IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY VOLTAIC BATTERIES AND IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THEIR CHARGE AND BISCHARCH
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Henry Woodley of Limehouse and Henry Francis
Joel of Dalston both in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY VOLTAIC BATTERIES AND IN APPARATUS FOR
REGULATING THEIR CHARGE AND
BISCHARCH"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Henry Woodley
and Henry Francis Joel at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 31st October 1882.
ROBERT HENRY WOODLEY of Limehouse and HENRY FRANCIS JOEL of Dalston
both in the County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY VOLTAIC
BATTERIES AND IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THEIR CHARGE AND DISCHARGE
"
Our invention relates to the construction and arrangement of the parts of
secondary voltaic batteries and to apparatus for regulating their charge and
discharge. We make a secondary battery consisting of a number of plates or slabs
separated by partitions in the following manner We pile together one above the
other a number of thin plates of lead and press them firmly together. We then
advance the pile step by step to a reciprocating or rotating. knife or set of knives
which shears thin slices from the edge of the pile. Each of these slices separates
itself into as many separate filaments as there are plates in the pile and we thus
produce a kind of lead wool presenting in moderate weight a very large extent of
surface. This wool may be electrolytically coated with oxide, or subjected to nitric
acid. Or the lead plates before being piled together may be coated either by
painting or by electrolytic action with lead oxide or other material such as vermilion
that can be employed along with lead in a secondary battery. When the plates
have thus been coated the lead wool produced. by the shearing has the oxide or
other material mechanically mixed with it. Having thus produced the simple or
compound lead wool we apply a mass of it on both sides of a lead plate which has
been previously cut so that a number of portions of it can be turned up as fingers
projecting on each side between and among which fingers the lead wool is laid.
The fingers being bent down over the wool the whole is subjected to pressure by

page_text: which it is squeezed into a firm slab consisting of the lead plate in the middle and
the lend wool on each side of the plate, the whole being porous, presenting large
surface in its interstices and having all the metal in intimate electrical connection.
When the lead wool has not in the first place been mixed with the oxide or other
material, or when it is desired more thoroughly to impregnate the slab therewith,
we paint over the exterior surfaces of the slab with the oxide or other material and
subject the slab so painted to pressure which has the effect of squeezing the material
into the interstices of the wool. We place a number of the slabs prepared as above
described in a trough separating them in the usual way by porous partitions and
subjecting them to the netion of exciting liquid such as is usually employed in
secondary batteries. As partitions, we employ thin veneers of fibrous wood, such
as mahogany cut directly or obliquely across the grain, and we prefer to bend the
lower edge of each partition into the form of a lip or flange projecting under one of
the adjacent slabs, this lip preventing short circuiting of the battery by the direct
passage of electricity from one slab to the next. The upper edges of the partitions
may in like manner be bent over the tops of the adjacent slabs.
For the purpose of regulating the charge of secondary batteries we arrange
automatically shifting contacts in the following manner. The electrodes of all the
batteries having one sign, say the negative electrodes, are connected to one electrode
of the dynamo machine which is employed for charging the batteries. The other
electrodes of the batteries are connected to separate contact studs which are
arranged in a circle around an axis connected to the other electrode of the charging
machine. This axis carries an arm which can be moved round so as to make
contact with any one of the contact studs and so to put any one of the batteries in
electrical connection with the charging machine. When a battery has received its
charge the contact arm is shifted to make contact for the next battery in order by
the action of a ratchet and pawl or other suitable genr worked by the core of a
solenoid introduced in the circuit to or from the charging machine. This core so
long as a current passes through the solenoid coil is held stationary by its
attraction, but when the battery is so far charged that the current passing to it
from the machine-is-reduced to a certain degree or altogether ceases, then a weight
or spring properly adjusted moves the core and so causes the contact-arm to turn
from one contact stud to the next. Instead of employing a weight or spring, the
back stroke of the core can be effected by the attraction of a second solenoid or an
electromagnet in the circuit of a local battery, and in order to reduce this battery tho
coil of the second solenoid may consist of fine wire with great resistance. We apply
a similar automatically shifting contact to determine the discharge of a number of
secondary batteries so that when one is exbausted or nearly so, the next in order is
brought into circuit with the lamps or other objects to which the electricity is
applied. When it is desired to keep the electro-motive force of a secondary battery
nearly constant we employ a similar arrangement, the contact studs in this case
being all in connection with the one battery but with successive numbers of its cells
or having resistances interposed between them, so that as the battery proceeds
towards exhaustion the contact arm by moving from stud to stud introduces an
increased number of cells or cuts successive resistances out of the circuit. Besides
the contact studs required for the several batteries or resistances it is of advantage
to provide a stud to which there is no electrical connection so that when the contact
arm has moved over its whole range the circuit is opened.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Robert Henry Woodley and Henry Francis Joel in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 30th April 1883.
ROBERT HENRY WOODLEY of Limehouse and HENRY FRANCIS JOEL of
Dalston both in the County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY
FOLTAIC BATTERIES AND IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THEIR CHARGE AND
DISCHARGE."
Our invention relates to the construction and arrangement of the parts of
secondary voltaic batteries, and to apparatus for regulating their charge and
discharge. We make a secondary battery consisting of a number of plates or slabs
separated by partitions in the following manner. We pile together one above the other
a number of thin plates of lead and press them firmly together. We then advance
the pile step by step to a reciprocating or rotating knife or set of knives which shears
thin slices from the edge of the pile. Each of these slices separates itself into as
many separate filaments as there are plates in the pile, and we thus produce a kind
of lead wool presenting in moderate weight a very large extent of surface. This
wool may be electrolytically coated with oxide or subjected to nitric acid. Or the
lend plates, before being piled together, may be coated either by painting or by
electrolytic action with lead oxide or other material, such as vermilion, that can be
employed along with lead in a secondary battery. When the plates have thus
been coated, the lead wool produced by the shearing has the oxide or other
material mechanically mixed with it. Having thus produced the simple or
compound lead wool, we apply a mass of it on both sides of a lead plate which has
been previously cut so that a number of portions of it can be turned up as fingers
projecting on each side, between and among which fingers the lead wool is laid.
The fingers being bent down over the wool, the whole is subjected to pressure, by
which it is squeezed into a firm slab consisting of the lead plate in the middle and
the lead wool on each side of the plate, the whole being porous, presenting large
surface in its interstices and having all the metal in intimate electrical connexion.
When the lead wool has not in the first place been mixed with the oxide or other
material, or when it is desired more thoroughly to impregnate the slab therewith,
we paint over the exterior surfaces of the slab with the oxide or other material,
and subject the slab so painted to pressure, which has the effect of squeezing the
material into the interstices of the wool. We place a number of the slabs
prepared as above described in a trough, separating them in the usual way by
porous partitions and subjecting them to the action of exciting liquid such as is
usually employed in secondary batteries. As partitions we employ thin veneers
of fibrous wood, such as mahogany, cut directly or obliquely across the grain, and
we prefer to bend the lower edge of each partition into the form of a lip or flange
projecting under one of the adjacent slabs, this lip preventing short circuiting of
the battery by the direct passage of electricity from one slab to the next. The
upper edges of the partitions may in like manner be bent over the tops of the
adjacent slabs.
For the purpose of regulating the charge of secondary batteries, we arrange
automatically shifting contacts in the following manner. The electrodes of all the
batteries having one sign, say the negative electrodes, are connected to one
electrode of the dynamo machine which is employed for charging the batteries.
The other electrodes of the batteries are connected to separate contact studs which
are arranged in a circle around an axis connected to the other electrode of the
charging nachine. This axis carries an arm which can be moved round so as to
make contact with any one of the contact studs, and so to put any one of the
batteries in electrical connexion with the charging machine. When a battery has
eceived its charge the contact arm is shifted to make contact for the next battery
n order by the action of a ratchet and pawl or other suitable gear worked by the

page_text: core of a solenoid introduced in the circuit to or from the charging machine. This
core, so long as a current passes through the solenoid coil, is held stationary by its
attraction, but when the battery is so far charged that the current passing to it
from the machine is reduced to a certain degree or altogether ceases, then a weight
or spring properly adjusted moves the core and so causes the contact arm to turn
from one contact stud to the next.
Instead of employing a weight or spring, the back stroke of the core can be
effected by the attraction of a second solenoid or an electro-magnet in the circuit
of a local battery, and in order to reduce this battery the coil of the second
solenoid may consist of fine wire with great resistance. We apply a similar 1
automatically shifting contact to determine the discharge of a number of secondary
batteries, so that when one is exhausted or nearly so, the next in order is brought
into circuit with the lamps or other objects to which the electricity is applied.
When it is desired to keep the clectro-motive force of a secondary battery nearly
constant, we employ a similar arrangement, the contact studs in this case being all 1
in connection with the one battery but with successive numbers of its cells, or
having resistances interposed between them, so that, as the battery proceeds
towards exhaustion, the contact arm, by moving from stud to stud, introduces an
increased number of cells, or cuts successive resistances out of the circuit.
Besides the contact studs required for the several batteries or resistances, it is of 2
advantage to provide a stud to which there is no electrical connection, so that,
when the contact arm has moved over its whole range, the circuit is opened.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS,
Fig. 1 is a section of a slab or plate for a battery according to our invention. Lis
the lead plate which is cut so as to have a number of fingers or tongue pieces 12
that can be folded outwards as indicated by-the-dotted-lines-- A-layer-of-the-
leaden wool W prepared as above described is then laid on each side of the plate L.
and the fingers or tongue pieces Z are folded over the wool, the whole being then
subjected to pressure so as to constitute a firm porous slab. The plate L may be
corrugated as shewn in Fig. 2, the tongue pieces Z being straight.
3
Fig. 3 is a diagram shewing one arrangement for the automatic regulation of
electricity from secondary batteries. A number of batteries or groups of batteries
such as the groups marked 1, 2, 3 &c. have their electrodes of one sign such as-
connected to one electrode of the dynamo or other electric machine M that is
employed for charging them. The other or + electrodes of the batteries are 3
connected to separate contact studs C, arranged circularly around an axis A which
is connected to the other electrode of the machine AE and which carries an arm B
that can be turned round so as to make contact with any one of the studs C. In
a by-pass circuit from the machine M wo arrange a solenoid S having its coro
retracted by an adjustable spring, and on the core we mount a counterbalanced 4
pawl P so as to engage with a ratchet wheel on the axis A. When one group of
the batteries is sufficiently charged, the current passing directly to it is, reduced,
and a greater current flows through the solenoid coil S, so that its core is drawn
in and the pawl P turns the ratchet wheel one tooth, so bringing the arm B out
of contact with the one of the studs C and into contact with another of these studs, 4
Another group of the batteries now receives its charge, and the current in the by-
pass of the solenoid S is reduced so that the spring retracts the coro and pawl
which remain ready to act again on the ra'chet wheel when the group becomes
sufficiently charged. Should the current from the machine M entirely cease, in
order to prevent in that case the group of batteries then in contact from discharging 5
through the machines, we provide a contact lever L, which, by means of a pin
on the core of S, when the core is fully retracted by the spring, is pulled aside so
as to break contact in the line from A to M. When the machine again produces a
current, the solenoid S becomes excited, draws 'in its core, and a second pin on the
coro moves back the contact lever L so as to restore the connexion of A to M.
5

page_text: Fig. 4 is a diagrain shewing a similar arrangement for determining the successive
discharge of a number of batteries or groups of batteries 1. 2. 3. &c.
In this case,
the solenoid S is not in a by-pass but in the main circuit of the batteries, and
the spring is arranged to retract the core in the opposite direction when the
current passing through the solenoid coil becomes sufficiently reduced. When this
occurs, the pawl. P turns the ratchet wheel one tooth, and so brings into the circuit
another group of the batteries, and the current in the coil of S being thus
strengthened, the core of S is drawn in against the spring, the pawl slipping a
tooth of the ratchet ready to act again when the current in S becomes again
sufficiently weakened.
Instead of a pawl and ratchet, as shewn in Figs. 3 and 4, a rack and pinion may
be employed as shown in Fig. 5, and instead of a spring acting on the solenoid
core, a second solenoid T may be used, excited by the current of a local battery.
For the purpose of keeping nearly constant the electro-motive force of a
secondary battery, we employ mechanism like that described with reference to
Figs. 3, 4 and 5 for automatically moving an arın B over successive contact
studs C, but instead of connecting these studs separately to batteries or groups of
batteries, we connect them all to one battery or group of batteries, interposing
between the successive studs C separate cells or portions of the battery, as
indicated at fig. 6. Thus the arm B, as it moves from one of the studs C to the
next in order, brings into the circuit an additional cell or portion Q of the battery.
Or according to another method, as indicated by Fig. 7, we interpose between the
successive contact studs C resistances R, which are successively cut out of circuit
as the arm moves from stud to stud. This arrangement may be modified as shewn
in Fig. 8 by substituting, for the successive contact studs and the interposed
resistances, a continuous resistance coil R over which the arm B moves, cutting
out of circuit inore and more of the resistance as it advances in in the direction of
the arrow.
Having thus described the nature of our invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, we claim :—
First. The herein described method of preparing leaden wool for use in secondary
voltaic batteries by coating with oxide or amalgamating the surfaces of sheets of
lead, piling these together and shearing them into filainents.
Second. Constructing a plate or slab for a secondary voltaic battery by cutting
a sheet of lead so as to present projecting fingers or tongue pieces, placing on
each side of the sheet a layer of suitably prepared leaden wool, bending the fingers
or tongue pieces over the wool and compressing the whole, substantially as described
with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.
Third. Making the porous partitions for cells of voltaic batteries of thin vencers
of wood cut directly or obliquely across the grain with their edges bent under
adjacent plates of the battery, substantially as and for the purpose herein
set forth.
Fourth. For effecting automatic shift of contacts for charging successive cells or
groups of secondary voltaic batteries, the use of apparatus arranged substantially
as herein described with reference to Fig. 3.
Fifth. For effecting automatic shift of contacts for discharging successive cells
or groups of secondary voltaic batteries, the use of apparatus arranged substantially
as herein described with reference to Fig. 4 and to Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8.
In Witness whereof I the said Henry Francis Joel have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Thirtieth day of April in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three