US624866A - riddell - Google Patents

Description

No. 624,866. Patented May 9, I899. J. RIDDELL.

GRADE DELINEATOB.

(Application filed Apr. 15, 1898.).

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 624,866. Patented May 9, I899. J. RIDDELL.

GRADE DELINEATOR.

(Application filed Apr. 16, 1898.)

(No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet 2.

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WITNEEEES- @HCLMZZ. mwwoma No. 624,866. Patented May 9, I899.

J. BIDDELL.

GRADE DELINEATOR.

(Application filed Apr. 16, 1898.) a Sheets-Sheet 3.

WITNEEEEE- H G (1. HM h m4mWQ2 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

J OHN RIDDELL, OF SOHENECTADY, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTH TO ALEXANDER F. MACDONALD, OF SAME PLACE.

GRADE-DELINEATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 624,866, dated May 9, 1899.

Application filed April 15, 1898. Serial No. 677,665. (No model.)

ing the profile of a path traveled over in.

which the marker is mounted on. an oscillating frame and is free to travel back and forth thereon as the actuating-pendulum changes its position with respect 'to the machine, due;

to changes in the grade.

I have found. that in machines similar to the one described, which depend for their action upon a swinging pendulum, there is always a certain amount of lost motion between the pendulum and the marker-support and that this lost motion becomes more marked as the parts wear. This would not be so objectionable if the grades were all one way, as the machine could be properly calibrated, but where the machine is intended for all kinds of grades, rough or smooth, it introduces errors into the readings of the instrument. I have also found that a machine will not give the same reading when started at the top of a hill and Worked down as when started at the bottom and worked up, due to the same cause.

My invention has for one of its objects to provide a machine which will accurately record the profile of a path traveled over without regard to the direction in which the machine travels, whether it be up or down grade.

My invention further has for its object to improve the construction and general arrangement of the machine, as set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which show an embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a profile-delineating machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the marker-frame. Fig. at is a side elevation of abicycle with the machine operatively attached thereto. Fig.

5 is a sectional detail, and Fig. 6 is a modification of the marker.

The frame of the machine consists of two flat plates A and A, which are separated and held in position by the rods B and B, and also by the shafts O and D of the reel 0 and the drum D. The paper or other recording surface I is mounted on the reel 0 and is passed over the drum D to the reel E, in a manner hereinafter described. Secured to the side plate A is a curved arm F, which carries the oscillating marker-frame G. The arm is provided with a vertical portion F, which furnishes a bearing for the vertical stem G of the marker-frame. At the upper end of the portion F is mounted a yoke F into which the ends of a flat spring F are inserted. Mounted on the spring is a body of metal, which furnishes a support for the adj usting-screw a, and to lock the screwin place a check-nut a is provided. By adjusting the vertical height of the screw a the tension on the spring is changed and the marker H will make a greater or less impression upon the recording-surface.

The marker-frame is forked on its lower side, and mounted in thearms of the fork is a cylindrical shaft G upon which the marker H is free to travel back and forth in an unobstructed manner. Oneend of the frame is grooved, and mounted therein is an adj ustable loose-fitting arm J, having a thickened portion at one end to form a bearing and a set-screw G at the other for securing the flexible connection T, which connects the markerframe with the pendulum Q. Situated on each side of the arm are adjusting-screws J These are so arranged that the position of the 0 marker-frame and the indicator X, carried thereby, may be brought to the zero position on scale X, the latter being secured to the side frame A. There being a certain amount of spring in the arm J considerable adjust- 5 ment may be obtained, althoughit is not intended to make any very decided adj ustments at this point, the larger adjustments being made by changing the length of the flexible connection T either side of a central :00 position.

The marker H'consists of a cylindrical body .of metal having an extended hub H to give it a sufficient bearing. on the shaft G The central portion of the marker is provided with a circular knife-edge H which is serrated for perforating or marking the recordingsurface I. The marker is free to travel back and forth on the shaft G and will, when the marker-frame is set at an angle to its normal plane, travel across the recording-surface and record the profile of the path traveled over. By properly adjusting the parts the marker may be made to record changes in vertical heights at the same scale as the linear distances, but as the changes in altitude are comparatively small with respect to the distances traveled over it is preferable to make the vertical scale greater than the horizontal; but in either event the record made by the machine is direct-reading and requires no calculation to determine the profile of the path.

Mounted on flat springs K are pencils K, which are employed to rule the reading-surface I, although ruled paper may be substituted for the plain and the pencils dispensed with. same straight line, are so arranged that they occupy positions nearer the support K as they leave the center. This is to permit the oscillating frame G to have a wide range of movement without increasing thelength of the machine.

The springs K are mounted in the support K which is supported by the side plates A and A of the frame. The support K is pivotally secured in place, and a nut K is employed to regulate the tension on the springs K by clamping the support in various positions'. If desired, the support may be rotated backward until the pencils are out of contact with the ,paper and locked by the nut while in that position. In order to give the proper tension to the paper, the reel D is provided with an adjustable friction-brake L, which operates on the hub of shaft D.

Referring to Fig.5, the arrangement of the parts employed for moving the paper is clearly shown. The paper on leaving the reel D passes upward over the marker-table M, and thence partially around the positivelysdriven drum 0 and the spring-pressed drum N to the reel E. The shaft of drum N is mounted in spring-pressed blocks N which move up and down in guides N located on the outside of the frame-plates. The pressure of the drum on the paper I and belt P is regulated by means of the spring N and the ad justing-screws N I have found that where the marker-table M is covered with a fixed piece of leather or similar material to form a cushion it soon becomes filled with small perforations or grooves, due to the marker Il, and that it requires a considerable movement on the part of the pendulum to withdraw the marker from said grooves or perforations. To overcome this difficulty, I employ a belt P, made of leather or other material having a firm texture, yet being soft enough to act as a pad or cushion for the marker. One end of the belt The pencils, instead of being. in the formed on the upper end of the rod \V is arranged to pass over the pulley P and the other end over the drum O.

Mounted on the frame of the machine or on a separate support is a reel E, which winds up the paper after the record has been made thereon. This I have found to be a particularly desirable feature, for it enables me to remove the old record and substitute a reel of paper with but slight difficulty, and, moreover, the record is open to inspection as it moves along. Situated on one side of the reel is a pulley E, (shown in dotted lines,) and running around this pulley and a corresponding pulley C on the drum 0 is a belt 0. The pulley on the drum being a trifle longer than the one on reel E the latter will tend to travel faster than the drum, but this being prevented by the paper the belt will slip slightly and a tension on the paper will be maintained at all times and practically without regard to the diameter of the rolls of paper on the reel. On the end of the drum 0 is mounted a wheel V and meshing therewith is a worm W that is The rod W' is supported at its lower end by a suitable bearing which is mounted on the frame of the bicycle. The lower end of the rod is provided with a worm W, which meshes with a worm-wheel W, carried by the rear wheel. The drum being positively geared to a moving wheel of the vehicle, it will cause an amount of paper to be unwound from the reel corresponding to the distance traveled over. I have found a scale of twenty inches to the mile to be very satisfactory. I have found that to make a machine 0 this character register accurately at all times it is necessary to avoid connections between the marker and the pendulum which are liable to lost motionas, for example, the ordinary pin-and-slot connection, To overcome this, the pendulum Q is connected to the markerframe by means of flexible connectionas, for example, a cord or wire T. Thus, the weight being directly connected to the markerframe instead of being supported by a pivot, there is no chance for lost motion, the pendulum itself taking up all slack or looseness. Mounted on the ends of the f rame-rods B and B are sets of pulleys R and R, and mounted in the pendulum Q are corresponding sets of pulleys Q and Q the several sets uniting to form a differential pulley system. The central portion of the cord T is secured to the marker-frame by the adjusting thu mb-nut G and one end passes over one of the pulleysin set R, thence around one of the pulleys in set Q, and so on until the proper number of turns have been made, after which the end of the cord is secured, as at U. The opposite end of the cord passes around the pulleys R and Q in a similar manner and is secured at U. I have shown three pulley-Wheels in each of the upper sets, although only two of them are employed; but it is evident that I may employ a greater or less number without depart- IIC ing from my invention. The pendulum being suspended entirely by the flexible connection T,which is connected to the marker-frame G, the latter is not permitted to move except whenthe pendulum moves. The arrangement of the pulleys,weight, and marker is such that the marker is always brought to the same position each time the pendulum moves a certain definite amount, without regard to whether the machine is moving up or down grade.

To prevent the pendulum fromswinging laterally, pivoted guide V is employed which extends through the body of the weight and is provided with a nut at its lower end to prevent the weight from dropping in case the cord T breaks. The weight and movement of the pendulum are entirely independent of the guide V, except in so far as the latter is prevented from swinging across the path of travel. No means are shown for adjusting the cord T, as it is deemed unnecessary, as any one of a number of well-known devices may be employed.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Motion being transmitted to the drum C by means of the worm-wheel W, worm W, rod V worm W and worm-wheel IV, the paper is withdrawn from reel D at a rate depending 'upon the speed atwhich the bicycle is driven.

So long as the profile of the path is level the marker H will make a straight mark or a series of small perforations; but as soon as the profile changes either up or down the pendulum will cause the marker-frame to be deflected agreater or less amount from the position shown and the marker will travel across the paper at an angle, the amount depending By arranging the marker H loosely upon the oscillating frame and permitting it to move freely thereon I am enabled to make a record of the path traveled over, which is directreading-that is to say, the profile is indicated thereonand not a series of points or lines from which it is necessary to calculate in order to obtain even an approximate idea of the profile.

\Vhen the vertical scale of the machine is such that the marker is about to run off the paper while traveling on a grade, it is only necessary to slide the marker bodily on the shaft G3 from one edge of the paper to the other and the machine will register asbefore. When the record is removed from the machine, it can be cut at the places where the marker was shifted, the ends of the indications matched, and the part-s of the record pasted together. By this arrangement the machine has a practically unlimited range of operation in the vertical plane and it is a simple matter to supply new rolls of paper for the horizontal plane.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a modification of the marker H on a somewhat-enlarged scale. The marker is so arranged that it will make a certain number of revolutions for each mile traveled, and to facilitate reading the record one or more special teeth h are cut on the marker, so that once in so often-say every eighth of a mile-a perforation is made which differs from the adjacent ones. This is particularly useful where the paper is only ruled longitudinally.

I have shown my invention in connection with a bicycle, as this represents the cheapest and simplest form of construction; but for certain classes of work where greater accuracy is required and additional weight no objection I make the parts of the machine larger and mount it upon a different type of vehi-' cleas one having four wheels, for example.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of a marker-frame, a marker mounted thereon, a pendulum, and a flexible connector between the pendulum and the marker-frame which sustains the pendulum. w

2. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of a marker-frame,

a marker mounted thereon, and capable of independent movement, a pendulum, and a flexible connector between the pendulum and the marker-frame which sustains the pendulum.

3. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the com bination of a marker-frame, a marker mounted thereon, means for changing the position of the marker when the profile of the route changes, and a flexible connector between said means and the markerframe which sustains the pendulum, whereby lost motion between them is prevented.

4. In a machine for profiling the path of a.

route traveled over, the combination of an oscillating support, a marker sleeved on the support in such manner that it is free to rotate and also to move laterally, means for causing the lateral movement of the marker, and a flexible connection between the said means and the support for the marker.

5. In a device for profiling a route traveled over, adapted to be mounted on a vehicle and operated thereby, the combination of means for continuously moving the recording-surface as the vehicle progresses,a rotary marker, a support upon which the marker is free to rotate and also to move laterally, the arrangement being such that the marker may rotate without moving laterally or bothmotions may take place simultaneously,-depending on the profile of the route traveled over, means for changing the position of the support as the profile of the route varies, whereby the marker is permitted to travel laterally along its support and across a recording-surface at an angle and indicate the profile of the route, and a flexible connector between said means and the support for preventing lost motion.

6. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of a marker, asupport therefor, a pendulum, and a cord for sustaining the pendulum, and also for connecting it to the support for the marker.

7. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of a marker, a support therefor, a flexible connector, and a pendulum which is suspended from the machine by the flexible connector, which connector also serves to transmit motion from the pendulum to the marker.

8. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of a marker, a support therefor, pulley-wheels mounted on the frame of the machine, a pendulum, pulleywheels mounted on the pendulum, and a flexible connector which runs over the pulleywheels and sustains the weight of the pendulum. Y

9. In a machine for profiling a path trav-' eled over, the combination of a pendulum for actuating the moving parts of the machine, and a flexible connector for sustaining the weight of the pendulum.

10. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of a pendulum for actuating the moving parts of the machine, a flexible connector for sustaining the pendulum, and a guide which prevents lateral movement of the pendulum, but permits free longitudinal movement.

11. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of a pendulum for actuating the moving parts of the machine, a flexible connector for supporting thependulum, and means forsupporting the pendulum in case the flexible connector breaks.

12. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of an oscillating marker-frame, a marker mounted thereon, a pulley-wheel situated on each side of the marker-frame, a pend ulum, a flexible connector extending over the pulleys to sustain the pendulum and connected to the markerframe at a point distant from its center of movement.

13. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of an oscillating marker-frame, a marker mounted thereon, a

pendulum, an adjustable extension-arm on the marker-frame, and a flexible connector between the pendulum and the arm.

14. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of an oscillating marker-frame, a marker mounted thereon, and capable of independent movement, a yoke carried by a fixed part of the machine, and a flat adjustable spring mounted in the yoke for pressing the marker-frame into engagement with a recording-surface.

15. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of a reel upon which the recording-paper is mounted, a pivoted support, a plurality of fiat springs mounted in the support, each provided with a marking device, and means for securing the pivoted support in any desired position.

16. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, having a movable recording-surface, the combination of a marker, a table under the marker, and a moving pad or cushion between the marker and the table.

17. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, having a movable recording-surface, the combination of a marker, a table under the marker, and a positively-driven pad or cushion moving over the table.

18. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, having a movable recording-surface, the combination of a marker, a fixed table under the marker, and a positivelydriven endless belt which acts as a cushion or pad.

19. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of a reel upon which the recording-paper is mounted, a drum over which the paper passes, and a leather belt which is driven by the drum, which acts as a cushion.

20. In a machine for profiling a path traveled over, the combination of a reel upon which the recording-paper is mounted, a drum over which the paper passes, a belt which is driven by the drum, which acts as a cushion, and means for maintaining the proper tension on the belt.

21. In a machine for profiling a route traveled over, the combination of a marker, with a pendulum for moving the marker, which is connected to the marker and suspended from the machine by a flexible connector.

22. In a machine for profiling a route trav-v eled over, the combination of a marker, a frame therefor which is slotted at one end, an arm mounted in the slot, and adjustingscrews for moving the arm.

23. In a machine for recording the profile of a route traveled over, the combination of a rotary marker having a serrated marking edge, with one or more of the serrations made of a different shape, for indicating given distances.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of April, 1898.

JOHN RIDDELL.

Vitnesses:

B. B. HULL, A. H. ABELL.

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