PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS CURRENT OF ELECTRICITY BY MEANS OF A ROTATING MAGNET OR MAGNETS IN COMBINATION WITH OR WITHOUT AN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE TENSION OF THE CURRENT
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Walter John Kilner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th August 1875.
I, WALTER JOHN KILNER, of 104, Ladbroke Grove Road, Parish of
Kensington, County of Middlesex, Batchelor of Medicine, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS
CURRENT OF ELECTRICITY BY MEANS OF A ROTATING MAGNET OR MAGNETS IN
COMBINATION WITH OR WITHOUT AN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE TENSION OF
THE CURRENT," to be as follows:
The object of my said Invention is to obtain a continuous current of
electricity by means of a rotating magnet or magnets placed either on
the inside or on the outside, or partly within and partly without a soft
iron ring with coils of insulated copper wire placed round it. By this
arrangement a much smaller amount of motor force is required to
generate an electrical current than is usual. I also regulate the tension
of the current so that one apparatus may be applicable for several
purposes as herein-after specified.
In carrying out my said Invention in practice, I fix the said ring of
soft iron and the said coils upon a stand, either in a vertical or in a

page_text: horizontal position. The said coils of wire are terminated in metal
knobs or brushes. I place in a parallel plane, and I fix to, but insulate
from the axis or spindle which supports the aforesaid rotating magnet
or magnets a disc formed of an outer and an inner ring of sheet copper,
and I divide each of the said rings into segments corresponding to
double the number of the rotating magnets used. Each of the said
segments I call a "collector;" I make the radial spaces to correspond to
the magnetic axes of the aforesaid rotating magnet or magnets.
I
The aforesaid collectors I unite into two series; thus, suppose I use
only one rotating magnet, then the said collectors are four semicircles,
and I join one external collector with the opposite internal collector by
means of a copper wire, and similarly I join the other external collector'
with the other internal collector; but should there be more than four
collectors, then I join one external collector to the internal collector of
the next pair, then again to the external collector of the succeeding pair,
and so on, until I have joined one-half the collectors together. The
other half of the collectors I join in a similar manner. In this way
join all the collectors into two series, and by means of an insulated
copper wire I connect each series to a copper band round the axis or
spindle of my apparatus. These said bands are insulated from the said
axis or spindle, and also each said band is touched by a contact spring
or metal brush, which in its turn is connected to the binding screw by
means of a strip of metal. I place these said collectors in contact with
the aforesaid metal knobs or brushes which terminate the aforesaid coils
of insulated wire in such a manner that the external collectors shall
touch the said metal knobs or brushes which terminate one end of the
aforesaid coils of wire, while the internal collectors touch the metal knobs
or brushes which terminate the other ends of the coils of wire. Each of
the coils of wire must be wound round the aforesaid ring of soft iron in
the same direction.
By the arrangement of joining the aforesaid collectors already
described each of the ends of the aforesaid coils of wire is in electric
connection first with one of the aforesaid binding screws, and then with
the other. Should however I use an electro-magnet or electro-magnets
for the aforesaid rotating magnet or magnets, then instead of joining the
wire to the aforesaid band of copper round the axis or spindle above.
mentioned as described, I first twist in the usual manner the wire round
the soft iron core or cores forming part of thic said, electro-magnet or

page_text: electro-magnets, and afterwards fasten it to the aforesaid copper band
round the said axis or spindle of the apparatus.
When I turn the axis or spindle of my apparatus to which I have
fixed the aforesaid rotating magnet or magnets, and also the aforesaid
collectors and the aforesaid copper bands, a continuous current of
clectricity is generated when the aforesaid binding screws are connected
together, and the current always travels in the same direction.
The explanation of the action of my apparatus is as follows:- -When
the north pole of the rotating magnet (for simplicity I suppose only one
rotating magnet to be used) approaches a point in the soft iron ring
which has the coils of insulated wire placed round it, this point becomes
magnetized, but of an opposite kind, namely, becomes a south pole.
The intensity of this pole becomes greater the nearer the rotating
magnet approaches, so a current of electricity is formed by induction
in the coil placed round this point of the soft iron ring; but when the
rotating magnet has passed this point and is receeding, then this said'
point gradually loses its magnetism, and by the approach of the south
pole of the rotating magnet this point becomes magnetized of an opposite'
kind, namely, becomes a north pole. This loss and change of kind of
magnetism causes the current generated by induction to change its
direction; but from the above-mentioned arrangement of the collectors
the current is transmitted to the binding screws in the same direction..
Each part of the soft iron ring is acted upon by the rotating magnet in
its turn; thus, every coil is of use. If I use more than one rotating
magnet then the action is similar.
To regulate the tension of the electric current, instead of making the
aforesaid coils of wire which are placed round the aforesaid ring of soft
iron of a single insulated wire, as described, I make them of several
wires. In the following description I suppose sixteen wires to be used,
but in practice I do not limit myself to that number. The ends of the
said sixteen wires I join together so as to form one wire, and I attach.
the two free ends to the aforesaid metal knobs or brushes; besides this
I add to my apparatus two circles of any badly conducting substance of
electricity, such as wood or ebonite; one of the said circles I fit over
the other. Upon the said inner cirle I place teeth projecting upwards,
and on the outer circle I place teeth projecting downwards. The number
of the said teeth on each of the said circles are the same, and correspond
-

page_text: to the number of the aforesaid coils of wire used. The size of the said
teeth is such as to allow the upper said circle to rotate to a limited'
extent upon the inner circle; it is immaterial whether the said circles
surround the aforesaid soft iron ring and coils, or are placed by the side
of them. On each of the teeth of the said inner circle I place fourteen
studs, and on the grooved part I place eight studs. These studs are
made of metal.
I will now only describe the arrangement of the wires of one of the
said coils with the said studs which belong to them. To each of the
eight studs I fasten a wire, which I connect with one of the aforesaid
eight junctions of the said sixteen wires on the side where there are
eight junctions. The aforesaid fourteen studs I connect by wires with
the remaining seven junctions of the said sixteen wires in following
manner: The center junction of the said seven junction I connect
with the two outer of the said fourteen studs, and I take the middle
junction on each side of the said center junction, and I connect them
with the four studs next to the said outer studs, being two studs on the
one hand and two studs on the other. The remaining four junctions I
connect with the remaining eight of the said fourteen studs.
In the above arrangement the said right-hand studs must be joined to
the left-hand wires of the said junctions; and the said left-hand studs
must be joined to the right-hand wires of the said junctions.
Besides the above arrangement I fix to the aforesaid inner circle
"contact springs." There is one contact spring on one side, say the
right, and two contact springs on the other side. I fasten the one said
contact spring on the right side to the aforesaid metal‍ knob or brush,
which terminates one end of the aforesaid coil of wire. On the left side
I connect one of the said contact springs, which I place on the same
transverse line as the said contact spring on the right side with the
aforesaid metal knob or brush which terminates the other end of the
said coil of wire. This said contact spring I call the "posterior contact
spring." The remaining or "anterior contact spring" I place in
advance or nearer the tooth of the inner circle than the said posterior
contact spring, and I connect it with the first mentioned of the aforesaid
metal knobs or brushes. By the side of the said anterior contact spring
I place a stud which I join to the wire which is joined to the second men-
tioned of the aforesaid metal knobs or brushes. Upon the aforesaid outer

page_text: circle and on the inwardly projecting tooth I place a plate of copper, so
that when I move the said tooth over the aforesaid row of eight studs it
electrically connects them all. The said copper plate at the same time
is made to touch the aforesaid posterior contact spring, thus electrically
connecting the said eight studs with one of the aforesaid metal knobs
or brushes.
Upon the aforesaid outer circle and on the inner surface, but not
upon the aforesaid inwardly projecting tooth I place the two copper
plates, which are separated from each other in the middle, and are
shaped in such a manner that they may each touch one outer stud only
of the aforesaid fourteen studs, or they may each touch three studs, or
they may each touch seven studs. The said right-hand copper plate is
always in contact with the aforesaid right-hand contact spring, and
therefore the studs it touches are in electrical connection with the first
mentioned of the aforesaid metal knobs or brushes. The said left-hand
plate of copper is first in connection with the aforesaid posterior and
then with the aforesaid anterior contact spring. When the said left-
hand copper plate is in contact with the said posterior contact spring it
connects the studs it touches with the aforesaid metal knob or brush
with which the said right-hand copper plate is not in connection; but
when the said left-hand copper plate is in contact with the aforesaid
anterior contact spring it connects all the studs it touches with the
same metal knob or brush as the said right-hand plate connects the
studs it touches; thus all the said fourteen studs are in electrical
connection with one of the aforesaid metal knobs or brushes, while at
the same time the aforesaid stud by the side of the said anterior
spring is placed in connection with the aforesaid metal knob or brush,
to which the other said studs are attached. Thus one set of ends of
the said sixteen wires is in contact with one of the said metal knobs
or brushes, and at the same time the aforesaid inwardly projecting
tooth on the aforesaid outer circle, which has the aforesaid copper plate
fixed upon it, it electrically connects the other aforesaid eight studs
with the aforesaid posterior contact spring, and therefore with the other
of the said metal knobs or brushes.
By means of the already described arrangement I make the said
sixteen wires to act all together in one direction, which for electrical
purposes is the same as if I used one wire having an area sixteen times
larger than the area of each of the said sixteen wires; or I can make

page_text: E E are metal knobs or wire brushes to which the ends of the coil B
are attached, E E touch the collectors F F, and E' E touch the
collectors ff'.
F, F, the collectors are semicircles of sheet copper distinct from
each other and screwed to the support, which is fixed so as to rotate with
the axis D D so as to enable the collectors F, F, f, f¹, to rotate and
touch the knobs or metal brushes E E E E' in turn; F one of the
external collectors is joined by a metal wire or band I to f the opposite
and internal collector. Similarly F and f¹ are joined by I'; there are
wires from each of these pairs of collectors which run to the axis and
terminate in circular bands of copper gg.
ggare bands of copper, which surround the axis or spindle of the
apparatus, but which are insulated from it.
GG are contact springs touching the copper bands to connect.
them to the binding screws.
To regulate the tension the following arrangement is added:-Instead
of each coil of wire B, consisting of a single wire there are several,
(say 16) twisted together. These said wires I join as drawn in (Fig. 4, W),
and one free end I attach to the metal knob or brush E, and the other
free end to the metal knob or brush E¹, also to a stud s. The
knob or metal brush E I connect with the contact spring S, which I
place on
one side of the inner toothed circle and with the contact
spring S', which I place on the other side of the inner toothed circle,
while I attach the metal knob or brush E¹ to the posterior contact
spring S".
One set of ends of the sixteen wires aẞ y de 5 y 6 I connect to
the studs a' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' which I place on the groove of the inner
toothed circle. These studs I can connect with the contact screw S",
and therefore with the metal knob or brush E¹ by means of the
copper plate M, which I place upon the inwardly projecting tooth of
the outer circle. The other joined ends 1, 2 2, 3 3 3 3, of the said
sixteen wires W are attached to the studs 1' 1', 2' 2' 2' 2', and 3′ 3′
3' 3' 3' 3' 3' 3', in the following manner:-The center junction 1 is
joined to the two outer studs 1', 1', thus the whole wire composed of
the sixteen is divided into two wires, each composed of eight wires. The
junctions 22, are joined to the studs 2′, 2, 2, 2', thus forming four
wires, each composed of four wires. The junctions 3, 3, 3, 3, are joined
to the studs 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3′ 3' 3', thus forming eight wires, each com-

page_text: posed of two wires. The left-hand wire of each junction is connected
with a right-hand stud, and the right-hand wire with a left-hand stud.
Upon the outer toothed circle (see Fig. 5) and upon the inner
grooved surface I place plates of copper in shape and arrangement as
K K', and upon the inwardly projecting tooth of the same circle I
place a plate of copper of the shape M. From the peculiar shape of
the plates K K' by the movement of the upper circle none of the
studs needs be touched, or only the two outer ones 1', 1', or only the
studs 1'1' and 2', 2, 2, 2', or all the studs 1', 1', & 2', 2, 2, 2,
& 3′, 3', 3′, 3′, 3′, 3′, 3′, 3′, or all of them, together with s and a' ß'y'
9. Except in the last instance those touched by K are in
contact with 'S", therefore with E'; but in the last instance K touches
S and s¹, therefore it is in contact with E, and connects the studs 1',
2' 2',3' 3' 3' 3', and s with E. At the same time M connects α B'
z' ', ' ' n' ', with S", therefore with E¹, so one set of ends is con-
nected with E¹, and the other set with E as K' always connects 1',
2′ 2', 3′ 3′ 3′ 3', with S. Thus the sixteen wires are made to act as
one wire.
The principal use to which my Invention is applicable is for medical
and surgical practice, also when slightly modified it may be used with
advantage for electric lights, telegraphy, electro-metallurgy in all its
branches, for firing fuzes, and such like purposes where electricity is
required.