A NEW OR IMPROVED ELECTRIC METER OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND REGISTERING THE QUANTITY
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Vernon Boys, of Wing, near Oakham, in the
County of Rutland, for an Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED ELECTRIC
METER OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND REGISTERING THE QUANTITY
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Vernon Boys at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th October 1881.
CHARLES VERNON BOYS, of Wing, near Oakham, in the County of Rutland.
A NEW OR IMPROVED ELECTRIC METER OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND
REGISTERING THE QUANTITY OF ELECTRICITY PASSED THROUGH A CONDUCTOR."
My Invention relates to means of measuring and registering the quantity of
electricity passed through a conductor, as, for example, the quantity transmitted
from a battery or other source of electricity to electric lights or to machines worked
by electricity. For this purpose I provide clock work with an escapement governed
by a pendulum or balance, the oscillations of which are determined by the force of
an electro-magnet or solenoid having its coil in the electrical circuit, so that
according as a less or greater quantity of electricity passes through the circuit the
A counter
amount of movement permitted to the clock work is less or greater.
connected to the clockwork shews by suitable indices the quantity of electricity
that passes in a given time. In order to secure accuracy of indication the escape-
ment should be of the dead beat kind, incapable of giving such impulse to the
pendulum or balance as would cause it to oscillate. The clock work may be driven
by a weight or spring wound up from time to time by hand. I prefer however to
render it self acting by combining with it a remontoir apparatus, which, when
required, is acted on by an electromagnet in the circuit, straining a spring or
raising a weight that keeps the clockwork going.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Lotters Patent filed
by the said Charles Vernon Boys in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th April 1882.
CHARLES VERNON BOYS, of Wing. near Oakham, in the County of Rutland.
"A NEW OR IMPROVED ELECTRIC METER OR APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND
REGISTERING THE QUANTITY OF ELECTRICITY PASSED THROUGH A CONDUCTOR."
My Invention relates to means of measuring and registering the quantity of
electricity passed through a conductor, as, for example, the quantity transinitted
from a battery or other source of electricity to electric lights or to machines
worked by electricity. For this purpose I provide clockwork with an escapement
governed by a pendulum or balance, the oscillations of which are determined by
the force of an electro-magnet or solenoid having its coil in the electrical circuit, so
that according as a less or greater quantity of electricity passes through the
circuit the amount of movement permitted to the clockwork is less or greater.
A counter connected to the clockwork shews by suitable indices the quantity of
electricity that passes in a given time. In order to ensure accuracy of indication
the escapement should be of dead beat kind, incapable of giving such impulse to
the pendulum or balance as would cause it to oscillate. The clockwork may be
driven by a weight or spring wound up from time to time by hand. I prefer
however to render it selfacting by combining with it remontoir apparatus, which,
when required, is acted on by an electromagnet in the circuit, straining a spring or
raising a weight or giving impulse that keeps the clockwork going.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a front view; Fig. 2 is a side view;
Fig. 3, a plan looking from above; and Fig. 4, a plan looking from below of one
form of electric meter according to my Invention. On a base A I fix two
limbs B, B, of an electro-magnet, having its coil in the circuit, the electricity in
which is to be measured. These limbs terminate in polar extension pieces b, b,
which may have their faces curved, and between which an oscillating armature C
is mounted on a vertical axis c. The lower part of the axis c constitutes the
cylinder of an escapement engaging with an escapement wheel D which is con-
nected by suitable gearing d to an arbor E driven by clockwork. The clockwork
may be worked by a weight or spring wound up from time to time by hand.
prefer, however, as stated above, to wind it up by remontoir apparatus worked
by the electricity itself, as I will now describe. On a fixed axis f projecting
from the base A are mounted free to revolve the following parts:-First, a toothed
wheel F, which gears with a pinion e on the arbor E, and which has a groove in
its circumference to receive a driving band; secondly, a barrel G containing a
volute spring, this spring having one of its ends attached to the interior of
the barrel, and the other to the pin f; thirdly, a ratchet wheel H grooved like F
to receive the same driving band which passes over guide pullies g, g, mounted
on spring brackets projecting from the barrel G; and, fourthly, an armature K
which can oscillate between the poles M, M, of an electromagnet fixed to the base A ;
this armature is drawn by a spring against a stop pin, and it carries a
spring pawl h engaging the teeth of the ratchet wheel H, with which also
engages a pawl h¹ to prevent the wheel from turning backwards. The coils of the
electromagnet M, M, are in a by-pass circuit m, m, branching off from the main
circuit L, L, at the connecting posts N, N¹. These posts are usually connected by
a spring bearing against a contact screw n', and in that case the main current
passes direct from L through N to N', and by the wires l, I, through the coils of
the electromagnet B, B, to L', the magnet M, M, being then excited too feebly to

page_text: effect displacement of the armature K. When however the spring barrel G turns
to such a position that a stud g¹ projecting from it presses the spring n away from
the screw n², then the direct connection between N and N' being thus broken, the
current must pass through the coils of the magnet M, M. The armature K is then
attracted in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4, and by its pawl h it turns the ratchet
wheel H partly round. A small portion of this movement is communicated by
the band to the wheel F, but the principal portion tends, by means of the
pullies g, g, to turn the spring barrel G, winding up the spring enclosed in it and at
the same time releasing the spring n, which thereupon makes contact again with n',
short circuiting the current. The magnet M, M, being thus rendered comparatively
inert, the arinature K is drawn back by its spring k ready to act again, as
described. The partial winding up of the spring in the barrel G thus effected is
sufficient to maintain for a time the movement of the escapement wheel D which
is thus by the intermittent winding action of the arinature K kept in motion
while an electrical current passes along the conductor L, L'. The velocity of the
motion of D manifestly depends on the rate at which the armature C is made to
oscillate, and this rate is determined by the attraction of the magnet B, B, that is
to say, by the electric force passing through its coils. If therefore a counter of
any known kind be connected by gearing to the arbor E, the indication given by
this counter after a certain time of action being proportional to the number of
oscillations of the armature C, will be a measure of the electricity that has passed
during that time along the conductor L, L. The period of oscillation of the
armature C subject to a given electrical current may be varied by loading it more
or less by weights W on arms projecting from it, as shewn in Fig. 3.
Instead of employing remontoir apparatus such as I have described for the
purpose of winding up the clock work at intervals more or less prolonged, I modify
the apparatus in such a manner that at every complete oscillation of the electric
balance a slight impulse is given to it so as to overcome the effects of friction and
other resistances; Fig. 5 is a side view; Fig. 6 a plan on X, X; Fig. 7 a plan on Y, Y;
Fig. 8 a plan on Z, Z; and Fig. 9 is a plan of the counter which indicates the
number of oscillations. An axis A has two arms a, a, carrying segmental pieces of
iron B, B, that can move freely through coils C, C, of insulated wire and through
sımaller coils D, D, at the sides of these. On the axis A is a projecting stud E,
which as the axis turns in the direction of the arrow meets a light spring F and
bends it, so as to make momentary contact with a pin G, the stud E then escaping the
spring F. There is also on the axis A a spring pawl H which engages with the
tecth of a ratchet wheel I, so as to turn it partly round at each reciprocation of
the axis, another pawl J preventing the wheel from turning backwards. The axis
of the wheel I is connected by suitable gearing to the indices of a counter K. The
conductors L, L', of the circuit are always in connection with the two larger
coils C, C, and one of them L connects by a branch to one end of the wire of the
smaller coils D, D, the other L' being connected to the spring F, whilst the other
end of the small coil wire is connected to the contact G. A current of electricity
exciting the coils C, C, the seguents B, B, are in the condition of the balance of a
watch oscillating to and fro within the coils with a velocity greater or less
according as more or less electricity passes through the coils. If there were no
friction or other resistance, the segments B, B, if once caused to oscillate would go
on oscillating, but as the friction and resistance would in time stop them, the
smaller coils D, D, give the segments an impulse in every oscillation and thus
maintain their motion. For this purpose the stud E on the axis A is so arranged
that when the segments B, B, are about the middle of their stroke in one direction,
the spring F is caused to make contact with G, so that a portion of the electrical
current passes for a moment through the smaller coils D, D, and this gives the
segments an impulse in the direction in which they are moving. There might be
other small coils such as D, D, on the other sides of the larger coils C, C, and
another contact pin, such as G, on the other side of the spring F, so that the
segments B, B, might receive an impulse in each direction of their motion. The

page_text: arms a, a, carry adjustable weights M by which the period of oscillation may be
regulated.
Instead of bringing the coils D, D, into circuit so as to give an impulse at every
oscillation of the balance, they may be kept generally excluded from the circuit
and brought into it only when the movement of the balance becomes so far
reduced as to demand a fresh impulse. This may be effected by an arrangement
such as is shewn to an enlarged scale at Fig. 10. In this Figure A is part of the
axis of the balance from which projects a stud K, having on its upper face an
inclined hollow. N, N', are two contact springs connected respectively to the
main circuit and the coils D, D. To the lower spring N is pivotted freely a
hanging finger n, under which at every sufficiently extensive oscillation of the
axis A, the stud K passes freely without bringing the spring N in contact with N'.
If however the oscillating excursion of K should become so far reduced that the
finger does not in the one stroke escape from the hollow of K, then by the
return stroke the spring N will be lifted so as to make contact with N¹, and so
send a current through the subsidiary coils D, D, whereby an impulse will be
given to the balance. Should the instrument be arranged so that the axis A lies
horizontally the stud K and hanging finger n are arranged as shewn in Fig. 11.
Instead of employing subsidiary coils, such as D, D, for giving an impulse, a
separate electromagnet may be employed, as shewn to an enlarged scale at Fig. 12.
In this case an armature Q is fixed or the axis A, and the electromagnet P is so
placed that when the stud K effects contact of the springs N, N¹, exciting the
magnet P it attracts the armature Q, and so gives the required impulse to the
balance. Instead of employing solenoid coils, such as C acting on cores B, as
described with reference to Figs. 5 to 8, the oscillations of the axis A may be
subjected to the action of electromagnets, as shewn in Fig. 13. A spring S passed
through a slit of the axis A is attached to the armatures R, R, of two electro-
magnets, which by attracting their armatures tend to straighten the spring S.
Instead of employing electromagnets and armatures, solenoids and their cores may
be arranged to act on a spring S in a similar way. Although I have shewn in
Fig. 7 the counter as being worked by a ratchet and pawl, any other known
method of producing continuous rotary motion from an oscillating axis may be
employed; for example, the axis X may work the lever or anchor of an escape-
ment, having its pallets engaged with the teeth of an escapement wheel on the
arbor of the counter. In order to ensure the starting of the instrument it may
have its axis A subject to a weight or spring, which draws it out of its middle
position when it is at rest; or the axis may have a catch, which when the electrical
current ceases holds it out of its middle position, this catch being released by an
electromagnet in the circuit when the current comes on.
As it is desirable that the instrument should be capable of measuring currents
of very varying strengths, its circuit may be provided with one or more branches
for by-pass, into which when the current exceeds a certain strength more or less
of it can be shunted by an automatic key worked by an electromagnet or solenoid,
the movement of this key at the same time altering the gear of the counter, so
that instead of measuring the whole current it measures a known fraction thereof.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim,―
First. The herein described method of measuring and registering the quantity of
electricity passed through a conductor by counting the oscillations of an armature,
operating as a pendulum or balance governed by the attraction of an electromagnet
having its coils in the circuit of the conductor.
Second. The construction of electric meter wherein the oscillating armature of
an electromagnet is arranged to operate by an escapement on clockwork geared to
the indices of a counter, substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1,
2, 3, and 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
Third. The combination of an electric meter of the kind referred to in the

page_text: preceding claim with remontoir apparatus worked by an electromagnet in a
by-pass to the main circuit, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Fourth. The construction of electric meter wherein a balance oscillating under
the influence of electro-magnetic force produced by a current of electricity serves
by its rate of oscillation to measure the current, substantially as herein described.
Fifth. The construction of electric meter wherein magnetic segments oscillato,
and are maintained in oscillation through coils in the circuit of a conductor, and
the number of oscillations is indicated by a counter worked from the axis of the
oscillating segments, substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 5, 6,
7, 8, and 9 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Vernon Boys, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
C. V. DOTS. (LD.)
DUID