Etheric Steering Apparatus for Controlling from a Distance the Steering Gear of Ships, Torpedoes, and other Floating Bodies Electrically.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Dec., 1898-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Etheric Steering Apparatus for Controlling from a Distance the
Steering Gear of Ships, Torpedoes, and other Floating Bodies
Electrically.
We, LIONEL VARICAS, Civil Engineer by profession, and son, CECIL JOHN VARICAS,
both of 34, Avenue Road, in the City of Weymouth, in the County of Dorset, Eng-
land, 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; —
Our invention consists of a contrivance for steering crafts either submerged or
otherwise including torpedoes, electrically, and without any mechanical connection
with the shore. The agency being the same as in wireless telegraphy.
Briefly the invention consists as follows:-
On the shore or the place from which the craft is to be steered is a periodic
interrupter placed in circuit with an induction coil which in turn works a wireless
telegraphic transmitter.
On the craft or vessel to be steered the apparatus consists of a Marconi coherer
in circuit with a relay and battery, the relay closes the circuit of a decoherer and
electromagnet, which magnet is able to attract an armature which, in turn, is
made to actuate the valve of a steering engine that is worked by compressed air or
other suitable power. This steering engine is made to turn the craft's rudder
or other steering appliance in a certain direction, but turns it in the opposite direc-
tion upon the release of the armature which is acted upon by a spring.
When the periodic interrupter on shore makes circuit the coil works the trans-
mitter producing ether waves, which make the coherer on the craft conduct, and
works the relay which closes the circuit of both the decoherer and electro-magnet,
which latter turns the valve of the steering engine which engine also turns the
rudder in a certain direction.
When the interrupter on shore breaks circuit the ether waves cease, and the
coherer is decohered by the decoherer and ceases to conduct (the same as is now
done in the Marconi system of wireless telegraphy) causing the relay to break the
circuit of the electromagnet on the aforesaid steering engine which electromagnet
releases its armature, the counter spring turning the valve in the opposite direction
and the steering engine also turning the rudder in the opposite direction, so that
when the interrupter on shore makes circuit the rudder of the vessel is turned in a
certain direction, and when it breaks circuit, the rudder of the vessel is turned in
the opposite direction.
It is perfectly evident that if the periods of make and break caused by the
interrupter on the shore are the same, the resulting direction of the craft, or
torpedo, will be maintained in a straight line, the deflections which the steering
engine makes on the rudder R being equal.
But if the successive periods, for instance, of break corresponding to a certain
direction of the rudder be greater than the successive periods of make corresponding
to the opposite direction of the rudder the resulting direction of the vessel will be

page_text: If therefore the successive periods of make and break of the interrupter could be
regulated at will the vessel could be steered from the shore.
As shown with reference to the drawings;
Fig. 1 represents the shore section with various connections with battery,
coil, &c.
Fig. 2. The entire apparatus on the vessel comprising steering engine with
magnet, spring and appropriate connections with battery, coil, &c.
In Fig. 10 E, &c. represent the variable periodic interrupter the coil H and
transmitter T.
In Fig. 2, S S represent the steering engine.
The variable periodic interrupter consists in a drum OE, over the periphery of
which are secured two tubes of conducting and insulating material cut so as to fit
into one another in triangular zigzags zy. The whole drum is rotated at an uniform
rate by clock work or mechanism G.
The sliding contacts b, c, press on the drum as it is in rotation.
c is fixed, and
serves to maintain a continuous electrical connection with the conducting half (z, 2.
The other contact b, is movable in a direction parallel to the axis of the drum by
means of the screw t, which can be turned by the handwheel W.
If this contact be brought into the position shown by the dotted line p, it is
evident that as the drum rotates this contact will traverse the insulating and
conducting portions for equal periods, and if the two contacts be made the ter-
minals of the instrument being in circuit with the coil and battery it will make
and break the circuit for equal periods, but by moving the contact towards K, it
can be seen that the successive periods in which it will pass over the conducting
portion will be greater than the successive intervals of the insulating portion, this
difference increasing as the contact is removed from the equiperiodic line p.
If instead of this, the contact be brought on the other side of the equiperiodic
line towards L, the reverse will happen, viz; the successive intervals of break
will become longer, and those of make shorter, the difference increasing the farther
the contact is removed from the periodic line 7, so that by turning the wheel W,
in either direction intervals of make and break can be equal on the successive
intervals of either, or, make made greater than the successive periods of break,
or vice versu.
The apparatus on the craft to be steered consists in the Marconi coherer C, in
circuit with the relay Y, and battery B. The relay is made to close the circuits of
the decoherer and the electromagnet M, which electro-magnet attracts its arma-
ture a, which is fixed to the valve arm 7, of the steering engine S S. This armature
is acted upon by a spring s, which tends to pull it from the electro-magnet M.
When this electro-magnet attracts its armature it turns the valve in a certain
direction, and the steering engine by aid of the levers (shown in dotted lines) also
turns the rudder in a certain direction, but turns it in the opposite direction upon
the release of the armature a acted upon by the spring s.
When the variable periodic interrupter OE t. on shore makes circuit, the coil
works the transmitter T, which produces ether waves, making the coherer on the
craft conduct, causing the relay to close the circuit of the decoherer and electro-
magnet, which last turns the valve of the steering engine causing it to turn the
rudder R in a certain direction.
When the variable periodic interrupter on shore breaks circuit the coil and
transmitter cease to produce ether waves. The coherer on the craft is decohered
by the decoherer which causes the colerer to cease to conduct. The relay then
breaks the circuit of the electromagnet which, consequently, releases its arma-
ture a, and the spring s then actuates the valve of the aforesaid steering engine in
the opposite direction, so that when the interrupter on shore makes circuit the
rudder on the vessel to be steered turns in a certain direction, but when it breaks
circuit it turns in the opposite direction.
When the interrupter makes periods of make and break for equal intervals,

page_text: the rudder on the craft will be turned in opposite directions for equal periods, and
it is evident that they will neutralize one another, the resulting direction of the
craft being in a straight line.
If, however, the succesive periods, for instance of make be greater than the
successive periods of break they will no longer completely neutralize each other
& the resulting direction of the craft will be in a curve. But it has heretofore
been shown that by turning the wheel W, of the interrupter on shore in either
direction the successive intervals of make may be made greater than those of break,
or vice versa, or they can be made equal.
Therefore by turning the wheel of the interrupter either to the right, or to the
left, on shore, the craft at sea can be steered without any mechanical connection
with the shore which is the object of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim s;-
1. In the steering of any vessel submerged or otherwise, electrically, through
the agency of the ether, (as in wireless telegraphy) the application of periods of
make and break which are made to correspond to opposite directions of the rudder
or other steering appliance on the craft to be steered, substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth and described.
2. Having these periods of make and break (corresponding to opposite directions
of the rudder or steering appliance) equal, thereby neutralizing each other, the
resulting direction of the craft being in a straight line, substantially as and for
the purposes herein set forth and described.
3. The alteration at will of this equiperiodicy in such a manner that the successive
periods of make for instance (corresponding to a certain direction of the rudder)
are greater than the successive periods of break (which also correspond to the
opposite directions of the rudder) the resulting direction of the rudder being in a
curve that can be controlled from the shore, substantially as herein set forth and
described.
4. The variable periodic interrupter, by which the aforesaid periodic interruptions
can be produced Ezz, said interrupter consisting of a revolving drum E,
over the periphery of which are secured two tubes Ey, y, of insulating, and of
conducting material Oz, cut so as to fit together in such a manner that the line at
which they join is in triangular zigzags.
Also, if a contact (whose object is to secure electrical connection with the
conducting portion) be movable in a direction parallel to the axis of the drum be
placed in the position shown by dotted line 7, while the drum is rotating, the
intervals which this contact will traverse of the insulating and conducting portions
will be equal. Also if this contact be brought towards K the successive intervals
over which it will traverse on the conducting portion will be greater than the
successive intervals over which it will travel on the insulating portion the
difference becoming greater the further it is removed from the equiperiodic line p
and rice versa, if it be brought to the other side of this line.
Again, if the conducting portion and this movable contact he placed in a circuit
this circuit will be periodically interrupted and these periodic interruptions can be
altered in the manner herein described and set forth by moving the contact in the
direction of the axis of the drum.
Dated this 99nd love of Tha
1000
LIONEL VARICAS, C.E.
CECIL JOHN VARICAS.