IMPROVEMENT IN HYDRO-PNEUMATIC SYSTEM OF APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS AND AUTOMATIC WORKING OF CLOCKS AND OTHER MACHINES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Palm, of the Firm Michalecki & Co., of Vienna,
I. Burgring 1, Austria Hungary, Civil Engineers and Patent Agents, for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENT IN HYDRO-PNEUMATIC SYSTEM OF APPARATUS
FOR CONTINUOUS AND AUTOMATIC WORKING OF CLOCKS AND OTHER
MACHINES." A communication from Mr. C. A. Mayrhofer, Engineer, of
Vienna, Austria Hungary.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Palm at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd March 1880.
HENRY PALM, of the Firm Michalecki & Co., of Vienna, I. Burgring 1, Austria
Hungary, Civil Engineers and Patent Agents. "IMPROVEMENT IN HYDRO-
PNEUMATIC SYSTEM OF APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS AND AUTOMATIC WORKING
OF CLOCKS AND OTHER MACHINES." A communication from Mr. C. A. Mayrhofer,
Engineer, of Vienna, Austria Hungary.
The improvements consist in compressing the air supplied to the clocks by direct
water pressure in a cylindrical vessel containing a float guided in the axis of the
vessel and acting by means of a rod and lever connection upon a three way valve
so as to admit water to the vessel when the float falls below a certain level, and to
conduct the water from the cylinder to the valve chest to the discharge pipe
when the float rises above a given level. Also in leading the air from the said
water vessel through a discharge valve, and a regulating valve into an air vessel
provided with a pressure piston enclosed in a separate casing communicating with
the air vessel, and connected with the said regulating valve and a counterweight in
such a
a manner that the valve is opened when the pressure in the air vessel falls
and closed when the pressure rises.
From the connection between the water vessel and the air vessel a pipe is branched
off leading to a casing in which the air presses upon a weighted piston so as to lift
the same if the pressure of air exceeds a given limit, thereby closing a valve through
which passes the water before it enters the water vessel.
An air supply valve is attached to the water vessel, which opens by atmospheric
pressure when water escapes from the vessel so to admit air to the water
vessel.

page_text: The connections between the air vessel, the standard clock, and the secondary
clocks are as follows:-
A well constructed standard clock contains a wheel having on its axle a cam
which during the revolution of the wheel impinges against the curved end of a
(vertical) double armed lever so as to release a (horizontal) balance lever, which is
held in its highest position by its contact with the vertical lever.
A pin attached
to the balance lever enters a curved slot of a short double armed lever, turning on
the same axis as the balance lever, and causing by its descent the rise of the other
arm (opposite the slotted end), thereby moving two valves attached to a common
valve spindle in such a manner that compressed air enters an auxiliary pipe
communicating with a piston which when exposed to the compressed air moves a
three way valve by suitable connections in such a manner as to admit compressed
air to the main pipe which supplies the secondary clocks. Before entering the
three way valve the air coming from the air vessel passes through drying
chambers.
A branch pipe leads from the main pipe to a chamber where it presses upon a
disc or piston, the rod of which is attached to the described balance lever, and lifts
the same to its original position, when a three way cock admits air to the said
chamber. The up motion of the balance lever draws the described valve spindle
with its two valves down so as to stop the supply of air to the auxiliary pipe, and
consequently also the supply of air to the main pipe. A second branch pipe leads
from the main to a casing forming part of the standard clock, and containing a
motor wheel dipped in mercury and set in motion by the admission of compressed
air, thereby winding up the standard clock. As soon as the weight of the latter is
drawn up sufficiently it acts on a lever which turns the admission valve so as to
stop the supply of air. A branch pipe leads from the main supply pipe (between
the drying chamber and the three way valve) through a small three way valve to
a casing attached to the standard clock, and containing a piston or disc, carrying a
regulating pin, which, when lifted by the admission of air, enters a recess of a
revolving double armed wing, the axis of which is placed vertically above the
regulating pin; the latter enters the said recess as soon as the wing arrives arrives
at its vertical position, thereby regulating the clock.
The secondary clocks are regulated by means of branch pipes supplied from the
main pipe and provided with stop cocks. The weights are drawn up by motor
wheels driven by compressed air, the supply of which is stopped as soon as the
ascending weight acts upon a lever so as to turn the corresponding stop cock.
A branch pipe leads also to a casing containing a piston or disc carrying a
regulating pin placed vertically under the axis of a rectifying wing provided with
corresponding recesses into which the regulating pin enters as soon as the wing
arrives at or near its vertical position.
The said rectifying wing is mounted on the axis of the quarter dial, and being
shifted into the correct position by the wave of air must always correspond with
the standard clock.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Palm in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th August
1880.
HENRY PALM, of the Firm Michalecki & Co., of Vienna, I. Burgring 1, Austria
Hungary, Civil Engineers and Patent Agents. "IMPROVEMENT IN HYDRO-
PNEUMATIC SYSTEM OF APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS AND AUTOMATIC WORKING
OF CLOCKS AND OTHER MACHINES." A communication from Mr. C. A. Mayrhofer,
Engineer, of Vienna, Austria Hungary.
The Invention relates to a system of hydro-pneumatic apparatus for the con-
tinuous and automatic working of clocks, and will be understood by reference to
the accompanying Drawings, Figs. I. to IV., which illustrate the various parts of
this Invention. Fig. I. For compressing air direct water pressure is applied in the
following manner :-The water from the pipe a passes at b into the chest A of a
three way valve, and through the port c into the water vessel B. The float C
swimming in this vessel is lifted by the influx of water and slides upward on the
rod d until it comes in contact with the stop disc e, thereby lifting the rod which
passes through the stuffing box f. The top of this rod is linked to the lever g
supported at h, and connected with the lever j which is supported at i. From the
short arm of the lever j is suspended the valve rod k which draws the hollow slide
valve upward when the float is lifted, thereby connecting the port c of the valve
chest A with the outlet c¹, so that the interior of the water vessel B communicates
with the discharge pipe m. The escape of water now commencing causes the float C
to fall until it meets the lower stop plate e¹, which is thereby moved downward so
as to place the system of levers g, j, k, mentioned above and the slide valve (in
the valve chest A) in its former position, and to adinit again water to the vessel B.
Fig. 11. Compression of air.-The air displaced by the flow of water into the
vessel B escapes from B through the discharge valve D and the pipe n, n, to the
regulating valve E and enters the air vessel F. The cover of this vessel carries a
cylindrical casing o communicating with the interior of the air vessel, and con-
taining a piston or disc which is so loaded by the adjustable weight G that the
pressure of air in the vessel cannot exceed the desired limit. From the pipe n,
between Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a branch pipe n³ leads into the piston casing H of Fig. 1.
As soon as the pressure between the water vessel B and the regulating valve E
exceeds a given limit the weight J in the casing H is lifted, the stop cock / closed,
and thereby the admission of water to the water vessel B stopped until the con-
sumption of air has caused the pressure in the pipe n to fall to its normal measure.
Aspiration of air.-During the escape of water from the water vessel B the suction
valve D' is opened by the pressure of the atmosphere so as to admit air and keep
the part of the vessel B above the float C filled with it; L is a water gauge; M
and N are pressure gauges. Fig. III. A well constructed clock A comprises a
wheel having on its shaft a a cam a¹, whereby it comes in contact during its
revolution with the end of the lever b so as to disengage the lever c from the'
prism d and to let it fall into the position shown by dotted lines. The slotted,
arm e with the weighted lever f and the cam g is placed into the dotted position f¹
by means of the pin h screwed into the lever c and moving in the slot of the
arm-e (Fig. 4). The cam g pushes the guide rod i upwards, thereby lifting the
valves m and m¹ and allowing the compressed air to flow from the pipe j into the
pipe k. The latter leads to the piston casing B, through which protrudes a rod
acting on the balance lever n, and thereby moving the slide o of the three way
valve downward, so as to establish a communication between the main supply
pipe q and the casing C of the three way valve (Fig. 4b). This casing communicates
also with the piper leading from the drying chambers D, D¹, which are connected
by a conduit & with the air vessel F (Fig. II.). From the main pipe q, which
upplies the secondary clocks, a branch leads to the piston casing u, so that if air is

page_text: admitted through the small regulating cocks the rod t rises and the lever c is
again placed with its end on the upper side of the prism d, whereby the slotted
arm e and the weighted lever f with the cam g are brought back into their former
positions. The valve m¹ stops again the communication with the air vessel in
consequence of which the piston or disc in the casing B descends, together with the
lever and the slide valve o, so as to stop the communication between the main
pipe and the air vessel and to open the main pipe q towards the atmosphere at q¹.
Another branch of the main pipe leads to the motor v for winding up the clock;
this motor contains a paddle wheel w dipped in mercury and set in motion by the
admission of compressed air. The wheel shaft is connected with the winding up
wheel, and the weight stops the admission of air as soon as it has reached a sufficient
height to meet and lift the forked lever of the supply valve, as shown in Fig. IV.
A branch leads from the piper to the three way valve L, which communicates
with the atmosphere at y, and also through a pipe z, with the piston casing M
(Fig. III.) of the standard clock A. The piston carries a regulating pin N which
enters the recess of the rectifying wing o when the piston is lifted and the wing
arrives at a vertical position over the wedge shaped end of the pin, whereby the
clock is set right. The regulation of this standard clock is effected according to
the astronomical observatory by an official designated therefor, the said official
placing the three way cock in such a position as to connect the pipe with the
pipe z. Fig. IV. is a secondary clock supplied by the main conduit and provided
with movements and striking work. The air arriving in the pipe q passes through
the three cocks, a, b, c, into the three branch pipes, and to the winding up motors
A, B, C, where the winding up of the weights commences which have run down.
As soon as the weights have reached the height of the forked stop levers applied to
the cocks a, b, c, the said levers are lifted, and in each pipe the admission of air to
the respective motor stopped, so that the latter ceases to move although the pressure
in the main pipe may continue. The pipe q communicates with the piston casing D,
where a wedge shaped piece is pressed upward, as is the case in the standard clock,
and meets the recess of the rectifying wing which is mounted on the shaft of the
quarter dial. The quarter hand is thereby shifted into the correct position, as
shown by the dotted position E of the rectifying wing, and must therefore always
agree with the standard clock. In order to prevent the motion of the clock being
impeded by the pressure which continues for some time the wedge d is turned
backward when in its highest position, as shown by Fig. IV. Claims,-
1. The automatically starting air compression apparatus for continuously filling
the air vessel, substantially as shown by Figs. I. and II.
2. The disconnection by the three way main valve, and the method of actuating
said valve pneumatically by means of the apparatus shewn in Fig. 3.
3. The rotary winding-up mechanism and the automatic cut-off for the air, by
means of the contact levers applied to the admission valves or cocks, and the
rectifying wing mounted on the shaft of the quarter hand belonging either to
the standard clock or to a secondary clock, and the application to the standard
clock of a device for setting right the standard clock itself by means of a three
way cock or valve.
4. The general construction of a clock system worked by hydro pneumatic
means, substantially as shown in Figs. I., II., III., and IV.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Palm, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August, A.D. 1880.