above, the current breaking disc is likewise secured on the sleeve

page_text: with the stop stars. Therefore it is retained in its position, until the lever 1 or 2 has
passed along the respective wheel-star-recess. For this duration therefore the circuit
is completed that is to say the contact tooth of the disc is during this time kept in
contact with the spring m.
As the pin wheel continues its movement during the holding of the sleeve by the
engagement of the levers with the stars the spring n² is tensioned and the nose m³
slightly leaves its position in the disc no, so that when the lever-end
leaves the
stop star, the spring rebounds into its original position, thus disestablishing the contact
between spring m and the tooth on disc l.
The last mentioned contrivance ensures a certain contact.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In electric contact devices :
1. The combination of the metal drum a with contact-disc c lever and pendulum s.
2. The rollers el e in combination with the contact screw levers ff drum a and
disc G rollers journalled in movable insulated bearings and adapted to be pressed by
springs onto the drum a.
3. The combination with said devices of the pin wheel with the contact breaking
disc and spring m.
4. The combination with said devices of stop levers 12 and stop stars 100 corre-
sponding thereto, a sleeve a carrying said stars together with disc 7 disc aº and
spring having nose n³.
The whole substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 1st day of December 1887