Improvements relating to the Steering of Ships or Vessels and to Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 5th June, 1893-Accepted, 7th Oct., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Steering of Ships or Vessels and
to Apparatus therefor.
I, FRIEDRICH ADOLF LANGEN, of B 2-8, Mannheim, Duchy of Baden,
in the Empire of Germany, Master Mariner, 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:-
The possibility of maintaining a ship, as precisely as practicable, in her pre-
determined course, and of turning the rudder, in case of need, with sufficient
rapidity to avoid danger, is a condition of vital importance, upon the fulfilment of
which the safety of navigation mainly depends. It is for this reason that, on large
steain ships, besides the ordinary mate or chief officer, there is generally employed
an assistant or steersmate, having more especially the man at the wheel under
his control.
}
Now the object of this invention is to provide for the automatic steering of ships,
through the medium of the compass; whilst, in order to sail clear of dangerous
places, or to avoid collisions, it enables the steersman on duty to turn or reverse the
rudder almost instantaneously by means of electric currents.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a plan of a segment of the compass,
Figures
and 3 are vertical radial sections of the said compass, and
Figure 4 is an end elevation illustrating a detail of construction.
At the back
S and B indicate, respectively, the starboard and larboard sides of the ship. To
the card or dial of the compass, the centre of which is at m, an aluminium
ring i i, adapted to act as a conductor of electricity, is secured. To this ring are
fixed, one or two degrees apart, the vertical radial contact plates p p.
of the compass frame gg, on the larboard side, are situated the conducting
plates a a and e e, and on the starboard side, the conducting plates oo and u u. Of
these plates, a a is connected with the negative pole, and ee with the positive pole
of a battery; and similarly, the conducting plate oo of the other side is connected
with the positive pole, and the plate u u with the negative pole of the battery.
In the rear wall of the compass-casing, (which may be arranged to oscillate in and
with the concentric balance-ring h, in order to retain its horizontal position when
the ship pitches or rolls) and in the plane of the aluminium ring, there are secured
four contact plates a¹ a', e¹ e', o' o¹ and u¹ u' separated from each other by layers
of insulating material and capable of being shifted backwards and forwards. The
space between any two of these contact plates, situated on the same side, is less
than the space between the adjacent contact plates pp, and they are, like the latter,
arranged vertically, and radially to the dial of the compass. Between the plates a a
and a' a', and also between the plates e e and e¹ el, electrical connection is made
by means of conducting wires. The plates o o and o¹ o' and the plates
and u u' are similarly connected. Therefore, a¹ a¹ is negative and e¹ positive ;
and, conversely o'o' is positive, and u¹ u¹ negative.
น แ
In Figure 2 is shown a lever c c, which is pivoted at aud permits the inward
and outward displacement of the said contact plates. On being moved inwards
they take up their position between the contact plates pp, while, upon being drawn
outwards, they stand clear of these plates.
When the ship has started ou her course, the contact plates are adjusted by means
of the lever cc. Should the vessel, however, deviate from her course, say to star-
board, the plates e¹ e¹ and u¹ u' would come into contact with the aluminium plates,
and thereby connect the positive pole of the larboard battery with the negative
pole of the starboard battery; while, if the deviation be on the larboard side, the

page_text: plates a' a¹ and o' o' will touch the aluminium plates pp, whereby the positive pole
of the starboard battery will be connected with the negative pole of the larboard
battery. It follows that, in the one case, a current will be created on the larboard
side; and in the other case, on the starboard side; these currents being utilized in
closing (and, when required cutting off) in' the well known manner, more powerful
circuits operating the rudder either directly or through the medium of switches
and transmission gear actuating a steering motor.
When the larboard circuit is closed, the rudder will thus be turned to starboard,
and when the starboard circuit is closed, the rudder will be turned to larboard;
with the result that the ship will herself turn to the side on which the circuit has
been closed.
q
As shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the frame g is fitted with a lever 11, which is
pivoted at w and has two arms p² pl. To the lower surface of these arms, contact
plates for the larboard, and contact plates t for the starboard side are secured;
so that, when the lever is turned to starboard, the plate t will simultaneously
touch the two conducting plates o and u; while, when the said lever is turned to
larboard, the plate g will come into contact with both the conducting plates a
and e.
l
This arrangement enables the vessel to be properly steered by the steersman on
the watch in a simple and direct manner, it being only necessary for him to close
the starboard or larboard circuit as the case may be. Supposing, for example, that
a ship which is proceeding on its normal course, in which case the position of the
steering device is as shown in Figures 1 and 2, is required to veer suddenly, to
avoid collision with another ship, the steersman need only cut out the compass-
contacts by means of the switch-lever cc, and turn the lever 11 to the side to which
it is desired that the ship should turn, say in the instance illustrated in Figure 3 to
the larboard side.
If desired, the compass-contacts may be switched in or out sideways or upwards,
instead of backwards.
Figure 4 indicates the position of the lever 17 while the ship is being steered by
means of the compass-steering device herein described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manuer the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
First. The herein described method of providing for the automatic steering of a
ship or vessel through the medium of the compass.
Second. A steering device for ships, which is so constructed that, either by the
automatic motion of a compass, or by means of a switch-lever, electrical circuits
inay be closed and opened as required, for the purpose of turning the rudder to
one or the other side, through the medium of a motor or otherwise, substantially as
herein before described.
Third. The combination, with a steering device, of a compass provided with
contact plates which participate in the movements of the magnetized needle, and,
as it deviates from its normal direction, close or open a circuit on one or the other
side, as the case may be, through the medium of other contacts in such a manner
that the rudder is automatically moved so as to maintain the ship on its initial
rectilinear course.
Fourth. The combination, with the compass, of an aluminium ring fitted with
contacts and adapted, as it is displaced in relation to the ship, to co-operate with
another ring which forms a part of the casing of the compass or is otherwise
rigidly connected with the body of the ship, and which is provided with insulated
contact pieces, and thereby to close an electrical circuit on one or the other side,
according as the ship deviates from her pre-determined course to starboard or
larboard, which circuits are employed as relay-circuits, for restoring the ship to
her initial course, through the medium of suitable mechanism or gearing, sub-
stantially as described.
,

page_text: Fifth. The combination, with the device for automatically closing and opening
the electrical circuits as required, of a lever secured to the casing of the compass,
whereby the ship may be steered by hand, through the medium of two pivoted
arms which, according to the side to which the ship is required to deviate from its
course, may be turned so as to meet either of two sets of contact plates and
thereby close an electrical circuit on the corresponding side and effect the desired
deviation.
Sixth. The improved apparatus constructed substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawing and operating as, and for the purpose, above
specified.
د
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.