Execute Steering Gear.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 27th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 28th Dec. 1895
Execute Steering Gear.
We, SIEMENS BROTHERS & Co. LIMITED, and GEORGE SYLVESTER
GRIMSTON, of 12 Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster, Electrical Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to apparatus for electrically moving the rudder of a vessel
to any desired angle or for determining the extent of its movement when it is
moved by steam or hydraulic power, also for indicating in various parts of the
vessel the actual position occupied at any time by the rudder.
For transmitting the action which is to determine the movement of the rudder,
a small steering wheel, as it is turned by hand, carries round with it a brush or
rubber which is in the form of a fork having two arms, and which, as it passes over
a number of alternating conducting and non conducting segments, of each of which
there are four, circularly arranged, is always in a position to make contact with
some one of the four conducting segments by both its arms or by only one of its
arms, or with some two of the four, by one arm on each. The rubber is connected
to one terminal of a source of electricity or generator, and each of the conducting
segments is connected to one end of a wire coil of an electro magnet of which
there are four arranged radially and uniformly around an axis towards which
their poles are presented; also the other ends of all the four coils are connected
to the other terminal of the generator. On the axis surrounded by the four
electromagnets is a disc having fixed at equal intervals on its circumference three
segments of soft iron constituting armatures.
According as one alone of the four electro magnets is excited or two adjoining
magnets are simultaneously excited by currents transmitted as the steering wheel
and forked rubber are moved round, so the disc with the armatures is made to take
one or other of eight different positions.
There may be more than four conducting segments and electromagnets, and a
number of armatures differing from the number of electromagnets.
This armature wheel is geared to a disc, or arm carrying a contact breaking pin,
which has a spring arm on each side in contact with it, pivotted on the same centre
as the disc.. On a separate disc free on the same axis is fixed a contact pin, which
is connected to the one pole of the source of electricity, and against which in its
normal condition, the two aforesaid spring arms also press. Thus any motion of
the armature disc causes the contact breaking pin to move one or the other of the
spring arms away from the contact pin. Each of these spring arms when in
contact with the contact pin, completes the circuit of one of two opposing coils of
an electromagnet, the other coil being permanently in circuit. When the two coils
are closed the magnet is inert, but when through the operation of the aforesaid
contact breaking pin, one of the spring arms is caused to break one circuit of the
electromagnet, the remaining coil energizes it and causes it to attract its armature,
and thereby as will hereafter be described, the motor of the rudder or controlling
device of an ordinary steering gear is brought into action.
The apparatus for moving the rudder or controlling device consists of a
continually running motor, having on its shaft a reversing gear consisting
preferably of two bevil pinions geared into a bevil wheel, these pinions being loose
on the shaft and each provided with a magnetic clutch. The bevil wheel is geared

page_text: to a spindle preferably by a worm and worm wheel which moves the rudder or
controlling device of an ordinary steering gear. These magnetic clutches have
each two distinct coils, one of which is permanently in circuit but the circuit of the
other coil is broken in either clutch when either of the similarly double wound
electromagnets above mentioned attracts its armature, each armature being fixed
on a spring arm provided with a contact making piece, which is drawn away from
its contacts when the armature is attracted.
The coil which is permanently in circuit thereupon energizes the one magnetic
clutch which engages the one pinion with the motor shaft, whereby motion is
imparted in one direction to the mechanism for moving or controlling the rudder.
While the gear working. the rudder or controlling device is thus in operation in
either direction, the disc carrying the contact pin and spring arms is rotated by
suitable gearing attached to the rudder or controlling device until the arm which
was moved away from the contact pin is overtaken, the circuits of the opposing
coils on the magnets and magnetic clutches are then re-established and the motion
of the steering gear ceases, the rudder remaining in the position to which it had
been brought.
'
In order to indicate at any part of the vessel the position of the rudder, a brush
or rudder attached to a spindle geared to the rudder is caused to move over a
number of circularly arranged alternate conducting and non conducting segments,
which in combined groups are connected by wires to electromagnets, preferably
four, of a receiver arranged like those of the transmitter above described around a
dise provided with armature segments, and connected by reducing gear to an index
moving over a graduated segment.
By suitably proportioning the gear by which the rudder works the brush, and
that by which the disc works the index, the latter may be made to point to the same
angle on the graduated segment, as the angle which the rudder makes with the
longitudinal axis of the vessel.
Whenever the rudder stands amidships, the brush is on a non conducting segment,
consequently the four electromagnets of the indicator are inert, and the index is
moved by a spring to the middle position, indicating amidships. This arrangement
permits of the re-adjustment of the apparatus, should it have been brought out
of step.
Dated this 9th day of March 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
Electric Steering Gear.
We, SIEMENS BROTHERS & Co. LIMITED, and GEORGE_SYLVESTER
GRIMSTON, of 12 Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster, Electrical Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates to apparatus for electrically moving the rudder of a vessel
to any desired angle or for determining the extent of its movement when it is moved
by steam or hydraulic power, also for indicating in various parts of the vessel the
actual position occupied at any time by the rudder.
.
The accompanying drawings shew diagrammatically electric.. steering gear
according to this invention.
Fig. 1 shews the transmitting mechanism,
Fig. 2 shewing the circuit breaker thereof,
Fig. 3 shews the gear for moving the rudder or its controlling device,

page_text: Fig. 4 shews the indicator.
i
For transmitting the action which is to determine the movement of the rudder, a
small steering wheel I as it is turned by hand carries round with it a brush or
rubber Z which is in the form of, a fork having two arms, and which, as it passes
over a number of conducting segments X alternating with non-conducting segments,
of each of which there are four, circularly arranged, is always in a position to make
contact with some one of the four conducting segments X by both its arms or by
only one of its arms, or with some two of the four, by one arm on each.
The rubber Z is connected to one terminal say the + terminal of a source of
electricity or generator which is not shewn and each of the conducting segments X
is connected to one end of a wire coil Y of an electromagnet of which there are
four arranged radially and uniformly around an axis towards which their poles are
presented; also the other ends of all the four coils Y are connected to the other
terminal of the generator.
On the axis surrounded by the four electromagnets is an armature wheel a having
fixed at equal intervals on its circumference three segments of soft iron.constituting
armatures.
According as one alone of the four electro magnets Y is excited or two adjoining
magnets are simultaneously excited by currents transmitted as the steering wheel I
and forked rubber Z are moved round, so the armature wheel a with the armatures
is made to take one or other of eight different positions.
There may be more than four conducting segments X and electromagnets Y and
a number of armatures differing from the number of electromagnets, the armature
wheel in that case taking more than 8 different positions.
This armature wheel a is geared to a disc V carrying a contact breaking pin P
which as shewn in Fig. 2 has on each side and in contact with it an arm QR.
These arms are pivotted on the same centre as the disc V, and each of them has
fixed to it a pinion gearing with teeth on a barrel gr containing a spiral spring.
On a separate disc O free on the same axis with V is fixed a contact pin N which
is connected to the one terminal, say +, of the source of electricity, and against
which in its normal condition, the two arms QR are pressed by their springs.,
Thus any motion of the armature wheel a causes the contact breaking pin P to
move one or the other of the spring arms Q R away from the contact pin N.
Each of these spring arms when in contact with the contact pin N, completes.
the circuit of one of two opposing coils of an electro magnet S and T the other
coil of each being permanently. in circuit with the source of electricity. When
the circuits of both coils of each magnet S T are closed that magnet is inert,, but
when through the operation of the contact breaking pin P one of the spring
arms QR is moved away from N thus breaking one of the circuits of the electro
magnet S or T, the remaining coil energises the magnet and causes it to attract its
armature, and so close another circuit by which as will hereafter be described, the
motor of the rudder or controlling device of an ordinary steering gear is brought
into action.
↓
The apparatus for moving the rudder or controlling device consists of a
continually running motor A having on its shaft a reversing gear consisting
preferably of two bevel pinions B C geared with a bevel wheel F, these pinions
being free on the shaft of A and each provided with a magnetic clutch D and E.
The bevel wheel F is geared preferably by a worm G and worm wheel W to a
spindle M which moves the rudder or controlling device of an ordinary steering
gear. The magnetic clutches D E have each two distinct coils, one of which is
permanently in circuit with the source of electricity, but the circuit of the other
coil is broken in either clutch when either of the similarly double wound electro
maguets S T above mentioned attracts its armature, which is fixed on a spring
lever provided with a contact making piece's t which is drawn away from its
contact when the armature is attracted.
..The coil of the clutch D or E which is permanently in circuit, thereupon
energizes the one magnetic clutch which causes the one pinion B or C to engage.
3541
*****
1
: 4

page_text: with the bevel wheel F which driving the motor shaft M causes motion to be
imparted in one direction to the mechanism for moving or controlling the rudder.
While the gear working the rudder or controlling device is thus in operation in
either direction, the disc O carrying the contact pin N is rotated by suitable
gearing from the rudder or controlling device; for instance the shaft K which
has the same rotary movement as the rudder or its controlling device, carries a
bevel pinion U which gears with a bevel wheel on O and turns it until the arm Q
or R which had been moved away by P from the contact pin N is overtaken, the
circuits of the opposing coils on the magnets ST and the magnetic clutches DE
are then re-established and these being thus rendered inert the motion of the
steering gear ceases, the rudder remaining in the position to which it had been
moved.
In order to indicate at any part of the vessel the position of the rudder, a
brush or rubber 1 attached to a spindle driven by gearing from the rudder is
caused to move over a number of circularly arranged alternate non conducting
and conducting segments 2 which in combined groups are connected by wires to
coils of electro magnets 3 (preferably four in number) of a receiver arranged like
the coils Y of the transmitter above described around an armature wheel 4
provided with armature segments and connected by reducing gear to an index 5
moving over a graduated segment.
By suitably proportioning the gear by which the rudder works the brush 1 and
the gear by which the disc 4 works the index 5, the index may be made to point
to the same angle on the graduated segment as the angle which the rudder makes
with the longitudinal axis of the vessel between the limits 7, 8.
Whenever the rudder stands amidships, the brush 1 is on a non conducting
segment, consequently the four electromagnets 3 of the indicator are inert, and
the index 5 is moved by a spring 6 to the middle position, indicating amidships.
This arrangement permits of the re-adjustment of the apparatus, should it have
been brought out of step.
The shaft M may be coupled at H either to the mechanical connections for
working the rudder or to the valve controlling the steam or other fluid pressure
which may be applied to work the rudder. In the latter case the electric energy
required for the magnetic clutches D E being comparatively small, the inter-
mediate contacts worked by the electromagnets S T may be dispensed with, the
arms QR having direct connections to the clutch coils.
The armature wheels a and 4 (of which latter there may be a number in
different parts of the vessel) may be magnetically shielded by enclosing them in
casings made of several thicknesses of iron separated by thin air spaces so as to
prevent them from interfering with the compasses of the vessel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. Electric steering gear arranged and operating substantially as described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. The combination of the transmitter Z, the magnets Y, wheel a wheel V
geared therewith and its pin P, wheel O geared to the rudder motor, and its
pin N, the magnets S T and their contacts, and the magnetic clutches D, E,
substantially as described.
3. The combination of the brush 1 geared to the rudder axis, the grouped
contacts 2, the electro magnets 3, disc 4 and index 5, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
Dated this 27th day of November 1895.