Electric Apparatus for Regulating Clocks.
Year: 1898

page_text: Electric Apparatus for Regulating Clocks.
1, ROBERT JAMES RUDD, of 78, Sydenham Road, North Croydon, in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
My invention relates to an electric apparatus for adjusting the regulator of a
clock, in order that the time indicated by the hands will always be correct.
The apparatus may be actuated by a periodic electric current, such as the
Greenwich time signal; or by one of greater or less frequency, supplied by any
standard clock.
For this purpose I attach a pin (or cam) to some part of the clock train, revolv-
ing a complete number of times during the signalling period; I also provide a
lever to be brought into contact with the pin by the electric current; 'the lever
at the same time acting on the regulator of the clock, adjusts it to correspond
with the position of the pin. Thus if the clock gain, the pin will become in
advance of its true position, and the lever will then set the regulator of the clock
a corresponding distance towards slow or if the clock lose, the reverse action
will occur and any alteration in the natural rate of the clock, will at once find
the correct position of the regulator.
The form of the electro-magnetic apparatus will vary according to the kind
of clock. The accompanying drawing represents the apparatus for a pendulum
clock. R is the regulator of the clock, engaged with the pendulum at P, and
held in position by the spring click K; the regulator may be otherwise arranged
to adjust a small weight attached to the pendulum, instead of engaging with it
at P. C is the cam mounted on the seconds arbor, in such a way that it can be
set by the seconds hand on starting the clock. L is the lever, to be brought up
to the cam by the electro-magnet M. S is a step on the lever, for the purpose
of adjusting the regulator arm R: the lever L is mounted freely on the axle A,
and connected with the releasing lever T, T, by the spring O. When the current
passes, both the levers L & T are raised together by the armature Q; L then
comes in contact with the cam C, and is thus held in a position determined by
that of C, but the spring O allows the lever T to continue its course, and to strike
the click K thus releasing the regulator, so that it rests on the step S. The
clectric current being momentary, It is immediately locked in its new position
by the click K; and the levers T and L drop to their original place as shewn.
The step X on cam C would be formed on the lever when a pin is used; its
effect is to concentrate the action to a small & sensitive arc, after the clock has
been brought to time by the less acute portions of the cam.
Dated this 10th day of September 1898.

page_text: Electric Apparatus for Regulating Clocks.
I, ROBERT JAMES RUDD, of 78, Sydenham Road, North Croydon, in the County
of Surrey, 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 and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to an electric apparatus for adjusting the regulator of a
clock in order that the time indicated by the hands shall always be correct. The
apparatus may be actuated by a periodic electric current, such as the Greenwich
time signal, or by one of greater or less frequency supplied by any standard
clock.
The form of the electromagnetic apparatus varies according to the kind of clock
to which it is applied. When applied to an ordinary pendulum clock, I attach a
pin or cam to some part of the clock revolving a complete number of times during
the signalling period. I also provide a setting lever to be brought into contact
with the pin or cam by the electric current, which lever at the same time, acting
on the regulator of the clock, adjusts it to correspond with the position of the pin or
cam. Thus if the clock gain, the pin or cam will become in advance of its true
position and the lever will then set the regulator of the clock a corresponding
distance towards "slow"; or if the clock lose, the reverse action will occur; and
any alteration in the natural rate of the clock will at once find the correct posi-
tion of the regulator.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is an elevation of an electromagnetic regulating apparatus constructed
according to this invention and suitable for an ordinary pendulum clock, and
Figs. 2 and 3 are similar views of modified arangements of the same invention.
Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings:.
A regulating lever arm pivotted or flexibly connected at one end to the base
plate engages the suspension spring of the pendulum rod by means of a jaw
or opening formed of two stud pins so that the effective length of the pendulum
is varied according to the position of the arm A. The arm A has pivotted to it
ate one end of a bar f whose other end when free can be slid in a guide lug g;
but which, together with the connected regulating arm a, is normally held in
any position by a brake or friction block pressed against it by a spring i as
is clearly shown. A snail cam is adjustably mounted on the seconds arbor m
so that it can be set in its proper position by means of the seconds hand when
starting the clock. On the base b is mounted an electro magnet M in electrical
connection with a standard clock or time signal and whose armature n is flexibly
secured at one end to a lug o while its other end engages with one arm 2 of a
bell crank lever pq mounted on an arbor and flexibly connected by a spring s
to a levert loosely mounted on the said arbor r.
On the passage of a current through the coils of the magnet M the armature n
is attracted and rotates the levers 7 and t together until the lever t strikes the
cam or rod f when the further rotations of the arm q, permitted by the spring
connection, causes the tail of the arm 7 to engage the tail w of the spring brake
block and release the block from the rod f. The rod f and regulating lever a
then take up a position determined by that of the cam and on the cessation of
the momentary current the tail is disengaged from the tail w and the block h
presses on the rod f locking it in the position thus determined while the
levers pqt and armature n. return to their normal position as shown.
A step
is formed at or about a point on the periphery of the cam where the end of the
levert would strike when the controlling and regulating clocks were working
in unison, its effects being to concentrate the action to a small and sensitive arc

page_text: corresponding with one beat of the pendulum, the inclination of the step being
adapted to the impulse motion, so that the clock will be kept within one beat of
the pendulum after the clock has been brought to time by the more or less acute
portions of the cam. The height of the cain may be made to correspond with
the effective action of the regulator so that the first automatic adjustment will
bring the clock to time during the following interval. The scope of the regulator
in Fig. 1 is one minute.
When the clock has no seconds hand the cam may be placed on the centre
arbor carrying the minute hand, so that in setting the clock in time after a stop-
page, the cam will also be set in position by the adjustment of the minute hand.
The regulating scope of the apparatus in this case is an hour, and the degree
of sensitiveness requisite for accuracy is obtained by the step .
In some clocks the minute hand is connected with the centre arbor by friction,
so that when setting the hand the centre arbor would not rotate with it and some
independent method of setting the cam or pin would be desirable. Fig. 2. shows
an arrangement for this purpose. The cam Fig. 1 is replaced by a pin wheel 1
mounted friction-tight preferably on the third arbor ag revolving in six minutes.
If the third wheel revolves at any other rate, the number of pins to correspond
would be provided thus 5 pins for a minute wheel, 9 for a 4 minute or any number
that would bring a pin into position at the time of signalling. A lever ah js
provided for setting the pin wheel in a determinate position, corresponding with
any minute at which the minute hand may be placed. The lever ah has a coun-
terbalance N and can be depressed on one of the pins, thus pushing the wheel
forward until the next pin abuts against the end of the lever; the counter-
balance then raises the lever out of action. The end of the setting levert forms
a cam which strikes one of the pins ai when setting the regulator, and may have
a step for the same purpose as the step on cam Fig. 1.
In the modified arrangement shown in Fig. 3 a short regulating pendulum a a
provided with adjusting weights Wacts in conjunction with the regulating
lever a and is connected to the pendulum rod by the spring connection ab as
clearly shown. As shown the lever is provided with a rod which strikes the
cam
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
:-
1. An electric apparatus for regulating clocks comprising a regulating device,
an electromagnet electrically connected with a controlling source, a cam or
equivalent on the wheel train, a setting lever capable of being pressed against
the said cam or equivalent by the armature of the said electromagnet so as to
set the regulating device, and a locking device normally closed but capable of
being operated by the said armature so as to release the regulating device and
permit of its being reset, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
2. An electric apparatus for regulating clocks arranged constructed and opera-
ting substantially as described and shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.
3. An electric apparatus for regulating clocks arranged constructed and opera-
ting substantially as described and shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.
4. An electric apparatus for regulating clocks arranged constructed and. opera-
ting substantially as described and shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.
Dated this 12th day of June 1899.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.