IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING ACCUMULATORS
Year: 1884

page_text: I PROSPER ACHILLE DOHIS of Paris, 10 rue. Elisa-Borey: in the Republic of
France, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING ACCUMULATORS and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
:
This Invention relates to certain improvements in spring accumulators for
accumulating and regulating natural or intermittent forces for use as motive power
for transmission to or driving machinery, the object being to provide means for
regulating, controlling and storing natural forces in order that they may be
rendered applicable for use.
In nature there are a great number of natural forces, which may be considered
under the two heads of (1) animate forces and (2) inanimate forces:-Under the
first of these headings are classed man, horses, mules, oxen, dogs, and so forth the
powers of which are utilized in various ways according to custom, or requirement.
Under the second of these headings are to be classed water courses, water falls, wave
motion, currents of air and wind which are utilized by means of special receivers,
water wheels, turbines, wind mills and so forth.
The reason that these forces are so little used is due to the fact of their
irregularity in consequence whereof the power is given off intermittently.
According to this Invention there is interposed in the course of the transmission
of the power to the engine or machinery a regulator-accumulator which takes up
the irregularities and intermitency of the power and delivers the same regularly to
the work, whatever may be the modifications in parts the power from its source
will be first communicated to the accumulator and thence to the work the irregular
continued supply serving to sustain the energy of the accumulator which will be
given off in a continuous and uniform supply for working the machine or
machinery or electric apparatus tricycle vehicle boat or vessel and so forth which
has to be driven.
The condition of continuity in the intermittent charge and in the uniform
discharge of the accumulator is the special character of this Invention which object
is not to create reservoirs of forces to be employed anywhere else at any time
required, but to regulate the forces at the time they are produced in the same
manner as a canal regulates the current of a river.
The said accumulator is somewhat like a supplementary organ to a machine
which uses up a certain amount of force like every part of a machine but which
causes the remaining force to be delivered with regularity.

page_text: For animate forces I make these accumulators as follows and for example one
worked by man power such as will be driven by pedals and leave the operators
hands free to execute other work such as pedal machines, sewing machines, circular
saws, fret saws, grinders, mules, lathes, ventilators and so forth.
I take for example a sewing machine shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, of the Drawings.
The operator will be seated before a table H or machine and the feet will be
placed on two pedals A and B connected by links and clutch to arbors of springs
enclosed in a barrel E the action of the operator being thus simply a pushing
forward action of the feet. When once the springs are wound up the feet may be
used sufficiently only to keep up the tension as the barrel is turned by them.
The action of the feet is more productive in this arrangement than with an
ordinary pedal. This action may be irregular and a great speed not being
necessary there is not much fatigue for the operator.
The movement of the springs and barrel E is communicated to an accelerating
train of gears composed of toothed wheels P, P¹ and pinions p, p', in number as
required and the axle of the last wheel D carries a fly wheel V or driving wheel
which by gears or pulley and strap r gives off the motion to the work.
The clutch motion for the spring barrel is effected by quadrant shoes T, T¹
which are rocked on studs and engage with grooved pullies of the axis of the
spring and these are used alternately.
The winding up of the spring by means of the action of the feet gives entire
freedom to the hands which is a novel feature pertaining to this Invention.
A quadrant piece T acting by friction on a grooved pulley 7 produces the winding
up of the spring R in the direction f without a ratchet and pawl and thus avoids
the noise. A second quadrant shoe T with the wheel acts as a brake to prevent
the self unwinding of the spring in the direction f¹ Fig. 3. The operator may thus
without any fatigue produce a great power impossible with ordinary pedals and
whatever may be the speed of the needle of the sewing machine.
The speed of the driven machine is regulated by means of the knee acting upon
a brake F fixed at I under the table H and acting by friction on the wheel V. The
boxing M which contains the mechanism is secured by lugs thereon to the table H
at N, N¹.
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 " The improvements in spring accumulators which are intermittently
wound up and continuously give out power as and for the purpose herein described
in reference to and shown by the Drawings."
Dated this 22nd day of January 1884.
WALTER A. BARLOW,
Agent for Prosper Achille Dohis.