Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating Distances Travelled by Cabs and other Vehicles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 14th Dec.; 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating Distances Travelled by
Cabs and other Vehicles.
I, WALTER VERNUM, of 36 Summerly Street, Earlsfield, in the County of
Surrey, Decorator, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to register automatically the distance travelled by
vehicles, especially cabs or carriages plying for hire.
In order that the nature of my invention and the manner of performing the same
may be clearly understood, I proceed to describe the construction and action of my
improved apparatus with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figs. 1 & 2 shews sectional plans of my improved apparatus, which is represented
out of action in Fig. 1 and in position for indicating revolutions in Fig. 2.
Fig. 3 transverse section.
Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 detail views.
Figs. 8 and 9 sections of the seat or foot board of a cab or carriage to which my
invention is applied.
The case a which is composed of sheet metal or suitable material is affixed to the
vehicle by means of two strong steel springs bc. By this means the apparatus is
not liable to be affected by any jolting or irregular movement of the vehicle.
The plate d is secured to the inner side of the wheel and consequently revolves
therewith.
To this plate d is fixed a small projecting spring roller e or similar device,
(Figs. 5 and 6) which comes in contact with the pallet at every revolution of the
wheel. The said pallet is hinged to the plate fand is kept in a vertical position
by a spring g the upper end gl of which is so attached to the pallet as to allow the
latter to be moved backwards or forwards; the lower end 9' being fastened to
the plate f
When the roller e comes in contact with h the plate will be moved and the
train of wheels operated. The roller e and pallet / remain in contact until
the plate has reached the limit of its movement whereupon it (the roller e) will
pass over and clear the end of the pallet which by this time has turned over
sufficiently towards the plate f to allow e to pass. When this happens the pallet /
will be again drawn into the vertical position by the end of the spring 9, and the
plate will be returned to its former position by the action of a spring or the like
not shewn in the drawings.
At each revolution of the wheel the roller e comes in contact with and thereby
causes the plate f to travel a short distance and actuate a spring detent ³
(Figs. 1, 2, and 7) which operates the ratchet wheel k. The wheel k is the first of
the train of ratchet wheels k l m n all of which are indicated diagramatically in
Figs. 1 and 2 and shewn more clearly in Fig. 7. Upon the axes of these wheels
are mounted indicating dials or discs which shew (through an opening covered
by a glass or transparent plate in case a) the number of miles travelled.
The arrangement of the counting mechanism may be the same as that ordinarily
employed in cyclometers. I have in Fig. 7 illustrated one form this part of the
apparatus may take.
The toothed wheels and their indicating dials may be arranged to register
distances of one, ten, and one hundred miles or so on respectively, in the regulat
way of such recording devices.

page_text: When the cab or the like is "backed" the plate & will of course move in the
opposite direction to that in which it rotates when the cab is going forward and
the pallet will then be pressed down by e as it passes over it. Directly e has
passed however the end g¹ of the spring g will force the pallet into the vertical
position again, and it will then be ready to meet the roller e when it comes round in
the course of the forward movement of the vehicle.
An important feature of my invention is illustrated by Figs. 8 and 9. The seat
or foot board o of a cab or vehicle is provided with springs p, so that during the
time a passenger is occupying the vehicle, the switch 4 is depressed and is brought
in contact with the terminals r, completing an electrical circuit through magnetic
coils (Fig. 1).
(This seat is shown as when unoccupied in Fig. 8, and as when occupied
in Fig. 9.)
This action regulates the working of the recording mechanism. So long as the
Beat of the vehicle is occupied (as in Fig. 9) and the electrical circuit completed,
the detent or catch t, (Fig. 2) is held clear of the plate f. This is effected by
means of a spindle u fixed to the under side of the detent or catch t and terminating
in a knob v, (see Fig. 4) which is pressed back by the knob w at end of spring a
attached to armature y of the electro-magnet a 8.
When however the passenger vacates the seat of the vehicle the electric circuit
is broken, the switch being raised from the screws or contact pieces r r by the
action of springs p (Fig. 8).
When the circuit is thus broken, the point of detent or catch t drops into the
notch (Fig. 1) and further movement of the plate . and consequently of
the recording mechanism is interrupted until the electric circuit is again completed
through the seat or foot board of the vehicle. (Fig. 9.)
Upon each of the toothed wheels k l m is a pin or projection km. The pin or
projection k¹ upon wheel k engages with the teeth of wheel / once in every revolution
of k, that upon l engages with wheel m once in every revolution of land so on
throughout the train of wheels.
เ
The wheel k commences its movement with the first revolution of the wheels of
the vehicle to which the apparatus is affixed, the plate causing the movement
of such wheel by the detent ³.
The detent is fixed to the plate fand therefore moves to and fro with said
plate at each movement of which it draws the detent h² against the wheel k and
moves it forward through the space of one tooth. It will be understood that the
number of teeth upon the wheels k l m n respectively will vary according to
the diameter of the wheels of the vehicle.
For instance, if my apparatus is attached to a cab or vehicle having wheels
four and a half yards in circumference, then the plate d (Fig. 2) revolving as the
vehicle proceeds, will bring the roller or projection e against the spring pallet h
once in every four and a half yards. The movement of the plate with the spring
detent will consequently occur at the same intervals and the wheel k will be
moved forward through one tooth. When the wheel k has made one complete
revolution, the pin or projection & will engage with the next wheel and cause it
to move forward one tooth.
The indicating dials or plates provided with bands or pointers are mounted on
the axes of wheels l m n at the extremities thereof which pass through the
casc a. If these indicating dials are made to shew distances of one, ten and
one hundred miles respectively then the arrangement of the toothed wheels will
be as follows :—
For a vehicle having wheels of four and a half yards in circumference, the
wheel will have seventeen teeth, and which records upon its dial a distance of
one mile at each complete revolution will have twenty three teeth. Then it will be
seen 4× 17 × 23 = 1760 or one mile the remaining wheels having numbers
of teeth according to the multiple of that distance which their corresponding dials
are required to indicate. Proportionate parts of a mile or other distances travelled

page_text: will of course be clearly shewn by a hand or pointer on each dial, in combination
with the figures thereon.
The movement of each of the wheels l, m n may be controlled by detents h³ h* *
respectively. The revolving plate d may be constructed to work on ball bearings
in order to reduce friction.
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. In apparatus for indicating distances travelled by cabs and other vehicles, the
case mounted on springs, and containing electro-magnets operating in combination
with recording, or counting mechanism, substantially as hereinbefore described and
exemplified in the drawings.
2. In apparatus for indicating distances travelled by cabs and other vehicles, the
employment of a switch or equivalent device provided in the seat or footboard of
the cab or vehicle, for completing an electric circuit substantially as hereinbefore
described, and exemplified in the drawings.
3. The combination of parts together forming an apparatus for indicating
distances travelled by cabs and other vehicles, substantially as hereinbefore
described and exemplified in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 15th day of December 1894.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23 Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.