Improvements in Liquid Meters.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 14th June, 1890-Accepted, 9th Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Liquid Meters.
I, ROBERT JEWELL of 9 Victoria Road Battersea Park Surrey Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows :-
My Invention relates to that class of meters for measuring and registering the
flow of liquids through conduits, in which a positive measurement is effected by
alternately filling and emptying cylinders or chamber of determined capacity.
According to my Invention I construct such meters as follows:-
Each
I provide two or more closed cylinders or chambers that are capable of vertical
reciprocating motion, the cylinders being connected together by a balance lever or
sway beam, so that when the one descends the other rises, and vice versa.
cylinder is provided at top with a supply nozzle which is connected in such a manner
with a fixed supply pipe as to allow of the above mentioned free vertical motion.
The connection may for this purpose be conveniently made by causing the cylinder
nozzle to slide within or upon the end of the supply pipe. Each cylinder is also
connected in a similar manner to a discharge pipe, the two or more supply and
discharge pipes being if required made as branches of one main supply and discharge
pipe.
The said supply and discharge nozzles are closed by valves pressed down on their
seats by springs, the discharge valves being pressed open when the cylinders arrive in
their lowest position by one or more rods or fingers, projecting up from the discharge
pipe so as to bear against the valves under surface.
The supply valves are opened by means to be presently described.
Each cylinder contains a float which, when the former is filled with liquid, presses
upward a contact piece that closes an electrical circuit in which is included an
electro magnet, whose armature forms a catch to a cam shaped disc, so that when
the armature is attracted it frees the disc and allows it to turn. This disc is con-
nected by an arm to the stem of the inlet valve of the cylinder, and to this stem is
also connected the one end of a two-ended lever whose other end is connected to a
bridge piece on the second cylinder; by this arrangement, when the one cylinder,
being filled with liquid, is permitted to descend by gravity, thereby causing the
other cylinder which has just been emptied to rise, the said double ended lever of
the first named cylinder is made to pull open the inlet valve of the second cylinder
against its spring so as to admit liquid from the supply pipe. By this motion of the
valve it causes the cam disc connected to its rod by the before mentioned arm, to
turn partly round, bringing it into a position in which it is locked, by the armature
catch against any motion in the contrary direction.
It will be seen that when the cam is thus locked, it will prevent the closing of the
inlet valve, and will also prevent any movement of the two cylinders, owing to the
connection of the double ended lever to the valve stem. When however the raised
cylinder is full, its float, in effecting the closing of the electric circuit by the
contact and thereby exciting the electro magnét as before described, will cause the
armature catch to release the cam disc and this will now allow both the closing of
the inlet valve by its spring, and the descent of the filled cylinder and raising of the
empty one. The above described cycle of operations will then be repeated with
respect to the latter, and so on. The alternate rising and falling motion of the
cylinders is caused to actuate registering mechanism or a counter, either by mechanical
means, or by preference by closing an electric circuit actuating an electrical register-
ing mechanism, such as that described in my application bearing equal date herewith,
for which purpose each cylinder may have a contact piece, which, in sliding up and

page_text: down against guides, pass over fixed contact pieces on the latter and thereby momen-
tarily effect the closing of the circuit.
It will be obvious that the arrangements for locking and releasing the cylinders and
inlet valves by the action of the cam and armature catch may be variously modified,
the above described arrangement being only given as an example. The essential
feature of the Invention consists in the alternately rising and falling vessels with
their floats actuating contacts on an electrical circuit. including the electro magnets
and their armature catches, for alternately locking and releasing the cam disc or
equivalent device.
Dated thi th
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Liquid Meters.
I, ROBERT JEWELL of 9 Victoria Road Battersea Park, Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
:-
My Invention relates to that class of meters for measuring and registering the flow
of liquids through conduits, in which a positive measurement is effected by alternately
filling and emptying cylinders or chamber of determined capacity.
According to my Invention I construct such meters as follows:-
I provide two or more closed cylinders or chambers that are capable of vertical
reciprocating motion, the cylinders being connected together by a balance lever or
sway beam, so that when the one descends the other rises, and vice versa. Each
cylinder is provided at top with a supply nozzle which is connected in such a
manner with a fixed supply pipe as to allow of the above mentioned free vertical
motion. The connection may for this purpose be conveniently made by causing
the cylinder nozzle to slide within or upon the end of the supply pipe. Each
cylinder is also connected in a similar manner to a discharge pipe, the two or more
supply and discharge pipes being if required made as branches of one main supply
and discharge pipe.
The said supply and discharge nozzles are closed by valves pressed down on
their seats by springs, the discharge valves being pressed open when the cylinders
arrive in their lowest position by one or more rods or fingers, projecting up from
the discharge pipe so as to bear against the valve's under surface.
The supply valves are opened by means to be presently described.
Each cylinder contains a float which, when the former is filled with liquid, presses
upward a contact piece that closes an electrical circuit in which is included an
electro magnet, whose armature forms a catch to a cam shaped disc, so that when
the armature is attracted it frees the disc and allows it to turn. This disc is con-
nected to the beam connecting the two cylinders so that while the one cylinder is
filling and the other is discharging the beam is locked in position, while when on
the filling of one cylinder the float effects the closing of the circuit, the beam is
set free, and the filled cylinder now descends by gravity to discharge its contents
and thereby raises the second cylinder in order to be filled in its turn.
I will proceed to describe the construction and action of "the meter with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 shews a front elevation of the meter,
Fig. 2 a vertical section,
Fig. 3 a plan, and
Figs. 4 to 6 detached details.
A A are two closed cylinders of definite capacity suspended by straps B' from a
balance beam C capable of rocking in bearings at. O so as to allow the vessels.

page_text: At the upper end the vessels A have tubes A' which fit accurately over supply
nozzles E branching from a common supply pipe E so that the tubes A¹ can slide
up and down over the nozzles while maintaining a liquid tight joint. These nozzles E'
contain valves F pressed down on their seats so as to close the supply, by springs FL,
and their rods pass up through the nozzles and are provided with heads F2 so
arranged that just before the end of the upward motion of the empty vessel A and
of the downward notion of the filled one, a fork on the end of the beam C,
which embraces the valve rol, bears against the underside of the head F2 and in
thereby lifting the valve off its seat, allows the liquid to enter the vessel.
At the ower ends the vessels A have other tubes A which fit within fixed discharge
nozzles G G. Closing the inner ends of the tubes A² are valves H held down by
springs H and these are so arranged that when the vessels are just completing
their downward motion, the upper ends of fixed rods G in the nozzles bear against
the underside of the valve steins and force them open, so that the contents of the
vessel can be discharged.
The beam Chas at its middle a cam plate I, having on its edge two notches I', and
centrally below this is a catch J which is drawn upward by a spring J'; the notches I'
are in such positions, that when the beam C and vessels A have completed their
movement in the one or the other direction, one or other of the notches is brought
opposite the catch J, so that this in rising into the notch, locks the beam and vessels
in the said position. The catch J forms part of the armature of an electro-magnet K
the coils of which are included in an electric circuit, the leads of which are connected
by pinching screws L to contact springs M fixed in an insulated manner to the
straps B, these contacts being so arranged that ordinarily they break the circuit and
render the electro magnet inoperative.
Within the vessels AA are floats NN, stems N₁ of which pass up through
the closed tops of the vessels, and have their upper ends tipped with insulating
material.
When the raised vessel A has become filled with liquid, the float N in rising presses
against the springs M so as to cause them to make contact, and thereby close the
electric circuit. The electro magnet K then attracts the armature catch J, which
thereby liberates the cam plate I, so that the beam and vessels A are now free to
move. The weight of the filled vessel A now causes this to descend, turning the
beam C and thereby raising the empty vessel A, the supply valve F of the former
and the discharge valve H of the latter being closed by their openings, as soon as
the vessels and beam begin to move. When the two vessels have completed their
motion, the other notch is brought over the catch J which in springing into it,
again locks the vessels in position while the raised one is being filled and the lowered
one is being emptied as before and so on. The movement of the beam C may either
be communicated mechanically to any suitable known construction of mechanically
actuated counter or registering mechanism whereby each movement thereof, corre-
sponding to the discharge of a measured quantity of liquid, is registered, or the beam
may, at the end of each movement be made to close a contact on an electrical circuit
connected to an electrically actuated counter, such for instance as those described in
my specification No. 1290389.
In order to insure that the lowered vessel A shall be completely discharged, before
it begins to rise again owing to the raised vessel being full, I prefer to make the
discharge tubes and valves somewhat larger than the supply tubes and valves. The
discharge tubes may deliver into a common discharge pipe, but as this would not
give a continuous discharge, I prefer to cause the discharge tubes to communicate
with a chamber O, which receives the contents of the two vessels, and from which
the liquid flows off in a continuous stream through the pipe O¹. With this arrange-
ment it might happen that from some cause the discharge from chamber was
impeded so that it became quite full, in which case the lowered vessel A could not
discharge its contents into O, the result of which would be that it would hold the
raised vessel in balance preventing it from descending and the supply valve of the

page_text: latter being open, the pressure of the supply might cause a leakage through the
tubes A¹ A².
In order to prevent the possibility of this occurring, I provide in the chamber O a
float P, the rod P of which passes up between the vessels A and through the upper
plate D of the framing, above which it carries a head P² (see Fig. 6) of insulating
material with a facing of conducting metal on its under side. When the float rises
to its full extent, owing to the chamber becoming full, the head P2 presses upon
two contact springs QQ' so as to close an electrical circuit in which is included an
electro magnet R. The armature S of this carries a sliding bolt S₁ which passes
through a slot 12 in the cam plate I; this slot has two enlargements as shewn, and
the bolt S¹ has a neck of reduced thickness where it passes through the plate, so
that when the bolt S₁ is urged forward by a spring S2, the neck is situated in the
slot (as at Fig. 4) and allows the beam to oscillate freely as above described. When
however the float P closes the circuit of the electro magnet R as described causing
this to attract the armature S, the bolt S₁ being thereby drawn inwards against the
action of the spring, enters with its enlarged part into one or other of the enlarge-
ments of 12 (as at Fig. 5) whichever of these may be passing at the time, and thus
locks the beam and vessels A in an intermediate position of their motion, in
which consequently the supply valves are both closed, so that no such leakage as
before mentioned can occur. The rear end of the bolt S¹ has a notch into which
enters a catch T' on the armature T of an electro magnet U when this is not
excited, and thus hokis the armature S and bolt SI in the locking position, the
circuit of the electro magnet R being broken again as soon as its armature is
attracted and locked as described owing to the one pivotted contact spring Q₁ being
connected by a rod S³ to the armature S, and being thereby moved out of contact
with Qas soon as the locking has taken place. As the chamber 0 empties and
the float P descends, its head P2 makes contact with its underside between two
contact springs V on the circuit of the electro inagnet U, so that this, becoming
excited, attracts the armature T and releases the bolt S¹ whereupon this is thrown
forward by its spring and in its turn releases the beam C so that the vessels A
can again operate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a liquid meter the combination of two vessels connected to a balance beam
so as to be capable of alternate vertical reciprocating motion such vessels com-
municating each with a supply and a discharge pipe provided with valves, and so
arranged that the vessels are alternately filled with liquid when in the raised position,
and have their contents discharged when in the lowered position, a locking device
which holds the two vessels in position while being filled and discharged and a
float in each vessel which, when the vessel is full is made to release the locking
device so as to allow the filled vessel to descend by gravity and thereby cause the
emptied one to rise and be filled, the movements of the vessels being registered upon
a counter or registering mechanism substantially as described.
2. In combination with the vertically reciprocating vessels referred to in the
preceding claim, the arrangement of fixed supply and discharge nozzles over
which slide inlet and outlet tubes on the vessels, the said nozzles being provided
with shut off valves which are automatically forced open by the movements of the
vessels and beam in the one direction and are allowed to close as the vessels commence
to move in the opposite direction, substantially as described.
3. In combination with a liquid meter arranged and operating as set forth in
the preceding claims, the provision of a chamber for receiving the contents of the
two vessels, such chamber containing a float acting on locking mechanism whereby
the vessels are locking in an intermediate position when the said chamber is full
so as to prevent the supply valves from being opened substantially" as described.

page_text: 4. In liquid meters, the combination of the reciprocating measuring vessels A with
supply and discharge nozzles E and G, and valves F and H, beam C connected to
vessels A and carrying cam plate I, electro magnet K armature catch J for locking
plate I, floats N and contacts M for closing the circuit of electro magnet K when
the vessels are filled, substantially as herein described.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.