Improvements in Cyclometers.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements in Cyclometers.
We CHARLES VERNON BOYS of 7 Dorset Square, Marylebone, in the county
of Middlesex Demonstrator of Phyisics and MARTIN DIEDERICK RUCKER of
Letchford's Buildings, Bethnal Green in the county of Middlesex, Cycle Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CYCLOMETERS," and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to improvements in the construction of the cyclometer for
which Letters Patent were granted to one of us, numbered 3810 and dated the
23rd of February 1884. The object of our invention is to simplify and cheapen
the cost of the construction of the instrument, and to make its action a positive one.
Throughout the accompanying drawings which will be hereafter referred to
similar parts are marked with like letters of reference.
Our cyclometer is constructed as follows:-We take a light metal case A having
a screwed cap top B, carrying a glass b. On the bottom side of the case we mount
a bell C, as illustrated by Figs. 1. 2. and 3 of the accompanying drawings. It is
usual in these instruments to mount all the mechanism between a pair of plates
which are held together by pillars, but we dispense with one of these plates and
use the bottom of the case for one plate, and place the top plate a which we prefer
to make perforated on a loose ring or sleeve a¹ which keeps the plate a the
required distance from the bottom of the case. The plate a and ring a¹ are
prevented from moving by reason of the cap B, screwing down on the top of them.
A sufficient space is left between the top of the plate a and the glass b of the cap
for the dial plate D, and the hands or pointers d. d¹ and d².
The wheel work we prefer to use consists of a train of four wheels which are
indicated by the letters E. F. G. and H & they are respectively fixed on arbors,
indicated by the letters e. f. g. & h. The first wheel E i.e., the one to which motion
is imparted by the revolution of the driving wheel or wheels of the machine either
directly or indirectly, occupies a central position in the case and is arranged as
follows: The wheel E is a ratchet wheel and is fixed to an arbor e, preferably
made of pinion wire forming a pinion e¹. The wheel being so placed as to lic near
the back of the case A while the pinion is retained near the front of the case.
The arbor e. projects considerably beyond the back of the case A, passing axially
through the stud c which supports the bell C and carries beyond the stud a milled
PS11

page_text: meade to enable the hands d. d'and d² to be set back to zero, or adjusted with
respect to their respective dials; or it is made square so that the hands may be set
by a key. A lever I pivotting on the arbor e passes through a slot a in the case
and is caused to reciprocate as will hereafter be described. It carries a spring
pawl i engaging with the teeth on the ratchet wheel E, while a second pawl
mounted on the case A prevents it from moving backwards; by this means the
first wheel A is caused to move through the space of one or more teeth for every
revolution of the driving wheel. The arbor f of the wheel F is mounted about
half way between the centre and the side of the case. It carries near the front
plate a snail or cam J against the periphery of which a lever L bears and is kept
up to it by a spring . As the snail revolves the lever causes the pivot on which
it is fixed to turn, and once every revolution the lever L is suddenly brought back
by the action of the spring which causes the bell C to be struck as will herein-
after be described. Immediately under the cam J is fixed a wheel F of such a size
as will engage with the pinion e¹ already described. The number of teeth in the
ratchet wheel E and in the wheel F and pinion e¹ are such that the wheel F shall
turn once for every mile (or kilometre or other desired distance) travelled by the
driving wheel or wheels of the machine. The arbor f of the wheel F passes through
the front plate a and dial plate D and carries a hand d which shows the fraction of
a mile travelled. The arrangement of the dials on the plate D are shown by Fig. 5
of the accompanying drawings On the arbor g in close proximity to the front
plate is a ratchet wheel G having ten teeth and behind this is fixed a flanged
eccentric K. Between the arbors of the wheels F and G is a pivot which carries
the lever L, this pivot is continued downwards through the bottom of the case A,
and carries a hammer M for striking the bell C which is therefore operated by the
snail J as herein before described the bell being struck at the end of every mile
travelled by the machine. The lever L also carries a long spring pawl l which
engages with the teeth of the ratchet wheel G, moving it one tooth every time the
bammer M is raised. The arbor g of the wheel G passes through the front plate a,
and dial plate D, and carries a hand di which registers the number of miles up to
ten. The arbor h of the wheel H is mounted on the opposite side of the centre of
the case to the wheel F and its position is also about half way between the centre
and the side of the case. The arbor h only carries one ratchet wheel H, with a
convenient number of teeth, thus, if it had fifty teeth, the instrument would register
up to five hundred miles, and so on, every ten extra teeth in the wheel increasing
the register one hundred miles. The ratchet wheel H is placed near the front plate,
and between it and the plate is a lever N, pivotted on the arbor / which is formed
with a fork end to engage with the eccentric K on the arbor g, so that for every
turn of the arbor g the lever N will reciprocate once. A spring pawl n carried by
the lever N causes the wheel H to move on one tooth for every reciprocation of
the lever, while a spring pawl ¹ mounted on the front plate, or case, prevents it
from moving backwards. This spring pawl h¹ at its other end engages with the
teeth of the ratchet wheel G for a similar purpose. The arbor h passes through the
front plate a, and dial plate D, and carries a hand d², which shows the number of
miles (in tens) up to say, five hundred, that the machine has travelled; after
this all the hands indicate zero and another record of five hundred miles will be
cominenced.
We sometimes for the sake of compactness spin or press the back of the case A
into such a form as very nearly to fit the belt B as illustrated by Fig. 4, of the
accompanying drawings, in which case we prefer to place the striking hammer M
inside the case A and allow it to strike through a small slot a³ in the case.
The instrument is supported by a bracket O fixed to any convenient part of the
frame of the machine, or by any non-rotating body such as a hub lamp, the lever I
being caused to reciprocate by the action of an eccentric, cam, or other projection,
on some rotating part of the machine, or conversely, the instrument may be made
to rotate, and the lever I may be actuated by a cam or projection on some
stationary part of the machine, or the instrument itself may hang either balanced

page_text: by a weight, or unbalanced, to some rotating part of the machine, and the lever I
be actuated by an eccentric, cam, or other projection thereon. When the instru-
ment is attached to the frame of the machine, we bolt or rivet the case A of the
instrument to a bracket O fixed to any convenient part of the frame of the
machine, as shown by Figs. 1. 2. and 3 of the accompanying drawings, and give
motion to the lever I, through an eccentric rod P, made preferably adjustable in
length, or we support the instrument by a box Q carried by a bracket O fixed to
some convenient part of the frame of the machine as shown by Figs. 6. and 7. of
the accompanying drawings. The side of the box Q is split and is provided with
two snugs by which the side of the box can be tightened upon the instrument by
a screw bolt or other clamping mechanism. This allows the instrument to be
adjusted with respect to the eccentric, while using an eccentric rod of one given
length, so as to ensure the proper working of the pawls in the teeth of the first
motion wheel. We sometimes use a ring instead of a box, making it wide enough
to partly enclose the bell by which means dirt and rain are prevented from
interfering with the working of the instrument.
Though a precise disposition of parts bas hereinbefore been mentioned, it is
obvious that in many cases alterations of positions might be made without in any
way effecting the working or principle of the instrument.
When we desire to make every tenth stroke of the bell distinguishable from the
others, we sometimes attach a cam to the arbor of the wheel G, which at every
turn, just when the hand indicates ten miles, rises a hammer and strikes the
bell B, just in advance of, or just after, the hammer M has struck it, or we cause
such a cam to press a damper lightly against the edge of the bell once every
turn of the wheel; the lever N engaging with the eccentric K may be conveniently
used for this purpose.
Instead of striking a bell which sound may not always be noticed when an
alarm bell is continually sounding, we sometimes cause the cam to gradually open
or close a bellows, or draw a piston through a cylinder and then suddenly to
reverse the movement, and so force or draw, a blast through a whistle or reed,
whereby a sound will be produced which cannot be mistaken for the sound of an
alarm bell.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
First. In a cyclometer fixed to, or carried by a tricycle or other velocipede and
receiving a positive motion therefrom, the signal apparatus for audibly denoting
the distance travelled by the vehicle constructed, arranged, and operating as herein-
before described and shown.
Secondly. The construction and arrangement of the mechanism for registering
and audibly denoting the distance travelled by a velocipede substantially as
set forth.
Thirdly. The method of carrying a cyclometer as and for the purpose herein-
before described and shown by Figs. 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Fourthly. The method of setting the indicating hands or pointers d. d' and d²
by means of the prolongation of the arbor c passing through the case A and the
bell C as hereinbefore described and shown.
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.I.M.E.,
Agent for the Applicants.