An Improved Surveying Instrument for Delineating the Profile of the Ground.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 5th Nov., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Surveying Instrument for Delineating the Profile
of the Ground.
I, PETER WEBER, of 118, Euclid Avenue, Rotterdam, in the County of Schenec-
tady, New York, United States of America, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to that class of machines which is employed to delineate
the profile of a path travelled over, and has for one of its objects to provide a
machine which will accurately record the profile of a path travelled over without
regard to the direction in which the machine travels, whether it be up or down
grade.
My invention further has for its object to improve the construction and general
arrangement of the machine, as set forth in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings, which shew an embodiment of my invention,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a profile-delineating machine; Figure 2 is a plan
view of the same; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the marker frame; Figure 4
is a side elevation of a bicycle with the machine operatively attached thereto;
Figure 5 is a sectional detail, and Figure 6 is a modification of the marker.
The frame of the machine consists of two flat plates A and A', which are
separated and held in position by the rods B and B¹, and also by the shafts C₁
and D) of the reel C and the drum D). The paper or other recording surface, I,
is mounted on the reel C, and is passed over the drum D to the reel E in a manner
hereinafter described. Secured to the side plate A¹ is a curved arm F which
carries the oscillating, marker frame G. The arm is provided with a vertical
portion F which furnishes a bearing for the vertical stem G₁ of the marker frame.
At the upper end of the portion is mounted a yoke F2 into which the ends of
a flat spring are inserted. Mounted on the spring is a body of metal which
furnishes a support for the adjusting screw a, and to lock the screw in place a
check nut a is provided. By adjusting the vertical height of the screw a the
tension of the spring is changed, and the marker H will make a greater or less
impression upon the recording surface.
The marker frame is forked on its lower side, and mounted in the arms of the
fork is a cylindrical shaft G upon which the marker H is free to travel back and
forth in an unobstructed manner. One end of the frame is grooved, and mounted
therein is an adjustable loose-fitting arm J having a thickened portion at one
end, to form a bearing, and a set screw G2 at the other for securing the flexible
connection T, which connects the marker frame with the pendulum Q. Situated
on each side of the arm are adjusting screws J; these are so arranged that the
position of the marker frame and the indicator X carried thereby, may be, brought
to the zero position on scale X'; the latter being secured to the side frame A.
There being a certain amount of spring in the arm J, considerable adjustment
may be obtained, although it is not intended to make any very decided adjust-

page_text: •
ments at this point; the larger adjustments being made by changing the length of
the flexible connection T either side of a central position.
The marker H consists of a cylindrical body of metal, having an extended
hub H to give it a sufficient bearing on the shaft G³. The central portion of the
marker is provided with a circular knife-edge H2, which is serrated for perforating
or marking the recording surface I. The marker is free to travel back and forth
on the shaft G3³, and will, when the marker frame is set at an angle to its normal
plane, travel across the recording surface and record the profile of the path
traveled over. By properly adjusting the parts, the marker may be made to
record changes in vertical heights at the same scale as the linear distances, but as
the changes in altitude are comparatively small, with respect to the distances
traveled over, it is preferable to make the vertical scale greater than the hori
zontal, but in either event the record made by the machine is direct-reading, and
requires no calculation to determine the profile of the path.
Mounted on flat springs K are pencils K¹ which are employed to rule the read-
ing surface I, although ruled paper may be substituted for the plain, and the
pencils dispensed with. The pencils, instead of being in the same straight line, are
so arranged that they occupy positions nearer the support K2 as they leave the
center; this is to permit the oscillating frame G to have a wide range of move-
ment without increasing the length of the machine.
on the
The springs K are mounted in the support K2 which is supported by the side
plates A and A¹ of the frame. The support of K2 is pivotally secured
in place, and a nut K³ is employed to regulate the tension
If desired,
springs K by clamping the support in various positions.
the support may be rotated backward until the pencils are out of contact with
the paper, and locked by the nut while in that position. In order to give the
proper tension to the paper, the reel D is provided with an adjustable friction
brake L, which operates on the hub of the shaft D¹.
Referring to Fig. 5, the arrangement of the parts employed for moving the
paper is clearly shown. The paper, on leaving the reel D, passes upward over
the marker table M, thence partially around the positively-driven drum C, the
spring-pressed drum N, to the reel E. The shaft of drum N is mounted in spring-
pressed blocks N³ which move up and down in guides N located on the outside
of the frame plates. The pressure of the drum on the paper I and belt P is regu-
lated by means of the spring N1 and the adjusting screws No.
I have found that where the marker table M is covered with a fixed piece of
leather or similar material to form a cushion, it soon becomes filled with small
perforations or grooves due to the marker H, and that it requires a considerable
movement on the part of the pendulum to withdraw the marker from said grooves
or perforations. To overcome this difficulty, I employ a belt P, made of leather
or other material having a firm texture, yet being soft enough to act as a pad or
cushion for the marker. One end of the belt. is arranged to pass over the
pulley P, and the other end over the drum C. Mounted on the frame of the
machine or on a separate support is a reel E which winds up the paper after the
record has been made thereon; this I have found to be a particularly desirable
feature, for it enables me to remove the old record and substitute a reel of paper
with but slight difficulty, and moreover, the record is open to inspection as it
moves along.
Situated on one side of the reel is a pulley E¹, shown in dotted lines; and
running around this pulley and a corresponding pulley C2 on the drum C is a
belt 0; the pulley on the drum being a trifle longer than the one on reel E, the
latter will tend to travel faster than the drum, but this being prevented by the
paper, the belt will slip slightly, and a tension on the paper will be maintained
at all times, and practically without regard to the diameter of the rolls of paper
on the reel. On the end of the drum C is mounted a wheel W, and meshing
therewith is a worm W³ that is formed on the upper end of the rod W2. The
rod W2 is supported at its lower end by a suitable bearing W5 which is mounted

page_text: The
on the frame of the bicycle. The lower end of the rod is provided with a
worm W which meshes with a worm wheel W carried by the rear wheel.
drum being positively geared to a moving wheel of the vehicle it will cause an
amount of paper to be unwound from the reel, corresponding to the distance
traveled over; I have found a scale of twenty inches to the mile to be very satis-
factory.
I have found that to make a machine of this character register accurately at all
times, it is necessary to avoid connections between the marker and the pendulum,
which are liable to lost motion, as for example, the ordinary pin-and-slot con-
nection. To overcome this, the pendulum Q is connected to the marker frame by
means of a flexible connection, as for example, a cord or wire T; thus the weight
being directly connected to the marker frame, instead of being supported by a
pivot, there is no chance for lost motion, the pendulum itself taking up all slack
or looseness. Mounted on the ends of the frame rods B and B are sets of
pulleys R and R, and mounted in the pendulum Q are corresponding sets of
pulleys Qand Q2; the several sets uniting to form a differential pulley system.
The central portion of the cord T is secured to the marker frame by the adjusting
thumb nut G2, and one end passes over one of the pulleys in set R, thence around
one of the pulleys in set Q1, and so on until the proper number of turns have been
made, after which the end of the cord is secured, as at U. The opposite end of
the cord passes around the pulleys R¹ and Q2, in a similar manner, and is secured
at U. I have shown three pulley wheels in each of the upper sets, although only
two of them are employed, but it is evident that I may employ a greater or less
number without departing from my invention. The pendulum being suspended
entirely by the flexible connection T, which is connected to the marker frame G,
the latter is not permitted to move except when the pendulum moves.
arrangement of the pulleys, weight and marker is such that the marker is always
brought to the same position each time the pendulum moves a certain definite
amount, without regard to whether the machine is moving up or down grade.
The
To prevent the pendulum from swinging laterally, a pivoted guide V is em-
ployed, which extends through the body of the weight, and is provided with a nut
at its lower end to prevent the weight from dropping in case the cord T breaks.
The weight and movement of the pendulum is entirely independent of the
guide V, except in so far as the latter is prevented from swinging across the path
of travel. No means are shown for adjusting the cord T, as it is deemed unneces-
The
sary, as any one of a number of well-known devices may be employed.
operation of the machine is as follows:--
Motion being transmitted to the drum C by means of the worm wheel 'W, the
worm W, rod W2, worm W³ and worm wheel W, 'the paper is withdrawn from
reel I at a rate depending upon the speed at which the bicycle is driven. So long
as the profile of the path is level, the marker H will make a straight mark or a
series of small perforations, but as soon as the profile changes, either up or down,
the pendulum will cause the marker frame to be deflected a greater or less amount
from the position shown, and the marker will travel across the paper at an angle,
As soon as the
the amount depending upon the deflection of the pendulum.
bicycle reaches a lovel portion of the path the pendulum will set the marker
straight again, but so 'long as the bicycle maintains its present elevation, the
marker will keep its distance from the center line of the starting point; it is only
after the bicycle has gone down a grade corresponding to the one it went up,
that the marker will return to the line of its first position.
By arranging the marker H loosely upon the oscillating frame, and permit-
ting it to move freely thereon, I am enabled to make a record of the path traveled
over, which is direct-reading, that is to say, the profile is indicated thereon, and
not a series of points or lines from which it is necessary to calculate in order to
obtain even an approximate idea of the profile.
When the vertical scale of the machine is such that the marker is about to
run off the paper while traveling on a grade, it is only necessary to slide the

page_text: marker bodily on the shaft G from one edge of the paper to the other, and the
machine, will register as before. When the record is removed from the machine
it can be cut at places where the marker was shifted, the ends of the indications
matched, and the parts of the record pasted together. By this arrangement the
machine has a practically unlimited range of operation in the vertical plane, and
it is a simple matter to supply new rolls of paper for the horizontal plane.
In Fig. 6 I have shown a modification of the marker H on a somewhat enlarged
scale. The marker is so arranged that it will make a certain number of revolu-
tions for each mile traveled, and to facilitate the reading of the record, one or
more special teeth h are cut on the marker, so that once in so often, say every
eighth of a mile, a perforation is made which differs from the adjacent ones. This
is particularly useful where the paper is only ruled longitudinally.
I have shown my invention in connection with a bicycle, as this represents the
cheapest and simplest form of construction, but for certain classes of work, where
greater accuracy is required, and additional weight no objection, I make the parts
of the machine larger, and mount it upon a different type of vehicle, as one having
four wheels, for example.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A device for delineating, recording and measuring the path of a route
traveled over, adapted to be mounted on and operated by a vehicle, and consist-
ing of a mechanism for carrying and operating a 'movable recording surface, a
marker supporting frame extending over the plane of the recording surface and
automatically vibratable as the vehicle tilts endwise, to either side of its normal
position, and a marker loosely mounted on said frame and automatically movable
endwise thereon when the vehicle is in a tilted position, as and for the purpose
set forth.
2. In a device for delineating, recording and measuring the path of a route
traveled over, an oscillating marker frame, and a marker automatically movable
endwise on said frame, as set forth.
3. In a device for delineating, recording and measuring the path of a route
traveled over, adapted to be mounted on and operated by a vehicle, mechanism
for carrying and operating a movable recording surface, and oscillating frame
extending across the plane of said recording surface, a marker mounted and
automatically movable endwise on said oscillating frame, and means connected
with and automatically moving the latter from and to its normal position, as set
forth.
4. In a device for delineating, recording and measuring the path of a route
traveled over, adapted to be mounted on and operated by a vehicle, a mechanism
for carrying and operating a traveling recording tape or strip of paper, and
oscillating frame extending across the plane of said recording tape, and a roller
marker loosely mounted on said frame and automatically movable endwise
thereon, as set forth.
5. In a device for delineating, recording and measuring the path of a route
traveled over, adapted to be mounted on and operated by a vehicle, a mechanism
for carrying and operating a movable recording surface, and oscillating frame
having a central arm and marker thereon, and a marker automatically movable
endwise on said frame, as herein set forth.
6. In a device for profiling a route traveled over, the combination of a marker,
a support for the marker, and means for causing an angular movement of the
marker across a recording surface.
7. In a device for profiling a route traveled over, the combination of a marker,
and means for causing the marker to travel across a recording surface at an angle
whenever a grade occurs in the route.
8. In a device for profiling a route traveled over, the combination of a marker,

page_text: means for causing the marker to travel across a recording surface at an angle
whenever a grade occurs in the route, and means for adjusting the relation of the
marker to the recording surface whereby the vertical scale of the apparatus may be
the same as or different from the longitudinal scale.
9. In a device for profiling a route traveled over, adapted to be mounted on and
operated by a vehicle, the combination of a marker adapted to move across a
recording surface at an angle whenever a grade occurs in the route, and means
permitting the marker to be manually adjusted with respect to the recording
surface whenever the grade is of such extent that the marker tends to leave the
recording surface.
10. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of a
marker frame, a marker mounted thereon, means for changing the position of the
marker when the profile of the route changes, and a flexible connector between
said means and the marker frame which sustains the pendulum, whereby lost
motion between them is prevented.
11. In a machine for profiling a route traveled over, the combination of a
marker, a support for the marker, means for causing an anguler movement of the
marker across a recording surface, and a flexible connection between said means
and the support for the marker.
12. In a machine for profiling a route traveled over, the combination of a
marker, a support therefor, a flexible connector, and a pendulum which is sus-
pended from the machine and connected to the support for the marker by the
Hexible connector.
13. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of a pen-
dulum for actuating the moving parts of the machine, and a flexible connector
for supporting the pendulum.
14. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of a
pendulum for actuating the moving parts of the machine, a flexible connector for
supporting the pendulum, and means for supporting the pendulum in case the
flexible connector breaks.
15. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of an
oscillating marker frame, a marker mounted thereon, a pulley wheel situated on
each side of the marker frame, a pendulum a flexible connector extending over
the pulleys to support the pendulum and connected to the marker frame at a point
distant from its center of movement.
16. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, having a movable recording
surface, the combination of a marker, a table under the marker, and a positively-
driven pad or cushion moving over the table.
17. In a machine for recording the profile of a route traveled over, the com-
bination of a rotary marker having a serrated marking edge, with one or more of
the serrations made of a different shape, for indicating given distances.
Dated this 19th day of Sentorber 1898.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
Applicant's Patent Agents, 15, Water Street, Liverpool.