AN IMPROVED ELECTRIC REGULATOR AND METER
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Laing of Paris, France and at present of King
William Street in the City of London for an Invention of AN IMPROVED
ELECTRIC REGULATOR AND METER
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Laing at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th July 1882.
WILLIAM LAING of Paris, France and at present of King William Street in the
City of London "AN IMPROVED ELECTRIC REGULATOR AND METER
The two words above used designate̱ the same apparatus employed for two
different purposes.
The construction of this apparatus very much resembles that of an electric bell
in which the bell is suppressed by a metallic stop more or less supple according as
may be required.
The apparatus consists in an electro magnet A A (see the annexed plan) which
by the passage of an electric current attracts the armature F placed in front of its
poles and establishes then a communication between the two pieces C C¹. This
communication can be arranged so as to open the passage to an electric current and
send this current to an apparatus that it is required to regulate and this notwith-
standing the distance that the two apparatuses may be placed one from the other.
The following is an example of its application to an electric lamp which is placed
in a position more or less inaccessible and of which in consequence it would be
difficult to regulate the working.
Screw.
I take as type of lamps any system employing a derived current for its working
and I detach the end of the wire of the derived current from its insulated binding
It is evident that under these conditions an electric current sent through
the lamp would produce an arc but that this arc would very soon become
extinguished since the carbons would not approach each other. It is also evident
that during the consumption of the carbons, if a little electricity be caused to pass
in the derivation it would become active and cause the carbons to approach each
other and this in proportion to the time that the currents lasted in the derivation.
It is therefore the momentary establishing of the current in this derivation (that I
produce when the arc has attained the length that suits me) that regulates the
length of this arc and that I obtain by the employment of my regulator. In order
to well understand how my regulator works only at the suitable moment according
to the end in view it must be remarked on the drawing that the knob B permits
[Price Bd71

page_text: me to regulate the strength of the action of the counteracting spring R and in
consequence the moment when the electro-magnet A A will be capable of
attracting its armature F and therefore send the current through the pieces C C¹
and afterwards by means of a metallic conductor through the derivation causing
the lamp to be put in action.
The drawing shows three binding screws in the regulating apparatus (this
number can be varied according to the different purposes for which one wishes to
employ the lamp), two of these binding screws are attached to two wires sending
the current to the lamp or directly to the two binding screws of the lamp. The
third regulating binding screw is attached by means of a special conductor to the
end of an insulated wire of the derivation of the lamp.
It is then easy to understand that when the agency is thus made and an electric
current is sent through the wires of the lamp, the electro magnet of the regulator
works in a derived circuit and sends the current into the electro-magnet of the
lamp through the contacts C C¹ the third binding screw and the complementary
conductor. The electro-magnet of the lamp becoming active approaches the
carbons to each other until light takes place and then nearly all the current passing
through the arc, it is not capable of any further exciting the electro-magnet of the
regulator for the purpose of attracting its armature. This electro-magnet of which
I can regulate its resistance to the attraction, permits me then to fix the length of
the arc, since my regulator only works at the moment that its electro-magnet is
capable of attracting its armature owing to the increase of force that takes place in
it when the length of the arc augments. This regulator then gives the following
results:
1st A less quantity of electricity required for the derivation;
2nd Means of regulating exactly the electric arc whatever be its intensity and
its distance.
Again a thick wire may be placed in the electro-magnet and in this case all the
current of which it is wished to regulate the quantity passed through it. To the
binding posts P¹ P & conductor is attached which can be employed for causing a
current to pass into a derivation.
This arrangement can be employed for other purposes in any dynamo-electric
machines for regulating the force of the excitation according to the requirements
and wants of the service.
In this case the two binding screws Pl Pl are attached by means of two
conductors to two exciting brushes of the dynamo-electric machine which has for
effect that the current which depasses the force required to cause a thorough
working and a good service, passes by a short circuit and deviating thus from the
circuit in which it excites, prevents the machine from generating more electricity
than that for which it has been regulated
The apparatus can be employed for automatically short circuiting the currents
which are no longer required. In this special case two apparatuses are required
one with thick wire and one with thin. These two apparatuses can be united in a
single one of which I here indicate the working for alternative currents.
The current passing through the derivation by the fine wire becomes very strong
in it in the case of the rupture of the current and the electro-magnet attracting its
armature causes all the current to pass through the electro-magnet with thick wire
which acting in short circuit attracts its armature and powerfully closes the
current through itself.
This apparatus may be employed as a mieter since it can be regulated in order to
permit the quantity of electricity desired to pass and which may be determined by
means of a graduated galvanometer.
Again it can be employed for dividing a current into as many fractions as may
be wished and in some cases it can equally be employed in the interior or the
dependencies of conducting apparatuses such as lamps, &c.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Laing in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th January 1883.
WILLIAM LAING of Paris France, and at present of King William Street, in the
City of London "AN IMPROVED ELECTRIC REGULATOR AND METER."
This improved electric regulator and meter is designed for the two different
purposes which these names imply.
It resembles in construction an electric bell in which the bell is replaced by a
metallic contact made more or less yielding or flexible according to requirements
The apparatus which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing consists mainly
of an electro-magnet A which by the passage of an electric current is caused to
attract an armature F towards its poles thereby establishing communication
between the contact pieces C C¹. This metallic contact can be made to permit
the passage of an electric current to the apparatus to be regulated whatever may
be the distance between the two apparatus.
I will describe as an example its application to an electric lamp placed in a more
or less inaccessible position and therefore difficult to regulate, the lamp being of
any system using a shunt or derived wire for regulating it. If I detach the end
of the shunt wire from its binding screw it will be evident that a current sent
through this lamp would produce an arc which would however be very quickly
extinguished as the carbons would cease to approach each other. It is also evident
that if during consumption of the carbons part of the current is passed through
the shunt circuit it will actuate the feed mechanism and cause the carbons to
approach one another. It is therefore the momentary establishment of the current
in the shunt which regulates the length of the arc and which is obtained by the
regulator of this Invention at any length of arc desired. The regulator is brought
into action only at the proper moment according to the object in view by means
of the adjusting screw B whereby the armature may be so regulated as to vary the
instant when the electro magnet A will be capable of attracting its armature F
so as to send the current through C C¹ and a proper conductor to the derived
circuit working the feed mechanism of the lamp.
P P P are three terminals (this number may be varied according to circum-
stances) two of which P1 P2 are connected to the main leads for the lamp current
or they may be connected directly to the lamp terminals. The third terminal is
connected by a supplementary wire to the end of the shunt wire. It will thus be
seen that under these circumstances when a current is sent through the main leads
the electromagnet of the regulator works in derivation and sends the current
through the contacts C C¹ the terminal P¹ and the supplementary wire.
The
electro magnet of the feed mechanism thereupon becoming active brings the
carbons together until the arc is established and then nearly the whole current
passing through the arc the electro magnet of the regulator is no longer capable
of attracting its armature. The resistance of the latter to the attraction of the
magnet being capable of regulation as above described the length of the arc may
be fixed as this regulator can only come into action when its electro magnet
acquires sufficient power to attract its armature by the increase of the current
traversing it in consequence of the greater length of the arc.
By means of this regulator less current passes through the shunt and I am
enabled to accurately regulate the arc whatever may be its intensity or distance.
As a modification the electromagnet may be wound with a coarse wire and all
the current to be regulated passed through it. To the terminals P1 P2 is attached
a conductor which can be employed for a discharge by derivation.

page_text: This arrangement may be used amongst other different applications, on all
dynamo electric machines to regulate its degree of excitation according to require-
ments. In this case the two terminals P1 P2 are connected by two conductors with
the two exciting brushes of the dynamo electric machine the effect of which is
that the current in excess of what is required for the work is short circuited and
being thus diverted from the exciting circuit does not allow of the machine
acquiring greater power than that for which it has been regulated.
The apparatus can be employed for automatically short circuiting the currents
which are no longer required. In this special case two apparatus are required one
wound with coarse and the other with fine wire.
These two apparatus can be combined in one of which I will describe the
working for alternating currents. The current passing in derivation in the fine
wire becomes very strong therein in the event of rupture of the current and the
electromagnet attracting its armature sends all the current through the coarse
wire electro magnet which acting in short circuit attracts its armature and power-
fully closes the current through itself.
This apparatus may be employed as a meter as it can be regulated to allow the
passage of the quantity of electricity required and which may be ascertained by
means of a graduated galvanometer.
It may also be employed for dividing a current into as many fractions as
may be desired and in some cases it may be employed in the interior or the
appurtenances of the lamps or other apparatus to be controlled.
Having described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing the
same I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is:
A regulator meter and divider of the current and the various applications of
which it is susceptible whether independent of or dependent on the work to be
done, the said regulator and meter consisting of an electromagnet sending
automatically the electricity required for the proper working or regulation of the
apparatus to which it is applied, by the simple motion of its commutating armature
either for determining the working, the suppression, or the partial or complete
annulment of the apparatus to be driven or controlled.
In witness whereof I the said William Laing have hereunto set my hand
and seal this twenty eighth day of December A.D. 1882