US2999634A - Contour device - Google Patents

Description

F. E. WALKER CONTOUR DEVICE Sept. 12, 1961 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent 2,999,634 CONTOUR DEVICE Franklin E. Walker, Brockton, Mass. (6251 Nottingham Drive, Washington 22, DC.) Filed Jan. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 788,240 6 Claims. (Cl. 23S- 61) This invention relates to a new and improved device for representing an irregular surface such as that of a plotr of ground and making measurements relative thereto.

One object of my invention is to produce a device by means of which yan irregmlar ground surface can be easily plotted from -field notes so that its general characteristics as a whole may be readily seen at a glance. Another object is to produce an instrument for quickly and readily determining the amount of excavation or fill necessary to convert such an irregular surface into one which is level or having a desired slope. My machine seeks to enable one to balance the material to be excavated against that to be deposited so that the minimum net amont of what must either be brought in or taken away is determined. Ordinarily such determination requires long and tedious mathematical calculations, which are dispensed with by means of my instrument.

The above and other objects are accomplished by the means shown in the accompanying drawings, fully set forth in the following description, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Inthe drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my machine;

FIG. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of FIG. l, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3--3` of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is. a. front elevation, detail part;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the same part; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective, partly in section, of the lower portion of part of my machine.

As best shownby FIGS. 1 and 2, a base 1, which may be of metal, hardwood or plastic, has mounted upon it three separate units, A, a rubber container; B, a gear box; and C, a cylinder. I have found approximately seventeen by sixteen inches to -be desirable for the base, and to have a height of about seven inches for the container when in expanded condition, contracting to a height of about two inches when in compressed condition. The above dimensions are merely suggestive.

The container A will first be described, reference being made to FIGS. 1 and 2. There are two similar longitudinal walls 2 andv two similar end walls 3, only one of which i's visible in FIG. 1. These four walls are of rubber, and each has similar upper and lower flanges 4, the lower ones being' so bonded tothe base 1` as to form air-tight joints. The upper flanges 4 are perforated at their corners and intermediate of their longitudinal sides to slidingly receive the guide pins 5 which are anchored in the base 1 as shown in FIG. 2. This construction :nakes it possible to collapse the container upon the base.

As best shown by FIG. 2, the top of the container is :omposed of two sheets 6y andl 7 of elastic rubber, the lpper one' 7 being subdivided by horizontal lines 8 and Iertical ones 9' into a series of squares, each being one lquare inch in area. As shown, this subdivided area of he top isboundedby a margin, these marginal portions )eing bonded to the upper flanges 4 -ofI the sides soas o form air-'tight joints. lt will be seen from FIGS. l tnd,2 that beneath eachintersection of the lines, that is tt each-corner of a square, a circular disc 10 is located, hese discs being between and bonded to both the lower ind uppery sheets 6l and 7. Each.- disc is-anchored. to a able l'l'which extends through a coiled expansion spring on a larger scale, of a 12, these cables being of metal, fiber or plastic. At the bottom of the container is a grid 13 resting upon the base 1, the perforations 14 of which are located to correspond to that of the discs 10 in the cover. The cables` 11 descend vertically from the cover and pass through the holes of the grid to an underlying space 15 hollowed out in the base 1. Spacers are placed between the grid and the bottom of the recess to keep them the proper distance apart.

Outside the container A between its longitudinal wall and that of the gear box B extends a spacer block 16 provided with circular passages 17 through each of which passes one of the cables 12. In diagrammatic partial view in FIG. 6, each cable is designated by the numeral 11 with successive exponents for each one in a column. As shown, the cable 111 passes through the lowest hole 14l of a column, then turning 90 to pass through the first hole 17 at the right end of the spacer block 16. In like manner the second cable 112 passes through the second hole 142 of the column and then through the second hole of the spacer block, it being evident that each cable except the first must run diagonally from its hole in the grid to that in the spacer block. Since the columns of holes are an inch apart, there is room enough in the spacer block to accommodate all cables coming from one column of holes before starting upon those of a succeeding one. The cables all pass through the spacer block directly into the gear box unit. It is evident that since each cable is directly connected to a disc 10 of the composite double layer cover, any desired portion thereof may be depressed by pulling the proper cable 1l against the action of the expanding spring 12 encircling it. Each row of points of intersection of the lines 8 and 9 on the cover (where cable attachments are made by means of the discs 10) is given a color to aid in the selection of the proper cable to be drawn by means described below. Each cable is graduated into unit and half unit lengths indicated by separate colors, a labeled guide key indicating their meaning being placed on top of the gear box unit described below.

The gear box unit is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, although FIG. 1 shows its relation to the whole device; Brackets 1S of metal or plastic are mounted at each end upon the base 1, being bonded to it so as to be air-tight, and their upper right-hand corners being connected by a steel rod 19. The upper left-hand corner of the box is supported by the ends of a system of closely adjacent Winder carriers 29 described below, this system extending the full length of the unit. Over the frame thus formed by the brackets 18, the rod 19 and the ends of the Winder carriers 29 is stretched a rubber cover 20 bonded in an air-tight manner at its ends to the brackets 18, along its front bottom longitudinal edge to the base 1, and along its rear bottom longitudinal edge to the upper surface of the spacer block 17 through which pass the cables 11 into the interior of this unit. Along the front of the unit extends a window 21 of any transparent material which can be bonded to the cover 20.

Within the gear box unit is the operating mechanism. The first member of this is an electric motor 22 of the type used to operate automatic pencil Sharpeners. It is mounted on a suitable support and has on its shaft a pinion 23 engaging a gear 24 that in turn engages a gear 25 which directly engages another gear 26, it being evident that Ithe last two gears 25 and 26 must turn in opposite directions, and therefore the similar pinions 27, one carried by each, must also revolve in opposite directions. These pinions are splined gears which 4extend the full length of the unit. These splined pinions are formed from rubber, plastic or metal cylinders having as cores steel rods. The gears 24, 25` and 26 are stamped from metal or plastic.

The pinions 27 are i for alternative engagement by gears 23, a pair of which are mounted on each Winder carrier 29.

One Winder carrier 29 and associated parts are best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The upper part is an integral member which intermediate its length forks into two portions 30 between which are mounted the gears 28 forming parts of a winding drum 31, the drum and gears being mounted upon a pin bearing carried by the forks 30. Below its forked portion the carrier 29 has a cross arm 33, the ends of which have extending from them at an angle the ilanges 34, the ilange at one end extending in the opposite direction from that at the other end. Each flange engages a swinging pawl 35 and keeps it in contact with one of a pair of bumpers 37 extending the full length of the unit and formed of steel rods covered with rubber. Each pawl 35 is pivotally mounted upon one of a pair of rods 36, and normally contacts one of the pair of gears 28 holding it against rotation, these gears being pressed from sheet metal. Each carrier 29 is at its lower end pivotally mounted upon a rod 38 running the full length of the gear unit. In the neutral position shown by FIG. 2, the gears 28 are out of contact with either pinion 27 and are locked by the pawls. If now the carrier 29 is swung upwardly, its gears 28 engage the pinion 27 attached to the gear 25 and rotates in one direction, having been carried out of contact with the left-hand pawl, While the righthand one ratchets over the gear teeth because ofthe shape of the pawl tooth. If the carrier 29 is lowered, the wheels 23 engage the pinion 27 attached to the gear 26. In this case the right-hand pawl has been released from contact with the gears 23, while the left-hand one ratchets over them. There is a carrier and drum arrangement for each cable, and all the ends of carriers carrying drums connected to cables coming from the same row of discs are colored to correspond to that on the upper cover sheet 7 mentioned above, so that by looking through Window 21 the proper carrier 29 with its winding mechanism can be selected. As has been stated above, the ends of the carriers are directly beneath the cover as shown in FIG. 2. As shown by the same figure, an operating lever 39 is pivotally mounted upon a rod 4t) extending across the gear unit directly above the cover 20. This lever as shown has a forked end which can be slid into `engagement with the end of any one of the carriers 29. This rod 40 is supported by brackets 43 mentioned hereafter. Each cable 11 after passing through one of the holes 17 in the spacer block 16 is led over an idler pulley 41 to its winding hub 31 to be wound or un- Wound in the manner described above. It is to be understood that the constantly running motor 22 keeps in rotation the gears 24, and 2.6 together with the pinions 27. Through the window 21 the differently colored units of length can be read as the cables 11 are wound or unwound. When any cable is unwound, its slack is taken up by its expansive spring 12. The toothed gears 24 to 28 may be replaced by friction ones. Each drum 31 is driven at one revolution a second.

The cylinder unit C is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A cylinder 42 of transparent material is supported between the brackets 43 which are mounted upon the base 1. In

it is a sliding piston 44 which has no piston rod and which is concave at each end to form a flexible skirt which tends to be pressed by the enclosed air into sealing contact with the cylinder wall. At each end is a vent 45 communicating with the atmosphere, this vent being controlled by any form of valve, though I have shown a slide type. Also I have shown at one end a tube 48 which puts the cylinder into communication with the gear box unit B. Since the openings 17 in the spacer block 16 give communication with the container unit A, all three units thus form one air-tight receptacle. Upon the cylinder 42 are two scales. The upper scale 46 represents cubic units of the container unit, while the lower scale 47 reads in each direction from a zero mark, the readings on one side showing the units added by any expansion of the cover due to unwinding of the cable drums 31 and action of the springs 12, while the readings on the other side show the units lost due to contraction of the cover by the Winding up of the cables.

The device is operated as follows:

For a problem concerning the amount of cut and ll necessary to level an airstrip, the civil engineer makes his regular elevation readings in the usual manner. He then proceeds to set up the problem on the device. He selects a scale of distance to be used for each unit of distance on the container cover 7. He then starts at one corner and works either up or across the setting points determined by the intersection of the lines 8 and 9. The coloring of the ends of the carriers 29 facilitate this, as well as the coloring of the unit lengths on the cables 11, observations being made through the window 21. The lever 39 is moved up or down to either wind or unwind each cable 11 in the manner already described, eachl drum being locked by the pawls 35 when the desired reading has been reached. At the completion of this setting operation there results a representation of the surface which may be studied. During the above setting operation both the cylinder vents 45 are open to the atmosphere.

The piston 44 may now be moved to the zero mark on the lower scale 47 by gently blowing into the appropriate open vent 45, these then being closed. The engineer then adjusts the cable to produce the desired airstrip surface, and in doing this he endeavors to so give here and take there as to keep the piston as near as possible to the zero mark on the lower scale, this indicating that all cuts have been balanced by ills. The nal cut indicates the net amount of cut or till. He then takes the indicated readings at each point to determine the setting of his grading stakes.

In a problem concerning the amount of water backed up by a dam the engineer sets up the system in the same manner, then closes one vent 45. The only diierence is he moves the piston to the opposite end of the cylinder from the tube 48. By means of the carriers 29 he sets up a darn on the device. From the cylinder he can read the fill necessary for the dam. He then resets the piston to zero and brings all the points behind the dam up to the proposed water level. The piston detlects to the mark showing the exact amount of water, in cubic units of the device that will be backed up behind the dam. In case the cylinder will not measure the full amount of the volume in one setting, the valve 45 can be opened, the piston repositioned, and the valve closed again. Then the water level can be raised to take care of the balance necessary. This procedure can be repeated if necessary to measure any amount of fill that can be recorded on the device.

For military use, tactical contour problems can be set up, the air cylinder not being used.

With my device an operator can get desired results in a rapid manner where otherwise complicated mathematics would be required. An operator can in very little time be taught its use.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A contour device comprising a supported flexible surface subdivided into areas, a multiplicity of Winder carriers, a multiplicity of flexible cables anchored at one end in said flexible surface to depend downwardly therefrom and anchored at the other end each in one of said Winder carriers, an expansion spring around each of said flexible cables for upwardly urging said flexible surface, a stationary gear box from which said Winder carriers may be controlled to vary through said flexible cables the height of said flexible surface, and indicia means at said gear box serving as indicia of the height at which each said flexible cable holds its respective portion of said flexible surface.

2. The contour device of claim 1 in which said surface is a portion of an air-tight container, and which includes means for measuring the changes of volume in said container.

3. A contour device comprising a supported exible surface, a multiplicity of Winder carriers, a multiplicity of llexible cables anchored at one end in said exible surface to depend downwardly therefrom and anchored at the other end each in one of said Winder carriers to adjust said exible cables, and an expansion spring around each of said flexible cables for upwardly urging said flexible surface.

4. The device of claim 3 in which said Winder carriers are correspondingly pivotally mounted in side-by-side relation, each winder carrier including a winding drum in which said cables are anchored and a carrier gear concentric therewith, and which includes a pair of oppositely rotating spline gears each extending alongside said carrier gears on opposite sides thereof, a pawl pivotally mounted on each side of each said carrier gear for intermittent movement out of engagement therewith, an elastic bumper associated with each said pawl for normally urging the same into engagement with its respective carrier gear, each said winder carrier including also a handle for use in moving the same about the pivotal mounting thereof and a pair of opposed anges positioned to engage said pawls, whereby said winder carriers may be selectively pivoted in one direction to release one said pawl and engage one said spline gear or in the other direction to release the other said pawl and engage the other said spline gear, the pawls having a ratchet action in opposite directions whereby when one pawl of a pair thereof is disengaged the direction given the Winder gear by the spline gear engaged is such that the other pawl of said pair does not impede movement of said carrier gear.

5. A differential volume contour device comprising a flexible surface collapsibly supported over a base to deline with other elements an air-tight zone therebetween, an air-tight gear box communicating with said zone, a cylinder mounted for selective communication with said zone, a multiplicity of flexible cables anchored each at one end thereof in said liexible surface and at the other end thereof in separate tensioning means for moving the same downwardly at said exible surface, and a multiplicity of springs mounted around said cables and extending between said base and said flexible surface for constantly urging the latter upward, said tensioning means being mounted in said gear box for independent operation by means positioned outside an air-tight wall thereof, and said cylinder including a piston for movement therealong to register changes of volume in said zone.

6. A differential volume contour device comprising a llexible surface, a multiplicity of separate tensioning means for independently raising and lowering separate points on said surface, means cooperating with said surface to dene therebeneath an air-tight zone, means outside an air-tight wall of said device for operating said tensioning means, and air-tight volumetric measurement means selectively ventable with said zone.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,278,632 Gerashenevsky Sept. 10, 1918 2,612,700 Frisk Oct. 7, 1952 2,685,749 Davenport Aug. 10, 1954 2,869,058 Poland Ian. 13, 1959 2,928,176 Hallisey Mar. 15, 1960

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