Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1887
Complete Left, 2nd May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 8th June, 1888
I, SYLVAIN MATHIS of Morlanwez, Belgium, Electrician to the Coal Mines of
Mariemont and of Bascoup, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
This invention relates to regulators for are lamps of the class in which the uniformity
of the arc is obtained by the descent of the upper carbon. This motion is effected in
the regulator hereinafter described by a lever mechanism which through means of a
clamp actuates the carbon holder.
The said regulator comprises a bell crank lever turning upon a fixed point of the
lamp; in holes at the end of the vertical arms of this bell crank lever is articulated a
horizontal clamp lever the clamp of which has an upper and lower shoe which can
alternately embrace the carbon holder placed at the centre of the mechanism. The
horizontal extremity of the bell crank lever is loaded with a counterweight, but instead
of the latter it may be acted upon by a spring or an electromagnet. A third lever
constituting a double rocking lever turns at fixed points of the lamp, which are
situated at such a height relatively to the pivot for the bell crank lever that the clamp
lever shall be between the two arms of the double rocking lever. The latter is provided
on its left-hand arms with an armature and an adjusting screw, and on its right-hand
arms with a stop which by the action of an antagonistic spring bears against a collar
fixed at a suitable height upon a rod of the lamp. An arm extending from this collar
is traversed by a screw which establishes contact with a flat spring thereby closing
the circuit of a derivation which passes to an electromagnet arranged at a proper
distance above the armature on the left hand arms of the rocking lever.
When a
The operation of the regulator takes place in the following manner.
current does not pass through the lamp the carbons touch each other, and the extremity
of the horizontal arm of the bell crank lever is kept in a raised position by a support
or rod arranged below the same, so that the clamp lever provided with shoes at its
extremity is removed from the upper carbon holder. As soon as a current passes
through the lamp it traverses an electromagnet having a coil of thick wire, which
immediately separates the carbons for the formation of the arc, at the same time the

page_text: extremity of the horizontal arm of the bell crank lever leaves its support, and the
counterweight acting upon the said arm presses the extremity of the clamp lever which
is consequently kept suspended in the proper position. As the carbons are being
consumed, the resistance of the are becomes greater, the power of the electromagnet
increases, and the latter attracts its armature, thus causing the rocking lever to swing
upon its pivots independently of the rest of the mechanism. At this moment the
adjusting screw strikes against the extremity of the clamp lever and causes the latter
to swing in its turn independently of the bell crank lever. During this turning
motion of the clamp lever the lower shoe of the clamp relaxes the carbon holder whilst
the lower shoe continues to press upon the same and causes it to descend. During
the swing of the rocking lever the flat spring is separated from the screw held by the
adjustable collar so that the current passing through the coil of the electromagnet is
interrupted until the antagonistic spring brings the rocking lever back to its normal
position and establishes contact again. These motions continue until the normal length
of the arc is restored.
All the motions of the mechanism are effected with such precision and sensitiveness
that differences in the length of the are cannot be detected, and the light is therefore
always regular and steady."
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: represented in the accompanying drawing
in

page_text: so that the slightest jerk is prevented; thus obtaining a mathematically accurate
advance.
If now the friction exerted by the circular sector F upon the carbon-holder is
sufficiently great to effect the descent of the carbon, it will, if it takes place in the
opposite direction, that is to say, if the lever E moves down, the said sector will not
have any effect upon the carbon-holder, because the latter is too heavy relatively to
the weight P, and the sector F therefore slides upon the carbon-holder, whereas this
gravity in the descent rather favours the effect of the friction. It must here be
pointed out that it is the same part F which effects the suspension as well as the
downward movement of the upper carbon T.
The requisite turning movement of the lever E is now effected at the proper
moment, that is to say as soon as the uniformity of the arc is deranged in the least,
by an electromagnet which is inserted in any suitable manner in a branch circuit or
in a shunt, with an automatic interrupting device, and the said turning movement is
transmitted to the lever E by the following arrangement.
.
Upon fixed points 0" of the lamp is pivoted a double rocking lever C. D at such a
height that the lever E is between its two arms. On the left-hand end the double
rocking lever carries the armature A of an electromagnet B, which is arranged at a
suitable height in the shunt relatively to the arc, and an upwards adjustable screw V.
On the right-hand end of the double rocking lever is arranged a stop which, in the
traction of the spring R applied to the rocking lever, bears against the stopping ring N
fixed at a proper height to a suitable part of the lamp. A horizontal arui on the
stopping ring is fitted with a screw V₁ which makes contact with a plate spring on
the side of the double rocking lever, and thus closes the branch current flowing through
the electromagnet B. t is an abutment for the lever L. L'.
When the lamp is without a current, the two carbon points bear against each other,
and the end L of the lever L L is held up by the abutment t so that the friction
sector releases the upper carbon-holder T. As soon as a current is completed through
the lamp, it flows through the coil of thick wire of an electromagnet, and the latter
moves the two carbon-holders asunder to form an arc, by separating the lower from
the upper, and fixing it at the proper distance; at the same time the abutment t is
drawn back and the lever L yields to the weight P, so that the friction-sector Fis
drawn against the upper carbon-holder T, and the latter is thus suspended at the
desired height.
In consequence of the burning away of the carbons, the resistance in the are increases
and the magnetism in the electromagnet B augments and attracts the armature A.
The latter carries with it the double rocking-lever C. D which, being independent of
the remainder of the system, is tilted. In this movement of the rocking lever its
screw strikes against the end of the lever E so that the latter is turned upon its
journals independently of the lever L L'. In consequence of this turning movement
the sector F, by the generation of its circular line, exerts the above mentioned friction
upon the carbon-holder T and pushes it downwards.
In its turning movement the rocking lever CD draws the spring from the contact
screw V¹ so that the branch circuit conducting the current through the electromagnet
is opened again until the spring R pulls the double rocking lever back to the original
position and thereby makes contact again.
The operation is repeated until the arc has again reached its normal length.
All the movements in the regulating apparatus take place with such precision and
sensitiveness that the differences in the length of the are are absolutely inappreciable
and the light remains always steady and in its place.
In Figures 4 and 5 the sector F, in lieu of causing the descent of the positive
carbon direct, is combined with accessory parts acting upon the carbon holder
differentially.
Figures 4 and 5 show in diagram two arrangements, by which this object is
realized.
In the two cases the sector F is suspended exactly in the same manner as in
Figure 3, that is to say from the bell-crank lever L L.

page_text: But instead of acting direct upon the carbon holder, the friction sector F acts
upon the exterior periphery of a friction-disc K which it sets in rotation under the
action of the electro-magnet. The disc R is placed upon the same shaft as a smaller
friction-disc M which acts direct upon the rod T in order to cause its descent. In
this manner the motion of the sector F is transmitted to the carbon-holder T by
differential movement, which renders the regulator still more sensitive, and effects an
operation of the greatest precision, considering that the amount of movement can be
regulated at will, and rendered infinitely small by the limitation of the turning move-
ments of the lever E and by the relative dimensions of the friction-discs K and M.
The disc M develops by successive rotations its entire periphery upon the rod T
in order to cause it to descend, whilst the discs cannot turn in the opposite direction
because the largest, K, is retained by a brake, in order to prevent this movement..
In this respect also this arrangement presents greater stability than if the friction
sector Facts direct upon the carbon-holder.
The arrangement represented in Figure 5 is similar to that in Figure 4 except that
the disc M is replaced by gear-wheel M' which engages with a corresponding rack of
the carbon-holder.
It is easy to see that this mode of transmission can be multiplied at will and thus
obtain infinitely small forward movements of the carbon-holder provided that the
accessory parts of the transmitting device are always actuated by the friction sector F
so as to obviate jerking movements in the descent of the carbon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First. A regulator for electric arc lamps, consisting of the friction sector F pivoted
in the bell-crank lever L L', and keeping, under the action of the weight P, the
upper carbon T suspended at a suitable height, whilst the said carbon is forced down-
wards, in consequence of the upward turning movement of the lever E by the same
sector F turning radially upon its journals and exerting upon the carbon-holder a
uniform friction, which action is caused by the double rocking lever CD, which swings
independently under the action of the shunt electromagnet B with an automatic
interrupting device, and the drawing-off spring R, forcing the end of the lever E
upwards at the proper moments by means of its adjusting screw V.
Second. The combination of the friction sector F with a friction disc K carrying
upon its axis a smaller disc M acting direct upon the carbon-holder T which thus
receives motion by differential transmission, substantially as herein before described
and represented in Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawing.
The Und day of
EATARAT
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
By 2nd day of
EAAYAT
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.