IMPROVEMENTS IN REGULATING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC ARC LAMPS
Year: 1884

page_text: We ROOKES EVELYN BELL CROMPTON of Mansion House Buildings Queen
Victoria Street in the City of London Engineer and TOM CRABB of Arc Works
Chelmsford in the County of Essex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN REGULATING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC ARC
LAMPS to be as follows:-
This invention relates to are regulator lamp apparatus and consists of a
compensating lever and connecting parts for effecting the control of the inove-
ments of the Carbon Electrodes and which lever actuates both carbons in its
movements it being capable of being balanced by one Electrode on each side of its
fulcrum with facility for adjustment of the respective distances of the supports of
those electrodes relatively to the fulcrum, or point of suspension as desired. The
movement of this compensating lever and thereby the electrodes is controlled by a
Solenoid or other Electro Magnetic devico such as are well known to those
accustomed to this class of mechanism.
The compensating lever may take the place, in our improved apparatus, of the
vibrating lever shewn and described in the Specification of our Letters Patent
dated May 22nd 1883 N° 2539.
This compensating lever vibrates on a centre of motion and carries the weight of
the positive or upper carbon holder, rack rod and other of the parts on its shorter
arm and the weight of the negative or lower carbon holder and parts on its longer
arm.
D
By these means any desired portion of the weight of the upper or positive carbon
holder, carbon, rack rod and parts may be counterbalanced by the weight of the
lower or negative carbon and parts thereto.
The operation of the shorter arm of this vibrating compensating lever in respect
of the two bearing points will be similar to that described in the aforesaid
Specification and therein referred to as, and indicated by letters, x and y.
In the case of lamps using continuous currents in which the upper or positive
electrode burns away at (say) twice the rate of consumption of the lower one, the
shorter arm which carries the upper electrode must be approximately of one half
the length of the other arm.
But in the case of lamps using an alternating current which causes both
electrodes to burn away at approximately equal rates of consumption the two arms
of the compensating lever may be of equal length.

page_text: "
In the case of a "clutch or its equivalent arrangement being employed as the
form of part with which the compensating lever is arranged to operate, the varying
angles of position of that compensating lever so actuates that clutch or equivalent
part as to hold fast or release the descending carbon holder carrying the upper or
positive electrode and the counter balancing of the weight of the rod carrying the
positive or upper carbon rod, by the weight of the lower or negative carbon rod is
attained as in the preceding examples.
By means of our improved apparatus we are enabled to attain by a movement of
the compensating lever through a comparatively small arc of vibration a relatively
greater movement to the points of the carbon electrodes.
In one position on this compensating. lever of the support or point of suspension
of the Electrodes the consumption of the carbons is ao compensated for that no loss
of weight interferes with the action of the electro inagnet or Solenoid arising out of
variations of the electrodes from the consumption or other cause.
For example if the lower carbons should consume (say) only 1½ as fast as the
upper, the distance of the support of the lower carbon from the fulcrum will be
double that of the support of the upper carbon from that point.
By these means facility is afforded for more delicate adjustments of position or
operation of the electrodes relatively to each other by reason of the rapidity with
which the compensating lever controls the movements of the electrodes.
1001
Dated thi. 99nd days of Ma, 1001

page_text: COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
We ROOKES EVELYN BELL CROMPTON of Mansion House Buildings Queen
Victoria Street in the City of London Engineer and Toм CRABB of Arc Works
Chelmsford in the County of Essex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of
our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN REGULATING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC 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 relates to arc regulator lamp apparatus and consists of a
compensating lever and connecting parts for effecting the control of the move-
ments of the carbon electrodes and which lever actuates both carbons in its
movements it being capable of being balanced by one electrode on each side of
its fulcrum with facility for adjustment of the respective distances of the supports
of those electrodes relatively to the fulcrum, or point of suspension as desired.
The movement of this compensating lever and thereby the electrodes is controlled
by a solenoid or other electro magnetic device such as are well known to those
accustomed to this class of mechanism.
The compensating lever may take the place, in our improved apparatus, of the
vibrating lever shewn and described in the specification of our Letters Patent dated
May 22nd 1883, N° 2539.
This compensating lever vibrates on a centre of motion and carries the weight of
the positive or upper carbon holder, rack rod and other of the parts on its shorter
arm and the weight of the negative or lower carbon holder and parts on its
longer arin.
By these means any desired portion of the weight of the upper or positive carbon
holder, carbon, rack rod and parts, may be counterbalanced by the weight of the
lower or negative carbon and parts thereto.
The operation of the shorter arm of this vibrating compensating lever in respect
of the two bearing points will be similar to that described in the aforesaid speci-
fication and therein referred to as, and indicated by letters x and y.
In the case of lamps using continuous currents in which the upper or positive
electrode burns away at (say) twice the rate of consumption of the lower one, the
shorter arm which carries the upper electrode must be approximately of one half
the length of the other arm.
But in the case of lamps using an alternating current which causes both
electrodes to burn away at approximately equal rates of consumption the two
arms of the compensating lever may be of equal length.
In the case of a "clutch " or its equivalent arrangement being employed as the
form of part with which the compensating lever is arranged to operate, the varying
angles of position of that compensating lever so actuates that clutch or equivalent
part as to hold fast or release the descending carbon holder carrying the upper or
positive electrode and the counter balancing of the weight of the rod carrying the
positive or upper carbon rod, by the weight of the lower or negative carbon rod is
attained as in the preceding examples.

page_text: By means of our improved apparatus we are enabled to attain by a movement of
the compensating lever through a comparatively small arc of vibration a relatively
greater movement to the points of the carbon electrodes.
In one position on this compensating lever of the support or point of suspension
of the electrodes the consumption of the carbons is so compensated for that no loss
of weight interferes with the action of the electro magnet or selenoid arising out of
variations of the electrodes from the consumption or other cause.
For example if the lower carbons should consume (say) only half as fast as the
upper, the distance of the support of the lower carbon from the fulcrum will be
double that of the support of the upper carbon from that point.
By these means facility is afforded for more delicate adjustments of position or
operation of the electrodes relatively to each other by reason of the rapidity with
which the compensating lever controls the movements of the electrodes.
In the accompanying drawing Figures 1. 2. 4 and 5 show the application of the
compensating lever to our improved apparatus and Figure 3 shows the application
of the compensating lever to the ordinary form of clutch lamp.
For convenience of reference, the nomenclature and as far as possible the lettering
of the figures used in the former specification referred to are employed herein.
GAC is the compensating lever pivotted in a fixed point A; fis the disc of our
improved apparatus described in the above cited specification, x and y the points of
the compensating lever on which the weight of the upper electrode is supported
and B is the solenoid controlling the movement of the compensating lever. To the
other end C of the said lever we attach a connecting piece C₁ C¹ (Figures 1 and 3)
for the control of the negative electrode b. b which is suitably guided by means of
the fixed guides d. d. The weight of the lower electrode is thus made to partly or
wholly counterbalance the weight of the upper electrode and solenoid core.
The action of the lamp is as follows. When the current is sent through the
lamp it draws up the core in the solenoid B and raises the upper electrode at
the same time lowering the lower electrode and thus the arc is struck.
The upper electrode is prevented from descending by the friction which is set up
in point (Figure 1) between the disc f and the compensating lever, or by the
friction consequent upon tilting the clutch k (Figure 3). When the end G of the
compensating lever is lowered by the action of the controlling solenoid B the length
of arc is reduced partly on account of the upper electrode descending and partly on
account of the lower electrode rising and in this manner a comparatively small
angular movement of the compensating lever produces a considerable difference in
the length of the arc.
If it becomes necessary that the lamp should feed, the controlling solenoid allows
the end G of the compensating lever to be lowered so far that the weight of the
upper electrode is taken on point y so releasing the disc f from the friction at a
(Figure 1) or so far that the clutch (Figure 3) begins to let the upper carbon
rod slip.
In the arrangements shown in Figures 1 and 3 the position of the arc in space
is gradually lowered as the lower carbon electrode is consumed. But our improve-
ment is also applicable to such cases where it is desired to maintain the position of
the arc in space as nearly as may be constant.
In these cases we so connect the upper and lower electrodes by a cord and pulley
that both are fed towards each other simultaneously. We show such arrangements
in Figures 2. 4 and 5. In Figure 2 B is the controlling solenoid raising the end G
of the compensating lever and so striking the arc upon a current being sent through
the lamp. The lower electrode b. b is held and controlled by a cord or chain C
one end of which is fastened to a fixed point C³ whilst the other end is fastened
to a point C on the upper electrode a. The cord or chain C5 is taken over the
pullies C C affixed to the compensating lever and around the pulley C¹ affixed to
an arm which is attached to the lower electrode b. The latter is guided in suitable
guides d. d.

page_text: It will be seen that as the upper carbon electrode is consumed and the point C₁
is lowered in space the pulley C and with it the lower carbon electrode is raised
in space.
If the lamp is fed by a continuous current the rate of consumption as regards
weight of the upper pencil is twice that of the lower.
In this case we proportion the compensating lever so that the distance from A
to C shall be twice that from A to C in order that the 'loss of weight consequent
upon the consumption of the carbon pencils shall not interfere with the compensating
action of our compensating lever. If the lamp is fed by alternating currents the
upper and lower carbon pencils are consumed at an equal rate.
In this case we proportion the compensating lever so that the distance from A
to C shall be equal to that from A to C³.
We also omit the fixed point C2 and the pulley C₁ and we attach one end of the
cord to a point on the lower electrode b. b. and the other end to a point C¹ on the
upper electrode.
The
In Figures 4 and 5 we show a somewhat modified arrangement of our focussing
lamp with our improvement. B is the controlling solenoid which upon a current
being sent into the lamp pushes the core and with it the end G of the compensating
lever upwards tbus raising the electrode a and simultaneously lowering the
electrode b. The upper electrode a is provided on the top with an arm and
attachment (not shewn in the drawing) for the upper carbon pencil by which the
latter is brought in line with the lower electrode b and pointing downwards.
two electrodes are connected by a cord led over the pullies C³ C and C and, the
ends of which cord are attached to a fixed point C³ on the frame of the lamp and
to C on the upper electrode respectively. A is the fulcrum of the compensating
lever attached to the frame of tlie lamp and x and y are the two points on which
the weight of the upper electrode is distributed. The lower electrode is guided
between suitable guides one of them being formed by the frame of the lamp at d.
Figure 5 is an end view of the discs fand compensating lever C.
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. The combination of parts for regulating the approach or distance apart of the
carbon electrodes of electric are regulator lamps, substantially as and for the
purposes herein described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
2. The use or employment of a compensating lever as a means of actuating and
controlling the feed mechanism of electric are regulator lamps substantially as set
forth.
Dated this 21st day of February 1009.
WM BROOKES & SON,
55, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the said Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton
and Tom Crabb.