US1637191A - Automatic control for vehicle superstructures - Google Patents

Description

July 26, 1927. 1,637,191

F. HETZELBERGER AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR VEHICLE SUPERSTRUCTURES Filed Aug. 29. 1925 s Sheets-Shani N R v M fem/z f/ETZELBERGER July 26., 1927- ,637,191

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1,637,191 F. HETZELBERGER AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR VEHICLE SUPERSTRUCTURES July 26, 1927.

Filed Aug. 29. 1925 s Sheets-Shoot .5 munuuumuuu Jz'zzlezziorr ff FRANZ Msrzn BERGER Patented July 26, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANZ HETZELBERGER, F ULM-ON-THE-DONAU, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO 0. D.

IAGIBUS, AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OF DONAU, GERMANY, A CORPORATION OF GER- AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR VEHICLE SUPERSTRUCTURES.

Application filed August 29, 1925, Serial In practice it is frequently necessary to adjust bearing surfaces which carry superstructures and the like on vehicles, in a vertical and horizontal direction in order to compensate for inequalities of the ground or the unsteady position of the understructures. This is for instance the case in superstructures used on ships, such as turrets, signal masts, search lights and wireless poles or in other devices on vehicles. Such arrangements are also used by fire brigades for rotatable, inelinable and telescopic escapes. For these purposes constructions are known in which the control of the mechanical drive for the horizontal adjustment is effected automatically by means of a pendulum or plummet. Such controls have however the drawback that they act slowly in the case of small oscillations of the superstructure, and thereby cause the superstructure to behave erraticall These mechanically operated controls urther offer almost unsurmountable difficulties when the member actuating the control, is at a great distance from the source of power. The difiiculties in the transmission of the mechanical control movements become still greater when the superstructure must take part in other movements than those of the vertical and horizontal adjustment, as, for instance, inthe case of travellin rising, telescopic and rotatable fire lad ers.

The present invention overcomes these difficulties by the provision of an electric control comprising a pendulum carried by the ladder or other member to be controlled. The movements of the pendulum with respect to the ladder cause electric circuits to be opened and closed, thus controlling the adjusting mechanism. Thus it is possible to position the pendulum at any desired point on the ladder, and the control is made more sensitive and its action more immediate.

For convenience, the invention is described and shown as applied to an extensible fire ladder mounted on a truck of any appropriate design, and adapted, when erected, to rotate about a vertical axis, but the inventionmay be applied to the numerous other structures mentioned above, and I therefore intend the term ladder, as used in the appended, claims. to be construed to cover such No..53,444, and in Germany June 3, 1925.

similar structures as the turrets, signal masts, search lights and wireless towers of ships. In the accompanying drawings,

F'gure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a device embodying my invention.

Figure 2 a plan view of the same.

Figure 3 shows the control member in section, with a diagram of connections,

Figure 4: shows a valve electromagnetically operated by the control member and control ing the pressure medium of the reversing gear of the driving device, and

I Figures 5 and (5 show respectively two positions of a fire ladder before and after ad justment on sloping ground.

1n the drawings, the revolving turret 30 is mounted on the ladder truck inthe known manner, and carries atruss 41 having a rod 26 upon which a frame 8is pivotally mounted. The ladder is carried by frame 8, being pivoted thereto by pin 43 extendin plate 42 which is attached to the longitu inal members 1 of the ladder. Arcs 39 and l0 form bearing surfaces for the ladder. It will thus be seen that the turret may rotate with respect to the truck and that the ladder may rotate with respect to the turret.

At the rear end of frame 8 a threaded shaft 17 is journaled, and a nut 29 is mounted on the shaft. A shank 45 is formed on the nut and is adapted toengage plate 44 which is attached to the ladder. 'Thus the ladder maybe rotated on frame 8 by turning shaft 17, causing nut 29 to travel longitudinally of the shaft and movin the rear end of the ladder in the desired direction.

Shaft 17 is driven by chains 27 and 28 which connect it with shaft 25 mounted in the gear case 24. The ladder is raised to the erect position by rotating it about rod 26 in the known manner by suitable mecha-- nism (not shown). V i g The mechanism of gear cases 15 and 16, is essentially the'same as that shown in the United States patent to Mayer, #1528348, granted Mar. 3, 1925, and comprises a pair of friction clutches operated by fluid pressure, such as oil supplied by a suitable pump, whereby worm gear 48 may be driven in either direction according to whethervalve 13 or 14 is opened. Thus if valve 13 is opened, gear 48 will be driven through the medium of gear 46 Srather than gear 47), in such direction that tie ladder will be rotated in its ownplane in a clockwise direction as viewed from above.

A pair of solenoids 9 and 10 are mounted on; gear case 24 the coresof the solenoids formingtt iststeinsof va 3 nd 1 Ducts 37 and 38 connect valves 13, and 14 with an oil pump of suitable design, and

ducts and '36 lead from the valves 13, t0

gear cases 15 and 16. A lead 112 connects solenoids 9 and 10 to a battery 31 or other source of current. Lead 11 connectssole noid'fil' to aieontact plate 51" on the spindle 20,-while lead 12 connects solenoid'ltl to a 'similar contact plate pendulunrcase 2 is pivotally suspended fro'm'spindle 20011 the ladder? IJead a9 connects battery 31 toa spindleidlnounted within the case and to a en'd uluni5suspended tronrsp'iudle 3 by caring 4;. Tlie pendulum has a yielding contact pin19-1at its lower surface. Conducting plates (i and 7 are mounted in the case, being insulated therefrom and from each other by insulation-l8. Plates 6 and 7 are connected, to yielding contacts 33[and 34 adapted-to contact with contact plates 50 and 51 When notinsulated therefromby insulating arcs '50 and 51, which are fixed to spindle 20in such position that when the inclination of the ladder from the vertical exceeds 45 the rotation of case will cause the insulating arcs to contact with contacts 33 and 3ttothereby prevent flow of current through either circuit;

" The operation'of the device is as follows:

Assuming that the ladder truck stands on sloping ground, the ladder upon being resting the further rotation of the ladder.

Ifiti'sidesired to adjust thela'dder manu ally, thestructure shown in Fig. 1 is used. Valve-stein 52 has a slotted end 53 which isengaged by pin 55 of bell crank 32. Rod 21 isconnected to hell crank 32 and to hand lGVB122 -Wl1iCl1 is pivoted to truss 41 it An arm fi l extends from rod-21 to the switch 23.

By-reasonofthe play of pin 55 in slot 53the hand leverni'ust move through a certain distance' from its zero position before it will begin to' move stem 52, and in so moving willcause arm 5-i to openswitch 23, thus rendering the automatic control inoperative.

;,--. n w particularly "described and we. a l it said ladder adjacenti said first inentionedcoii tact, an electric circuit adapted to be icldsed by the contacting of said contacts, meansrmrotating, the laddertand-mcans actuated by the current in said circuit for controlling "the operation of said rotating means.

2. An electricalcontrol for a ladder, comprising a contactmember suspended for rotation about an axis parallelto the plane of the ladder, a second contact member sue-" pended from said ladder for rotati on about i an axis perpemlicular tosaid first-mentioned axis, and adaptedio moveinto and out of contact with said first mentionedcontactm member, an electric circuit adapted to he closed by the contacting of said contact momhers, means for rotating theladder and means actuated by'the current in said circuit for controlling the operation of said rotatingmeans.

3. In a mechanical ladder, a support, aframe'rotatably mounted thereon, a ladder" pivoted to said frame for rotation in its own plane, means for imparting such rotation 'to the ladder, and an e ectricalcontrol for said rotating means, said control comprising a pendulumsuspended from said ladder and adapted'to close an electric circuit when the ladder isin'a laterally inclined'positiou.

4. A idevice or the class dcscribedloom prising a support, a frame mounted thereon for rotation about a, horizontal axis, a; mom; ber pivoted to saidframe for rotation thereon, means for so'rotating said member, means for rotating said frame to thereby erect said V member, and a pendulum attached to said ;,inember and? adapted to close an electric} circuit whenthe said member is inalaterally inclined position, said electric"v circuitlbeing" n connectedto'said rotatingmeans." "5'. A; device of the classdescrihed com}; prising a ladder mounted for rotation in its? own plane, ai'notor operatively connecte'd tel said ladderto impart such rotation to the H5 ladder, a pendulum suspended from the} ladder and an electrical and mechanical connection, between said pendulum and ,said'f motor, saidconnection being o erative, upon lateral inclination of the lader, to lcausel g said motor to rotate the ladder to bringiit" to the upright position. i M 6. A device of the classdescribed,coin-*1 prising a frame, a ladderrotatably mounted thereonja motor operatively connected to; said ladder to rotatcit', apendnlum 'sus} pended fromsaid' ladder an'delectrical con M tro'l means actuated by said pendulnnr toI cause said motor to rotatesaid ladder.

*7? A device of the class"described,con1;l 13o prising a frame, a ladder rotatably mounted thereon, a shaft operatively connected to said ladder and adapted to rotate it in one direction, a second shaft similarly connected and adapted to rotate the ladder in the opposite direction, a pendulum suspended from said ladder, and connecting means between said pendulum and said shafts, whereby lateral inclination of the ladder causes the pendulum to close an electric circuit to thereby cause one of said shafts to rotate the ladder.

8. An electrical control for a ladder comprising a member suspended from said ladder for rotation about a fixed axis, acontact plate carried by said suspended memher, a contact pin carried by saidsuspended member adjacent said plate and adapted to rotate about an axis perpendicular to said first mentioned axis, an electric circuit adapted to be closed by contact between said plate and said pin, means for rotating the ladder and means actuated by the current in said circuit for controlling the operation of said rotating means.

9. An electrical control for a ladder comprising a member suspended from said ladder for rotation about an axis fixed with relation to said ladder, a pair of contact plates spaced from each other and fixed to said suspended member, a bearing carried by said suspended member, a contact pin suspended from said bearing and adapted to selectively contact with said plates, electric circuits adapted to be closed by the contact of said pin with said plates, means for rotating the ladder and means actuated by the current in said circuits for controlling the operation of said rotating means.

10. An electrical control for a laddercomprising a casing rotatably suspended from said ladder, a pair of contact plates mounted in said casing, a strip of insulation between said plates, a bearingin said casing, a contact pin suspended from said bearing and adapted to selectively contact with said plates and said strip of insulation, electric circuits adapted to be closed by the contact of said pin with said plates, and opened by the contact of said pin with said strip of insulation, electromagnets in said circuits, means for rotating the ladder, and means actuated by said electromagnets for controlling the operation of said rotating means.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANZ HETZELBERGER.

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