US445728A - Electric gas-lighter - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

H. H. CUTLER.

ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTER.

N0. 445,728. Patented Feb.3,18 91.

illlllmlllillm* uw".

FW. www

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY ll. CUTLER, OF NEVTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC GAS-LIGHTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,728, dated February 3, 1891.

Application tiled March l5, 1890.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY H. CUTLER, of Newton, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Gas-Lighting Apparatus, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a speciiication, like letters and figures on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention relates to a gas-lighting apparatus especially intended for lighting streetiamps, said apparatus comprising appliances for turning on and igniting the gas and for turning oii" the gas, so constructed that a large number of said devices can be included in one circuit in series with one another and acted upon by powerful currents, such as employed for electric lighting, it being necessary only to apply said currents for a very short time in order to effect the turning on and lighting of the gas.

The invention is embodied in an apparatus in which the valve-operating mechanism is inclosed in a tight chamber communicating with and forming part of the gasway, the said devices being actuated by an electroinagnet outside of the said chamber, but having its poles extend through the wall of the chamber and into the interior thereof. The valve-operating devices are so constructed that alternate operations ot' the magnet open and close the valve, which remains in the position in which it was placed by the energizing of the magnet during the time that the magnet subsequently remains demagnetized, and is thrown to the other position the next time that the magnet is energized. The ignition is produced by the incandescence of a stout piece of refractory carbon included in circuit with the magnet and held between spring-pressed clamps that afford a good contact between the said carbon and the more conductive material of 4which the electrodes are composed.

Figure l is a front elevation, partly in section, of a gas-lighting apparatus embodying this inventiomshown in the position occupied when the gasvalve is closed; Fig. 2, a similar View showing the parts in the position occupied when the valve is open; Fig. 3, a detail showing the armature in plan view; Fig. 4, a detail of the part that actuates the Serial No. 343,991. (No model.)

shifting device by which alternate but similar movements of the armature are caused to open and close the valve; Fig. 5, a rear elevation of the valve-operating mechanism, and Fig. 6 a detail showing a portion of said mechanism in end elevation.

The apparatus comprises a base or casting a., adapted to be connected with the end ot' the gas-supply pipe, and preferably insulated therefrom by a bushing h of insulating material interposed between the base-piece a and the gas-pipe. rllhe said piece a is cup-shaped, and is provided with a removable cap or bonnet a2, which, together with the piece a, incloses a chamber ai', forming part of the gasway, the said chamber being provided with an outlet-pipe a, to which the tip or burner proper a5 is connected in the usual manner. The chamber a3 contains the moving parts that operate the gas-valve, as will be described, and which are actuated by an electro-magnet c, the poles c2 of which extend through the bonnet a2, making, however, a tight joint therewith and projecting down inside the chamber as, as shown.

rllhe back strap of the magnet is composed of an iron plate c3, supported on the gastip a* at proper height and provided with suitable binding-posts d d2 d3 for the circuit connections, which will be hereinafter described, while above the magnet and near the tip is supported a block of insulating material e, which sustains and insulates from one another and from the burner two conductingbrackets ff?, provided at their upper ends with guides f5, in which work sliding metallic clamps or slides f4, which are pressed toward one another by springs f5, so as to clamp a short stout incandescent bar g between them. The ends of the slides fl are socket-ed to receive a considerable portion of the length of the bar g within them, as shown in Fig. l, and make an extremely perfect electrical connection between the said slides and said bar, which is of much higher resistance than the other portions ot' the circuit, so that it bccomes heated to incandesccnce by the current passing through it. A piece of hard graphite or somewhat impure carbon, such as commonly used in hard-lead pencils, is very eiiicient for the incandescent ignitor g, as its resistance is high, causing it to glow suili` IOO ciently to ignite the gas, and it is also very refractory, so that it will last a very long time with the amount of usage required for lighting the gas.

The main circuit may be connected,as shown at 2, with one of the binding-posts, as d, which is connected with one terminal of the magnet c, as shown at 3, the other terminal of said magnet being connected, as shown at 4, with the binding-post d2, which is connected, as shown at 5, with one of the brackets, as f, while the other bracket f2 is connected, as shown at 6, with the binding-post d3, from which the main line extends, as shown at 7,

to the next apparatus. Thus a current of suflicientstrength in the line 2 7 causes the magnet c to be energized and the ignitingbar g top be heated suiiiciently to light the gas if it is at the same time permitted to escape from the burner-tip c5. The energizing of the magnet c for an instant causes lthe valve to be shifted from open to closed position, and the reverse, and then' retains it in said position until the magnet is again energized by the following means: The valve proper h, as shown in this instance, consists of an insuitable liquid, preferably mercury, to asu-fcient depth, as indicated at t3, so that wheny the cup rests on the bottom of the recess, as shown in Fig. 1, it seals the annular passagetz and shuts oif the gas from the interiorof the chamber apreventingits passagethroughl the outlet-tip a4 to the burner. When, however, the said cup is raised, as shown in Fig.; 2, the gas can pass into the chamber, as shown by the arrows, and pass out through the pipe a4 to the burner. l

The valve h is connected with a lyoke or cross-bar h2, havingpassages to engage with:

guide-,pins k, projecting down from "the bonnet-'piece a2 of the chamber, and said crossbar is adapted to be engaged by hooksm, con-` nected with an armature m2for the magnet c, said armature also havingl openings and working on the guide-pin k and being provided, as shown, in this instance withla c entral guide-pin m3, working in the bore of theoutlet-tube CL4, (see Fig. 1,) said pinhaving a head m4, Whichiits loosely within said tube,

vand is perforated or star-shaped topermit the flow of ggas by it through the tube. Thus it Will be seen that when the magnet is energized the valve will be lifted by the attractive movement of the armature m2 to the position shown in Fig. 2, thus opening the gasway, and will remain in this position so long as the magnet remains energized. It is desirable, however, that the magnets should only be energized a very short time, not over a few seconds at a time, and it is therefore necessary to provide means for retaining the valve open 'after the magnet has been demagnetized and the armature permit-ted to fall, and as the same movement of the armature is depended upon kto both open and close the valve it is necessary that the contrivance should be so arranged that after the valve is opened for the purpose of lighting it shall remain open until the magnet is again acted upon, when the ensuing movement of the armature will again close the valve and leave it closed until the next movement of the armature, and s0 on. This result is attained by a shifting valveholder o, pivoted at 02 'upon a stud or projection 03 from the bonnet a2, and provided with a cam projection o4 below the pivot, which is Vfshaped, and has its point lcarried from one to the other side of the line of the pivot as the said shifter isrocked on said pivot. The armature m2 carries a laterally-yielding arm p, (shown in plan view in Fig. 4,) Whichnorthe. point of the cam o4, according as the shifter o is in `one or the other position. One end of the said shifter is also provided with a supporting projection or hook 05, which o ooperates withl a pin h3, connected with the `valve h or its cross-bar h2.' When the armature is raised, the arm p will pass to that side ofthe cam o4 which extends to .the side of the rocking piece o that is then lowestpand vas the armature m2 continues its upward movement the pin will finally act on thesaid ,piece o and rock it to the other position, at the same time shifting its cam with relation to the arm p, so that at the next rise of the' said arm from below it will pass to the' other side of the cam and rock the `shifting plate in the other direction, so that alternate movement of the armature rocksV `the plate frst to one and then to the other side. When `the said plate is rocked in one direction to -the position shown in Fig. 2, the hooko5 will lengage the pin h3, and thus sustain the vvalve Auntil the shifting piece ois rocked to the other Iposition, when the projection h3 and valve `will be no longer supported, but will drop, together with the armature, leaving the valve .closed until the next operationvof the armature. When the valve is closed, the partsare normally in the position shown in Fig. 1, ,and a single action of the armature raises the valve and also tilts the shifting piece ofrom the position in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, in which its hook o5 engages the projection h3 and retains the valve in open position, al

though the armature may be immediately afterward released and dropped to its lowest i or normal position, as shown in Fig. 1. Then the next movement of the armature will tilt the piece 0 in the other direction, so that When it descends the valve Will no longerbesupported and will descend with it and shut olf the gas.

-In order to insure the proper action-of the shifting piece 0 and to prevent it from becoming accidentally shifted from one to the other` position, except When acted upon by the magnet, the said piece is provided with a .85 mally stands directly under the pivot o2, and @is consequently at one or the other `side ofV IOC IIO

locking` or retaining;` projection r (see Figs. 5 and 6) at its rear side when viewed in the position shown in Figs. l and 2, the said projection co-operating with an arm r2, carried by the armature m2; which when the said armature is in unattracted position lies in the path of the projection fr on the shifting piece, preventing it from moving to the other side of the arm r2; but when the armature is raised the said arm r2 passes above the projection r, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. G, thus permittingr the said projection to pass to the other side of the arm 'r2 in the sudden shifting of the piece o, which is then acted upon by the spring-arm p in the proper direction to shift it and carry its projection fr from one to the other side of the arm r2. The arm r2 thus constitutes a lock which prevents the piece o from shifting when the armature is retracted, but permits it to shift under the spring action of the arm p when the armature reaches its attracted position, the arm p having been pressed against the shittingr piece 0 in the proper direction to shift it during the attractive movement of the armature. By this means an exceedingly positive operation of the valve is produced, it being practically impossible to get the valve out of time with the alternate actions of the magnet, so that the act of energizingthe magnet at any time will reverse the position of the valve, opening it if it has been closed and closing it if it has been standing' open.

The apparatus is adapted to work with I powerful currents, an d is very useful in streetlighting plants in which gas and electric lamps are both used, as the electric current can be thrown onto the gas-lighting, circuit for an instant, either to light or extinguish the gas lamps, as may be required, and may be used the remainder of the time for operating the electric lamps.

I claiml. In agas-lighting apparatus, the combination, with the burner-tip, of insulated brackets adjacent to said burner-tip provided with guides, a spring-pressed sliding clamp Working in said guides, and an incandescent conductor working in said clamps, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of an electro-magnet and armature with a valve, a shifting valveholder, and a lock for the latter, all operated by the said armature, the said lock preventing the said support from shifting except when the armature is moved to operate the lock, valve, and valve-support, substantially as described.

3. The combination of an electro-magnet and armature with a valve, a shifting valveholder provided with a V-shaped cam, and a spring-arm carried by said armature and cooperating With the said valve-holder to shift the same at alternate movements of said armature, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4- The combination of an electro-magnet and armature with a valve, a shifting-valve holder provided with a V-shaped cam, and a spring-arm carried by said armature and cooperating with the said valve-holder to shift the same at alternate movements of the said armature, and co-operating locking projec-4 tions on said shifting valve-liolder and armature, whereby the holder is prevented from shifting except when the armature arrives at or near its attracted position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing' witnesses.

HENRY Il. CUTLER.

Images