Patent GB-191300235-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Speed Indicating Apparatus.
Inventor: FAIGLE FRIEDRICH
IPC: G01P1/08
Filed: 1913-01-03
Granted: 1914-01-05
Abstract: 235. Faigle, F. June 29, 1912, [Convention date]. Road-vehicle signals.-The speed of vehicles &c. is indicated by succesive signals which alternate in character, are emitted in all directions, and denote by their duration the time taken to cover a certain predetermined distance. In the form shown in Fig. 1, a contact-arm 10, rotated by the vehicle, switches in red and blue lamps 4, 5 alternately. In a similar arrangement, Fig. 2, additional lamps are provided tn denote smaller units of distance, for example the small red and blue lamps 11, 12 represent by the duration of their illumination say ten yards traversed and the larger lamps 13, 14, one hundred yards. Hence, while either lamp 13, 14 is in circuit, the lamps 11, 12 are thrown in and out of circuit alternately. The lamps may be arranged one above another in a cylindrical casing. In other forms, a single lamp is carried by or mounted in a cylinder reciprocated by the vehicle and enclosed by a casing having differently coloured panes. The cylinder also may be painted in a colour contrasting with that of the casing in order to produce by its position signals visible by day. In the construction shown in Fig. 11 a cylinder 45 containing a lamp and rotated continuously or intermittently by the vehicle has differently coloured panes 48 and opaque panes 49 adapted to emit signals through apertures in a fixed casing 41. Mounted on the cylinder is a bell formed of intermeshing members 51, 52 of different tone and adapted to be struck by a hammer 54 actuated by clock-work 53. In this way the passage of the vehicle over each unit of distance is denoted by a change of tone as well as by a change of colour. In another construction the hammer is actuated by the cylinder through a cam. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 19, which is an inversion of a construction described in Specification 23,942/12, an apertured cylinder 65 rotated by clock-work 67, is arranged between the vehicle-rotated cylinder 74 and the casing 66, and serves to convert the differentlycoloured signals into flashes, the number of which is a measure of the speed. The two-toned bell in this case is mounted on the cylinder 65 so that the time periods are also indicated bv change of tone. The hammer might be actuated at short intervals of time, while the longer periods would be differentiated by change of tone. If desired, time may be denoted visually and distance by change of tone, or the bell hammer may be actuated to indicate shorter units of distance, while the changes of tone indicate the longer units. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 22 a drum 81 having differentlycoloured fields painted on it and arranged inside a fixed apertured casing 80 is urged in one direction by a spring 82 and drawn in the opposite direction by an electro-magnet 83 controlled by a switch as described in connexion with in Fig. 1. In a further modification a single casing rotated by the vehicle alternately occludes and exposes a light within it and may also be painted externally for showing signals by day. The Specification as open to inspection under Section 91 (3) (a) describes also means combined with the above-described signalling-arrangements for indicating also the direction in which the vehicle is about to move. Thus the pair of differently-coloured lamps may be mounted in a pivoted casing turned by the driver into positions corresponding with stop,' ' right.' ' left,' and ' straight on.' Instead of a pivoted casing, pairs of coloured lamps 91 connected electrically with the vehicle-driven switch 97 may be disposed as shown in Fig. 28 (Cancd.), and the circuits of these lamps may be controlled by a switch 100, moved by the driver, so that any one of the pairs may be operative according to the direction to be taken or the continuance or cessation of motion. In another arrangement, the pairs of lamps may be disposed at different parts of the vehicle. In a further modification, Fig. 30 (Cancd.), coloured screens 104, 105 are shifted by the vehicle with respect to an aperture 103<1> in the form of a double arrow, and opaque screens are adjusted by the driver to cut off or expose portions of the light passing through the aperture, so that there remains an illuminated arrow or other shape (the colour of which changes as the units of distance are traversed) to denote the direction &c. of movement of the vehicle. These arrangements may be duplicated to indicate in opposite directions. In a modified form of speed indicator, superposed or adjacent lamps are employed, composed of materials, which, when traversed by the electric current, exhibit different colours both by day and by night. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.