US768567A - Submarine signaling. - Google Patents

Description

H0 MODEL.

MTHEEEEE- A. J. MU'NDY.

PATEN'IED AUG. 23, 1904.

SUBMARINE SIGNALING.

APPLIUATION FILED APR. 23,1902.

' a 8HI1ETH-BHIIBT 1.

PATENTED AUG. 23, 1904.

A. I. MUNDY.

SUBMARINE SIGNALING. APPLICATION rmm APR. 23, 1902;

a wrists-sum 2.

N0 MODEL.

WI HEEEES PATENTED AUG. 23, 1904.

A. J. MUNDY. SUBMARINE SIGNALING.

APPLIUA'IION mm!) APR. 23, 1902.

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N0 MODEL.

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Unrrnn STATES Patented August 23, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE;

ARTI-I'UR J. MUNDY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SUBMA- RINE SIGNAL COMPANY, OF \VATERVILLE, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SUBMARINE SIGNALING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,567, dated August 23, 1904.

Application filed April 23, 1902.

To all? whom it may concern:

Be itknown that 1, Airman J. MuNnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suifollrand State of Massa- 5 chusetls, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Submarine Signaling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, forming apart of this specification,

in explaining its nature.

5 itself into energy in the form of sound-waves,

which waves are thereupon conducted by said medium to other points within it and are there gathered and delivered to actuate the diaphragm of a receiving instrument. The energy arriving at the receiving-station in the form of sound-waves is preferably relayed by means of an electric transmitter to an electric receiver, but may ofcourse be at once conveyed by any sultalilc sound-conductor d1- 5 rectly to the operators receiving instrument without relaying.

The automatic production of sound in water must depend upon a relative movement of the sound-producing body and the mechanism for A bell is perhaps the simplest and best exemplilication of such a sound-producing device. Heretofore for one reason or other the production of sound antomatically has failed of accomplishment. In

fact, until recently no device of the character just referred to adapted for the automatic production of sound had been successfully operated in any way whatever, whether manually, automatically, or otherwise, so as to 4 produce sounds of sullicient intensity and clearness of note to be of practical and commercial value for signaling purposes. This condition existed for years, although eminent engineers recognized the probable value and the possibilities of such a device and vainly endeavored to produce it. Their efforts and experiments were acknowledged failures.

- Of course I am aware of the existence of a Serial No. 104,293. (1V0 mane number of patents, both United States and foreign, alleging to disclose successful signaling systems of this type. ness of such alleged systems appears in most instances on the face of the patents in the insufiiciency of the disclosure, and in other instances actual experiinentation'under the most favorable conditions has demonstrated their inoperativcness; I am also aware of the existence of patents relating to other types of signaling apparatus-such, for instance, as that in which sounds are produced in the water by means of steam injected therein. An inventor-of a device of such type states that his invention was evolved only after experimentation had convinced himself of the utter inoporativeness of a bell for submarine purposes. I have found, on the contrary, that a bell is probably the most cliicient and desirable of all sound-producing devices, provided the same is properly constructed and operated, and I have claimed such a device in patents heretofore granted to me.

My present invention goes a step farther than the more successful operation of various types of submarine sound-producing devices. 'ltrclates to the successful automatic operation of such devices. ,Hitherto it has notbeen found that a, bell or other device submerged in the water could be operated by virtue of the motion of the water alone. The difliculties in the way of the automatic operation of a submerged bell, for instance, are many. [11 the first place the natural movement produced by a wave upon a device suspended or floating in the water is almost entirely up and down, and it is not a lateral or rocking motion, such as would cause the freely-suspended clapper of an ordinary bell tostrike the same. Again, whatever rocking motion the body of such a bell might receive by virtue of its suspension is resisted by the mass of the water itself. Anyimpulse of the water tending to rock the bell-body tends also to rock the clapper within it, and the slight differential movement of the two, due to gravity or relative inertia, produces but a faint contact, if any at all. Even this movement, however, is opposed by the The inoperativepresence oi the water between the bell and clapper. Provided, however, that the action of the clapper or the bell is not impeded by the water between the two, the contaetoi' the water on the outside of the bell acts to so dampen any vibration of the same that all blows of the-clapper must be'clear and powerful to produce any effect. The mere falling of the hammer against hell by reason of its grav ity is hardly sullicient to sound the bell, even if the fall is unimpeded.

For the above reasons and for various other causes, some inherent to the particular device under experimentation, bells and other devices have not previous to my invention been successfully automatically operated. So .lar asI am aware, I am the first to operate a hell by the natural power of the medium in which the resulting sound is transmitted. I accomplish this result by means of the apparatus hereinafter described, in which the parts are so constructed and interconnected that the upancl-down or wave motion of the water imparts to the sounding mechanism snllicient ener y to cause the latter to violently throw the striker against the bell in spite of intervening water and other adverse influences such as mentioned. The sound-waves. thus produced are conducted by the water to my receiving apparatus, by means of which apparatus the sound is collected and forwarded to the operator.

' Having set forth the object and nature of my invention I will describe apparatus for effecting the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings,- in which Figure 1 represents in elevation my im proved means for automatically producing sound. Fig. 2 represents in crosssectional elevation a form of my improved sound recciving or collecting apparatus. Fig. 3 rep- :resents a modifiedform of sound-receiving ap paratus, also in cross-sectional elevation. Referring to Fig. 1, 1 is a. metal buoy of is suspended, by means of a ball or jointed connection 5, a rod 6. This rod carries at its lower end a. bell 7, which may be inclosed in a pro tecting-case' 8, attached to the flanged collar 9, secured to the neck of the bell. This case is preferably of galvanized iron and incloses the bell upon its sides and bottom, but does not come in contact with them, the purpose being to prevent the bell and its hammer from being fouled by seaweed or other things. It is not intended to form a water-ti ht com partment. however, and it is provi ed with holes by means of which the water may enter and fill it, and thus be brought into contact with the bell. The rod carries a sea-anchor 10, which is attached thereto in a manner to permit of its movement and that of the hell with relation thereto, the movement being rebelow the flange 11 and for the purpose of sus-' taining its weight. The bell has a hammer 18, which is attached to the collar l9 by a roclrrshait 20, having an M11121, which projects outside the bell to a position beneath the flange 16.

Upon the movement of the buoy 1. the rod suspemling the bell is moved and caused to rise or fall with respect to the sea-anchor, and when it. rises it causes the arm 21 of the bell hammer rock-lever to come into contact with the sleeve-flange 16, and thus cause the hammer to be swung against the bell and deliver to itastroke which produces sound-vibrations, and which sound-vilnations are delivered to the surrounding water and transmitted by it. As the buoy 1 is swung or moved by the movement of the water in which it is these movements continue to cause variations in position between the sea-anchor and the bell, whereby the bell is caused to be rung as the two approach each other. It will be wider-stood that normally the seaanchor is sustained by its buoy so that it rests, if at all, but little upon the arm that actuates the hammer of the bell. It is not, however, readily movable in the water in either direction, but permits the buoy to move the hell with respect to it, so that the movement of the hell by the buoy causes the bell-hammer arm to be brought into contact with the depending part of the sea-anchor, and thereby operate the bell-hammer to strike the bell. Every movement. of the main buoy is thus communicated to the bell and bell-hammer. \Vhile, however, the sea-anchor thus acts it may be changed in position by the main buoy gradually as it is dragged by it; but this does not affect or change its operative relation to the bell and bcll-hannner as above expressed. The receiving apparatus (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) consists of a duplicate receiving-transmitter 22, suitably mounted within a casing 23, containingasound-conducting medium 24. The transmitter consists of diaphragms 25 and 26, closing the ends of a cylindrical chamber 27 and maintaining the same water-tight and cooperating in the case of Fig. Qwith two resistance-var ing means 28 and 2S) and in the case of Fig. 3 with a single resistancc-varying means 30, said resistancc-varying means being connected in series through the connection 31 with the operators receiver 32.

IIO

I-[aving described the principle of my invention and apparatus for carrying the same into effect, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1. In an improved method of sul'imarine signaling, the transformation of the energy of the natural motion of the water into energy in the form of sound-waves of a quality for SUi'JlTHLl'lDO signaling, and the delivery of such soundavaves to the water at a point below its surface.

2. An improved method of submarine signaling consisting in transforming the energy of the natural motion of the water into energy in the form of sound-waves, delivering said waves to the water at a point below its surface, taking rays of such waves from the wein the form' of sound-waves, delivering said waves to the water at apoint below its surfaee, taking rays of such waves from the water at adistaut point, transforming the energy of such rays into electrical energy, and transinitting the electrical energ to receiving apparatus. I ARTHUR J. MUNDY.

Witnesses:

F. F. RAYMOND, 2d, J. M. DOLAN.

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