Improvements in or appertaining to Electric Meters.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 26th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Electric Meters.
A communication from abroad by HENRI OWEN TUDOR, of Rosport, Grand Duchy of
Luxemburg.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, and 323. High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A large number of the electric meters hitherto used placed at various points of
consumption in a circuit or circuits of electric energy, operate by means of a motive
apparatus, either a clockwork movement or an electrical one derived from the
distributing circuit, in which the apparatus is placed.
These movements which act on the meters proper and register periodically the
amount of electricity consumed must be very regular in their action, and the mechanism
must be very reliable and accurate, if the periods during which the intensity of the
current is to be registered are to follow each other at regular intervals, and it requires,
therefore, to be constantly tested.
The object of this invention is first to regulate the aforesaid motion by making it
dependent on and synchronous with the motion of a govorning apparatus placed at
any convenient point on the circuit, where it can be regulated at will, and from
whence the impulses are transmitted to the different meters in the same manner as
with electric clocks and secondly to reduce the hand labour in working, by abolishing
the necessity for periodical winding when clocks are used, and the continued testing
of the contacts when electric pendulums are employed.
The governing apparatus is composed of a pendulum which establishes and
interrupts the contact at equal intervals and connects any source of electrical energy
with the motive apparatus, working the various meters by means of a special distributing
line, hereinafter called the motive line.
The motive apparatus in each meter consists of a simple ratchet wheel governed
and actuated by a hooked lever the latter being worked by the armature of an electro
magnet, which is alternately magnetised and demagnetised by the current that is
alternately established and disestablished by the governor.
The ratchet wheel advancing one tooth at each contact describes a complete
revolution at the end of a certain number of contacts, and since the wheels of all
the motive apparatus have the same number of teeth they will all have made a complete
revolution in the same time, so that a uniform motion is obtained throughout the
series. This uniform motion may with advantage take the place either of clock-
work motion or of electric motion which is separate and independent for each meter
and which it is so difficult to regulate exactly.
This apparatus works as follows: Referring to the accompanying drawing :-
On the pendulum P a thumb or contact piece i is placed which at each complete
oscillation establishes a contact between the pieces a and b and thus closes the
motive circuit and enables the current to flow from the battery B through the line
wire L to the electro magnets of the motors M M M etcetera.
Each of these latter attracts the ar mature C provided with a pawl c and rotates
the ratchet wheel one tooth. Supposing the pendulum to oscillate once every second,
contact will be established 60 times a minute, and supposing the ratchet wheel to
have 60 teeth this wheel will make a complete revolution in one minute and similarly
with the ratchet wheels of the other meters M' etcetera, on the circuit since all their
wheels are identical. This rotary movement sets in motion the registering needle of

page_text: a meter (such as the Tudor moter) in which the toothed wheel imparts, by means
of an eccentric, a to and fro motion to a lover which tends to periodically bring
back to o the needle of a galvano-meter G with devintion equally proportional to the
intensity of the current.
The distributing circuit may be conducted in any one of 3 ways.
1st. Two special conductors as shown.
2nd. Ono wire with earth plates for the return current.
3rd. A special conductor, and making use of one of the distributing cables for
the return.
The electro magnets of the apparatus M M etcetera, may he placed either in
tension (en tension) or in derivation (en dérivation).
Dated this 5th day of February 1889.
WM. F. THỤMPSON & CO.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in or appertaining to Electric Meters.
A communication from abroad by Henri Owen Tudor, of Rosport, Grand Duchy of
Luxemburg.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, G, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, 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 und
by the following statement :-
A large number of the electric meters hitherto used placed at various points of
consumption in a circuit or circuits of electric energy, operate by means of a motive
apparatus, either a clockwork movement or an electrical one derived from the
distributing circuit in which the apparatus is placed.
These movements, which act on the meters proper and register periodically the amount
of electricity consumed, must be very regular in their action, and the mechanism must
be very reliable and accurate, if the periods during which the intensity of the current
is to be registered are to follow each other at regular intervals, and it requires,
therefore, to be constantly tested.
The object of this invention is, first, to regulate the aforesaid motion by making it
dependent on and synchronous with the motion of a governing apparatus placed at
any convenient point on the circuit, where it can be regulated at will, and from
whence the impulses aro transmitted to the different meters in the same moner as
with electric clocks, and, secondly, to reduce the hand labour in working, by abolishing
the necessity for periodical winding when clockwork is used, and the continued
testing of the contacts when electric pendulums are employed.
The governing apparatus, preferably used at contres of distribution, is composed
of a pendulum which establishes and interrupts the contact at equal intervals and
connects any source of electrical energy with the motive apparatus, working the
various meters by means of a special distributing line, hereinafter called the motive
line.
The motive apparatus in cach meter consists of a simple ratchet wheel governed
and actuated by a hooked lever, the latter being worked by the armature of an electro
magnet, which is alternately magnetised and demagnetised by the current that is
alternately established and disestablished by the governor.
The ratchet wheel advancing one tooth at each contact describes a complete
revolution at the end of a certain number of contacts, and since the wheels of all
the motive apparatus have the same number of teeth, they will all have made a
complete revolution in the same time, so that a uniform motion is obtained throughout

page_text: the series. This uniform motion may, with advantage, take the place either of
clock work motion or of electric motion which is separate and independent for each
meter and which it is so difficult to regulate exactly.
This apparatus works as follows:-
Referring to the drawings accompanying the provisional specification:
On the pendulum P a thumb or contact piece is placed, which, at each complete
oscillation, establishes a contact between the pieces a and b and thus closes the
motive circuit and enables the current to flow from the battery B through the line
wire L to the electro magnets of the motors M M' M², etcetera.
Each of these latter attracts the armature provided with a pawl c and rotates
the ratchet wheel one tooth. Supposing the pendulum to oscillate once every second,
contact will be established 60 times a minute, and supposing the ratchet wheel to
have 60 teeth, this wheel will make a complete revolution in one minute, and
similarly with the ratchet wheels of the other meters M', etceteru, on the circuit,
since all their wheels are identical. This rotary movement sets in motion the
registering neelle of a meter (such as the Tudor meter) in which the toothed wheel
imparts, by means of an eccentric, a to and fro motion to a lever which tends to
periodically bring back to o the needle of a galvano-meter G with deviation equally
proportional to the intensity of the current.
The distributing circuit may be conducted in any one of 3 ways.
1st. Two special conductors as shown.
2nd. One wire with earth plates for the return current.
3rd. A special conductor, and making use of one of the distributing cables for
the return.
The electro magnets of the apparatus M M', etcetera, may be placed either in
tension (en tension) or in derivation (en dérivation).
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to mo
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :—
1. In a system of distribution of electric energy, the employment of a series of
meters, the registering apparatus of each of which is actuated by a uniformly intermittent
and simultaneous movement, regulated by a governing apparatus placed at any con-
venient point on the circuit and transmitted in a similar manner to that employed
with electric clocks, whereby the quantity of electricity consumed at different points
during equal periods of time may be registered, substantially as described.
2. The improvements in or appertaining to electric meters substantially as
described and shown.
Dated this 25th day of November 1889.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.