Improvements in or Connected with Clocks and Apparatus for Winding the same by Electricity.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 4th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 27th July, 1888
Improvements in or Connected with Clocks and Apparatus for
Winding the same by Electricity.
1, JAMES GRIEVE LORRAIN, of Norfolk House, Victoria Embankment, London W.C.,
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in or connected with Self-Winding Clocks
of the kind wherein electricity is employed to wind up the driving spring or weight.
A known kind of electric winding apparatus for Self-Winding Clocks comprises
what is known as a vibrating or reciprocating electromotor that is an electromotor in
which the movable part moves (either in a straight line or in a curve) for a certain
distance in one direction stops and then moves in the opposite direction back to its
original position. Attempts have been made to apply such vibrating or reciprocating
electromotors for the purpose of winding up clocks automatically but they have
hitherto been unsuccessful on account of the large amount of electrical energy
required to do the work inasmuch as a large proportion of the said electrical energy
is expended in overcoming the inertia of the movable part of the electromotor whilst
the momentum attained by the said movable part is not utilised but is allowed to be
wasted.
The object of my invention is to overcome this drawback and to construct an electric
winding apparatus whose electromotor will be able to do the work with a small
expenditure of electrical energy.
In carrying my invention into effect I employ in my electric winding apparatul
and in conjunction with a vibrating or reciprocating electromotor whose movable part
moves vibrates or reciprocates at regular intervals a detent or gripping device whose
function is to seize the said movable part or a part in connection therewith at the
end of each vibration or reciprocation or of each movement in one direction and to
retain it until it is again required to move in such a position that potential energy is
stored in it, which potential energy is utilised to cause or allow the movement or
vibration or reciprocation of the said movable part when again required to move
vibrate or reciprocate at which moment the detent or gripping device releases the said
movable part.

page_text: By this means I am enabled to accumulate and utilise the energy stored up in the
movable part of the electromotor and the parts in mechanical connection therewith at
each movement vibration or reciprocation instead of having to sacrifice the momentum
attained and the energy stored up after each movement, vibration or reciprocation.
This kind of electric winding apparatus may conveniently be termed a "stored energy"
apparatus and I shall hereinafter refer to it by that name.
A convenient form of electromotor which I may employ in my electric winding
apparatus consists of one whose movable part is attached to or constructed in the form
of a balance wheel (with spring attachment) and another convenient form is one in
which the movable part is attached to or constructed in the form of a pendulum.
The hereinbefore mentioned detent or gripping device may be operated or controlled
by means of an electromotor (hereinafter for the sake of distinction termed the "detent
electromotor ") actuated by a circuit closing device or the detent or gripping device
may be operated by means of a mechanical movement in connection with the clock
train or the winding electromotor.
A suitable form of circuit closing device is employed to call the winding electro-
motor into play when required.
To utilise the movement of the movable part of the electromotor for the purpose of
winding up the spring or weight I employ any convenient known mechanical move-
ment or device used for converting vibrating or reciprocating motion into rotary
motion.
It will thus be seen that there is a great saving of electrical energy.
No electrical
energy is required to start the movable part of the electromotor as the potential energy
in the said movable part is sufficient to cause its movement when the detent or
gripping device releases it.
The movable part of the electromotor is brought back to its position of rest in the
detent or gripping device by the winding electromotor.
Date : a . .

page_text: winding the same by Electricity.
I, JAMES GRIEVE LORRAIN, of Norfolk House, Victoria Embankment, London, W.C.,
Consulting 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 or connected with Self-Winding Clocks of
the kind wherein electricity is employed to wind up the driving spring or weight.
A known kind of electric winding apparatus for Self-Winding Clocks comprises
what is known as a vibrating or reciprocating electro motor that is an electromotor
in which the movable part moves (either in a straight line or in a curve) for a certain
distance in one direction stops and then moves in the opposite direction back to its
original position. Attempts have been made to apply such vibrating or reciprocating
electromotors for the purpose of winding up clocks automatically but they have hitherto
been unsuccessful as compared with other types of electromotor on account of the
large amount of electrical energy required to do the work, inasmuch as a large
proportion of the said electrical energy is expended in overcoming the inertia of the
movable part of the electromotor whilst the momentum attained by the said movable
part is wasted.
The object of my invention is to overcome this drawback and to construct an electric
winding apparatus which will be able to do the work with a smaller expenditure of
electrical energy than is usual when a vibrating or reciprocating electromotor is
employed.
In carrying my invention into effect I employ in my electric winding apparatus,
and in conjunction with a vibrating or reciprocating electromotor whose movable part
moves vibrates or reciprocates at regular intervals, a detent or gripping device whose
function is to seize the said movable part, or a part in connection therewith, at the end
of a vibration or reciprocation, or of each movement in one direction, and to retain it,
until it is again required to move, in such a position that potential energy is stored in
it. This potential energy is utilised to cause or allow the next movement of the said
movable part to take place when released by the detent or gripping device. By this
means I am enabled to accumulate the energy stored up in the movable part of the
electromotor, and the parts in mechanical connection therewith, during each movement,
and utilise it to start or aid in starting the next movement. This kind of electric
winding apparatus may conveniently be termed a stored energy" apparatus and I
shall hereinafter refer to it by that name.
"
A convenient form of electromotor which I may employ in my electric winding
apparatus consists of one whose movable part is attached to or constructed in the form
of a balance wheel (with spring attachment); and another convenient form is one in
which the movable part is attached to or constructed in the form of a pendulum.

page_text: The hereinbefore mentioned detent or gripping device may be operated or controlled
by means of an electromotor (hereinafter for the sake of distinction termed the "detent
electromotor ") actuated by a circuit closing device; or the detent or gripping device
may be operated by means of a mechanical movement in connection with the clock
train, or the winding electromotor.
A suitable form of circuit closing device is employed to call the winding electro-
motor into action when required.
To utilise the movement of the movable part of the electromotor for the purpose of
winding up the spring or weight I employ any convenient known mechanical
movement or device used for converting vibrating or reciprocating motion into rotary
motion.
Having thus described in general language the nature and object of my invention
I shall now proceed to explain in detail one or more ways in which it is to be or may
be performed or carried into effect and in order that this more detailed description
may be more readily understood I have annexed hereunto sheets of diagrams
illustrative of my invention and have inserted in the same figures and letters of
reference corresponding with those in the following explanation.
:
I shall first proceed to describe that form of my invention in which the electro-
motor is constructed in the form of a pendulum and I illustrate this form
diagrammatically in figure 1. In this diagram A represents the spring barrel of the
clock affixed to which is the winding ratchet B driven in the direction of the arrow
by the pawl C mounted on the limb of the pendulum D. In its normal position the
pendulum is held up by the detent E. When this detent is actuated so as to release
the pendulum the latter will vibrate towards the position S T, where it is shown in
dotted lines, and back again towards its normal position; but it will not return quito
to this normal position unless it receive an impulse whose amount shall be equal to the
energy absorbed in winding up the spring and overcoming the friction of the
movement. The movement is therefore conveniently made as diagrammatically
represented in the figure and so as to constitute an electromotor, F being the field
magnet and a piece of soft iron G, attached to the pendulum, acting as the armature.
Attached to the pendulum limb is a forked contact piece H one prong of which ¹ is
of insulating material. When the pendulum is released from its normal position the
conducting limb of the contact piece makes contact with the curved part 1 of the
contact spring K and so closes the circuit from the battery cell L through the field
magnet F. The action of this arrangement is that when the pendulum has been
released from its normal position and has travelled a certain distance the prong h
comes in contact with K and closes the circuit through the field magnet F, the circuit
being maintained closed during the whole time that the prong 3 is travelling over
and in contact with the curved part 1, that is to say the circuit is maintained closed
from the time that the armature G enters the field (position V W) of the electro-
magnet F until it is exactly opposite the core f and in line therewith (position X Y);
when, contact being no longer maintained, the pendulum is free to vibrate onwards
having received an impulse during the time that the circuit was closed as aforesaid,
which impulse carries it on a considerable distance, say to the position S T, when it
will return, and (the pawl riding loose over the teeth of the ratchet wheel) if the
impulse has been sufficient will return to its normal position and be engaged by the
detent.
The form of detent shown in this diagram is an electro-magnetic one the gripping
piece el being of soft iron or having a piece of soft iron affixed thereto and so capable
of being attracted by the detent magnet e³ at each transmission of the electric current
through it.
A contact maker (symbolically represented by the circle M) serves to call the detent
into action when required. A convenient form of contact maker for this purpose is
that set forth in the Complete Specification accompanying my Letters Patent No. 10,785
of the year 1887 and driven by the clock mechanism as therein described.
In practice instead of placing the field magnet relatively to the pendulum as shown
in the figure I prefer to place it in a position close to that end of the course of the

page_text: pendulum which is furthest from its normal position. The position of the contact
spring K would of course depend upon such position of the field magnet so as to
ensure contact being made and broken at the proper moment.
It will of course be understood that the function of this pendulum has nothing in
common with that of the ordinary clock pendulum, and that the great wheel of the
clock would in the case diagrammatically represented in figure 1 be mounted on the
arbor of the spring barrel.
In figure la I show a form of mechanical detent or gripping device which may be
substituted for the electrical detent or gripping device shown in figure 1. The action
of this mechanical detent is obvious. The snail e rotating in the direction of the
arrow releases the detent at the moment when its point passes under the end piece et
of the detent bar e³. Immediately afterwards the end piece e will have been pulled
down the step of the snail by the spring e and the detent will be in position to again
engage the pendulum.
Figure 2 diagrammatically illustrates a form of my invention in which the
electromotor is constructed in the form of a balance wheel with spring attachment.
The balance wheel as is well known is a simple mechanical equivalent of a pendulum
and the action of my invention as illustrated in this diagram will be readily understood
from the description of figure 1, the parts which correspond in the two diagrams being
similarly lettered.
Figure 3 is a diagram corresponding with figure 1 with the exception that the
electromotor instead of being constructed of pendulum form is an ordinary form of
vibrating electromotor with a pendulum attached to it for the purpose of storing and
economising energy as hereinbefore explained. It will be seen in the diagram that
the armature is in the position with respect to the field magnet of least advantage
practically at its dead point and that the weight of the pendulum comes into
play to produce the initial movement at the time when the electric current has
least effect.
In this diagram I show a detent at the end of each course of the pendulum instead of
as in figures 1 and 2. This is not necessary in practice though sometimes convenient.
If only one detent is employed then the current should be cut off from the electro-
motor during the return journey of the pendulum.
Figure 4 is a diagram corresponding with figure 3 but differing therefrom in
that instead of a pendulum being attached to the electromotor a balance wheel is
attached thereto.
When I employ an electromotor actuated by reversed currents instead of alone
employing a simple contact making device such for example as that hereinbefore
referred to I employ in conjunction therewith a rheotrope: or I duplicate or alter
the said contact making device so as to constitute it a circuit closing rheotrope.
In the diagrams before mentioned I have diagrammatically illustrated certain
types of vibrating or reciprocating electromotor but I desire it to be understood
that I do not limit myself to the forms shown. The method of carrying out my
invention in the case of other types will be readily understood by anyone conversant
with the art.
I also desire it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details
set forth as these may be varied to an indefinite extent.
I further desire it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the amount of
movement of the movable part of the electromotor. That is to say in carrying my
invention into effect I may leave myself free to employ a small or a large amplitude
of vibration and cause the detent to engage the movable part of the electromotor or a
part in mechanical connection therewith at the end of each movement in one
direction or at the end of a number of movements.
In the diagrams the only part of the mechanical clock mechanism which I have shown
is the spring barrel: but any convenient mechanical clock mechanism may be employed,
such for example as that shown in the Complete Specification accompanying my
application for Letters Patent No. 10,785 of the year 1887.

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 1 declare that what I
claim is
1. The improvement in or connected with clocks consisting in the combination of
a mechanical clock mechanism and a
"stored energy
"electric winding apparatus
substantially as set forth.
2. The improvement in apparatus for winding clocks by electricity consisting in the
combination of a pendulum electromotor (that is to say an electromotor constructed
in the form of a pendulum) or a balance wheel electromotor (that is to say an electromotor
constructed in the form of a balance wheel, with spring attachment) and a detent
substantially as set forth.
3. The improvement in apparatus for winding clocks by electricity consisting in
the combination of an electromotor with a pendulum or a balance wheel attached to
the movable part thereof and a detent substantially as set forth.