IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO ELECTRIC ARC-LAMPS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ernest de Pass, of the Office for British and Foreign
Patents, 68, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, for an invention
of IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO ELECTRIC ARC-LAMPS Communi-
cated to him from abroad by Cornelius Roosevelt, and Bruno Abdank,
commonly called Abakanowicz, both of 17 Boulevard Saint-Martin, Paris,
France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ernest de Pass at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th June 1882.
ERNEST DE PASS, of the Office for British and Foreign Patents, 68 Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent, IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO
Communicated to me from abroad by Cornelius Roosevelt,
and Bruno Abdank, commonly called Abakanowicz, both of 17 Boulevard Saint-
Martin, Paris, France,
ELECTRIC ARC-LAMPS.
This Invention relates to apparatus to be applied to various systems of electric
lamps for the purpose of instantaneously relighting the same if by any accident
they become extinguished, or if the resistance of the are exceeds a predetermined
limit.
According to this invention, a rack carries the positive carbon which is fixed at
the bottom of a toothed rod moveable within the iron core of an electro magnet.
The current enters through this rack (or in any other suitable manner) passes
through the coils of the magnet, then through a flexible connection of fine copper
wire and enters the carbon holder and the carbon. A soft iron armature, provided
at bottom with a sleeve, enters the tubular socket of a support. In a slot in this
socket is a pawl (or a break) which operates when the armature is raised; a roller,
upon whose arbor presses a spring, (or a counterweight), acts so that the said pawl
then engages with the toothed rod which is thus caused to follow the movement
of the armature.
If the lamp be not lighted the armature occupies its lowest position, the toothed
rod is free, and the positive carbon rests on the negative carbon, but when the
CDC1

page_text: current passes the armature is raised, the pawl engages with the toothed rod
and the carbon is raised. The first separation necessary for lighting a lamp is thus
effected.
'
If the working of the lamp be regular, the delicate movement of the rack (or
other carbon carrier according to the system of regulation employed) suffices for
the regulation. But if an accident should occur, as for instance if a carbon should
break, the armature is released the toothed rod is disengaged, and the upper carbon
descends until it bears against the lower carbon; at this moment, the armature
is again attracted and effects the required separation of the carbons. In this
manner the lamp cannot become permanently extinguished, by accident, as the
relighting takes place instantaneously.
Set screws regulate the distance of the armature from the core, to vary the effect
of the attractive force
To render this relighting dependent on the maximum of the resistance in the arc
a fine wire derivation of great resistance may be introduced.
In another and simplified arrangement the armature is of special form, one side
thereof being made higher than the other, and raised and brought nearer to the
core of the electro magnet, than on the other side. The rod instead of being
toothed is plain, and passes through the armature and into the electro magnet
above. When the current is allowed to pass; the high portion of the armature is
attracted much more quickly than the lower portion; the armature assumes an
inclined position and the rack is jammed and raised. To balance the surplus of the
mass of the high portion and to render the jamming more powerful a counter
weight may be provided on the low part of the armature.
The operation of this apparatus is substantially the same as that first mentioned.
In another modification, the armature is fixed, and the core of the electro-
magnet moveable. In this core is an oscillating lever provided at its lower end
with a piece of soft iron, and at its centre with a break; screws fixed in the core
bear against the carbon rod or holder.
When the current enters the apparatus the soft iron piece on the lever is first
attracted, the rod is held at 3 points, and the core is attracted together with the
rod towards the armature.
The working of this apparatus is substantially the same as that just above
described
The automatic lighting apparatus above described, and the modifications thereof
can be, with slight alterations applied as a lamp without any other special
mechanism. The thick wire coil is then wound round with a sufficient quantity
of fine wire through which a derived current passes at the moment that the arc
becomes very great.
Both ends of the wire are connected to the microphonic
contact of the resistance balances, as described in the Specification of the British
Letters Patent, No. 339 dated 23 January 1882. The carbon is fixed to a long
rod which traverses the electro magnet in the direction of its axis.
The working of the lamp is as follows: As soon as the current enters the arc
is established, its initial length being, say 2 "/m. The balance is so regulated that
its rod ceases to be in equilibrium as soon as the length of the arc attains,
say 3 (or thereabouts). At this moment a current traverses, in a contrary
direction, the fine wire of the lighting mechanism. The armature then descends,
the carbon is released and rises as will be readily understood from the foregoing
description.
For this special case the balance may be modified, as hereinafter stated. The
current sent through the balance is of a very short duration and to prolong it for
a time sufficient for efficient regulation it is arranged as follows. On a plate is
fixed a piece of soft iron and before it a small electro magnet. At the moment the
rod of the balance strikes against this plate the microphonic contact is opened.
The derived current then dows through the electro magnet and passes through
suitable connections to the lamp by the fine wire of the electro magnet.
As soon as the rod strikes and opens the microphonic contact the electro-magnet

page_text: becomes active and attracts the armature which if the rod has returned to its
primitive position causes the microphonic contact to remain open nevertheless.
But when the armature of the automatic lighter has completely descended it, in
turn, opens a circuit of the contact and then the balance returns to its normal
state of equilibrium. The microphonic contact is then reclosed.
Instead of employing a complete balance, a fine wire bobbin only may be used,
and a spring takes the place of the thick wire bobbin.
In all lamps having a delicate regulation and giving a steady light there is an
inconvenience which it is difficult to avoid. It arises from the length of the are
not being exactly proportionate to the resistance. This generally arises from the
inverse electro motive force of the arc varying considerably according to the state
of the arc. The carbons may approach each other too much, and then the working
becomes irregular, sometimes for a long time. This inconvenience is but little felt
when there are many lamps in a circuit, but it becomes marked when there is but
one, or two.
To obviate this inconvenience a pair of coils is applied, and work in the same
manner as the resistance balance hereinabove mentioned, but which will have a
reverse function.
Instead of bringing the carbons together they separate them,
when necessary. One of these coils is a fine wire derivation and the other has
two different layers, one of thick wire and the other of fine wire.
These coils are so arranged that, during the regular working the iron bar of the
resistance balance is always on the side of the fine wire coil, but as soon as the
carbons are too near to one another the thick wire coil has a greater magnetic
movement than the fine wire one, and the bar moves towards the thick wire coil
striking against a plate or piece opens a contact. Then the path of the derived
current is altered. The contact is then broken at one point and said current must
pass through the fine wire bobbin whose wire is wound in a contrary direction to
the thick wire; the bar returning suddenly towards the fine wire coil. At the
same time one contact is opened an instantaneous current is sent to the lamp
and causes the carbons to separate. If the first movement of the bar be insufficient
the operation is automatically repeated.
The separation of the carbons is effected either by the positive carbon being
raised, or the negative one being lowered.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Ernest de Pass in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th December 1882.
ERNEST DE PASS, of the Office for British and Foreign Patents, 68 Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent, IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO
Communicated to me from abroad by Cornelius Roosevelt,
and Bruno Abdank, commonly called Abakanowicz, both of 17 Boulevard Saint-
Martin, Paris, France,
ELECTRIC ARC-LAMPS.
This Invention relates to apparatus to be applied to various systems of electric
lamps for the purpose of instanteously relighting the same if by any accident
they become extinguished or if the resistance of the arc exceeds a predetermined
limit.
In order that the invention may be readily understood I proceed to describe the
same fully, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which figs. 1, 2 and 3
shew various forms which may be adopted for these apparatus but which however
may be modified if desired.
According to this Invention, a rack C (fig. 1) carries the positive carbon B of
any lamp. The carbon is fixed at the bottom of a toothed rod T, T working
within an orifice extending through the iron core a of the electro magnet A. The
current enters through the rack (or in any other suitable manner) passes through
the coils of the magnet, then through a flexible connection t t of fine copper wire,
and enters the carbon. D D is a soft iron armature, provided at bottom with a
sleeve which extends into the tubular socket m. m of a support ƒ ƒ. In a slot in
this socket m, m is a pawl (or a break) which operates when the armature D is
raised; then the roller g, upon whose arbor a spring (or a counter weight) presses,
acts in such a manner that the pawl h engages the rod T T which is thus caused to
follow the movement of the armature D.
The working of the apparatus is as follows:-
If the lamp be not alight, the armature D D occupies the position shewn in the
drawing, the rod TT is free, and the positive carbon B rests on the negative
carbon. At the moment at which the current passes, the armature D D is raised,
the pawl h engages the toothed rod T and the positive carbon is raised. The first
separation required for lighting an arc lamp is thus effected.
If the working of the lamp be regular, the delicate movement of the rack (or
other carbon-carrier according to the system of regulation used with this invention)
suffices for the regulation. But if an accident should occur, for instance should the
carbons break, the armature is released, the rod T T is disengaged and the upper
carbon descends until it bears against the lower carbon; at this moment the
armature is again attracted and effects the required separation of the carbons. In
this manner the lamp cannot become permanently extinguished, as the relighting,
in case of extinction, takes place instantaneously.
Set screws vv serve to regulate the distance of the armature from the core, so as
to vary the effect of the force of attraction.
To render the relighting dependent on the maximum of the resistance in the arc,
a fine wire shunt of great resistance may be introduced in any known manner.
Fig. 1 shews the arrangement of the pawl, on a larger scale, than fig. 1, but the
pawl may be dispensed with, and a break substituted therefor.
Fig. 2 shews another yet simpler and more practical form than the one above
described.
The armature D is of special form, as shewn in the drawing. On one side of
this armature the mass or body of iron is brought nearer to the core of the electro

page_text: magnet, than on the other side. The rod TT instead of being toothed, is plain,
and passes through a hole in the armature. When the current is allowed to pass
the portions of the armature is attracted much more quickly in inverse ratio of the
squares of distance than the portion t the armature assumes an inclined position
and the rod T T is gripped and raised. To balance the surplus of the mass at 8,
and to render the grip more powerful, a counter weight q. may be provided and
placed on the opposite side to the mass a
The operation of this apparatus is substantially the same as that of the
construction shewn in fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shews a further modification of the apparatus above described.
In this arrangement the armature D D is fixed, and the core N of the electro-
magnet is moveable. In the interior of this core is a lever oscillating around
the axis a, and provided at one end with a mass of iron L and at its centre with a
break t; two screws fixed in the core N bear against the carbon rod or holder T.
When the current enters the apparatus the soft iron piece L is first attracted the
rod T T is held at 3 points t, v. and v¹, and the core is attracted, together with the
rod, towards the armature D.
The working of this apparatus is substantially the same as those above
described.
The automatic lighting apparatus above described, as well as the other modifi-
cations may be applied with certain slight alterations as a lamp without any other
special mechanism. The thick wire bobbin is then wound round with a sufficient
quantity of fine wire through which the shunt or derived current passes whenever
the are becomes too great. Both ends of the wire are connected to the microphonic
contact of the resistance balances, described in the specification of the British
Letters Patent No. 339 dated 23 January 1882. The carbon holder is fixed to a
long rod which traverses the electro magnet in the direction of its axis.
The working of the lamp is as follows:-As soon as the current enters the arc is
established, its initial length being say 2". The balance is so regulated that its
rod ceases to be in equilibrium as soon as the length of the arc attains, say 3™/
(or thereabouts). At this moment a current passes in a contrary direction,
through the fine wire of the lighting mechanism. The armature then descends,
the carbon is released and again raised to its initial distance as will be readily
understood.
In this special case, the balance may be modified as hereinafter stated. The
current sent through the balance is of very short duration, and to prolong it for
the time required for efficient regulation, it is arranged as follows:-
Fig. 4 shews the modification of the parts of the microphonic contact. A is the
rod of the balance and O the microphonic contact. On the plate a, a' is fixed a
piece of soft iron F, and in front of it, a small electro magnet E.
At the moment that the rod A strikes against the plate a, a' contact is opened.
Then the shunt or derived current follows the path p, q, r, flows through the
electro-magnet E and passes through t, u, v to the lamp by the fine wire of the
electro magnet.
At the moment that the rod A strikes and opens the contact C, the electro
magnet E becomes operative and attracts the armature F, which if the rod A
has returned to its first position, causes contact at C to remain open nevertheless.
But when the armature of the automatic lighter has completely descended, it, in
turn, opens contact between u and t and then the balance returns it to its normal
state of equilibrium. The contact is then closed.
Instead of employing a complete balance, a fine wire bobbin only may be used,
and a spring substituted for the thick wire bobbin.
In all lamps having a delicate regulation and giving a steady light; there is an
inconvenience which it is difficult to avoid. It arises from the length of the arc
not being exactly proportionate to the resistance. This generally arises from the
inverse electro motive force of the are varying considerably according to the state of
the arc. The carbons may approach each other too much, and then the working
"

page_text: becomes irregular, sometimes for a considerable time. This inconvenience is but
little felt when there are many lamps in a circuit, but it becomes marked when
there are but one or two.
To obviate this inconvenience a pair of bobbins is applied and work in the same
manner as the resistance balance hereinabove mentioned, but they will have a
reverse function. Instead of bringing the carbons together, they separate the same
when necessary.
This arrangement is clearly shewn in fig. 5, which is about full size.
The bobbin A is a fine wire shunt and the bobbin B is wound with two layers.
The layer b, b, is of thick wire and the layer bl. 6'. of fine wire.
The bobbins A and B are so arranged that during the regular working the iron
bar K is always on the side of the bobbin A. But as soon as the carbons are too
near to one another the bobbin B has a greater magnetic momentum than the
bobbin A, and the bar K moves towards B. strikes against the plate or piece Land
opens a contact at the point F. Then the shunt or derived current, which
previously passed through D. F, and left at E takes another path. At F the
contact is broken, it must therefore pass through the fine wire of the bobbin B;
this wire being wound in a contrary direction, the bar K returns suddenly
towards A. At the same time that the contact F is opened, an instantaneous
current is sent to the lamp and causes the carbons to separate. If the first
movement of the bar K is not sufficient, the operation is automatically repeated.
The separation of the carbons may be effected in two ways, either the positive
carbon may be raised or the negative one lowered.
Having now described the nature of the said invention and in what mannor the
same may be performed I declare that I claim, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents:
1. The construction of electric lamps with independently moveable armatures not
rigidly connected with the carbon holder, and which armatures come into operation
only during the magnetic action of the electro magnet, substantially as herein
described, these armatures at the first moment (like all others heretofore employed)
separating the carbons to a predetermined normal distance, but should an accident
occur in the voltaic arc release the carbon and allow it to advance until it touches
the other electrode. Thus the said armatures serve not only as the lighting
mechanism but at the same time as safety apparatus and when the lamp is
provided with a delicate regulation this arrangement constitutes a somewhat
rough or ordinary regulation.
2. The use of armatures of special form substantially as shewn, whose masses of
iron are so distributed that the said armatures assume, under the magnetic action,
the position required for engaging the carbon and for releasing the same at the
proper moment.
3. The use of the armatures with the gripping or clutching mechanism; and of
the moveable cores of the electro magnets with such mechanism, as shewn in the
drawings.
4. The use of the automatic lighting device herein described in the construction
as a lamp as set forth, and of the safety apparatus employed for this purpose.
5. The use of safety apparatus for separating the carbons on their accidentally
approaching each other too much, substantially as specified.
In witness whereof I the said Ernest de Pass have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Fifth day of December in the year 1882.