US168185A - Improvement in electric circuit-breaicing clock-work - Google Patents

Description

-mD. ROUSSEAU. Eiectr-ic Circuit-Breaking Clock-Work.

'N0.I68,I85.

Patnted Sept. 28. I875.

Im/enZbr circuit-breaking clock-work.

DAVID ROUSSEAU, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TQ WILLIAM F, SMITH AND SAMUEL SAMUELS, OF SAJVIE PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTRiG CIRCUET'*BREAKNG CLO3K-WQRK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 168, 1 85, dated September 28, 1875, application filed August 13, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID RoUssEAU, of the city of New York, in the county of New Yorlrand in the State of New vented a nenfztnd Improved Electric Circuit- Breaking Clock-Work, of which the following is a specification:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved Fig. 2 is a detailed side view of parts of the same,

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

The object of this invention is to produce a clock mechanism for automatically breaking electric circuits at short intervals. without producing an excessive strain on the main clock-work and injuring it as a timekeeper.

Circuit-breaking clocks can be used for various purposes-such as the regulation of a series of time-keepers, and also "on electric signals. Indeed, the main purpose I had in view in making this invention was the pro ducti'onof a means for automatically unlocking railroad-signals which are locked unnecessarily in danger positions by the attractions oftheir armatures to their electro-inagnets under the influence of a com pletely-closed circuit.--"

Electricrailway-signals are usually operated by currents of short duration, created by. the contact of moving trains with certaincircuit-closers. When .from one cause or other these circuit-closers should remain closed continuously, the signals can be looked in certain positions, which they should not occupy had the currents been properly interrupted. Now, I propose to place my improved clock mechanism in the conductor of such a sig;

nal, and cause it to break metallic" contact between two ends of said conductor at given intervals, sayevery few seconds. Then, it the current is unnecessarily continued,- the clock will break it yet the clock will not interl'ere'with the proper setting of the signals as long'as, after each setting, the current is properly interrupted on the circuit-closer.

My invention consists in combining the clock-work which carries the circuit-breaking device with another clock-work, that regu- York, have in,-

- and thereupon the arm a fnected and separated.

lates the motion of the first, substantially as hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawing, the letter A represents the frame of the clock. B and G are two mainsprings, weights, or equivalent 'llllllll regulates the motion of the train D.

This train may be used to move the hands I of a clock for measuring time, or to move other suitable mechanism. The spring 9 tends to jmnart rotary motio'nto a train of wheels, G; but this motion is rendered intermittent by means of an arm, a,.which projects from one of the; spindles b of the train G into contact with a toothed Wheel, 61, that is mounted upon the spindle This spindle, the arrow shown in Fig. l, will, at certain intervals of time, carry the pin of the wheel 01, that detains the arm a,

will at once, under the influence of the spring- 0, describe a-cirole, to be arrested, by the next pin of the wheel d;

Fig. 2 shows the farm at describing said circle.

f and g are the two=ends of the electric conductor, which are to be alternately con- The end. f is made in form of. a metal spring, and is, by oneof the arms of a star-wheel, h, of the train G,@

g, as in Fig. 1, whenpressed against the end ever the arm a, is arrested by the Wheel 12 .lmt while the arm a revolves, the wheel h describes also a partial revolution, and re leases the springf for a while, so that it can spring away flOID'i'l'lG conductor 9, as in Fig; 2, thus breaking the circuit during part of the time which is occupied by the rotation of the arm a.

. it will be seen that the train of wheels, is not perceptibly affected by the circuit-breaking mechanism, can therefore be utilized as a time-keeper or other reliable clock-Work.

The spring B revolving in the direction of clear of the same,"

spring B, with its and that it as herein shown a muss I claim as my inventionv spring 0, arm and circuit-breaking wheel 1. The arm a, combined with the rotary h,substautially as herein shown and described. Wheel (1 and. intermittently-rotating Wheel h, co constitute a circuit-breaker, substantially DAVID ROUSSEAU.

nd described. Witnesses:

2. The combination of the mainspring B, E. O. WEBB, which rotates the wheel (I, with -the main- B. F. KELLEY.

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