US826272A - Electric metering system. - Google Patents

Description

W. H. PRATT. ELECTRIC METERING SYSTEM.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 9, 1903.

PATENTED JULY 17, 1906.

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W. H. PRATT. ELECTRIC METERING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.9, 1903.

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APPLICATION FILED FEB.9,1903.

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PATENTED JULY 17, 1906. W.,H. PRATT. ELECTRIC METERING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.9,1903.

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W. H. PRATT.

ELECTRIC? METERING SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED PEB.9.1903.

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witnesses: IrwOenboh (DH HamHDbaLb PATENTED JULY 17, 1906.

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b, y @H mm W 3 mi UNITED TES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. PRATT, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC METERING SYSTEM- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 9, 1903. Serial No.142,447.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. PRATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Metering Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for controlling electric meters, ahd is intended more especially for use in connection with a meter or meters of a type provided with two registering or recording devices, one of which is to be thrown in circuit under certain conditions of operation and to be replaced by the other under certain other conditions of operation. Thus, for example, my invention is useful in cases where it is desired to measure the energy flowing in the circuit of a dynamoelectric machine which operates sometimes as a generator and at other times as a motor. A meter or meters used in this connection record on one dial or register the energy flowing when the machine is a enerator and on the other dial the energy owing when the machine acts as a motor. To throw the registers or counters into and out of operation, I employ a magnetic device controlled by a relay of a construction responsive to reversal of current in the mains of the system to which the meter or meters are connected.

The features ofnovelty which characterize my invention I have pointed out with particularity in the ap ended claims, while the invention itself, bot as to the details of construction and mode of operation of one of the many embodiments of which it is capable, I have set forth more at length in the following description, which is to be taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents two meters of the Thomson recording-wattmeter type, arranged for use in connection with a three-phase alternating-current system and provided with a polyphase relay for controlling the counters or registers of each of the meters. Figs. 2, 3 4, 5, and 6 are various views showing the mechanism for throwing the counters or registers of a meter into and out of operative connection to'the movable member of the meter by which the counters are driven. Figs. :7, 8, and 9 are detail views of the contact making andbreaking devices forming a portion of the polyphase relay shown in the middle portion of Fig. 1, while Fig. 10 is a diagram of circuits of a system arranged according to my invention.

The metering system to which I have chosen to apply my invention, consists in the present instance of two recording-wattmeters of the Thomson type, the construction of which is well understood in the art. The current-coils of one instrument receive current from one of the three mains of a threephase system the energy of which is to be measured, while the current-coils of the second instrument receive current from another of the mains of said system. The potentialcoils of the instruments receive current from between the third main and the first-mentioned mains. The particular method of connecting up the meters or instruments so that their readings represent the ower consumed in the three-phase circuit orms, however, no part of the present invention.

The meters to which I have referred are represented in Fig.1, one at the left-hand portion of the figure at l with its glass cover broken away so as to show the working parts and the other at the right of the figure at 2 with only such portions of the lass cover broken away as to show the two ials 3 4 of the counting or registering mechanism, which in this case is of the well-known cyclometer t pe.

The details of the cyclometer registering mechanism are shown perhaps more clearly in the plan view in Fig. 4, in which the counting-disks of one c y'clometer-register are indicated at 5 and the counting-disks of the companion register 'at 6. A magnetically-actuated pivoted lever 7 serves when thrown into one of its extreme positions to connect one of the counters into operative relation with the vertical shaft 8 of the meter, the upper end of which carries a worm 8, as shown in Fig. 3, which engages a train of gear-wheels for driving the counters, as will be readily understood by reference to Figs. 3 and 6.

The particular means whereby the respective counters are thrown into or out of gear with the driving member of a meter is shown perhaps best in Fig. 5, though certain of the features of the same are represented "in other figures as well. The electromagnetically-actuated rod 7 shown in plan view in Fig. 4 is indicated in cross-section at 7 in Fig. 5. It will be seen that when this pivoted rod is thrown to the left it engages one of the two collars 9 and. 10 on the sliding rod 11, thereby o erating to throw this rod in its bearings, an so correspondingly moving the two pivoted levers 12 and 13, which immediately control sets of mechanism whereby the counters of the meter are thrown into or out of ear. the sli ing rod 11 to the levers 12 and 13 through the instrumentality of pairs of collars or rings 14 15, between the members of which loosely play the upper ends of the levers 12 and 13, as indicated. These levers are pivoted to any suitable portion of the apparatus-as, for example, to posts 16 17. The lower end of each of the levers 12 13 operates a clutching mechanism. The lower end of lever 12, for example, plays between. the walls of a constricted portion of a sleeve 18, mounted upon a shaft 19, by which it 1 is adapted to be turned. A spring 20, acting against a collar-21 on the shaft 19, pushes the sleeve 18, when permitted to do so, against a gear-wheel 22, loosely mounted on the shaft 19. This gear-wheel 22 is driven from a shaft 23, which receives its motion from another gear-wheel 24; which meshes with a worm 8, carried by the armatureshaft of the meter. When the lever-arm 7 is -moved so as to throw the lower end of the lever 12 to the left, the spring is released, thereby ressing the friction-disk 25, formed on the s eeve 18, against the gear 22, which thereupon communicates motion to the shaft 19, which motion in turn is transmitted through the pinion 26, and so on to the count1ngwheels of the 'cyclometer-register, as will be seen more clearly by reference to Fig. 6.

The clutching mechanism for the other register is shown at the right of Fig. 5 and is the same in construction as that shown at the left of the figure. In the figure, however, the clutching mechanism at the right is shown in a position in which the gear-wheel 27, corresponding to the gear-wheel 26 of the mechanism at the left of the figure, is in clutching relation to the shaft 28 instead of in the unclutched or disen aged position in which the gear 22 at the left of the figure is shown. It will be understood that when the lever 7 is thrown so as to shift the shaft 11 toward the right the mechanism at the right of the figure will be unclutched, while that at the left will be thrown into operative engagement, as already described.

The electromagnetic means for actuating the clutch-throwing lever 7 consists of two electroma nets 29 and 30. (Shownin side elevation in ig. 2 and in plan view in Fig. 4.) These magnets are provided with pivoted armatures 31 and 32, respectively. The upper ends of these armatures are connected by a Motion is communicated from cross-bar 33, which carries two circuit- closing contacts 34 and 35. Motion is communicated to the clutch-throwing lever 7 by means of pins 36, between which the free end of the lever 7 loosely plays.

The contact 34 operates in conjunction with the polyphase relay, to which reference has already been made, to control the circuits of the actuatingmagnets 29 and 30, while the other contact 35 operates when shifted to throw out of circuit one and into circuit another of two starting-coils on each meter, one of which starting-coils operates when the meter runs in one direction and the other when the meter operates in the oppo site direction. The functions of the contacts 34 and 35, which, together with their 006 erating fixed contacts, are clearly shown in ig. 4, will be better understood by reference to the diagram of circuits in Fig. 10. In this figure the polyphase relay is repre sented diagrammatically at the upper righthand corner of the figure. This relay, as will be seen, is similar in construction to an ordinary polyphase induction-meter. It is provided with a shaft 37, carrying a disk 38, operated upon by two pairs of motor elements, each of which consists of a current coil or coils and a potential-coil.

In Fi 1 the current-carrying coils of one motor e ement are indicated at 39, and the U-shaped core carrying the potential-coil is represented at 41. Unlike an inductionmeter, however, this instrument has no damping magnets and no counter or register. Instead ofv actuating a counter or register the shaft 37 carries a circuit-closing contact 44, (indicated in detail in Figs. 7, 8, and 9.) This contact 44 is fixed rigidly to the shaft 37 and receives its currents through a spiral spring, as shown. It cooperates with two resiliently-mounted, contacts 46 and 48. Mechanical stops 45 and 47, cooperating with an arm 43 on the shaft 37 serve to limit the angular movement of the shaft and prevent undue force beingexerted upon the delicately-mounted contacts 46 and 48.

The connections afiorded by the cooperating contacts above described are indicated in Fig. 10, in which it will be seen that the movable member of the relay is in one of its extreme positions. In this position the conductor 49 is supposed to be connected to the conductor 50 and disconnected from the conductor 51.

Before proceeding to a detailed description of the effect of the connections made by the relay it will perhaps be best to describe in a general way the system shown in Fig. 11). In this figure the mains of the three-phase system, the energy flowing in which is to be measured, are indicated at 52, 53, and 54. The current-coils of the meters instead of being connected directly in series with the particular mains of the three-phase system seem are connected indirectly through the secondary coils of current-transformers. In Fig. 10 one meter only and its circuits are indicated. For the sake of clearness the other meter and its connections are omitted; but the terminals therefor are shown at 55, and these terminals are connected with circuits of the meter in the same manner as the set of terminals for the meter shown at the left of the figure. It will be seen that one terminal of the secondary of the current-transformer 56 is connected in circuit through the currentcoils 57 of the meter shown, then through the current coil or coils 58 of one of ,the motor elements of the polyphase relay, and thence back to the other terminal of the secondary of the transformer 56. The potential-circuit of the meter is supplied from the secondary of the potential-transformer 59, the primary of which is connected between the mains 52 and 53. The potential circuit or secondary of the transformer 59 has two distinct branches, one'of which consists of the leads 60, which, as will be seen, supply the potential-current to the potential-coils 61, corresponding to the current-coil 58, both of which together constitute one of the motor elements of the polyphase relay. The other branch of the potential circuit extends from the secondary of the transformer 59, one lead passing to the armature 61 and then to the movable contact 35, which when in the position shown completes the circuit through the fixed contact 62 and through the startingcoil 63 to the other branch or terminal of the secondary of the transformer 59. When in its other position,'the contact 35, coeperating with the other fixed contact 64, completes the potential-circuit through the other starting-coil 65 the starting-coil 63 being then of course cut out of circuit.

The magnets 29 and 30, which are shown as actually constructed in Fig. 2 and in diagram in Fig. 10, are controlled by the polyphase relay in a manner now to be described and receive their energy from any suitable source, in the present instance from the secondary of the potential-transformer 66, used for supplying the otential-current to the meter supposed to e connected to the terminals 55, which meter, as before mentioned, is for the sake of preventing undue complication not shown in the drawings.

Let it be supposed that energy is flowing in the polyphase mains in such a direction that the movable element of the relay is turned into the position shown and that in this position the lead 49 is connected to the lead 50. The result of this connection is to complete a circuit from the terminal 67 of the potentialtransformer 66 through the magnet 30 and back to the other terminal of the transformer, as will be readily seen. The armature carrying the contacts 34 and 35 is immediately moved to the right, thereby opening the circuit of the magnet 30 as the contact 34 moves out of engagement with the contacts 68, bridged thereby, and closing one of the breaks in the circuit of the magnet 29 by bridging the contacts 69, whereby the magnet 29 is in a condition to be energized as soon as the relay moves into a position the opposite of that shown, and thus completes the circuit.

Simultaneously with the breaking of the circuit of the magnet 30, thereby relieving the contacts of the relay of this duty, the contact 35 cuts out of circuit the starting-coil 63 and into circuit the starting-coil 65, the latter coil operating to assist the meter in its new direction of rotation.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is'

1. The combination of a meter, the two starting-coils therefor, one for use when the meter rotates in one direction and the other for use when the meter rotates in the opposite direction, two counters or registering devices, and means controlled by the direction of flow of energy in the meter-circuit for putting into operation one of the counters and one of the starting-coils when the meter rotates in one direction and for substituting the other counter and the other starting-coil when the meter reverses its direction of rotation.

2. The combination of a polyphase alternating-current system, meters for measuring the energy flowing in said system, each of said meters being provided with two counters or registering devices, one of which is adapted for use when the meter rotates in one direction and the other for use when the meter rotates in the opposite direction, and a polyphase relay operating upon each meter to substitute one counter or registering de vice for the other when the fiow of energy in the polyphase system reverses.

3. A polyphase rela consisting of a rotatable member, a plura ity of motor elements acting uponsaid member, and circuit-controlling means operating upon the movement of the member in one direction to complete the given circuit and to close another circuit when moving in the opposite direction.

4. The combination of an alternating-current system, a meter connected thereto, two counters or registering devices for the meter, two starting-coils for the meter, electromagnetic means for disconnecting one counter and one starting-coil and replacing them by the other counter and starting-coil, and an alternating-current relay device for controlling said electromagnetic means.

5. The combination of a meter, a plurality of counters or registering devices therefor, a plurality of starting-coils therefor, and means operative in response to reversal of the meter for throwing both a counter or registering device and a starting-coil out of operation and another counter and another starting-coil into operation.

6. The combination of a meter, two registering devices, one for registering the revolutions of the meter in one direction and the other for registering the revolutions in the opposite direction, a plurality of startingcoils, and means external to the meter for controlling the operation of the starting-coils and registering devices. 10

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 2d day of February, 1903.

WILLIAM H. PRATT. Witnesses:

DUGALD MoK. MCKILLOP, ROBERT SHAND.

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