An Improvement in Automatic Apparatus for Intermittent Gas Lights.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Dec., 1895-Accepted, 4th Jan., 1896
An Improvement in Automatic Apparatus for Intermittent
Gas Lights.
I, WILLIAM BENNETT RICKMAN of Pintsch's Patent Lighting Company
Limited, of 38 Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, 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 automatic apparatus of the kind described in the
Specification No. 14,115 of 1895, employed on buoys, or in beacons or elsewhere
for giving flashing or intermittent lights the gas which supplies the flame being
supplied for a time to the burner and then for a time nearly stopped, and so on
alternately.
It has been found that in employing the known apparatus for this purpose, when
the gas is suddenly supplied to the burner after temporary observation there is at
first not sufficient draught to cause adequate supply of air for combustion and
consequently there is a smoky flame which blackens the lantern glass. The object
of my invention is to provide against this by rendering the supply of gas after
observation gradual, as I shall describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the automatic intermitting apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a plan to an enlarged scale of the valve gear and
Fig. 3 is a section on the line X X of the duct for supplying gas to the burner,
with the valve and lever shewn in elevation.
Much of the apparatus shewn in the drawings is already known and in use, but
I proceed to describe it in order that my invention may be the better understood.
The gas entering at A passes the regulating valve a into a chamber C covered
by the flexible diaphragm B, to which is connected the lever of the regulating
valve a acted on by an adjustable spring in the known way.
According as the diaphragm B is raised or lowered by the pressure in the
chamber C the valve a closes or opens more or less the gas inlet so as to maintain
the pressure constant or nearly so in the chamber.
From C the gas passes by a pipe D to an opening furnished with a valve d,
which, when open, admits gas into an upper chamber E. The valve d is on an
arm K. The chamber E is covered by a flexible diaphragm F pressed down by a
spring. To this diaphragm is attached a vertically sliding stem having a pair of
collars with a pair of sharp edged studs f, between which is engaged one arm of a
lever pivotted at 9, its other arm G being made as a fork engaging somewhat free
between its prongs a lever H' projecting from an arm of a rock shaft H which has
springs bearing against its arms. On the rock shaft H there is a pair of arms
with adjustable screws between which is engaged a stud projecting from the
lever K. Assuming this lever to be in the position shewn in Fig. 1, then gas,
entering the chamber E by the open valve d causes the diaphragm F to rise
raising with it the stem and the studs f. By this movement the lever G is moved
and also the rock shaft H its arms compressing the springs h until these arms pass
their horizontal position when the springs cause the rock shaft to make a sudden
movement such that the one of the screws k is rapidly withdrawn from and the
other is rapidly brought against the stud of the lever K, thus causing the valve d
o close. The other arm K¹ of K in its back stroke, when the valve d is opened,
neets a stop d¹.

page_text: At each side of the valve d is a spring which on passing their point of maximum
compression cause the valve to complete suddenly its opening or closing movement.
The arrangement so far described is old, now according to my present invention
I fix on the rock shaft H a slotted arm L engaging in its slot a pin projecting from
one arm of a lever M to the other arm of which is pivotted a spring pawl N in
form of a hook. This hook engages the arm of a spring lever P to which is
attached a valve e covering a passage which communicates by a pipe R with a
space S communicating with the burner T. At Q, or it might be in any place
communicating with the pipe R is a small hole forming a by-pass for sufficient
gas to maintain the burner just alight when the valve e is closed.
The apparatus operates in the following manner :
h
Assuming the inlet valve d to be open so that the space E becomes charged with
gas raising the diaphragm F and its stem and studs ff. These move the lever G
until it meets the lever H' and depresses it until the springs / pass their point of
maximum compression, whereupon they cause the rock shaft H to make a sudden
turning movement, moving the lever K and thus suddenly closing the inlet valve d.
Gas passes slowly by the by-pass Q to the burner, the diaphragm F slowly
descending in obedience to the spring.
The studs then move the lever G, and through H' moves the rock shaft H'so
that the lever L descends, moving the lever M and raising the hook pawl N. By
this movement, after the valve d is closed, the valve e is gradually opened giving
supply of gas to the burner until the lever M attains such a position that the
lever P escapes the hook N and the valve e closes, shutting off supply to the
burner and so reducing the flame almost to extinction. When the diaphragm F
approaches the end of its down stroke one of the screws k acting on the lever K
cause the valve d to open and thereupon the cycle of action is repeated.
Fig. 4 is a plan shewing a modified arrangement of the levers for working the
valve e, Fig. 5 shewing these levers in elevation.
According to this construction, a lever L' fixed on the axis H engages with a
spring book N' pivotted on a lever M' to which is attached the valve e from which
a pipe R leads to the burner chamber S. When the lever L¹ by the partial
rotation of His moved to the dotted position it escapes the hook N¹ and there-
upon the lever M₁ is urged upwards by a spring m¹ closing the valve e thereby
reducing the light, the burner being then supplied only by the by-pass Q.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In automatic apparatus for intermittent gas light, the combination of the
rock shaft H the levers L and M hook pawl N, spring lever P and valve e
arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The modified arrangement of the levers L', M', hook pawl N¹ and valve e
substantially as described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1895
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.