Patent GB-144758-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in life-guards, brakes, clutches and other control arrangements for motor or power vehicles
IPC: B60R21/34
Filed: 1919-02-21
Abstract: 144,758. Roche, D. Feb. 21, 1919. Obstruction-removers and safety appliances for motor-vehicles are operated either automatically or by hand-operated levers, in conjunction with operating-devices for the brake and clutch mechanisms, which may be jointly or separately controlled. The safety guard is arranged across the front of the vehicle and comprises a roll of netting or other like cushioning-material A<5>, Fig. 1, attached to a pivoted member A<4> which, in the operative position, rests against a lower guard A<2>. This guard may rock about pins S' and is attached at the rear end to a gearwheel A<1>. An upper gear-wheel B<1> is mounted on a shaft B and is operated by a hand-lever A<3>. On encountering an obstacle, the front guard is lowered automatically into the position shown in dotted lines; or this movement may be obtained by pulling back the lever A<3>, when a pin A<7> contacts with a. brake lever B<2> to operate the brakes through a connexion B<3>. The operation of the gear-wheels is facilitated by a spring telescopic lever C pivoted at C<2>, C<20> to a strut S and wheel B<1> respectively. This lever progressively compresses a spring as it moves towards the straight line drawn between the pivots C<2>, C<20>, when it is in a neutral position, beyond which it tends to slip to raise or lower the lifeguard and operate the brakes. The spring telescopic device is similar to that described in Specification 18317/13. The brake lever may be operated independently, and a clutch lever may be similarly operated. In the modification shown in Fig. 2, the lifeguard and brake levers A<3>, B<2> are operated in conjunction with a clutch pedal, the gear-wheels A', B' and connected parts shown in Fig. 1 being also used in this arrangement. The clutch pedal D is attached to a disk E which is rotatably mounted on the shaft B and provided with a spring telescopic lever C' arranged to act in a manner similar to the lever C shown in Fig. 1. When the lifeguard lever A<3> is operated, a projection A<7> contacts with the brake lever B<2>, and the end A<8> of an horizontal rod carried by the lever A<3> engages an incline D<4> to move the pedal D into the position shown in dotted lines and operate the clutch through a link connexion D<5>. In this position, the lever D rests on a pin P' which may be raised by a pedal P, pivoted at P<2>, to bring the clutch mechanism into operative connexion again. The clutches may be operated separately by a foot operation of the pedal P. By arranging a rod similar to A<8> but attached to the lower end of the life-guard lever, suitable inclines may be brought under the pin P<1> to maintain this pin in such a position that the pedal D cannot be lowered sufficiently for it to be maintained automatically in that position when the clutches are operated by an independent foot action. If the lever A<3> is first moved to lower the life-guard and operate the brakes, the inclines are moved to allow the pin P<1> to be depressed sufficiently far by the pedal D for the parts to be maintained in this position by the lever C<1> acting on the other side of its neutral position.