Improvements in Starting, Speed Regulating, Reversing, Stopping and Steering Mechanism for Mechanically Propelled Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 31st May, 1897-Accepted, 3rd July, 1897
Improvements in Starting, Speed Regulating, Reversing, Stopping
and Steering Mechanism for Mechanically Propelled Vehicles.
We, ERNEST JOHN CLUBBE and ALFRED WILLIAM SOUTHEY both of 16 Elm Street,
Gray's Inn Road in the County of London, Electrical Engineers, and the ELECTRIC
MOTIVE POWER COMPANY LIMITED of 3 Salters' Hall Court, Cannon Street, London,
Motor Carriage Builders, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to starting, speed regulating, reversing, stopping and
steering mechanism for mechanically propelled vehicles, and its chief object is to
provide for actuating by means of one regulating device, preferably a hand wheel, the
mechanism for starting, stopping, varying the speeds or reversing the direction of the
vehicles in those cases where these various operations are effected by different
combinations of clutches or devices for throwing belts into or out of gear or the like, so
that the requisite combination of movements may be obtained by means of a single
movement of the hand wheel. A further object is to provide a quick-action stopping
device, so that the vehicle may be stopped by a slight movement of the hand
wheel.
As the throw of a single lever to effect the desired objects would be excessive
and inconvenient, we employ a regulating wheel or handle which has a rotary
movement.
For the purpose of our invention we employ a wheel fitted with handles, preferably
four, at equi-distant points of its circumference, and we mount it on a horizontal axis
upon a pillar or other suitable support so as to be in a convenient position for the
driver's hand, and in such manner that the wheel rotates with its periphery facing
the driver.
The mechanism is arranged so that when the handles which are for the time being
at the top and bottom are vertical the mechanism is in gear with the vehicle, and
that when the handles are at an angle of 45° the mechanism is out of gear. Every
quarter revolution of the handle varies the speed or reverses the direction, and the
mechanism is out of gear between the positions for the different variations.
From the spindle or axle which is caused to rotate by the handwheel the power is
transmitted by suitable gearing such as sprocket wheels and chains to a sliding cam
plate having the requisite number of slots to actuate the various clutches or other like
devices. These slots by their shape produce the various required combinations of
movements by the rotation of the handwheel as will be well understood.
An indicating dial may be combined with the handwheel to show the speed obtained
by the position of the handwheel for the time being.
The handwheel may also be arranged to operate a brake when the mechanism is
out of gear. This may be effected by a lever attached to the cam plate and disposed
so as to act upon the brake lever.
The pillar or support on which the handwheel is mounted may be capable of
rotation in a horizontal plane so as to act upon the steering apparatus of the
vehicle.

page_text: Improvements in Starting, Speed Regulating, Reversing, Stopping
and Steering Mechanism for Mechanically Propelled Vehicles.
We, ERNEST JOHN CLUBBE and ALPRED WILLIAM SOUTHEY both of 16 Elm Street,
Gray's Inn Road in the County of London, Electrical Engineers and THE
ELECTRIC MOTIVE POWER COMPANY LIMITED of 3 Salter's Hall Court, Cannon Street,
London, Motor Carriage Builders, 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 has reference to starting, speed regulating, reversing, stopping and
steering mechanism for mechanically propelled vehicles, and its chief object is to
provide for actuating by means of one regulating device, preferably a handwheel, the
mechanism for starting, stopping, varying the speeds or reversing the direction of the
vehicles in those cases where these various operatious are effected by different
combinations of clutches or devices for throwing belts into or out of gear or the like, so
that the requisite combination of movements may be obtained by means of a single
movement of the hand wheel. A further object is to provide a quick-action stopping
device, so that the vehicle may be stopped by a slight movement of the hand
wheel.
As the throw of a single lever to effect the desired' objects would be excessive
and inconvenient, we employ a regulating wheel or handle which has a rotary
movement.
For the purpose of our invention we employ a wheel fitted with handles, preferably
four, at equi-distant points of its circumference, and we mount it on a horizontal axis
upon a pillar or other suitable support so as to be in a convenient position for the
driver's hand, and in such manner that the wheel rotates with its periphery facing
the driver.
The mechanism is arranged so that when the handles which are for the time being
at the top and bottom are vertical the mechanism is in gear with the vehicle, and that
when the handles are at an angle of 45° the mechanism is out of gear. Every
quarter revolution of the handle varies the speed or reverses the direction, and
the mechanism is out of gear between the positions for the different variations.
From the spindle or axle which is caused to rotate by the handwheel the power is
transmitted by suitable gearing such as sprocket wheels and chains to a sliding cam
plate having the requisite number of slots to actuate the various clutches or other
like devices. These slots by their shape produce the various required combinations
of movements by the rotation of the handwheel as will be well understood.
An indicating dial may be combined with the bandwheel to show the speed
obtained by the position of the handwheel for the time being.
The handwheel may also be arranged to operate a brake when the mechanism is out
of gear. This may be effected by a lever attached to the cam plate and disposed so
as to act upon the brake lever.
The pillar or support on which the handwheel is mounted may be capable of
rotation in a horizontal plane so as to act upon the steering apparatus of the
vehicle.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying illustrative drawings in which,-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a suitable arrangement of starting, speed regulating,
reversing, stopping and steering mechanism constructed according to this invention, 4
and
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan of the sliding cam plate and rack shown emmtaly

page_text: Figure 4 is a part front elevation of the sliding cam plate shown applied to lever
mechanism for the purpose of operating an electric switch controlling the speed of the
vehicle.
In these Figures:-
1 is the handwheel by suitably operating which the speed of the vehicle can be
regulated and the direction of its movement be reversed at will. It is fitted with four
handles 1 at equidistant points of its circunference, and it is mounted vertically on
a horizontal tube or hollow spindle 2 through which passes freely the horizontal
steering spindle 3 fitted with steering handles 3. The wheel spindle 2 and the
steering spindle 3 are mounted together in the enlarged upper end 4* of a hollow
pillar 4 which is held in fixed cross pieces 5 and 6 in such a manner as to be capable
of rotating therein. The upper cross piece 5 is carried by two long bolts or stanchions 7,
7 fixed in the lower cross piece 6 which may be formed by any convenient fixed part
of the framing of the vehicle.
From the spindle 2 which is caused to rotate by means of the handwheel 1, the
power is transinitted by means of a bevel wheel 8 fixed on the spindle 2 to a bevel
wheel 9 fixed on the upper end of a spindle 10 mounted centrally within the pillar 4
in such manner as to be capable of rotating independently of the said pillar. The
spindle 10 transunits its motion through a bevel wheel 11 fixed on its lower end to a
bevel wheel 12 fixed on a shaft 13 on which is keyed a spur pinion 14 gearing with a
toothed rack 15. Connected to or forming part of the rack 15 is a plate 16 formed
with a cam slot 17 in which a lever 18 fulcrumed at 18 is caused by the longitudinal
movement of the plate 16 to rock about its fulcrum in a plane at right angles to the
direction of the lengthwise movement of the plate 16. The lever 18 is jointed to a
connecting rod 19 which is in turn jointed to a sliding piece 20 adapted to control
the supply of motive power to the propelling motor of the vehicle and thus to regulate
the speed and direction of movement of the vehicle. In Figure 4, the sliding piece 20
is shown working over electric switch contacts 21. The cain slot 17 is continuous
and comprises in the example shown in Figure 3, four successive sections a, b, d, f, h,
having the direction of a line drawn diagonally lengthwise of the plate 16 from a near
one corner of the plate to h near the dingonally opposite corner of the plate. These
sections are connected with one another by return curves c, e, g, situated on the same
parallel as the beginning a of the slot. The arrangement is such that when the lever 18
is at the beginning a of the slot, the said lever will operate to cut off the supply of
motive power to the propelling motor of the vehicle, and when the said lever is at the
end h of the slot, the supply of motive power is "on full" to the propelling motor; and
when the lever 18 is at either of the intermediate points c, e, and points b, d, f, the
supply of motive power will be say "on" to the extent of, or respectively; the
supply of motive power being cut off each time the lever 18 is moved from b ("on")
to d ("on") or from d ("on") to f ("on ") or from ("on ") to h ("on full") and
vice versa by reason of the lever 18 having to pass the "off" sections c, e, g, of the slot.
Thus every quarter revolution of the handwheel 1 varies the speed or reverses the
direction of the vehicle, and the propelling mechanism is out of gear between the
different variations. The pillar 4 is formed with an enlarged portion 4' which serves
as a casing for the bevel wheels 11, 12. Beyond the enlarged portion 4b the pillar 4
may be continued in the form of, or be connected to a steering bar 4° for operating
the steering wheels by the rotation of the pillar about its axis by means of the
horizontal steering spindle 3 and handles 3. For this purpose the enlarged portion 4b
is suitably slotted as at 4d so as to allow of the pillar 4 rotating to the requisite
extent without influencing the shaft 13.
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
18:-
1. In nechanically propelled vehicles, a regulating handwheel or rotary handle

page_text: more cam slots in which engage one or more controlling levers or controlling devices,
whereby a single movement of the said handwheel or rotary handle suffices to effect
the requisite combination of movements for starting, reversing, stopping, steering
and regulating the speed of said vehicle, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In starting, speed-regulating, reversing, stopping, and steering mechanism of
the kind referred to in the preceding Claim for mechanically propelled vehicles,
making the pillar or support on which the regulating handwheel is mounted, capable
of rotation in a horizontal plane for the purpose of steering the vehicle, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
3. The combination with starting, speed-regulating, reversing, stopping, and
steering mechanism of the kind referred to in the preceding Claims, of a brake
adapted to be operated by the regulating handwheel when the mechanism is out of
gear, substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The starting, speed-regulating, reversing, stopping and steering mechanism,
constructed, arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 25th day of May, 1897.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.