Electrical Apparatus for Controlling the Motion of Cranes, Travellers, and other similar Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Apr., 1895-Accepted, 11th May, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Electrical Apparatus for Controlling the Motion of Cranes,
Travellers, and other similar Apparatus.
We, JOHN AUGUST ESSBERGER, Head Engineer, and ALEXIUS WILHELM
GEYER, Government Engineer, both of the Firm Union Electricitats Gesellschaft,
of Hollmann Strasse 32, Berlin, Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
--
With the introduction of the method of actuating raising and lowering apparatus
of all kinds by electrical energy, it was felt necessary to effect a simplification not
only in the general construction of the apparatus but also in the appliances for
controlling and regulating the working thereof.
The present invention has reference to the latter purpose, and consists in two
arrangements whereby the movement of a load by means of cranes or travellers
can be easily controlled and regulated by electrical energy in a manner capable of
ready supervision.
With cranes having two separate motors, one for raising the load and the second
for turning the crane there are ordinarily provided more particularly in electric
cranes, two starting and regulating resistances and in addition for working the
brakes there is a lever for each brake.
If now rheostats without automatic reversal of the motion are provided, the
engineer will under certain circumstances have to work six levers.
According to our present invention we so construct the controlling apparatus
that the operations of raising and lowering the load and the turning of the crane
in one direction or the other, are all effected by means of one and the same hand
lever.
According to one arrangement for this purpose we mount a hand lever upon a
universal joint so that it can be moved in every direction. One part of the
universal joint is fixed to a vertical axis which carries an arm that makes contact
with the contact plates of a rheostat or graduated resistance that is included in the
circuit of an electromotor which serves to rotate the crane by means of suitable
gearing. The contact plates of the rheostat are arranged in a circle round the
lever, those on the one semicircle being so connected to the motor circuit that when
the contact arm is brought over them, the motor is made to rotate in one direction,
for turning the crane say to the right, while the other semicircle is so connected
that when the contact arm is brought over them the motor revolves in the contrary
direction causing the crane to turn to the left.
The hand lever is so arranged relatively to the contacts that when it is turned to
the right the electromotor is actuated so as to turn the crane to the right, and when
the lever is turned to the left the motor turns the crane to the left.
The second part of the universal joint is fixed to a horizontal spindle that carries
an arm making contact with the contact plates of a second rheostat included in the
circuit of a second electromotor that is connected by gearing to the winch of the
crane, so that if the motor is rotated in one direction, the winch raises the load,
and if in the other direction, the winch lowers the load.
The rheostat of this motor is arranged in precisely the same manner as the first
described one, so that if the hand lever is raised, the rheostat causes the motor to
be rotated in the direction for raising the load; if the lever is lowered the motor is
rotated in the direction for lowering the load.

page_text: Each motor is provided with a brake which is kept in action when the motor is.
at rest, so as to hold the load or the crane stationary in the position into which it.
has been moved, and the brakes are each controlled by an electromagnet apparatus
of suitable known construction whereby, as soon as the motor is put in circuit by
the hand lever, the brake is thrown out of action.
The barrel of the winch also has an ordinary brake apparatus controlled by a
separate lever for lowering the load without actuating the electrical apparatus.
According to another arrangement, the hand lever, mounted on a universal joint
as before, is contained within a basket shaped bracket the lover end of which,
through which the hand lever projects, is formed with four cross shaped slots, into
either of which the lever can be moved.
The sides of these slots have each two insulated contact plates those of one pair
of two opposite slots being included in the circuit of the motor for raising and
lowering the load, the one set so arranged as to turn the motor in one direction, and
the other set so as to turn it in the contrary direction. The contact plates of the
other pair of opposite slots are in like manner connected to the circuit of the second
motor for turning the crane to the right or left. Thus on introducing the lever
into the one or other of the four slots, it establishes a contact between the plates of
that slot so as to close the circuit of the corresponding motor and thus actuate the
crane in the desired manner.
At the upper end of the basket bracket, or on a horizontal plate fixed thereto, is
fixed a vertical rod on which slides loose the boss of a horizontal disc. Four
pins project down from this disc into the basket and have rollers at their lower
ends, against which bear the horizontal arms of four elbow levers, the vertical arms
of which correspond in position, to the four before mentioned slots, so that when
the hand lever is moved over to the one or other slot it is made at the same time to
actuate the corresponding elbow lever, which consequently raises the horizontal disc
to a corresponding extent.
On the boss of the disc is formed a toothed rack with which gears a pinion ou a
spindle carrying a contact arm that can move over contacts of a rheostat or graduated
resistance that is connected with the circuits of both the motors, so that as the disc
is raised on moving over the hand lever, the contact arm is turned so as by means
of the rheostat to regulate the current passing to the one or other of the motors, so
that with this arrangement only a single rheostat is employed for controlling both
.motors.
Dated this 24th day of August 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
Electrical Apparatus for Controlling the Motion of Cranes,
Travellers, and other similar Apparatus.
We, JOHN AUGUST ESSBERGER, Head Engineer, and ALEXIUS WILHELM
GEYER, Government Engineer, both of the Firm Union Electricitats Gesellschaft,
of Hollmann Strasse 32, Berlin, Germany, 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 :—
With the introduction of the method of actuating, raising and lowering apparatus
of all kinds by electrical energy, it was felt necessary to effect a simplification not
only in the general construction of the apparatus but also in the appliances for
controlling and regulating the working thereof.
The present invention has reference to the latter purpose, and cousists in two

page_text: arrangements whereby the movement of a load by means of cranes or travellers can
be easily controlled and regulated by electrical energy in a manner capable of ready
supervision.
With cranes having two separate motors, one for raising the load and the second
for turning the crane there are ordinarily provided more particularly in electric
cranes, two starting and regulating resistances and in addition for working the
brakes there is a lever for each brake.
If now rheostats without automatic reversal of the motion are provided, the
engineer will under certain circumstances have to work six levers.
In the construction of crane shewn at Figs. 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawing the
motion is controlled by only two levers, the one lever H serving for controlling the
up and down motion as also for turning to the right or left, using two electro motors,
while the second lever serves for lowering loads without consumption of current.
The construction shewn at Figs. 9, 10 and 11 enables both motors to be controlled
by one and the same hand lever, using only a single regulating resistance.
In the arrangement at Figs. 1 to 8 the controlling lever H is so arranged that
the movement thereof corresponds accurately to the movements to be effected by
the load; the controlling movements to be effected by the operator are therefore
so simple and natural that any mistakes would be impossible.
The working of a crane provided with such controlling mechanism can therefore
be entrusted to any workman.
Figs. 1 to 3 shew a revolving crane with winch W driven by the electromotor m
by means of the toothed wheels K k. On the barrel shaft of the winch is a brake
disc B, and on the motor shaft a brake disc b. The brake arms are omitted for the
sake of clearness.
The brake B which is free in the position of rest, is worked by the lever hs;
the brake b is held fast in its position of rest and is automatically released, on
starting the motor, by a magnetic lifting device. The crane shed revolves round
The rotation of the crane is
the crane pillar and runs on the four rollers r.
effected by the electromotor m, which drives through the bevil wheels w w Fig. 1,
the toothed wheel t gearing with the fixed internal circular rack Z. On the shaft
of motor m is a brake disc b' serving to hold the crane in the position into which it
has been moved. This brake is also released by an electro magnetic device.
Figs. 1 to 8 only shew means for regulating the raising of the load and the
turning, the other parts of the apparatus which are of known construction being
omitted for the sake of clearness.
The operator assumes generally the position indicated by S M Fig. 3 and stands
facing the crane hook L H. With the right hand he moves the lever H. If he
lifts it, the motor is actuated so as to raise the load, if be depresses it, the load is
lowered, if he turns the lever to the left, the motor m for the rotation is actuated
so as to turn the crane to the left; if he moves the lever to the right the crane
turns to the right.
The lever H the details of which are shewn in Figs. 4 to 8, is pivotted to a
universal joint so arranged that the axes a and b of the rheostats can either be
turned singly or both together. Fig. 4 shews a plan of the rheostats, Fig. 5 an
end view and Fig. 6 a side view.
In Fig. 4 the contact arm g h of the rheostat which serves for raising, is shewn
in cross section the casing being in elevation.
The shaft a serves for turning the contact arm upon the separate plates 7 of the
rheostat, as shewn in Fig. 5.
In this figure the contact arm gd of the second rheostat is shewn in section, and
the casing and the contact arm, rings and plates of the lifting rheostat are shewn
in elevation.
The shaft 6 Fig. 5 serves for turning the contact arm g d.
The universal joint, which can also be differently formed, consists in this case, as
shewn in Figs. 7 and 8, of a grooved ring ri to which the hand lever H is fixed.
This ring r moves in the ring segment r a.

page_text: one or other of four cross shaped slots, whereby an insulated metal plate i is made
to connect two metal strips s' 8' on the slot so as to close the circuit and thus move
the corresponding motor in a certain direction, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of April 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.