Improvements in Speed Indicators and Alarms.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Speed Indicators and Alarms.
We, DONALD JOHN GUNN MILLER of 13 Great Nelson Street, in the City of
Liverpool, Engineer, and ALBERT EDWARD FOLLOWS of 5 Norton Street, in the
City of Liverpool, Dentist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
There is a great outcry at the present time against the police for needlessly
taking up people for furious driving of carriages or the riding of bicycles, the
drivers invariable alleging that they were not furiously driving.
Now this invention is designed so as to enable the occupant of the vehicle at
all times to ascertain without trouble that he is within the maximum speed, as
the moment the maximum speed is reached the alarum is given and is continued
to be given as long as that maximum speed is maintained."
Our invention consists in applying the principle of the centrifugal governors
to speed indicators and combining with the centrifugal device a gong or other
alarm whereby the moment the centrifugal device expands it strikes or puts in
action the alarum. There are numerous ways in which this can be carried into
effect, but the way we prefer, the simplest and lightest is a small spindle placed
on pivots and driven by means of a grooved wheel from the axle or other part of
the machinery. On this axle are two wheels, spiders or frames, to one the centri-
1ugal devices are pivoted. The centrifugal device can consist of a pivoted arm
with a ball at the end and there can be one two or three of these centrifugal
Gvices. In practice we prefer two centrifugal devices balancing each other, but
one of them much shorter than the other consequently only one will give the
alarum, and thus instead of producing a buzz it will produce a series of sharp
sounds. Attached to this centrifugal device is a spring tending to keep it from
flying out and the other end of this spring is attached to the second disc or still
heiter to a spring clip hereafter explained. If it is attached to the other disc
itself that disc is adjustable in angular position in reference to the fixed disc to
which the centrifugal device it attached so that the tension of the spring can he
exactly regulated. We prefer however to have the two discs or spiders keyed to
the spindle, the governor balls attached to one of these dises and to the other
disc the spring clip we have mentioned. On the disc to which the spring clip is
attached are a series of radial grooves crossing a circumferential slot. A pin to
which the end of the spring is attached works in this differential slot and hns a
spring catch sliding upon it working into the radial grooves. Graduations
alongside the radial grooves show the miles per hour at which the machines
can be driven so as to just strike the alarum when the spring clip is in any given
groove. The driver then can set his spring clip at any speed per hour he wishes
and then as long as it is set in this way the apparatus will give him warning

page_text: the moment he exceeds the maximum rate allowed, while at any time by simply
changing his spring clip he can change the maximum speed. In place of two
spiders or discs one alone can be used if desirable the spring clip being attached
to the plate on which the governor balls are pivoted. In place of or as well as
a spring clip a regulating or graduated screw could be used. This apparatus will
be userul for cabs and other vehicles, for velocipedes, for steam engines, for motor
ears, and in fact for almost anything where a given maximum speed of rotation
has to be ascertained.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Speed Indicators and Alarms.
We, DONALD JOHN GUNN MILLER of 13 Great Nelson Street, in the City of
Liverpool, Engineer and ALBERT EDWARD FOLLOWS of 5 Norton Street, in the
City of Liverpool, 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:-
There has been a considerable outery at the present time against the police for
needlessly prosecuting people for furious driving of carriages or the riding of
bicycles, the drivers almost invariably alleging that they were not furiously driving.
Now this invention is designed so as to enable the occupant of the vehicle at
all times to ascertain without trouble that he is within the maximum speed, as
the moment the maximum speed is reached an alarm is given and is continued
to be given so long as that maximum speed is maintained or exceeded. By our
invention we apply the principle of the centrifugal governor to speed indicators
of this nature, and combine with the centrifugal device a gong or other alarm
whereby the moment the centrifugal device expands sufficiently it strikes
or puts in action the alarm and our invention also includes a regulating
device, whereby the maximum speed at which the machine is set can be regulated
at pleasure. There are numerous ways in which this can be carried into effect,
and the drawings describe our most improved device at the present time.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation partly in section of the devico and clip attachment.
Fig. 2 a side elevation of same.
Fig. 3 a perspective view of the device, and
Fig. 4 shows a view showing its application on a bicycle wheel, and also how
it can be used as an ordinary alarm.
In these A is a spindle supported on terminal bearings on arms B which are
keyed to shaft S which is carried loosely in bearings on a clip K attached to
the frame-work of the machine. C is a disc or rim spider wheel running against the
wheel of the bicycle. It can however be driven from any moving part of the
bicycle if desired. D is a centrifugal ball arrangement having one arm longer
than the other and so arranged that as they fly out one of them shall strike a
projection on gong P, the other of them being shorter and having a piece cut
out as shown in the drawings, fails to strike this point, consequently an alarm
rather than a buzz is given. E is a spring placed on spindle A and tending
to close the governor balls. F is a crank arm hollowed out at f and tapped so as to
hold screw G on spindle g. This arm is used to compress the spring E to
, any required extent. On spindle g is keyed a pinion G and a hand-wheel H.

page_text: This pinion G gears into 'a second spider or diso 1 having teeth round the
extremity. Jis a spring clip holding these teeth except when the hand-wheel II
is forcibly moved round or the spring clip is withdrawn. L is a spring preferably
attached to one or both frames B or to a projection M thereon so as to press the
wheel C. A continuation of this spring is shown on the shaft S. Q, Fig. 4
is a cord from the handle attached to a ball I supported by a spring O on one of
the arms B. By pulling on the spring Q the ball is withdrawn far from the
gong land on releasing it it flies back through the resiliency of the spring and
strikes the gong, consequently the same gong can be used both for the ordinary
alarm and the regulator. The spider or dise 1 is graduated in miles or kilometres
per hour.
The mode of action is as follows:--
The disc or spider C running on the wheel rotates the shaft A to which it is
sitached and consequently the governor 13. If the spring E be slack governor B
quickly flies out and strikes tho gong. If however the wheel H be turned so as
to compress the spring and move the spider 1 in a different angular position
relative to the spider C the screw revolves in the arm F and the spring is
pressed putting greater tension on the governor 1) than before and consequently
increasing the minimum speed at which the automatic alarm will operate. A
stop z prevents the balls from flying out beyond the striking point and thus
prevents them getting wedged behind the nib . If the graduations of the dise I
be correct this speed can be read off opposite the spring clip J or opposite their
pointer. In our Provisional Specification we described a modified design by which
the spring is attached directly to one of the dises, the other end being attached
to a spring clip or otherwise, to various graduated points on the other dises and
this plan we may still adopt, but we prefer the slightly more complicated arrange-
ment of spring and compression, though in each case the maximum speed
allowed is shown at the point where the spring clip and the dise come in contact
and in each case exactly as the two disus or spiders are rotated relatively to each
other so as the maximum speed allowed decreases or diminishes and in each case
a spring is used to put tension on the governor. It is obvious however that once
give the idea of a spring putting tension on the governor and regulated by the
angular distance apart of two points and a vast variety of mechanisms can be
designed for regulating this angular distance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our snid
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
1. The improvement in speed indicators and alarms for eycles, motor cars, and
other vehicles, or machines in which a spring controlled centrifugal governor
operated or driven from any convenient rotating portion of the vehicle is used in
combination with a resonating device such as a nib or projection on a bell in such
manner that one ball or arm of the governor shall strike the resonating device
whenever a given speed is attained or exceeded and thus a clear ringing signal
rather than a buzz is obtained substantially as described
2. The improvements in speed indicators and alarms for the purposes described
in which a contrifugal device driven from a moving part of the machine is controlled
by a spring the tension of which is regulated by an adjustable device to which is
connected a dial graduated scale or other indicator showing the speed at which
the machine must be run to cause an alarm at each given tension of the spring.
3. In a centrifugal indicating device for indicating when a maximum speed is
reached the combination of two discs or spiders on substantially the same axis
but capable of angular relative movement the one with the other and a spring
tension device controlling the governor and connected with these spiders in such
manner that the angular relative position of the two spiders or the position of
one of the spiders at which the connection with the spring is fixed shall indicate
on a scale the maximum speed at which the apparatus is set.

page_text: 4. The general arrangement and combination of parts forming an improved
indicator and alarm substantially as herein described and shown in the accom-
panying drawings.
Dated the 15th day of September 1807
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London, Patent Agents.