US1220936A - Ship's light. - Google Patents

Description

E. BENVENUTI.

SHIP'S LIGHT.

APPLICATION HLED JULY l1. |916.

1,220,936. Patented Mar. 27, 1191.7.

4 SHEETS-SHEETl l E. BENVENUTI.

SHIPS LIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I7. 191e.

Patented MM2?, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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SHIPS LIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17. 1916.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

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E. BENVENUTI.

SHIPS LIGHT.

APPLICATION rxLD1uLY11.191s.

LQQU/Qw Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

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ENRICO BENVENUTI, OE GENOA, ITALY.

SHIPS LIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

T0 all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, ENRICO BENVENUTI, a subject of the King of italy, residing at apodell Uflicio Tecnico della Navigazione ienerale Italiania, Genoa, italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Ships Lights, of which the following is a specification.

rThis invention comprises improvements relating to ships lights such yas port openings and side lights and it also concerns overboard discharge apertures for ships. The invention has for its object to provide in addition to the usual lights or sashes, improved means for closing the portholes and other apertures and also to provide, in some cases, means whereby a number of such closing means may be controlled from a central station such as the ships bridge for example.

As is well-known, damage to the interior of the ship, discomfort to the passengers and great danger to the vessel have sometimes resulted from water entering open portholes or uncovered side light openings, owing to the fact that the ship has listed, or an abnormal wave or swell has washed the side of the ship before it has been possible to close the portholes or side light openings by the ordinary windows or lights itted thereon.

Now according to this invention portholes or other openings provided with usual sashes or lights are provided in addition with shutters adapted to slide in grooves or guides across the opening, and with mechanical means for moving the shutters, the arrangement being such that the shutters may be opened or closed no matter whether the sashes or lights are in the open or closed position. Although these shutters may not, in all cases, be seated or jointed so as to effect an entirely water-tight closure, nevertheless the manner in which these shutters are mounted, enables them, when in the closed position. to prevent any considerable or appreciable entry of water through the openings in the event of the ordinary sashes or lights being open. All the shutters on a vessel may be operated by mechanism under a central control, so that in' the event of mishap or danger threatening,

all the shutters may be instantly closed by exercising such central control. Whether the shutters are operated singly or collectively, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic or other motive power devices may be employed for moving the shutters to or from, or to and from, the closed position. Such motive power devices or mechanisms are, of course, well-known for operating doors or covers sliding in guides for closing and opening a number ci bulkhead door openings, hatches, ports, valves, gates and other such devices on board ship. Sliding sashes fitted with mechanical operating gears are also well-known for side lights or for portholes or lights and it is common to use dead lights on the latter, such dead lights being usually hinged. Sliding dead lights have been proposed which were capable of being moved, by sliding` in guides, to the closed position when the sash or light was in the open position. The shutters accordto this invention, are, however, combined with the sashes or lights and may be opened or closed whether such sashes or lights are in the opened or closed position. In order to give complete security the shutter system may be extended to include shutters for overboard discharge apertures.

In some cases, the shutters may be arranged in groups, and the central or other control may be exercised to bring about the closure of a group of shutters, or of several groups, or oi, all the groups. It is sometimes advantageous to provide a single motive power device and transmission mechanism for operating all the shutters in one group. ln a large ship, for example, one motive power device may be arranged. to operate all those shutters on one side which appertain to openings lying between one deck and the next above and between neighboring bulkheads. A convenient and simple operating motive power device and transmission mechanism comprises a piston working in a cylinder and connected by means of rods or links, shafts and gears with racks on the shutters, the admission of pressure fluid to all cylinders being advantageously controlled at the central station.

When hydraulic or other power is employed for operating the bulkhead doors of the ship, the same power may be utilized for operating the shutters. In order to prevent the shutter system from affecting the dooroperating system, automatic valves may be provided for isolating the shutter system from the door system when the former is not in use. Also automatic or other valves may be provided for short-circuiting the ram cylinders, and also, if desired for cutting off the latter from the hydraulic system, in order to enable the shutter mechanism to be worked freely by hand when it is desired to do this, as for example when there is derangement of the motive power system.- Or mechanical disconnecting devices may be employed for enabling the mechanism to be worked freely by hand when desired, without hindrance by the motive power devices.

The operating means of each shutter may comprise a slip coupling, friction coupling, or other maximumy effort transmission device. Such coupling or device allows all shutters to close in spite of unequal movement of one shutter as compared with that of another. It further allows all unobstructed shutters to close, even although one or more shutters may be obstructed. Lastly, it enables the avoidance of injury to any person who may, at the time of closing, have head or body in an opening or porthole.

'In order to enable this invention to be readily understood reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example suitable arrangements according to these improvements, and in which 1- Figure l is an elevation of a porthole fitted with a shutter, -as seen from within the ship, part of the. casing being broken away to display the shutter which is in the lower o-r open position,

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section on the line'II-II of Fig. l,

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line III- III of Fig. l and showing the hinged light or window, and its fastening means which are omitted from Figs. l and 2;

Fig. l is a transverse section on the line IV-IV ofFig. l;

Fig. 5 is a more or less diagrammatic elevation of a portion of a ships side as seen from within and of the porthole shutters and their operating mechanism, an overboard discharge with a valve or shutter, operatively connected with the said mechanism,

vbeing also shown,

Fig. 6 is an elevation of a muchsmaller portion of the ship than is seen in Fig. 5 but drawn to a. much larger scale and showing the shutter mechanism in detail;

Fig. '7 is a side view of Fig. 6,

Fig. 8 is a plan of a detail of the hand gear seen on the top of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 6, showing the connection of the sluice valve of an overboard discharge with the shutter-operating mechanism.

Fig. l0 is a longitudinal section ofI a friction coupling arrangement for the shutteroperating gear,

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal sectional elevation; and

Fig. 12 is an end view of slip couplings seen in Fig. 6;

Referring to Figs. l to 4C of the accompanying drawings, a is the framing of the porthole or other opening which, in the cxample shown, is fitted with the usual bead or flange Z). The latter, as seen in Fig. 3, acts as a seating for the packing c, of the glazed window or light d, which may be hinged at e and fastened by a Convenient fastening f. It will be understood that any Vform of glazed light or sash may be employed, the` invention being concerned with the shutter, now t'o be described, and not with any particular form of side light. Between the seating and the outside of' the porthole, grooves or guides g are provided for a sliding shutter h. which is advantageously made of metal. The grooves g are shown arranged vertically so that the shutter z. has an up and down movement but such guides or grooves may equally well cxtend horizontally or laterally. In either case the guides or grooves g may extend into a casing y' which receives the shutter 7L when the latter is not in use. The casing may, as illustrated, be formed or fitted as a downward extension of the frame a just within the skin of the ship, the grooves g being conveniently formed between two parts of thc casing which are faced and held together by screws 7c, the upper part of the casing forming, as it were, the rear part of the frame (I, on which the seating Z1 is formed. The grooves g or the slots forming the openings thereof, are preferably as narrow as possible, so that even without packing, a reasonably watertight closure is afforded when the shutter 72, is moved over the. port or side opening. In the case of grooves which are internally enlarged as seen clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, the side recesses thus provided are convenient receptacles for packing strips g of material for rendering the closure watertight, or practically so. The upper part t, Fig. 1, of the shutter 7L is of semicirculal.' shape, in the case of a porthole, so that it will seat -itself properly in the upper portion of the groove g which passes around the upper portion of the porthole framing. The lower portion of the shutter 7L` may be of any suitable shape, so long as it will close the aperture and is capable of being guided satisfactorily. A

The shutter h may be operated by a lever, as for example the lever Z indicated b v dotted lines in Fig. l mounted within the casing and coupled to the shutter k by a` lld or discharge pipes a main collector w tted with a shutter,

pin and slot connection m, the lever Z being mounted upon an operating spindle n extending out through the casing and provided with an operating arm o, the bearing of the spindle n being, if desired, rendered watertight in any suitable manner.

Several portholes disposed in alinement may have their shutter-operating arms pivotally connected to a common sliding rod which is in turn connected by a bell-crank lever, or in other suitable manner, to a hydraulic cylinder the operation of which through the saidrod serves to open and close the several porthole shutters in the group of portholes which are connected together as will be readily understood without illustration.

In order topperate the rows of portholes disposed one above the other between respective decks, the hydraulic cylinder may be adapted to operate a vertical rod passing down through the decks and coupled to the respective horizontal rods which operate the porthole shutters as above mentioned.

Instead of sliding rods and levers constituting the transmission mechanism, other mechanisms may be employed, as for eX- ample toothed gear wheels and racks. Fig. shows diagrammatically a system of the general character referred to in the preceding paragraph but adapted to work with toothed gears and racks. In this figure, p is the hydraulic cylinder and r is a vertical rod connected with the piston rod or ram, which rod r may be in sections connected together by pivotal joints as hereinafter described. 'lhe rod r imparts rotary motion in any suitable manner to the superposed shafts s eachof which may serve for operating a group or line of shutters. The shafts s may be universally coupled with the mechanism seen in Figs. l to 4L and comprising spindles t carrying gear wheels u meshing' with racks-u on the shutters h. It will therefore be readily understood that the piston in the cylinder p is capable of opening or closing a large number of shutters at the same time. The cylinder lo may also operate valves of overboard discharges. If desired, a number of, or all, discharges on one side may be drained down to one common overboard discharge. For example and as seen in Fig. 5, a number of collectors w may be brought into sluice valve, or other overboard discharge valve c, and this valve may have an operative connection, by means for example of a rack rod with the adjacent shaft s.

Figs. 6 to 9 illustrate the power and transmission mechanism in detail. The sections of the rod r are pivotally jointed together at r and also to the piston rod or ram of the cylinder 0, and where necessary guides o are provided for the rod to slide in. Be.

tween rod sections, connected, the said racks meshing with toothed wheels 1 on the shafts e. Guides 2 are provided for the racks to slide in and if desired keepers 3 are fitted to the racks .e for protecting the latter and also for preventing the wheels 1 from riding out of mesh. Each shaft length s may be. driven through the medium of a slip coupling ll, F ig. 6, so that if there should be any obstruction to the closing of the corresponding shutter, or if the latter should reach the closed position in advance of other shutters, such other shutters will nevertheless be able to close, the coupling appertaining to the obstructed shutter slipping as will be readily understood. The slip couplings also enable the avoidance of injury to persons who may have their heads, for example, in portholes at the instant of closing the shutters. Suitable slip couplings will be hereinafter described.

The cylinder p is connected by with a control valve arranged at venient station, the valve being of any suitable kind for admitting pressure fiuid into either of the pipes while exhausting the other. Other pipes 5a, 6L may lead from the cylinder p to a short circuiting valve 7 which is placed at thehand-operating station. lf an electrical solenoid took the place of the cylinder p a simple switch for makpipes 5, 6, any con- 'ing and breaking the circuit would take the place of the control valve and the'core and shutters /L might be returned by gravity or springs. Or a second solenoid, controlled by the switch might be employed for the return movement. If an electric motor were used in place of the cylinder p a motor control and reversing switch would take the place of the control valve. Naturally ahand gear may be applied to each shutter so that any shutter could be operated by hand, in spite of the power being applied, the slip couplings being then adjusted so as to enable this to be done.

For the purpose of enablingthe rod r to be operated by hand gear from the deck above, the top section of the rod rmay be screw threaded at 8 and work in a guide sleeve 9. A nut 10 formed as a bevel wheel is screwed on to the rod and in the ordinary way is free to move up and down with then rod r. A. driving bevel wheel 11 is mounted on a spindle 12 turning in bearings on a bracket 13 and having a squared end 14 to which a crank handle may be fitted. On the bracket 13 is pivoted a horizontal arm 15 having a forked end 16 which embraces the screw threaded end 8 of the rod r when the arm is turned to the operative position shown in 8 and indicated by chain lines in Fig. 7. When the rod r is to be operated by hand, the nut wheel 10 is screwed down until it meshes with the driving Wheel ll racks z are pvotally,-

n iii and the arm 15 is then turned to the operative position in which it lies above the nut wheel 10. Upon turning the'spindle 12 by a crank handle the rod 7 will be raised or lowered and willl operate the shutters as -will be readily understood. In order that the motive power device may offer no resistance to the hand operation the valve 7 is provided for 'short-circuiting the two ends of the cylinder p. Or in the case ot other motive power devices clutch means may be provided 'tor disconnecting them if necessary, when the hand gear is to be used.

Referring to Fig. 9 it will be seen that the rod a: may be connected with a rack a meshing with a toothed wheel 1a on an adjacent shaft s. When the valve fu is a sluice valve of the known type which is tightened on to its seat by wedge devices during the concluding portion of the closing operation, the gearing `for the valve is so adjusted or designed that the valve closes slightly in advance of the shutters, in order that the final resistance to the eiiort exerted by the motive power device may be offered by the wedging of the sluice valve and not by the shutters reaching the limit of their closing movement; The rod m, Fig. 9, is advantageously divided and fitted with a screw coupling or tightening nut for electing adjustments necessary for securing the proper relative timing of the valve fu. Y The Vcontrols valve connected with the pipes' 5, 6, may be a masterV control valve situated in the engine room and in its turn under control of a valve at the bridge of the ship.

Fig. 10 illustrates a slip coupling of the friction coneV variety, for coupling the shaft s with the gear wheels u in the manner and forV the purpose hereinbefore described. In this coupling an axially movable cone 16a on the'shat s isfpressed by a spring 17 bearing against a iixed collar 18 into engagement with a cone 19 formed on a hub portion of the'toothed wheel u.

Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate a slip coupling of the kind marked 4 in Fig. 6. These coulinOs are of the variet com arisin a nose or catch 20 on one shaft portion, engaging a recess or notch 21 in a piston 22 pressed outward by a spring 23 in a cylinder 24 on the other shaft portion. When the resistance tothe turning of the driven v'shaft portion exceeds a certain maximum the nose 20 slips out of the notch 21 and turns idly for a revolution when it rengages in the notch and, if the resistance is still too great slips again and so on, until the resistance is reduced. Y

If the shutters are operated by hydraulic means connected with a hydraulic bulkhead door-operating system, it may be advisable toprovide automatic valves which will isolate theshutter system when not inuse and guides on said framingj a shutter prevent the door-operating system from being adversely aiiected by the shutter system.

Other power transmission systems or shutter-operating means, may be substituted for those hereinbefore described without departing from the present invention.

I claim:

1. Means for closing side openings in ships, comprising in combination, movable sashes or lights adapted to be opened or closed by individual operation, guides, shutters slidable therein capable ofbeing closed over said openings whether said sashes or lights are opened or closed, and operative means connected with a plurality of said shutters.

2. Means for closing side openings in ships, comprising in combination, -a. framing, a glazed frame therein adapted to be opened or closed Jfrom the interior of the ship, guides on the outer side oi' said fram.- ing, a shutter slidable in said guides, mechanical means operative upon said shutter, driving mechanism, and a coupling for connecting the mechanical means with the driving mechanism.

3. Means for closing side openings in ships comprising in combination, a framing, a hinged sash, a seating for said sash on said framing, hand operated means i'or tightening said sash against said seating, slidable in said guides, mechanical means operative upon said shutter to slide the same, and control means distant from said sash and operative to control said mechanical means.

4. Means for closing port openings in ships comprising a framing, a hinged sash adapted to open inward, guides on the outer side of said framing, a shutter slidable in said uides, and means adapted to operate said s utter.

5. Means for closing port openings in ships comprising in combination a framing, a ring-shaped seating thereon, a hand-operated sash closable against said seating, tightening means adapted to hold said sash hard against said seating, guides in said framing, a slidable shutter in said guides,

and mechanical means operative upon said shutter.

6. Means for closing port openings in ships comprising in combination a framing, a ring-shaped seating thereon, erated sash closable against said seating, guides in said framing, packing strips in said guides, a slidable shutter in said guides and adapted to contact with said strips, and mechanical means operative upon said shutter.

7 Means for closing a plurality of side openings in ships, comprising in combination, seatings, hand-operated closures closable against said seatings, guides fitted ada hand-opjacent said openings, slidable shutters in said guides movable at all times whether said closures are open or closed, power-operated means operative upon said shutters, and a control tor said power-operated means.

8. Means tor closing a plurality ot side openings in ships, said openings being iitted with respective hand-operated closures, said means comprising guides fitted adjacent said openings, slidable shutters in said guides,

power operated mechanism, a transmission gear between said mechanism and said shutter, a maximum transmission device in said gear, and a master control tor said poweroperated mechanism.

9. Means tor closing a plurality ot side openings in ships, said openings being itted with respective hand-operated closures, said means comprising guides fitted adjacent said openings, slidable shutters in said guides, power operated mechanism, a transmission gear between said mechanism and said shutter, a slip coupling in said gear, and a control tor said power-operated mechanism.

10. Means tor closing a plurality ot side openings in ships, said openings being fitted with respective hand-operated closures, said means comprising guides fitted adjacent said openings, slidable shutters in said guides, toothed racks on said shutters, power operated mechanism, transmission gears operated by said mechanism and meshing with said rack, slip couplings in said gears, and a control tor said power-operated mechanism.

11. Means tor closing a plurality ot side openings in ships, said openings being titted with respective hand-'operalted -closures, said means comprising guides titted 4adjacent said openings, slidable shutters in said guides, hand operated means operative upon respective shutters, poweroperated mechanism, transmission gear between said mechanism and the several shutters, a slip coupling in said gear, and a control tor said mechanism.

12. Means tor closing side openings in ships, comprising in combination, tramings at said openings, hand operated closures on the inner side ot respective trainings, guides arranged in said trainings between said closures and the exterior ot said tramings, shutters slidable in said guides, power-operated mechanism operative upon the several shutters through the medium ot slip couplings, said slip couplings, and a control tor said power-operated mechanism.A

13. Means tor closing side openings in ships, comprising in combination, trainings at said openings, hand operated closures on the inner sides ot said tramings, guides titted on the outer side ot said tramings, shutters slidable in said guides, racks on respective shutters, toothed wheels meshing with said racks, shatting connecting said toothed wheels, a driving rack operative upon said shatting, power means operative to drive said rack, and a hand gear adapted to be operatively connected with or disconnected trom said shatting.

14. Means tor closing side openings in ships, comprising in combination, tramings at respective openings, hand operated closures tor said openings, guides on said tramings, shutters slidable in said guides, power means, transmission gear connecting said power means with said shutters, said gear comprising a reciprocatable rack, a screw threaded rod connected with said rack, a toothed nut on said rod, a hand driven toothed wheel adapted to mesh with the teeth on said nut, and means adapted to hold, at will, said nut in mesh with said toothed wheel.

15. Means tor closing` a side opening in 16. Means tor closing a. side opening in a ship, comprising a framing composed ot inner and outer parts surrounding said opening, a seating on the inner traming part, a sash on said traming closable against said seating, an extension on each training part forming complementary parts ot a casing, guides in said casing parts, a shutter slidable in said guides, mechanism in said casing and operative upon said shutter, and driving connections tor said mechanism extending to.

the exterior ot said casing substantially as described.

17. Means tor closing a side opening in a ship, comprising a traming divided in a plane parallel with the plane ot said opening and surrounding said opening, a seating on the inner training part, a sash on said traming closable against said seating, an exten sion on each training part forming complementary parts ot a casing, said casing and trame parts being moreover tormed with corresponding grooves constituting complementary parts ot guides, a shutter slidable in said guides, mechanism in said casing and operative upon said shutter, and driving means tor said mechanism extending to the exterior ot said casing.

1S. Means tor closing a side opening in a ship, comprising a training surrounding said opening and composed ot inner and outer parts, a seating on the inner training part surrounding said opening, a sash on said training closable against said seating, an extension on each training part, forming complementary parts ot a casing, guides in said casing and frame parts, a shutter slidable-in said guides, a rack on said shutter, a toothed wheel mounted in said casing and meshing with said rack, driving connections yfor said wheel at the exterior of said casing,

and a hand gear operative upon said shutter from the exterior ofVV said casing.

' 19. Means for closing side openings in ships, comprising in combination, framings at said Openings, hand operated closures for rupon said shafting, hydraulic power means operative to drive said rack, a hand gear adapted to be operatively connected with or disconnected from said shafting, a short circuiting valve, and Vpipe connections between vsaid valve and said hydraulic power means.

v2O. Meansfor closing side openings in ships comprising in combination, ramings at said openings, hand operated closures adapted to seat against said framings, guides in said -ramings, slidable shutters in said guides, hand gear operative upon individual shutters, power gear operative upon the several shutters, hand-operated means adapted to cut-out said power gear, hand gear adapted to be made operative upon the several shutters when said power gear is cut out, and slip couplings between said power gear and said shutters.

Q1. Means for closing side openings in ships comprising in combination, framings at said openings, hand operated closures v adapted to seat against said framings, guides on said framings, slidable shutters in said guides, hand gear operative upon individual shutters, hydraulic power mechanism, transmission gear comprising slip couplings laetween said mechanism and said shutters, short circuiting valvular means adapted to neutralize said hydraulic .mechanis1n, and hand gear adapted to be made operative kupon said transmission gear when said mechanism is neutralized.

ENRICO BENVENUTI. Witnesses HOWARD H. HALL, QUINCY F. ROBERTS.

Copies 'of this patent may 'be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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