US1312935A - Electrical steering-gear - Google Patents

Description

J. D. WILLIAMSON, IR.

ELECTRICAL STEERING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I5, 1918.

Patented A11 12, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. D. WILLIAMSON, JR. ELECTRICAL STEERING GEAR. APPLICATION FILED MAR-15.1918.

Patented Aug. 12,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JOHN D. WILLIAMSON, 33., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL STEERING-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

Application filed March 15, 1918. Serial No. 222,783.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN D. VVILLIAMsoN, Jr., a. citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an Electrical Steering-Gear, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide arelatively simple form of controlling apparatus whereby a member to be moved may be caused to assume any of a number of positions in accordance with the positions or extent of adjustment given to a controlling member, the invention being particularly adapted for electrically controlling the operation of a distant elementsuch as a ships rudder.

It is further desired to provide a system of remote control apparatus which shall include novel means for indicating the position occupied at any given time by the actuated element, as well as to indicate to an operator when said element has reached any predetermined position of adjustment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel motor controlling system which shall include a relatively simple combination of conductors and controlling members whereby the motor may be manually put in operation from a distant point and, after being allowed to make a definite number of revolutions, shall automatically put itself out of operation :-the arrangement of parts being such that the armature of said motor may be caused to turn in either direction to move an actuated element to a predetermined extent, depending upon the direction and extent of the displacement of the controlling member from any given position.

These objects and other advantageous ends I attain as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the electrical apparatus and connections constituting my invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in vertical section, showing one arrangement of the mechanical connections between the electric motor and the follow-up mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33, Fig. 2;

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section illustrating the detail construction of a part of the remote controller;

Fig. 5 is a developed elevation further illustrating the parts shown in Fig. 4E; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation showing the automatic stop for the operating con troller handle.

In the above drawings, 1 represents an electric motor having an armature 2 and field windings 3, and arranged with its armature shaft it connected through a secs 0nd shaft 5, a worm 6 and a worm wheel 7 to a shaft 8 connected to any device to be driven such as a ships rudder (not shown The two shafts 5 and 8 are journalcd in suitable bearings provided by a frame or casing 9 including or supporting a bearing 10 for a vertical shaft 11 and also having a portion 12 serving to support a stationary contact-carrying structure 13 shown in the present instance as of a substantially semiannular form. This structure carries a series of contacts designed to cooperate with certain segmental contact plates mounted on the edge of a horizontal plate or frame 14, keyed or otherwise fixed on the upper end ofthe vertical shaft 11, which is driven from the main shaft 8 through a pair of coacting beveled gears 15 and 16.

The rotary member l-t with its contacts, through the mechanism above described. is driven from the motor 1 in such manner that its direction of rotation is reversed whenever the direction of rotation of said shaft is reversed.

For controlling the operation of the motor from a distant point, I provide a controlling device consisting of a plate 20 of insulating material having mounted on it two sets of oppositely disposed contact plates 21 35 and &1-55,' all arranged at the same distance from the axis of revolution of an operating arm, 40. Also mounted on said plate are two oppositely placed concentric contact strips 36 and 37, of which the first extends within the angle defined by two straight lines drawn from the center of the plate to the two contacts 21 and 35 and the other within the angle defined by two other straight lines from said center to the contacts 41 and 55. Also mounted on the late 20 between the strip 37 and the spind e of the handle or arm 10 is a series of contacts 61 and a contact strip 110, of which said contacts are respectively connected to one set of the terminals of a bank of tell-tale or indicating lamps 62 mounted preferably in a circularly curved line in position to be easily observed by the operator.

For cooperating with the above sets of contacts, I provide an arm 10 mounted to rotate concentrically with them and shown for the purpose of illustration, as made in four electrically independent or insulated parts, of which that indicated at 38, includes or is connected to the rotatable support or pivot. the lower one 111 includes two connected contacts 56 and 57, and the uppermost section 112 includes two connected con tacts 5S and 59. The section 113 between sections 112 and 38 likewise carries connected contacts 11; and 115 designed to respectively engage the strip 110 and the contacts 61. Of the movable contacts the ones indicated at 56 and 58 are designed to engage or cooperate with the two sets of contact buttons 2135 and 41-55, respectively, while the contacts 57 and 59 move over the segmental contact strips 36 and 37 which are connected' respectively to the positive and negative supply mains.

The rotary element l-it of the remote con troller has mounted on its periphery our elongated contact strips 63, 64-, 65 and 66 suitably insulated from each other by means well known in the electric'art and so disposed that between the adjacent ends of the two latter there is mounted a relatively .short electrically independent contact 67.

hile the top edges of all of said strips are in the same plane, the lower edges of the strips 65, 66 and 67 extend below the lower edges of the strips 63 and 64 so that, although both sets of these strips may be engaged by certain fixed contacts 85 99, the end contacts 8% and 100 can only engage the strips 65 and 66, being so place-d that when the member 14 is in its mid or neutral position, they are out of engagement with the contacts or are open-circuited,

The contact 67 through a conductor 68, is connected to one terminal of a pilot lamp 69 mounted on or adjacent the controller plate 26 and having its second terminal electrically connected to the contact strip 36 on said plate. This conductor 68 is also connected to a contact strip 110 concentric with the contacts 1155. The t vo contacts 61 and 66 of the member 1% are connected together by a conductor 76 and through a conductor 71 are also connected to one terminal of the motor armature 2. The second terminal of the latter, through a conductor 7:2, is connected to the contact strip 6.3, which through a conductor 73 is also connected to the contact strip 63.

The supporting structure 13 of the remote controller provides guides for the con tacts 8et100 which are so mounted as to have limited movement radially toward and from the rotary member 14, it being understood that all of them are suitably insulated from each other and, in the case illustrated, so arranged that the contacts 8% and 100 lie in a plane below and parallel to that including the contacts 8599. As a result, said two contacts 84 and 100 are capable of engaging the contact strips 6566 but not the strips 636 1. The arrangement of these contacts is such that when the contact 92 is in engagement with the short contact 67 of the rotary plate 14:, the contact 84 is disengaged, the contacts 8591 all engage the contact segment 65, the contacts 9399 all engage the contact strip 66, and the contact 100 is also disengaged.

The various contact plates of the two series carried by the controller plate 20 are cross connected in such manner that those indicated at Ell-27 are respectively con nected to those indicated at 1955 and are likewise respectively connected to the contacts 8591 of the remote controller. Similarly the contacts 2935 are not only connected to the contacts 41%? but are also connected to cont-acts 9993 of the remote controller. In addition, the contact 28 of the governing controller is connected to the two contacts 84 and 100 of the remote controller and the contact 48 is connected to the contact 92. An overload circuit breaker 116 is preferably connected between the positive supply main and the contact strip 36 and in order to give an indication to the operator when this breaker is open, I provide a lamp 117 controlled by a switch 118-119 so designed that it is closed by the opening of said breaker; the lamp being simultaneously lighted by the current which flows from the positive supply niain through the Winding and movable blade of said circuit breaker, through the engaged contacts 118 and 119 and through said lamp to the negative main.

in order to prevent the controller arm 40 being thrown in one movement from a position on one side of its off position (Fig.

1) to another position on the opposite side thereof, 1 provide amelectro-magnet 120 in series with the conductor 68 and having its armature so acted on by a spring or other suitable means that it will prevent passage of the arm through the neutral position as long as said magnet is deenergized. lVhen the magnet is supplied with suitable current however, the armature is withdrawn ant leaves the handle free to be moved. l l hcn the parts are in the neutral. or mid positions shown in 1, current is free to flow from the positive supply main through the circuit breaker 116 to the contact strip 36 thence through the magnet 20, the lamp 69, conductor 68, contacts 67, 92,59, through the section 112 of the handle 40 to the contact strip 37 and thence to the negative supply 1nain.. The lamp 69 is thus lighted, as is also the middle lamp'of the series 62, since this latter is supplied with current from the positive supply main through said middle lamp, through the middle one of the contacts 61, section 113 of the controller arm, strip 110, conductor 68 and to the negative supply main. As the magnet 120 is energized, its core is withdrawn from engagement with the controller arm so that' the latter may be moved in either direction from its neutral position.

It now the handle be moved to the position indicated by the line acw Fig. 1, so that its contacts 56, 57, 58 and 59 respectively engage. the contacts 23, 36, 37 and 43, current is then free to flow from the positive supply main to the contact strip 36, through contacts 57 and 56 of the "operating arm to contact 23, thence to contact 89 of the remote controller, contact strip 65 of the movable element 14, conductor 72, armature 2 of the motor, conductor 71, contact strip 66, contact 97, to contact 43 of the governing controller, through contacts 59 and 58 to the contact strip 37 and thence to the negative supply main.

As a result of the completion of this circuit and since the field winding 3 of the motor is always energized, the motor is started and through the shafts 4 and 5, worm 6 v and worm wheel 7, turns the shaft 8 together with the rudder or other member to be moved. At the same timethe gears 16 and with the shaft 11 are turned, together with the movable element 14 of the remote controller ;this revolntion under the conditions noted, taking place in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 1).

When the element 14 of the remote controller has been moved sufliciently to bring the rudder or other actuated member to the predetermined displaced position corresponding to the displaced position of the operating arm of the governing controller, the operation of the motor is automatically stopped since its armature circuit is broken by reason of the contact segment 66 of the movable element 14 passing out of engagement with the fixed contact 97 which is then engaged by the independent contact 67. As soon as the controller arm 40'. is moved from its neutral position as above noted, the breakage of the circuit including the lamps 69 and 62 and the magnet 120, causes the former to be extinguished and allows the armature of the magnet to project into the path of movement of said arm. When however, by reason of the operation described, the contact 97 engages the contact 67, the lamp 69 is lighted, showing that the rudder has reached the desired position and in addition one of the lamps 62 to one side of the middle of the series, is also lighted by reason of its position in said series, giving a visual indication of the angle through which the rudder has moved.

If now it be desired to bring the rudder to a position corresponding to the position of the operating handle indicated by the line 3/?/, said handle is first moved from the position mw to its neutral position (since the projection of the magnet armature prevents its further movement), whereupon current flows from the positive supply main through the segment 36 to contact 28, thence to contact 100 of the remote controller, se mental contact 66, conductor 71, armature 2, conductor 72, segmental contact 65, contact 92, contact 48 of the operating controller, thence through arm contacts59 and 58, segmental contact 37 and to the negative supply main. The motor is' thereupon again set in operation, moving the rudder to its amid-ships position and with it returning the movable element 14 of the remote controller to its neutral position, the middle lamp of the series 62 and the lamp 69 lighting up when this position has been reached and the motor cut out of circuit as before.

As the magnet 120 is thus again supplied with current, its armature is withdrawn from the arm 40 so that this may be shifted to the position fI/fI/, permitting current to flow from the positive main through contacts 36, 57, 56, 33, 95, 66, conductor 71, armature 2, conductor 72, contacts 65, 87, 53, 59, 58, 37 and to the negative supply main. The motor is thus put in operation in such a direction as to continue the movement of the rudder from the amid-ships position through an angle dependent on the angle through which the arm 40 and the movable element 14 are turned. Such rotation oc curs in a direction opposite that of the arrow (Fig. 1) and continues until contact 65 has been moved out of engagement with the contact 87, whereupon the motor is opencircuited and brought to rest, While the circuits of the lamp 69 and one of the lamps 62 to the right of the middle of the series are completed through the contact 87 and contact- s 53, 59, 58 and 37 to the negative supply main.

By the peculiar arrangement and connections of the elements above described, I utilize certain of the conductors and contacts of the controlling system proper as parts of the indicating or tell-tale lamp circuits, thereby reducing the complication and correspondingly increasing the reliability of the system. For example, each time one of the lamps 62 and the lamp 69 is lighted, when the element 14 of the remote controller is displaced from its neutral position, the circuit of said lamp is completed from the contact 67 through one of the fixed contacts of the remote controller, through the conductor attached thereto and the corresponding contact plate of the governing controller, the part 112 of the handle &0 and contact strip 37 to the negative supply main.

I claim:

1. The combination of a governing controller including an operating handle and two sets of contacts mounted to be engaged by said handle when it is moved in either direction from a definite position; a motor; a remote controller including two relatively movable parts of which one carries tWo sets of contacts respectively connected to those of the governing controller and the other has contacts cooperating with the latter contacts, the armature of said motor being connected directly and exclusively with the contacts of one of said parts of the remote controller, a member connected to be shifted in either of two directions by operation of the motor; and mechanism for causing the movable part of the remote controller to be actuated in unison with and proportionally to the distance moved through 'by said member.

2. The combination of a governing controller including two sets of contacts and a. handle mounted to engage the middle con tacts of each set when in its neutral position; a remote controller including a supporting structure two series of fixed contacts thereon respectively connected to the contacts of both sets of contacts on the governing controller, and a movable member having contacts cooperating with said fixed contacts; a motor electrically connected to the contacts of said movable member; mechanism operated by the motor in either direction from a mid position; with means for mechanically connecting said mechanism to the movable element of the remote controller for shifting the same when the motor is operated.

3. The combination of a motor; a member driven thereby in either direction from a mid position; a remote controller for the motor; mechanism for causing said controller to follow up said member; a governing controller; conductors connecting said latter controller to said remote controller, the governing controller including means for determining the extent and direction of movement of the actuated member; with means for visually indicating the extent of the movement of said driven member when the motor is operated and including certain of said connecting conductors.

4:. The combination of a governing controller having series of contacts; an indicating lamp for said controller; a remote controller including a movable element having a series of contacts of which one is connected to said lamp; an electric motor connected to others of said contacts; a series of fixed contacts for the remote controller respectively connected to the contacts of the governing controller; means for causing the movable element of the remote controller to follow up the motor; and connections for causing said lamp to be lighted when the movable element of the remote controller has been shifted by the motor to a position corresponding to any adjustment of the governing controller.

5. The combination of a governing'controller having series of contacts; an indicating lamp for said controller; a remote controller including a movable element having a series of contacts of which one is connected to said lamp; an electric motor connected to others of said contacts; a series of fixed contacts for the remote controller respectively connected to the contacts of the governing controller; means for causing the movable element of the remote controller to follow up the motor; and connections including certain of the contacts and connections of said controllers for causing said lamp to be lighted when the movable element of the remote controller has been shifted by the motor to a position corresponding to any adjustment of the governing controller.

6. The combination of a governing-controller having contacts and an operating arm; a remote controller having two sets of fixed contacts of which certain lie in one plane and others in a plane parallel to said first plane; a movable element for said remote controller having certain contacts formed to engage all of said fixed contacts and also having other contacts placed to engage certain only of the fixed contacts; a motor electrically connected to the contacts of the movable element of the remote controller; and mechanism for causing said movable element to follow up said motor.

7 The combination of a motor; a member driven thereby in either of two directions from a mid position; controlling apparatus for determining the extent and direction of movement of said member and including a manually adjustable element operative in either direction from a mid position; with means for causing said element tobe temporarily held at its mid position when it is attempted to move it from one side to the other of said position.

8. The combination of a motor; a member driven thereby in either of two directions from a mid position; controlling apparatus for determining the extent and direction of movement of said member and including a 9. The combinationof a motor; amember driven thereby in either of two directions from a mid position; controlling apparatus for determining the extent and direction of movement of said member and including a contact carrying member actuated by the motor and a manually adjustable controlling member; with means for preventing the latter member being moved from one side to the other of its mid position until the contact carrying member has moved into its mid position, thesame consisting of an electromagnetic latch connected to be rendered inoperative when the contact carrying member and the controlling member occupy the same relative positions in their respective paths of movement.

10., The combination of a'motor; a member driven thereby in either of two directions from amid position; controlling apparatus for determining the extent and di- 'rection of movement of said member and in' cluding a contact carrying member actuated by the motor and a manually adjustable controlling member; with means for preventmg the latter member being moved from one side to the other of .its mid position until the contact carrying member has moved into its mid position, the same consisting of a latch mounted to normally prevent movement of said member through its mid position; a magnet for actuatingsaid latch;

and a circuit for the magnet including SWltChll'lg means closed when the contact carrying member occupies its mid position.

11. The combination of a controller having contacts-and a manually operative member coacting therewith; a motor; with a second controller having contacts respectively connected to the contacts of the first controller and provided with a movable element actuated by the motor and cooperating with the contacts of said second controller to cause reversal of-the motor whenever two successive movements of the manually operative member of the first controller are made in opposite directions.

12. The combination of two controllers each having fixed contacts; a movable member for one of the controllers operatlve in opposite directions from a neutral position,

.' the movable member for the second controller including at least two contacts and also operative 1n opposite directions from a neutral position, the fixed contacts adjacent the neutral position of one controller member being respectively connected to the fixed contacts distant from the neutral position of the other controller and vice versa;

with a motor connected to the movable memberof the second controller and reversible therebv whenever successive movements of the movable member of the first controller occur in opposite directions.

.13. The combination of a governing controller having at least two sets of contacts and an operating member; a remote controller having two sets of fixed contacts respectively connected to the contact sets of the governing controller and a movable element provided with at least two contacts cooperating with said fixed contacts; a moexclusi'vely to'the contacts of said movable element; and mechanism driven by the motor connected to' actuate the movable element.

able element and reversedby the remote controller whenever successive movements of the operating member of the governing controller occur in opposite directions; with means for mechanically driving the movable element of the remote controller from the motor.

Inwitness whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN D. WILLIAMSON, JR'L tor having its armature connected solely and

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