Improvements in Surveying Instruments for Delineating the Profile of the Ground.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 1897-Accepted, 3rd July, 1897.
Improvements in Surveying Instruments for Delineating the Profile
of the Ground.
I, OTTO FREDERIK SONNE of Devonshire Street, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.,
Civil Engineer, 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 relates to devices for surveying purposes which give automatically a
graphic record of the grades and length of the course passed over, and its object is to
provide a practical and efficient device of this character embodying certain features of
improvement.
In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the grade delineator of
this invention with a portion of the framework broken away. Fig. 2 a plan view of
the same. Fig. 3 a rear end view. Fig. 4 a horizontal section of the recording
mechanism on line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 respectively a detail sectional view
and a plan view of the marking pencil and the frame which carries it.
The device is supported on a carriage like framework the construction of which is
not material except as hereinafter described.
A is a platforın borne by the carriage, and secured to the platform are uprights B
in which are journalled three rollers 1, 2, and 3. Roller 1 is made to rotate with a
velocity proportionate to that of the vehicle by means of suitable connections between
it and the wheel C of the vehicle, which may consist, as shewn, of the sprocket
wheels 4 and 5, the sprocket chain 6 and the train of gearing 7 journalled in one of
the uprights B. The wheel 4 is readily secured to the axle 8 which turns with the
wheel C.
A roll of paper, preferably what is known as profile paper is wound on roller 2
carried over part of roller 1 and around the third roller 3. During the forward
motion of the vehicle, the friction between the paper and the surface of the roller 1
will make the paper move with the same surface velocity as the roller 1, wind off the
roller 2, and on roller 3, this latter being pressed against roller 1 by one or more
springs, thus attaining the same surface velocity as the roller 1 while at the same
time its bearings are so arranged as to allow play for its axle, which will retreat from
the roller 1 as the paper winds up on it, and increases its diameter.
In this manner
a very simple and effective construction is provided for carrying and feeding the
paper, the rollers 2 and 3 being easily removable whenever it is desirable to renew the
supply of paper.
Opposite the paper where it passes around the roller is located a pencil or other
marker 9 which is carried by a frame 10 and is pressed against the paper by means of
a spring 11. The two rearward extending arms 12 of the frame 10 are bifurcated to
embrace the guiding rod 13 along which said frame is moved in either direction by
means of the screw threaded rod 14 which engages with half nuts 15 formed on the
frame 10. Half nuts are employed in order that the pencil may be readily lifted
away from the paper and shifted along the rod. This is very desirable in practice in
order that the pencil may be set at any desired starting point, and also in order that
it may be kept from passing off the paper by reason of a prolonged grade.

page_text: The rod 14 is journalled in the uprights B and carries on one end a disc D which is
adapted to be rotated by frictional contact with a second disc E. Said disc E is secured
to the upper end of a vertical spindle 16 journalled in a carriage F which runs on
wheels 17 guided by means of tracks 18 secured to the platform A.
G is a pendulum of considerable weight suspended from a convenient part of the
vehicle, so that it is free to swing, and it is connected to the carriage F preferably by
means of rod 19, bell crank lever 20 journalled in platform A, and rod 21. This
arrangement will cause the carriage F to take a certain position on its track,
dependent on the position which the pendulum occupies in relation to the vehicle,
and in such a way that according to whether the vehicle is inclined upward or
downward the carriage F will occupy positions on the track on opposite sides of its
central position, that is, the position it occupies when the vehicle is on a level, and,
further, its distance from this central position will be proportional to the deviation of
the pendulum from its central position, that is, to the inclination of the vehicle or
slope of the ground over which the vehicle is being moved. The connections are. so
proportioned that the extreme range of movement of the dise E will not exceed the
length of its diameter, and also so that when the vehicle is on level ground and the
carriage and the pendulum are in their central positions the centre of the disc E will
be directly under disc D. The rod 19 is preferably made detachable from the
pendulum G in order that the dise E may be rendered inoperative if desired. This
may be conveniently done by means of an eye formed on the end of said rod, through
which eye a bolt passes loosely and is screwed into the pendulum G.
In view of the lateral motion of the carriage F and the disc E, it is necessary to
provide some means for rotating said dise, which not only shall be equally operative
for all positions of the disc on the track, but also shall have no tendency to move the
disc laterally in either direction. To this end means are employed consisting,
preferably, of an endless belt 22 which passes around the doubly grooved pulley 23
on the spindle 16 as shewn, and also around the pulleys 24 secured to the platform A.
One of the pulleys 24 is connected by gear wheels 25 sprocket wheels 26 and sprocket
chain 27 to the axle of the vehicle, which, as previously mentioned, rotates with the
wheel C. By this construction rotary motion will be transmitted to the action of the
disc equally well for any position of the carriage F and the pulling parts of the belt
will act in opposite directions and counterbalance each other, and thus will not tend
to move the carriage F from its position.
As thus constructed it will be seen that as long as the vehicle is in motion both
roller and disc E will be continuously rotated with velocities proportional to the
velocity of the vehicle. If the vehicle is on level ground, the dise D will touch
dise E at the centre thereof, and consequently will not be rotated thereby. The
pencil 9 will therefore remain stationary and will trace a straight line on the paper,
passing over roller 1 as it rotates, the length of the line traced being proportional to
the length of the course traversed. If, however, the surface of the ground be inclined
or sloping, the pendulum G in maintaining a vertical position, will cause disc E to
move under disc D and the resulting relative position of the two discs will cause
disc D to be rotated by frictional contact with disc E, the direction of rotation of
disc D being determined by the slope of the ground upward or downward, since said
direction of rotation changes whenever disc D passes the centre of disc E that is,
whenever the vehicle passes from rising to falling ground, or vice versa.
The speed
of rotation of disc D is determined by its distance from the centre of the disc E, a
greater distance causing a greater speed, and said distance corresponds exactly with.
the pitch or grade of the ground being passed over. Consequently by the rotation of
the disc D and the screw threaded rod 14 with it, the marker 9 is caused to move
lengthwise of the roller 1 and since this motion corresponds at all times in direction
and velocity, as explained above, with the slope of the ground, the pencil or marker
will be moved in the appropriate direction a certain distance for each foot the ground
rises or falls, thus recording the elevations of the ground, as well as the distance, so
that the line traced by the pencil, being the resultant of its own notion and of that
of the roller 1 will represent the profile of the course passed over.

page_text: The scales on which the distance and elevations are recorded may be made alike or
different, as desired, and by making part of the gearing changeable the scales may be
varied on the same machine.
The device may be modified in a number of particulars, thus the number and
arrangement of the pulleys 24 need not be exactly as shewn ; also, if the pulley 23 be
made with a single groove and the belt be passed entirely around it and around two
pulleys 24 on opposite sides thereof and in line therewith, the mechanism will still
be operative.
Theoretically the device will give a strictly accurate record only when moving on
level ground, since the movement of the paper is at all times proportioned to the
distance travelled by the vehicle, whereas on a grade said movement should strictly
be proportional to the projection of said distance on a horizontal line. For all
ordinary grades, however, the error thus arising will be very slight and usually not so
great, as the error arising from inaccuracies in the ruling of the paper, so that by
omitting necessarily complicated devices for the correction of this error a great
advantage in the simplicity of the machine is obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a grade delineator, the combination of a vehicle, a roller over which passes a
sheet of paper, gearing connected with the axle of the vehicle for driving said roller,
a frame, a pencil secured therein, a screw threaded rod for moving said pencil parallel
to the axis of said roller, a disc I) on the end of said rod, a laterally movable carriage,
a disc E on said carriage engaging with and driving disc D, a pendulum, connections
between the pendulum and the carriage for moving the latter, and means for rotating
disc E, substantially as described and shewn.
2. In a grade delineator, a carriage, means far moving said carriage laterally, a
disc journalled in said carriage, mechanism cooperating with the said disc for
recording grades, and means for rotating said disc, consisting of pulleys fixed to the
framework of the machine, an endless belt passing around the disc spindle and also
around the said fixed pulleys, and mechanism for driving one of the fixed pulleys,
substantially as described and shewn.
3. In a grade delineator, in combination, a pendulum, a carriage movable thereby, a
disc journalled in said carriage, an endless belt passing around the disc spindle and
around fixed pulleys, means for driving said belt, a screw threaded rod provided with
a disc arranged to be driven by frictional contact with the first mentioned disc, a
fraine movable laterally by engagement with said screw threaded rod, a pencil carried
by said frame, a recording surface, and mechanism for moving said surface past the
pencil in a direction at right angles to the direction of motion of the pencil,
substantially as described and shewn.
4. In a grade delineator, a carriage, mechanism for laterally moving the carriage,
a disc journalled in said carriage, mechanism cooperating with said disc for recording
grades, and means for rotating said disc consisting of a double grooved pulley on the
disc spindle, pulleys secured to the framework of the machine, and an endless belt
passing around the latter pulleys and twice around the disc spindle pulley, in such
inanner that the pulling parts of the belt will act on the latter pulley in opposite
directions, in combination with mechanism for driving the endless belt, substantially
as described and shewn.