Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Apr., 1897.
Complete Specification Left, 26th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1898
I, WILLIAM HENRY DINES, of Oxshott, Leatherhead, Surrey, Graduate of Cam-
bridge University, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows;-
-
My invention relates to an improved sunshine recorder and consists of a balance
adapted to be influenced by the heat of the sun shining upon it and which may also
act as an electric circuit closer in combination with an electro-magnetically operated
recording and circuit breaking device.
The balance consists of a bent glass tube having a blackened bulb at one end
containing ether or other volatile fluid and a mercury column movable under the
variable tension of the vapour, the tube being exhausted of air, sealed, and poised
on knife edges so as to oscillate freely. When the temperature of the blackened
bulb is raised above that of the other part of the tube by the sun shining upon it
the increased tension of the vapour in the bulb drives the mercury up the tube
until it overbalances and causes the tube to oscillate whereupon a pen or pencil is
brought into contact with the paper on a clock driven recording drum. As soon
as the sun ceases to shine the mercury returns towards. the bulb, the tube oscillates
in the reverse direction, and the record is interrupted.
The pen or pencil may be thus operated directly by the balance or through the
medium of electro-magnets in combination therewith. In this case the stops
limiting the motion of the sunshine balance, form circuit closers whereby a circuit
is momentarily closed through one or other of two electro-magnets adapted to
oscillate in opposite directions, as lever carrying terminals adapted to dip into
mercury cups. By the oscillation of the lever in the one direction the circuit of the
electro-magnet by which such oscillation was produced will be broken by the one
terminal rising out of its mercury cup at the same time that the other is immersed.
The oscillation of this lever in the one direction brings the recording pen into
contact with the paper and in the other direction removes it therefrom and the
circuits, and arrangement of. the circuits and the circuit closing and breaking
devices is such that on the closure of the circuit through the one electro-magnet
by the oscillation of the sunshine balance in the one direction the consequent
oscillation of the recording armature lever immediately causes that circuit to be
broken, the current ceasing to flow until the oscillation of the sunshine balance
in the opposite direction momentarily closes the circuit of the other electro-magnet
with a like result.

page_text: manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to a sunshine recording apparatus and consists of a balance
adapted to be influenced by the heat of the sun shining upon it and to act as an
electric circuit closer in combination with an electro-magnetically operated
recording and circuit breaking device.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings
forming part of this specification wherein Figure 1 is a general diagram of the
electrical connections. Figure 2 is a side elevation, Figure 3 an end elevation,
and Figure 4 a plan of the circuit closing balance. Figure 5 is an elevation of
the electro-magnetic recorder and circuit breaker, the drum being only partially
shewn. Figure 6 is a vertical section of the same. Figure 7 is an elevation and
Figure 8 a plan (with the siphon carrying armature removed) of the electro-
magnetic part of the recorder. Figure 9 is an elevation and Figure 10 a plan of
the armature separately and without the siphon carrying arm. The same letters
of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
The balance shewn in Figures 2, 3, 4, consists of a bent glass tube A having a
blackened or partly blackened bulb B at the upwardly bent end of the tube, the
bulb and tube containing ether or other volatile fluid and mercury which is normally
situated at and fills the bend of the tube so as to be movable under the variable
tension of the vapour, the tube being exhausted of air and sealed. The tube is
poised on a horizontal axis a so as to oscillate freely, the axis being situated near
but not quite at the bend so that the weight of the mercury will normally overcome
the weight of the long arm of the tube which then assumes the upwardly inclined
position shewn. When, owing to its greater capacity for absorbing heat, the
blackened bulb B acquires a temperature above that of the other part of the tube
by the sun shining upon it, the tension of the vapour in the bulb drives the mercury
up the long arm of the tube A until its weight overbalances that of the short arm
and bulb and so causes the tube to oscillate. The stops CD which limit the motion
of the balance are the terminals of different electric circuits whilst a lever E carried
by the axis a and oscillating with the balance forms a circuit closer whereby the
circuit of a battery F (Figure 1) is momentarily closed through one or other of
two electro-magnets GH when the balance reaches one or other of its extreme
positions, the wire e being connected with one pole of the battery and with the
lever E through the frame in which the balance is mounted, and the wires g h :
being respectively connected to the electro-magnets GH. These electro-magnets
when energized cause oscillation in opposite directions of an armature I common
to both and carrying terminals adapted to dip into mercury cups g¹h¹ in the
circuits of the electro magnets GH respectively, the cup g₁ connected with the
magnet G being situated at the end of the armature I which is attracted by 4
the magnet H and conversely as regards the cup h¹. The armature I rocks on a
pair of pins i (Figs, 9 & 10) connected, through the armature, with the
terminals and dipping into cups i, one of which may contain mercury and is
connected, by wire 3, with the opposite pole of the battery to that which is
connected with the balance. Or the connection of the pin i with the battery may 4
be by a small spring. By the oscillation of the balance under the effect of sunshine,
the armature being in the position shewn in Figure 6, the circuit is momentarily
closed through the electro-magnet G and the armature is oscillated to the right.
By this movement of the armature the circuit of the electro-magnet G is broken
by the terminal j² rising out of the mercury cup g₁ just before the armature com- 5
pletes its movement. At the same time the terminal i dips into its cup h¹ and
so prepares the circuit of magnet H for closure by the balance. This happens as
soon as the sun ceases to shine, whereupon the mercury in the tube A of the
balance returns towards the bulb B, the balance oscillates in the reverse direction
and so momentarily closes the circuit of maguet H, thus returning the armature I 5
to the position shewn in Figure 6, breaking the circuit of magnet H and again
preparing the circuit of magnet G for closure by the next oscillation of the balance.

page_text: The currents being normally open and only closed momentarily the power of the
battery is saved.
The armature is formed of a plate bent at the middle so that the two halves are
in planes making a slight angle to each other and from the centre of the armature
there rises a rod k which by the rocking movement of the armature becomes inclined
to one or other side of the vertical position. The centre of gravity being above
the support, the armature completes its rocking movement after the circuit through
which that movement was produced is broken. Upon the rod k is pivoted to swing
freely a socket K and arm k¹ carrying an ink-bowl L and syphon tube / which as
the rod k is inclined in the one or other direction is caused by its own gravity to
swing towards and away from a clockwork-operated drum M (Fig. 5) carrying the
paper on which the record is made. Thus by the rocking, under the influence of
the electro-magnet H, of the armature to the right, the point of the ink syphon
tube is brought into contact with the paper on the drum and makes a record
thereon so long as the sun continues to shine. As soon as the armature is rocked
to the left the syphon tube is swung back from the drum and its carrier arm then
rests against a stop pin n on the armature.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The herein described sunshine recording apparatus consisting of an electric
circuit closing balance operating as herein specified and of an electro-magnetically
operated circuit breaker and recording device constructed and operating substan-
tially as set forth.
2. In a sunshine recorder a heat-operated electric circuit closing balance com-
prising a heat sensitive bulb containing a highly volatile fluid and a column of
mercury movable in the tube under the expansion of the vapour in the bulb, the
thermometer being so poised and combined with circuit closing contacts as to
cause one or other of two circuits to be closed according as it has been oscillated in
the one or other direction as specified.
3. In a sunshine recorder the combination with a heat-operated circuit closing
balance constructed and operating to close the circuit of one or other of two electro-
magnets as described, of an armature influenced in opposite directions by the said
magnets and of electrical circuits and circuit breakers so connected with the
armature that the rocking movement of the armature will break the circuit of the
magnet by which the said rocking movement was produced and prepare the circuit
of the other magnet for closure by the balance as specified.
4. In a sunshine recorder the combination with an armature actuating circuit
breakers as described and adapted to be oscillated in opposite directions under the
influence of alternately acting electro-magnets, of an ink siphon recording device
carried by an arm mounted to swing upon an axis inclined to the one or other side
of the vertical by the rocking motion of the armature so as by the displacement
of its centre of gravity to cause the movement of the armature to be completed after
the circuit of the operating magnet is broken and cause the recording point to be
moved into or out of contact with the paper as specified.
Dated this 26th day of Jonna 1908
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.