US763648A

US763648A - Headlight.

Info

Publication number: US763648A
Application number: US13738603A
Authority: US
Inventors: F Cortez Wilson; George Landis Wilson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1903-01-02
Filing date: 1903-01-02
Publication date: 1904-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 1921-06-28

Description

No. 763,648. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1904. F c. & G. L. WILSON.

HEADLIGHT.

APPLICATION TILED JAN. 2 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Mine-656s;

' No. 763.648- PATENTBD JUNE 28, 1904,

F G. & G. L. WILSON.

HEADLIGHT.

APPLICATION rum) JAN. 2, 190a.

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UN ITEED STATES Patented June 28,v 1904.

PATENT @FFMJE.

F OORTEZ WILSON, OF CHICAGO, AND GEORGE LANDIS WILSON, OF

I OAKBARK, ILLINOIS.

HEADLIGHT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,648, dated June 28, 1904.

' Application filed January 2,1903.v SerialN0-137.386. (N0 model.)

more particularly to that class of such head lights which are designed to use acetylene or other gasto produce the illuminating-flame. I A principal object of the invention is to provide an improved construction in lanterns of the character referred to, and particularly to provide a form of reflector which shall utilize the illuminating power of the flame to the highest possible degree and which shall at the same time provide ventilation for the burner in such manner as to reduce the tarnishing of the reflector that ordinarily results from the overheating of the reflecting-surface by the illuminating-flame. and avoid the unsightly holes heretofore provided for this purpose, which have been found undesirable, also, on

account of the darkened spots in the illumi-.

nated area which result from the absence of reflecting-surface in the field of the parabola.

Theinvention also contemplates various improvements in the mechanical construction of the lantern to facilitate access to all parts, so that it may be more readily cleaned and its reflecting-surface polished, and which are conducive to economy in manufacture and ease of assembling or dissembling its parts.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a locomotive-headlight constructed in accordance with our improvements. Fig. 2 is an outside elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a rear eleva tion, partly in section. Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the principal parts of the lantern separated from each other. Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of the hand-hole closure to which the back reflector is secured. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail showing the manner of fastening the front glass of the lantern at its top.

In said drawings, 1 designates the cylindric body of the lantern, 2 its rear wall, and 3 its glass front. This latter, as better shown in Fig. 4, is removably secured upon the body of the lantern by means of a stud 5 and springlatch 6, which engage the annular flange 7 of the front at its top and bottom. To place the front in position, its top is tipped toward the body of the lantern, as shown in Fig. 6, so that a suitable hole 8 in the flange 7 can be hooked over the stud 5, after which it is swung in at its bottom until the flange 7 of the front incloses the end of the body of the lantern and until thespring-latch 6 snaps over an annular bead or band 9, provided around the rear edge of the flange 7. The burner B of the lantern is located pretty well back toward the rear of the cylindric body 1 and is herein shown as carried upon the upper end of a vertical gas-v pipe 10, that is rigidly secured at 11 to the bottom of the body 1. The burner-pipe-lO is supplied with gas by a short horizontal pipe 12, that projects out through the rear wall 2 of the lantern-body and has a nipple 13. b v which connection may be made with any suitable generator or storage tank which supplies gas to the latter. The pipe 12 may also be used asa purifier, and for this purpose it is herein shown as considerably larger in diameter thanthe pipe 10, so that it can be stuffed with cotton,-hair, or other suitable filtering material, the end of the pipe being provided with screw-plugsl f, one'or both of which can be removed to enable the scrubbing material to be withdrawn and replaced as desired.

One of the principal difliculties heretofore encounteredin utilizingacetylenegas as anilluminant for headlights has been the tendency of the exceedingly hot flame to tarnish the reflector in those parts-immediately superjacent to the burner, and various attempts have been made to provide ventilating-apertures in the reflector which would carry away the heat and prevent the tarnishing action without detracting too greatly from the efliciency of the reflector in projecting the light. In the present ll p 4 v improvement the necessary ventilation is provided and the reflector largely protected from tarnishing under the heat of the flame and products of combustion by making it in two distinct sections and separating these sections at the point where the burner-pipe enters and far enough to permit the heat to pass up between the sections at the top without materially affecting either of them. At the same time the efliciency of the reflector is substantially preserved by making both sections of parabolic form and by arranging them so that their foci lie substantially coincident and in the immediate vicinity of the burner-flame.

As herein shown, the rear reflector 15 is a shallow dish-shaped section mounted at the front end of a removable hand-hole closure. This closure, Fig. 5, is removably inserted through a central aperture in the rear wall 2 of the lantern and flts within an inclosing cylinder 17, that is permanently attached to the said wall 2. The outer diameter of the closure 16 is made slightly less than the inner diameter of the cylinder 17 and the closure is directly supported by a plurality of bearingstrips 18, in this instance three in number, that are secured at suitable intervals around the inner surface of the cylinder 7. When the closure is thrust into the cylinder, it

tightly engages the bearing-strips 18 and by slightly distorting the cylinder causes the latter to securely grip the cover that holds it and the reflector 16 tightly in place with its axis concentric with the axis of the reflector in front of the burner. As herein shown, the reflector 15 is removably secured in the front end of the closure 16 by a bolt 19, which extends through from the front side of the reflector to the back side 20 of the closure, where it is provided with a nut 21. The tightening of this bolt draws the reflector into the cover until the edge 22 of the reflector strikes an inturned bead 23 of the closure and is clamped in place against it. Ahandle 24 on the back of theclosure enables the latter to be inserted or withdrawn at will despite the frictional engagement of the bearing strips 18, and a spring-latch L normally locks the closure in place when thrust home.

The inclosing cylinder 17, which receives the closure 16, extends into the lanterns somewhat beyond the front end of the closure and is flared out at 25 to support the rear end of the front reflector 26. The latter at its front or large end 27 is of substantially the same diameter as the interior of the cylindric casing 1 of the reflector, into which it closely fits, while at its small or rear end it is of about the same diameter as the rear reflector 15. After the reflector has been pushed home in the casing until its rear end is securely seated in the flared front end 25 of the .cylinder 17 it is locked in position by a ring 28, that is detachably secured within the casing 1 by screws 29. By removing this ring the front reflector may at any time be withdrawn for cleaning, polishing, or refinishing. That portion of the cylinder 17 intervening between the front edge of the reflector 15 and the rear edge of the reflector 26 is provided with a number of apertures 30, which establish open communication between the interior of the reflectors and the surrounding body of the lantern. The burner- I pipe 10 extends up through the lowest of these apertures, while the products of combustion escape through the uppermost aperture 31, which is enlarged to extend pretty well over the top of the cylinder. This latter aperture is inclosed by a hood 32, which slopes upwardly and rearwardly from the cylinder 17 and directs the products of combustion out through apertures 33 in the rear wall 2 of the lantern-casing near its upper edge. The end walls of this hood 32 are fitted close to the cylinder 17, but are-not seamed or soldered thereto, and any rain or moisture beating into the cylinder through the holes 33 can flow down around the cylinder 17 and escape at the bottom of the lantern through an aperture 35 provided for the purpose. I

Both the rear reflector 15 and the front reflector 26 in this improvement are of parabolic shape, and both are so arranged with respect to the burner B that the rays of light cmanating from the flame at the burner will be reflected through the glass front of the lantern in substantially parallel linesthat is to say, the reflectors are so arranged that the foci and axis of their respective parabola of curvature are coincident with each other and the foci lie at substantially the exact point where the center of the illuminating-flame is located, which in this instance is assumed to be on the central axis a of the lantern and directly aboveand in line with the burner. Under these circumstances any ray of lightR emanating from the flame at the burner and striking the rear reflector 16 will be reflected directly forward in a line 7' parallel with the axis a of the lantern, while at the same time any ray of light R emanating from the illuminating-flame and striking the front reflector 26 will be reflected through the front of the lantern in a line 9-, which is also parallel to the axis of the lantern.

By this construction ample ventilation is provided for the flame through apertures 30 and 31 in the annular space between the reflectors, and the heat and products of combustion are so completely carried off in this manner as to substantially protect the metal of the reflectors from that tarnishing and discoloration which ordinarily results from the heat of the illuminating-flame. At the same time a larger and more effective reflecting-surface is provided than if the-two reflecting-sections were made as parts of the same parabolic reflector from which a portion equal to the space between the sections 15 and 26 was cut away. Furthermore, this escape of light between the reflectors is not cntirelylost, but is utilized in the illumination of side lights S and S, which desirably carry a transparency showing the number of the locomotive on which the headlight is'placed or any other character or insignia which it is desired to place there. One of these side lights is desirably hinged so that it may be readily swung back to give access to the interior of the lantern, which will usually be lighted through the aperture thus provided by swinging back the side light. In order to permit the side lights to stand plumb or in vertical planes,

the outer casing of the lantern is builtout at 86 to meet the lower portions of the side-light frames and, as herein shown, apertures 37 are provided in the bottom of these built-out portions to'admit the air by which the combustion of gas at the burner is maintained and the temperature within the casing kept low.

The entire lantern is shown as supported upon legs 38, each of which consists of a single strip of iron'extending across beneath the glass front will render the frontreflector suffieiently accessible for cleaning and polishing purposes; but in case it is desired to remove it entirely it is only necessary to take out the screws 29 and ring 28, when the reflector 26 may be withdrawn. The rear reflector 15 is most easily gotten at by taking out the closure 16, which can readily be done at any time by depressing the latch L so as to release the closure and then pulling on its handle 24, and when both reflectors are thus withdrawn the entire interior of the lantern is accessible. A cover-plate 4:0 is desirably provided to protect the glass front when the reflector is not in use, and this cover-plate is herein shown as removably secured in place by means of a cross-bar 41, the ends of which drop into slots 42 in clips 43, that project forwardly from the sides of the lantern for the purpose.

Although particularly designed and more especially intended for use as locomotive-headlights, it will be understood that lanterns constructed in accordance with this invention may be employed for other purposes and in other connections and modified in any necessary manner to that end, and it will also be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction shown without departure from the broad spirit of the invention claimed, particularly in so far as relates to the form and arrangement of the duplex parabolic reflector which constitutes the principal feature of the claimed improvement.

Vi e claim as our invention 1. A lantern provided with a burner, a concave reflector behind the'burner and being rearwardly removable, and a separate reflector in front of the burner, said reflectors being .practically parabolic in curvature and being arranged with their foci and axes substantially coincident and the foei adjacent to the burnerflame, substantially asedescribed.

2; A lantern provided with aburner, a truncated parabolic reflector in front of the burner, and a concave parabolic reflector behind the burner, said reflectors being arranged with their 'foci and axes coincident Tand the foci adjacent to the burner-flame, anil b'eing'separated by a substantially cylindrical ventilating-space and an apertured cylinder extending across this space, substantially as described.

3. In combination, a lantern-casing, a front reflector inclosed therein, a rearreflector in closed therein, a burner intermediate the two reflectors, and means whereb'y'the front reflector may be removed from the front of the casing and the rear reflector from the rear of Y the casing, substantially as described.

,4. A lantern comprising anouter casing, a burner with n the casing, a reflector within the casing in front of the burner, and aconcave reflector behind the burner, said concave reflector being mounted in a removable carrier closing an aperture in a wall of thelantern, substantially as described.

5. A lantern provided with an outer casing, a burner within the'casing, a supporting-cylinder extending into the lantern from the rear wall of the casing, a reflector supported at its front end by the casing and at its rear end'by said supporting-cylinder, and a concave reflector mounted on a closure device extending into said cylinder, substantially as described.

6. A lantern provided with an outer casing, a burner within the casing, a reflector in front of the burner, a cylinder extending into the lantern from the rear wall of the casing to support the rear end of the front reflector, a closure closing said cylinder, and a reflector mounted behind the burner upon said closure, substantially as described.

7. A lantern provided with an outer casing, a burner within the casing, a cylinder extending into the lantern from the rear wall of the casing and flared at its front end, a reflector in the outer casing at its front end and seated at its rear end in the flaring front of said cylinder, and a reflector within the cylinder behind the burner, substantially as described.

8. A lantern provided with an outer casing, a burner within the casing, a reflector supported at its front end by the casing and at its rear end by a concentric support into which it is fitted, and a suitable retaining device in the casing in the front of the reflector to hold it seated in said support, substantially as described.

9. A lantern provided with an outer casing,

a burner within the casing, a reflector fitting within the outer casing at its front end, a cylinder extending into the lantern from the rear wall of the casing and forming a supporting-seat for the rear end of said reflector, removable retaining devices in the casing in the front of the front reflector, a closure for the cylinder, and a concave reflector mounted in said closure, substantially as described.

10. A lantern provided with an outer casing, a burner within the casing, a reflector within the casing in front of the burner, a cylinder extending into the lantern from the rear wall of the casing to support the rear end of the front reflector, a concave reflector within the cylinder behind the burner, and ventilatingapertures in the cylinder between a the reflectors, substantially as described.

11. In a lantern, the combination of an outer casing having an opening in its rear wall for the escape of products of combustion, a burner within the casing, a reflector in front of the burner and a reflector in the rear of the burner spaced apart from the front reflector, and a hood above the space between the reflectors for directing the products-of combustion to said escape-opening, said hood extending from a point in front of said space upwardly and rearwardly toward said escape-opening, for the purpose set forth.

12. A lantern comprising an outer casing, a burner within the casing, a cylinder extending into the lantern from the rear wall of the casing past the burner, a reflector in front of the cylinder, a concave reflector within the cylinder behind the burner, apertures in the surrounding wall of the cylinder between the reflectors and a rearwardly sloping hood covering the upper apertures in the cylinder and extending up to apertures in the outer casing of the lantern, substantially as described.

13. A lantern comprising an outer casing, a burner within the casing, an aperture in the rear wall of the casing behind the burner, a cylindric closure normally closing said aperture, a bearing'in said cylindric closure, a concave reflector inserted in said closure against said bearing and a bolt passing through the reflector and rear wall of the closure to secure the reflector in place, substantially as described.

14. A lantern provided with a burner, a reflector in front of the burner, and a concave reflector behind the burner, an apertured connecting-cylinder affording a clear ventilatingspace, and side lights on the casing illuminated from the interior of the reflector through the apertures in said cylinder, substantially as described.

15. In combination, a lantern-casing, a cylinder extending into the casing from the rear, a rearwardly-removable reflector supported in this cylinder, a burner in front of this reflector and another reflector in front of the burner, for the purposes set forth.

16. In combination, a lantern casing, a burner therein, a cylinder extending into the casing from the rear Wall thereof, frictionstrips in this cylinder, a removable closurecylinder fitting Within the aforesaid cylinder and engaging said strips, and a reflector carried by this closure-cylinder.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as F CORTEZ WILSON. GEO. LANDIS WILSON.

Witnesses:

HENRY WV. CARTER, K. A. Cos'rELLo.