Improvements in Arc-lamps.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application. 13th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 6th June, 1896
Improvements in Arc-lamps.
A communication from WOLF BOGUSLAW JOLLES, Engineer, and EUGEN HUGO
ARTHUR HEINRICH RITTER VON NOLLENDORF, Electrician, both of
31 Schottenring, Vienna, I, Empire of Austria.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent 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 :-
An arc-lamp constructed according to this invention is distinguished from those
used hitherto by its having an extremely simple regulating mechanism, which does
not necessitate the provision of the tubular upper part which in existing arc-lamps
contains the complicated regulating mechanism. The carbon-holder, which has to
be automatically adjusted by the regulating mechanism, serves by its weight to
drive a simple stop mechanism, comprising an escapement-wheel and a pallet
or anchor, the latter being operated upon by an electro-magnet, which is placed in
a shunt-circuit.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the lamp with the regulating
mechanism in elevation.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the dise supporting that mechanism and
Figs. 3 and 4 are views showing such parts of the arc tension devices as are not
shown in Fig. 1.
In the lamp illustrated the lower carbon K is to be considered as stationary-
unless it be moved by a device to be described later on for the purpose of producing
tension of the arc-while the upper carbon K' is being adjusted for regulating the
light.
For this purpose the carbon holder A for K¹ is adjustable on the rods 66¹ by
means of rollers a (which may be replaced by sliding blocks). The rods are
secured at their upper ends in the disc B, and at their lower ends in the cross-bar B',
and b is in electrical connection with the disc B and b₁ is insulated therefrom.
The current to the carbon K' may be led from the main-line wire I through the
binding screw 1 and the conductor 2, which hangs down in a loop and is flexible;
but the current may also be collected from the rod 6 by the guide rollers a in
contact therewith, in which case it is advisable to also employ springs 3 as sliding
contacts as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The rollers a travelling on the
rod are made of non-conducting material.
The carbon holder A is suspended by a cord or equivalent 4, which passes
through a hole in the middle of the disc B, over a guide roller, and several times
round a drum or barrel 6 to which its end is fixed. The barrel 6 turns upon the
fixed spindle 7, to which it is connected by a weak spring 8 in such manner as to
give tension to this spring when the cord is being unwound. Round the spindle 7
turns also the escapement wheel 9, the upper side of which is provided with ratchet
teeth. A pawl 10 pivotted to the drum 6 engages with these teeth in such manner
that during the unwinding of the cord 4 from the drum and the consequent rotation
of the latter the escapement-wheel has to move with the drum.
The weight of the carbon-holder A and carbon K', acting on the barrel 6 through
the cord 4, tends therefore to rotate the barrel and the escapement wheel in the

page_text: direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2; if these parts were uncontrolled, the
carbon K¹ would fall on to the carbon K and the spring 8 would be energised.
This operation is prevented or regulated in the following manner.
A bifurcated lever C pivotted at e (Fig. 2) to the disc B engages the escapement
teeth of the wheel 9, and essentially corresponds to the pallet or anchor of a watch
or similar escapement. When the lever is in its normal position, the tooth 12
engages, under the influence of the spring 11, in the space between the teeth of
the wheel 9; when the lever C (which is hereinafter referred to as a pallet) is
swung against the influence of the spring 11 the pallet tooth 12 lets one tooth of
the escapement wheel 9 pass, while the second pallet tooth 13 engages with the
wheel, this tooth 13 in its turn allowing another tooth to pass when the pallet is
moved backwards by the spring 11. If the teeth are very fine, the carbon-holder A
descends to a very slight extent at each swing of the anchor. The long arm of
the pallet C constitutes an armature which is attracted by the electro-magnet D,
when the iron core thereof is magnetised by an electric current being passed
around it. The coil of this electro-maguet (hereinafter referred to as the coil D)
is placed in shunt-circuit between the conductors I and II. A conductor 14 leads
from II to the coil D and from there a conductor 15 leads to an adjustable contact
of the binding screw or terminal 16 insulated from the disc B. In the normal
position of the lever C the contact spring 17 thereof bears against the binding
screw 16 and is therefore in electrical connection with the conductor I through the
lever C, pivote and disc B.
If the current passes through the coil D instead of passing through K' and K
in the shape of are, the armature C is attracted by the electro-magnet, D, the
pallet tooth 12 releases the wheel 9 and the tooth 13 engages it; but at the same
time the spring 17 moves out of electrical contact with the binding screw or
terminal 16, the current is interrupted, the spring 11 begins to act and returns the
armature C to its original position. This play continues till the carbons, when
starting the lamp, touch each other, and, after the lamp is started till the proper
distance between the carbons is arrived at. In regular action the current passes
of course after the arc has been formed, between K and K through the rod b¹ and
the conductor II; but between K and there are inserted the electro-magnetic
coils of the device for producing tension in the arc, which device may be described
as follows;-
From the cross bar B₁ depends a sleeve or socket E. It carries a cross piece e
which together with the iron cores e of the coils E' forms an electro-magnet of
horse-shoe form; the conductors 18 and 19 connect one of the coils with band
the other with the cross bar B' while the coils are connected to each other by a
conductor 20. The cross bar B₁ is insulated from the rods 6 and 6. The armature
of the horse-shoe magnet e-e-el is represented by the cross piece F of the holder
for the carbon K, which cross-piece is prevented from turning by pins 21 on the
sleeve E. A pin f of the cross piece F slides in the socket ; the metallic
contact between the cross piece F and the pins 21 and the socket E and pin f
secures efficient electric contact. A spring 23 (Fig. 3), the compression or effective
strength of which can be regulated by a screw piug 22 lifts the cross piece F
from e e'; a nut 24 on the screw threaded continuation of the pin f limits the
upward movement.
The mechanism of the lamp as a whole works in the following manner ;-
At the start, the carbons do not touch. Therefore the current passes from the
conductor I through B, c, 17, 16, 15, D and 14 into II. The armature C is
alternately attracted and released, the escapement wheel 9 and the barrel 6 are
rotated, against the influence of the spring 8, by the weight of A and K'; the
carbon K descends till it touches K. Then the current passes through 1, B, 1, 2, A
and the carbons; but at the same time the electro-magnet E¹ is energised, as the
current passes through B', 19, the two coils E', wires 20, 18 and rod 6 and thence
through the conductor II. In consequence the cross piece or armature Fis
attracted and the are strained. Then the lamp is in regular working. If the

page_text: distance between the carbons becomes too great, the resistance arising through
that causes the current to again pass through the coil D, and the stopping arrange-
ment begins again to play, till the consumption of the carbons is compensated for
and the proper distance between the carbons reached.
When the carbons are consumed, the carbon-holder A is raised. Then the
spring & winds the cord 4 on the barrel 6, the pawl 10 sliding over the teeth of the
wheel 9. The stopping arrangement need not therefore be turned backward when
replacing old carbons by new ones.
Particular attention is drawn to the fact, that in consequence of extreme simplicity
of construction nearly all parts of the lamp may be cast, which was impossible in
the are lamps used hitherto, owing to their complicated regulating mechanism.
Under the term "cord" herein used are included chain or any other flexible
connections, these if metallic being suitably insulated where necessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is;-
1. An arc-lamp characterised by one carbon-holder (A) tending by its weight
to rotate an escapement wheel 9 and to move its carbon (K') nearer to the other
carbon (K) and by the escapement wheel being engaged by a pallet or anchor such
as C operated by an electro-magnet (D) in a shunt circuit operating substantially
as and for the purpose described.
2. An arc-lamp such as claimed in Claim 1 characterised by a cord connecting
the upper carbon holder A. with a drum or barrel such as 6 which barrel is
connected by ratchet gear to the escapement wheel (9) and by a spring (8) to its
pivot (7) operating substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. In an arc-lamp the combination with mechanism such as claimed in either of
the preceding claims of an armature electro-magnet and adjustable spring device
for operating the lower carbon substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete arc-lamp
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 13th day of March 1896.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.