Improvements in Clocks.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 15th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 15th July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Clocks.
I, GUSTAV RAAp, of 36ª, Blumenstrasse, Berlin, in the Empire of Germany,
Mechanician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
My invention relates to clocks of the kind in which what are known as conical
pendulums, that is to say, pendulums which revolve and describe a cone in their
revolution are employed.
In
According to my said invention the clock is driven by a small rotating motor
operating the arm driving the pendulum or the axle of one of the train of wheels
moving the hands and preferably the wheel making the greatest number of revolu-
tions whereby driving weights or springs are dispensed with. The motor may be,
for instance, a small wind wheel which is set in motion by the current of air
produced by some source of heat (as for instance a small gas flame) or by the
draught of a chimney, or by rarefied or compressed air, or in any other way.
place of such a small wind motor any other revolving motor may be selected and
serve the same purpose, as for example a small water motor worked by flowing
water, a small electric motor, or the like. The direct transference of the rotatory
motion of such a motor to that spindle of the train of wheels for driving the hands
which makes the largest number of revolutions is effected in a simple manner by
constituting a prolongation of the vertical axle of the motor as the axle to be
driven.
This axle then carries at its upper end a horizontal arm which sets in rotation
the rotating pendulam which is suspended over it, so that the latter only serves to
control the number of revolutions of the axle.
The indirect transference of the rotatory movement of the motor to the spindle
may be effected by interposing the pendulum itself between the motor and the
spindle to be turned so that the pendulum, in addition to controlling the speed, has
also to perform the duty of setting the spindle in rotation. An indirect transference
may also be effected, when the axle of the motor is horizontal (as for instance in
the case of a small water wheel) by transmitting the rotary movement of the axle
to a vertical spindle by means of bevel wheel gearing or the like, which vertical
spindle also either forms the spindle of the train of wheels which drives the hands,
or sets the pendulum in motion first, the spindle being caused to rotate by the
pendulum.
Dated th 10th 1er of July 1892
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Clocks.
I, GUSTAV RAAP, of 36 Blumenstrasse, Berlin, in the Empire of Germany,
Mechanician, 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 :-
My invention relates to clocks of the kind in which what are known as conical
pendulums, that is to say, pendulums which revolve and describe a cone in their
revolution are employed.
According to my said invention the clock is driven by a small rotating motor
operating the arm driving the pendulum or the axle of one of the train of wheels

page_text: moving the hands and preferably the wheel making the greatest number of revolu
tions whereby driving weights or springs are dispensed with. The motor may be,
for instance, a small wind wheel which is set in motion by the current of air
produced by some source of heat (as for instance a small gas flame) or by the
draught of a chimney, or by rarefied or, compressed air, or in any other way. In
place of such a small wind motor any other revolving motor may be selected and
serve the same purpose, as for example a small water motor worked by flowing
water, a small electric motor or the like, the direct transference of the rotatory
motion of such a motor to that spindle of the train of wheels for driving the bands
which makes the largest number of revolutions may be effected in various ways.
The example shewn in the diagrammatic views at Figures 1 to 5 serve to explain
this, the motor being shown in such views in dotted outline. In all the forms the
pendulum P is so suspended that the pendulum rod describes the surface of a
cone. The axis which is simply indicated at a forms a ball joint affording motion
in all directions. In the example shown in Figure 1 the motive energy is trans-
mitted to the spindle g of the train of wheels of the hands by the pendulum P, the
wheel-work or the motor L engaging with the lower end c of the pendulum rod p
by means of a slotted crank b. The lower end e of the pendulum rod p will describe
a circle of greater or less radius according to the speed of the motor, so that the
point c will take up its position in the slot of the crank b of the motor, which crank
revolves round the axis x. The pendulum rod p is carried upward beyond the
point of rotation a, and is so curved that it can drive the crank of the driving
spindle of the train of wheels of the hands, which spindle is arranged in the
vertical axis of rotation of the pendulum as shown in the drawing. The movement
of rotation produced by the motor L is thus transferred to the driving spindle g
through the intervention of the pendulum P. In this instance the axle w of the
motor is supposed to be arranged vertically.
C
If this axle be placed horizontally, the form to be used is that shown in Figure 2,
where the rotation is not transmitted immediately from the motor to the pendulum
but through the intervention of bevel-wheel gearing. Instead of allowing the
motor to act upon the pendulum first, the spindle g may itself be driven by the
motor, as is shown in Figures 3 and 4, in which case the pendulum is set in. rotation
by means of its prolongation ». In the arrangement shown in Figure 3 the axle of
the motor L is directly connected with the spindle g of the train of wheels of the
hands, which arrangement is especially suitable for clocks driven by an electric
current.
If the axle of the motor be placed horizontally, its motion may be transmitted to
the spindle g by means of a pair of bevel-wheels. If it be desired to convert the
motion into a slower one at the same time, a worm and wheel gearing may advan-
tageously be used instead of the pair of bevel wheels as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 5 shows yet another example in which the prolongation of the pendulum
rod described above is not employed. The motor axle is directly connected
with the spindle g and the pendulum is caused to work above it by the
motor axle having a slotted crank in which the lower end of the pendulum
engages in a similar manner to that shown in Figure 1.
It is evident that the examples above mentioned allow of being still further
modified, but those given may suffice to render intelligible the principle upon
which the invention is based. In every case the rotating motor drives the train
of wheels of the hands and the rotating pendulum controls the rate of revolution
of the motor.
Figures 6 to 9 illustrate the method of constructing the example shown in
Figure 1. The motor consists of a small wind wheel A which rotates in bearings
in the lower part of the clock case upon a pivot s and has a hollow axle w which
is placed vertically, Figures 6 and 8. The space below the wheel A is connected
with a channel B in which a small flame D burns constantly. This flame which
vonsumes only about 10 cubic metres of gas yearly, produces a current of air in the
chanuei B, which current sets the wheel A in rotation. The upright axle w has

page_text: the slotted lever at its upper end, and in the slot vengages the point c at the
lower end of the pendulum P which is suspended at a, Figures 6 and 7. The
prolongation with which the pendulum is furnished above the point a is firmly
connected with the pendulum rod proper p by a stirrup t, which is Z-shaped, as
shown in Figures 6 and 7. In these figures the pendulum is shown in its position
of rest, whilst its widest swing is shown by dotted lines. Figure 8 illustrates the
pendulum in vibration. A carrier d is so attached to the upper end of the
prolongation that its point d' lies in the axis of rotation of the pendulum when
the latter is at rest, so that when the pendulum is in rotation the point d¹ describes
a circle. This point d¹ engages in the slot of the slotted crank upon the vertical
spindle g.
On the spindle which also lies in the axis of rotation of the
pendulum P, is a worm h which engages with the worm wheel ¹ on the minute
arbor i. On the arbor i there is a two-toothed driver n which serves to drive the
wheel. The proportion in transferring this driving action is so chosen that the
wheel makes two revolutions in an hour.
By a further toothed gearing with a proportion of 1 to 2 the rotatory motion of
the wheel is communicated to the hour spindle. If the clock is to have a striking
mechanism the pendulum may at the same time serve to wind up the latter, or the
striking mechanism may be so arranged as to be driven directly by the wheels of
the clock in the usual way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A clock with a revolving pendulum in combination with a rotating motor for
driving that axle of the train of wheels of the hands which performs the greatest
number of revolutions and having a device for regulating the speed by means of
the pendulum.
2. The method of constructing a clock such as is claimed in Claim 1 consisting
in connecting its pendulum with a wind wheel at its lower end, the vertical axis of
rotation of the wind wheel coinciding with the axis of rotation of the pendulum,
and the wheel being set in motion by a current of air substantially as hereinbefore
described.
Dated the 15th day of 1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.