Improvements in Registering Mechanism for Electricity Meters.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 17th June, 1899-Accepted, 19th Aug., 1899
H
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Registering Mechanism for Electricity Meters.
I, EMANUEL BERGMANN, of Neue Jacobstrasse 6, Berlin, S.W., in the Empire
of Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement;-
4
In electricity meters wherein the difference of rapidity between two clock, or
wheel works serves for measuring the electricity used, the summing up of the
differences of movement, by the counter has hitherto been done either continu-
ously, as for instance, where dial plates or hands are turned and overhaul one
another, or progressively, by means of differential (planet) driving gear, or
again, periodically, so that after equal lengths of run of the one clockwork the
difference between the clocks that has occurred during this period whether large
'or small, or with equal speed, equal to -0, is transferred to the counter.
The present invention avoids the disadvantages accompanying the above men-
tioned methods, because according to this invention the counter is not set to work
constantly, nor after certain equal intervals, but only when a certain quantity of
energy for instance 1 hectowatt hour has been consumed and it thus shows only
the complete units of consumption.
The function of the clockwork and the transfer gear is thus reduced to a small
scale as when in work it only needs to act in longer spaces of time and when
there is no consumption at all, it does not need to work at all and so power is
saved. It permits also of the principle of a simple and effective electrical or
mechanical transfer to the counter and the exact registration from unit to unit
is a desirable and safe means of record.
In the annexed drawings Figs. 1 and 2 are diagrammatic views showing an
example of a meter as described with electro magnetic operating mechanism for
the counter and Figs. 4 and 5 are views of such meter with mechanical operation
of the counter; Fig. 3 is a detail view of the electromagnetic arrangement.
1 and 11 (Figs. and 2) represent two clock works driven by means of elec-
tricity and running at different speeds. The first of these transfers its motion
by means of the wheel 1, the second by means of wheel 2 to the toothed
wheels 4, 3, respectively..
If the clock 11 be accelerated by the current and 1 retarded the wheel 3 on its
sleeve 8 will rotate quicker round the interior axle 7 than wheel 4 which is tight
on the axle. 7 and driven by clockwork 1. Connected with the wheel 3 is an
arm, 10 insulating layer being inserted between; this arm 10 carries a contact
lever. 11: The contact arm 11 slides on an cam 13 also tight on the axle 7 and
beside it, is also moved an insulated contact piece 14. When current is used
the contact lever 11. rotates round the axle 7 consequently quicken than the
cam 13 and travels so much the further in advance as the run of clock works 11
exceeds 1 and tlie wheel 2.outdistances wheel 1. The direction of the movement
is marked by arrows. The current is led to the contact lever 11 by the ring
contact 19 and the sliding spring contact 18, the contact piece 14, the ring con-

page_text: tact 16, and the sliding spring contact 17. As soon as the contact lever 11
pushed by the spring 12 against the cam 13 has reached the highest point, it
drops down upon the contact plate 14, and closes the shunt circuit. By energiz-
ing the electro magnet 20 it revolves the armature 21 of the magnet which
advances the counter 24 by pushing the ratchet wheel 23 forward by the dog 22.
Soon thereafter the lever 11 drops down from the contact plate 14, the shunt
circuit is interrupted and lever 11 falls to the lowest point of the cam 13 in order
to repeat the same action each time when the clock work II outdistances clock
work I, by the amount equivalent to one turn of wheel 3.
If this excess of movement is equivalent for instance to 1 Hecto-Watt hour,
the counter 24, each time it is advanced will mark such an amount.
In an analogous manner by oftener repeated movement the registering
of smaller units could be obtained, for instance of half Hecto-Watt hours, by
using under the same circumstances a cam disk with two return drops closing
the circuit twice during one excess turn of wheel: 3. Should clock 1 outdistance
clock 11 that is to say in reversed circumstances for instance when there is no
current consumption and also irregularity in one or other clock work, so that a
part of previous outdistancing of 1 by 11 be lost (that is, until in the backward
movement of lever 11 on cam 14 the lever 11 pushes against the drop face of
cam 14, there would be a loss which it is essential to prevent. For this purpose
a ratchet wheel 5 is connected with the wheel 3, against whose teeth the pawl 6
pivoted to 4 would act, should the clock I and thereby the wheel 4 rotate quicker
than clock II and wheel 3; thus the position attained by the arm 11 on the
cam 13 equivalent to the fractional consumption of an unit, remains unaltered
and the clock 11 would stop in this case by the arresting action of pawl 6 on
wheel 5 till clock 1 and wheel 3 is again a little ahead.
Instead of the separate ratchet wheel for preventing the reversed action of the
differential mechanism, there may be, as shown in Fig. 3, a ratchet toothing
directly on the circumference of the cam 13, so that the contact lever 11 by
backward movement would act as a pawl and engage the teeth on cam 13.
The
In accordance with the same principles as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, mechanical
devices can be used for advancing the counter by amounts equivalent to consump-
tion units. The clock work 11 transfers its motion by the wheel 2 to a wheel 3
which carries an oblique cam 25 and is tight on the axle 7. But the movement
of the clock 1 is transferred by means of wheel 1 to the wheel 4, fastened on a
sleeve 26 rotating loosely round axle 7 and movable longitudinally. The sleeve 26
carries a ring shaped throat 27, wherein engages a fork 30 on one arm 29 of a
double lever pivoted at 28, which carries on its other arm 32 a dog 33.
sleeve 26 carries also a shoulder with a roller 35 which rolls down the oblique face
of cam 25 by the quicker rotation of wheel 3 with regard to wheel 4, thus giving
longitudinal displacement to sleeve 26. The lever 29, 32 held down by the
spring 31 is turned a little round 28 so that each time when the clock work II
has outdistanced clock work 1 that is the wheel 3 has outdistanced the wheel 4
for one turn there is a corresponding movement of sleeve 26 and an advance of
the ratchet wheel 33 by the dog 33 for one tooth's length which is thus announced
on the counter.
According to the number of elevations and drops on the cam 25 several advances
of the counter could be effected during one outdistancing period.
It may be mentioned that in this construction the advance of the counter is
always in the same sense no matter whether the clock 1 or the clock 11 runs
faster, if no counter, catch is arranged as before mentioned.
Instead of a gradual movement of the lever 29, 32 it may also be arranged
to act suddenly by a trip mechanism set free at the moment of completion of
the stroke of the sleeve 26 or other means can be used to give a sudden movement
to the counter. This electro magnetic or mechanical advance of the counter
represented in the drawings can be made in varying forms without departing
from the herebefore described principle, so long as the counter is operated only

page_text: after a certain gain of the one over the other clock work equivalent, for instance
to a unit of consumption.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1
1. Device for counting the difference in the run of two clock or wheel works
serving in electricity meters as a measurement of the quantity of current used;
said device being so made that by suitable parts of both clockworks running in
the same direction and sliding one upon the other, each time the one clock has
outdistanced the other by a certain amount, for instance equivalent to a unit of
consumption, the closing of an electrical current circuit, or the action
of mechanical means, causes the advance of a counter by one unit.
2. A form of construction of the device described in Claim 1 wherein negative
action of the current closing or counter operating parts of the two clock works
one against the other rotating in the same direction and the thus arising partial
annihilation of the already effected difference in the run of the two clocks is
prevented by an arresting device which allows one clock work to over-run the
other but prevents the latter clockwork over-running the former.
T
1000
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London