Method of and Apparatus for Steering Torpedoes and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Method of and Apparatus for Steering Torpedoes and the like.
We, AXEL ORLING, of Engelbrektsgatan 7, Stockholm, Sweden, Electrical
Engineer, and CARL GUSTAF GEORG BRAUNERHJELM, of Brunkebergstorg 2,
Stockholm, Sweden, Colonel, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
-
The invention consists chiefly in that a pencil of rays or waves of light, heat
or the like, from a searchlight or its equivalent, is caused to act upon electric
resistances sensitive to said rays placed in an electric circuit or circuits that con-
trol the steering apparatus of the torpedo or the like, in such a manner that as
soon as the torpedo swerves to the side so that the said resistances, are unequally
exposed to said rays, the said resistances will cause the electric current or currents
to be so directed or changed that the torpedo will return to the course in which
the resistances are equally exposed.
The direction to be given to the torpedo may be maintained by means of an
electric search-light, the torpedo being provided with electric resistances, of
selenium any other equivalent material, the resistance of which changes when
exposed to the rays from said search-light, said resistances being placed at some
distance from each other. Each of these sensitive resistances may be placed in
one of the branches of an electric circuit in the same manner as the resistances.
are placed in the well known Wheatstone's bridge, while between two symmetri-
cally situated points of the two branches (in the same way as the galvanometer
in a Wheatstone's) is placed a relay or the like, whose switch-arm may take up
three different positions, thereby being either inactive or closing a current to an
electro-magnet or solenoid that puts the rudder to one side, or to another electro-
magnet or solenoid that puts the rudder to the opposite side.
The circuits may also be arranged otherwise, for instance in the same manner
as in measuring resistances with a differential galvanometer, the relay being
provided with two windings, each of which is placed in one of the branches of
the circuit or so that each branching of the circuit passes an electro-magnet or
the like, said magnets counteracting each other, and either actuating the rudder
or working upon an armature or the like that closes one or the other of secondary
circuits actuating the rudder. In all these systems of connection the apparatus

page_text: works in such a manner that when the sensitive resistances are equally strongly
lit up by the pencil of rays sent out from the search light, the divided circuits
nullify the actions upon the rudder, while, if one of the sensible resistances, on
account of the torpedo departing from the direction marked by the pencil of rays,
is more strongly lit up than the other, the corresponding current counterbalances
the action of the other upon the rudder and causes it to move in such a direction
that the torpedo is again steered into the pencil of rays and therefore into the
right course.
In the accompanying drawings the invention is illustrated according to the
first mentioned system with a relay, placed in the circuit in the same manner as
the galvanometer in the Wheatstone bridge.
Fig. 1 shows a fundamental diagram of the circuits;
Figs. 2, 3 and 4 illustrate the course of the current under the different con-
ditions of lighting the two sensible resistances;
Fig. 5 shows a modification, and
Fig. 6 shows the exterior of a torpedo provided with the necessary arrangement
of devices.
In Fig. 1B denotes a electric battery, whose circuit is closed by two branches
in which the resistances r, r2 and 1, 3 are placed. Between the middle points of
the two branches the relay A is put in in the same manner as the galvanometer
in Wheatstone's bridge. The condition that no current will flow in the said
circuit, is well known to be that r, r = 2, 3 or that r³1, 2. When this is
not the case, a current will pass in one or the other direction through the relay A,
(represented by a sensitive galvanometer), whereby its movable part (the needle)
turns to one or the other side and closes the secondary circuit of battery B¹
through one or the other of the electro-magnets m³ and m³¹, r and r¹ or 2 and 3
represent the sensitive resistances (of selenium or analogously acting material)
arranged above the torpedo at some distance from each other (for instance in a
transverse direction to the length of the torpedo), which resistances, when equally
lit up, offer the same resistance in the two branch circuits. When exposing one
of the resistances to a less intense light, the resistance in that branch will be
increased, so that a current passes through the relay A in one or the other direc-
tion, according as the right or the left resistance is less lit up. It is thus only
necessary to join the secondary switch contacts 1, 2 of the relay A to the electro-
magnets m and m¹ (one of which serves to turn the rudder to one side and the
other to the opposite side) in such a manner that when the sensitive resistance
of the starboard (on account of the swerving of the torpedo to the starboard side
from the course marked by the luminous pencil) is less lit up, the relay estab-
lishes the secondary current through that of the electro-magnets m, m, which
turns the rudder so that the torpedo turns in the opposite direction and again
completely enters the line of the light whereby the sensitive resistances are again
equally strongly lit up and the rudder thus again put into its middle position.
In Figures 2 and 3 is shown the diagram when the sensitive resistances are ex-
posed to rays of unequal intensity. Supposing to be the sensitive resistance of
the starboard and that of the port, it is evident that the electro-magnet m¹ is
the one that turns the torpedo to the port side and m" that which turns it to the
starboard side. In Fig. 2 the torpedo is supposed to have swerved to the port
side from the course of the light; thus the sensitive resistancer will be most lit up,
on account of which the relay A puts the electromagnet m into action, so that
the torpedo changes its course to the starboard. In Fig. 4 is shown how the 5
electro-magnets m³ and m" remain inactive, as soon as the sensitive resistances
are equally lit up.
The arrangement shown in Fig. 5 differs from the preceding only in that 4
sensitive resistances r, r¹, 23 have been put in the two branches of the circuit
(see Fig. 1) two and two crosswise opposite and co-operating, having been brought 5
together that is to say r with and with 3, by which the sensitiveness of the
apparatus is substantially increased.

page_text: In this manner a torpedo can easily be steered in any desired direction by the
use of a single search light situated at the place or on the ship from which the
torpedo is to be sent out and directed.
If the sensitive resistances of the torpedo are arranged in such a manner that
they will be directly exposed only to the light from the seach-light the same
method may be employed to steer the torpedo even at day-light. Instead of direct-
ing the torpedo or the like by means of luminous rays we may in a similar manner
use invisible rays or waves, such as rays of heat or Röntgen's rays.
This invention may, of course, be modified in many ways without departing
from the spirit of the same. It may, of course, be used for steering other kinds
of vessels.
A Method of and Apparatus for Steering Torpedoes and the like.
We, AXEL ORLING, of Engelbrektsgatan 7, Stockholm, Sweden, Electrical
Engineer, and CARL GUSTAF GEORG BRAUNER HJELM, of Brunkebergstorg 2,
Stockholm, Sweden, Colonel, 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 consists chiefly in that a pencil of rays or waves of light, heat
or the like from a searchlight or its equivalent (not mounted on the torpedo itself
but stationed on shore or on a ship or the like) is caused to act upon electric
resistances sensitive to said rays placed in an electric circuit or circuits that con-
trol the steering apparatus of the torpedo in such a manner that as soon as the
torpedo swerves to the side so that the said resistances are unequally exposed to
said rays, the said resistances will cause the electric current or currents to be so
directed or changed that the torpedo will return to the course in which the resist-
ances are equally exposed.
The direction to be given to the torpedo may be determined by means of an
electric searchlight or the like, the torpedo being provided with electric resist-
ances of selenium or any other equivalent material the resistance of which changes
when exposed to the rays from said search-light, said resistances being placed
at some distance from each other. Each of these sensitive resistances may be
placed in one of the branches of an electric circuit in the same manner as the
resistances are placed in the well known Wheatstone bridge, while between two
symmetrically situated points of the two branches (in the same way as the galva-
nometer in a Wheatstone bridge) is placed a relay or the like, whose switch-arm
may take up three different positions, thereby being either inactive or closing a
circuit to an electro-magnet or solenoid that puts the rudder to one side, or to
another electro-magnet or solenoid that puts the rudder to the other side.
The circuits may also be arranged otherwise, for instance in the same manner
as in measuring resistances with a differential galvanometer, the relay being pro-
vided with two windings, each one of which is placed in one of the branches of the
circuit or so of each branch of the circuit passes through an electro-magnet
or the like, said magnets counteracting each other, and either actuating the

page_text: rudder or working upon an armature or the like that closes one or the other of
two secondary circuits actuating the rudder. In all these systems of connection
the apparatus works in such a manner that when the sensitive resistances are
equally strongly lit up or acted upon by the pencil of rays sent out from the
search-light or its equivalent, the effects of the two currents upon the rudder
compensate each other, while, if one of the sensitive resistances, on account of the
torpedo departing from the direction determined by the pencil of rays, is more
or less strongly lit up than the other, the corresponding current overcomes the
action of the other, thus causing the rudder to move in such a direction that the
torpedo is again steered into the pencil of rays and therefore into the right course.
In the drawings left with my Provisional Specification the invention is illus-
trated according to the first mentioned system with a relay placed in the circuit
in the same manner as the galvanometer in the Wheatstone bridge.
Figure 1 shows a fundamental diagram of the circuits;
Figures 2, 3 and 4 illustrate the course of the current under the different con-
ditions of lighting the two sensitive resistances;
Figure 5 shows a modification, and
Figure 6 shows the exterior of a torpedo provided with an arrangement of
devices, according to this invention.
=
In Figure 1, B denotes an electric battery, whose circuit is closed by two
branches, in which the resistances r, 3 and r1, 3 are placed. Between the middle
points of the two branches the relay A is put in in the same manner as the galva-
nometer in a Wheatstone bridge. The condition that no current shall flow in
the said circuit is well known to be that r, l = 2, 3 or that rr³
8. When
this is not the case, a current will pass in one or the other direction through
the relay A, (represented by a sensitive galvanometer), whereby its movable part
(the needle) turns to one or the other side and closes the secondary circuit of
battery 1 through one or the other of the electro-magnets m" and m³¹.
r and l
or 3 and represent the sensitive resistances (of selenium or analogously acting
material) arranged above the torpedo at some distance from each other (for in-
stance in a transverse direction to the length of the torpedo), which resistances,
when equally lit up, offer the same resistance in the two branch circuits.
When exposing one of the resistances to a less intense light, the resist-
ance in that branch will be increased, so that a current passes through the relay A
in one or the other direction, according as the right or the left resistance is the
less lit up. It is thus only necessary to join the secondary switch contacts 1, 2
of the relay A to the electro-magnets m and m1 (one of which serves to turn
the rudder to one side and the other to the opposite side) in such a manner that
when the sensitive resistance of the starboard (on account of the swerving of the
torpedo to the starboard side from the course marked by the luminous pencil)
is less lit up, the relay closes the secondary circuit through the electro-magnets m
and m, which turns the rudder so that the torpedo is turned in the opposite
direction and again completely enters the line of the rays whereby the sensitive
resistances are again equally strongly lit up and the rudder thus again put into
its middle position. In Figures 2 and 3 diagrams are shown according to which
the sensitive resistances are exposed to rays of unequal intensity. Supposing
to be the sensitive resistance of the starboard and that of the port, it is evident
that the electro-magnet m1 is the one that turns the torpedo to the port side and
m that which turns it to the starboard side. In Figure 2 the torpedo is supposed
to have swerved to the port side from the course of the rays of light; thus the
sensitive resistance r will be most lit up, the result being that the relay A puts
the electro-magnet m° into action, so that the torpedo changes its course to the
starboard. In Figure 4 is shown how the electro-magnets m' and m¹ remain
inactive, as soon as the sensitive resistances are equally lit up.
7°
The arrangement shown in Figure 5 differs from the preceding only in that 4
sensitive resistances r, rl, r², have been put in the two branches of the circuit
(see Figure 1) two and two lying crosswise opposite and co-operating, having

page_text: been brought together, that is to say r with 3 and r¹ with r², by which the sensi-
tiveness of the apparatus is substantially increased.
In this manner a torpedo may be steered in any desired direction by the use
of a single search-light or other ray projector situated say at the place or on the
ship from which the torpedo is to be sent out and directed.
If the sensitive resistances of the torpedo are arranged in such a manner as to
be directly exposed only to the rays, the same method may also be employed for
steering the torpedo during daylight. Instead of directing the torpedo or the
like by means of luminous rays we may in a similar manner use invisible rays or
waves, such for example as rays of heat or Hertzian or Röntgen's rays.
This invention may, of course, be modified in many ways without departing
from the spirit of the same. It may, of course, also be used for steering other
kinds of vessel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The method of steering torpedoes and other vessels presenting this character-
istic feature that rays or waves are projected in a direction corresponding with
that of the torpedo or other vessel, the said rays or waves acting upon sensitive
resistances and thereby influencing the steering apparatus of the torpedo or vessel
so that the latter is steered in the direction prescribed by the said rays or waves.
2. In apparatus for carrying out the method specified in the first claim, the
employment of resistances included in circuits after the manner of the Wheat-
stone bridge, a sensitive relay being inserted in the same manner as the galva-
nometer in the said Wheatstone bridge, the said relay being adapted to close
secondary circuits actuating the steering mechanism according as the said relay
is traversed in one or the other direction by a current, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 19th day of December 1898.