Improvements in Apparatus for Electrically Controlling Engines, Electric-motors and other Machinery.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Oct., 1899-Accepted, 2nd Dec., 1899
Improvements in Apparatus for Electrically Controlling Engines,
Electric-motors and other Machinery.
I, WILLIAM HORATIO HARFIELD, of Arundel House, Thames Embankment, in the
County of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
The object of this invention is to automatically control the action of an electric
current employed to actuate the valve of a steam engine, or to drive an electro-
motor or other machinery, and is particularly applicable to steering gear but is
also applicable to gun training gear, ammunition and other hoists, and other.
machinery, particularly where an intermittent motion is required.
In carrying out my invention where a steam engine is used, I employ a small
electro-motor placed in any convenient position, say in the case of steering gear
at the pedestal or steering station, to work my automatic gear, and so arranged in
connection with another electro-motor actuating the valve of the engine that the
ordinary motion of the steering wheel by means of suitable switches and screw or
other gear completes the circuit and causes both motors to revolve, whereby the
motor at or near the engine opens the steam valve. When the hand wheel is
stopped the small motor at or near the pedestal or steering station automatically
breaks the circuit, by means of the said switches and gear causing the motor at
the engine to stop, and the latter, by means of its automatic valve gear, shuts off
steam.
When an electro-motor is employed instead of a steam engine, the action is
similar, but in this case I advantageously employ a friction clutch automatically
controlled by an electro-magnet arranged in such a manner that when the circuit
is broken the shaft of the motor is disconnected from the driving shaft. In con-
nection with this I may use a brake or I short circuit the motor.
In the case of ships" steering gear I can combine with the steering quadrant,
electric switches for interrupting the circuit when the rudder reaches the "hard
over" positions and I can employ where necessary two or more steering pedestals.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1899.
Improvements in Apparatus for Electrically Controlling Engines,
Electro-motors and other Machinery.
I, WILLIAM HORATIO HARFIELD, of Arundel House, Thames Embankment, in the
County of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
Dai S

page_text: in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
'ascertained in and by the following statement;
The object of this invention is to automatically control the action of an electric
current employed to actuate the valve of a steam engine, or to drive an electro-
motor or other machinery, and is applicable to steering gear, gun training gear,
ammunition and other hoists, and other machinery, particularly where an inter-
mittent motion is required.
In carrying out my invention where a steam engine is used, I employ a small
electromotor placed in any convenient position, say in the case of steering gear
at the pedestal or steering station, to work my automatic gear, and so arranged in
connection with another electromotor actuating the valve of the engine that the
ordinary motion of the steering wheel by means of suitable switches and screw or
other gear completes the circuit and causes both motors to revolve, whereby the
motor at or near the engine opens the steam valve. When the hand wheel is
stopped the small motor at or near the pedestal or steering station automatically
breaks the circuit, by means of the said switches and gear causing the motor at
the engine to stop, and the latter, by means of its automatic valve gear, shuts off
steam.
When an electromotor is employed instead of a steam engine, the action is
similar, but in this case I advantageously employ a friction clutch automatically
controlled by an electro-magnet arranged in such a manner that when the circuit
is broken the shaft of the motor is disconnected from the driving shaft. In con-
nection with this I may use a brake or I short circuit the motor.
In the accompanying drawings I have for the purpose of illustration shewn my
invention as applied to ships' steering gear.
.
In the said drawings,-
Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus:
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the steering pedestal drawn to a larger scale:
Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 Figure 2:
Figure 3 is a view of a detail:
Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the electrical connection of the
various parts;
Figure 5 is a vertical section similar to Figure 2 of a modified construction of
pedestal;
Figure 6 is a vertical section on the line 6-6 Figure 5:
Figure 7 is a section on the line 7-7 Figure 5:
Figure 8 is a sectional side elevation of a vessel shewing the gear in position
thereon; and,
Figure 9 is a sectional plan thereof.
The steering gear to which my electrical controlling apparatus is shewn applied
is of the kind described in the Specifications of my British Patents Nos. 11560
of 1889 and 5018 of 1889.
a is the toothed sector and 6 the eccentric pinion gearing therewith the said
pinion being keyed upon a shaft 6' having a worm-wheel 62 adapted to be driven
by a worm 3 fast upon the engine shaft which is driven by the pistons in the
cylinders b, to which the admission of steam is controlled by the electromotor 66
and gear through the medium of my apparatus as hereinafter more particularly
described.
The said controlling apparatus comprises a steering pedestal adapted to be
placed in any convenient position. This pedestal (Figures 2 and 3) consists of the
frame or standard in which is mounted the spindle carrying the steering
wheel and a bevel wheel gearing with a bevel wheel d' mounted upon the
squared upper end of a vertical spindle the lower end of which is formed
with a quick screw-thread. The said screw-threaded end works in the internally
screw-threaded boss of a toothed wheel which is fixed in position in the
frame c and gears with a pinion d keyed to the upper part of a spindle
having

page_text: at its lower end a worm wheel gearing with a worm d". This worm d" is
keyed upon the shaft e of an electromotor e¹ which is of any suitable description
and is supplied with current from any suitable source through the wires e², e³,
Figure 4, the said supply being controlled as hereinafter described.
The spindle d carries four spring contacts f, f¹, f, f³ arranged in pairs f, fl
and respectively and adapted to be brought into contact with insulated
contacts g, g', g² and g³ g, g5 respectively, mounted in the frame c, by the rota-
tion of the spindle through the medium of the bevel wheels d, d³ spindle d
and steering wheel d', the rotation of the said spindle causing it to run up or
down in the screw threaded boss do. The contacts f, f, f, f³ are fixed to a
sleeve upon the spindle d and having a foot f³ which takes into a guide fo
(Figure 3) upon the frame c to prevent it rotating with the said spindle d.
The contacts g and are connected by the wire h to one pole of the electro-
motor el and the contact gl is connected to the other pole of the motor by the wire h¹
(see the diagram Figure 4) so that when the spring contacts f, f are brought into
contact with the contacts g, g¹ or g¹, g² current flows through the motor e' which
is thereby rotated.
The contact 3 is connected by the wire i, switch and wires 2 and 3 to one
pole of the electromotor 66; the contact is connected by the wire to the other
pole of the electromotor 66; and the contact g is connected by the wire to the
switch which is connected up in the circuit between the wires 22 and 23.
The switches and 6 are shewn in Figure 1 and are so arranged that their
levers are operated by the tiller when the rudder is brought hard over in either
direction so as to break contact and thereby interrupt the flow of the current and
stop the engine.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-The apparatus being at rest,
that is to say, the contacts ƒ and g being in the positions indicated in Figures 2
and 4 so that no current is allowed to flow through the electromotor e', the turning
of the steering wheel d in the usual manner will rotate the spindle which,
through the medium of the bevel wheels d², d, turns the vertical spindle d'; the
rotary movement of this spindle d causes it to move axially by reason of the
engagement of the screw-threaded end in the boss d of the wheel d, the axial
movement being permitted as the squared upper end of the spindle can slide in
the boss of the bevel wheel ³. For the sake of example let it be assumed that the
spindle is caused to move in a downward direction so that the spring con-
tacts f, fare brought respectively into contact with the insulated contacts g', g
whereby current is allowed to flow through the wire e to the contact f¹, contact g²,
wire through the electromotor and thence back through the wire h¹, contact y',
contact to the main conductor 3. The electromotor e¹ is thereby rotated, the
revolution of its shaft e rotating the toothed wheel through the medium of the
worm, worm-wheel 10, spindle and pinion ; the rotation of the toothed
wheel № immediately returns the spindle d into its normal position, that is to say.
it breaks the contact between the spring and the insulated contacts f, f and g¹, g²
thus stopping the motor e¹. By continuously turning the steering wheel d the
return movement of the spindle set up by the rotation of the motor is counter-
acted so that the rudder is continuously actuated as long as the wheel is turned.
At the moment the contacts f, f¹ have closed the circuit with the contacts g¹, g³,
the contacts f, f3 have also made contact with the insulated contacts g³, g³ respec-
tively so that current flows from the wire e³ to contact f³, contact g³, wire i,
switch, wire through the electromotor 6º, thence through the wire to the
contact and back through the contact and wire e³. The electromotor 66 is
thereby rotated and starts the engines 65 through the medium of the gear 67 which
engines turn the rudder through the medium of the segment a and pinion b in the
well known manner.
It will thus be seen that the rudder will be steadily and continuously actuated
so long as the steering wheel is moved in either direction.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a modified construction of steering pedestal, the

page_text: action of which, however, in electrically controlling the steering gear is precisely
similar to that above described.
upon
In this case the vertical spindle d', instead of carrying the spring contacts and
being arranged to receive an axial movement is provided at its lower
end with a bevel wheel j which gears with a bevel wheel keyed
a horizontal spindle mounted in supports ₁, and carrying
a worn, this worm 7 is in engagement with the worm-wheel m mounted
in the sliding bar m¹ and gearing with an upper worm n mounted upon a spindle'n
upon which is keyed a worm-wheel 'n gearing with a worm n³ upon a spindle n
carrying a worm-wheel n which meshes with a worm no keyed upon the shaft è
of the electromotor e. The worm-wheel bar m¹ carries the four spring con-
tacts f, ff, f, the said spring contacts being adapted to move over the fixed
insulated contacts g, g³, 9³, 1³, 9, 95 when the said worm-wheel is caused to move
in the manner hereinafter described.
With this arrangement when the steering wheel is turned the spindle is
rotated and revolves the spindle & through the medium of the bevel wheels j.j¹;
the rotation of the spindle turns the worm 7 which thereby causes the worm-
wheel' m to move longitudinally since the said wheel is also in engagement with
the worm n. This longitudinal movement of the worm-wheel m brings the spring
contacts f, 'f¹, f; f³ into contact with two pairs of the contacts g, 9², 9²; 9ª³¸9”², 9º
which thereby supply current to the two motors in the manner described with
reference to the preceding arrangement. When the motor e starts running it
turns the worm n² through the medium of the shaft e, worm 'n, worm-wheel n
spindle , worm n³, worm-wheel n² and spindle n so that the wheel m is imme-
diately returned thereby interrupting the circuit so as to stop the motor in the
manner above described.
It will be obvious that by turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction,
the current will be caused to flow in the opposite direction thereby reversing the
direction in which the rudder is turned.
It will also be obvious that I may employ in connection with my system of
electrically controlling steering apparatus two or more steering pedestals in lieu
of one as above described and illustrated.
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 apparatus for controlling engines, electromotors and other machinery,
the combination with a controlling device (such as a steering wheel) and with the
apparatus to be controlled, of two electromotors arranged in an electric circuit
normally broken, and automatically broken in any position immediately the con-
trolling device ceases to operate of fixed contacts in the circuit, and of spring
contacts carried by a spindle rotated by a steering wheel so as to move longi-
tudinally and make and break the circuit, of an internally screw-threaded toothed
wheel in which the screw-threaded, spindle works and in connection by suitable
gearing with the shaft of one of the electromotors, substantially as, and for the
purpose, herein before described.
2. In apparatus for controlling engines, electromotors and other machinery,
the combination with the apparatus to be controlled, of two electromotors arranged
in an electric circuit, of fixed contacts in the circuit and of spring contacts in
connection with a worm-wheel gearing with two parallel worms one of which is
rotated by a controlling device (such as a steering wheel) and the other is in
connection with one of the electromotors, substantially as, and for the purpose,
herein before described.
3. In electrically controlled steering gear, of the kind described in the preceding
claiming clauses, the combination with the steering quadrant of electric switches
for interrupting the circuit when the rudder reaches the "hard over
substantially as described.
"
positions,

page_text: 4. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the apparatus for con-
trolling steering gear, herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 3ª
and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the apparatus for con-
trolling steering gear, herein before described and illustrated in Figures 5, 6 and 7
of the accompanying drawings.
1000
Alte
The DECOR tay
CLOUCE
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.