Electric Compass and Course Recorder.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 18th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Electric Compass and Course Recorder.
I, JOSEPH VON PEICHL, of Fiume, in the Kingdom of Hungary, Austro-Hungarian
Empire, Director of the Hungarian Sea-Navigation Company "Adria," do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Some years ago, a trial was made in France to have the course indications of a
compass, mounted high above the deck, transmitted to this latter by means of an
electro-magnetic contrivance. There was arranged beneath the compass needle a
ring carrying a number of contact pieces, disposed in a circle round the needle, these
contact pieces forming parts of electric circuits and the ring being combined with a
lifting mechanism. Every time the ring was lifted, the compass needle was stopped
by the same, and at once an electric circuit was completed by the ends of the needle
touching two diametrically opposed contact pieces; by this means possibility was
afforded for signalling the direction of the stopped needle to any chosen point of the
ship, and this with an accuracy of transmission of the course of about 1 point of the
compass =11
A further step in this direction has been made lately by the American mechanician
Chase patenting an apparatus the construction of which is based upon the same
principle, and which inay be looked upon as a modification of the French trial
apparatus.
The operation of the apparatus consists in recording the movements of the compass
needle, from time to time, and within limits of accuracy of about 1 point of the
compass, upon a registering apparatus, and in actuating a call bell as soon as the
ship is from 1 to 2 points off her ordered course.
In this appartus too a great number of electric circuits is required, comprising
contact pieces, which are uniformly distributed around the needle, and of which two
diametrically opposed ones, in the direction occupied by the needle for the time being,
are touched by the raised needle or by a circular closer suspended therefrom,
in order to complete the respective circuit. For the purpose of lifting and
lowering the needle an electro-magnet is provided, which is secured to the compass
box, and has the circuit of its induction coil completed, at given intervals of time,
by means of a clock-work.
Neither this apparatus nor the first mentioned trial apparatus admit of the course
indications being transmitted or recorded with the accuracy indispensable in modern
navigation of from one to two degrees at most. It would be scarcely possible,
indeed, conveniently to arrange the 360 or at least 180 contact pieces and appurtenant
conducting wires required for this degree of accuracy which would be further affected
by the rapid raising and lowering of the needle or its circuit closer.
My invention relates to an electric compass and course recorder of the following
description.
The apparatus consists of several main parts, namely, the electric compass, means
of transmitting indication of the course, and means of registering or recording the
course; but either the transmitting or the recording apparatus may be dispensed
with if desired.
The electric compass which may or may not have a visible card, and is subject to
the usual correctors is gimballed within a casing or frame moveable round a vertical
axis, and carries a contact arm which normally lies between without touching two
conductors leading from a battery or other source of electricity to a clockwork
gearing which is started in either direction according as the compass arm touches
the one conductor or the other and stopped when it touches neither. This gearing is

page_text: conveniently mounted in the lower part of the binnacle and driven by a weight or
spring.
It is so arranged that whenever, owing to a turning movement of the vessel, the
compass arm makes contact with one of the conductors, the gearing causes the compass
frame to turn in the direction opposite to that in which the vessel is turning, the
compass arm thus remaining in contact with the conductor.
When the compass frame has so far turned that the contact of the arm with the
conductor ceases, the arm then freely playing between the two conductors, the circuit
being then opened, the movement of the frame is stopped.
Thus the compass frame is always brought to a position corresponding with the
direction of the compass needle, and it may serve to indicate the course by a suitable
cord or disc, or index attached to it, in which case the compass itself need not have
a card.
When a dry compass is used, it may have any known device for increasing its
stability, such for instance as a fly ring arranged below it, and its contact arm
should preferably be in the plane of the pivot. When a liquid compass is used, it is
so arranged that the contact arm and the conductor are kept outside the liquid.
Whether the compass he of the liquid or the dry kind, the wires leading to the
conductors are by preference arranged to pass through a journal of the gimbals
always nearly perpendicular to the needles, the two wires being jointed to form a
cable, so that the deviating actions of the current upon the needles counter-balance
each other.
The gearing above referred to consists of the motor, a bevil gear, reversing clutch,
and mechanism, by which the motion is imparted to the axis of the compass
frame.
Whether a weight, spring or other motive power is employed, the main driving
axis carries a ratchet wheel which is normally stopped by a pawl. Whenever a
contact is made by the compass arm, the pawl is retracted by an electro-magnet,
allowing the clockwork to start. At the same time the reversing clutch is operated
by an electro-magnet so that the motion is communicated to the axis of the compass
frame in the one direction or the other according as the contact has been made with
the one conductor or the other, and this movement goes on until the contact is broken,
whereupon the motor is stopped by the pawl.
In order to give the needles sufficient sensitiveness to effect contact with the one
or the other conductor when the ship is but about one degree off her course, I arrange
in the vertical plane passing through the centre of the compass and parallel to the
needles, at the periphery of the compass box, on a level with the needles, one or two
soft iron induction bars or small magnet hars at such a distance from the needles that
they exert a sensible action on the needles without affecting their freedom of move-
ment, as may be thus understood. When the system is in repose the bar, say that
facing the N. ends of the needles, being midway between them attracts them equally
without causing deviation.
But when the ship deviates a little from her course, say to the right, the bar is
moved nearer to the right needle and further from the left, thus causing the needles to
be deviated to the left, that is to say in the direction opposite to that of the ship, and
thus the contact arm is brought rapidly and with increased force against the conductor
moving towards it.
When the ship turns to the left a like action takes place and the second induction
bar facing the S. ends of the needles acts in a similar way reinforcing the action of
the first bar. There may be other pairs of laterally arranged induction bars, provided
they are not placed in or near the diagonal lines connecting the ends of the needles.
When there is only a single needle the induction bars should be in pairs, one of
each pair on each side of the meridional line.
The attracting bodies may be of any shape provided they be arranged substantially
as I have described, so that when the ship begins to turn, they shall cause the needle
to turn in the opposite direction.
When it is desired to increase the sensitiveness of the compass, the induction bars

page_text: have to be placed nearer to the needles, but in this case, the needles will not rest in a
position of equilibrium, but although the course may be well kept, they will oscillate,
making alternate contacts. When this arrangement is adopted, the stop pawl should
be dispensed with, leaving the motor free to move the axis of the compass to right and
left in obedience to the alternating contacts.
For transmitting the movement to some part of the ship, the axis of the compass frame
carries an insulated wheel having preferably 360 teeth with which engage two
oppositely arranged contact levers so mounted that each moves a little with the
revolving wheel and then slips over a tooth and meets the next tooth.
By this movement the one lever or the other is caused to make a contact according
as the wheel turns in the one or the other direction so that an electric current is
transmitted to the one or the other of two electro magnets at the other part of the
vessel.
The armatures of these electromagnets work pawls engaging with a wheel of
360 teeth, which is thus made to turn in correspondence with the compass wheel in
much the same way as the type wheel of a printing telegraph receiver is caused to turn
in correspondence with the movements of the transmitter.
The receiver wheel thus moved carries a card or index which shews within a degree
the direction of the compass, whether the compass remains stationary, whether it
moves to right or left, or whether it vibrates.
The indication may be transmitted to a number of tell-tales situated at various parts
of the vessel.
Audible signals may also be transmitted whenever the wheel turns through a pre-
determined angle by its making contacts which cause the sounding of the one or the
other of two differently tuned electric bells, the one being sounded when the wheel
turns to the right and the other when it turns to the left.
For automatically recording the course steered, I fix on the axis of the compass
frame a cylinder carrying paper along which a pencil or marker is moved by clockwork
parallel to the axis.
The paper being graduated with lines parallel to the axis indicating courses, and by
circular lines indicating times the trace of the marker shews the various courses
steered at different periods.
The main compass with its revolving frame and protecting case may be mounted at
a distance from the magnetic influence of the vessel as for instance on a high mast,
the reversible gearing with its motor being placed at any suitable place on board and
electrically connected to the compass frame like a transmitier.
Dated this 20th day of January 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Electric Compass and Course Recorder.
23
I, JOSEPH VON PEICHL, of Fiume, in the Kingdom of Hungary, Austro-Hungarian
do hereby
Empire, Director of the Hungarian Sea Navigation Company "Adria
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Some years ago, a trial was made in France to have the course indications of a
compass, mounted high above the deck, transmitted to the deck by means of an
electro-magnetic contrivance. There was arranged beneath the compass needle a ring
carrying a number of contact pieces, disposed in a circle around the needle, these
contacts forming parts of electric circuits and the ring being combined with a lifting
mechanism. Every time the ring was lifted the compass needle was stopped and an
electric circuit was closed by the ends of the needle touching two diametrically
opposite contacts. By this means it was rendered possible to signal the direction of

page_text: one stopped needle to any desired point of the vessel within about 1 point of the
compass 11° of the true course.
A further step in this direction was made by the American mechanician Chase, who
patented an apparatus based upon the same principle and practically a modification of
the French trial apparatus. By the operation of this apparatus the movements of the
compass needle, from time to time, were recorded within limits of accuracy of about
1 point of the compass, upon a registering apparatus, and a call bell was sounded as
soon as the ship was from 1 to 2 points off her ordered course.
In this apparatus also a great number of electric circuits is required, with contact
pieces uniformly distributed around the needle. Of these two diametrically opposite,
in the direction occupied by the needle for the time being, were touched by the raised
needle or by a circular closer suspended therefrom, thus closing one of the circuits.
For the purpose of lifting and lowering the needle an electro-magnet was provided
which had the circuit of its coil completed, at given intervals of time, by means of
clock-work.
Neither this apparatus nor the first mentioned trial apparatus admits of the course
indications being transmitted or recorded with the accuracy required in modern
navigation that is to say within one to two degrees at most. It would indeed
be scarcely possible to arrange the 360 or at least. 180 contact pieces and
suitable conducting wires required for this degree of accuracy, which would be
interfered with by the rapid raising and lowering of the needle or of its circuit
closer.
It has also been proposed to apply a compass to control the steering of a vessel;
the compass needle being arranged to make contacts for electric currents to act
on a motor connected to the steering gear, but, as the helm could not be moved in
this way until the vessel had deviated to a considerable extent from the desired course,
the apparatus was not practically successful.
My invention relates to an electric compass and course recorder which I shall
describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1. is a vertical section of the electric compass, the motor related to it, the
clutch gear, and the course recorder.
Fig. 2. is a plan of the automatic switch or commutator and of the mechanism for
working, in connection with the electric compass, a tell tale compass of which Fig. 3.
shews the card.
Fig. 4. is a side view partly in section and Fig. 5. is an end view of a double clutch
and its electro-magnets.
Fig. 6. is a front view of the magnet, ratchet and detent pawl for release of the
motor.
and
Fig. 7. is a section of a dry compass adapted for use as an electric compass,
Fig. 8. is a plan of the same drawn to a reduced scale, shewing its mounting
in gimbals.
Referring to Fig. 1, a is a stirrup shaped frame having rollers n running on a
circular rail and fixed to a vertical spindle 6 which extends down within the binnacle.
The frame a is also connected to a card A which, as well as a lubber line a, is visible
under glass.
Within the frame a is gimballed a compass box A. The compass is provided with
the usual correctors for quadrantul error and ƒ ƒ for semicircular and heeling
errors. In the compass box and fixed to it are two insulated metal contacts a¹ a²,
shewn in Fig. 8. which are connected as hereafter described by conducting wires 1
and 2 to one pole, say the + pole of a battery or other source of electricity. Between
these contacts a¹ a², a contact arm a³ projects, this arm being attached to the compass
needle or to the frame carrying the compass magnets and being connected by wire 3
to the other, or - pole. The insulated wires 1, 2 and 3 are bound up into a cable
which passes out from the compass box through one of the trunnions a¹ and then, as
shewn in Fig. 1. passes down the tubular spindle b and to its lower part, where the
three wires are connected respectively to three insulated rings 61, 62, 63 embracing the

page_text: spindle. On these rings bear springs c¹, c², c³, of which e³ is connected to the pole
of the battery C or other source of electricity, while c¹ and c² are connected to
springs d', dbearing against rings e¹, e2 which are fixed on a hollow shaft or sleeve E
and are connected respectively to the coils of two electro-magnets E' E². The shatt E
is connected by gearing es do to a barrel D2 on which is wound, by handle d³, a
cord d' passing over and under pullies and d to carry a weight D¹ which
operates as the driver of the shaft E. Obviously a spring or other motive power
might be applied to cause revolution of the shaft E when it is released from a
stopping pawl applied as shewn in Fig. 6. This pawl d is formed on the armature d³
of an electro-magnet D, and is held by a spring engaged with a ratchet wheel d" on
the shaft of the barrel D*; when the electro-magnet D is excited, it attracts the
armature d³ thus disengaging the pawl d and allowing the wheel d³ to revolve, and
with it the shaft E. The wires from both the electro-magnets E' E² are connected
to a ring e on the shaft E against which ring bears a spring d connected by
wire 1' to the coil of the magnet D and thence to the + pole of C. On the
shaft E, as shewn in Figs. 4 and 5 are fixed two discs es, e through which pass
the ends of two sliding pins e, e linked respectively to the armature levers of the
magnets E E2 and held back by springs such as e°. On the shaft E free to turn is a
toothed wheel E³ having on the back radial teeth presented towards the pin e; when
the magnet E is excited attracting its armature, the pin e is pushed out engaging
one or other of the back teeth of E³, so that, when E revolves, E³ is also caused to
revolve. In a similar way, when the magnet E² is excited, the pin e' is pushed out
and engages a wheel E8. The wheel E3 gears with a wheel E³ on the spindle of
which is a bevil pinion E7 gearing with a bevel wheel B' on the spindle b. The
wheel E has attached to it a bevil pinion E' gearing with a bevil wheel B² on the
spindle b. Thus, according as the wheel E³ or E is engaged by the armature pin of
the electro-magnet or E the spindle 6 is caused to turn in the one direction or the
other. If then the contact a¹ (Fig. 8.) is, by a partial turning of the vessel (in
deviating from its course) brought to bear against a³ which, being attached to the
compass magnets, remains stationary in position, then a current passes by the wire 1,
magnet E¹, wire 1', magnet D, battery C, wire 3 to a causing the spindle band
compass box A to turn so as to remove a¹ from contact with a³ that is to say through
an angle equivalent to that through which the vessel has turned, but in the opposite
direction. In like manner if a were brought up to a³, the spindle band compass
box A would be turned in the contrary way. The extent of turning in either
direction is determined by the contact a attaining a middle position between a¹
and a². As the distance between a¹ and a² may be very small, a very small angle of
deviation in the direction of the vessel may suffice to cause the movement of the
spindle b and compass box A through a corresponding angle. As, however, it would
require powerful needles to make sufficiently firm contact of a³ with a¹ or a², I place
in the compass box, on opposite sides, two soft iron radial bars F F at the same level
as the two parallel needles G G. When the compass box turns partly round, these
bars F F are brought nearer to opposite poles attracting the needles and causing such
temporary deviation of the compass that the contact a³ is brought forcibly against the
one or the other of the contacts a', a², even when the angular deviation of the vessel's
direction may be little more than 1°.
Instead of the two opposite bars F F, pairs of bars F1, F2 may be arranged
symmetrically on each side. When the compass has a single needle, pairs of bars
must be employed as indicated by the dotted lines F3 F. Such soft iron bars may
be arranged above or below the compass box in any convenient position, provided they
are so placed that when the vessel deviates, they attract the needle or needles causing
their deviation in the opposite direction. The sensitiveness of the apparatus may be
thus rendered so great that while the vessel continues in a straight course the needle
contact a will oscillate between the contacts a', a², and if the detent of the clock-
work movement be kept disengaged, the spindle 6 and the compass box will be caused
also to oscillate, keeping up with the movements of the needle. Instead of soft iron

page_text: bars small magnets may be employed having their inner ends of opposite polarity to
the adjacent ends of the compass needles.
The movements of the spindle in accordance with the changes in the vessel's
course effected as above described, can be transmitted to tell tale compasses situated
throughout the vessel, so as to shew at any time the actual course.
For this purpose as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, the spindle b has fixed on it a wheel H
having suitably shaped teeth, preferably 360 in number, one for every degree. A
spring connected by wire 6 to one pole, say the + pole, of a battery 0, bears
against the boss of the wheel H, and two contact levers have their inner ends
engaged in teeth of H, their outer ends having certain freedom of movement between
spring stops and spring contacts which are respectively connected by
wires 4, 5, to the negative pole of C₁, the wire 4 leading through coils of electro-
These
magnets Hand 4 and the wire 5 leading through coils of H and h³.
electro magnets and their armature mechanism are arranged under the tell tale
compass card H³, shewn in Fig. 3. and actuate its spindle H2 on which is fixed
With these
a wheel B', having teeth corresponding in number with those of H.
teeth engage two pawls k which are in the form of bent levers pivoted on
sliding rods K K¹ the outer ends of these levers serve as armatures to the
magnetsh and the ends 23 of the rods K K' are armatures to the magnets H* H*
respectively. When the wheel H moves so as to bring hº in contact with h², a
current excites H* and * and the armatures 2 are attracted, so that while the
pawl is withdrawn by 4, the pawl k advances the wheel H. In like manner,
if H moves in the opposite direction bringing h¹ in contact with 3 the wheel H
is also moved in the opposite direction. The compass card H³, being thus always
moved in correspondence with the wheel H gives the same reading as the electrical
compass.
In order that the apparatus may graphically record the courses steered, the spindle b
has fixed on it a cylinder or drum M which carries paper or other receptive surface
ruled with vertical lines indicating courses and horizontal lines indicating time
periods. A tracer m¹ is caused by clockwork M' winding a cord m² to travel along
à guide m and to mark on the paper a line which records the changes of course at
various times.
The electric compass may be used for working the recorder only without the tell tales,
or for tell tales without the recorder. Also the compass itself may be placed at a
distance from the rest of the mechanism, the compass box being in that case caused
to turn in correspondence with the turning movement of the vessel by electrical action
such as that shewn in Fig. 2. for turning the wheel H.
In connection with the spindle 6 or any of the tell tale compasses worked from it,
may be set electrical contacts connected to electrical bells, so that whenever the
spindle or tell tale moves through some determined angle of deviation, an audible
signal is given. Two bells thus sounded may be of different pitch, the one to signal
deviation to the right, the other to signal deviation to the left.
It has been proposed to use gyroscopic apparatus maintaining constant axial
direction instead of magnets in ships' compasses. Obviously the tell tale and
recording mechanism herein described in connection with a magnetic compass might
be similarly arranged in connection with a gyroscopic compass, if such a compass
should be brought into practical use.
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. An electric compass, the rotatable box and gimbal frame of which is connected
to a motor by suitable clutch gear governed by the one or the other of two electro
magnets having their coils respectively connected to two contacts in the compass box,
one on each side of a contact arm carried by the compass magnets, so that, according
as the vessel turns to the right or left; making contact on the one side or the other

page_text: of the magnet arm, the compass box is turned as much in the opposite direction
until the contact with the arm ceases, substantially as described with reference to
Figs. 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8.
.
2. For the purpose of increasing the sensitiveness of the electric compass, the
arrangement of pieces of soft iron symmetrically in the neighbourhood of its needle
or needles, substantially as described with reference to Fig. 8.
3. In combination with the spindle of the electric compass, tell tale mechanism
substantially as described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3.
4. In combination with the spindle of the electric compass a paper cylinder or
drum and a tracer moved by clockwork, operating as course recorder, substantially
as described with reference to Fig. 1.
1011
1900
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.