An Improvement in Electric Compasses and Course Recorders.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 26th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 26th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Electric Compasses and Course Recorders.
1, JOSEPH VON PEICHL, of Fiume, in the Austrian Empire, Lieutenant of the
Imperial Austro-Hungarian Navy and Director of the Hungarian Sea Navigation -
Company Limited, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In my Specification No. 1031 of 1890 1 described a construction of electric
compass and course recorder in which, when the vessel, carrying the compass,
deviated from its straight course the needle caused an electric contact to be made
which had the effect of engaging mechanism to turn the compass box and its
mountings in the opposite direction to that taken by the vessel, until the electric
contact became broken. The claim for this part of my invention mentions the
turning of the rotatable compass box and gimbal frame as a whole. In order
however to attain the object in view, it is necessary to turn only certain light parts,
namely the contact points, and, when great sensitiveness is desired, pieces of soft
iron near the needle. One part of my present invention relates to a modification of
the apparatus in such a manner as to turn only those necessary parts, thus consider-
ably reducing the mass to be moved and its friction and consequently economising
the power required to effect the movement.
This improvement is probably to be considered as being included in the claim of
my said Specification No. 1031 of 1890, but in order to avoid any doubt as to my
title to my present improvement, I now hereby make it part of the subject of a
separate Patent application. In carrying out this improvement, from the vertical
spindle which in my apparatus as previously described turned the compass box and
gimbal frame, I make a connection by equal speed gearing to a separate vertical
spindle which is mounted concentric with the needle preferably above the box and
is connected by universal jointing to an arm carrying the two contact points, and
also, when great sensitiveness is desired, to a cross bar carrying the soft iron pieces
near the needle. Thus only the contact points and these iron pieces have to be
turned, without turning the whole compass box and gimbal frame. The improve-
ment above described is applicable also to the modified apparatus described in my
Provisional Specification No. 9437 of 1891, in which an electro-motor is employed
instead of clock work to effect the movement. Another part of my present inven-
tion relates to the commutator and mechanism for working the tell-tale compasses
which in my Specification No. 1031 of 1890 are described with reference to
Figure 2, the object of my improvement being to arrange this mechanism so as to
work with greater ease and certainty. I provide two ratchet wheels one for
movement in each direction, and two sets of pawls, one for each wheel, each pawl
arranged to be moved by a lever on which is the armature of an electro-magnet so
as to partly turn the wheel, and each pawl being also subject to the attraction of
another electro-magnet which withdraws it from the ratchet wheel with which it is
usually engaged. This movement of withdrawal of the one pawl causes a contact to
be made by which the electro magnet which works the other pawl is excited. The
operation is as follows:-An electrical current of the one sign coming to the
instrument, causes withdrawal of the one pawl from its wheel, this makes a contact
by which the current passes to the electro magnet which works the other pawl
causing it to turn its wheel one tooth. An electrical current of the other sign
causes the same action to be performed with respect to the other ratchet wheel.
Each wheel is moreover provided with a second pawl which prevents it from
moving more than one tooth at cach action and retains it when moved. The

page_text: ratchet wheels by means of reducing gear work the tell-tale index or the recording
card.
2003
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Electric Compasses and Course Recorders.
1, JOSEPH VON PEICHL of Fiume in the Austrian Empire, Lieutenant of the
Imperial Austro-Hungarian Navy and Director of the Hungarian Sea Navigation
Company Limited, 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 :-
In my Specification No. 1031 of 1890 I described a construction of electric
compass and course recorder in which, when the vessel, carrying the compass,
deviated from its straight course the needle caused an electric contact to be made
which had the effect of engaging mechanism to turn the compass box and its
mountings in the opposite direction to that taken by the vessel, until the electric
contact became broken. The claim for this part of my invention mentions the
turning of the rotatable compass box and gimbal frame as a whole. In order
however to attain the object in view it is necessary to turn only certain light parts,
namely the contact points, and, when great sensitiveness is desired, pieces of soft
iron near the needle. One part of my present invention relates to a modification of
the apparatus in such a manner as to turn only those necessary parts, thus consider-
ably reducing the mass to be moved and its friction and consequently economising
the power required to effect the movement.
This improvement is probably to be considered as being in the claim of my said
Specification No. 1031 of 1890, but in order to avoid any doubt as to my title to
iny present improvement, I now hereby make it part of the subject of a separate
Patent application. In carrying out this improvement I adopt the arrangement
shewn in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings which represent the upper portion
of the apparatus shewn in Figure 1 of my previous Specification No. 1031 of 1890;
modified according to my present invention. The central spindle constituting the
paper roller M in that figure was shewn to be directly connected to the frame
carrying the compass causing the whole to turn with it. I now by toothed gear A, B
and a vertical spindle C communicate the rotary motion of M to a spindle D giving
it like rotary motion. On this spindle are fixed the electrical conducting rings b
and rubbers c which in my previous Specification were shewn at the lower end of
the spindle the wires from these rings lead down the spindle D, one of them to a
mercury cup E on the compass and the others to the contact arms a, one of which
is on each side of the contact arm which projects from the cup E. The contact
arms a are fixed on the spindle D moving with it as in my former arrangement they
moved with the whole compass bowl and frame. G are the compass magnets and K
is the ring for steadying them; F are the pieces of soft iron described in my
previous Specification for causing the middle contact piece at a to press forcibly
against the contact on either side of it when there is only a slight deviation in the
vessels course. These pieces F are in this case carried by a crosshead T which is
fixed on the spindle D. The operation of the mechanism thus modified is the same
as that of the mechanism described in my previous Specification except that the
compass bowl and gimbal frame now remain at rest, and the motion of M is
imparted only to the contacts at a and the iron pieces F. The improvement above
described is applicable also to the modified apparatus described in my Specification
No. 9437 of 1891, in which au clectromotor is employed instead of clock work to
effect the movement. Another part of my present invention relates to the
commutator and mechanisin for working the tell tale compasses which in my

page_text: Specification No. 1031 of 1890 are described with reference to Figure 2 the object
of my improvement being to arrange this mechanism so as to work with greater
ease and certainty.
For this purpose I arrange the mechanism as shewn in Figure 2 of the accom-
panying drawings. I provide two ratchet wheels H' H', the one above the other
on the same spindle, having their teeth directed in opposite ways. On the one side
of the wheels is a lever L pivotted at carrying at one end a spring pawl Pl
which engages with the teeth of the wheel H', the other end of the lever having a
hook arm N which engages with the teeth of H. On L which is strained by a
spring S is an armature facing the pole of an electro magnet Q, and on P¹ is
armature facing the pole of an electro magnet R', a pair of contact pieces at Vare
kept apart by a spring. On the other side of the wheels are parts L2 P'Q'R², N², S² V²,
corresponding with the parts L' P' Q' R' N' S' and V, and there are conducting
wires W Wand Z and connections therefrom so that the operation when a current
comes by W is as follows: It excites the magnet R2 and this withdraws the
pawl P leaving the wheels free to be moved in the direction of the arrows.
the movement of P contact is made at V2 and most of the current then passes to
the coil of Qand thence to Z. Now Q being excited attracts the armature on L'
moving that lever so that its pawl P¹ turns the wheels, but not farther than one
tooth because the hook of N engages to prevent farther movement. By a similar
set of electrical connections (which in order to avoid complication are not shown in
the drawing) the electro-magnets R' and Qare excited when a current comes by W*,
and the wheels are thus moved one tooth in the opposite direction.
By
When no current comes, the pawls PP engage with their respective wheels
holding them in the position to which they have been moved. By means of reducing
gear the spindle of the wheels H H works the tell tale index or the recording
card referred to in my previous Specification.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed declare that what I
claim is
1. In electric compass mechanism such as is described in my Specification
No. 1031 of 1890, gearing arranged to move only the compass contacts and iron
attractors instead of the whole compass and frame, substantially as described with
reference to Figure 1.
2. For moving the tell tale index or recording card the combination of ratchet
pawls, electro-magnets and electrical connections substantially as described with
reference to Figure 2.
Dated this 26th day of October 1892.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.