US946029A - Sound-producing device. - Google Patents

Description

B. GALE. I SOUND PRODUCING DEVICE. vArPLIoUIoN FILED linfa-1904.

Patented Jan. 11,1910.

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To all whom it 'may concern:

. UNITED sTATiis PATENT onirica.

HORACE B. GAJE; OF NATICK, MASSACHSETTS, ASSIGOR TO SUBMRINE SIGNAL COMPANY, or WATERVILLE, MAINE, AcoRPoRATIoN or MAINE.

SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICE.

Be it known that I, Holt-ion B. GALE, of Natick, in the' county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, citizen of the uUnited States, have invented a new and u seful Iniprovement in Soundl Producing Devices, and do hereby declare the following, in connection with the accompanying drawings,

my said invention.

This invention relates to a sound producto be a full. clear, and exact disclosure of ing device for use in a. submarine signaling.

system forsignaling from vessel to vessel 0r shore, or vice versa, `whereby a vessel may be guided on its course or its locality Areadily determined. Y

The particular object. of my invention is thev production of actuatingmeans for the submerged sounder, such .means to be easily operated, and yet powerful in action, to be -'sus'c'eptible of operation in response to code or. other predetermined succession of actuating impulses, and to beso simple andA reliable as to be readily operated by unskilled 'persons and to require little attention or repair.

The feature of my invention is the operation of the bell striker or equivalent means by a piston or plunger, preferably directly attached thereto. The means by which this.

piston is itself, actuated and the means by which the actuating means is controlled for code or othersignaling also form important features of my invention Aas will hereinafter more. fully appear.

Heretofore in submarine signaling various Y means have been employed for if'ibrating the sounder. Electro-magnets have been used for this purpose, butthe practical utility of such is somewhat limited for several reasons. Forv instance, electrical apparatusl is peculiarly liable to injury by immersion in salt water, and, furthermore, in the isolated lo`v cations where signaling apparatus is frequently employed, requires for its operation a complete engine `and dynamo plant and other more or less complicated mechanism,

- all of which may in unskilled hands.,` cause theapparatus to fail at a'critical time. My piston-operating mechanism ,on the 4other handl is 'not liable to failure,A forV any such reasons. It requires no elaborate plant for its operation: it is easily constructed. in-

jured with ditliculty andV requires no skilled Specification of Letters Patent.

attendant to insure its continued and sucsuch case the motion of the striker, beinglreciprocating or oscillating in character, can bestbe controlled by means of a reciprocate ing motor, the strokes of which correspond to the strokes of the striker. The resonating body should be in direct contact, either with the water through which the signaling is conducted, or `with a contiguous body of liquid, to which the signals are delivered.

Having set forth the object'v and nature of my invention, I will now describe the same more particularly. in connection with the drawings in which- Figure l is a diagrammatic representation of the device in a` forni especially adapted t0 be suspended inthe water from a. ship such as a lightshiplying at anchor. Fig. 2 illustrates,also in diagrammatic forni, a modilication of thefautomatic controlling means.

By the chain c and intermediate mechanism presently to be described is hung the bell v .Patented Jan. 11, 1910. L Application filed March 3, 1904. `Sera1 Ne. 196,253.

B submerged in the water and suspended y below the waterl line,indicated at A*A. Suitably mounted within the `bell Aand in operative relation thereto is the hammer orstriker S. Located intermediate the chain and the bell is the cylinder C, within which located the piston P adapted to have re,- ciprocatmg motion therein.` The piston is provided with the extension j) operating in tl'e dash-pot D to control the ,movement of the piston. Connected with the piston for movement therewith is the rod R extending through the bell.. supportin and provided at its lower end with. the yoke Y. `T he yoke Y iiiterlocks with the pin a upon a bell-crank extension of the striker for operating the striker. The engagement rof the two is such as to permit. when in operation, of a slight relative Amovement wherebv the hammer may. after each stroke. fall back from-the bell as shown in the dotted position S1 instead of remaining in contact therewith.

Attached to, or forming prt of the cylinder casing C is the-hollow" elbow` E communicating withthe chamber of the cylinder; at a point thereof immediately above the dash-pot extension in this elbow, and communicating with the interior thereof, is a vent or port controlled by the'check-valve vm, the function of which will presently appear. Attached to the elbow E in any suita'ble way and servingas an extension thereof is the tube H, preferably a iexible h ose. This'tube is supported at or near the water line by an attachment b to the chain "0. Above the water line the passage communieating with the cylinder C is continued by the tube li leading to a valve casino` V and opening into the saine at la. Said casing may 'be located on shipboard or elsewhere according to circumstances. This casing is provided with a piston chamber having the l inlet port f] and exhaust port az. Within saidV chamber t cvalve v is adapted to reciprocate, its downward movement being shown as accomplished by the coil spring s and its upward motion by the cord or other connectionl w, controlled by means presently to be described. The piston is shownin the drawings'as being held at the to of its stroke against the action of the spring, the tube i being then in communication with the exhaust ai.' When released to obey the action of the sprinv, the piston is forced downward with'a quiet movement to a osition below the point i'., whereupon thetu e h is in comiiiiinicatoii with the inlet port q.

It is necessarythat the valve' v should4 `liave a quick movement 1n this direction 1n oi'der to admit the full vpressure'of the working fluid to the cylinder C, so as to produce a qliick, powerful stroke of the piston I and of the striker S. It is not necessary, however, that the forward stroke ot' the valve i1 should be made quickly as this movement by 'opening the passage li to lthe exhaust passage ai, controls the return stroke of the piston P and the striker S,.which stroke not being intended to strike the bell can be made slowly,

I prefer to control 'the action of thes'pring 's through a suitable connection fw by 'code mechanism. Two forms of such mechanism are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In Fig. l I have shown the wheel W adapted tobe rotated in the direction of the arrow by' any available motor powersuch assteam engine, clockwork, or other means. This wheel has a series of notches n in its periphery and any or all of these vnotches are'adapted to be closed byl pieces t to produce any desired signal as hereinafter set forth. Mounted upon a pivot g2 is the lever g, to which the connection zo is .attached in any suitable manner. In fixed relation to the`lever g and adapted to turn therewith isthelever Z. -Aiixed to the end of the leverll is a detent 0.'

.varied at ,will and T he tension of the coil spring s acting upon of the. wheel IV. The spring is thus normally` held in the position shown ,in the drawing. IVhcn, however, a notch n passes beneath the de teut o the spring is.instantaneously released, allowing it to act uponh the piston 'L'. The return stroke of the valve 'v' isaccomplished'by the further movement of the code wheellV bringing the rear side Vof the notch against the lever Z and thereby pushing the saine back, to return the parts to the position shown; as the action of the code'lwheel is necessarily rather slow the valve v is opened gradually and not instantaneously on this stroke. closing certain of the notches n with the pieces' t the frequency or succession with which the spring s-is thus released may be the particular signal thereby changed.

l In Fig. 2 of the drawings is shown another forin ot'niy code-signaling device. ',In this igurethe connection 'w is attached to the spring in the manner heretofore described, and its other end to the llever g1 By opening orA corresponding to the lever g of Fig. 1. In-

stead of the rotating'wheel having its pe- .and by removing or rearranging them any desired signal may be produced.-v In th drawing the white circlesindicate they pin's and the dark-circles the .holes from which to strike the number 312. stops m'ay be substituted for the pins, the function being the same.

It 1s evident that the details of this invenvtion may-beconsiderably -Varied while preserving its essential features. Such variations will occur to anyoney skilled in the art.' i

The operation l of thefdeviceis as f ollows Upon su'bmerging the apparatus lthe check valve m opens, causing the tube H to ater by code, thel wheel W is then'rotated', causing the springv s to be alternately com- .be filled up near the water lin`e A;A with. i Awater. Provided the signal is'to`be oper# pressed and released in the manner herein-4'! before stated. The piston o, being y'normally v in the position shown in the drawing, when released descends below the point Ic, wherelias upon the working fluid, which may be'steam,

compressed air, orother suitable Huid, passes 'I v through the connection g' into;v the tube i,l I and acting upon the .waterfin thetube causes such waterlto fact upon the'bottomjof 105" the pins have been withdrawn, the arrangenient shown being adapted to cause the bell' Otherforms of j lthe pistoni to raise the saine..

motion of the piston P is provided for by the vent 01 at the top of the chamber C; and

. such upward motion of thepiston causes a ton 'u raised 'to the position .shown in the drawings. This opens the tube /i to the exhaust passage a', thereby releasing' the pressure in the tubes/z, and ,cliai'nber C. rI`he weight of the piston P and.' striker S then forces the water inthe vtube H'back to its original level Q-Lf the pistoni returning' to the bottom of its 'stroke land the striker returningto the position .,S. vBefore the piston P reachesth'e ibottom of its stroke, the dashlpiston p enters the dash-pot D, in

whi'chit `is fitted somewhat loosely,l the fluid imprisoned beneath' it escapingbyleakage around the piston and serving to check the momei'itumlof the moving parts so that the striker does not deliver afblow upon the right-hand side of the bell.v

I have. described above the best way low f known to ine for embod fino' in invention, C

lbut I do not mean to'liinit myself to the eX- act constructionshown 1n Vthe drawings and described in the specification except as rcvquired by the scope of the appendedclaims.

The dash-piston p plays another importanti partvi'n the operation of my invention, especially when the 'alve n is leated a a vconsiderable distance from the cylinder C, necessitating' a long tube or Il.

It vwill be noted that when the striker S is inthe position shown in full lines its weight tends to assist the motion ofthe piston on its upward stroke, whereas when it has swung across tothe othersideof the fulcrum f to the position shown in dotted lines.

l itsweipfht would tend to oppose the. upward movement of the piston.L This action, it' not compensated for. would tend to retard the motion of the striker in4 the latter part of .its stroke, when it is especially necessary that it should move with its lgreatest speed and power. This compensating action is provided for bythe dash piston p.

wWhen the valve t' is opened, admitting pressure under the piston P, it acts at first only on the annulararea outside the piston p, which must be drawn out -of'the dash potv against theqsuction acting' on 'the area of the smaller piston v77. This-tends to' delay the start of the piston .until -suflicientpressure has accumulated inthe pipe H to overcome thisfsucti'of", Then as 'soon asthepiston p is drawnout of fthef'dash pot., the whole larea The upward.

of both largeaand small pistons is exposed to pressure, and the latter part ofthestroke a sharp and powerful blowupon the bell li hereas I have descrlbed my bellas ,operi ated by code-signaling meclnunsinit inl be desirable to operate the saine by other,

resonator in contact with the transmittory liquid, a striker in operative relation "to said resonator, a piston mechanically connected with the striker, whereby single strokes of the piston will produce corresponding strokes of the striker upon the resonator, means for introducing a i'luid under pressure behind said piston, a valve governing the action of said iiuid, an elastic bodyopeating to open the valve quickly in the direction required to lcause a work-- ing stroke of the striker upon the resonator, whereby a sharp stroke of the striker is secured, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for producing sound vibrations in water, the combination of a resonator in contact with the transmittory liquid, a striker in operative relation to said resonator, a piston mechanically connected'. with the striker. whereby single strokes of the piston .will produce corresponding strokes of the striker upon the resonator, means for introducing-a iiuid under pres sure behind said piston, a valve governing the action of said tiuid, an" elastic body adapted to open thevalve quickly in the direction required to cause a working stroke of the vstriker upon the resonatormeansfor jmo'vingfthe valve in the opposite direction, and: for allowingthe valveto be quickly released to the action of the elastic body, whereby a sharp stroke of thefstrikerA is. secured, substantially as descr-ibed.-v

3. In a-n apparatus for 'producingsound .vibrations in water, the.-c01nbinationfof` a resonator in contact with the 'transmittory liquid, a striker` in operative relation-to said resonator, a piston mechanically connected with the striker, whereby single strokes of the piston will produce correspondingI strokes of the striker upon the resonator, means forv introducing tluid under pressure behind said piston, a-va1ve goqerningihe' action of said luifLan elastic body adapted to open the valvequickly inv the directiontref quired ,to cause agworking stroke of the 4is made with increased force, tlnifsiiisuring striker upon the resonator, acode wheel for ously,

behind the'- `piston .moving the valve in the opposite direction, and for allowing the valve to bequickl vreleased to the actionof the elastic bodli7 at predetermined intervals, said'code wheel being provided with removable stops 'whereby a .predetermined grouping of blows may be delivered upon the resonator vand correspending sound signals be produced iiifthe1 water, such grouping of blowsbeing variable according to the arrangement of said stops.

4. In an apparatus for producing sound vibrations in \vater,'the combination of a submerged resonator, a striker in operative relation thereto, and asubmerged piston connected with the striker and means for iutroducing fluid underl pressure behind said piston, a lportion ofV the face of the piston being unex osed to said fluid duringthe first part o its .working stroke and exposed to said fluid during the latter part thereof.

5. In an apparatus for producing sound vibrations in water, the combination of a submerged-resonator, a striker in operative relation to saidl resonator, a piston positively connected to said Istriker'whereby said striker and piston will move in unison, means for introducing a fluid under pressure behind said piston, a valve for governing the action of said fluid, a spring where- 'by said valve may be opened instantaneand meansfor releasingvand compressing said spring periodically as described. i

6. In an apparatus for producing sound vibrations in water, the combination of a submerged resonator, a striker in operative relation thereto, a submerged piston inoperative relation to vthe striker, said piston liavingla projection of reduced area on its lower end, a dash'pot' adaptedl to receive the smaller end of said piston,fa valve located out of the water governing the action ot' a fluid u on the piston, means for connecting the va -ve with the submergedpiston,' and means for controlling the operation of the valve, whereby said tluid may vbe admittedat predetermined lint er vals `tocause aregulated succession of blows to be'deliv'eredv upon'the submerged resonator ,and corresponding sound impulses roduced in the water. i 1

.7. In an apparatus for producing sound vibrations .in water, the combination ot a submergedfresonator, a striker in operati v e relation ;tlie'reto,'a lpiston positively connect# edto' said striker, and striker normally in inoperative position, saids-t-riker being adapted to swing away freni :saidA resonator *when said pi'. 'tonfalls,

- a tube containing a liquid for operating the pistpmza..valvexlocated out ,of the water, for gorie" rnnig the admission of a working fluid 55 t'o .thelaipper portion of this tube, and means,

- exposed or'v the'strikei" upon adapted to hold said' nals through water,

located out of the water, for controlling the operation ofthe valve whereby it may be .caused to admit the working tiuid to said .tube and piston at iredetermined intervals to cause a regulate succession of blows to -be 4delivered upon the submerged resonator and'corresponding sound impulses produced in the water. i

8. In an apparatus vibrations lin water, the combination of a submerged' resonator, a striker inoperative relation thereto, a submerged piston in operative relation to the striker, a tube containing a liquid for operating the piston, a valve located lout of the water, for' governing-the admission and exhaust of a gaseous tiuid under pressure into and from the. upper portion of this tube, and means, located out of the water, for controlling the operation of the valve whereby it may the working fluid to said tube. and piston at predetermined intervals to cause a regulated succession of blows to be deliveredv upon the submerged resonator and corresponding `sound impulses produced iu the water.

.9. In an apparatus't'or producing sound vibrations 1n water, the combination of a fresonatoimadapted to excite sound vibrations therein, a striker in operative relation to said resonator, a piston ineclianically connected v'with said striker. whereby single strokes of the piston will produce corresponding strokes of the striker on the resonator, a cylinder containing said piston a valve governing the action of a [luid upon thc piston, a portion ot' said piston aud a' portion ot' said cylinder being of less diameter than the re-A mainder thereof as described whereby a por f be. caused to admit y for producing sound tion only of the active face ot' the piston is to the coiitactiiigtluid a-t the tirst portion of the work-ing stroke of the piston and thereafter tliecntire face of said piston is'exposed. e

10'. In anapparatus for producingsound vibrations in vater, the eon'ibination o f a resonator adapted to excite sound vibrations therein, a striker-iu operative relation to said resonator, a piston mechanically connected with the striker whereby siiiglestrokes of the pistou vwill cause.corresponding strokes v the action of said fluid. and means whereby a smaller arca of the pistou is exposed to the action of said fluid at the beginning of its stroke and the area of the pistou exposed thereto is thereafter increased.

the resonator, a tube forv introducing fluid under pressure behind the l piston, a' valve governing 11. In an apparatus for sending sound sig-v the combination of a resonator in contact with the water, a striker in pperative relation to said resonator. a piston in operative relation to the striker,

said piston having an extension of smaller cross -area than the main portion thereof to forni-"aJ 'clash piston, a dash pot coperating with-said dash piston to allow an accumula tion of pressurebelow said dash piston,

means for introducing fluid under ressure benind the piston, a Avalve governing the a: mission and exhaustof said Huid to and i from the piston, and means for controlling poses set forth.

.resonator and located to be swung t strike 15 the operation of the valve asl and for the pur- 12. In an apparatus for sending sound signals through water, the combination of av resonator in contact with the transmittin liquid, a striker 1n operatlve relation to sal said resonator, a piston in operative relation to' said striker, means for controllm the speed of movement of the piston where y its effectiveness as a mover of said striker is increased as said striker a proaches said resonator and means where y a regulated succession of blows may be delivered by the .striker u on the resonator and corresponding soun: impulses produced in the water.

13.` In an apparatus-for 'producing sound vibrations in water, the combination f'a resonator, a striker in 'operative relation'to said resonator, and means for operatin :said

striker comprising a piston havingfdi erent"l A diameters and a c 7lmder having diameters corresponding to ose of said p1ston,land a with the striker whereby single strokes ofthe piston will produce corresponding strokes of the striker 'upon the resonator, means for introducing fluid under pressure behind the piston, a valve governing the action of said fluid, means for moving the valve in thedirectionto release the pressure on the piston and permit the back stroke of the striker, and means for storing energy during thisl movement. to open the valve qulckly when released, whereby there will be caused a sudden increase of pressure upon the piston and a sisl sound sharp V.stroke of the striker agamstthe reso,-

nator, as'desoribed.

l HORACE B. GALE.

Inpresence of- War. L. Monms, J.-M.ID0LAN.

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