Improvements in Wave Motors or Devices for Utilising the Power of Sea Waves, more particularly for the Generation of Electricity.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 12th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 24th Feb., 1900
Improvements in Wave Motors or Devices for Utilising the Power of
Sea Waves, more particularly for the Generation of Electricity.
I, MAX GEHRE, of Bismarckstrasse, Rath, near Düsseldorf, in the Empire of
Germany, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Known devices for utilizing or accumulating the power of the waves of the.
sea, and in which the movements of the waves act by means of ratchet gearing
for rotating a shaft, work with uninterrupted movement, for instance for com-
pressing air for driving purposes and the like.
On the contrary in the ratchet gearing which forms the object of the present
invention an automatic releasing or disconnection takes place periodically in
such a way that the power accumulated by a number of ratchet movements is
utilised for a longer backward movement by means of which an electric current
may be generated by suitable devices.
For this object the ratchet gearing is subjected to the action of a releasing
mechanism in such a way that after a given rotation of the ratchet wheel, the
ratchet gearing by means of the releasing mechanism is released or disconnected
with the object of producing by the action of a weight or a spring the backward
movement of the ratchet wheel by which the releasing mechanism is returned to
its initial position and the ratchet gearing is again engaged for another number
of forward movements.
The shaft is mounted in a floating framework, on which shaft a ratchet wheel
and a cord or belt drum or pulley are mounted. A float is mounted on an arm
which pivots or turns on the shaft when the said float is lifted or dropped by the
waves of the sea. A pawl is mounted on the arm of the float in such a way that
until its release takes place, on the rise of the float, it carries with it the ratchet
wheel. On the descent of the float a stop pawl or catch mounted on a spindle pre-
vents the backward rotation of the wheel. By the forward rotation of the wheel br
means of the driving pawl under the action of the floating body, which forward
movement is repeated for a certain period, and the step by step rotation of the
shaft, the cord or chain is wound upon the drum and a weight raised accordingly
until the release of the pawl and catch takes place.
For this object the pawls are connected with one another by means of an arm
fixed on the spindle of the driving pawl, a link from said arm to an elbow
lever pivoted on the frame, and a link from said elbow lever to a weighted arm
fixed on the spindle of the stop pawl in such a way that both pawls may be disen-
gaged from the ratchet simultaneously.
On the two pawls being engaged with the ratchet, the link of the driving pawl
follows to a certain extent the movement of the float arm and swings on
pin on the elbow lever, said pin lying co-axially with the shaft. Both in the said
link and also the other link (the link of the stop pawl) there is allowed sufficient
niar by means of elongated holes for the pins of the arm fixed on the spindle of
the driving pawl and the pins of the releasing arm fixed on the spindle of

page_text: the other or stop pawl as required so as not to interfere with the ratchet and stop
movement of both pawls.
If the stop pawl be thrown out of gear, its link will turn the said elbow lever
so that the pin carried thereby, on which the link of the driving pawl swings.
is no longer co-axial with the shaft, and the driving pawl is thus also pulled by
its link out of engagement with the ratchet.
This disengagement of the two pawls is actuated as follows:-
By means of another pawl pivoted on the frame an arm is kept locked during
the operation of the aforesaid pawls, which arm is mounted on a spindle located in
the frame, which spindle carries also a weighted arm.
After about one revolution of the ratchet wheel this third pawl is disengaged from
said arm by means of a projection on the said ratchet wheel. The said arm then
turns and the weighted arm mounted on the same spindle encounters a pin on the
releasing arm which is mounted on the spindle of the stop pawl, and whilst releas-
ing the driving pawl by turning it by means of the link gear carries the stop pawl
into position in which it is held clear of the ratchet by a catch mounted in
the frame whilst the ratchet wheel is turned back by the action of the weight, and
the movement necessary for producing electricity is transmitted.
For instance a small tooth wheel may be operated by means of a toothed wheel
which is mounted with the ratchet wheel on the shaft, in order to impart the longer
backward movement to a magnet and armature coil or other magneto electric devices.
The apparatus is more especially adapted for producing light by electricity at
sea; by moving for instance one or more magnets along a series of coils, thereby
inducing and interrupting currents for producing, in a suitable circuit, electric
light which appears and vanishes, and serves for giving signals at sea, in light-
houses, etcetera.
Towards the end of the backward rotation of the ratchet wheel. a second pro-
jection thereon encounters the arm which was unlocked and allowed to turn as
before described, and returns same, and also the other or weighted arm mounted
on the same spindle, into the initial position in which it is again locked by the
third pawl, whilst by means of a lower projection on the arm thus locked the catch
is turned back to release the stop pawl, so that under the action of the weighted
are mounted on the spindle of the stop pawl, the latter and thus also
the driving pawl are turned and again engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and
the movement hereinbefore described recommences.
Another form of construction differs from that previously described advan-
tageously by the avoidance of the jerky action produced by the releasing mechan-
ism by the projections of the ratchet wheel.
In this case also the pin of the releasing arin is under the action of the weighted
arm and on the simultaneous release of the driving pawl, the stop pawl is carried
into the position in which it is held by the catch, whilst by the action of the
weight the ratchet wheel is turned back.
The projection is replaced by a cam edge or flange which projects internally on
the rim of the wheel towards the shaft, and has a suitable bent or wared form.
This flange releases the arm-locking pawl after about one revolution of the ratchet
wheel and the two arms of the releasing mechanism then turn round and disengage
the driving pawl and stop pawl, whilst a pawl pivoted near the periphery on the
side of the ratchet wheel and provided with a spring, engages and presses back the
catch for holding down the ston pawl and then releases said catch so that it springs
over the stop pawl and holds the latter down.
In the backward rotation of the ratchet wheel which then takes place under the
action of the weight, the cam edge or flange acts on a lateral finger of the weighted
arm, and brings the latter accordingly back until the other arm mounted on the
same spindle is again, locked by the locking pawl. At a given moment, the
spring pawl carried by the ratchet wheel is pushed by its spring outwards behind
the stop-pawl catch, and the latter is thereby again pressed back and the two pawls
which are connected together by means of the links or levers, are again released.

page_text: Both pawls then again engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel and under the action
of the waves of the sea commence their activity afresh.
Dated this 17th day of March 1899.
Improvements in Wave Motors or Devices for Utilising the Power of
Sea Waves, more particularly for the Generation of Electricity.
I, MAX GEHRE, of Bismarckstrasse, Rath, near Düsseldorf, in the Empire of
Germany, 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:―
Known devices for utilising or accumulating the power of the waves of the
sea, and in which the movements of the waves act by means of ratchet gearing
for rotating a shaft, work with uninterrupted movement, for instance for com-
pressing air for driving purposes and the like.
On the contrary in the ratchet gearing which forms the object of the prosent
invention an automatic releasing or disconnection takes place periodically in
such a way that the power accumulated by a number of ratchet movements is
utilised for a longer backward movement by means of which an electric current
may be generated by suitable devices.
For this object the ratchet gearing is subjected to the action of a releasing
mechanism in such a way that after a given rotation of the ratchet wheel, the
ratchet gearing by means of the releasing mechanism is released or disconnected
with the object of producing by the action of a weight or a spring the backward
movement of the ratchet wheel by which the releasing mechanism is returned to
its initial position and the ratchet gearing is again engaged for another number
of forward movements.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional front view of the ratchet
gearing with the releasing mechanism when the ratchet pawl and the stop pawl
are engaged; Figure 2 is a side view of the same; Figure 3, a diagrammatic repre-
sentation on a reduced scale: Figure 4, a front view of the lower part of the
device on an enlarged scale with the catch engaged; Figure 5, a side view of same;
Figure 6, a side view with the pawl disengaged from the ratchet gearing; Figure 7.
a side view of a modification of the ratchet gearing: Figure 8, a front view of
the lower part of the arrangement on an enlarged scale with the pawl engaged:
Figure 9, a side view of same; and Figure 10, a side view of the same form of
construction with the pawl disengaged.
The shaft sis mounted in a floating framework a on which shaft a ratchet
wheel d and a cord or chain drum pulley e are mounted. A float 6 mounted on an
arm pivots or turns on the shafts, when the said float is lifted or dropped by the
waves of the sea. A pawl c is mounted on the arm of the float b in such a
way that until its release takes place, On the rise of the float h.
it carries with it the ratchet wheel d. On the descent of the float a stop pawl
or catch mounted on a spindle i prevents the backward rotation of the wheel d.
By the forward rotation of the wheel d by means of the pawl e under the action
of the floating body, which forward movement is repeated for a certain period, and
the step by step rotation of the shaft ♬, the cord or chain is wound upon the drum e

page_text: and the weight t raised accordingly until the release of the pawl e and catch k
takes place.
For this object, the pawls e and k are connected with one another by means of an
arm fixed on the spindle of the pawl c, a link g', an elbow lever g pivoted on
the frame a, a link g, and a weighted arm h fixed on the spindle i, in such a way
that both pawls are released simultaneously. On the two pawls being operated,
the link becomes to a certain extent the ratchet shifting arm, which pivots
on a pin on the elbow lever g³, said pin lying co-axially with the shaft a.
Both
in the link g' and also the link g' there is allowed sufficient play for the pins of
the arm'f on the spindle of the pawle and the pin of the weighted arm h as required
for the ratchet and stop movement of both pawls.
By means of a pawl g pivoted on the frame a an arm n (see Figures 2 and 5) is
kept locked during the operation of the pawls e and k, which arm is mounted
on a spindle m located in the frame, which spindle carries a weighted arm o..
After about one revolution of the ratchet wheel d, this pawl g is released by
means of a projection on the said wheel d. The two arms n and o then turn
and the weighted arm encounters a pin z on the releasing arm Z, and whilst
releasing the pawl a, carries the pawl into the position shown in Figure 6 in
which it is held by a catch p mounted in the frame whilst the ratchet wheel dis
turned back by the action of the weight t, and the movement necessary for pro-
ducing electricity is transmitted.
For instance, a small tooth wheel may be operated by means of a toothed wheel
which is mounted with the ratchet wheel d on the shaft s, in order to impart the
longer backward movement to a magnet and armature coil or other magneto
electric devices. The apparatus is more especially adapted for producing light by
electricity at sea: by moving for instance one or more magnets along a series of
coils, thereby inducing and interrupting currents for producing, in a suitable
cirenit, electric light which appears and vanishes, and serves for giving signals at
sea. in lighthouses, etcetera.
Towards the end of the backward rotation of the ratchet wheel d a projection 7³
thereon encounters the arm and returns same, and also the weighted arm o, into
into the initial position, whilst by means of a lower projection on the arm n the
catch is turned back. so that under the action of the weighted arm h the spindle i,
the pawl k, and thus also the pawl e are turned and again engage the teeth of the
ratchet wheel, and the movement hereinbefore described recommences.
The form of construction shown in Figures 7 to 10 differs from that previously
described advantageously by the avoidance of the jerky action produced by the
releasing mechanism by the projections of the ratchet wheel.
E
In this case, the pin of the releasing arm 7 is also under the action of the
weighted arm and on the simultaneous release of the pawl e, the pawl & is
carried into the position shown in Figure 10, in which it is held by the catch p,
whilst by the action of the weight t. the ratchet wheel dis turned back.
The projections are replaced by a cam edge or flange which projects in-
ternally on the rim of the wheel d towards the shafts, and has a suitable bent
or waved form. This flange releases the pawl after about one revolution
of the ratchet wheel and the two arms » and o of the releasing mechanism turn
round into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 10, whilst a pawl w
pivoted near the periphery on the side of the ratchet wheel d and provided with a
spring, presses back the catch », and then releases it, so that the catch springs
over the pawl which is held down.
In the backward rotation of the ratchet wheel & which then takes place under the
action of the weight t, in the direction of the arrow shown in Figures 7 and 10,
the cam edge or flange acts on a lateral finger o¹ of the arm o as shown in
Figure 10, and brings the latter gradually back into the position shown in Figure 9.
At a given moment the pawl w under the action of the spring is pushed outwards
behind the catch, and the latter is thereby again pressed back and the pawl k
and the pawle which is connected therewith by means of the links or levers, are

page_text: again released. Both pawls and c then again engage the teeth of the ratchet
wheel of and under the action of the waves of the sea commence their activity afresh.
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
1 claim is
1. A device for obtaining periodically-acting power for producing electricity by
means of the waves of the sea, in which a ratchet gearing is operated by a floating
body or float (b) in such a way that after a certain given rotation of the ratchet
wheel (d) the ratchet gearing is automatically disengaged by means of a releasing
mechanism and locked by means of a catch in order to effect work by means of
the backward rotation of the ratchet wheel produced by the action of a weight (f)
or a spring, the releasing mechanism of the pawl and the ratchet gear returning
again automatically into its initial position, substantially as herein before set forth.
2. A device for producing electricity by means of the waves of the sea, in which
a backward rotation of the ratchet wheel is produced by the action of a
weight () or a spring, which weight acts by means of a cord or chain to rotate
a drum (e) mounted on the shaft (s) of the ratchet wheel, whilst the releasing of
the catch () takes place by means of a releasing mechanism (no) operated by
means of a projection (r) on the ratchet wheel and returned into its initial
position by means of a projection (3) substantially as described.
3. An apparatus for producing electricity by means of the waves of the sea, in
which apparatus a cam edge or flange () is arranged on the ratchet wheel ()
in place of projections () which flange () has a suitable curved or waved
form adapted to release the pawl (9) which locks the releasing mechanism (no),
whilst a pawl () arranged on the ratchet wheel (4) under the action of a spring
acts on the catch (p) serving for locking and releasing the pawl, (k), substantially
as described.