Improvements in or connected with Electric Steering Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 12th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 1st Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Steering Apparatus.
I FRANK KING of 4 Great Winchester Street in the City of London Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My invention relates to carriages, boats, or other vehicles which are steered
electro-mechanically, and has for its object to provide means whereby when the
steering mechanism of the vehicle has been moved so as to give the vehicle the
required change of direction and it is desired that the vehicle shall then continue
its course in a straight line from the position to which it has been turned this is
effected without the driver having to do more than bring the steering handle back
to zero or mid position the bringing of the steering wheels to the position for
running in a right line being effected as soon as the steering handle has been so
brought to its zero or mid position. To effect this I provide in connection with
the steering device a contact maker which on the steering handle being operated
to turn the vehicle is caused to come into position ready to complete the necessary
circuit with the electric motor when the steering handle is brought back to its
normal or mid-position which electric motor then effects the turning of the steering
wheels or rudder into the position for straight running and when this position is
attained the contact thus made is broken and the circuit with the said electric
motor is thus discontinued. The arrangement is of course applied on each side so as
to operate as described in whichever direction the steering wheels may be or have
been turned, the motor being arranged to run in reverse direction when the
contacts are made on the one side than that in which it runs when the contacts are
made on the other side.
Dated this 12th day of February 1895
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Steering Apparatus.
1 FRANK KING of 4 Great Winchester Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—
My invention relates to carriages, boats or other vehicles which are steered
electro-mechanically and has for its object to provide means whereby when the
steering mechanism of the vehicle has been moved so as to give the vehicle the
required change of direction and it is desired that the vehicle shall then continue
its course in a straight line from the position to which it has been turned, this is
effected without the driver having to do more than bring the steering handle back
to zero or mid position the bringing of the steering wheels to the position for
running in a right line being effected as soon as the steering handle has been so
brought to its zero or mid-position. To effect this I provide in connection with
the steering device a contact maker which on the steering handle being operated
037

page_text: to turn the vehicle is caused to come into position ready to complete the necessary
circuit with the electric motor when the steering handle is brought back to its
normal or mid position which electric motor then effects the turning of the steering
wheels or rudder into the position for straight running and when this position is
attained the contact thus made broken and the circuit with the said electric
motor is thus discontinued. The arrangement is of course applied on cach side so
as to operate as described in whichever direction the steering wheels may be or
have been turned, the motor being arranged to run in reverse direction when the
contacts are made on the one side than that in which it runs when the contacts are
made on the other side.
And in order that my invention may be more clearly understood I refer to the
accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation shewing the spindle a which is connected to the
centre of the steering carriage by any suitable means so as to turn with the said
steering carriage. The spindle is supported in the switch by the bracket b and
carries upon it in a convenient position for observation a pointer shewing the
amount of its angular movement.
Figure 2 is a cross section shewing the base plates or frames on which the contacts
are carried, D being the upper plate and D' the lower plate. B shews one of the
contacts into which the contact makers A are to pass. On the opposite side of the
centre line similar contacts should be shewn but are for clearness more effectively
shewn in Figure 3. E Figure 2 shews in section the radius bar carrying the
contact pieces A A. H is one of the hinged contacts shewn more effectively in
Figure 4 with springs and check pieces t¹ to ensure the said hinged contact
remaining in position. The contacts on either side of the centre line are similar
as before described with reference to the contact B.
Figure 3 gives a plan view of the upper side of the switch as mounted on the
base plate D. b is the bracket supporting the spindle a. O is an actuating lever,
O' is a connecting link and E the radius bar carrying the contacts A, A which
respectively connect together the contacts B B', and B2, B3 or conversely C, C',
and CC. The contact pieces A and A' are insulated from the radius bar E, so
that they merely act by joining the contacts as described and when away from the
said contacts form no part of the electrical circuit.
K is a cam, shewn detached in Figure 6 and in elevation and part section in Figure5,
for the purpose hereafter described. The radius bar E is also shewn partly in
section and partly in elevation in Figure 5 and besides carrying on it the contact
makers A, A¹ it is provided with two rollers, L and L' which travel upon the cam
or inclined plane K. The radius bar E can only move on its centre on the spindle a
and has no vertical motion.
Figure 4 shews in plan the base of the switch box, and in dotted lines a plan of
the under side of the base D'. bis the bracket supporting the spindle a.
'V, V',
V2, V3, are the terminal blocks for convenience of connecting up to the source of
electricity Z and the motor R Figure 7. The contacts H, H', H2, H3 and J, J¹,
J', and J are respectively the hinged contacts as shewn in elevation in Figure 2.
t are the springs and t¹ are the check pieces for retaining the hinged contacts in
position. F is a radius bar carried by the spindle a and free to move against the
pressure of a spring in a vertical direction along the said spindle a and has mounted
upon it the insulated contact pieces P P which latter are also shewn in sectional
elevation in Figure 2 and Figure 5.
In Figure 5 are shewn in sectional elevation the arrangement of the parts on the
spindle a and at Y the means by which the switch arrangement can be readily
removed without disturbing the continuity of the connection with the steering
carriage of the spindle a.
As will be seen, a coupling is shewn at Y, so that the mere connection of this
coupling together joins that portion of the spindle a which is on the switch to the
fixed portion of the said spindle on the carriage.
Figures 3, 4, 3A 4ª and 3º 4ª are arranged in combination with Figure 7 to shew

page_text: diagrammatically the respective connections from the source of electricity Z
through the switch to the motor R.
The apparatus operates as follows:-It is presumed that the steering carriage
is in a right line with the vehicle and the pointer X is therefore pointing straight
ahead. If it be desired to turn in either direction the lever handle O is moved in
the direction in which it is intended to travel, and by means of the link O', the
radius bar E will be turned carrying with it the contacts A, A' and at the end of
the lever stroke these contacts will respectively connect B, B1 and B2 B³ together;
or conversely, if the handle be moved in the other direction will connect the similar
contacts on the other side of the stroke. In the circumstances first mentioned
above, when the radius bar E with its contacts A A' makes contact as described
with B, B and B³, B³ respectively the circuits shewn in the combination of
Figures 7 and 34, 44 will be in use and the current will pass from the battery at Z
to the terminal block V' and thence by arrows 3 to B³ through the contact
block A¹ to B2 and thence along arrows 3 to the terminal block V thence by the
line indicated by arrows 3 to and around the field coils of the motor R along by
arrows 3 to the terminal block V, thence by arrows 3 to the contact block B and
across the junction contact block A on the radius bar E to B' thence through
arrows 3 to the terminal block V³ and thence to the armature terminal or brush of
the motor R, and from the opposite brush or armature terminal to the opposite
pole of the battery Z. If the handle be moved in the other direction, causing the
radius bar E with its contacts A, A' to make contact with C, C' and C2, C3 respec-
tively the circuits shewn in the combination of Figures 7 and 3B 4" will be in use
and the current will pass by arrows marked 4. Immediately the contacts are so
completed the motor R will commence to rotate and will by suitable means, move
the steering carriage into an angular position, and this position the operator will
easily observe by noticing the movement of the pointer X.
By the movement of the lever O into the angular position for making contact as
before described, the cam or inclined plane K is forced downwards, carrying with
it against the pressure of the spring S as shewn in Figure 5 the radius bar F. By
this means the contacts on the radius bar F, are carried away clear of the plane of
the hinged contacts H, so that when the radius bar F follows the direction of the
spindle a when the steering carriage is turned, its contacts P, P' will not come into
connection with the said hinged contacts. When however the angle which the
steering apparatus is desired to attain has been reached and it is desired that it
shall again come into right line with the motion of the carriage the lever handle O
is returned to the midway position and the action of the spring S will force the
radius bar F upwards enabling its contact pieces P P to connect together the
hinged contacts H H and H2 H3 respectively or the converse if the original
movement of the lever O had been in the opposite direction. In the circumstances
first mentioned above when the spring forces the radius bar F upwards enabling
its contact pieces P P¹ to connect together the hinged contacts H H' and H² H³
respectively the circuit shewn in the combination of Figures 7 and 4ª will be in
use and the current will pass from the battery at Z to the terminal block V¹ and
thence by arrows 1. to H through the contact block P¹ to H2 and thence by
arrows 1 to the terminal block V thence by arrows 1 to and around the field coils
of the motor R along by arrows 1 to terminal block V2 thence by arrows 1 to H
across junction block P to H' and thence by arrows 1 to V³ and thence to the
armature terminal or brush of the motor R and from the opposite brush or armature
terminal to the opposite pole of the battery Z. In the reverse case, where the
original movement of the lever O had been to place the junction blocks A A¹ on
the contacts C, C1, C2 and C³ and the lever had been returned to the midway
position the radius bar F is pressed up by the spring S so as to make contact by
means of its contact pieces P and P¹ with J and J and J2 J3 respectively, the
circuits shewn in the combination of Figures 7 and 4B will be in use and the
current will pass by arrows 2. The cam or inclined plane K has by the return of
he radius bar E been enabled to resume its normal position except so far as the

page_text: amount of the travel of the radius bar F upwards has been arrested by its con-
tacts P P coming into contact with the hinged contacts H.
The connection from the source of electricity to the motor as originally made
baving been broken by the restoration of the radius har E to its normal central
position, the contact is now made in the opposite direction from the source of
electricity to the motor by the contacts P P meeting the hinged terminal
contacts H and the motor will commence to run in the reverse direction until the
steering carriage is in a right line with the motion of the vehicle, when the radius
bar F will be shot upwards by the action of the spring S into a cavity lying
between the opposing rows of the hinged terminal contacts as shewn in Figure 4.
The connection between the motor and the source of electricity will there be broken
and the carriage will continue to run in a straight line until the lever handle O is
again operated.
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. In electric steering apparatus for carriages, boats, or other vehicles, a
switching device which after being operated in one or the other direction will
automatically return the rudder or axle of the steering apparatus to a zero position
and so enable the vehicle after steering to continue its progress thenceforward in a
straight line.
2. Electric steering apparatus for carriages, boats, or other vehicles constructed
or arranged substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 12th day of December 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.