New or Improved Apparatus for Converting Reciprocating into Rotary Motion.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Apparatus for Converting Reciprocating into
Rotary Motion.
I, JAMES GRIEVE LORRAIN, M. Inst. E. E., M. Inst. M. E., of Norfolk House,
Norfolk Street, Strand, London, W.C., in the County of Middlesex, Chartered
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by Gaston Duquenne
and Gérard Marcellus Muller, both of 48 Rue de Malte Paris, in the Republic of
France, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to a new or improved method of and apparatus for trans-
forming reciprocal motion, such as that produced by the movement of one's legs and
feet in actuating a pedal, into a continuous rotary motion.
The invention is applicable to machines where pedals are used, such as sewing
machines, lathes, cycles and the like.
A disadvantage of pedals as ordinarily used is that when the rotating shaft
acquires a high velocity, from some external cause (as for example when a bicycle
is descending a hill), though no power is required to be transmitted from the legs,
yet the latter are frequently obliged to partake of the accelerated motion of the
pedals as it would often be difficult or even dangerous after the feet had been
removed from the pedals to replace them.
In this invention the motion of the pedals causes the rotation of the shaft which
is required to be driven but the rotation of the shaft does not produce motion of the
pedals; so that if no power is required from the legs to cause the shaft to rotate,
the legs can rest with the feet remaining stationary on the pedals, ready at any
moment to exert power on the latter.
The object of this invention having been described, it will now be specified in
detail and for that purpose reference will be made to the figures of the accompanying
drawing in which similar letters of reference apply to similar parts.
The said
figures illustrate the invention as applied to a bicycle of the type known as the rear-
driving safety type, and suffice with the following description to indicate how the
invention may be applied to other pedal-driven machines.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle with this invention applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a front view of the arc-shaped pin racks to be hereinafter described.
Figure 3 shows in side elevation and in section the driving shaft and devices
actuated by the pin racks.
Figure 4 is a front view of the lever which raises the pedals.
Two levers a and a¹ are pivoted at e to the frame of the machine. They are
exactly similar to each other and are placed one on each side of the frame, so that
it will be sufficient to describe one of these levers namely a. The lever a has
attached to one of its extremities the pedal b. To the other extremity is fixed an
arc shaped pin rack c. This rack c might be made with projecting teeth but it is
found better in practice to make it of two strips joined by pins d as shown. These
pins engage in a spur wheel g mounted so as to run loose on the axle h of the rear
wheel. In the hub of this wheel is the ratchet wheelj fixed to the axle h as is
shown in Figure 3. The teeth of the ratchet j engage with a click or pawl k
pivotted on the spur wheel g and pressed against j by the spring 7. It will be seen
that if the pedal b be descending from the highest part of its course the rack c turns
the spur wheel g which by means of the click or pawl k turns the ratchet wheel j.
The latter communicates its motion to the axle of the rear wheel. When the
pedal reascends the spur wheel g turns in the contrary direction but the click rides
loose over the teeth of j, and the rear wheel continues to turn in the same direction

page_text: as before under the action of the other pedal 6¹ which is now descending. A con-
tinuous rotary motion in the required direction is thus produced.
In order to cause the pedals to reascend when they have reached the end of their
downward course they are hung by the link o as shown in Figure 4 to the spiral
springs p. Each spring p is encased in a cylindrical sheath r hung to each end of
a beam or lever in pivotted at n to the frame f. This arrangement causes the ascent
⚫of one pedal when the other is pressed down by the foot. The springs p furnish the
necessary elasticity and a certain amount of independence in the relative motion of
the two pedals. In order to prevent the levers a a¹ from moving too far and
disengaging the racks c from the spur wheels g two stops are provided. These
stops may be made of or covered with india rubber or any suitable elastic material.
They are placed one on each side of the frame and can be adjusted so as to regulate
the travel of the levers a a¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :
1. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the new or improved
apparatus for converting reciprocating into rotary motion substantially as set
forth.
2. In apparatus for the conversion of reciprocating into rotary motion the
combination of the levers a arc shaped racks c, spur wheels g ratchets j, clicks k,
lever m, springs p, links o and sheaths substantially as set forth.
Dated the 15th day of March 1892.
J. G. LORRAIN,
Norfolk House, Norfolk Street, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.