IMPROVEMENTS IN DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake of the firm of Haseltine Lake
& C° Patent Agents Southampton Buildings London for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES" Communicated to him
from abroad by Charles E. Ball of Philadelphia Pennsylvania United States
of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th January 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & C° Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London "IMPROVEMENTS IN DYNAMO-ELECTRIC
MACHINES" [A communication to him from abroad by Charles E. Ball of
Philadelphia Pennsylvania United States of America]
This invention has relation to dynamo-electric machines and has for its object
to increase the capacity or productiveness of generators of electricity, at the same
time decreasing their relative size, weight, and cost, and the power required to
run them.
Heretofore, dynamo-electric machines have been so constructed that the armature
revolved in the field, or within the inductive influence, of two or more poles of a
magnet or magnets. The theory or principle of this construction is that the
armature becomes magnetized inductively in passing each pole, and deinagnetized
in leaving the same, the poles as they succeed one another, being unlike, causing
the propagetion of currents of unlike polarity or direction in the armature. The
idea of this construction has been that the greater the speed with which the
magnetization and demagnetization and the change of direction of the current
could be effected, the greater or more intense would be the current developed.
The communicator of this invention has discovered, that by employing only one
pole of the field magnet, or, what amounts to the same thing, arranging the armature
to rotate within the inductive influence of only one pole of the field magnet,
vastly improved results can be obtained, that is, that greater quantity and increased
intensity of current are secured, while at the same time the armature will require

page_text: very much less power to effect its rotation than would be necessary if rotated in
the field of two or more poles.
Hence this invention consists partly in the arrangement, in a dynamo-electric
machine, of an armature rotating in the field of only one pole of a magnet.
The said communicator has further discovered that by constructing a dynamo-
electric machine with two armatures each of which revolves within the inductive
influence of only one pole of a magnet, and connecting the magnet and armature
helices in one circuit the quantity and intensity of current generated will be vastly
increased.
. The said invention therefore, further consists partly in the combination, in a
dynamo-electric machine, of two or more armatures, each arranged to rotate in the
inductive field of only one pole of an electro-magnet both of said armatures and
the magnet being in the same circuit
In carrying the said invention into practice I provide a frame consisting of an
iron base with two uprights or end pieces of the same material securely bolted to
said base. There are two parallel bars of soft iron sustained by their ends in the
uprights. These bars constitute the cores of the electro-magnets composing the
field. Each of these bars is wound with wire to form helices. To the inside of
each bar is fastened an iron pole-piece; two shafts are arranged in the same line
but independent of each other, each having a pulley whereby said shafts, and the
armatures which they carry, can be rotated in opposite directions, i.c one shaft in
one direction and the other shaft in the contrary direction.
I provide armatures of any ordinary or suitable construction carried on the
shafts and located within the inductive influence of the poles, i.c one armature is
in the field of one pole and the other armature in the field of another pole. I also
provide suitable commutators. The connections established in one manner with
unlike poles make the derived currents all of the same direction in the external
circuit. By altering the connections the poles may be rendered alike and the
currents still preserved of like direction. Hence my invention is not limited to
an arrangement involving unlike poles. But when the poles are alike the armatures
should revolve in the same direction, in which case they may be mounted on one
shaft or on independent shafts.
By locating the armatures, however, on independent shafts and connecting the
As
same with the field, the armatures mutually assist the rotation of each other.
soon as the power-driven shaft acquires speed and generates a current, such current,
passing into the field, magnetizes the pole-piece of the armature on the other shaft,
and by induction produces a rapid rotation of such other armature and shaft.
When power is applied to both shafts the armatures mutually assist each other in
like manner, the result being that the machine may be driven by relatively very
much less power than is required for any other known dynamo-electric machine
capable of generating the same amount of electricity.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor filed by the said William Robert Lako
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th December 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firin of Haseltine, Lake, and Co Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN DYNAMO-ELECTRIC
MACHINES." A communication to me from abroad by Charles E. Ball, of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This invention relates to improvements in dynamo-electric machines, and has
for its object to increase the capacity or productiveness of machines for generating
electricity, and at the same time to decrease their relative size, weight, and cost,
and the power required to drive them.
Heretofore dynamo-electric machines have been so constructed that the armature
revolved in the field or within the inductive influence of two or more poles of a
magnet or magnets. The theory or principle of this construction is that the
armature becomes magnetized inductively in passing each pole and demagnetized
in leaving the same, the poles, as they succeed one another, being unlike, causing
the generation of currents of unlike polarity or direction in the armature. The
idea of this construction has been that the greater the speed with which the
magnetization and demagnetization and the change of direction of the current
could be effected, the greater or more intense would be the current developed.
The said Charles E. Ball has discovered, however, that by employing only one pole of
a field-magnet, or, what amounts to the same thing, arranging the armature to
rotate within the inductive influence of only one pole of the field-magnet, vastly
improved results can be obtained, that is to say greater quantity and increased
intensity of current are secured, while at the same time the armature will require
very much less power to rotate it than would be necessary if it were rotated in the
field of two or more poles.
This invention is based upon the said discovery and comprises the arrangement,
in a dynamo-electric machine, of an armature rotating in the field of ouly one pole
of a magnet.
The said Charles E. Ball has also discovered that by constructing a dynamo-
electric machine with two armatures, each of which revolves within the inductive
influence of only one pole of a magnet, and connecting the magnet and armature
coils in one circuit, the quantity and intensity of the current generated will be
vastly increased.
This invention therefore further comprises the combination, in a dynamo-electric
machine, of two or more armatures, each arranged to rotate in the inductive field
of only one pole of an electro-magnet, both of the said armatures and the magnet
being in the same circuit
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is an elevation in perspective of a dynamo-electric machine embodying
this invention and
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
In carrying this invention into practice I provide an iron base A¹ having
two uprights or end pieces B. B, of the same material, securely bolted to the
said base.
Two parallel bars of soft iron C. C' are sustained by their ends in the uprights
B. B. These bars C. C' constitute the cores of the electro-magnets composing the
magnetic field. Each of these bars is wound with wire to form coils c cc,
Figure 2. To the inside of each bar is fastened an iron pole-piece C². C¹³.

page_text: Two shafts D. D' are placed in the same line, but independently of each other,
being provided with pulleys d d respectively whereby the said shafts, and the
armatures which they carry, can be rotated in opposite directions, that is to say
the shaft D in one direction, and the shaft D' in the contrary direction.
Two armatures D. D³ of any ordinary or suitable construction are carried on
the shafts D. D' and located within the inductive influence of the poles C2 C3, the
armature D being in the field of the pole C² and the armature D' in the field of
the pole C³.
Commutators F. F have brushes G G' in contact with them for taking the
currents off the commutator. The circuits are shown by lines, and arrows indicate
the direction of the currents
Leaving commutator F, as shown by the arrow 1, the current passes through the
coil c to coil c', thence across to coil c², and around (by an external circuit) to
coil, then it passes to coils ce, from the latter it passes to commutator F'
and armature D³ and thence by brushes and commutators through armature D'
to the starting point. It will thus be seen that the path of the current starting
from the armature D2, is first through the two coils between which the pole-piece
opposing the said armature is situated, then it passes to the coil on the opposite
side and adjacent end of the machine, thence by an external circuit (in which the
lamp or other appliance to which the current is or may be applied may be located)
to the coil on the opposite side and other end of the machine, then to the two
coils on the opposite side and same end of the machine, thence to the armature D³,
and from the latter, by the way of the commutators and brushes, to the armature Dº,
completing the circuit. So connected, the field may be said to consist of but a
single magnet, of which the unlike poles are the pieces C. C³. These poles, as
stated, are unlike, and the armatures are rotated in opposite directions; but the
connections established make the derived currents all of the same direction in the
external circuit. By altering the connections the poles may be rendered alike and
the currents still preserved of like direction. Hence this invention is not limited
to an arrangement involving unlike poles; but when the poles are alike the
armatures should revolve in the same direction, in which case they may be
mounted on one shaft, or on independent shafts.
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
Foreign correspondent and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim in a dynamo-electric machine
First. A single electro-magnet and an armature located, and adapted to rotate
within, the inductive field of only one of the poles of such magnet, substantially
as set forth.
Second. The combination of two armatures and an electro magnet or magnets,
each of the said armatures being arranged, and adapted to rotate, in the inductive
field of only a single pole of such magnet or magnets, substantially as set forth.
Third. The combination of two armatures and two poles of an electro magnet
or magnets, each of the said armatures rotating in the inductive field of only
a single pole, and the said armatures and magnet or magnets being in the saine
circuit, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. The combination of two armatures on independent shafts, whereby
they may be rotated in opposite directions, and an electro magnet or magnets in
circuit therewith, each of the said armatures being located, and adapted to be
rotated, within the inductive field of only one magnetic pole, substantially as
set forth.
Fifth. The combination of two armatures and an electro magnet or magnets
having pole-pieces on opposite sides of the machine, the said armatures and
magnet or magnets being relatively arranged substantially as described, whereby
cach of the said armatures is located, and adapted to be rotated, within the inductive
field of only one magnetic pole, substantially as set forth.
Sixth. The combination of two armatures and an electro magnet or magnets
having pole-pieces on opposite sides, each of the said armatures being located, and

page_text: adapted to rotate, in the inductive field of only one pole of a magnet, the said
armatures and electro-magnets being connected so that the circuit is direct from
one armature to the other and through all the coils of the magnets successively,
substantially as shown and described.
Seventh. The combination of two armatures on independent shafts and an
electro magnet or magnets having pole-pieces on opposite sides of the said
armatures, the latter being located, and adapted to rotate each within the
inductive field of only one magnetic pole, the said armatures and magnet or
magnets being in the same circuit, substantially as set forth.
In Witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Twentieth day of December in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.