USRE9846E - tirrell - Google Patents

Description

3 sheets-sheet 1. J. P. TIRREL-L, Asslgnor to G. F. Pmxlul APPARATUS POR LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING GAS BY ELECTRICITY Reissued Aug. 23,1881.

Nen-9,846.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. P. TIRRELL, Assignor to G. F. PINKHAM. APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING GAS BY ELECTRICITY.

No. 9,846. Reissued Aug. 23,1881.

aaneen-sheen 3. J. P. TIRRELL,

* Assignor to G. F. Pnnuul. APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING GAS BY ELECTRICITY.

No, 9,846. Reissued Aug. 23,1881.

@ym s.

"s MMM( Ms a UNITED STATES 7 PATENT OFFICEe .tacos P. TIRRELL, or

APPARATUSl FOR LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING GAS BY ELECTRICITY.

lIPIQIFICIA'IION forming part of Beissued Letters Patent I-o. 9,846, dated August 23, 1881.

origina Nq. 121,301, dma November es, isn.

"of the same. Fig..3 is an elevation of the op- :line am; of Fig. 1. Y, g Y* on the-line y y of Fig. 6. Fig. '6 is an'elevaf' posite side. FigA is avertical section on the Fig.Y 5 is a vertical section tion of a cylinder and parts connected therewith, to be hereinafter described. Fig. 7 represents the surface of the cylinder developed. Fig. 8 represents the cover or easing which incloses the apparatus. Fig. 9 represents a. de'- tail of the spring wiping electrode.

My invention relates to that class of apparatus in which two separate wires are employed alternately,one for letting on and the other for shutting olf the gas; and itconsists in the peculiar construction of the mechanism by w hch the gas is let on and shut olf and theelectrc current caused to pass to the next apparatus, one apparatus only ata time beingincluded in-the electric circuit and ymy invention also consists in the application to an electrical apparatus for lighting and extinguishing gas of a circuit-breaker operated by the armatureof theelectro-magnet and placed in close proximity-thereto, whereby the amature is set in motion bythe electric current without the employment of a key or clocky work mechanism at the central station; and

my invention also consists in the combination of an auxiliary burner with the main burner and an electric-spark-generating mechanism,

.by which construction I am enabled to permanently place the-spark-generating mechanism j ,consists in arran ging the primary coils for pro! out ofthe reach of the llame issuing from the main burner; and my invention furthermore dncing the sparks Within the apparatus in close proximity to the burner, which facilitates the oonltrnction of the apparat-us and lessens its all Not Application for 'reissue inse october 19, leso.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, Arepresents theframework of the apparatus, to the lower portion of which is secured the electro-magnet B, the armature G of which is secured to the end of a bent lever, D, which is pivoted ata to a standard, E, and has pivoted to its upper end a pawl, b, which engages with the teeth of a ratchetwheel,G, the shaft cof which revolves in bearingsin a 'bifurcated support, H, secured to the upper portion of the frame-work. Theratchetwheel G, al'ter being moved byrthe pawl b, is held by a retaining pawl or spring, b2..

d is a couuterpoise-weight attached to a rod projecting up from the lever I).

c is the' valve through which the .gas is admitted tothe burner I, the lower end of the stem f of this valve being connected by means of a spring, 9, with a lever, g, which is pivoted to the frame-work at h, and is provided at its outer end with inclined jaws 10 11 and a groove, 12, Fig. 5. This lever is alternately raised and lowered to open and elosethe valve e by a series of pins, 13 14 15 16, which project from one side of the ratchet-wheel G and act alternately on the inclined sides of the jaws, the pins 13 15, which come in contact with the u'pper'jaw, 10, being farther from the center of the wheel than the pins 14 16, which act on the lower jaw, 11, while each piu passes through the groove 12in the lever as the wheel.

G revolves. The spring-connection 9is for the purpose of insuring the tight closing of the is equal to olie-fourth of the circumference of the cylinder. The two plates of a pair are separated a short distance from each other, as

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seen in Figs. 1, 6, and 7, so as to be perfectly insulated. To` one end of the cylinder J is se- /cured a circular plate, m, 'to a pin" projecting from which is secured one end of a flat coiled spring, n., the other end ot' which is attached to the shaft c.

17 18 19 20 are four pins projecting from the plate m, the pins 17 19 being nearer the center than the pins 18 20, so that one of these four pins will always be in contact with a stoppin, 2l, Fig. 6, projecting from the lever g, when the latter is raised or depressed to its full extent. The cylinder is thus held stationary while the ratchet-wheel is being turned, and the shaft c as it revolves thus winds up the spring 'n until the movement of the lever carries the stop 21 away from the pin resting against it, when the cylinder is instantly revolved a quartenway round by the recoil ot' the spring n, the movement of the cylinder beingstopped by the next pin coming in contact with the stop 2l on the lever g. The cylinder is thus carried around one-quarter of a revolution each time the lever gis raised or depressed, for a purpose that will bedescribed hereinafter.

I will now proceed to describe the manner in which the electric current is caused to pass through the apparatus for the purpose ot' rotating the ratchet-wheel G to let on and shut olf the gas at'the required times.

The parts being in the position seen in Fig. 1, (the gas being shut om) the electric current enters the apparatus at 22 and passes by the wire o to a flat spring, y, the rear portion of which is embedded iu the insulating-block L. The upper portion ofthe spring p bears against one of the narrow metal plates j of the cylinder J, and against this j also bears another narrow spring, q, a part ot which is also embedded in the block L. The current now passes by the spring q to a wire, r, connected with the electro-magnet B, after passiu g through which the current is conducted by a wire, x, to a metallic piece, t, set in an insulating-block, M; thence to the upper end of'a lever, N, with which it is in contact; thence to the framework, and by the gas-pipe or ground back to the battery, when the circuit is completed, and the armature C is attracted by the magnet. The lever Nis pivoted at .53 to the frame-work, and at its lower end is a notch, into which lits a b'ent wire, 24, projecting from the lever l), and thus as the armature is drawn up against the magnet the lever N is vibrated, which throws its uppei` end out of contact with the piece t and breaks the electric circuit. As soon asthis'takes place the armature ceases to be attracted, and is drawn back by its spring u into the position seen in Fig. 5, when thc circuit is again completed and the operation is repeated as before. The armature U is thus set in motion by the electric current withoutthe employment ot' a key or clock-work mechanism at the central station, as has heretofore been required. This motion ot` the armature C and its lever D vibrates the pawl b, which time brought into contact with the other plate,

k, of the salue pair. The current cannot now pass from the spring p to the spring q, as the plates k l are insulated from each other, and the circuit through thc-electro-magnet is thus v broken and the motion of the ratchet-wheel G arrested. The current then passes from the spring p through the wide plate l to another spring, u, which is also embedded in the block L, and thence by the wire w to the next apparatus, where the same operation is repeated, and so on throughout the whole series ot' lamps, one` apparatus only being included within the circuit at a time, the electric current passing from one to another in succession until it has passed through the entire series, the gas-valve e of each apparatus being left in the exact position required when the motion of the wheel (l is arrested by the automatic breaking of the circuit caused by the movement ot the cylinder J. As soon as the gas is let on it is ignited by the electric sparks, iu a manner which will be fully described hereinatter. The armature-C cannot again be set in motion (when it is desired to shut oli' the gas) by a current passing through the wire 0,'Yon account ot' the circuit having been broken, as above described. Another wire, a', is therefore employed, through which the electric current passes to a liat spring, b', the rear'portion of which is embedded in the insulating-block L. The upper portion of this. spring b' bears against one of the narrow metal plates k ot' the cylinder J, and as the spring q is also at this time in contact with the plate 1.', the current passes by the wire yr to t-he elec-,

tro-magnet B and back to the battery, as be-v fore. 'lhis again sets the armature U in motion and rotates the wheel G for the purpose of closing the valve rand extinguishing the gas. As soon as the wheel Cr has completed a quarter-revolution (which completely closes the valve e) the cylinder J is released and revolved a quarter-revolution, which carries the` plate k out ot contact with the spring b', and brings the wide plate 'i of the next pairinto contact therewith, the spring q being at the saine time brought into contact with the other plate,j. The current cannot now pass from IOC rio

the spring b to the spring q, as the plates ijare insulated from each other, and the circuit through the magnet is thusA broken and the motion of the ratchet-wheel arrested. vThev current then passes from the spring b', through the wide plate i, to another spring, c', which is also embedded in the block L, and thence by the wire d' to the next apparatus, where the same operation is repeated, the current passing successively from one apparatus to another until all of the lamps are extinguished. The narrow platej is thus left in contact with both of the springs p q, so that the armature C may be again set in motion tocpenth'e' valveU e by the current passing through the wirc c, as before described.

It will thus be seen that the arrangement of the plates on the cylinder J is such that as the .latter is operated the breaking of the circuit through the wire o and electro-magnet B will not only cause the current to pass onto the next apgaratus, but will leave the electro-v magnet connected with the other wire, c', through which a current may be transmitted at the required time, while the breaking of the circuit through the wire a' and electro-magnet B will cause the current to pass onto the next apparatus, and at the salue time leave the elec- Y tro-magnet connected with the wire o, the wires o a' being thus used alternately, one to carry the current for opening the gas-valve and the 'other the current for closing it, the electro-magnet being at all times connected with one or the other of the wires o a'. The electric current which produces the sparks for lighting the gas passes from one pole'of theU battery by the wire e' to the primary coils P, which are placed near the top of the apparatus. I place the primary coils P for producing the sparks in close proximity t`o the burner, as it facilitates the construction of the apparatus, and renders it less expensive than `where these coils are placed beneath the lamp-post, as heretofore. After passing through the coils P, the current passes by the wire f' to the insulated rod :groet Q, to the upper end -ol' which are secu two light springs, g' g. These springs and their action 'are shown clearly in Fig. 9.

`It will be seen that the movement ot' the rin o' past the spring-electrode g causes a wipng contact or friction between said pin and thcsprinelectrode. The advantages of this lee twofo d: By having the contact between the movable and the iixed electrode a spring- Schoontact, a friction is made which wipes or cleans the parts moving past each other, thereby constantly maintaining a bright surface.

`One of the ditiiculties of obtaining a bright spark at the point of combustion is that the points of contact of the electrodes become coated with carbon, and consequentlyinsulated or partly insulated from each other. This wip ng' spring movement avoids this diiiiculty. In tbe second place, a longer contact between 6c the spring and the pin is obtained than if it were simplya blow or instantaneous contact, as it is found by experience that a better spark ilobtained if the battery-current is allowed to vtiow for an instant before separation ot the electrodes.

The spring is'duplicated, so as to insure certainty ot' lighting it the rstspring should not act properly; but the iir'st spring is all that is necessary, as a rule, to insure ignition. vThe other pole of the battery is connected lirough the frame-work A witha sliding rod, near the upper end ot' which is a pin, i', which is raised amllowered in a manner to be presently described, and thus when the, contact between the pinv 'i' and springs gg' is 7 5 made and broken as the rod h' is raised the sparks are produced as required. The springs g' g are held in place by a small plate, 35, secured to the post Q by a screw, so that they can be' adjusted or replaced at small cost when worn or burned out. The gas is admitted to the apparatus at k' and passes up through a passage formed in the framework A lo the pipe R, to which the burner I is attached. The pipe R is surrounded near its upper end by an insulating-disk, X. Connected with the pipe R below the valve e is an auxiliary burner, S, the small orice at the top of which is closed by a valve, l?, attached to the upper end of the rod h', and this valve is kept closed down upon its seat'by a sprin'g, m,.attached to the lever D, andal block, n', at the lower end of the rod h'. f

.oI o' are two pins projecting from the sidev y of the ratchet-wheel G, which are brought intel 'o5 contact with thehlock n', wlicuneaaithe.wheell "G revolves, the rod h is raised so as to open the valve l' and allow the gas to escape. from the auxiliary burner, which is instantly lighted by thesparks produced by the contact between the pin i and springs g' g', being made and broken as the rod h is raised. The orifice through which the gas escapes from the auxiliary burner is on one side only of the valve l', viz., on the side to which the pin i is at. tached, so that the gas as it escapes will ilow directly up to the point where the sparks are produced, which renders it more certainv to be lighted. vAs soon as the auxiliary burner is lighted the valve e commences to open, and the gas issuing from the main burner I is instantly ignited from the ame of the auxiliary burner. The pin o now passes out of contact with the block n', when the rod h is drawn down by the spring m', closing the valve l and extinguishing the auxiliary jet. By the employment of an auxiliary burner I am enabled to permanently place that portion of the apparatus where the sparks are produced out of the reach ot' the llame issuing 12o from the burner I, and thus avoid the necessity of employing mechanism to, raise the whole spark-producing apparatus up to the orillce of the main burner, and then lower it, as has heretofore been necessary to prevent it from being injured or destroyed by the flame. Another advantage resulting from the use of an auxiliary burner is that the small jet of gas issuing from it is more readily ignited by the electric spark thana large jet. Consequently it is more certain to be lighted.

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It will be seen that with the above-described y apparatus a quarter of a revolution only of the wheel G is required to open or close the gasvalve e,instead ot' a half-revolution, as heretofore, and a saving of time is thereby eected, while the action of the apparatus is certain and, reliable.

VThe apparatus is surrounded by a. conical sheet-metal cover or casing, T1 Fig. S, which serves to exclude dust and moisture.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l.. The within-described mechanism for automatically breaking the circuit through the electro-magnet and causing the current to pass to the next-apparatus, the said mechanism consisting, essentially, of the ratchet-wheel G,

operated by the electro-magnet, in combination 'with the shaft e, lever g, cylinder J, with its insulated plates, and the springs p q n b c and wires connected thcrewith,operating substantially as set forth.

2. The ratchet-wheel- G, with its pins 13 14 15 16, in combination with the lever g, for operating the gas-valve c, substantially as del scribed.

3. The combination of an auxiliary burner, S,with the main burner I and an electric-sparkgenerating mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose described.

.4. One or more springs, g g', attachedto the insulated post Q, and connected with one pole of thebattery, in combination with the *pin connected with the opposite pole of the battery for producingthe sparks, substantially as described.

5. The rod h', in combination with the valve l', auxiliary burner S, pin i', and one or more springs, `g g', operating substantially as do! scribed. t

6.` The device for producing the electric spark, consisting of a stationary electrode electrically connected, having a flexible wiping contactpoint, substantially as described,infcombina 1 the combination, with a xed wiping-spring 'v electrode, ot' a reciprocating electrode, a spindle carrying a stop for moving said electrode same spindle that actnates thc reciprocating electrode, all operating substantially ns described.

8. In an electric gas-lighting apparatus,the A combination of the sliding rod h', provided with L a contact-point,i, a spindle carrying a stop said spindle, and a fixed wiping-'spring electrode. i

9. The sliding i', in combination` with the spindle c, rotated by thearmaturc of anelcctrofrnagnet, and provided with means, substantially as described," o 75` springelectrode,having-suitableelectricalconf 1 nections for breaking and closing the circuit-,1U

for raising said rod h', and a fixed wipingthe whole constructed and arranged for-the'` purposes set forth. v l n t JACOB. P. TIRRELL. Witnesses:

. P. E. TESCHEMAGHEB,

Crus. E. GRIFFIN. "i

points of 5o s in one direction, a springfor moving itin the Y otherdirection, the armature of an electro-mag- .if net for rotating said spindle, and a valvetor t controlling the gas supply operated by the '6o' for moving said point or electrode in onef di-` g rection, arcctractile spring for movingit inthe, 5 j; other directioman electro-magnet for rotating`

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