Improvements in Spring Motors.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spring Motors.
I, SIGISMUND BARON WORTMANN, of 126 E. 79th Street, New York City,
State of New York, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manuer the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The invention has for its object to utilize the power of a helical spring for
operating machinery; and the objects are, first, to obtain, under the reaction of
the spring, an increased number of revolutions of the spring axle, which is greatly
in excess of the number of times the axle is rotated to wind the spring, thereby
prolonging the time required for uncoiling the spring and driving the axle a longer
time with one winding of the spring, and secondly, to obviate breaking the spring
when it is uncoiling rapidly and facilitate the operation of putting the spring under
tension.
The invention consists in the combination and construction of parts hereinafter
described and claimed.
In the drawings,
Figure I is a sectional elevation on the line 1, 1, of Figure II;
Figure II is a like sectional elevation on the line 2, 2, of Figure I ;
Figure III is a plan view of another embodiment of my movement;
Figure IV is a sectional view on the line x, x, of Figure III and
Figure V is a detail section on the line y, y, of Figure III.
E designates the spring-axle or shaft, G the countershaft; D the helical spring
wound on the axle or shaft E, and C is the drum or shell which encloses the spring,
the inner end of said spring being fastened to the axle E and the outer end to the
drum C.
The power of the spring is not applied directly to the axle E, and I employ
differential gearing intermediate of the spring drum C and the axle E to transmit
the force of the spring to said axle. Said differential gearing consists of the
wheels A, B, F, although the form of the gear may be varied. The drum C is
loose on the axle E as is also the wheel A, and said drum and wheel are rigidly
fastened together, as by screws. The compound wheel F is carried by a counter-
shaft G, and the wheel B is mounted on the axle E alongside of the loose drum
wheel A.
The movement shown in Figures I and II is especially applicable to a clock
which it is intended to run for a much longer time than is possible by any other
combination of mechanical spring motors known to me; and in this embodiment
the wheel B is keyed or splined directly to the axle E as at C', in Figure I. But
I may not fasten the wheel B permanently to the axle, particularly when the
movement is to be used for operating a sewing machine, phonograph, or other light
machine, in which case I employ the automatic clutch G Figure 3 to fasten the
wheel B to the axle.
The wheels A, B, on the axle are essentially of different diameters, thus the
wheel A is larger than the wheel B, but this relative proportion of the two wheels
The relative
can be varied by making the wheel B larger than the wheel A.
diameters of the wheels may vary in proportion to the increased or decreased
number of times the wheel B is to be rotated by a given number of turns of the
wheel A when the spring uncoils.
The compound wheel F is fastened to the counter shaft by a key g and said
wheel comprises two members a, b, of different diameters, the one a meshing with
the wheel A.and the other 6 meshing, with the wheel B. The compound wheel F

page_text: is preferably smaller than the wheels A, B, and may be made of one or two pieces
but this is not essential.
In the drawings I have shown the several wheels as spur gear wheels, for
simplicity and economy, yet I do not restrict myself to this particular form of gear
as it is evident that equivalent gearing can be employed. For instance, I may
make the wheels A, B, F, in the form of sprocket wheels, and connect them by
sprocket chains, or the wheels may be in the form of flat faced or grooved pulleys
and connected by belts, or any other form of gearing may be employed.
In adapting my motor to a fast running machine, I have found that the spring
uncoils with such rapidity as to endanger breaking the spring, and to obviate this
objection in this class of motors, I have devised the automatic clutch G' shown in
Figures III and IV. In this machine, the wheel B is fitted loosely on the axle
and it is provided with a serrated hub adapted to engage the corresponding
serrations g on the clutch G' which is keyed at g" to the axle but capable of
sliding along the same. The clutch is normally pressed into engagement with the
hub of the wheel B by a coiled spring H, or equivalent means may be used if
desired.
For greater convenience in putting the spring under tension and controlling the
same, I may employ the ratchet wheels I, J, and their corresponding pawls I, J',
which are loosely fitted on a common stud or post j. The ratchet I is fast or rigid
with the drum C and the ratchet J is fastened directly to the axle E, the teeth of
the ratchet wheel I being inclined reversely to the teeth on the ratchet J.
The operation is as follows:
To wind the spring from the axle or shaft E, a crank disk or crank may be
secured to the said shaft, and as it is turned by hand, the clutch causes the wheel B
to turn with the axle, which wheel in turn rotates the countershaft and the latter
rotates the wheel A and the drum, thus winding the spring from the top or outer
side thereof by the rotation of the drum which is loose on the shaft. To wind the
spring on the inner side thereof and directly from the spring axle or shaft, the
pawl I¹ is thrown into engagement with the ratchet wheel I on the drum, thus
holding said drum stationary in the frame of the motor, and it only requires a few
turns of the hand wheel or crank to fully place the spring under tension. When
the spring has been wound, it can be held under tension by adjusting the check
pawl Jnto engagement with the ratchet J; but, by lifting the pawl, the
spring is free to unwind and rotate the axle through the differential gear and
clutch.
The spring does not act directly on the spring axle or shaft to which it is
attached, but it operates through the drum, the differential gear and the clutch to
rotate the spring axle or shaft. The clutch is held by its spring in engagement
with the loose wheel B so as to cause said wheel to rotate the spring axle or shaft
during the time that the retractile force of the spring is exerted on the drum and
differential gear or until the parts attain such momentum or velocity as to over-
come the tension of the spring; but when the force of the spring has spent itself
and the parts are still revolving rapidly owing to the momentum acquired during
the time when the spring influenced the drum and differential gear, the clutch is
automatically thrown or forced out of gear, thus freeing the loose wheel B and
the spring drum from the spring axle or shaft while the parts are in motion. As
the clutch is disengaged from the loose wheel and the spring is thereby freed
from the shaft to such an extert as to cease operating the same, it is evident
that the spring will not be injured while the parts are revolving, which is very
important.
The crank wheel or disk can be applied to the end of the countershaft to rotate
the latter, the differential gear and the spring and its drum in the manner hereto-
fore described, but should it be desired to wind the spring direct from the axle or
shaft G the pawl J' should be engaged with the ratchet J on the spring axle or
shaft. It should be understood that the clutch does not engage with the loose
wheel B when the parts are rotated to wind the spring direct from the shaft or

page_text: axle E, as the serrated hub f slips past the serrations on the clutch when the
wheel B is turned.
The spring can be wound up from the countershaft by adjusting the pawl J¹ to
engage with its corresponding ratchet wheel J and disengaging the pawl I' from
its ratchet I, after which the crank or disk on the countershaft can be turned and
rotate the gears, the drum and the spring, the shaft or axle E being held stationary
and the clutch slipping clear of the teeth or serrations in the hub f of the
loose gear.
The pawl I can remain at all times in engagement with the ratchet I (except
when the countershaft is rotated by the crank or disk to wind the spring) as the
beak of the pawl is automatically thrown out of engagement with the teeth of the
ratchet when the spring unwinds to rotate the drum, its attached ratchet,
the differential gearing and the spring axle or drum. If desired a spring or
equivalent detent may be employed to prevent the pawl I' from flying back too
far and thereby being thrown out of operative position.
I would have it understood that I do not deem it essential to employ the two
ratchets and check pawls I, I', and J, J', as they can be dispensed with altogether,
but I prefer to illustrate and describe the same as they enable me to have better
control of the spring.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a spring and its axle, of the differential gearing
operating to transmit the force of the spring to the axle, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a spring and its axle, of the differential gearing
comprising the wheel A adapted to be actuated by the spring, the wheel B fast
with the axle, and wheel or wheels between the main wheels A, B, substantially as
described.
3. The combination with an axle, a spring and drum therefor, of the differential
gearing comprising the wheel A rigid with the drum, the wheel B rigid with the
axle, and a compound wheel intermediate of the two main wheels, substantially as
described.
4. The combination with an axle, a spring and drum, of the differential gearing
comprising the fast, loose and intermediate wheels, substantially as described.
5. The combination with an axle and a spring, of differential gearing, and a
clutch adapted to fasten and release the differential gearing to said axle, substantially
as described.
6. The combination with an axle, a spring and drum, of differential gearing
having its main wheels fitted on the axle and an automatic clutch normally engaged
with one of said main wheels and adapted to be released therefrom as the spring
approximates its limit, substantially as described.
7. The combination with an axle, and a spring and drum, of differential gearing
substantially as described having one of its wheels provided with a serrated hub,.
and a spring controlled clutch rigid with the axle, substantially as described.
Dated this 27th dex of October 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.