Improvements in Electrical Apparatus for Lighting and Extinguishing Gas-lamps, and for Indicating Automatically whether the Gas is Alight or Extinguished.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 26th Nov., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Electrical Apparatus for Lighting and Extinguishing
Gas-lamps, and for Indicating Automatically whether the Gas is
Alight or Extinguished.
1, AXEL ORLING, of 26, Kungstradgardsgatan, Stockholm, in the Kingdom of
Sweden, Electrician, 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 electrical apparatus for lighting and extinguishing gas-
lamps so arranged that the contact which causes the spark serving to light the gas
is made only when the gas is turned on; a contact-maker secured above the flame
and protecting the ceiling causing a thermo-electroscope situated at any desired
place to indicate whether the gas is alight or extinguished.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which :-
:-
Figure 1 shews a gas burner with my electrical lighting apparatus applied
thereto the parts being in the position they occupy when the electric current is
interrupted.
Figure 2 shows the same when the current is closed.
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic combination shewing the gas burner A, the circuit S,
the electroscope B, the battery C and the induction-coil D.
Figure 4 is a view of the push-knob for lighting and the indicator for shewing
whether the gas is alight or extinguished, all mounted in a small box.
Figure 5 is a vertical section of the gas cock with part of the gas pipe, and
Figure 6 is an elevation of the contact-maker.
The electrical lighting and extinguishing apparatus consists of two electro-
magnets a, the armature of which is pivotted at c. To the armature b is pivotted
a pawl e actuated by a spring and engaging in a ratchet-wheel fixed on the gas-
cock g.
The cock-plug is perforated in two rectangular directions so as to form
passages g the ratchet wheel being provided with eight teeth, so that the cock
when turned to the extent of one tooth at a time is alternately opened and closed.
The same result can obviously be obtained with other numbers of passages provided
the toothed wheel has twice as many teeth as the cock has passages. Close to the
slit or other opening of the burner is a vertical bar h which can be easily displaced
longitudinally and is kept pressed down by a spiral spring, so that its top part
which is bent at an angle rests upon an insulated pin k, with which the coils of
the electro-magnets are connected. The length of the bar his such that it can
be raised by the armature when the latter is moved by the electro-magnets.
Further every other tooth of the ratchet wheel is deeper than the other teeth,
whereby the pawle when being raised approaches and recedes alternately towards
and away from the centre of the cock. In the former case, when the gas is lighted,
the pawl having a shoulder on its back moves free of a stop-pin j, while in the
latter case the pin j prevents the pawl from being raised and in this way the
In the former
armature is prevented from moving sufficiently to raise the bar h.
case there will thus be short interruptions of the current.
The armature does not
move back (before the current is again closed by the lowering of the bar) far
enough to cause the pawl to enter the following tooth of the ratchet wheel, con-
sequently the cock is never turned more than one tooth each time the knob is
pressed. Owing to the short interruptions of the current, it is thus possible by
means of a suitable electric signalling apparatus to indicate by sound at the pressure
knob, whether the gas is lighted or extinguished. When the knob t is pushed the
electric circuit is closed, whereby the lighting apparatus is actuated in such a way
that a spark is emitted from between the points and thus lighting the
gas pipe r forms part of the circuit.
gas.
The

page_text: The thermo-electroscope, Figure 3, consists of induction coils m, a permanent
magnetic needle n, suspended upon a pivot o, and a pendulum shaped hand p con-
nected with the magnetic needle and the two halves of which are of different
colours such as black and white.
which
Above the burner is placed the contact maker shewn in Figure 6 which consists
of a bent lever a' against the shorter arm of which rests one end of a bar
with its other end abuts against a stop e. The bar consisting of a material
susceptible of expansion under the influence of heat is placed above the gas burner
so as to be heated by the gas flame. When the bar is lengthened in this way it
causes the bent lever a to move upon its pivot so that its longer arm encounters
the pin c, whereby contact is made and the thermo-electroscope introduced into
the circuit and connected with an electric battery is deflected thus indicating
that the gas is alight. A spring d' holds the shorter arm of the bent lever against
the bar . The whole is fixed upon a plate gl secured across the burner in the
same way as the corona or consumer Figure 3A.
+
The arrangement represented in Figure 6 can also be used for the automatic
ignition of the gas at a number of burners arranged in succession. This is shewn.
diagrammatically in Figure 7, where by way of example three burners are arranged
in succession. The bent lever can make contact with either of the contact pieces a²
or a, the former when it is not actuated by the bar and the latter when the
bar is expanded by the gas flame and actuates the bent levers as already
described. The bar must of course be placed immediately above the burner,
although on the drawing for the sake of distinctness it is represented at the side
of the burner. If contact be made at A' the electric current passes through
the circuit closed by the contact a', a² at the burner No. 1. and the gas is
lighted at the said burner by the lighting apparatus before mentioned. The bar b
of the burner No. 1. is expanded by the gas flame thus actuating the bent lever,
so that the contact a¹, a³ will be closed. The contact A' is still closed and.at
the burner No. 2. the contact a', 'a is closed, consequently the gas at the latter
burner is lighted the current passing to the burner No. 3. and so on. When the.
gas at all the burners is alight, the contact A' is interrupted. It is evident that,
as the subsequent closing of the contact A' causes the gas at the last burner to be'
extinguished the contact at the same burner a', a will be interrupted, whereby the
current will pass to the last burner but one, which now will be extinguished in its.
order and so on.
Figures 1 and 24 represent a modification of the igniting and extinguishing
apparatus hereinbefore described and represented in Figure 1. This modification
consists in that the armature b is located under the electro-magnets and the end e¹
of the pawle is jointed or pivotted to the other part so that it will descend further
when it snaps into a deep tooth than when it is snapping into a shallow tooth of the
ratchet wheelf. In the first case the cut away part 2 of the end e comes in front
of a stop so that the end e¹ can to some extent pass under it whereas in.the
latter case it cannot do so. When the pawl is engaged in a deep tooth of the
wheel the gas is turned on and the bar his raised, thus causing a spark to be
produced at the contact arranged near the burner, and the gas is thereby lighted.
If the pawl is engaged in a less deep tooth, it will be moved to a smaller extent.so
as to shut off the gas but not to raise the bar h.
In lieu of the contact maker described and represented in Figure 6.a thermo-
electric battery can be used. This is located above the flame like a corona q
Figure 34, protecting the ceiling and is brought into activity by the flame. The
thermo electroscope then gives a deflection, intimating that the gas is alight.
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. In electrical apparatus for lighting and extinguishing gas lamps consisting of
an armature belonging to an electro-magnet, the motion of which armature nortly

page_text: opens a contact arranged near the burner and producing sparks, and partly by
means of a pawl e turns the gas-cock plug a provided with a ratchet wheel, the
arrangement wherein each alternate tooth of the ratchet wheelf is deeper than the
other teeth an obstacle jor k being located in the way of the pawl e which
the pawle can pass, when it engages in a deep tooth but not when it engages in a
less deep tooth of the ratchet wheel, the passages in the plug of the gas cock being
so arranged with relation to the teeth of the ratchet wheel, that the gas is turned
on or off according as the pawl e on turning the cock engages in a deep or shallow
tooth, all with the view, that the contact may be opened for producing sparks, when
the gas is turned on, but the motion of the pawl and consequently that of the
armature may otherwise be limited, so that the gas is shut off but the contact
untouched, substantially as herein before described.
2. In gas burners an arrangement for indicating if the gas is alight or
extinguished consisting of a contact-closer consisting of a bar & adapted above the
burner and which bar, exposed to the heat of the gas flame and composed of a
material which expands under the influence of the heat, is fixed at one end, while
against its opposite end rests the shorter arm of a bent lever in order that, when
the lever moves in consequence of the lengthening of the bar the longer arm of the
bent lever may close a contact and a thermo electroscope placed in the circuit thus
deflect and in this way indicate that the gas is alight, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
3. The arrangement for lighting or extinguishing the gas at a number of burners
in succession by the bent lever making contact with the one or the other of two
contact pieces according as it is actuated or not actuated by the bar & whereby,
after the ignition or the extinction has taken place at one burner the same occurs
at the next burner so that its electric lighting or extinguishing apparatus, owing to
the change of the contact at the first burner, is inserted in the circuit passing
between the burners, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination with gas burners of an arrangement of thermo electric
battery, which in the shape of a corona protecting the ceiling is located above the
burner and a thermo electroscope connected with the said battery, the magnetic
needle of which thermo electroscope being provided with a hand with the view
that the latter shall indicate if the gas is alight or extinguished, substantially as
set forth.
Dated this 25th day of Octohon 1902
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.