US367960A - Electric-clock system - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

0. L. CLARKE.

ELECTRIC GLOGK SYSTEM.

Patented Aug. 9,. 1887 0. 7% QM 4W air Mg N, PETERS, Phawutmrg her, nnnnnnnnnnnn C.

UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. CLARKE, OF EAST ORANGE, NE\V JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE I TELEMETER COMPANY, OF NE? YORK.

ELECTRIC-CLOCK SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 367,960, dated August 9, 1887.

Application filed February 9, 1887. Serial No. 227,008.

To all whom) it may concern:

Be it known that I, OHARLEs L. CLARKE, a citizen of the United States, residing in East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Clock Systems, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to the organization of apparatus controlled by electriccurrents trans mitted from more or less distant points for the purpose of indicating time.

Certain features of the invention are also applicable to the indication of temperature, atmospheric, steam, and other pressures, and to similar purposes.

The object of the invention is to provide convenient, simple, and reliable means for causing the successive impulses transmitted, to advance the indicating movement the re quired distance, to insure that there shall be no excess of movement, and that the apparatus shall be returned to its normal condition after each operation.

In patents granted to me October 6, 1 885, Nos. 327,526 and 327 ,527 there are described organizations of apparatus of the same general character as that shown herein. In these patents there is shown a system of circuits and apparatus in which means are provided for placing a series of actuating elcctromagnets in circuit, and for insuring that the circuit, when once closed,shall not be interrupted until all the electro-magnets have had time to perform their functions, thus guarding against any defect which might arise from the slower action of some magnets. The general plan there proposed is to place in an independent circuit an interruptingdeviee for opening the circuit which is primarily closed. The independent circuit is completed only when the entire series of magnets have responded. lVith this construction, however, it may sometimes chance that by reason of a defect in some one instrument itself the electro-magnet for operating the same might fail to move its armature and complete the connections of the second circuit at that point. In such an event the primary circuit would still remain closed and (No model.)

difficulty, and it is accomplished by placing in the primary circuit, in addition to the usual circuit-closer, a subsidiary circuit-controller, which will, during the greater portion of the time, interrupt the connections of the main line at a second point, but will close them before the principal circuit-closer is brought into operation, and will continue in operation until the operation of the primary circuit-closer is completed. It will then cause the primary circuit to be again interrupted after the actuated devices have had time to operate. Should, therefore, any particular actuated movement be out of order and the secondary circuit fail to be completed, the apparatus will continue to operate as a one-wire system until the de fcctive instrument is repaired.

The accompanying drawing is a diagram illustrating the general organization of apparatus and system of circuits for carrying out the invention.

Referring to the figure, R represents a circuit-elosing device applied to a moving part say the sccondshand arbor of a regulator. This device consists of a contact-point, r, which is carried forward by the movements of the arbor and makes sliding conl act, once each second or at any other predetermined intervals, with a contact-point, 1". The point r is preferably narrow and located between two of the points of rest of the circnitclosing arm, so that by a single beat of the pendulum or movement of the balance-wheel of the clock the arm a" will be carried into and out of contact with the contact-point r. The circuit of abattery, 0, is designed to be completed by the operation of this arm through a series of electromagnets, M M, applied to clock-movements or other instruments, N N. The magnets M are included in a main line, L, connected at the distant station with the earth at G At the home station this line L terminates at a contact-plate, a, to which an arm, '2', moving with the point r, is applied. A.poiiit,1",upon the arm 1' makes contact with the point or plate a. The latter is of such width that contact 'ill be made a certain definite time before the point r makes contact with the point W, and the point 1* remains in contact with the loo plate a a certain deiinite time after the arm 1' touches the point a. Thus, if the circuit is to be closed at 1* upon the sixtieth second, the point 1- will touch the plate (tat the fifty-ninth second and remain in contact therewith until the end of the first second of the succeeding minute. The pointifltherefore, will always find the connections of the line L completed to itselfwhen it is in position to make contact with the point 0- The connections are continued from the point 1" by a conductor, L, through the coils of an electro-magnet, H, and through a lever, applied to an electro-magnet, Q, in a manner hereinafter to be described, thence to acontact-point, q, and thence to the battery 0, one poleof which is connected with the earth at G, An impulse, therefore, will be sent from the battery 0 through the mag nets M whenever the circuit is completed at the point r 1- The electro-magnct H is provided with an armature, 71 carried upon a lever, 7t, and provided with a front contact point, 71%. The point 71 is connected by a conductor, 1., with the conductor L, leading to the eleetro-magnet, and it is designed, in connection with the lever, to form a shunt-circuit upon the points 1 9* after the circuit is closed by the latter and the lever h of the magnet II has been thrown forward. For this purpose the lover is connected by a conductor, 2, with a plate, (6 similar to the plate it, applied to the point 1", similar to the point r and in electrical connection therewith. The contact of the point with its plate a continues the connections to the lever 71., and when the lever h is drawn against its point h the shuntcircuit will be completed upon the points 1" a This circuit, it is evident, will remain complete until interrupted at the plates (4 (1?, or else at the point g.

It is the intention that the clcctro-magnet Q shall be vitalizcd after all the electro-magnets M have responded and operated their respective movements N, and thereby interrupt the circuit through the magnet 11, and. thus cause a circuit to be interrupted at the poi nt if. For this purpose the lever q" is constructed with an extension, q, extending into the path of the armature-lever (I of the electromagnet Q. \Vhen the magnet Q is vitalized, the lever q, striking the extension q, lifts the lever g from the point (1", thus breaking the circuit of the battery 0. This electro-magnet Q is vitalized by a current transmitted through a sec 0nd line, L. This line L leads from the lever through the magnet Q; to the lever m of the first movement N in the series. This lever is provided with a front contact-point, m, which is connected with a section of the line L leading to the lever on of the next move-' ment. This lever in turn. is provided with a point m, connected in like manner with the succeeding movement, and so on throughout the series. The last contact-point m of the series is connected with the line L, leading to the earth at G. \Vhen, therefore, all the le vcrs or" have served to operate their respective movements, being drawn toward their electromagnets, the circuit of the line if will be completed, the magnet Q vitalizod, and the con nections of both the lines L and L interrupted at the point 1;. It is evident now that should any lever m fail to respond the connections of the line L would remain open, and therefore the eleetromagnet ()3 would not respond. To guard against any such failure, the device for completing the connections of the lines L and If temporarily at the plates a and (I? is employed. Ky means of this device the circuit will be interrupted a moment after the impulse is sent, even though the magnet Q should fail to be vitalized, and thcline will be put in condition to be again operated a second before the next impulse is to be sent. Thus the clock-movements which are in operating condition will continue to be actuated by currents transmitted over one line, L.

I As it may be desired to advance the clock movements to set them at some other time than when the plates a and a are connected through the points 1" 0-, a switch, .9, is employed for completing the connections between the conductor 2 and the plates a, the latter being connected by a conductor, 3, with the switch-point 8, while the switch .9 is connected with the conductor 2. A key, K, connected with the point a), by making contact with its point 7;, will complete the circuit from the battcry 0 through the key-lever to the cmuluctor 2. By means of this key, therefore, as many impulses as required may be sent. A switch, M, is included in the conductor leading from the point q to the battery 0, for inierru1 )ting its connections when desired.

The several electro-magnets are shown with artificial resistances Lconnectiug their respective terminals through. which the discharge takes place when the circuit is interrupted. In apatent, No. 317,572, issued to me August 17, 1886, there shownan artificial resistance plaeed, as shown in the present instance, at 'L 'l in sections of the line L connecting the respective movements. This is provided for equalizing the resistance of the line L, for otherwise the resistance of the line L would, if many instruments were in circuit, ultimately so far exceed that of thelinel'i as to cause the current to be immediately diverted from the line L the moment the connections of theline L were completed, thus causing the magnet 11 to be demagnetizcd too quickly. The resistances 1 are approximately equal to the resistance of the corresponding electro magnets, 'M.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a series of electro magnets, devices actuated thereby, a main line including the same, a circuit-closer for completing a circuit through. said main line, a second main line having its connections completed by the operation of all of said dc vices, a circuitinterrupting device actuated by a current through said second main line, and an independentdevice automatically completing connections in the first main line he IIO fore and interruping them after the operation of said circuit-closer, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a battery, two main lines deriving currents therefrom, a series of actuating devices having their actuating-mag nets included in one of said main lines, a circuitcloser for said line, a circnit-interrupting device having its actuating-magnet included in the second of said main lines, means for completing the circuit of the second line when all of said devices have been actuated, and an independent automatically-operating circuitcontrolling device in the first line interrupting its connections independently of said cireuit-interrupting device after the operation of said circuit-closer.

3. The combination of a series of electromagnets, a main line including the same normally interrupted at two points, means for periodically closing the connections at one point, and a device moving therewith for closing the connections at a second point before the operation of the first-named device, and causing them to remain closed at the second point until after the operation of the firstnamed device, substantially as described.

4-. The combination of a series of electrically-actuated devices, electro-magnets for operating the same, a main line including the electro-magnets, a moving cireuit-closer,means for causing said circuit-closer to complete the connections of said main line at two different points, and causing the connections at one of the points to be of greater duration than that at the other point, and a second main line having its connections normally interrupted at each device and at a point closed by the operation of said eircuiteloser, substantially as de bperating circuit-controller normally interrupting the connections of the first-named line,-except for a brief period, including the time when said circuit-closer operates.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 8th day of February, A. D. 1887.

CHARLES L. CLARKE.

Wi tn esscs DANL. WV. EDG'EOOMB, CHARLES A. TERRY.

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