Improvements relating to Apparatus for Signalling by Sound.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 16th Nov., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by ELISHA HARRIS HOWARD, of Providence, Rhode
Island, United States of America, Cotton Manufacturer.]
Improvements relating to Apparatus for Signalling by Sound.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
This invention relates to that class of automatic apparatus for operating signals by
steam or air, whereby a succession of intermittent blasts or sounds are made by means
of a whistle or other suitable device, controlled in number and duration of signals by
means of a train of clock work, and to effect an automatic winding up of the clock
work employed to regulate the action of the apparatus, with a due regard to preventing
injury to the same by over winding.
The said invention comprises modifications of some of the parts in shape, position
and mode of operation, as in the way of using and connecting the piston rod, manner
of cushioning the piston, devices for regulating the clock fan, etc. which are illustrated
in the accompanying drawings in which,
Figure shows a front elevation of the signalling apparatus, a part of the front of
the cylinder being broken away to show the upper and lower cushioning devices.
Figure 2 is a top view of cylinder and cross bars.
Figure 3 shows a vertical cross section of the winding connections.
Figure 4 shows a horizontal cross section of the winding apparatus and its
connections.
Figure 5 is a front elevation of the fan.
Figure 6 shows a top view of the same.
The apparatus as constructed consists of an upright cylinder A, having a piston B,
fitted to work steam tight in it, by means of a suitable packing in the usual way of
steam, cylinders. The rod a, to this piston passes out through a stuffing box in the
upper head of the cylinder and has a three armed cross bar c, attached to its upper
end, the arms of which extend out over the cylinder, far enough on three sides (see
figure 2) to receive the upper ends of the connecting rods b, b, b, which are secured
to the arms by screw nuts, and extend down on each side of the cylinder to a similar
cross bar C,
to the arms of which they are fastened in like manner as at the top.
These rods b, are made long enough to allow the piston to rise to the top of the
cylinder without bringing the lower cross bar against the bottom of the cylinder.
A passage c,
in the lower cylinder head, which opens into the centre of the cylinder,
serves both for an admission port and an exhaust port for the steam used in the
cylinder. This passage is connected by the pipe D, to the valve case F, to the opposite
side of which the steam supply pipe G is connected and to the lower side of which
the exhaust pipe H, is connected.
The necessity for cushioning the piston at both ends of its stroke has been found in
the practical working of the signalling apparatus to be very great, as the effect of the
momentum of the moving parts, is quite destructive to some portions of the apparatus,
if not cushioned.
The required cushioning is provided for as follows; To relieve the cylinder A, of
the air above the piston when it risés, a port d is made in the side of the cylinder near
the top, which may open out into the air or he connected by a pipe e, to the exhaust
pipe H below. The port d, is placed far enough down from the top to be covered by
the piston head before it reaches the upper end of its stroke and cut off a portion of
the air from escaping which amount of air being confined between the cylinder head
and piston, serves as a cushion to the latter; and to further increase the effect, one .or

page_text: more channels f, are made in the inside surface of the cylinder at the top, which
channels extend down far enough for the piston head to pass over and open their lower
ends as it closes the port d, and thus allow the steam from below to pass around to the
upper side of the piston head and thus check its motion.
The cushion for the return stroke of the piston is obtained by making use of the
recess c in the lower cylinder head and putting a projection a, on the under side of
the piston head that shall fit closely into the recess, so that when the piston has
descended low enough for the end of the projection g, to enter the recess c the exhaust
of a portion of the steam is cut off and it will remain and form a cushion between the
cylinder head and piston.
The valve for admitting the steam to the cylinder and to allow it to exhaust is placed
in the case P.
The motor used to control the number and duration of the signals is a clock train
and it is held in the case.J. It may be run by a spring or weight and like the striking
train of a clock its speed is governed by a fan.
This fan is shown in figures 5 and 6, it has an arrangement for increasing or
diminishing the speed of the clock as follows:-The fan consists of two wings n
fastened on a spindle the spindle has a screw thread made on its middle portion
and a check nut fitted thereon. The centre of the fan shaft i is enlarged and a slot
cut therein to receive the check nut 7. The spindle ;, of the fan passes through the
fan shaft i, at a right angle to the slot in the shaft.
The adjustment of the speed of the clock by means of the fan is as follows:-If
the fan wings are placed in a line parallel with the fan shaft, the point at which they
receive the greatest resistance from the air in revolving, and it is found that the clocks
runs too slow, the check nut i can be loosened and the wings of the fan set at an
angle, more or less, to the line of the shaft i, so as to receive less resistance from the
air and the check nut l, turned up tight against one side of the slot to hold the wings in
that position.
The clock operates the valve J by means of a camp fast on the shaft. This cam
has one or more projections p¹, on its periphery, according to the number of signals
to be made in a certain time, When the clock is set in motion the cam p revolves
and one of its projections raises the lever k, which opens the valve J by its stem o, to
which the lever k is connected. This admits the steain to the cylinder A, which raises
the piston B and cross bars c, c¹ and draws on the signals cord m, attached to the
lower cross bar C and having its other end made fast to the valve lever of a whistle
or other signalling device. Whilst the piston is raised the signal sound will be made,
and the time it remains up, depends on the speed of the clock and the length of the
face on the projection p', of the cam p. When the cam projection has passed out
from under the lever k, it will drop and let the valve stem move down closing the
steam inlet to the cylinder and opening the passage from the same to the exhaust pipe.
The steam will then pass out of the cylinder, letting the piston down and allow the
whistle valve to close.
The clock is kept from starting by means of a friction lever t, which when desired
comes in contact with the fan shaft or a wheel on that shaft.
Two levers and are placed on the front of the clock, the upper one k¹, is pivoted
at a point between its middle and one end and the lever k¹, is attached to the end of
the lever k, by a pivot passing through the ends of both levers. A close spiral
springs has its lower end attached to the lever k at, or near the junction with the
lever and its upper end fast to the clock frame, to draw those ends of the two levers
up. And a lighter close spiral spring t¹ is attached to the free end of lever k to draw
that end up. The lever ¹ has a projection on its under side that rest on the top of
the cam p.
A rod, or other similar medium of connection is made fast to the free end of the
lever, and is carried up to the pilot house or office or other place from which it is
desired to operate the apparatus. A collars, is made fast on the rod r, so as to engage
with the friction lever t, when raised.
To start the clock, the rod r, is drawn up, thereby raising the end of the lever k¹,

page_text: connected to it and depressing its other end and the end of the lever k, pivoted to
it, this brings the projection on the latter lever in position to be operated by the
cam p. The clock train is started at the same time, the friction lever being raised
from the fan shaft by the collar s, on the rod r, allowing that shaft to turn and the
cam p, will at once commence raising and dropping the lever k and valve stem and
thus alternately admit and exhaust the steam to and from the cylinder A.
The winding attachment is shown in Figures 3 and 4. It consists of a rod or
tube v, which passes up through an extension of one arm of the cross bar
and a
handle is made fast on its upper end.
C₂
The lower end of the rod v, has a screw nut y, fitted on it. An open spiral
spring w is placed on the rod v, the lower end of the spring being made fast to
the screw nut y, and its upper end to the top of the case a¹
This case or tube which covers rod v, and spring w, has a toothed rack b¹, attached
to one side, the teeth of which engage with a gear wheel c', loose on the spring shaft
of the clock. This gear wheel e¹, is connected with the spring case d¹ by a ratchet
wheel and pawl in the usual way.
The clock spring is wound up by the motion of the piston in the cylinder which
draws up the rod v, by the cross bar c, and by means of the spring w, raises the case a',
and rack 6', which turns the wheel c¹, that is connected with the spring case d¹, by
means of a ratchet wheel and pawl as before stated.
The object of the spring w, is to prevent over winding of the clock spring by yielding
when the clock is wound clear up and allow the rod v, to he moved up and down by
the cross bar without moving the case a', and its rack B¹. To increase the pressure
of the spring w, on its case and make the rack work with more force on the clock
spring, the rod v, can be turned by the handle at the top and the nut being held from
turning by the end of the spring will be screwed up on the rod so as to compress the
spring and cause it to exert more force on the case at the top.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :
First. In an automatic apparatus for operating signals the rod v, surrounded by a
spiral spring and enclosed in tube having a toothed rack attached to one of its sides
the teeth of said rack engaging with the teeth of one of a clock train of wheels, in
combination with a clock train and a steam cylinder A, cross bar c, said cross bar
being attached to the end of a piston rod operating in said cylinder, and to the end of
rod v, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Second. In an automatic apparatus for operating signals having its signalling
operations controlled by a clock train an adjustable fau having wings capable of being
turned on a centre, from a position in which the plans of the wings is parallel to the
line of the fan shaft, to a position in which said plans will be at right angles to the fan
shaft, and a check nut on said fan centre for securing the wings in any position in
combination with a clock train of wheels, cam p, lever k, and valve rod o, substantially
as specified.
Third. In an automatic apparatus for operating signals having its signals governed
by a clock train, the lever k pivoted to the frame and having one end attached to the
rod r, and its other pivoted to one end of the lever k, lever k arranged to be operated
by the cam p and connected with the valve stem o cam p, spring el arranged to draw
down the free end of lever and the spring s¹, arranged to draw up the pivoted ends
of levers k and in combination with the cylinder A, piston a, cross head C, rod v,
rack &', substantially as set forth.
Fourth. In an automatic apparatus for operating signals regulated by a clock train
the combination of the rod r, connected at one end to the free end of lever k' and
having a collar s, adjustably fast on it so arranged as to raise the lever t, when drawn
up, with brake lever t, and fan shaft l, and fan n, levers k, k¹, cam p, and valve rod,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.

page_text: 5. In an automatic apparatus for operating signals the combination of a steam
cylinder with piston therein connected by cord or the like to a signal to operate same.
A clock train to operate the valve that admits steam to the cylinder, and the piston
connected with the clock train by gears, rods or the like, so that the motion of the
piston winds up the clock.
Deted the 10th ...
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.