US398326A - Steering apparatus - Google Patents

Description

(Ne-Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

J. L. HORNIG.

' STEERING APPARATUS.

Ne.398,326. Patented Feb. 19, 1889.

E l l. Y meeuw.:

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. L. H-ORNIG.

STEERING APPARATUS'.

190.898.828. Patented Feb. 19, 1889.

`Sill/1.18111. lo z NITEDA STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.IULIUS I.. IIORNIG, OF JERSEY CITY, NET JERSEY.

STEERING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,326, dated February 19, 1.889.

Application filed March 12 1888. Serial No. 266,929. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, JULiUs L. Hennie, o Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Steering Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to steering apparatus for vessels in which the rudder is moved by the admission to a cylinder of a fluid-as air, steam, or water-under pressure, acting upon a piston in such cylinder connected With a rudder, the admission of the fluid to the cylinder being controlled by a hand-operated valve. I prefer to employ such a valve as is set forth in my application, Serial No. 265,063, filed February 28, 1888, which has a central position in the valve-chest, at which all inlet and outlet ports of the cylinder are closed, and air is admitted to or released from the ends of the cylinder to move the piston in one direction or the other by the movement of the valve in the valve-chest in one direction or the other.

The main object of my present invention is to so arrange the apparatus that the valve will be brought back to its central position, or position of closing the cylinder-ports, by the movement of the rudder, so that upon the stoppage of the movement of the steering wheel or handle controlling the valve the valve will be at once returned to its closing position.

A further obj ectis to so combine the power steering apparatus with hand steering apparatus that if at any time the power apparatus becomes inoperative, or if for any other reason it is desired not to use it, the hand apparatus may be readily used instead.

Further, my obj eet is generally to increase the simplicity, convenience, and effectiveness of iluidpressure steering apparatus.

My invention consists in the novel devices and combinations of devices employed by me in accomplishing the above-named objects, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a general view of steering apparatns embodying my invention; 2, a view, partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section, of the operating paris, and Fig. a fgfrosssection thereof.

A is the rudder, and B the tiller attached to the rudder-post.

C is the fluid-pressure cylinder, within which is a piston, and from which the piston-rod D D extends at both ends. From the ends of the piston-rod chains E E extend, passing over sheaves a a to the tiller B, so that the movement of the piston moves the rudder in one direction or the other.

F is the valve-chest containing the controlling-valve, of which b is the valve-rod.

c is the inlet and d the outlet for the air or other fluid.

e e are relief-cocks for the ends of the cylinder, and e a cock in the inlet-pipe.

G is a hand steering-drum having handwheels H l-I for turning it, and connected by a rope, I, running over sheaves f f to the tiller B. K

K is the steering-wheel or other turninghandle on a shaft, g, having its bearings in the end of a box or case, L, which has a removable cover, and in the bevel-gear 7i, which is on the shaft t' of the hand-drum G, with which shaft g is in line but not in mechanical connection. Upon shaft gis a bevel gear- Wheehk, and also awheel, Z, loose on the shaft, the lower side of which has teeth engaging with a gear-wheel, m. Upon one of the spokes of wheel Z is loosely mounted a bevel gearwheel, n, engaging with both gear-wheelsh and It'. A projection, o, on wheel m extends through a slot in the top of box I. and forms an indicator of position of the valve. This furnishes an epicyclic train of gearing, the turning of the wheel Z being due to the motion of the wheel n, which is dependent on the relative motions of wheels h and k. The shaft p of gear-wheel mextends down preferably through the deck, and has at its lower end a pulley, q, from which a chain or cord, M, extends to a pulley,r,on a spindle, N, having a pinion, s, which engages a rack on the valve-rod b for moving the same.

O is a casing for shaft p, within which also is a hollow shaft, t, having a handle, u, for turning it, and carrying a pulley, o, from which a chain or cord, P, extends to a pulley, w, on spindle fw', the last being connected by rods with cocks e c and e. y

The operation of this apparatus is as follows: VWhen it is desired to move the rudder,

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the operator turns the wheel K in the required direction, whereby the wheel It' is turned, and this moves the Wheel Z, shaft fi and wheel 7L being'at this time stationary, and the motion is transmitted by wheel m, shaft p, pulley q, chain M, pulley r, spindle N, and pinion s to valve-rod b, and the valve is moved so as to affect the pressure in the cylinder and move the piston therein, whose motion will'be transmitted by piston-rod D and chain E to the rudder. It is evident that so long as the two gear-wheels 71. and 7tturn at the same speed the gear-wheel a between them will be stationary; but if one moves when the other is still, or if one moves faster than the other, the wheel a will have a bodily movement which will move the wheel l in one or the other direction. Thus when the piston moves, its motion is transmitted through the rudder and through rope I to drum G, shaft t', and wheel h, and so as long as the helmsman keeps moving the wheel 7c in conformity with h the wheel Z does not turn; but when he releases the wheel K or holds it still the piston through drum G will cause the wheel l to turn, and the valve will be brought back to its central or closing position again. So long as the helmsman continues the movement of the wheel K the valve will be kept steadily in the same position, it being at first moved to the desired position because the wheel K begins to move before the piston does.

The helmsman can always see what is the position of the rudder by observing the position of the wheel H, and he also has a constant indication of the position of the valve by the position of the projection 0.

-If for any reason it is required to steer by hand instead of by power, the handle u is turned, and by means of hollow shaft t and chain P the inlet-cock e is closed and the relief-cocks e e are opened, so that the cylinder will not interfere with the hand-steering. Then the steering is accomplished by the hand-wheels II H through rope I in the ordinary manner. l

It will be seen that the whole apparatus is very conveniently arranged, so that the operator of the power steering apparatus can readily control its use and substitute the hand steering apparatus at any time, and so that such operator has always full indication of the effect both on the valve and on the rudder of his movements of the steeringwheel.

All the operating parts are readily accessible for inspection or repair.

That I claim is l. The combination of the rudder, the powercylinder, and piston for moving it, the hand steering-wheel connected with the rudder, the power steering-wheel, a bevel-gearon the shaft of said hand. steering-wheel, a bevel-gear on the shaft of said power steering -wheel, a bevel-gear engaging with both said gears, a gear-wheel carrying said last-mentioned bevelgear, another gear-wheel with which said carrying-wheel engages, and connections from the shaft of said last-mentioned gear-wheel to the valve of the power-cylinder, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the rudder, the powercylinder, and piston for moving it, the power steering-wheel connected with the valve of said cylinder, the hand steering-wheel connected with the rudder, the epicyclic gearing between said wheels, the relief-cocks in the ends of said cylinder, a cock in the inlet of the cylinder, and connections from said cocks to a handle at the place where the steering is performed, substantially as set forth.

The combination of the rudder, the powercylinder and piston for moving it, relief-cocks in the ends of the cylinder, and avalve in the inlet of the cylinder, whereby the use of hand steering apparatus is permitted, substantially as set forth.

l. The combination of the rudder, the powercylinder and piston for moving it, relief-cocks in the ends of said cylinder, a cock in the inlet of the cylinder, and connections from said cocks to a handle situated at the place where the steering is performed, whereby all said cocks may be operated simultaneously, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the rudder, the powercylinder for moving it, the hand steeringwheel, the shaft p, connected with said wheel and with the valve of the cylinder, the reliefcocks for the cylinder, the hollow shaft inclosing shaft p, connections from said hollow shaft to said relief-cocks, and a handle for turning said hollow shaft, substantially as set forth. l

This specification signed and witnessed this 9th day of March, 1888.

.IULIUS L.

IIORNIG. Vitnesses:

IVILLIAM PELZER,

A. W. KIDDLE.

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