Improvements in Apparatus for Stopping and Starting Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Mar., 1893—Accepted, 17th June, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Stopping and Starting Vehicles.
I, JOHANNES RIEBE 20 Königsplatz, Düsseldorf, in the German Empire,
Dentist, 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 :-
This invention relates to apparatus for storing up the power expended during
the application of the brake to a vehicle and for utilising the stored up power to
re-start or to assist in re-starting the vehicle.
Many forms of apparatus have been employed or suggested for this purpose but
they have been open to the charges of complication and weakness. The object of
this invention is to provide an apparatus which is simple and cheap in construction
and which is easy of manipulation.
Apparatus so constructed is illustrated in, the accompanying drawings reference
to which is hereinafter made.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of the improved apparatus.
Figure 2 shews a plan;
Figure 3 is an elevation at right angles to Figure 1;
Figures 4 and 5 illustrate equivalent devices to be employed in substitution for
the similar parts shewn in Figure 1.
Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 are views of the brake spindle in different positions.
Figure 10 is an illustration of a modification of the brake spindle.
Figures 11 and 12 illustrate the engaging and disengaging clutch in the closed
and open positions respectively.
Upon one of the wheel axes c' of a carriage is mounted so as to rotate thereon a
chain wheel a' connected with a drum d¹ and one half 6' of a friction clutch.
Upon the other axis C a toothed wheel z and a sleeve d are loosely fitted and
carry one half of a friction clutch.
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Upon the carriage frame is mounted an axle g which carries the toothed wheel h
engaging with the toothed wheel z. A chain wheel a is also keyed to the same
axis so as to be in line with the chain wheel a. To the wheels of the carriage the
discs ff are fixed which form the second halves of the friction clutches and
correspond with the halves bb. By rotating the ratchet clutches ik aud i¹ k', the
halves of which are secured to the sleeve d and the drum d¹ respectively,
the halves bb' of the friction clutches are caused to engage with their corresponding
halves owing to the lateral motion along their shafts of the sleeve and drum.
The friction clutch halves ff are secured to the vehicle wheels.
Accidental displacement of the sleeve and drum upon their shafts is prevented
by the adjustable collars or nuts and . If the clutches bf and b¹f are in
engagement and the chain wheels a and a¹ are connected by a chain m (Figure 1)
both wheels owing to the toothed wheel gear would move or rotate in opposite
directions. One end of a spring e is loosely connected to the shaft g and the other
end is attached to a cord or chain secured to the drum d.
"
If the carriage is moving in the direction of the arrow Figure 1 that is towards
the right and the clutch f¹ is caused to engage while the clutch bf is disengaged
then the rotation of the sleeve d' with the axle c' causes the spring e to be put into
tension thus stopping or braking the vehicle.
If now the apparatus was left to itself after the spring e had been tensioned to
the maximum extent of which the momentum of the carriage was capable the
spring would again give off the stored up energy by simply turning back the
cylinder d' in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow (Figure 1) and thus also
turn back the chain wheel a'.

page_text: To prevent this backward movement it is only necessary to engage the friction
clutch bf by turning the ratchet clutch ki. The power stored up in the spring
cannot now exert itself since it would have to move one. pair of wheels forward and
the other backward. If now the coupling is disengaged the carriage cannot
go back again but by means of the stored up power is forced to move forward.
If for instance the carriage is intended to be moved further after the initial start
by means of horses both couplings bf and b₁ f1 must be disengaged before the
spring power is exhausted or simultaneously with its exhaustion.
It rests therefore with the driver to either start the carriage backwards or in the
forward or initial direction by disengaging the one or the other coupling.
The process is exactly the same for the movement of the carriage to the left.
By engaging the coupling f the breaking of the carriage is effected as well as the
tensioning of the spring e and shortly before the carriage stops the coupling 6' f¹ is
also engaged.
By loosening the coupling bf the carriage is moved on in the initial direction
whilst by engaging bf and loosening b₁f the backward movement of the carriage
is effected.
Although the method of driving by chains has been proved to be safe and
reliable a still safer means of transmitting may be desired and this is effected by
means of toothed wheels in the case of wheel axes which are not far apart from
each other.
Figure 4 shews this arrangement. Four cog wheels are provided of which two
may be connected with the couplings bf and b₁ f¹.
Instead of the four cog wheels in cases where the axles are far apart six or even
more cog wheels may be used of which one of the middle ones may be easily
adapted. for tensioning the spring.
As a further modification, the driving mechanism may be substituted by the rack
and pinion shewn in Figure 5.
The method of putting the apparatus into gear is as follows:-Upon every
driver's stand, a vertical spindle n or o is fixed which at its lower end, has a
double crank, (Figure 3), the two crank arms forming a right angle with the
centre of the spindle. If now, during the running of the carriage, (for instance
to the right), the crank g is connected to the ratchet clutch and the crank r
with the clutch i, then, referring to the diagram Figure 6, during the course or
movement of the crank from 1 to 2, the clutch 61 is engaged and during the
course from 2 to 3, the clutch bf is engaged. During the course from 3 to 4
the clutch 1 is disengaged, and at last, upon the course from 4 to 1, the
clutch bf is gradually disconnected until complete disengagement is effected at 1.
It is therefore only necessary to turn the spindle with certain intervals to the right
to obtain the herein before described effect in a perfect manner. The carriage for
instance, is running to the right, and the driver turns the spindle n a quarter
revolution to the right, (Figure 7), whereby the coupling b¹ f¹ is engaged and the
spring e tensioned, while the coupling bf still remains loose. When the carriage
is almost at a standstill, the driver performs the second quarter turn, (Figure 8),
whereby both couplings are fixed. If it be intended to resume the journey, the
driver effects the third quarter of the turn, (Figure 9), whereby the coupling b¹ fis
disengaged so that the tension of the spring e can act upon the chain wheel a.
When the spring is nearly or totally run down, the driver at last performs the
last quarter of the turn whereby both couplings are again disconnected and the
chain wheels run loosely upon the axis. If the driver, after the carriage has been
standing still, has to drive back, it is only necessary for him to move the crank for
a half turn to the left. With opposite direction of the carriage, the crank
spindle is connected to the tensioning lever k, and the crank r with k¹.
of the
If it be desired to increase the turning power of the spring and to be able to
more exactly keep to its different positions or phases, it is necessary only to employ
two cog-wheels of unequal diameters (Figure 10), which act against each other.
If the friction surfaces of the couplings are chosen of a sufficient size, the

page_text: apparatus acts as an excellent brake, so that the arrangement of a further brake is
unnecessary, since for continued braking, only the first quarter of the turn of the
spindle need be performed. The connecting rods between the cranks and the
ratchet clutches may be of iron of any desired section and they may be cranked to
some extent to allow them to give way as easily as possible to prevent the coupling
from being overstrained.
If desired, the spring e may be dispensed with and a weight substituted. In this
case the cord or chain which is wound upon the drum d', is attached to the weight
after passing over or around suitable pulleys. Upon the rotation of the drum, the
weight is raised and fulfils the same function as the tensioned spring
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 an apparatus for braking and re-starting vehicles, the combination with th
wheels, of friction clutches which act as brakes upon the wheel and store up power
by tensioning a spring or raising a weight, all constructed arranged and operated
substantially as bereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
2. In an apparatus for braking and re-starting vehicles, the combination with the
wheels of the vehicles of friction clutches, chain wheels, toothed wheels, ratchet
clutches, and spring or equivalent devices, all constructed arranged and operated
substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
3. Apparatus for braking and re-starting vehicles, constructed arranged and
operated substantially as herein before described and as illustrated by the accom-
panying drawings.
Dated this 21st dox of March A D 1802
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.