Improvements in the Striking and Regulating Mechanism of Arc.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 29th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Striking and Regulating Mechanism of
Arc. Lamps.
HALDANE GWILT COTSWORTH 14 Station Road, Swindon, Wiltshire
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
―
The invention relates to an improved method of applying a brake to a wheel, in
such a manner that the application of the brake strikes the arc, by causing the
wheel to turn through a small angle.
The rods to which the carbons are attached may be geared into the above
wheel, by having a rack fixed to them, or may be caused to move by having a cord
attached to the lower part of each rod, and passing over a groove in the above
wheel.
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The brake is actuated by an electro-magnet, or, by a solenoid which attracts an
armature to which the brake is fixed, the brake can also be worked on the
see saw principal by placing the brake on the lower extremity of a tee
(T) piece and iron cores attached, one to each end of the cross piece of the "tee,"
one core is worked by a " main and the other by a "shunt solenoid. The
piece with the brake may be conveniently inverted.
The working of the improved brake is as follows:
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Turning on a centre P 1. Fig. 1 is a wheel W, and suspended from a point P
above the wheel is a pair of bangers carrying at their lower extremity an iron
armature A. and upon this is fixed the spring S to the upper part of which the
brake block B is attached.
When a current is caused to flow round the iron core C, the core will become
magnetised and will attract the armature causing, firstly, the brake to be applied
to the wheel, and, secondly the wheel to turn in a clockwise direction. This will
cause R1 to be raised and R 2 to be lowered, thus striking the arc between the
carbons.
When the current becomes weakened through any cause, the core will relax its
pull upon the armature, thus allowing the wheel to turn, R1 to fall and R 2 to
rise. R1 is weighted so as to ensure this action taking place, any further
weakening of the core will release the brake until it is no longer able to prevent
the wheel from slipping round and so the carbons will feed. This will cause an
increase in the current and the brake will again grip the wheel. The above action
will be repeated as the carbons burn away.
Fig. 2 shows an end view of the brake, armature, and hangers, helical springs
may be substituted for the hangers, the brake block may then be mounted directly
on the armature.
Dated this 6th day of December 1895.

page_text: Improvements in the Striking and Regulating Mechanism of
Arc Lamps.
I, HALDANE GWILT COTSWORTH of 125 Merton Road, South Wimbledon, in
the County of Surrey, late of 14 Station Road, Swindon, in the County of
Wiltshire, Mechanical Engineer 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 improvements in means for manipulating and governing
the arc striking and regulating mechanism of arc-lamps in which the positive and
negative carbons are respectively connected to a pair of vertical rods operated in
opposite directions for striking the arc, by the partial rotation of a grooved or
toothed wheel engaging with both, and consists of an improved means for auto-
matically applying a brake to the said wheel in such a manner as to cause the
partial rotation of same through a small angle and so strike the arc.
In the following description of my invention reference is made to the sheet of
drawings hereunto appended (Fig. 3) and to the drawings which accompanied my
Provisional Specification in the latter of which I illustrate in Fig. 1 the mechanism
of such a lamp wound in series, and in which the upper or positive carbon is fixed
in an arm connected to a vertical rod R', while the lower or negative carbon is
mounted in like manner upon the arm of a vertical rod R2, the said rods being
arranged to slide freely within suitable guides, or between wheels or pulleys or
springs in connection with the frame of the lamp (not shewn) in the usual way,
and both in gear with a wheel W arranged to rotate upon a centre P¹.
For the purposes of the first portion of my invention the said rods R' and R²
may be rectangular in cross section, and each provided with a toothed rack so as to
gear with teeth or cogs on the periphery of the wheel W. Or the said wheel may
have a shaped groove in lieu of the said teeth, while the rods may be perfectly
plain and in frictional contact with the said groove. Or the said rods may be
circular in cross section and engage by frictional contact with a semicircular
groove in the said wheel, and when either of the latter arrangements are employed
may connect the two said rods by a non-conducting cord passing over the said
groove in the wheel.
In carrying my invention into effect I mount in a suitable position below the
wheel W a soft iron core C, around which the positive wire is wound before being
electrically connected to the upper or positive carbon, the upper end of the said
core being formed at such an angle as may be best suited for the purposes it is
intended to fulfil. At a point P above the wheel W I pivotally mount the upper
ends of a pair of hangers P2, which may conveniently be made of vulcanite, bone
or other non-magnetic material, and which depend one at each side of the said
wheel, and are connected together at their lower extremities by an armature A,
the side of which adjacent to the core C is formed at an angle corresponding with
the shape of the upper end of the same, and upon the upper surface or other
convenient part of A is fixed a suitable spring S, to which is connected a preferably
non-magnetic block B, kept in frictional contact with the periphery of the wheel W
by the tension of the said spring. The formation of the block B would be such as
to coincide with that of the periphery of the wheel W, which by the shape of the
block shewn in Fig. 2 is presumed to be V shaped, but the said block may be any
shape that in practice may be found best suited for making frictional contact
therewith.

page_text: When an electric current is caused to flow around the core C, and this becomes
magnetized thereby, the said core would attract the armature A, and as this is
drawn towards C, the frictional contact between the block B and the wheel W
would cause the partial rotation of the latter in the same direction, and consequently
the rise of the rod R¹ and fall of the rod R2 thus separating the carbons and.
striking the arc, but should the current become weakened from any cause, or the
circuit be broken by the extended division of the carbons, the consequent partial
or entire non-magnetization of the core C, would cause the partial or entire release.
of the armature A, and permit to a like extent the return motion of the wheel W
the rod R¹ being weighted to ensure this action taking place, and this motion of
the said wheel would lower the rod R' and raise the rod R2, until the nearing or
meeting of the carbons would again complete the circuit, when the same operation
would be repeated until perfect equilibrium and regular feed between the carbons
was attained and maintained, and such deviation in the feed as would arise from
the wearing away of the carbons would cause the automatic reaction of the brake
in the manner described, thus ensuring a perfect and steady arc.
As an alternative arrangement I may employ helical or spiral springs in lieu of
the hangers P2, in which case the spring S may be dispensed with, and the block B.
be mounted and fixed directly upon the armature A.
As a further modification of my invention I may arrange the said brake upon
the well known see-saw principle as illustrated by Fig. 3 of the drawings hereunto.
appended. For the purposes of this portion of my invention, I pivotally mount at
a point P³, a pair of hangers P4, both in the shape of an inverted letter 1, carrying
at their upper ends a spring S, to which is connected the block B, which in this
case impinges upon the upper portion of the wheel W, in which an annular
V shaped groove is provided as previously described. The arms P and Pe of the
said hangers have pivotally connected thereto iron cores C¹ and C2, which pass
upwardly within solenoids M and S¹ respectively, the former of which is wound
with coarse wire and connected to the positive terminal of the main circuit and the
upper or positive carbon, while the latter is wound with fine wire and connected to
a shunt circuit.
The upper and lower carbons are fixed in suitable arms G and G', which slide
vertically in grooved or slotted rods R³ and R' respectively, the arm G being
suitably weighted and connected to one end of a non-conducting cord H passing
over and in the groove in the wheel W, the opposite end of which is connected to
the arm G', which is also connected to the negative terminal.
In connecting the terminals of the lamp the main or + circuit would flow around
the solenoid M, which would suck upwardly the core C³, and by thus raising the
member P, the brake block B would press upon the periphery of the wheel W
and cause this to partly rotate in the direction of the arrow, and raise the upper
or+carbon and lower the bottom or carbon, and by thus separating these strike
the arc, when a portion of the current would pass through the shunt circuit and
around the solenoid St, which would in like manner suck up the core C" and raise
the arm or member Pe of the hanger P, and thus release the brake B from
pressure upon the wheel W, and allow this, by the super weight of the arm G, to
partially rotate in the opposite direction, and the upper or + carbon to fall and the
lower or - carbon to rise, until the nearing of the carbons would lessen the
resistance, and so maintain a constant and regular feed; and by this means
the main solenoid M operates upon the brake under the same conditions and in the
same way as that of the magnetized core, previously described, and the other in
the opposite direction.
Although in the said drawings and in the foregoing description relating thereto
I have chosen to consider my invention as adapted to series wound lamps, it is
obvious, and will be well understood by those skilled in the manufacture of such
lamps, that my invention is equally adaptable for use with lamps of the same type.
having a shunt or differential circuit.

page_text: 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
1st. In an improved striking and regulating mechanism for arc lamps, the
employment of an electro-magnet actuated by the main current, or a pair of
solenoids alternately actuated by the main and a shunt current, manipulating a
depending lever carrying a brake block or an armature and brake block, in com-
bination with a wheel or pulley in frictional or other contact with a pair of
vertical rods carrying the positive and negative carbons or a pair of arms carrying
the positive and negative carbons substantially as and for the purposes herein
described and shewn by the appended drawings and the drawings which accom-
panied my Provisional Specification.
2nd. In an arc lamp having a wheel or pulley such as W, in frictional or other
contact with a pair of rods such as R1 and R2, carrying respectively the positive
and negative carbons, the combination with such a lamp of a pair of hangers such
as P3, suspended at a point P¹ above the wheel W, and depending at each side of
the same, the said hangers being connected at their lower extremities by an
armature A, carrying a spring such as S, holding a block such as B, in frictional
contact with the said wheel, the said armature being actuated by an electro
maguet such as C, the whole connected and operating substantially as and for the
purposes herein described and shewn by the drawings which accompanied my
Provisional Specification.
3rd. In an arc lamp as set forth in the preceding claim, the employment of
spiral or helical springs in lieu of the hangers P2, with the block B mounted
directly upon the armature A substantially as herein described.
4th. In an arc lamp having a grooved wheel such as W, the combination of a
cord such as H engaging with the said wheel, and connected to arms G and G¹
carrying the positive and negative carbons, and arranged to slide in vertical rods
such as R and R', with a pair of inverted shaped hangers P4 suspended at a
point P³, the upper member of which carries a spring S, connected to a brake
block B, while their lower members P³ and P' carry cores C1 and C" engaging
with and operated by solenoids M and S', substantially as and, for the purposes
herein described and shewn by the appended drawings.
Dated this 21st dar of Ano 1900
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1 Broad Street Buildings, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.