Year: 1887

page_text: I, OBEDIAH SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomington, in the
County of McLean, and State of Illinois, U.S.A. Machinist, 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 the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a front view of a machine embodying my improvements:
Figure 2 is a side view of the same;
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are views of detached parts to which more
particular reference will be made further on.
Figure 11 is a view of a modification.
Referring to the letters upon the drawings, in aid of a description in detail of my
invention, and a machine in which it is applied, A indicates a frame. Bindicates a
series of springs secured to a cross piece bolted to the frame, as clearly shown in
Fig. 2.
D is a spring arbor, corresponding to the main spring arbor of an ordinary clock.
Connected with this arbor is an ordinary clock work, or train of gears with an
escapement and pendulum, such as are common and need not be described.
All the mechanism thus far mentioned is old, and forms no part of my invention ;
but is referred to as an example of mechanism to which my improvement is conveniently
and advantageously applicable.
Referring now particularly to my improvement, it consists of a device for regulating
motion in the manner of a balance wheel, and consists in certain appliances connected
with a balance wheel, or going to make an improved balance wheel, which I will now
point out. It forms an excellent governor for spring or weight power.
Referring to Fig. 3, which is a detached view of my invention, E is a rim
corresponding to that of an ordinary balance wheel.
FF indicate shot buckets, pivoted respectively to the hub G, as shown. There
may be two or more as desired. At the outer ends of these buckets are loops H which
encircle the rim, upon which are stops to limit the swinging or pendulous movement
of the buckets. These buckets are each provided with an inclined partition K, as
indicated in Fig. 6, and are secured to their pivot arms L at one side of their center.

page_text: .
The compartment marked M, in Fig. 6, being the larger in each bucket, contains
metal balls.
O indicates a disk, which is secured around the axle, forming part of the hub of the
wheel, and is clearly shown detached in Fig. 7. Secured to this disk upon ribs Pare
bent springs Q, so adjusted as to bear against the bases of the shot buckets, as shown
in Fig. 3.
Connected with the shaft R, in Fig. 2, is, a crank S and pitman T, as clearly shown
in Fig. 1. The pitman T is pivoted to a bell crank lever U, pivoted to the frame
at V, and pivotally connected to a pitman rod W, which last may be connected with
a pump, a churn, a sewing machine, or any other machine capable of being run by
spring motive power. Instead of this pitman crank and lever mechanism, a band and
pulley, or gears, might be employed for communicating motion to any suitable
machinery.
In Fig. 10 is represented, detached, a spring catch R, applied as indicated at R¹
in Fig. I, to hold the pendulum X in place when it is desired to stop the machine.
The operation of my improvement is as follows-
Referring to Fig. 3 it will be perceived that when the buckets are at the farthest
distance from the stops they will compress the springs at the hub, which are of such
strength as not to be quite sufficient to overcome the weight of the loaded buckets.
When that portion of the revolution of the wheel is reached at which each bucket
nearly approaches the perpendicular, so that part of its weight is upon one side of a
perpendicular line through the center of the axle, the spring will then tip the bucket
over until its loop strikes its stop, which will cause the shot within the bucket all to
suddenly pass by force of gravity to the opposite side of the perpendicular line from
where they were prior to the action of the spring. The result is the weight of the
shot.is shifted from a position tending to retard the rotation of the wheel to a position
aiding its rotation. The shifting is sudden by the combined action of the spring and
gravity, and the shot falling more rapidly than the rotary movement of the wheel
exerts a sudden impulse upon the bucket, which is commuicated to the wheel in aid of
its rotary movement.
It will be observed that the form of the inner end walls of the buckets is circular,
so that when the metal balls are to move, as just described, to aid the motion of the
wheel, they will move suddenly. The curvature of the outer or opposite ends of
the buckets, on the contrary, is such that the balls must shift gradually when the
buckets are down. The result is that the shifting of balls in the buckets from
the position of helping to that of hindering motion is done gradually, and as the balls
are balanced in opposite buckets it does not obstruct the motion of the wheel further than
mere additional weight affects such hinderance, which is not objectionable in a balance
wheel. The balls move gradually by force of gravity, except at the time when the
buckets are tilted by the combined action of gravity and the springs, when the balls
move suddenly and effectively, as above explained. The inclined partitions are
intended to aid the effect of the falling of the balls when the spring acts, the inclination
being such, and the adjustment of the partitions also being such, as to cause the balls
to run down towards the hub a little sooner than they would without the partitions ;
but the partitions may be dispensed with if desired.
Instead of having a loop on each bucket to loosely clasp the rim of the wheel, a
formal change might be made by having a stud working loosely in a curved groove in
the side or body of the wheel, as shown in Fig. 11, but I prefer the form first
described.
Each successive bucket thus gives an impulse to the rotary movement of the wheel,
and upon its shaft, equal to the inertia of the falling shot, and the bucket.
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 :-
1. The combination of the wheel, the stops thereon, the loaded buckets loosely
connected to the rim or body of the wheel and pivoted to the hub, and the springs,
substantially as set forth,

page_text: 2. In combination with the wheel having stops, the buckets pivoted to the hub and
limited in oscillating movement by the stops, the bucket springs, the inclined bucket
partitions, and the loose balls in the buckets, substantially as set forth.
3. In combination with a wheel, the buckets pivoted to the hub and provided with
springs at the hub, and with stops at the rim, the ends of the buckets being curved,
the buckets containing balls, and the curved ends serving to make the motion of the
balls gradual except at the moment of tilting the buckets by the action of the springs,
substantially as set forth.