Improvements in Telemotor Apparatus for Working Steering, Tele- graphing, Indicating, and other Apparatus from a Distance.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Telemotor Apparatus for Working Steering, Tele-
graphing, Indicating, and other Apparatus from a Distance.
I, ANDREW BETTS BROWN, of Rosebank Iron Works, Edinburgh, in the County
of Mid Lothian, North Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows, that is to say:-
My said invention relates to telemotor apparatus of the kind described in my
Patent Specification, No. 14,456 of 1888, and comprises improvements in the
constructive details of such apparatus.
The transmission part of my improved apparatus comprises a long double-
acting hydraulic cylinder having connected to its ends pipes extending to receiving
apparatus near to and acting on the valves of the steering engine. The piston of
the transmitting cylinder is moved to act on the liquid in the cylinder and pipes,
by means of a rack fixed to it and acted on by a pinion on a shaft entering the
cylinder through a stuffing box. The pinion shaft receives its motion from a
hand steering wheel or from a corresponding part of other apparatus through
differential gearing arranged so that the steering wheel makes four or other suit-
able plurality of turns for every one of the pinion shaft. The gearing may be
arranged in various ways, but in a preferable modification, an elongated bearing
through which the pinion shaft passes has fixed on it a spurwheel which is within
a box-like central part of the steering wheel, and which gears with two planet
pinions on spindles fixed at diametrically opposite parts of the central box. The
pinions which by the turning of the steering wheel are carried round the fixed
spurwheel and thereby turned on their spindles, are each made in the same piece
with a pinion which gears with a spurwheel fixed on the pinion shaft. The
diametrical arrangement of the planet pinions causes the strain on the pinion
shaft to be purely torsional and without lateral strain.
When the piston of the transmitting cylinder is in its middle position liquid
can pass from one side to the other as and for the purpose described in my earlier
Specification herein before referred to; and an improved arrangement for this
purpose, consists in dividing the cylinder and inserting a distance piece made
with a lateral communication between the two parts of the cylinder. In connection
with the same part valves are arranged to allow liquid to pass through a spring-
loaded valve to a reservoir and to return thence through another valve accord-
ingly as the volume of the liquid in the cylinder and pipes is increased or
diminished by changes of temperature or otherwise.
In the receiving apparatus a similar double-acting hydraulic cylinder is
employed, its piston by means of a rack, acting on a pinion on a shaft extending
through a stuffing box. Externally the pinion shaft has on it a pinion acting
on a rack arranged to compress one of two springs when moved in either direction
from its middle position, these springs tending to return the piston to its middle

page_text: position after each action. The pinion shaft either through the external rack or
other convenient gearing also acts on the valves of the steering engine or on
receiving parts of other apparatus to which the telemotor apparatus is applied.
Toted this Twenty-eighth day of May 1898.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.
Improvements in Telemotor Apparatus for Working Steering, Tele-
graphing, Indicating, and other Apparatus from a Distance.
I, ANDREW BETTS BROWN, of Rosebank Iron Works, Edinburgh, in the County
of Mid Lothian, North Britain, Engineer, 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, that is to say:-
My said invention relates to telemotor apparatus of the kind described in my
Patent Specification, No. 14456 of 1888 and comprises improvements in the con-
structive details of such apparatus.
The application of my improvements to steering apparatus are shown by way
of example on three sheets of explanatory drawings, Figures 1, and 2, being front
and side elevations of the transmitting apparatus. Figure, 3, is an enlarged
section showing part of the transmitting cylinder. Figure 4, is an elevation and
Figure 5, a section showing differential gearing through which the motion given
to his handwheel by the steersman is communicated to the other parts. Figures 6,
and 7, are a sectional plan and a vertical section of the receiving or motor cylinder.
In these drawings the same reference letters and numerals are used to mark the
same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
The transmitting part of my improved apparatus comprises a long double-
acting hydraulic cylinder, A, having working in it a piston, B, to which is fixed a
toothed rack or bar, B1. In Figure, 3, the piston B, is shown at the middle of
its stroke, and at that part the cylinder, A, is divided and a distance piece, A 1,
is inserted between the two cylinder parts which are flanged for being bolted
to the distance piece, A 1. The lower part of the cylinder, A, is made longer
than the upper part sufficiently to contain a length of rack bar, B 1, at least equal
to the full stroke of the piston, B. The distance piece, A 1, is formed with spaces
or passages, A2, which when the piston, B, is in its middle position form a com-
munication between the upper and lower parts of the cylinder, A, so as to then
equalise the pressures of the liquid in the two parts.
In gear with the rack bar, B1, there is a pinion, C, fast on a shaft, C1, which
extends out from the cylinder, A, through a stuffing box, 02, and has fast on it
near its outer end a pinion, C3. The shaft, C1, passes through a tubular bear-
ing, C4, which is in the same piece with a bracket or small frame, C5, fixed to
the side of the cylinder, A. On the tubular part, C4, there is fitted to rotate a
cylindrical box, 1), which forms the central part of the steering hand wheel, D1,
a cover, D2, fixed to the outer side of the box, having a central bearing, D3,
for the end of the shaft, C1. The fixed tubular part, C4, has fixed on it a
pinion, C6, which has gearing with it two diametrically opposite planet
pinions, D4, rotating on studs fixed across the box, 1); and each pinion, D 4, is in
the same piece with a pinion, D5, which gears with the pinion, C3, fast on the
shaft, C1. When the handwheel, D1, and with it the box, D, are turned, the
pinions. D4, D5, are carried round, and the pinions, D4, are turned by their
action on the stationary pinion, C6, their companion pinions, D5, acting on the

page_text: pinion, C3, on the shaft, C1, and imparting to that shaft a rotatory motion having a
ratio to the motion of the handwheel, D 1, depending on the relative proportions
of the toothed gearing which has been described. With the proportions shown
in the drawings the handwheel, D1, makes about four turns for each turn of the
shaft, C1.
On the neck of the box, 1), where it bears on the fixed tubular part, C4, there
is fixed a pinion, E, which gears with a pinion, E1, on a short spindle carried
by the bracket, C5; and this spindle by bevil wheels, E2, drives a vertical
spindle, E3, which by a worm and worm wheel, E4, moves a pointer, E5, working
over a scale, E 6, to show the position corresponding to the extent of the move-
ment imparted to the handwheel, D 1.
t.
The opposite ends of the transmitting cylinder, A; are connected by pipes, F, G,
to the opposite ends of the receiving or motor cylinder, H (Figures 6, 7). There
are also connecting pipes, A3, A4, to a by-pass valve, A 5, which can be used for
equalising the pressures in opposite ends of the cylinder by hand at any time.
There is also, as in my original apparatus, provision for compensating differences
caused by changes of temperature in the volume of the liquid in the pipes and
cylinders, the distance piece, A 1, between the two parts of the cylinder, A, being
formed with a passage communicating with a valve box, J, connected to a cistern
(not shown).
In the receiving apparatus, Figures, 6 and 7, the cylinder, H, is (like the trans-
mitting cylinder, A) constructed to have a double-acting piston, H 1, working
towards one end of it the other end being extended to enclose a rack bar, H2,
fixed to one side of the piston. This rack bar, H2, gears with a pinion, H 3, which
is fast on a shaft, K, extending out through a stuffing box, H4. The shaft, K,
has on it a pinion, K 1, which gears with a rack bar, K2, having round end parts,
passing loosely through central holes in cross-heads, K 3, K 4, and having washers
and screw nuts, K 5, K 6, on their extreme ends. The crossheads, K 3, K4, are
guided on rods, L, fixed to the frame pieces L1, L2, and helical springs, M,
placed on the rods, L, between the crossheads, K 3, K 4. The springs, M, are for
the purpose of giving the moving parts a tendency to return to the middle position
in whichever direction they may have been moved from it. Thus if the rack
bar, K 2, is moved to the right hand, the washer and nut, K 5, at its left-hand end
moves the crosshead, K3, the other end of the bar, K 2, moving through the other
crosshead, K4. This action compresses the springs, M, between the crossheads,
the outward movements of the crossheads being limited by adjustable screw
nuts, L3, on the guide rods, L.
are
The rack bar, K 2, has fixed to it a pin, N, on which may be jointed a rod for
communicating the movement to the controlling valve or other part of the steering
engines, or to receiving parts of other apparatus to which the telemotor apparatus
is applied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In telemotor apparatus for working steering telegraphing indicating and
other apparatus from a distance having a transmitting cylinder connected by pipes
to a receiving or motor cylinder, a transmitting cylinder in one part of which works
a double-acting piston the other part being elongated to enclose a rack bar fixed
to the piston, a pinion gearing with the rack bar and fast on a shaft extending
out through a stuffing box, and means to turn the shaft by a hand wheel, sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In apparatus of the said kind a hand wheel having centrally a box carrying
differential planet pinions, the larger part of each pinion gearing with a fixed
pinion and the smaller part gearing with a pinion fast on a shaft extending
through a stuffing box into the transmitting cylinder and therein having on it a
pinion gearing with a rack bar fixed to the piston, the piston being through these

page_text: parts moved by the hand wheel so as to force the liquid through one or other of the
telemotor connecting pipes to the receiving or motor cylinder which acts on the
steering engine or other apparatus, substantially as herein before described.
3. In apparatus of the said kind, a receiving or motor cylinder having working
in one part of it a double-acting piston the other part being elongated to enclose
a rack bar fixed to the piston, a pinion gearing with the rack bar and fast on a
shaft extending out through a stuffing box, a pinion on the external part of the
shaft and gearing with an external rack bar the ends of which pass loosely through
crossheads guided on fixed bars and limited in their outward movements, washers
and nuts on the ends of the external rack bar for pulling either crosshead inwards,
springs between the crossheads arranged to be compressed when either crosshead
is moved inwards and tending to return the parts to their middle positions, and
means for connecting the external rack bar to the controlling valve or other part
of the steering engines or other apparatus substantially as herein before described.
Dated this Twenty-fifth day of February 1899.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.