US705647A - Conical pendulum. - Google Patents

Description

Patented July 29, I902.

F. m. CLARK.

GONICAL PENDULUM.

(Application filed Feb. 19, 1901.)

(No Model.)

UJITJF EEEES #WQM' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK M. CLARK, OF TILTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE Ii. CLARK, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONICAL PENDULUM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 705,647, dated. July 2 1902- Application filed February 19, 1901. Serial No. 47,971, No model.) 7

To ctZZ whom it may concern: of this worm is stopped at p, as the thrust is Be it known'that I, FRANK M. CLARK, of upward. In alinement with this worm and Tilton, county of Belknap, State of New below it there is a spirally-wound spring .2, Hampshire, have made certain new and usemounted on a bracket g, secured to the clock- 55 5 ful Improvements in Conical Pendulum frame. The lower end of the spring is fast Clocks, of which the following is a descripin a cup 7c, secured to the outer end of said tion sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enbracket. The upper end of said spring is free able any person skilled in the art or science and a cupj is fast thereon. The pendulumto which said invention appertains to make rod C is pendent from this upper cup j, being 60 I and use the same, reference being had to the offset at 7L to pass around said spring and under accompanying drawings, forming a part of the bracket, so that when at rest the body of this specification, in which said rod will be in alinement with the worm q. Figure 1 is a front elevation of a clock pro- On the lowerendapear-shaped weightfis fast. vided with my improvement, the lower por- From the upper end of the rod C and in aline- 65 tion of the case being glazed to show the penment therewith a needle t' projects vertically. dulum; Fig. 2, an elevation showing the On the lower end of the worm q a horizontal method of mounting and driving the penducrank-arm r is fast. To the outer end of this lum; Fig. 3, a side elevation showing the arm one end of a connecting-rod sis pivoted crank and connecting rod, and Fig. i a diaby a crank-pin t. In the outer end of this 70 gram illustratingthe movements of the same. connecting-rod there is a flaring opening 1), Like letters and figures of reference indi- Fig. 3, in which the upper end of the needle cate corresponding parts in the different figt plays and is directed by the movements of ures of the drawings. said crank. As this connection projects lat- My invention relates especially to that erally from the worm, it will readily be seen 75 class of clocks known as noiseless, wherein that by slipping the needle end in this openthere is a rotary escapement and in which the ing the pendulum C is thrown out of alinependulum has a continuous conical movement with the worm and is held at an angle, ment, the object being particularly to proas shown in Fig. 2. vide a simple, cheap, and effective device Centrally in thebottom 15 of the clock-case 80 whereby the pendulum may be driven from there is a starting device. This consists of a its upper end, so directed that its weight will vertical shaft 16, journaled in said bottom be maintained in an even circular course and and provided with a crank-handle 17. Withthat its mount shall compensate for variain the case adisk 18 is fast on said shaft and. tions in length caused by temperature. the pendulum-weightfnormally rests against 85 The nature and operation of the device will the periphery of this disk when the clock is be readily understood by all conversant with run down. Surrounding this disk is a circusuch matters from the following explanation. lar cup-shaped guard, which determines the In the drawings, A represents a clock-case outward movement of the pendulum-weight. of ordinary construction and provided in its In the diagram shown in Fig. ithe circle to oo lower face with a glazed opening B, through represents the periphery of the starting-disk, which the pendulum C is exposed. The legs the circle y the circle of the guard-cup, and cl are provided with leveling-screws b. The the circle a: the normal circle of travel of the main works of the clock are of the usual conpendulum-weight. To maintain this weight struction andarrangement and providedwith in such course at and keep it at all times 95 a rotary escapement-wheel D. Hence it is traveling in asubstantially perfect circle, the not deemed essential to herein particularly crank movement is designed. The connect show or describe the same. ing-rod S is therefore so arranged'that when In bearings m m within the case and arthe end of the needle t' is disposed in its free ranged Vertically there is mounted a spiral end and the weight f is resting against the 1'00 worm q, meshed with the teeth of the scape disk 18 said connecting-rod is nearly on the wheelD and driven thereby. The upper end line of a tangent to the circle to, as shown,

and leads out to tangent of circle a' in motion.

In operation to start the clock the handle 17 is rotated. The friction of the disk 18 against the weightf carries it in circular motion, which gradually widens in diameter until the course of travel of said weight is in the circle x. The escapement-wheel D being driven by the mainspring in the usual manner, the worm q is rotated, thereby driving the crank in a perfect circle and carrying the upper end of the needle 1? also in a circle concentric with the weight course with which the crank is tangent. As the natural tendency of the weight f is to fall into an elliptical course in its conical rotation, this precise movement of the connecting-rod exerts pull or pressure on the upper end of the needle at the proper times and maintains the movement of the Weight in a circle in a manner which will be obvious to those conversant with such matters without a more explicit description. It will be noted that the fulcrum or pivoted center of the pendulum is the center of the spring 2. By supporting or cushioning the pendulum on said spring and driving it from the upper end I not only simplify the needed mechanism, but I also in a very appreciable measure regulate the clock, for the variations of the pendulum-rod through temperature are very closely compensated for by the variations in opposite direction (on account of position) of the springefor like causes. Ifind, moreover, in practice that a clock constructed as described runs nearly twice as long with the same tension of mainspring as it Will when the ordinary reciprocating pendulum is employed. One cause of this is the radical reduction of friction in the escapement, the movement of which is continuous with the There is also no noise, as results from the contacting of the detent ordinarily used, and where a clock would ordinarilystop when the mainspring is little more than one-half expanded in this device the expansion, and hence the driving power, is extended until the spring is practically dead.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a clock a conical spring arranged with its base-coil horizontally nearer the clock-base than is its apex; a comically-moving pendulum supported from the apex of said spring; and devices for driving said pendulum from its upper end substantially as described.

2. In a clock a conical spring arranged with its base-coil horizontally nearer the clock-base than is its apex; a conically-moving pendulum supported from the apex of said spring; a worm driven by the scape-wheel of said clock and a crank connection between the upper end of said pendulum and said worm whereby the pendulum may be guided positively above its point of suspension substan tially as specified.

3. In a clock the pendulum, C, in combination with the spiral, .2, supporting said pendulum; the escape-wheel, D, and mechanism actuated by said wheel for guiding the end of said pendulum above its fulcrum-point in a circle.

l. Inaclockprovided withaconically-moving pendulum the case in combination with the crank-actuated disk disposed in position to contact the pendulum-weight when at rest.

5. In a clock of the class described the case; the crank-actuated disk; 18; and the encircling guard, 10, arranged as specified.

FRANK M. CLARK. Witnesses:

H. P. Ronnn'rs, O. M. SHAW.

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