US1320750A

US1320750A - Submarine apparatus

Info

Publication number: US1320750A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-11-04
Anticipated expiration: 1936-11-04

Description

G. FORMIGLIA AND A. MAULO.

SUBMARINE APEARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR-16,1919.

Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

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G. FORMIGLIA AND A. MAULO.

SUBMARINE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16. 1919.

Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

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GIUSEPPEPORMIGIJIA AND ANTONIO MAULO, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SUBMARINE APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 16, 1919. Serial N0. 290,379.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GIUSEPPE FORMIG- LIA and ANTONIO MAULo, subjects of the King of Italy, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, respectively, have invented a certain new and useful Submarine Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Some of the objects of'the present invention are to provide means for recovering articles of value from the bottom of the ocean, rivers or lakes; to provide an apparatus arranged to descend-to the bottom of a body of water and to automatically return to the surface of the water; to provide an apparatus arranged to descend to the bottom of a body of water and pick or scoop up articles and bring them to the surface; to provide means for photographing below the surface of a body ofwater; and to provide other improvements as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a side elevation, partly in section, of one form of salvaging apparatus embodying the present invention; and Fig. 2 represents an end elevation of the same.

' Referring to the drawings one form of the present invention is shown wherein a body 10 is arranged to be released to descend by gravity to the bottom of a body of water and thereafter automatically return to the surface after having collected a quantity of material or articles from the bottom. The body 10, in the preferred form comprises a plurality of elongated sealed cylinders 11 containing air and arranged in suitable spaced relation upon a suitable frame 12.

For the purpose of submerging the body 10 and returning it to the surface, a plurality of ballast tanks 13 are provided arranged in alinement and on opposite sides of a normally closed separate reservoir 1 1 containing compressed air. As the ballast tanks 13 are of identical construction the description will be confined to but one and like parts will be correspondingly numbered. An opening 15 serves to admit and. discharge water to and from the tank 13, the said opening being located at the outer end of the tank 13. When the tanks 13 are both filled with water the buoyancy of the air filled cylinders 11 is overcome and the body 10 gradually sinks to the bottom of the body of water.

In order to expel the water from the tanks 13, each is provided with a movable piston 16 rigidly connected to a piston rod 17, which extends through the outer head,

of the tank 13 and is arranged to be propelled outwardly by the action of compressed air released from the reservoir 14:. To accomplish this the ends of the respective receptacles or tanks 13 on the opposite side of the pistons 16 from the openings 15 are in communication with pipes 20, which have a common connection with the reservoir 14 and are both controlled by a valve 21 which, is normally closed. Thus under normal conditions the pistons 16 are held in their respective innermost positions by means of springs 22 and the tanks may fill with water when the body is submerged.

For opening the valve 21 automatically, when the body 10 has reached a point in close proximity to the bottom of the ocean or other body of water, a trip rod 23 is employed having a crank arm 24 connected to the valve 21 by which the valve 21 is opened when the depending end of the rod 23 strikes the bottom.

For the. purpose of scooping up articles from the ocean bed, the body 10 is provided with a depending rigid rod 19 carrying on its outer end a scoop or dredging bucket 25 of suitable type having jaws 26 pivoted at 27, so they may swing from open to closed position to gather material to be brought to the surface. Normally these jaws 26 are held open by means of a cable 30 which passes upwardly over suitable pulleys 31 mounted upon the rod 19 and terminates in a loop or ring 32. This loop 32 is arranged to be engaged by the meeting ends of twoslide bars 33, which are rigidly mounted for movement respectively in sleeves 3 1 fixed to the frame 12 belowthe ballast tanks 13. The length of the cable 30 is such that when the bars 33 are through the loop 32 the bucket jaws 26 will be held open.

To actuate the slide bars 33, each is connected to a separate head 35 attached to the respective piston rods .17 so that movement of the latter transmits motion to the bars 33 to cause the loop 32 to be released and thereby allow the bucket jaws 26 to close.

Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

be supported upon one of the slide bars 33.

The construction is such that when the ring 40 is released the weight 36 drops from the rope "37 and allows the apparatus to return to the surface under the action of the confined air.

For the purpose oftaking -pictures while the apparatus is in the water, and more particularly during the return to the surface, a suitable water tight casing 41 is provided having one or more transparent sides 42 and within which a camera 43, of the motion picture type having its lens 44 outwardly disposed to cover the field viewed through the transparentsic'le. The film is arranged to be reeled off automatically by means of propeller 45 rotatably mounted upon the top of the casing 41 and arranged to transmit motion to a gear 46 in mesh with a bevel gear 47, this latter being keyed to a shaft 50 which carries a bevel gear 51 in mesh with a bevel gear 52 fixed to the reeling off spindle 53 of the camera 43. The pitch of the blades of the propeller 45 is such as to operate, preferably, only during the rising of the apparatus and the ratio of the gearing is proportioned to operate the film at a proper feeding speed.

. If desired to illuminate the water surrounding the casing 41, light rays may be projected outwardly by means of an electric search light 54 and employing a reflector 55.

In the operation of the device the pistons 16 are normally held in their innermost positions by the action of the springs 22 and in this position the bars 33 project across the space between the meeting ends of the pipes 34 in order to support the cable 30 and hold the jaws 26 of the bucket 25 in open position, while also carrying the weight 36. The valve 21 of the filled compressed air reservoir is normally closed and the device may be lowered into the water. When this takes place the tanks fill with water through the openings 15 and the weight causes the ap aratus to sink to the bottom of the body 0 water. The trip rod 23 is of such a length that when the bucket 25 is in position to do its work the rod 23 strikes the bottom, thereby causing the valve 2'1 to open and release the air to the two tanks 13. The pistons 16 are then forced outwardly expelling the water from each tank and also releasing the ring members 32 and 40, in consequence of which the Weight 36 is dropped and the bucket jaws 26 are free to close. The device being lightened by the loss of the water and the weight thereupon rises thus causing the bucket jaws to close and bring to the surface its contents scooped from the surface of the ocean bed. In rising to the surface the propeller 45 actuates the film of the camera 43 and causes pictures of the surrounding body of water to be taken.

I It will now be apparent that a complete u'r'iitary'device has been devised for the purpose of collecting and salvaging articles on the b'ottdm' of the ocean or the like and whereby the operation is carried out automatically and dredging or recovery operations made Where ordinary methods of sending down divers is impractical. While but one form of the present invention is here shown it is to be understood that the device may be variously constructed and modified Without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the ap-' pended claims.

Having now described the invention what we claim is 1. In a submarine apparatus, the combination of a body arranged to be submerged in a body of water, a plurality of ballast tanks carried by said body, a reservoir con.

tainingcompressed air, a scoop member. secured to said body, means to normally hold sald member open for a scooping operation,

pistons respectively mounted in said tanks a ballast tank carried thereby and arranged a to sink said body when filled with water, a reservolr containlng compressedalr, means operated by contact with the bottom of said 3 body of water to replace the contents of said tank with air from said reservoir, a weight suspended from said body, and means in cluding a movable piston to release said weight automatically.

3. In a submarine apparatus, a body adapted to be'submerged in a body of water, a ballast tank carried thereby and arranged to sink said body when filled with water, a reservoir containing compressed air, meansoperated by contact with the bottom of said body of water to replace the contents'of said tank with air from'said reservoir, a weight suspended fromsaid body, means including a pistonmovably mounted in said tan-k to'release said weight automatically, and means to collect and bring? up. articles or material from thebottom of said body of Water.

4..In' a submarine apparatus,.a body a r-v ranged to be submerged in a body of water, a ballast tank carried thereby and adapted to sink sald body when filled with water, a

reservoir containing compressed air, a bucket provided with pivoted scoop jaws, means to normally hold said jaws open, and means simultaneously operated by contact with the bottom of said body of water to replace the contents of said tank and to release said jaws, whereby articles or material from said bottom are collected in said bucket and said body rises to the surface.

5. In a submarine apparatus, a body arranged to be submerged in a body of water, a ballast tank carried thereby and adapted to sink said body when filled with water, a reservoir containing compressed air, means operated by contact with the bottom of said body of water to replace the contents of said tank with air from said reservoir to cause said body to rise, and means operated by the rising movement for taking photographs.

6. In a submarine apparatus, a body arranged to be submerged in a body of water, a ballast tank carried thereby and adapted to sink said body when filled with water, a reservoir containing compressed air, means operated by contact with the bottom of said body of water to replace the contents of said tank with air from said reservoir to cause said body to rise, and means operated by the rising movement of said body for taking motion pictures of the surrounding body of water.

GIUSEPPE FORMIGLIA. ANTONIO MAULO.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.