An Instrument or Apparatus for Taking and Indicating Longitude.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Instrument or Apparatus for Taking and Indicating Longitude.
I, CHARLES DE NOTTBECK of 12 Boulevard des Capucines, Paris, France, Inventor,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows.:-
This invention has reference to an instrument or apparatus for taking and
indicating longitude, and the object of the invention is to automatically indicate
the longitude on board ship, without the necessity for taking solar observations.
According to my invention I utilize the inertia of an annulus of metal, and I
annul, or approximately annul, the friction at the point of suspension, by combining
a slow movement, say one rotation in 24 hours, with a rapid alternating movement,
these movements being imparted to the rod or spindle which supports the annulus.
By this means the annulus is held entirely stationary, and, while appearing to
rotate once in 24 hours, it is the other parts which rotate. The instrument can
thus serve as a chronometer, and in the case of a vessel upon a voyage, it will
indicate the time of the place at which the vessel then is, and consequently the
longitude.
The instrument comprises an external box or casing within which is suspended
a second casing by means of a ring and thumbscrews in the same manner as a
marine compass. The second chamber is divided horizontally into two compartments.
The lower compartment contains a clockwork movement which causes a spindle,
which I will call the table spindle, to rotate in the direction of the hands of a
watch once in 24 hours: The table spindle is fixed to and supports a table to.
which it communicates the same motion. Upon the table is a second clockwork
movement which imparts to another rod a rapid alternating rotary motion, the
direction varying several times. a second. Upon this latter rod the annulus is.
suitably supported; and under the influence of the combined movements should
remain stationary. Above the annulus is supported a dial divided into 24 parts,..
and a compass needle:
Dated this 30th day of July 1806
An Instrument or Apparatus for Taking and Indicating Longitude.
I, CHARLES DE NOTTBECK of 12 Boulevard des Capucines Paris, France,
Inventor, 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 has reference to an instrument or apparatus for taking and indicating
longitude, and the object of the invention is to automatically indicate the longitude on
board ship, without the necessity for taking solar observations.
According to my invention I utilize for this purpose the inertia of an annulus of
ID 071

page_text: metal, and I annul, or approximately annul, the friction at the point of suspension, by
combining a slow movement, say one rotation in 24 hours, with a rapid alternating
movement, these movements being imparted to the rod or spindle which supports the
annulus. By this means the annulus is held entirely stationary, and, while appearing
to rotate once in 24 hours, it is its surroundings which rotate. The instrument can
thus serve as a chronometer, and in the case of a vessel upon a voyage, it will indicate
the time of the place at which the vessel then is, and consequently the longitude of
said place.
The instrument comprises an external box or casing within which is suspended a second
casing by means of a gimbal ring and screw pivots in the same manner as a mariner's
compass. The second casing is divided horizontally into two compartments. The
lower compartment contains a clockwork movement which causes a spindle to rotate
in the direction of the hands of a watch once in 24 hours. This spindle is fixed to and
supports a table to which it communicates the same motion. Upon the table is a
second clockwork movement which imparts to another spindle a rapid alternating
rotary motion, the direction varying several times a second. Upon this latter spindle
the annulus is suitably supported; and under the influence of the combined movements
should remain stationary. Above the annulus is supported a dial divided into 24 parts
and a compass needle.
The accompanying drawings illustrate an instrument or apparatus constructe 1 in
accordance with my invention.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus, the two clockwork movements being
shown in elevation.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.
A is an external box or casing in which is suspended an inner box B by means of a
gimbal ring C and screw pivots a a' and b. in the same manner as a mariner's
compass. The lower portion E of the box B contains a clockwork movement H which
causes the central spindle t to rotate in the direction of the hands of a watch once in
24 hours. This clock work movement is adapted to be wound up by means of the
square arbor c which is geared through the medium of bevel gearing d with the shaft
of the spring barrel e.
μ
The spindle t is fixed to a plate p to which it communicates the same motion. Upon
the plate is a second clockwork movement H' which imparts to another spindle t' a
rapid alternating rotary motion of a suitable number of alternations per second. This
rapid alternating rotary motion may be produced by any suitable device such as for
instance by means of the following arrangement of mechanism which is illustrated
more particularly in Figure 4. The shaft of the second clockwork movement H
carries a plate which actuates a connecting rod a coupled to the rocking beam h.
This latter acts through a connecting rod k upon the crank m of a toothed sector n
which gears with a pinion o fixed on the second spindle t'.
Upon this second spindle t' is suspended the metal annulus X which is rendered
stationary by the influence of the combined movements. Instead of the second clock-
work movement an oscillating electric movement may be employed.
Y is a dial marked with 24 divisions numbered 1 to 24 to represent the twenty-four
hours of a day. Z is a magnetic compass needle which serves to automatically indicate
the time of the place where the ship happens to be.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An instrument or apparatus which automatically indicates longitude without solar
observation by means of a suspended body to the supporting spindle of which there are
imparted a combined continuous rotary motion and an alternating rotary motion by
clock work movements or electrically driven mechanism, substantially as hereinbefore
described.

page_text: 2. The instrument or apparatus for automatically indicating longitude without solar
observation constructed, arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described.
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of April 1897
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents..