IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH ELECTRIC LAMPS."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Guillaume André, of Dorking, in the County of
Surrey, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH
ELECTRIC LAMPS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Guillaume André
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th July 1880.
GEORGE GUILLAUME ANDRÉ, of Dorking, in the County of Surrey.
MENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH ELECTRIC LAMPS."
"
IMPROVE-
The objects of my Invention are to regulate the position of the electrodes so that
the resistance of the voltaic arc is practically maintained constant. I employ a
small electro motor to propel the electrodes, and this motor I prefer to make as
follows: The armature is wound with a double instead of a single set of wires,
each set having its own commutator upon the axis of the machine, so that two
currents in opposite directions in the same machine may be passed through the
coils of same; by this means I am enabled to cause the armature ring to revolve
in the direction of the predominating current whenever the equilibrium between
them is destroyed, and in this way the relative position of the electrodes is varied
or changed as may be required in order to restore equilibrium in the coils of the
ring.
The motor and electrodes, especially when the latter are long, or when two or
more carbons are used end to end, are connected by an endless cord, chain, or band,
or equivalent passing over pulleys. The motor is provided with a worm on its axis
which works into the teeth or gears with one of the pulleys, and in this way I am
able to run my motor at a high velocity and to reduce the speed by means of the
gearing to any required degree or extent, and greater sensitiveness and evenness of
motion are obtained than heretofore. With short carbons a screw may be used
instead of endless cord. I prefer to keep the negative electrode stationary. I pass
the main current round the electro magnets of the machine, and in this way I
obtain an intense and constant magnetic field. A branch circuit from this main
current having a high resistance runs through one set of coils on the armature ring.
A shunt circuit having a resistance equal to that of the branch and the arc runs
from the positive to the negative poles of the lamp and passes through the other
[Prins 1

page_text: set of coils of the armature ring, so that the currents flowing through the armature
ring are equal. The shunt current flows in the opposite direction to that of the
branch. This balance or equilibrium is destroyed by any variation in the resistance
of the arc, and the armature ring aforesaid turns in the direction of the
predominating current, and the electrodes are adjusted, and so on continuously.
By this Invention I am able to dispense with the use of electro magnets or
equivalents for separating the electrodes when in contact. Instead of winding the
armature ring differentially I may use 'two single rings upon the same axis. The
motor may be actuated by a current thrown into it when required instead of
utilizing the difference of two currents continually flowing through it, and this I
accomplish by causing the branch and shunt currents before mentioned to flow
round two electro magnets or solenoids, which are made to act differentially upon
an armature placed between them; and the motion thus imparted to the armature
causes a portion of the main current to flow through the ring of the motor in the
one or other of the sets of coils as may be required. Or, instead of electro magnets
or solenoids, I sometimes use differential coils of wire acting upon a magnetic
needle, the motion of the latter being made to close or break the circuit through
the motor in the same way as the armature in the preceding arrangement.
My Invention further consists in the application of motors such as those before
described to incandescent lamps; in this case the negative electrode is pivotted and
party counterbalanced so as to press lightly upon the carbon. By this arrangement
the pressure upon the carbon may be made as little as desired and also be
maintained constant. As the carbon burns away the negative electrode descends
by its own weight, and when it has descended a short distance, say the sixteenth
of an inch, a spring or equivalent on the end of the arm or bar carrying the
negative electrode comes into contact with a stud or other device in electrical
communication with the motor; a portion of the current then passes through the
motor, and the carbon is thereby propelled upwards and adjusted. The motion of
the carbon raises the negative electrode, and the circuit through motor is broken,
and so on.
The armature ring of the motor is in this case wound with a single coil instead
of two coils as before, because the motor is only required to run in one direction.
Sometimes I use a weight to propel the carbon instead of the motor aforesaid when
used with an incandescent lamp of the kind before referred to. In this case the
shunt current is caused to pass round an electro magnet, whereby the weight is
released by operating a pawl and ratchet brake or other appliance.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Guillaume André in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th
January 1881.
• GEORGE GUILLAUME ANDRÉ, of Dorking, in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH ELECTRIC LAMPS."
The objects of my Invention are to regulate the position of the electrodes, so
that the resistance of the voltaic arc is practically maintained constant. I employ
a small electro motor to propel the electrode, and this motor I prefer to make as
follows: The armature is wound with a double instead of a single set of wires,
each set having its own commutator upon the axis of the motor machine, so that
two currents in opposite directions in the same motor may be passed through the
coils of same; by this means I am enabled to cause the armature ring to revolve
in the direction of the predominating current whenever the equilibrium between
them is destroyed, and in this way the relative position of the electrodes of the
lamp is varied or changed as may be required, in order to restore equilibrium in the
coils of the ring.
I prefer to keep the negative electrode stationary. I pass the main current
round the electro magnets of the motor, and in this way I obtain an intense and
constant magnetic field. A branch circuit from this main circuit having a high
resistance runs through, one set of coils on the armature ring, a shunt circuit
having a resistance equal to that of the branch land the are runs from the positive
to the negative poles of the lamp and passes through the other set of coils of the
armature ring, so that the currents flowing through the armature ring are equal;
the shunt current flows in the opposite direction to that of the branch. This
balance or equilibrium is destroyed by any variation in the resistance of the arc,
and the armature ring aforesaid turns in the direction of the predominating current
and the electrodes are adjusted, and so on continuously. Instead of winding the
armature ring differentially I may use two single rings upon the same axis.
Instead of employing the aforesaid difference of quantity flowing in two circuits
I may employ the difference of tensions at any two points in those circuits,
according to the principle known as the Wheatstone balance, and in connection
with a single ring.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a front elevation of a motor.
constructed according to this Invention, and Figure 2 a plan; Fig. 3 is a side
elevation partly in section; Figs. 4, 5, and 6, are details. The electro magnet
cores A are, when the motor is intended to be used with a lamp, wound with a
series of coils of thick wire, offering a resistance in à suitable proportion to that of
the arc outside of these coils I lay on in the same direction a series of coils of thin
wire, which forms a shunt circuit having a resistance, say 25 times greater than
that of the arc. The armature B consists of a central soft iron boss b, having a
number of soft iron radial arms b₁ and a thin soft iron rim 62, the arms b₁ are
wound with coils of wire of suitable thickness, the outgoing end of the coils on
one arm and the ingoing end of the coils of the next are brought down to and
connected with one segment of the commutator Cx, this latter is of usual con-
struction. The rim 62 serves to distribute the magnetism of the radial magnets b¹
one half side, having always one polarity, and the other half side the opposite, and
each kind of magnetism being uniformly distributed throughout its balf rim, as
the rim 63 is not wound with wire it can run quite close to the field magnets, thus
a maximum effect is obtained; this rim also distributes the heat, and thus keeps
the cores cool. The brushes D* are placed so as to press upon the commutator C*
at the points corresponding with the poles of the field magnets.
When used as a generator of electricity, for which it is eminently suitable, I
double or multiply the set of arms b' in the axial direction and widen the boss in
rim in proportion as required. The rim may in such cases be cut or divided up

page_text: into nearly contiguous segments or pieces, each comprising a group of arms b¹,
which are coupled up for quantity or tension, as desired. This motor then consists
of a combination of the following two main parts, viz., field magnets of any
ordinary construction and the ring armature b, 61, 62, having the peculiar properties
and advantages above stated.
Figure 7 is a front elevation of an arc lamp used in connection with this motor,
and Figure 8 a similar view of the motor itself placed below the lamp; these two
views are continuations of each other; Figure 9 is an end view of the revolving
armature and part section of the electro magnets. The arrangements of gearing
between motor and lamp here shown is suitable for cases where short carbons only
are used. The motor shaft has a worm Q on its axis Q¹, which worm works into
a worm wheel R on the spindle R'; this latter is formed with a screw R³; as also
shown in plan at Figure 10; Figure 11 is a cross section through the lower carbon
holder, and Figure 12 is a vertical section through same. On the screw R2 there
is a nut S, which for convenience of disconnecting and shifting when a fresh
carbon has to be put in is made of two halves jointed together and held together
by a peg 8.
The nut has an arm E which enters the vertical slot in the tubular
carbon holder D' for the lower carbon D. This arm is formed with a socket E' in
which the carbon rests; T, Figure 7, is a cup containing copper coated shot
forming a contact with the carbon; C¹ is the holder for the upper carbon C; M is
a resistance coil having a series of projecting pegs m, round which each turn of the
coil is wound, see Figure 84; the connecting cap of the bridge wire 11 may thus
be shifted from one peg to another, as desired, so as to alter the resistance of the
arc, as required.
The wooden cylinder M has helical grooves, each containing one turn of the wire.
The thick wire 1 from entering terminal X passes round electromagnet cores 2 and
3, and thence by wire 4 to the cores 5 and 6, and by wire 7 to terminal Y
connected to positive carbon holder D¹. A shunt wire 8 passes from X to resistance
coil M, thence round the cores 5 and 6 and by the wire 9 to cores 2 and 3, thence
by wire 10 to Z on the holder C'. The bridge wire 11 passes from M to lower
brush D*, thence through the motor armature and upper brush D* to the terminal Y.
The four resistances constituting the Wheatstone balance are, first, the thick wires
on the cores 2, 3, 5, and 6; secondly, the thin wire below the peg cap on M;
An increase in
thirdly, the arc itself; and fourthly, the thin wire from M to Z.
arc resistance causes flow of current in one direction through the bridge wire, and
a diminution of current flow in the opposite direction, the motor thus keeps the
resistance of the are constant by varying the length of the arc. If the carbons at
starting should be in contact the motor at once separates them to distance required,
and if apart the motor first brings them together and then separates them to
distance required. When lamp works differentially as stated, the motor has double
set of arms wound reversely, and one part of shunt wire on one set and part of a
branch passing through arc with a resistance equal to shunt on other set of arms.
These are lamp constructions may also be used in the reverse position to that
shown, that is, so that the motor is above the are instead of below, as here shown.
The motor and electrodes, especially when the latter are long or when two or
more carbons are used end to end, are connected by an endless cord, or chain, or
band, or equivalent passing over pulleys, as shown in Figs. 1 to 6, already referred
to. Figure 1 being a front elevation; Figure 3 a side elevation partly in section;
and Figure 2 a plan of the before described motor when so arranged or connected;
Figures 4 to 6 are details, the motor is provided with a worm Q2 on its axis Q¹
which worm works into the teeth of the worm wheel R which is fixed on its
spindle; the pulley F2 is loose on the spindle and has ratchet wheel teeth S2 into
which the pawl S may be placed, which is shewn in the detail views 4, 5, and 6;
the pawl is connected to a boss S¹ which is fast on the spindle, and may, when
thrown into gear, carry the pulley F2 with it; when the pawl is out of gear the
pulley F2 may be turned in either direction, or as may be required for adjusting
the carbon before starting the motor. By the use of worm and worm wheel I am

page_text: able to run my motor at a high velocity and to reduce the speed of feeding the
carbon to any required. degree or extent, and greater sensitiveness and evenness of
motion are obtained than heretofore. A spur wheel and pinion may however be
employed instead, but the motor will then have to run much slower.
This motor may be actuated by a current thrown into it when required, instead
of utilizing the difference of two currents continually flowing through it, and this
I accomplish by causing the branch and shunt currents before mentioned to flow
round two electro magnets or solenoids which are made to act differentially upon
an armature placed between them; and the motion thus imparted to the armature
causes a portion of the main current to flow through the ring of the motor in the
one or other of the sets of coils as may be required; or instead of electro magnets or
solenoids I sometimes use differential coils of wire acting upon a magnetic needle, the
motion of the latter being made to close or break the circuit through the motor in
the same way as the armature in the preceding arrangement.
My Invention further consists in the application of motors, such as those before
described, to incandescent lamps.
Figure 13 is a part sectional elevation of the lamp; Figure 14 a side elevation,
and Figure 15 a plan; Figures 16, 17, 18, and 19 are detail views, and Figure 20
a general part sectional view of a street lamp complete with its motor. A is the
socket plate, the rim of which is screwed internally to receive a ring A¹, into.
which the globe or cylinder is cemented. A2 is a tube socket on the plate A; this
tube plate carries the arm or holder C, to which is jointed the lever C¹.
The carbons D placed end for end to make up a great length are contained in a
holder tube D' having a longitudinal slot wherein works a peg or lifter E projecting
from a sleeve or piece E' in the endless cord F, this cord passes down to a pulley F
on the worm wheel spindle of the motor, described with reference to Figures 1 to 6.
The carbon holder is fixed so as to be removeable, all as described in. the
Specification of André and Easton's Patent, dated 2nd June 1880. The cylinder G,
to which the holder D' is fixed is in the guide tube H, which by plaster of Paris H¹
is fixed in and insulated from the tube A2. K, K, are contacts hinged to the
nipple H which is screwed into the top of the tube H. L, Figure 18, is a terminal for
carrying off the negative currents, and L' another terminal intended for the same
purpose and having a coil of high resistance wire on it, one end of the wire being
connected to the plate A and the other end to the terminal L', the rod L³ through
the coil is, by plaster of Paris, insulated from the sleeve A³ and plate. K¹ is the
positive terminal on the lower end of the tube H, Figure 15. The high resistance
coil is for the purpose of providing a circuit for the extra current occasioned by
break of contact with the spring L³ to prevent sparks forming there.
The negative electrode C2 is fixed in a slot formed in a lever C¹ which is pivotted
to the holder C, this latter is secured to tlie tube A2; the electrode C2 is thus
partly counterbalanced so as to press lightly upon the carbon; by this arrangement
the pressure upon the carbon pencil D may be made as little as desired, and
also be maintained constant as the carbon burns away, the negative electrode C³
descends by its own weight, and when it has descended a minute distance a
spring or equivalent on the end of the arm or bar C₁ carrying the negative
electrode C comes into contact with a stud or other device in electrical
communication with the motor, a portion of the current then passes through
the motor, and the carbon is thereby propelled upwards and adjusted; the
motion of the carbon raises the negative electrode, the circuit through motor
is closed or broken, as the case may be, and so on. Or the spring L³ may,
as here shewn, be fixed on a rod L², which is normally in contact with the
lever C¹, the current enters the positive terminal K', Figure 15, and by the
contact K through the carbon D to the electrode C2, passing hence half by the
lever C and half by the arm or holder C. As the electrode Cs descends when the
carbon D burns away, the contact of the lever C¹ with the springs L³ is broken, and
the whole current will then pass through the arm C, and through the coils of the
motor; this causes the bobbin to revolve, the endless cord F raises the carbon D,

page_text: and when the contact is again restored, the current passes through: the wire Y
direct to the negative terminal, and the motor stops. The descent of the
electrode C² to the extent of 1000 part of an inch is enough to start the motor which
then moves, say, about part of a revolution, and then stops.
'
Similar arrangements may be applied, to the actuating of carbons. arranged above
the negative electrode, or horizontally, or in any other relative position.
Pis a bar clamped on to the tube H, and having its outer end provided with a
lug, which, when the lever C, in case the lamp from some reason goes out, drops
away from the contact L³, touches the lever C forming a passage for the current, so
that other lamps in the same series are not affected. The projection E³ on the
sleeve E will, when it comes against the socket plate A, also short circuit the lamp
without setting the motor in action.
The armature ring of the motor is in this case wound with a single coil, instead
of two coils as before, because the motor is only required to run in one direction.
The wire U passes from one pole of the motor up to the negative terminal L, the
other end T of the wire passes to the negative terminal of the lamp, a thin
branch V, X, from this wire is in communication with the bobbin through the
cominutator brushes. The wire Y connects the same negative terminal with the
rod L' on the lamp. As the length of the wire U, T, is much greater than that of
Y, the magnets of the motor are short circuited when the lever C¹ is in contact
with the spring L³.
The automatic air supply to the lamp described in the Specification of André's
Patent, dated 13th April 1880, is shewn applied in this case also; d is an electro-
magnet which, when the current is on, attracts the armature e on a bell crank
lever, the other arm of which carries the valve c.
Figure 20 shews the lamp and motor applied to a street lamp.
I claim,―
First. The application of an electro motor to the feeding of carbons in incandescent
electric lamps, substantially as set forth.
Second. The combination of parts forming the improved electro motor and
generator, herein before described, also the mode or modes here described of gearing
the motor to the screw or to the endless cord for feeding the carbon.
Third. The negative electrode hinged to a part of an incandescent lamp, and
which by making and breaking contact closes and opens a circuit, and thus controls
the feed of the carbons, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. In combination with the hinged negative electrode, and the levers C'
and arm C, as shewn and described, the application of the bar P for the purpose of
cutting the lamp out of a series of lamps, in case it should be extinguished.
Fifth. The construction of arc lamps in such manner that the resistance of the
arc is kept constant by means of an electro motor connected to the feed mechanism,
and actuated by a current due to a difference of tensions in two points, one in the
main circuit, end the other in the shunt circuit.
Sixth. An arc lamp in which the carbon is fed up and regulated by a screw or
by an endless cord actuated by an electro motor, the carbon being held in a socket
working in a slotted tubular holder fitted with shot contact, as described and
shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Guillaume André, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord One