Improvements in and relating to Signalling-apparatus, Chiefly Designed for use on Ships or Vessels for Steering and other Purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1891—Accepted, 11th July, 1891
[Communicated from abroad by BRADLEY ALLEN FISKE, of The Beresford, New
York City, United States of America, Lieutenant United States Navy.]
Improvements in and relating to Signalling-apparatus, Chiefly
Designed for use on Ships or Vessels for Steering and other
Purposes.
1, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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:—
The invention relates to apparatus for establishing communication from one part
of a vessel to another as for example, from the bridge to the helm in order to
signal the direction of the latter-or from the bridge to the engine-room to control
the movement of the vessel-and on ships of war to communicate the proper
elevation to be given to the gun.
The accompanying drawings are electrical diagrams representing three applica-
tions of the invention to practical use on board ship.
Fig. 1 shows the device as adapted to signalling the range of a distant object
from the range finder to the gun or battery.
Fig. 2 represents a device for the same purpose, but which embodies two
indicating instruments, one located at each station.
Figs. 3 and 6 show the invention applied to signalling from the bridge or conning
tower of a vessel to the helm; and
Figs. 4 and 5 show the device adapted to signalling orders as to the movement
and speed of the vessel from deck to engine room.
Referring first to Fig. 1, A represents a body of conducting material which may
be a wire or are-shaped piece of metal so formed that the resistance thereof to a
current passing through it shall be proportional to the length of said wire which
may be included in the circuit. B is a pivoted contact arm, the extremity of which
sweeps over the arc A. This device is to be located at the station from which the
signals are to be sent; as for example, in proximity to a device employed for
finding the range of a distant object. C is an electrical indicating instrument
provided with an index or pointer moving over a suitable scale. Said indicating
instrument may be of any known type so constructed that the extent of movement
of the needle will bear a relation to the strength of the current in the circuit in
which the said instrument is included. From the terminals of the instrument C,
circuit wires extend to the pivot point of the arm B and to one extremity of the
arc A. And in the circuit so formed a battery is included, as shown. The arc A is
to be graduated in yards or other units, and the scale of the instrument C is to be
Correspondingly marked.
When the pointer B is in the position shown by full lines, the whole arc A is
included in the circuit, and the needle in the indicating apparatus C then stands at
a certain normal position which we may call zero. As the arm B is moved over.
the arc A from left to right of the drawing, it will be obvious that the resistance
in the circuit is regularly decreased; and that there will be a corresponding move-
ment of the needle in the indicating apparatus C. If, therefore, the arm B be
turned to the position indicated in dotted lines which is corresponding to the
2500 yard mark on the arc A, the needle of the indicating instrument C will move
over to the position indicated there in dotted lines and to the 2500 yard mark

page_text: shown. The needle of the indicating instrument C will therefore follow the
movement of the arm H.
Referring next to Fig. 2, here 1 show instead of the arc A a rectilinear con-
ducting body D, the ends of which are in circuit with the battery. E and F are
two movable contact points or sliders which may be adjusted to any position on the
bar D. In circuit with the contact pieces E, F are two indicating instruments C
and C, similar in all respects to the instrument C referred to in Fig. 1. The bar D
and the instrument C are to be located at the sending station and the instrument C¹
at the distant station. It will be apparent that both instruments, C and C¹, are in
shunt with the circuit which includes the bar D; and that any variation in the
proportion of the current which passes into the shunt will affect both instruments C
and C equally and cause them both to give the same indication. The observer at
the sending station therefore simply moves the contact points E and F (one or
both) over the bar D, and while so doing watches the movement of the needle on
the instrument C. The observer at the distant station notes the movement of the
needle of the instrument C', which, of course, follows the movement of the needle
of instrument C. In this way, supposing the instruments to be marked for yards
of range, the observer at the sending station by causing the needle of the
instrument C to point to a given indication, causes the needle of instrument C¹ to
point to the same indication and thus communicates the desired intelligence.
While I intend the devices represented in Figs. 1 and 2 more especially for
purposes of communicating range, it will be quite obvious that they may be
employed for many other uses; such for example, as signalling the elevation of
guns in degrees.
Referring next to Fig. 3, A. is an arc of conducting material, B is a pivoted
contact arm moving over said arc, and C is an indicating instrument arranged and
operating as already described in connection with Fig. 1. Interposed in the
circuit, however, is another arc G of conducting material over which sweeps a
contact arm H. This contact arm may be the tiller of the vessel, or it may com-
municate with the tiller of the vessel so as to move coincidently with it. The
arc A is to be placed at the station from which the signals are to be sent and
the instrument C in proximity to the steering engine. The arc A on one side
of the central point is marked "port" and on the other side "starboard." The
instrument C is similarly marked with reference to the zero point of the needle.
The operator desiring to signal the direction in which the helm is to be put,
moves the arm B to one side or the other, and therefore causes a corresponding
movement in like direction of the needle of the instrument C. Thus supposing
the arm B to be moved in the position indicated by dotted lines, the needle
in the instrument C will then take the position also indicated by dotted lines, and
the person in charge of the steering engine will then put the helm to starboard.
In so doing, he will necessarily turn the tiller H in the same direction that the
arm B was moved; and when he brings the tiller H into the position indicated
by dotted lines, or in other words, places it at the same angle as the arm B, it will
be obvious that the amount of resistance in the circuit has been increased by
exactly the amount that it was decreased by the movement of the arm B. And
therefore the indicating needle of the instrument C will return to its normal
position. It will be apparent that this device will not only show the helmsman the
direction in which to put his helm, but also the extent to which the helm is to be
moved for he will put the helm over until the needle of the indicating instrument
before him has returned to normal position. And of course, this return movement
will not be finished until the normal resistance of the circuit has been
re-established.
In Fig. 4, A is a body of conducting material over which sweeps the contact
arm Band in circuit with which is an indicating instrument C, which instrument
is located in the engine room. Also located in the engine room is an arc Gover
which sweeps a contact arm H. The arrangement of the parts thus named is
substantially the same as the corresponding parts in Fig. 3. The arc A is laid off

page_text: to indicate revolutions of the screw; and on each side of the central position of the
pointer is marked "back" and "ahead." The arm G is correspondingly marked.
The indicating instrument C₁ similar to C is marked at each side of its needle
"back" and ahead," and is connected in the circuit and placed in proximity to
the arc A. I and J are two bells in circuit with a local battery, the current of
which is closed through either bell circuit by the needle of the instrument C moving
in one or the other direction.
The operation of this instrument is as follows:—
Supposing it be desired to signal to the engine room to go ahead; the
arm B is moved to the right, thus decreasing the resistance in the circuit. The
two indicating instruments C and C', which it will be observed, are arranged in
substantially the same way as are the correspondingly lettered instruments in Fig. 2,
will then both indicate by their needles the direction in which the arm B has
been moved; and the needle of the instrument in the engine room will close
circuit through the bell J. The two bells I and J may be made of different tone,
so that both the direction of movement of needle and the sound of the bell J will
thus be the signal to go-ahead. The person in the engine room then moves the
arm H to the right of the drawing and thus throws into the circuit sufficient
resistance to bring it back to its normal condition. And this fact is indicated to
him by the return of the needle in instrument C to its zero point, while the
fact is indicated to the person sending the signal by the return of the needle in the
instrument to its normal position. When the person operating the arm H sees
the needle of instrument C return to normal position, he notes the number
of revolutions indicated on the arc G; which will, of course, be the same as that
indicated by the arm B and arc A. And he therefore governs the engine so
that it shall make the number of revolutions indicated; and thus go ahead fast or
slow, as the case may be. It will be apparent therefore that this device not
only allows of a signal being sent to the engine room controlling the direction of
the movement, but also it allows of the desired speed of such movement to be com-
municated. It will also be apparent that the signals being both visual and
audible make any mistake in understanding them impossible. The arrangement
shown in Fig. 5 is substantially the same as that represented in Fig. 4 with a
difference in the electrical connections. From this figure it will be observed that
the arrangement of connections is that of a Wheatstone bridge, the two indicating
instruments C and C being in the usual galvanometer circuit and the battery loop
being connected to the pivots of the arms B and H. In this arrangement when
the arm B, for example, is set in certain position, the balance in the circuit
is disturbed and the indicating instruments are operated in the manner already
described.
Referring now to Fig. 6, here, as in Fig. 3, the arm H may be the tiller or may
be suitably connected with a rudder, as indicated, so as to sweep over the arc Ġ
placed in suitable proximity thereto. The circuit connections here are the same as
in Fig. 5; that is, the arcs and indicating instruments and battery are all connected
in Wheatstone bridge circuit. For the bells I and J shown in Fig. 5, I now sub-
stitute two electro-magnets M and N arranged in the local circuit; and also a third
electro-magnet M' in shunt from the local battery. O is an arm or lever pivoted
at P and disposed in front of the poles of the magnets M and N so as to act as an
armature thereof. At the end of the lever O is an armature Q which comes in
front of the electro-magnet M. Connected to the lever O is a rod R which com-
municates with the valve of the steering-engine, as indicated in the drawing, Fig. 6. .
The steering engine communicates by a shaft S and drum with an endless chain T,
which chain passes around two pulleys U and is attached to the arm H. This
arrangement of steering engine, chains, drum and tiller, is perfectly well-known.
and therefore needs no especial description here. Also in connection with such
steering engines, there is employed a valve of well-known construction so arranged
that when it is moved in one direction it causes the engine to turn in one way, and

page_text: when moved in the opposite direction, causes the engine to turn the other way, and
when placed in the middle of its path, stops the engine. This is the type of valve
to which the rod R is to be connected.
The operation of the device shown in Fig. 6 is therefore as follows:-
The helmsman is now located on the bridge or in the conning tower and hence at
a distance from the steering engine. He manipulates the arm B moving it over
the are A in the direction, port or starboard, in which he desires the helm to be put
and also to an extent on said are equal to that over which the helm is to be moved,
When he does this he throws the circuit out of balance, causing the needle of the
galvanometer C to swing into contact with one or the other of its stops, thus
establishing local circuit through either the electro-magnet M or the electro-
magnet N. Inasmuch as the said electro-magnets are located on opposite sides of
the pivot of the lever O, it follows that when the magnet M is energized, the said
lever O is caused to oscillate in one direction, and when the magnet N is energized,
the lever is caused to oscillate in the other direction. Therefore, in accordance
as either magnet is energized, the valve of the steering engine which is connected
to the lever O is caused to move in one direction or the other, and so the engine is
caused to turn correspondingly. The engine in rotating the shaft F moves, through
the chain T, the tiller or arin H. which sweeps over the are G until such arm His
moved to such a distance as will cause a re-establishment of the electrical balance
in the circuit. The needle of the instrument C¹ then comes back to its normal
position, and the magnet M' centres the lever 0 and so brings the valve to its
central position, thus stopping the engine. Of course, the needle of the instru-
ment C reproduces the movements of the arm H, so that a practical return signal
comes back to the sending station showing the position of the tiller and hence of
the rudder at all times. This system avoids all the cumbersome mechanical means
for moving the valve of the steering engine from the deck. The engine actuates
the tiller until it reaches the point designated by the helmsman and then it stops.
The movement of the engine valve may be quite small, and but little power is
required for its operation. The magnets M and N are preferably of low resistance
and the magnet M' is of high resistance.
It will be obvious that in the various arrangements here shown that for the
arm A, for example, a series of resistances arranged as in various well-known
forms of circular resistance boxes may be substituted, one of which may be
thrown into the circuit by the movement of said arm. So also there may be
placed in the local circuit connecting with the circuit closer C any known
electrically actuated alarm, audible or visible, or any devices intended to be
actuated by the current passing into one or the other of said local circuits.
The arcs A and G may be made of wire of uniform diameter or be otherwise
constructed so that their conductivity is uniform per unit length. In practice,
the resistance of the line will, of course, be allowed for in adjusting the
apparatus to produce like deflections of the indexes or arms at distant stations ;
and as a convenience a variable resistance may be interposed in the circuit so
as to compensate for any change of electromotive force or of resistance of the
line due to change of temperature or other causes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The signalling system hereinbefore set forth including two electrical indicating
instruments at distant stations; one of said instruments repeating the indications of
the other due to variations in the current on the line.
2. The signalling apparatus herein before set forth including two electrical
indicating instruments at distant stations; one of said instrumnents controlling or
operating an alarm, local circuit, or other electrical device.
3. The signalling system as hereinbefore set forth in combination with the rudder

page_text: of a vessel, and means whereby a return signal showing the position of said rudder
may be automatically sent back to the transmitting station.
4. The signalling system as herein set forth combined with and controlling the
steering engine of a vessel.
5. The signalling system as hereinbefore set forth adapted to the communication
of a desired number of revolutions of a propeller and of a desired direction of
movement of the engine of a vessel, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of April 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.