Improvements in Electric Signals for Engines.
Year: 1887

page_text: CUMLI UNIN DI BUITICATION.
Improvements in Electric Signals for Engines.
I, JAMES CLARK RICKETSON, residing at 560 Terrace Avenue, Milwaukee, in the
County of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in the United States of America,
Business Manager of Steam Navigation Company, do hereby declare the nature of the
said 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 Electric Signals for Engines, and will be fully described
hereinafter.
In the drawings:
Figure, 1, is a view of part of a marine engine, with my invention applied thereto.
Figure, 2, is a diagram view on the line, xx, of figure, 1, &
Figure, 3, is a detail view in side elevation on the line, y-y, of figure, 1.
My invention has reference to devices for indicating at any point distant from the
engine, or its shaft, the direction in which the latter is revolving. I have illustrated
my device in connection with a marine engine, for use on a steam boat but it is capable
of use in connection with any reversible engine.
A, A¹, are the eccentric rods of a marine engine, B, B¹, represent two of the floor
beans of the engine room between which is an open space for the free movement of
the said eccentric rods, A, A, and, C, C¹, represent cross beams beneath the said floor
beams. D, D¹, are bell-crank levers secured to the underside of the beams, B, B', so
that both arms move horizontally, and so that one of said arins will be moved by one
of the eccentric rods as the latter is thrown over and rocked against it as hereinafter
explained.
E, E', are the bell-crank levers secured, in the present illustration, to the cross
beams, C, C, respectively, by horizontal pivots, so as to work in vertical lines, and
wires, d, d¹, connect the bell-crank levers, D, &, E, and, D¹, &, E¹, respectively as
shown. At any convenient location in the engine-room or elsewhere, there are

page_text: arranged, as against a wall, brackets or bearings, f,, to which are pivoted bell-crank
levers, F, and, F1, which I call my contact-levers, and the inner arms of these levers
are connected by wires, e, and, e¹, respectively, to arms of the levers, E, &, E', just
named. Above these levers, F, &, F¹, I have shown a hinged plate, G, which bears
electric buttons, gy, and, g, and which plate may be turned up against the wall and
secured by turn button, G¹, if desired.
Of course there may be two of these plates, G, one for each button, y, g¹, if more
convenient or necessary.
In order to keep the free ends of the levers, F, F, normally out of contact with the
buttons, g, g', springs, e, c¹, extend from said arms to a convenient point beyond, as
for instance to arms, b,, projecting from the brackets,,'. Similarly, the free ends
of the bell-crank levers, D, D₁, are provided with springs, a, a', whose other ends are
secured to the underside of the beams B, &, B', to draw back said levers to their
normal positions after the eccentric rods, A, &, A', have withdrawn from contact
therewith.
H, H, represent electric bells, or other annunciators, which may be at any desired
point, as for instance in the pilot house. In the drawings I have shown bells, but it
will be understood that I may use in place thereof, or in addition thereto, annunciators
of any desired form, such as those used in hotels, telephone exchanges, etc. which drop
or change position when electrical contact is made. I, I', are batteries connected to
the bells, or annunciators and to the electric buttons in the usual manner as indicated
in the drawings, by wires, h, i, i, and, 1, 1, .
K, is the shaft of the engine.
While I have carefully and minutely described the details of construction of my
device, as represented in the accompanying drawings, it will be understood that I do
not limit myself to said details, which may be varied indefinitely without departing
from the spirit of my invention. For instance, it is obviously immaterial whether my
bell-crank levers move horizontally or vertically, and their individual location whether
upon beams or upon the engine-frame, is simply a matter of convenience, depending
upon the shape, size and arrangement of the engine room or other rooms of the vessel,
or other structure wherein they may be placed in any particular case, and consequently
differing perhaps, in every instance.
The operation of my device will be apparent from the foregoing description, taken
in connection with the drawings, wherein the eccentric rod, A, is supposed to be
making the connection in all the views (in full lines) and consequently the shaft is all
the time revolving in one direction.
In this movement of the shaft the eccentric rod, A., is thrown so far to the left as to
cause it to press against one of the arms of the lever, D, (see figure, 2, where the full
section lines show the relative positions of the rods, A, and, A³, at this moment, and
the dotted lines their relative positions on their return movement, when the engine is
reversed and the shaft is revolving in the opposite direction) which action of course as
the rod, A, rocks against said arm, serves to draw upon the other arm of the lever, D,
and on the wire, d, and thus the lever, E, will be moved and its wire, e, will draw
down the inner arm of the contact lever, F, and cause its free arm to be raised (against
the force of its spring, c) so that its upper end will strike the button, g, and hence ring
the electric bell, H, (or move the annunciator at that point or both) while, when the
engine is reversed, and the eccentric rods, A, and, A', are in the positions indicated
by dotted lines in figures, 1, and, 2, then when the rod, A', begins to rock against the
adjacent arm of the lever D¹, (being just ready to rock, in the position shown in dotted
lines in figure, 2) the movements just described will now take place on the other side
of the engine, and the bell, or annunciator, H', will be rung or actuated, showing
that the shaft, K, is now revolving in the opposite direction, and so the pilot or
captain will always know instantly and all the time in which direction the shaft is
revolving, and therefore whether the engine is going ahead or backing and it is
obvious that the same information as to the direction of revolution of the shaft will be
in like manner instantly conveyed in the case of any reversible engine, whether on a
steam boat, or in a factory, or elsewhere.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination of a reversible engine with a distant signal, a push button
electrically connected to said signal, and a series of bell-crank levers connected
together, and adapted to be actuated by one of the eccentric rods of the engine,
whereby the movement of said rod will automatically make contact with the said push
button, & thereby actuate the signal.
2. The combination of a reversible engine with two distant signals, push buttons
electrically connected to the latter, and two series of bell-crank levers, one lever in
each series being located adjacent to each of the eccentric rods of said engine, and
another of the levers in each series located adjacent to each of the said push buttons,
and all the levers in each series being connected together, whereby, when either
eccentric rod strikes against its adjacent lever, all the levers in that series will be
moved and the last lever of said series will come in contact with its adjacent push
button, and hence will thereby automatically actuate that signal with which the latter
is in electrical connection.