US1460331A

US1460331A - Current motor

Info

Publication number: US1460331A
Application number: US444713A
Authority: US
Inventors: Tarbet Albert
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1921-02-14
Filing date: 1921-02-14
Publication date: 1923-06-26
Anticipated expiration: 1940-06-26

Description

June 26, 1923. 1,460,331

A. TARBET CURRENT MOTOR Original Filed Feb. 14 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l Z II June 26, 1923. 1,460,331

I A. TARBET CURRENT MOTOR Original Filed Feb. 14. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mm A/ber/ 7&rb

z azz Patented June 26, 1923.

[UNITED ALBERT TARBE'I, LAKESIDE, CALIFORNIA.

CURRENT MOTOR.

Application filed February m, 1921, Serial No. 444,713. Renewed April 23, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT TARBET, a

. citizen of the United States, residing at Lakeside, in the county of San Diego and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Current Motors, of

which the following is a specification.

It is the object of this invention to provide a current motorof the type comprising an endless flight of impact members so arranged that 'the lower part of the endless flight will be subjected to the flow of the current, While the upper partof'the endless flight moving in the opposite direction is free of the current flow.

It is the object of the invention to provide such a current motor wherein the endless flight may be readily raised and; lowered for adjusting the degree to which the current flow engages the impact members. It is a further object of the invention to so arrange the impact members forming the endless flight that they will be self supporting between the endsprocket shafts over which the endless flight moves, but will readily pivot with relation to one another so that they may pass around thesprocket shafts.

The invention will be readily understood from the folio-wing description of the accompanying drawings, in whichf Figure 1 is a plan view of a motor constructed. in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2- 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of one of the buckets taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4. is a side elevation of one of the buckets.

Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

The current motor may be mounted upon a floating support or upon a fixed support resting upon the bed of the stream in which the motor is arranged. In the present embodiment of the invention I have shown the motor carried by a floating support which is suitably anchored for preventing displacement thereof.

The floating support preferably includes floats l and 2 extending in the direction of flow of the current and transversely spaced. Sprocket shafts 3 and 4c extend across the space between the floats in longitudinally spaced relation and are suitably journaled to arms 5 of bell crank levers suitably pivoted at 6 to the floats. The opposite arms 7 of the bell crank levers are connected by links 8, and an operating link 9 is connected to each of the bell crank levers at one end of the motor so that movement of the operating links will raise and lower the sprocket shafts, and the endless flights carried thereby with relation to the floating support of the motor. Actuating levers 10 are connected to links 9 and are movable withrelation to arcuate locking plates 11 in usual manner so as to lock the endless flights in vertically adjusted; positions with relation to the supporting floats.

The sprocket shafts 3 and 4 are rotated by the movement of the endless flights received around the same, and power is taken from one of the shafts shown as shaft For this purpose a shaft 6 is journaled at the pivots for the bell crank lever supporting shaft 3, and said shaft extends transversely of the floating support between

floats

1 and 2. Pulleys 13-14 upon shafts .3 and 6 are engaged by an endless chain 15 for driving shaft 6, and an endless chain 16 may be received over pulley 14, of shaft 6 and a pulley 17 upon the main shaft of a motor, pump or the like represented at 18 and adapted to'be actuated'by the current motor. The element 18 is preferably mounted upon a suitable support 19 carried by the

floats

1 and 2, and it will be understood that this element may be any mechanism to which itis desired to apply power.

The endless flights carrying the impact members are received around shafts 3 and 4 and are preferably two in number. For each flight two sprocket wheels 20 are fixed in transversely spaced relation upon each of the shafts 3 and 4, and the endless flight received around these sprocket wheels consists of an endless chain of linked buckets having means at the respective sides thereof engaging the sprocket wheels as they pass around the same.

The buckets, shown at 22 are preferably rectangular and during their movement from one sprocket shaft to the other are adapted to abut against one another at their ends 23. The sides of the buckets which are turned outwardly are open as shown at 24, and the rear ends of the buckets with relation tothe direction of flow of the current are also open as shown at 25. A reinforcing rod 26 may connect the side walls of the buckets at the corners of said Walls formed by ends 24Q5.

The link connections provided between the buckets include links 27 upon each of the side walls of the buckets and arranged at the inner ends of the buckets. These links each consist of transversely spaced arcuate plates 28 curved to conform to the curvature of sprocket wheels and having the arcuate plates connected by spaced pins 29 forming recesses arranged to cooperate with the teeth of sprocket wheels 20. The links extend beyond the buckets at one end thereof, and at their opposite end the plates forming the links are outwardly flared as shown at 30 so that the projecting ends of the links of the next adjacent bucket may be received be tween the outwardly flared ends of the link plates. The pins 29 are so spaced along the links that one of these pins will be positioned at each end of the links, and these latter pins shown at 29 are employed for pivot-ally connecting the overlapping ends of the links upon adjacent buckets.

By the arrangement as thus described it will be seen that when the buckets are moving from one sprocket shaft to the other, the end abutment of the linked buckets will support the latter, and when the buckets pass around the sprocket wheels they will readily pivot one with relation to another at their link connections. During this movement around the sprocket wheels the links 27 will engage the teeth of the sprockets,- and will thus transmit power to the sprocket shafts for rotating the same.

It will be understood that the elevation of the endless flights is' so adjusted that the lower portions of the flights moving from one sprocket shaft to the other will be received in the stream, the current of which is adapted to actuate the motor, while the upper portions of the endless flights moving in the reverse direction are above the flow of the stream.

Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the, invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A current motor comprising an endless flight movable over sprocket wheels, said flight comprising buckets having arcuate links on the sides thereof linked to one another so that the bucketsabut against one another during movement from one sprocket to the other, and pivot with relation to one another as the buckets pass around said sprockets, said links being toothed to,engage said sprockets as they pass around the same.

2. A current motor comprising sprocket shafts, an endlessseries of impact members mounted for movement about said shafts, and means for vertically adjusting the shafts and members comprising bell crank levers connected to the shafts, links connecting the bell crank levers with each other, and adj ustable operating levers operatively connected to saidlinks for rocking the bellcrank levers to vary the vertical positions of said shaft.

3. A current motor comprising floats ar- -ranged in spaced relation to each other,

shafts between the floats, sprocket. wheels on the shaft, an endless flight ofbuckets having arcuate links on the sides thereof linked to one another so that the buckets abut against one another during movement from one sprocket to the other, andpivot with re lation to one another as the buckets-pass around said sprockets, said; links being toothed to engage said sprockets, bell crank levers connected to the shafts and pivoted on the floats, links connecting the bell crank levers with each other and adjustable operating levers connectedto the links for rocking the bell crank leversto vary the vertical position of said shafts. j

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT TARBET.