IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING TIIE ACTION OF ELECTRIC ARC LAMPS WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE PARTLY APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Williain Robert Lake of the firm of Haseltine Lako
& Co, Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings London for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING TIIE ACTION OF
ELECTRIC ARC LAMPS WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE PARTLY APPLICABLE FOR
OTHER PURPOSES Communicated to him from abroad by Jean Mario
Anatole Gérard-Lescuyer, of Paris, France, Engineer.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd June 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE of the Firm of Haseltine Lake & Co Patent
Agents Southampton Buildings London " IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
"
REGULATING THE ACTION OF ELECTRIC ARC LAMPS WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
PARTLY APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES [A communication to him from
abroad by Jean Marie Anatole Gérard-Lescuyer, of Paris, France, Engineer.]
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for regulating the action of
electric arc lamps, which improvements are partly applicable for other purpose.
The said invention consists more particularly in a special construction of brake for
keeping the upper carbon in position. The said invention further consists in
various novel features in the construction and arrangement of various parts of the
said apparatus.
In order that the said invention may be readily understood I have shown in
the accompanying drawings, as examples only, three different arrangements of my
improved apparatus.
The first arrangement of the said apparatus is illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 of
the drawings in which
Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in section

page_text: bars A B to two rods or bars C D. In the interior of the said tube or hollow
chamber slides the upper carbon carrier whose upper end is provided with a
"Giffard" piston-At the upper end of the said tube or hollow chamber is a screw
which serves as a cock since according to the extent to which it is turned
upward or downward it permits the surrounding air to enter more or less quickly
in such a manner as to maintain above the aforesaid piston a certain vacuum
which retards the descent of the said piston and prevents the too sudden fall of
the upper carbon.
Upon the cross-bar B are fixed two solenoids or hollow bobbins F G. These
solenoids are shewn in the drawings as divided into two unequal parts; they may,
however, be divided into two equal parts. The upper part or portion of the said
solenoids is wound with several layers of coarse or thick wire whilst the lower
part or portion which is separated from the upper portion by a washer or disc J, is
wound with a fine or thin wire of high resistance. The coarse or thick wire which
has but very little resistance is included in the lamp circuit whilst the fine wire is
arranged in a shunt on the terminals of the regulator, and the current which
traverses it travels in a reverse direction for a purpose hereinafter described.
The core of each of the solenoids F. G is formed by a tube perfectly bored and
closed at its upper end. In the interior of these tubes slide, with but slight friction,
two cylindrical iron cores L L' provided on their upper end with cotton, leather,
or other material which will serve as a packing. When thus arranged the said
cores constitute pistons which may be rendered more or less tight as desired. The
aforesaid packing is employed to ensure the compression of the air above the cores
during their upward movement and the rarefaction of such air during their
downward movement. The two cores are connected by a cross piece or bar M of
iron or copper to which is directly attached the brake or gripping mechanism
hereinafter described. Below the said bar is a metal disc R which serves the triple
purpose of acting as an excellent reflector, preserving the body of the lamp from
Hakes of fire or currents of heated air, and as an abutment or stop for the aforesaid
brake. Upon the said disc R is mounted a wheel or roller U which serves as a
guide for the carbon-carrier which is pressed firmly against the said pulley by two
springs V. Or the said wheel or roller inay be supported by the cross bar B. The
whole of the parts is so regulated that the carbon-carrier remains perfectly vertical
during its entire movement.
The aforesaid rods CD are insulated from the body of the lamp and at their
lower extremity they are connected to a cross-beam forming the second or lower
carbon-carrier as clearly shewn in the Drawings. The current enters or leaves by
the said rods.
The brake or gripping mechanism which, as above stated, constitutes an
important part of the present invention is composed simply of two metallic
picce N N crossed in the form of the letter X and connected to the cross bar or
piece M by the small links or connecting pieces 00. The screws P P' are
adapted to come in contact with the disc R and by their adjustment the moment
at which the said screws will effect such contact with the said disc and thereby
relieve the carbon carrier of the friction exerted by the pieces N N' may be
regulated.
The pieces N N' are flat and are provided with a recess or curved part which
is slightly larger than the tube of the carbon-carrier each piece being separately
connected to the cross bar M. As this cross-bar rises the said pieces N N' will
engage with the tube which they will draw upward with them and when the said
cross bar descends the said pieces N N through the medium of the screws P P¹
will come in contact with the disc R and will be loosened or withdrawn from the
said tube thus permitting the carbon-carrier to descend. Instead of forming the
pieces N N with the aforesaid curved part which is approximately U-shaped, I
may form the same straight, and simply use pins or pieces as the gripping or
clamping parts.
In order that my improved brake-mechanism may act efficiently the two

page_text: piece N N' whose actions are opposed to each other should at first be placed in
equilibrium; the carbon carrier will then always remain central. In addition, the
said pieces N N' should be connected to the cross-bar M by small links or
connecting pieces which permit them to assume all the positions desired.
The operation of the above described apparatus is as follows, that is to say —
The carbons being in contact, the current which traverses the apparatus is very
intense and in circulating around the cores L L¹ of the solenoids, it draws them
upward with considerable force. These cores in rising raise with them the cross-
bar M which, through the medium of the small links or connecting pieces 0 0¹
causes the pieces N N¹ to come in contact with the upper carbon-carrier and lifts
the same so as to separate the carbons and cause the formation of the voltaic arc-
As the carbons are consumed the are elongates, increases the resistance and
diminishes the intensity of the current which then holds the cores L L' raised with
less energy whilst on the other hand the current which traverses the thin or fine
wire placed in a shunt circuit and which travels in a reverse direction in order to
demagnetize the cores, increases its action and adds to the weight or gravity
which tends to cause the apparatus to descend; the equilibrium is therefore then
destroyed and the pieces N N₁ descend, and coming in contact with the disc R,
release the carbon-carrier which is then free to move until the solenoids
regaining their former energy, again draw upwards the cores L L' and raise the
carbon-carrier.
In practice the pieces N N¹ touch the disc R so lightly that they permit tho
carbon-carrier to continually slide to compensate for infinitesimal ruptures in the
carbons during their consumption.
The action of my improved brake is so delicate that the lamp will burn properly
at whatever speed the generating machine may be driven and whether the
said machine is producing a continuous or an alternating current-Any desired
number of the said lamps may be arranged in series, and any desired number of
lamps may be added or extinguished without necessitating any regulation.
Whatever the current supplied to the lamp may be, it lights freely and
immediately and instantaneously causes the production of the normal are which it
preserves until the carbons are entirely consumed.
The two other arrangements of lamps shewn in the drawings are as follow:-
Figure represents a lamp in which the solenoids F G are replaced by a
tubular or hollow electro-magnet traversed by the carbon-carrier or even by the
carbon itself-The lower armature being attracted causes the separation whilst
the upper armature on the contrary causes the brake to descend and release the
carbon-holder, the said brake being affected by springs. The other arrangement,
which is illustrated in Figure 5, comprises a lamp having an electro-magnet
arranged as above described but wound with fine wire only; it is in fact a simple
derivation lamp. The springs are sufficiently strained to retain the brake close up
and the carbons apart; if under these conditions a current traverses the lamp the
upper armature is alone attracted (the lower one being of copper). The brake
descends and allows the carbon holder to slide or move downward.
The carbons being in immediate contact the current which traverses the shunt
leaves it in order to pass through the carbons; the armature then ceasing to be
attracted permits the springs to act and raise the entire apparatus, the brake again
clamps the carbon-carrier and raises the same so that the arc continues to be
formed
It will be readily understood that this arrangement may be reversed by winding
the electro-magnet with coarse or thick wire.
It is obvious that my improved brake, although especially designed for regulating
the action of electric lamps may be used for other like purposes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd December 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
"
REGULATING THE ACTION OF ELECTRIC ARC LAMPS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
PARTLY APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES A communication to me from abroad
by Jean Marie Anatole Gérard-Lescuyer, of Paris, France, Engineer,
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for regulating the action of
electric arc lamps.
The said Invention consists more particularly in a special construction of brake
or clamping device for regulating the position of the upper carbon. It further
consists in various novel features in the construction and arrangement of different
parts of the said apparatus.
In order that the said invention may be readily understood I have shewn in
the accompanying drawing, as examples only, three different arrangements of the
improved apparatus.
The first arrangement of the said apparatus is illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 of
the drawing, in which.
Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in section.
Figure 2 is a side clevation, and
Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line I, 2, Figure 1.
In these Figures, the body of the lamp is formed of a tube or hollow chamber a
connected by two cross-bars A, B, to two rods or bars C, D. In the interior of the
said tube or hollow chamber slides the upper carbon-holder, whose upper end is
provided with a 'Giffard" piston. At the upper end of the said tube or hollow
chamber is a screw which serves us a cock, since according to the extent to which
it is turned, in one direction or the other, it permits the surrounding air to enter
the said tube more or less rapidly, so as to maintain, above the aforesaid piston, a
partial vacuum which retards the descent of the said piston and prevents the too
sudden fall of the upper carbon.
Upon the cross-bar B are fixed two solenoids F, G. These solenoids are shewn in
the drawing as divided into two unequal parts; they may, however, be divided
into two equal parts. The upper portion of each of the said solenoids is wound
with a number of layers of thick wire, whilst the lower portion which is separated
from the upper portion by a washer or disc J, is wound with a fine or thin wire of
high resistance. The thick wire, which has very little resistance, is included in
the lamp-circuit, whilst the fine wire is arranged in a shunt on the terminals of
the regulator, and the current which traverses it flows in a reverse direction for a
purpose hereinafter described.
The core of each of the solenoids F, G, is formed by a tube, accurately bored, and
closed at its upper end. In the interior of these tubes two cylindrical cores L L'
are free to slide with a slight amount of friction; these cores are provided on their
upper ends with cotton, leather, or other material which will serve as packing.
When thus arranged, the said cores constitute pistons which may be rendered more
or less tight, as desired. The aforesaid packing is employed to ensure the com-
pression of the air above the cores during their upward movement and the
rarefaction of such air during their downward movement. The two cores are
connected by a cross-piece or bar M, of iron or copper, to which is directly attached
the brake or clamping device hereinafter described. Below the said bar is a metal
dise R which serves the triple purpose of acting as an excellent reflector, preserving
the body of the lamp from flakes of fire, or currents of heated air, and acting as an

page_text: abutment or stop for the aforesaid brake. Upon a bracket fixed to the cross-bar B
is mounted a wheel or roller U which serves as a guide for the carbon-holder, the
latter being pressed firmly against the said pulley by two springs V. The said
wheel or roller may, if desired, be supported by the disc R. All the parts are so
arranged and regulated that the carbon-holder remains perfectly vertical during its
entire movement.
The rods C. D, are insulated from the body of the lamp, and, at their lower
extremity, they are connected to a cross-beam forming the second or lower carbon-
holder as clearly shewn in the drawing; the current enters or leaves by the
said rods.
The brake or clamping device, which, as above stated, constitutes an important
part of the present invention, is composed of two metallic pieces or bars N, N¹,
crossing each other in the form of the letter X and connected to the cross-bar M
by the small links or connecting pieces O, O¹. The screws P, P1, are arranged to
come in contact with the disc R, and, by their adjustment, the moment at which
the said screws will effect such contact with the said disc and thereby relieve the
carbon-holder of the friction exerted by the pieces N, N¹, may be regulated
The improved brake or clamping device resembles a pair of tongs such as are
used for wire-drawing and which grasp the wire more tightly the greater the
resistance which it offers to traction.
In the diagram shewn in Figure 6 of the drawing, the two bars N, N¹, are
represented by lines a, b, on each of which are arranged two pins or points of contact
a¹, b¹ and c¹, d¹, placed at equal distances from the piece p. When the upper ends
of the two bars are moved vertically upwards, the force of gravity will first act and
will cause the points a¹ and d¹ to come in contact with the part p. At this moment,
the points a¹ and d' serving as the axes of rotation, the lines a, b, will, in moving,
describe a certain are as indicated by the curved arrows; this movement will
continue until the points c' and b¹ come in contact with the part p. This second
contact being effected, the rotary movement ceases by reason of the rigidity of the
pieces represented by the lines a and b, as well as of the part p. The principal
force continuing to act upward in a vertical direction, the part p is gripped or
clamped by the points a¹, b', c¹, d', and is raised, and all strain in the contrary or
downward, direction will only result in the closer application of the contact-
points a, b, c, and d¹ to the part p, thereby preventing the same from sliding.
Under these circumstances, if an upward vertical force is exerted at the points f, g,
or if, in other words, the entire device is caused to descend and the points f, g,
como in contact with a plane surface, the reverse of the action above described will
take place; the contact points a, b, c, d, will be moved away from the part p,
and thus the brake or clamping device will release the part p which can then
descend by gravity,
P
From the above description the action of the improved brake or clamping device
will be readily understood. The pieces N, N', are each provided with a recess or
curved part which is slightly larger than the tube of the carbon-holder, each piece
being separately connected to the cross-bar M. As this cross-bar rises, the said
pieces N, N¹, will engage with the tube, which they will draw upward with them,
and, when the said cross-bar descends, the said pieces N, N₁, will, through the
medium of the screws P, P¹, come in contact with the disc R and will be loosened
or withdrawn from the said tube, thus permitting the carbon-holder to descend.
Instead of forming the pieces N, N¹, with the aforesaid curved part, which is
approximately U-shaped, I may form the same straight and simply use pins as the
gripping or clamping parts.
In order that the improved brake or clamping device may act 'efficiently, the
two pieces N, N¹, whose actions are opposite to each other, should at first be placed
in equilibrium; the carbon-holder will then always remain central. The said
pieces N, N₁, should also be connected to the cross-bar M by small links or
connecting pieces which permit the said pieces N, N¹, to assume all the positions
desired.

page_text: The operation of the above described apparatus is as follows, that is to say :-
The carbons being in contact, the current which traverses the apparatus is of great
intensity, and, in circulating around the cores L L¹ of the solenoids, it draws them
upward with considerable force. These cores, in rising, lift the cross-bar M,
which, through the medium of the small links 0, 0¹, causes the pieces N, N¹, to
come in contact with the upper carbon-holder and lift the same so as to separate
the carbons and develop the arc. As the carbons are consumed, the arc elongates,
increases the resistance, and diminishes the intensity of the current, and the
cores L, L, are attracted with less energy, whilst on the other hand the current
which traverses the thin or fine wire placed in a shunt circuit, and which flows in
a reverse direction to that of the current through the thick wire, in order to
demagnetize the cores, increases its action and adds to the weight or gravity
which tends to cause the clamping device to descend. The pieces N, N¹ descend
and, coming in contact with the disc R, release the carbon-holder which is then
free to move until the solenoids regaining their former attractive energy, again
draw upwards the cores L, L', and raise the carbon-holder.
In practice, the pieces N, N', touch the disc R so lightly that they permit the
carbon-holder to continually slide to compensate for infinitesimal fractures of the
carbons during their consumption.
The action of the improved brake or clamping device is so delicate that the lamp
will burn properly at whatever speed the generating machine may be driven, and
whether the said machine is producing a continuous or an alternating current.
Any desired number of the lanips provided with the improved apparatus may be
arranged in series, and any number of the said lamps may be added or extinguished
without interfering with the regulation.
Whatever the current supplied to the lamp may be, the latter lights freely and
immediately, and instantaneously causes the production of the normal are, which
it preserves until the carbons are entirely consumed.
The two other arrangements or apparatus shewn in the drawing are as follow,
that is to say-Figure 4 represents an apparatus in which the solenoids F, G, are
replaced by a tubular or hollow electro-magnet, through which passes the carbon-
holder or the carbon itself. The lower armature being attracted, causes the
separation of the carbons, whilst the attraction of the upper armature, on the
contrary, causes the brake or clamping device to descend and release the carbon-
holder the said brake being supported by springs. The other arrangement, which
is illustrated in Figure 5, comprises an electro-magnet arranged as above described
but wound with fine wire only; the springs are sufficiently strained to normally
retain the brake raised and the carbons apart; if, under these conditions, a current
traverses the lamp, the armature at the upper end is attracted (the cross-bar at the
lower end being of copper), the brake descends and allows the carbon-holder to
slide or move downward. When the carbons come in contact with one another,
the current, instead of traversing the shunt, passes through the carbons; the
armature then ceasing to be attracted permits the springs to act and raise the
brake or clamping device, which again clamps the carbon-holder and raises the
same so that the arc is developed.
It will be readily understood that this arrangement may be reversed by winding
the electro-magnet with thick wire.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
Foreign Correspondent, and the manner of performing the same I wish it understood
that I claim in, or for, an electric lamp.
First. The brake or clamping device composed of the two metallic pieces N, N¹,
connected to the cross-bar M by the links or connecting pieces O, O', and provided
with the contact screws P, P¹, substantially as described, and for the purpose
specified
Second. The combination of the two metallic pieces N, N³, crossing each other
and embracing the upper carbon-holder, the cross-bar MI, the links or connecting
pieces O, O¹, and the screws P, P¹, with a disc R, to form a brake or clamping

page_text: device for sustaining or releasing the said carbon-holder, substantially as described
and for the purpose specified
Third. The combination of the cores L, L', of the solenoids F, G, with the cross-
bar M for actuating the bars N, N', of the brake or clamping device, substantially
as described, and for the purpose specified
Fourth, The combination of an electro-magnet having a hollow core, with a
brake or clamping device composed of two bars crossing one another for holding
or releasing the upper carbon-holder, which passes through the electro-magnet, the
said bars being supported by springs, substantially as described with reference to
Figure 4 of the Drawing.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Twenty second day of December in the year of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty two,
W. ROBT. LAKE (L.S.)