Apparatus for Starting a Vehicle.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 4th Jan., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Starting a Vehicle.
I, EVERARD HOME MORGAN of 18 Maison Dieu, Dover in the County of Kent,
England 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 :--
The strain necessary to start into motion a heavy vehicle or train of vehicles from
a state of rest is much greater than that which is required to maintain it in motion.
It is consequently necessary in most cases to provide for starting a vehicle, the
animal power, steam, electricity or other motive power in excess of that required for
normal working.
My invention relates to means of applying to a vehicle a temporary force for
starting it into motion, independent of the force normally applied to keep it in motion.
For this purpose I employ compressed air acting on a piston to give partial rotation
to some of the wheels of the vehicle, as I shall describe referring to the accompanying
drawing which is a side view partly in section of part of a vehicle to which my
invention is applied. R is a reservoir of compressed air which, when the vehicle has
a brake apparatus worked by compressed air, may be charged directly from the main
reservoir or train pipe, or which in other cases, may be charged by a small air com-
pressing pump worked by a motor or by the running wheels while the vehicle is
in motion.
This reservoir communicates, as determined by a slide valve, with either end of a
cylinder causing a piston P fitted in this cylinder to move from the one end or the
other to the middle of the cylinder. When the piston moving in either direction
reaches the middle of the cylinder it uncovers an escape port relieving the pressure
behind it, so that it is urged no farther. The rod of the piston P is linked by a con-
necting rod to the end of a lever L which is fitted free to turn on one of the running
axles A of the vehicle, on which axle at the side of the lever is fixed a square toothed
wheel W. On the face of the lever L are pivotted a gearing lever G and a double
nosed pawl B having noses B' B². One end of the lever G is slotted to receive an
eccentric E or a crank and its other end is rounded and engaged in a rounded
notch of the pawl B. On a part of the vehicle accessible to the conductor
or driver, are mounted two levers, the one S linked to the lever L, and the
other V linked to the slide valve of the cylinder C. The eccentric E is fixed
to the connecting rod U so as to be partly turned when the lever L is
moved to either of its extreme positions indicated by the dotted lines L'
and L2. The apparatus works in the following manner. Assuming the reservoir R
to be charged with compressed air, that the vehicle is at rest, and that the motor or
animal is straining but without sufficient power to start it in the direction of the arrow,
the conductor or driver moves the lever S to the dotted position S' and thereby moves
the lever L to the position L' and the piston P to P₁ the eccentric E being by this
movement turned partly round moving the lever G and turning the pawl B
into such a position that its nose B' engages with the teeth of the wheel W.
The conductor or driver then letting go the lever S moves the lever V thus
shifting the slide valve of the cylinder so as to admit air behind the piston in its
position P. The piston is thus caused to make a stroke forward until it reaches the
middle of the cylinder Cin which position it uncovers one of the escape holes allowing
the air to escape and at the same time it may act by suitable tappets on the slide rod,
shifting the slide back to middle position. By this movement of the piston P the
lever Lis caused to move to its middle position, the pawl B' causing the wheel W
and the axle A to turn, and then escaping as the wheel continues to revolve.
similar manner, when the vehicle has to be started in the opposite direction, the
lever S is moved to the position S2 thus moving the lever L to 12 and the piston P
In a

page_text: to P2. The pawl B is thus moved so that its nose B2 engages with the teeth of W.
The conductor then letting go S and shifting the slide valve, the piston is caused to
make a stroke back to its middle position giving motion to the wheel W. The
piston P may have a rod extending through the bottom of the cylinder to act on
another axle of the vehicle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is.
Apparatus for starting a vehicle, consisting of a compressed air reservoir, slide
valve, cylinder and piston in combination with a lever centred on one of the axles of
the vehicle, this lever carrying a double nosed pawl having its attitude determined
by an eccentric or crank on the lever so as to engage with teeth of a wheel on the
same axle, for driving in the one direction or the other substantially as described.
Dated this 25th day of November 1889.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.