No. 687,292. C. G. ARMSTRONG. Patented Nov. 26, 1901.

POWER TRANSMITTING DEVICE.

(Application filed Sept. 6, 1900.)
(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES
CHARLES G. ARMSTRONG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALE
TO DAVID B. CARSE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
POWER-TRANS MITTING DEVICE.
SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 687,292, dated November 26, 1901.
Application filed September 6, 1900, Serial No, 29,53. (No model.)
To all, whon, it inctly concei'i.
Beitknown that I, CHARLESG. ARMSTRONG,
a citizen of the United States, residing at Chi
cago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois,
have invented certain new and useful Im
provements in Power-Transmitting Devices,
(Case No. 2;) and I do hereby declare the foll
lowing to be a full, clear, and exact descrip
tion, such as will enable persons skilled in the
o art to which it appertains to make and use
the same.
My invention relates to improvements in
power-transmitting devices.
It consists, essentially, of a prime mover,
5 such as a wheel, having its peripheral sur
face or a portion thereof energized with mag
netic lines of force. The said wheel is caused
to revolve in close proximity or in actual con
tact with a driven wheel which is suscepti
ble of magnetic influences and a portion of
which is within the magnetic field of the driv
ing or prime mover.
The object of my invention is to provide a
device whereby power may be transmitted
from one shaft to another by a means employ
ing magnetic lines of force, and as a result
the operation of the said device is noiseless,
efficient, and easily controlled.
In carrying my invention into practical op
3o eration I am enabled to transmit the rotary
motion of a driving-wheel to a driven wheel
through the intermediary effect of magnetic
lines of force without actual contact of the
wheels and without any mechanical wear or
35 noise resulting from the contact of the sur
faces of the respective moving parts.
In the dra Wings, Figure I shows a driven
Wheel and a driving-wheel magnetically en
ergized in the positions they occupy when in
Operation. Fig.2 shows a diagram of a source
of current, the electrical circuit, and a com
mutator for directing the current into the re
spective coils that are placed upon the mag
netic driving-wheel and which constitute a
45 part of said circuit. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary
Section through the driven wheel A" and com
mutator C.
In all of the views the same characters of
reference are used to indicate similar parts,
a
PATENT OFFICE.
in the accompanying drawings, A is a driv 5.o.
ing-wheel having a peripheral surface which
is subject to magnetic induction. A series of
radial electromagnetic cores are designated
by a and are surrounded by coils a'. - The
cores d are numbered from 1 to 14, inclusive. 55
C is a commutator. The commutator-sec
tions thereof are numbered from 1 to 14, in
clusive, to correspond with the cores and coils
of the magnetic wheel.
The coils a' are connected in series, and a
branch wire joins the said connections to a re
Spective commutator -section. The driven
Wheel A' is provided with a series of projec
tions similar to cores C of the driving-wheel
A. These projections are numbered in a se
ries of 1 to 14, inclusive. They are separated
the same distance apart as the projections a
on the driving-wheel. The projections on the
driving and driven wheels are adapted to come
coincidently into position when the driving
wheel is turned for the purpose of revolving
the driven Wheel, in which event the shafts
are preferably placed such a distance apart
that the projections do not quite touch each
other when they occupy a position in a plane 75
drawn through the two centers of the said .
Wheels, as shown.
B is a battery which is an illustrative means
used to energize the coils a'. The battery is
connected in circuit by wires 1, 2, 3, and 4
to a commutator C and to a resistance device
R. Brushes b and b' bear upon the periph
eral surface of the commutator C. The re
sistance R is used for the purpose of control
ling the strength of the current that flows
through the coils on the driving-wheel A.
The wheel A" may be provided with coils
and a commutator, electric battery, and cir
cuit similar to that shown in connection with
the driving-wheel A, if desirable. The ar 9o
rows around the outside periphery of the
wheels A and A'show the direction of their ro
tation. The circuit through the coils of the
driving-wheel is as follows: The current leav
ing the battery by wire No. 1 will pass by the 95
brush b to the commutator-section I, thence
through the coil No. 1, and thence through
the coil No.2, and thence through the coil No.
 2 687,292
3 to the brush b', over the wires 2 and 3, the re- movement of the arm r over the contacts r",
sistance-arm r, through the resistance to the
wire 4, and back to the battery, energizing
coils 1, 2, and 3. Another circuit will be from
the brush b through the coils 14 to 4, inclu
sive, and back through the same circuit. This
shows the coils 1, 2, and 3 in parallel with the
remaining coils upon the limbs of the said
driving-wheel. By this arrangement the cir
O cuit in the driving-wheel is never broken
when a commutator-section passes out from
under the brushes b and b'; but by this ar
rangement the coils 1, 2, and 3, or the coils
which may at the time occupy the position
between the brushes shown to be occupied
now by the coils 1, 2, and 3, will always be
from four to five times magnetically stronger
than the remaining coils upon the said wheel.
More current will flow through them, because
of their lower resistance, than the joint resist
ance of all of the remaining coils. Coils Nos. 1,
2, and 3 are now about five times the magnetic
strength of the remaining coils on the wheel,
for the reason that nearly five times as much
25 current passes through these coils in the posi
tion they now occupy as passes through the re
maining coils on the wheel. The object of con
tinuing the circuit through the coils 14 to 4,
inclusive, is to prevent the violent flash and
30 disruptive discharge that would ensue if the
circuit was broken as the coils pass out from
under the commutator-brush and to prevent
the violent molecular disturbance that would
heat the magnetizable elements and decrease
35 the efficiency of the device. Cores Nos.1 and 2
form the terminals of a horseshoe-magnet and
tend to thread the lines of force through the
projections 1 and 2 of the wheel A". If coil No.
lon the driving-wheel is raised in the process
of its rotary motion, it will also raise the pro
jection No. 1 of the driven wheel, and coil and
core No. 2 will in like manner raise by attrac
tion projection No. 2, and in this way the coils
on the driver in their rotation will effect cor
responding projections on the driven wheel
through the intervening space by the mag
netic lines of force and in this way produce
the rotation of the driven wheel A'. The
brushes b and b may be adjusted so that the
maximum current may be directed through
any number of coils desirable which will ex
ercise the greatest influence upon the projec
tions of the wheel A". When the coil No. 1
has passed to the position occupied by coil 14,
55 the magnetic effect will be so reduced and
the space so increased that it will not have
much, if any, retarding effect upon the pro
jection 14 of the wheel A". The current
through the operative coils is very strong.
The projections on the wheel A" will register
exactly with the projections on the wheel A,
and in that Way a certain definite relation of
speed is established and maintained. If, how
ever, the current be reduced by the introduc
65 tion of resistance from the rheostat R by
then the magnetic effect of the projections
on the driving-wheel will not be so strong by
reason of the reduced current by the inter
posed resistance and the projections on the
driven wheel will not in every case register
with those of the driving-wheel, the result of
which is that the driving-wheel will then ro
tate proportionately faster and the speed of
the driven wheel will be correspondingly re 75
duced.
As shown in Fig. 3, the commutator-sections
care built up on a ring or wheel c and held
in place in a recess c' common with commu
tators of this character.
I do not desire to limit myself to tie exact
construction of the devices shown and de
scribed for the purpose of carrying into ef
fect my invention, for I believe that I am the
first to employ magnetic lines of force for
the purpose of transmitting rotary power
without material contact of the rotary driva
ing device and a similar driven device.
I have used the accompanying drawings for
the purpose of showing how my invention 9O
may be carried into effect,
Having described iny invention, what
claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters
Patent of the United States, is--
1. A power-transmitting device comprising 95
a rotary driving member, a rotary driven
member, both members susceptible of mag
netic influences, coils for magnetizing both
members and a means for maintaining a higher
magnetic strength in a portion of both or either dO
of said members while said portion is within
a definite location with reference to the lo
tary path thereof, Substantially as Set forth.
2. A power-transmitting device comprising
a rotating driving member having a magnet IC5
ized periphery, a means for maintaining a
higher magnetic strength in that portion of the
said driving member that is within a definite
location with reference to the driven member,
and a driven member having a peripheralsur IO
face susceptible of magnetic influence, the
two members placed so that their magnetized
surfaces confront each other, substantially
as set forth.
3. A power-transmitting ?ievice comprising II5
a rotating driving member having a magnet
ized periphery, a driven member having ape
ripheral surface susceptible of magnetic in
fluence, the two members placed so that their
peripheral surfaces confront each other, and
a means for decreasing the attractive strength
of the magnetic couple of that portion of the
respective surfaces that are receding from
each other to a lower magnetic condition,
substantially as set forth. I 25
4. A power-transmitting device comprising
a rotating, driving member, having a magnet
ized periphery, a driven member, having ape
ripheral surface susceptible to megnetic in
fluence, the two members placed with their I 30
 687,292 3
peripheral surfaces in juxtaposition, a means specification, in the presence of two subscrib
for increasing the attractive strength of the ling witnesses, this 31st day of August, A.D. Io
magnetic couple of said surfaces as they ap- 1900.
proach each other, and for decreasing the at- r
5 tractive strength of the magnetic couple of CHARIES G. ARMSTRONG.
said surfaces as they recede from each other, Witnesses:
substantially as set forth. ALICE M. SPRINGER,
In testimony whereof I have signed this M. F. ALLEN.