Improvements in Differential and other Arc Lamps.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Mar., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 6th May, 1887.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Differential and other Arc Lamps.
We, JOHANN KLEISSL and ARTHUR DUFFEK, Manufacturers, of Pilsen in the
Kingdom of Bohemia and Austrian Empire 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 :-
The object of the improvements hereinafter described is to regulate simply and
accurately the position of the carbon in differential and other electric arc lamps;
they have the advantage of easily and safely establishing the are, regulating it
directly and regularly and rendering the construction of the whole lamp very simple.
Figure 1 shows a front view of the lamp with the solenoids in section.
Figure 2 side view of the regulating apparatus.
Figure 3 shows the upper part of the latter, especially the weight lever B in
combination with the pulley 6 and the iron piece Q.
Figure 4 is a plan of the regulating apparatus.
Figure 5 shows the guides of the carbon holder n.
Figures 6 and 7 refer to the modification of the mode of construction shown in
Figures 1 to 5 Figure 6 showing the regulating apparatus of a lamp in which the
solenoids are replaced by a single electro magnet.
Lastly Figure 7 shows a lamp in which the carbon holder and the anchor
escapement or lever escapement are altered.
The construction of this lamp is as follows:
On the ground or base plate H referring to Figures 1 to 5 are fixed the two
hobbins CC, of these is wound with a strong or thick wire and C with a weak
or thin wire so that C has a greater and a lesser electrical resistance.
Both bobbins are held by the frame G, in which the regulating mechanism
is arranged.
The main axis on the frame carries the two pulleys and, outside the frame,
on which pulleys run the cords or chains e e; and also, inside the frame, the toothed
wheels which gears with an intermediate wheel s¹. On the axis of the intermediate
wheel is set the escapement wheel c, with which the escapement lever a gears.
The escapement lever a is so arranged that its blade or part turned towards the
bobbin C in the normal position of the escapement catch is nearer to the pins of the

page_text: escapement wheel e than the blade which is turned towards the bobbin C, so that
it only gears on one side with the escapement wheel c. By means of the axis,
it is firmly connected with the weight lever or balance arm B. The latter carries
at each end respectively the pieces of iron QQ, which can move up and down in the
bobbins C. By means of the adjusting screws ww, the suspension or position
of the pieces of iron QQ, in the wire bobbins CC can be regulated within certain
limits. The movement of the escapement lever a or the weight lever B is regulated
by the adjusting screws placed at the top of the frame G. A pulley rests
and revolves on a lever, and the latter can swing up and down on the axis
on the frame G. At its outer end, the lever is connected with the adjusting screw
spindle, which passes through an arm on the balance arm B, and bears at
its upper end the nut h.
and
The adjusting nut h is set at a certain distance from the arm 7. This distance
is governed by the extent of the path which the lever B describes on the screw
spindle. Over the pulley = there passes a cord chain or other suitable pulley
tackle e, which passes round a greater pari of the circumference of the pulley
then passes on to the sheave on the axis at, the other end of the cord is connected
with the carbon holder n, which can move up and down in the slit tube F. This
slit guide tube F itself is insulated from the ground plate H. The cord e is
connected with the other carbon holder which is guided in the tube F¹; the
other end of this corde is wound over the pulley . As shown in Figure 1,
the cords e el are so wound that when the shaft moves in one direction or the other,
one rope is wound up, while the other rope is unwound; by this means, when the
shafte turns in the direction of the arrow I the carbon holder t, with the carbon k
belonging thereto is moved downwards, and the carbon hokler n, with the carbon
belonging thereto is moved upwards.
The weight
o serves to secure the downward movement of the carbon holder t,
which is connected therewith, and it likewise serves to guide the carbon holder in
the tube F.
As the combustion of the positive carbon is, in relation to that of the negative
carbon, in the proportion of about 2 to 1, the radii of the pulleys and are about
in the proportion of 2 to 1, so that the positive carbon is moved forwards twice
as quickly as the negative carbon, and thus the carbons remain in relatively
the same position.
The cord el, a little above the ground plate H., is also passed over the pulley m.
The working of the lamp described in Figures 1 to 5 is as follows:-
with which
When the lamp is put in circuit i.c. when the current is switched on the positive
current enters at the contact screw or connector 2, thence it passes through the
bobbin C which has the greater resistance, then by the connection m' to the contact
screw or connector 1, which is insulated from and attached to the ground plate H,
and then back to the battery or dynamo machine. Through the current in the
bobbin the piece of iron Q, which hangs on the arm B, is drawn into the hobbin,
so that it moves downwards. Thus the lever B is also moved downwards, on its
right hand side (Figure 1), so that the catch a firmly connected with the lever B
moves on the left side, out of the pins of the escapement wheel
it previously geared thus the escapement wheel is set free, and the whole of the
wheel work is made to revolve by the weight, > on the carbon holder t, so that the
axis moves in the direction of the arrow I. But the movement of the axis
in that direction causes the carbon holder t, with the carbon k, to move downwards
while at the same time the carbon holder on the corde is moved upwards; thus
the carbons are moved towards each other until they meet. At the same moment
that the contact of the two carbon points takes place, the current, instead of passing
through the hobbin C of greater resistance, goes from the connector 2 through the
ground plate El and thence by means of the tube I, the carbons, the carbon
holder and the tube F, into the bobbin c¹ of lesser resistance; thence it passes
through the connector 1 back to the battery or dynamo machine. In consequence
of the current passing through the hobbin C, the piece of iron Q' is drawn into the

page_text: bobbin C. whereby the left side of the lever B is drawn downwards. and thus
the left blade of the catch a is geared into the escapement wheel : by this, the
regulating mechanism is brought to a standstill. In the above described movement
of the weight lever B, the regulating apparatus is not included in the description.
Upon the last mentioned downward movement of the lever B on its left hand side,
the screw nuth, which was pushed up when the left lever arm moved upwards,
is again drawn downwards, and the pulley drops with its own weight; thus the
cord and with it the lower carbon holder of the carbon k¹, also move downwards,
so that the upper carbon is somewhat removed from the lower one, and in this way
a light are is set up. But as the light are gets longer through the combustion of
the carbons, and the resistance in the main current circuit becomes thus stronger,
the current in the main circuit thereby becomes weaker, and in the subsidiary
current stronger. The main current passes from the connector 2 through the
carbons and to the connector 1; the bobbin C inserted in the subsidiary
current, draws the piece of iron Q somewhat down, by reason of increasing strength
of the subsidiary current; the lever B moves slightly and in consequence
thereof the escapement catch allows a pin of the escapement wheel to pass.
Thus the upper carbon & moves slightly downwards, the light are becomes shorter and
the current in the main circuit is thereby strengthened again. On the other hand the
subsidiary current in the bobbin is again weakened consequently the bobbin again
sets the piece of iron Q free, and the catch blade on the left side again gears with the
escapement wheel. When the carbons go on burning, the operation recommences as
the current in the main circuit becomes stronger again. Now as the current in the
main circuit does not suddenly decrease, and consequently the current in the subsidiary
circuit does not suddenly increase, the pushing together of the carbon is not effected
by starts but steadily and continuously, always maintaining an equal pace with the
combustion of the carbon. The screw nut on the upper end of the screw is set
at a certain distance from the arm . This distance is regulated by the extent of the
path which the lever B, and thus also the arm /, describes. In the regulating of the
light-are, the arm describes the path from no to mo (Figure 3), merely therefore as
far as the screw nut h. This path amounts to about one millimetre; but on the lamp
being brought into work and a light-are is consequently being set up (i.c. on the
lighting up of the lamp) the lever B makes a much greater movement of about seven
millimetres, so that the adjusting nut is thereby raised up. As the screw nut his
firmly connected with the pulley, in forming the light are the pulley is moved
upwards and consequently the carbon holder à is moved upwards to a considerable
extent. By the adjusting screw p, you can regulate the distance apart at which the
carbon points are to be burned, in order that the automatic pushing together of the
carbons by the regulating mechanism may occur. The regulation of the distance of
the carbon points is also effected, if one of them should suddenly break off. The lamp
thus regulates itself entirely according to the difference of the strength of the currents
of the main circuit and the subsidiary circuit; a whole series of lamps may therefore
be set in one or several circuits.
In the arrangement in Figure 6, the bobbin C with the piece of iron Q are replaced
by the electro magnet PQ and the piece E.
In this case, the weight-lever B has at its right end the piece of metal E while on
the left side the piece of iron Q and the bobbin are replaced by an adjustable
spring M (Figure 6). The mode of working is then the same as above described.
The pulley is similarly arranged and revolves on the lever B.
In the arrangement
shown in Figure 7, the apparatus is constructed thus: the carbon
lower carbon is arranged so as to move on the pivoty and the
moved up and down by means of a rack e. The rack e gears with
is connected by wheels with the toothed escapement wheel c.
catch a on the lever N gears into the teeth of the escapement wheel
moves upon the axis. The escapement a has at its lower end M a
lower end terminates in a screw with the screw nut L thereon. The lower carbon
holder F can easily move on the axis y. If the light-are is to be set up, the current.
holder of the
upper carbon is
the pinion a* which
The escapement or
and the lever N
bar h, which at its

page_text: goes through the electromagnet Q P and to the battery or dynamo in doing so-by
means of the electromagnet. Q Pit attracts the iron attraction piece E; con-
sequently the escapement catch a releases the ratchet or escapement wheel e, and the
rack e can drop with its own weight or by means of the load O ait until the carbon meets
the carbon of the lower carbon holder. As soon as this occurs, the current passes
through the carbonsk¹ to the battery or dynamo as the connector 2 is in direct
connection with the carbon holder F. When the current in the electro magnets has
in this way decreased, the iron piece E is released by the electro-magnet Q P and the
end of the escapement A (which descends) gears with the toothed wheel, so that the
rack e is prevented from falling any lower.
With the escapement. A the bar h also descends, the screw nut releases the carbon
holder F, so that the carbon moves away from the carbon of the upper carbon
holder, and thus the light are is set up.
In the regulating of the light-are, the lower carbon holder remains at rest, because
the rod connected with the escapement a can at most describe a path from mo to no.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
(1.) In differential and other electric are lamps, the pulley (Figures 1 to 6) which
by means of the screw, adjusting nut and arm 1, is in such connection with the
lever B carrying the pieces of iron or the electro-magnet attraction piece, that in the
regulating of the lamp, it remains at rest but is raised when the light are is started or
first set up substantially in the manner herein before described and represented in
Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.
(2.) The escapement catch a, which is firmly connected with the lever B, and is so
arranged thai, before the setting up of the light are, it is brought, by the attraction of
one or more pieces of iron, into such a position, that one of the escapement. blades
moves away from the pins of the escapement, wheel c, thus releasing the escapement.
wheel in consequence of which the carbon holders are released and the carbon points
brought together and the circuit thereby completed substantially as hereinbefore
described and represented in Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings hereto annexed.
(3.) The bar at the lower pari m of the escapement a in connection with the lower
carbon holder turning on axis y as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and
represented in Figure 7 of the drawings hereto annexed.
(4.) The arrangement construction and combination of paris constituting our
improved differential electric are lamps arranged to act in the manner and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and represented in the drawings annexed.
Datind this 7ih day of March 1887
Daid this 7ih day of March 1887
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.