IMPROVEMENTS IN ARC LAMPS
Year: 1884

page_text: I'JAMES BROCKIE of Brixton in the County of Surrey, Electrical Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of said Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS IN ARC LAMPS":
to be as follows:-
This invention refers to an improved method of arranging the circuit and duty
of a regulating relay in an arc lamp, and also to an improved method of working
relays of ordinary arrangement and duty common in such apparatus.
I arrange the relay circuit in series with that of the magnet or solenoid which
actually works or controls the feeding mechanism. I arrange the relay armature
when it is attracted by its magnet and so makes contact, to cut out the relay coil
or part of it, this of course has the immediate effect of strengthening the current in
the remaining operating coil and therefore it performs its regulating duty (such as
lifting a brake off the last wheel in the lamp train, or directly influencing a brake
or clip which grasps the carbon holder rod) Immediately however the relay makes
contact as above explained, the relay magnet is momentarily demagnetized (as it is
cut out or short circuited) and the contact is therefore again broken, this operation
being repeated until the are becomes of its pre-arranged resistance by the approach
of the carbons. The normal condition of the above arrangement is, that the current
traverses both the relay and the operating magnet circuits (as they are in series)
except during the operation of regulation when the relay is cut out and the
regulating magnet is thus strengthened. I also propose to wind the operating
magnet in opposite directions and in series with the relay, I arrange that when the
relay makes contact the coils of the relay and one set of coils of the operating
magnet are cut out or short circuited. The normal condition of this arrangement
is that the shunt current traverses the relay coils and both coils of the operating
magnet but as these latter are wound in reverse directions as explained the
operating magnet will be practically non-polarized, even although a strong current
exists but when the relay makes contact and so cuts out one set of the reverse
coils the magnet will immediately acquire a decided polarity and attract its
armature, thus securing a regulating movement. I apply a lever operated by the
regulating magnet of an electric lamp, which lever is used to strike the relay
armature in such a manner as to separate the relay contacts at each vibration of
the regulating lever; the object of this arrangement being to prevent all sparking
at the relay contacts this is secured because the circuit will always be broken at
the make and break contacts of the operating magnet before the relay contacts

page_text: are separated; this method also secures the return of the relay to its zero or normal
position at each impulse of the feeding lever so that no hunting or sticking of the
relay takes place.
I propose to use a simple controlling device in combination with the before
described vibrating relay in order to operate the carbon holder rod and secure an
exceedingly slow and certain movement of the carbons.
This consists of a clip constructed of two springs attached to a block, the
free ends of the springs grip each side of the carbon holder rod like tongs with
sufficient force to sustain its weight and keep it in a fixed position. These two
springs I make slightly arched outwards from the rod; to the centre of one of these
springs I fix an armature which is influenced by the operating magnet so that when
the said magnet is active the spring will be straightened to a slight extent, this
movement will therefore cause the free end of the spring which presses against the
holder to move a small distance. This movement has the effect of urging forward
the holder a minute amount and as before explained, the current circulating round
the operating magnet being rapidly varied by the action of the relay, the spring
will be kept in a state of vibration until the normal resistance of the arc is obtained
by the approach of the carbons. I may also use a curved spring pawl to rotate a
ratchet wheel in an arc lamp in order to urge forward the carbon rod, the operating
magnet attracts an armature which tends to straighten the curved pawl and so
produces a forward movement of the free end of the pawl and therefore a partial
rotation of the ratchet into which it gears; at each impulse of the operating
magnet. The said spring pawl of course may be used to operate upon the carbon
holder rod directly.
Dated this Twenty fourth day of Tanname 1881.

page_text: "
I, JAMES BROCKIE of Brixton in the County of Surrey Electrical Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ARC LAMPS
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention refers to an improved method of arranging the circuit and duty
of a regulating relay in an arc lamp and also to an improved method of working
relays of ordinary arrangement and duty common in such apparatus. The
invention will be best understood by describing same with reference to the
accompanying drawings. Referring to Figure 1 I arrange the relay A in series with
that of the magnet or solenoid B which actually works or controls the feeding
mechanism, shown as consisting of a brake lever L pressing upon the wheel W as
usual in lamps having wheel work to retard the descent of the upper carbon rod.
I arrange the relay armature C when it is attracted by its magnet A and-so makes
contact at S, to cut out the relay coil or part of it, (in the drawing the whole of
the relay coil A will be cut out or short-circuited); this of course has the immediate
effect of strengthening the current in the remaining operating coil B as the
resistance of the shunt circuit is reduced and therefore it performs its regulating
duty by lifting the brake L off the last wheel W as shown, or directly influencing
or working a brake or clip which grasps the carbon holder 10d. The normal
condition of the above arrangement is, that the current traverses both the relay
and the operating magnet coils A and B (as they are in series as shown by the
connecting wire D) except during the operation of regulation when the relay A is
cut out by the contacts S and the regulating magnet is thus strengthened as
explained. The relay A and operating magnet B are of course placed in a shunt
circuit across the arc and when the arc becomes too resisting the relay armature C
is attracted until the contact at S is made and thus by cutting out or short-
circuiting the relay the operating magnet B is momentarily strengthened and so
lifts the brake off the wheel W permitting the carbons to approach; in practice the
relay armature is almost continuously in a state of vibration and the wheel W,
therefore is stopped and started at minute portions of a revolution and the approach
of the carbons cannot be perceived.
Referring to Figure 2 I wind the operating magnet B with two coils as shown.
but in opposite directions and in series with the relay A. I arrange that when
the relay makes contact, the coils of the relay and one set of coils B³ are cut out
or short circuited. The normal condition of this arrangement is that the shunt,
current traverses the relay coils and both cils of the operating magnet as shown
by the connections, but as these latter B and B are wound in reverse directions as
explained, the operating magnet will be practically non-polarized even although a
strong current exists, but when the relay A makes contact and so cuts out one set
of the reverse coils B³, the operating magnet immediately acquires a decided
polarity and attracts its armature L thus securing a regulating movement by the
revolution of the wheel W.
I work relays of ordinary arrangement and duty common in electric lamps, as
shown at Figures 3 and 4. Referring to Figure 3 I apply a lever or lifter M
operated by the regulating magnet B in an electric lamp which lever M is used to
strike the relay armature C'in such a munner as to separate the relay contacts S
י.

page_text: at each vibration of the regulating brake lever L as shown; the object of this
arrangement being to prevent all sparking at the relay contacts, this is secured
because the circuit of B will always be broken at the make and break contacts of
the operating magnet B before the relay contacts are separated, (that is, if a make
and break arrangement is used); this method also secures the return of the relay
armature C to its zero or normal position at each impulse of the feeding or
regulating lever L so that no "hunting" or sticking of the relay contacts takes
place. By arranging the relay A and operating coil B as in Figure 4.the lever or
striker M may be dispensed with as the influence of the upper pole of the operating
coil B will be enough to secure the return of the relay armature C to its normal
position at each impulse of the operating coil. It will be seen that in Figures 3
and 4 the relays A are in a shunt circuit across the arc and the operating coils B
are in separate circuits also across the are, the duty of the relay being to complete
the circuit of the coil B by means of the lever C and contacts S as shown; and in
both cases the operating coil or magnet B has the double duty of first-lifting the
brake lever L (and so permitting the carbons to approach) and second securing the
return of the relay armature C to its normal condition. In practice the relay
armature is constantly making and breaking contact because no sooner is the
circuit of B completed by the lever C than it is again pushed by the lever M or
drawn back to zero and the contact thus broken, the result being that the operating
magnet B is magnetised and de-magnetised very rapidly and therefore a slow
movement of the wheel W is secured. I use a simple controlling device in com-
bination with the before described vibrating relay and magnet in order to operate.
the carbon holder rod and secure an exceedingly slow and certain movement of the
carbons. This consists of a clip constructed of two springs attached to a block, as
in Figure 5, the two clips S S grasp the carbon holder R with a light pressure and
the armatures B B are attracted inwards by the pole of the operating magnet
which is suitably placed between the said two armatures, by this operation the two
springs are slightly straightened and the free or lower ends thus force the carbon
holder rod R. downwards by a very slow movement. Only one spring need be
supplied with an armature, the other spring may remain idle and simply exercises.
sufficient pressure on the rod R to keep it from falling by gravity.
The said vibrating relay and operating coil to permit the approach of the carbons
may be utilized as shown at Figure 4 by causing the operating coil B to lift the
end of the clutch W and so by raising it to a more horizontal position the grip of
the clutch is relaxed and allows the rod R to slip, it will be seen that the rod R
is lifted at the other end W2 of the clutch by the main magnet of the lamp K ;
this method of operating a clutch at one end by the main magnet in order to
obtain the arc and lifting it at the other end by a shunt coil to permit the feed of
the carbons being fully described in the specification of Patent granted to me
dated 4th May 1881 N° 1942 and which method is worked very advantageously
when operated by the vibrating magnet as before described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is-
First In an electric arc lamp placing an electro magnet in series with the
operating or feeding shunt magnet which first magnet by means of its armature
when attracted cuts itself out of circuit momentarily and thus the remaining
operating magnet coil is sufficiently strengthened to perform its regulating duty
substantially as described and shown with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying
drawings.
Second: In an electric arc lamp placing an electro magnet in scries with the
operating or feeding shunt magnet which latter is wound in reverse directions, in
order that when the first electro magnet makes contact by its armature, one set of
the reverse coils and also the coil of the said electro magnet itself are momentarily
cut out, thus leaving only one coil in the shunt circuit, this latter coil energizing

page_text: the operating magnet momentarily and thus the feed of the carbons is permitted
all substantially as described and with reference to Figure 2.
Third In an electric arc lamp having a relay in the regulating shunt circuit
the returning of the armature to zero at each impulse of the operating magnet
substantially as described and shown with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the
accompanying drawings.