Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM EDWIN HEYS of New Bridge Street Manchester in the County of
Lancaster Mechanical Engineer do hereby declaro 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:-
•
The present Invention has reference to certain important improvements in the
form, combination and disposition of the several elements embodied in the con-
struction and necessary to the operation of that class of devices named in the title
of this invention.
. More particularly my invention relates to the clutch for regulating the distance
between the carbons, and to an automatic cut out for throwing the lamp out of the
main circuit under abnormal conditions. It also relates to the combination of
certain elements which go to comprise a lamp as an entirety.
By a general, but critical examination of the state of the art as disclosed by
periodicals, books and the more important patents, it is evident that there is room
for improvement in the class of devices forming the subject matter of this specifi-
cation. One device is simple but ineffectual; another is too complicated and
therefore too expensive; another is, from the very nature of its construction,
unattractive in appearance and inconvenient of operation, while others are practically
worthless.
By a diligent and systematic study in the application of the principles of science
and of invention, and by trials of successively improved devices, such important
improvements have been effected that the device is at once adapted to meet the
wants of all concerned in a very effectual and superior manner which is the object
of this invention.
The invention consists of certain elements organized essentially as described in
conformity to the accompanying drawings; adapted to operate as hereinafter
explained; including all modifications as to their form, combination and disposition,
applicable to any, purpose, mentioned;, but especially applicable to the uses alluded
A

page_text: to; and different, when considered in entirety, from any device ever before made
public as far as the records
prove.
More specifically, the invention comprises a clutch consisting of two annular
disks through which passes the upper carbon rod or its carrier and which are
adapted to be set at different angles by the movements of an operating armature,
the disks being separated by a spring, one end of which is fastened to one disk and
the opposite end of which presses upon the other disk.
The second part of my invention consists of a cut out in combination with the
said operating armature. Said second part consists more definitely of the com-
bination of an armature in a shunt circuit to the arc; a lever supporting said
armature, one end of the lever being connected to the dash pot and the other to a
spring, and the armature being located between the dash pot and the fulcrum of
said lover; an iron post under each pole of said armature; a second lever located
under said first named lever, and a spring partly of insulating substance and partly
of conducting substance, and pressing upon one end of said second lever; said
second lever being a conductor of electricity and connected to one pole of the main
circuit and said spring being connected to the said conducting substance and to the
other pole of the main circuit.
'
The third part of my invention consists of an armature' located above posts of
soft iron, and supported on a lever which is properly' fulcrumed, counterbalanced by
a spring; and connected up with a dash pot and with a clutch by means of levers,
the said armature being wound with wire in a shunt circuit to the voltaic arc and
located just below a magnet in the main circuit.
In order to illustrate the practical manner of carrying out the invention, drawings
are hereunto annexed and described, in which similar letters of reference represent
corresponding elements, and in which each part referred to is designated by a single
letter. Those parts not mentioned I do not claim in this, my present application.
The materials of construction employed, the exact forms of design, and the pro-
portional dimensions are not alluded to, as they are best determined upon by those
versed in the art.
Fig. 1, is a general side view.
C
Fig. 2, an end view.
Figs. 3 and 4 views of the parts of the clutch separated, from each other, Figure 5,
an ordinary ring clutch.
t
Fig. 6 a view of some of the electrical connections shown by themselves for the
sake of clearness, and
a
Figs. 7 and 8 modifications.
In a suitable frame A and upheld by suitable supports B is the magnet C
wound with wire in the main circuit D and located above the armature E wound
with wire in a shunt circuit F, located above soft iron posts G, and supported upon
a lever H which is fulcrumed at I counterbalanced by a spring J, steadied in its
movements by a dash pot K and connected up with the disks L and M by means
of a hinged lever N.
These disks have projections as shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, and one of
them has a spring O of flat resilient metal secured to one side. The free end of the
spring presses upon the other ring. It matters not, in the operation, to which ring.
the spring is attached, so long as it forms an elastic connection between the rings.
The efficiency of this clutch is greatly increased by adding another ring and spring
as shown in Fig. 7. In ordinary construction, the holes in the several rings are of
the same size,, but it is not necessary that they should be so, nor need the number
of rings be limited to three, any more than to two.
Below the clutch is an adjustable stop P screwed into the bottom of the lamp.
The carbon holder Q passes through it and it serves to limit the motion of the
rings of the clutch so far as their downward motion is concerned.
It will be noticed that the spring between the rings is so located that during
ordinary variation of the angles of their inclination, the upper ring is gripping the

page_text: carbon carrier with a force dependent upon the inclination of the under ring. In
more extreme conditions, both rings grip the carrier or both are released from the
carrier. When both of the rings are lifted from touching the bottom of the frame
of the lamp, the carrier is suddenly lifted and when the rings are nearly horizontal
the carrier suddenly drops. Between these limits the motion of the carrier is
springy and very gradual.
The cut-out as an entirety may be described, as consisting of the combination of
the following elements, some of which have heretofore been mentioned; the
armature E in a shunt circuit to the arc; a lever H supporting said armature, one
end of the lever being supported to the dash pot K and the other end to the
spring J, and the armature being located between the dash pot and fulcrum of said
armature H; a projecting arm R to said lever; iron posts G under the poles of
said armature; a second smaller lever H¹ located under said first lever; and a
spring T having a surface U of insulating material and a surface V of electrical
conducting material.
The spring T is connected to one pole of the main circuit through the wire W,
and the lever H¹ is connected to the other pole through the wire W₁. A handle X
is provided to the lever H¹ for the purpose of re-setting it. This handle passes
through a hole as shown, in the bottom of the frame of the lamp.
Since the magnet Cand the armature E are in effect two opposed electro-magnets
differentially wound in two branches of the same circuit the magnet C being in the
arc branch it results that when the arc is existant and the resistance of the C branch
is comparatively low the strength of the magnet C is high and that of the armature
is low while on the other hand if the arc is extinct the reverse condition of the
magnet and armature follows. Since also a magnet may be attracted by iron it
ensues that when the arc is extinct and the armature is consequently highly
magnetic the armature becomes attracted by the iron posts G and in moving
towards the same communicates motion to the arm R secured thereto and operates
the cut out so that the lever H¹ moves and comes in contact with the conducting
material U, thereby connecting the wires W and W³, in other words short circuiting
the arc.
The invention is not limited to the precise construction hereinbefore described
and shown as it is evident that many modifications may be made therein without
departing from the spirit of the invention.
Instead of attracting the handle X at the left of the lever, it may, if desired be
hung from the right hand end. The resilient plate or flat spring between the two
ring clutches may be substituted by any other form of spring, such as a coil spring
shown in Fig. 8, by the zig-zag line.
I do not claim broadly the application of two or more ring clutches nor of means
for communicating an elastic motion to one or more clutches.
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. In an electric arc lamp, a clutch consisting of the combination of two or more
rings or annular discs, through which passes the carbon or its carrier; and springs
between each two rings, one end of each spring being secured to one of the said
two rings, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. In an electric arc lamp, an armature located above iron posts, and supported
upon a lever which is suitably fulcrumed counterbalanced and connected to a dash
pot and with a clutch by means of levers; the said armature being in a shunt
circuit to the arc and located just below a magnet in a main circuit, substantially
as described and illustrated in the drawings.
3. In an electric arc lamp, the combination of an armature in a shunt circuit to
the arc, a lever supporting said armature, one end of the lever being connected to
a dash pot and the other to a spring, and the armature being located between the

page_text: dash pot and the fulcrum of said lever, a projecting arm to said lever, an iron post
under each pole of said armature, a second lever located under the end of said first
named lever, and a metallic spring having a prepared surface partly of insulating
substance and partly of, conducting substance and pressing upon one end of said
second lever, said second lever being a. conductor of electricity and connected to b
one pole of the main circuit, and said spring and the conducting substance thereon
being connected to the other pole of said main circuit, substantially as and for the
purposes described.