AN IMPROVED CYCLOMETER
Year: 1885

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I CHARLES HÄRLE of 50 Great College Street, Camden Town in the County
of Middlesex, Watchmaker do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"AN IMPROVED CYCLOMETER" and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Cyclometers, or instruments or apparatus for indicating and registering the
number of revolutions of the wheels of a road or rail vehicle or of other rotating
wheels shafts or spindles are at present so made that the gearing or mechanism
contained in the case must be proportioned to the diameter of the wheel or shaft to
which it is to be attached and therefore the cyclometer will not register correctly if
applied to another wheel or shaft of different diameter.
Now my invention is designed to so construct a cyclometer as to be capable of
being regulated to register when applied to different sized wheels or shafts within
of course a limited range.
For instance I can adapt my apparatus to register the revolutions of wheels
varying from 21 inches to 70 inches in diameter and so make it applicable to
various sizes of velocipedes, thus the same cyclometer may be made to register for
child's or small wheeled tricycles, large wheeled tricycles, safety, road or racing
bicycles or carriage or other wheels.
My invention is further designed to increase the efficacy of such cyclometers by
providing mechanism more correct in its action than that generally in use.
The accompanying three sheets of drawings illustrate my invention as applied to
a cyclometer capable of indicating and registering the revolutions of cycle wheels
varying from 21 inches to 70 inches diameter.
Fig 1. Sheet I is a front view of the dial.
Fig 2. Sheet II is a plan view of plate on back of same shewing the trains of
gearing driving the hands of the dial.
Fig 3. Sheet II is a plan view of the complete instrument excepting its case and
the appliances for attaching the case to the wheel which appliances may be of the
usual character.
All these views are on an enlarged scale.
Sheet III contains detail drawings of various important parts of my invention.
Fig 4 shews plan of the regulator and feed motion the regulator being set for the
smallest (21 inch) diameter wheel and shewing the feed motion gripping the
escapement wheel.
Fig 5. shews the same with the feed motion free of the escapement wheel.

page_text: vive again gupping
WHICCL
(hereafter described) being at the end of their stroke and abutting on the
regulator.
Fig 7. corresponds to Fig 4. but with the regulator set for the large (70 inch)
wheel.
Fig 8. corresponds to Fig 6. in this latter respect.
Fig 9. is a side view of Fig 7 (the spring not being shewn).
Fig 10. is a plan of the regulator and its scale.
Fig 11. a side elevation of the feed motion levers. Fig 12 plan of cam.
All these on an enlarged scale.
A is the foundation plate, on suitable arbors or centres I place the toothed
wheels B. C. D. the wheel B having 80 teeth and the wheels C. D. 100 teeth
each.
The bosses of wheels B. D. have notches B₁ D¹ formed in them for the purpose
hereinafter referred to. In the centre of the back of the dial plate I place a
pinion E driven off wheel B by a pinion F each pinion having 10 teeth.
On the wheel B I place a pin G arranged to move the star or sprocket wheel H
carrying a 10 toothed pinion I driving the wheel D, and I place a pin J on the
wheel D. to actuato a similar star or sprocket wheel K. carrying a 10 toothed
pinion L to drive wheel C. as hereafter described.
Thus (as regards the registering mechanism) B is first driven as hereafter
described registering (in the case of a velocipede or wheeled carriage) the yards
traversed.
I arrange a swinging weight or pendulum Y carrying a shaft or arbor M having
a notch or notches a in the same. N is a spiral or helical cam (see Fig 12) carrying
a tooth or pawl b pivotted on a pin c and having a spring d to force same into
position.
The pawl b pivotted on the cam N engages with the notch a on the arbor M
fixed to the pendulum lever when the same is held stationary or at rest during the
forward or advance movement of the wheel, vehicle or shaft, but if the same be
reversed as in backing a velocipede or carriage or reversing an enginė, or revolving
shaft the pawl b slips out of the notch a and allows the cam N to move on the shaft
or arbor M without moving the same.
The view Fig 12 shows the underside of the cam N. On this cam the diameter
increases from the first curve until it terminates in the beak or tooth shewn in the
drawing Fig 12.
On the centre O I place a 7 toothed pinion P and on the arbor of this place a
serrated or roughened wheel Q this wheel may have fine serrations or teeth as in
Fig 3 or merely a roughened or gripping surface as in Figs 4 to 8.
Over the arbor and capable of oscillating thereon I pivot a lever R. formed with 4
an upwardly extending part e and notched at f (see Fig. 11). This lever carries a
pin S on which I pivot a lever T capable of oscillation on lever R and having ȧ
roughened or serrated pawl T¹ and carrying an upwardly projecting point or
extension g.
On the central arbor I place a spiral or helical cam U capable of travelling in a
half circle only so that when its beak or largest diameter his presented to the
levers R. T. such have a limited oscillation on their centre O by their ends e: g.
abutting on the cam or regulator U.
As this cam is turned in its half circular path so that the minor portions of its
diameter are successively presented to the impact of the levers R. T. so the said
levers will have more play and so regulate the stroke of the feed motion as hereafter
described.
As in Figs 7 and 8 the cam or regulator U has its minimum diameter presented
to the impact of the levers R. T.
Vis a spring pressing on lever R. and tending to force same on to the cam or
regulator U.

page_text: W is a hand or pointer keyed to the regulator U and capable of moving U to
any point on the scale X marked on the case.
As shewn this scale is marked 21. 28, 35. 42. 49. 56. 63 and 70 and corresponds
to the differences of diameter between the lesser and greater figures.
It will be at once apparent that the scale and proportions of gearing can be
varied for the purposes for which the apparatus or instrument is required. Say for
instance the apparatus is required to register the revolutions of a cycle or carriage
with a 21 inch wheel. for this we refer to Figs 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 9. 10. 11. 12.
We first move the hand W to 21 on the scale X thus bringing the regulator or
cam U to the position shewn in Figs 4. 5. 6. 10.
On a centre I place the cam or regulator U capable of being turned in a semi-
circle by its land or pointer W and secured in position as desired over this on the
same centre I place the cam N so that when the wheel or shaft to be registered
runs forward the notch a in the arbor or tube M fixed to the swinging pendulum Y
will be caught by the pawl b on the cam N and hold the same stationary.
In place of fixing the case instrument, or apparatus on the hub, spokes or other
part of the wheel or rotating shaft and so operating as before described I might fix
the apparatus or instrument to the frame of the vehicle or close to the shaft and
dispense with the cam N and pendulum Y—In this case a pin must be fitted to
the revolving wheel or shaft to strike the levers R. T. on each revolution and so
take the place of the cam N.
As the wheel of the vehicle or the shaft runs forward the swinging pendulum Y
will cause the cam N to grip the arbor or tube M. connected to the same and
so remain stationary.
As the case runs round with the wheel or shaft the cam N will catch the lever T
and cause it and lever R to be pushed away from the regulator U (as shewn in Fig 4).
This will cause the pawl T already gripping the roughened or serrated surface of
the feed or escapement wheel Q (by the previous release of the cam as in Fig 6), to
take the same slightly round, this advances the wheel Q and also the wheel B
thus making the latter record one revolution of the running wheel of the vehicle,
or of the shaft.
As soon as the beak h of cam N releases the lever T it is clear of the wheel Q
which remains at rest by reason of the pressure of a spring A' (Fig 2) resting
thereon, but as soon as the beak of the cain N has fairly cleared the lever R it is
pushed back by its spring V and abuts on the regulator U so bringing the lever T
and its pawl T again on the wheel Q ready for the operation (Fig 4) to be repeated
This feed motion, by means of the employment of the compound lever R. T. and
pawl T gives an instantaneous grip and release of of the latter on the serrated or
roughened wheel Q.
In figures 7 and 8 the regulator U is adjusted to register a 70" wheel and this is
effected by moving the regulator U by its hand or pointer W to the opposite
position on the scale, Fig 11.
Reference to Figs 7 and 8 will render the mode of working apparent as compared
with Figs 4 and 6.
The Lever R has a notch fat its extension e and the lever T an extension g with
a downward projection so that when T is pushed back by the cam N, I shall
catch in fand so T pushes R back.
Now wheel Q being fed forward by one revolution of the case round the
stationary pendulum and cam N, caused by the travelling wheel or shaft making
one revolution, drives the pinion P. and advances B proportionately to the play of
the levers R. T on the regulator U, so that every time Q is advanced it turns its
pinion P., wheel B at the same time drives the idle pinion F which advances the
pinion E to which the yard hand is attached.
In Fig. 2 the locking gear which forms another part of my invention is clearly
shewn On wheel B I place a pin G as before described and on the arbor of the
wheel B I arrange a notch B¹ On the case plate A³ I pivot a spring lever Z¹
(dotted in Fig. 2) with a point i to drop into notch-B' and a pawl or end j to

page_text: engage with the star or sprocket wheel H placed of course above the level of
wheel B. Now P will continuously advance B which in turn will drive E
through F so indicating the yards traversed on the dial by means of the central
needle, hand or pointer.
All this time the pawl or end; on the spring lever Z' rests in one of the ten
notches in the star or sprocket wheel H and so locks the same that its pinion I
cannot turn the wheel D.
When the wheel B is on the point of completing its revolution its pin G will
engage with one of the teeth of the star or sprocket wheel H and this will lift the
end of the lever and allow its other end i to drop into the notch B¹ of the
wheel B, during this operation the wheel H and its pinion I are advanced one tooth
by the pin G.
Directly the pin G has cleared the tooth of wheel H the end; of the lever Z
once more drops into the next tooth and at the same time the end i is lifted out of
the notch B¹ in wheel B.
.
This locks wheel H till the pin G again comes round to operate the same.
As the pinion I moves D one tooth, it records one mile on wheel D and ten miles
for a complete revolution of H and pinion I.
On the arbor of D is a notch D₁ and on the case is pivotted a spring pawl Z'.
with ends corresponding to Z. i. j and having a precisely similar action to
operate and lock the wheel C through the pin carried by D and the star or
sprocket wheel K and its pinion L. Thus on moving D one hundred teeth
registering one hundred miles on wheel C, by moving it one. tooth, for each
revolution of wheel D caused by its pin J operating on K. L as before described ;.
with reference to B. B. G. H. I. Z. i. j. Z³. Z. are springs to act on the
pawls Z¹. Z
When D has revolved one hundred times, ten thousand miles will be scored by
wheel C on dial plate and this can be booked.
•
If desired other wheels gearing into millions or other numbers can be geared
with C but for ordinary practical purposes such cyclometers can be made as here
described.
To keep the wheel Q in place and also levers R. TI place over them a spring
plate A shewn in Fig 3.
As is a plate to carry the various parts shewn, supported by studs X' on plate A.
It will be seen that my apparatus will record and shew every yard or other like
small distance traversed.
In foreign measurements or measurements in feet or inches in place of yards the
train or gearing must be suitably divideḍ..
I do not claim the operating of a cyclometer or revolution indicator by a hanging
weight or cam nor do I claim the mere arrangement of gear wheels B. C. D.
but having now particularly, described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
In cyclometers or apparatus for indicating the revolutions of wheels or shafts
1st Applying to the feed mechanism of the same as described, an adjustable stop
or regulator for limiting the play of the feed or escapement and so enabling the
sume apparatus to be used (within reasonable limits) for different wheels or shafts
of varying diameter.
2nd The instantaneous grip or feed motion consisting of the compound lever R. T
in combination with and arranged to operate the serrated or roughened wheel Q
by the spiral cam N or its equivalent substantially as described.
3rd The regulator U for limiting the stroke of the levers R. T substantially as.
and for the purposes described.
.
4th The combination of the pins G. J the star or sprocket wheels H. K. carrying
pinions L L with the pawls or levers Z¹. Z. and the notched arbors B₁. Di
substantially as and for the purposes described.

page_text: 5th The arrangement of the spiral cam N, moveable on the spindle or shaft M
of the pendulum Y and carrying a pawl to engage with a notch or notches in the
said spindle or shaft for the purpose of only allowing the register to be actuated
by a forward revolution of the wheel or shaft substantially as described with
reference to Figure 12 of the accompanying drawings.
6th The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the improved
cyclometer adapted for varying sizes of wheels or diameters of shafts substantially
as described.