Improvements in Variable Speed or Speed and Power Mechanism for Motor Road Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 27th May, 1897-Accepted, 10th July, 1897
GETL
Improvements in Variable Speed or Speed and Power Mechanism
for Motor Road Vehicles.
We, Jons (LOUGH, of 1, Rose Bank, Manningham near Bradford, in the
County of York, Manager, RocHESTER ILLINGWORTH. of Hill Street, Coventry,
in the County of Warwick, Manager, and JOSEPH Bus, of Gas Street, Coventry,
aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention particularly relates to improvements in sun and planet mechanism
for varying the speed of automotors and other road vehicles in relation to the
speed of the motor in which three different speeds are obtainable and in which the
change from one speed to another is effected by means of friction clutches; and
its object is to enable the different cams to be manipulated or controlled by one
lever or handle.
For this purpose we employ a lover which may be vibrated or moved forward
to bring one speed into operation and be turned on its axis in one direction to
alter the speed in one way and be turned in the other direction to alter the speed
still more.
A convenient arrangement is to apply the lever and clutches in such a way that
pushing the lever forward causes the vehicle to travel at full speed and ou
pulling it backwards the parts are left in such a position that the lever may be
turned on its axis in either direction to reduce the speed. The clutches and fever
are preferably so arranged and connected that when the lever is pulled still further
back a braking action is produced.
The motion of the lever may be communicated to the clutches by means of
suitably arranged cams and the rotary motion of the lever may be arranged to
operate the clutches by the medium of bevel wheels.
Dated this 27th day of August 1896.
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Patent Agenta.
хох
Improvements in Variable Speed or Speed and Power Mechanism
for Motor Road Vehicles.
We, JOHN CLOUGH, of Rose Bank, Manningham near Bradford, in the
County of York, Manager, RocHESTER ILLINGWORTH, of Hill Street, Coventry,
in the County of Warwick, Manager, and JOSEPH BUSH, of Gas Street, Coventry,
aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
[Price 8d.]

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention particularly relates to improvements in the mechanism for
varying the speed of automotors and other road vehicles for which application for
Letters Patent No. 2891 dated the 8th day of February 1806 has been made, and
its object is to enable the different clutches to be manipulated by one lever.
For this purpose we employ a lever which may be vibrated or moved forward
to bring one speed into operation and he turned on its axis in one direction to
alter the speed in one way and he turned in the other direction to alter the speed
still more.
A convenient arrangement is to apply the lever and clutches in such a way that
pushing the lever forward causes the vehicle to travel at full speed and by turning
it round the vehicle is made to take one or the other of the smaller speeds according
to the direction in which it is turned.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying sheet of drawings forming a part of
this specification in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in each of the figures.
Figure 1, represents an elevation of the mechanism described in the above
cited application with the present improvements applied to it.
Figure 2, represents a plan view, and Figure 3 is a side elevation of the same.
Figures 4 and 5, are separate views of a detail hereinafter referred to.
The shaft A, the framework A, the chain wheel B, the clutch cones (and 1)³
and the clutch bands G, II are of the same construction and are operated in the
same way as described in the specification of the above cited application and the
internal mechanism is also of similar construction. The cams L and L' having
one end of the band clutches connected to them in a similar way by links G
and H. The clutch lovers Maud Mare hinged to blocks M³ and are fitted with
screw pins M* to engage loose collars on the bosses DS and C of the cone clutches
all as described in the specification of the above cited application.
To avoid complication in working and to simplify the manipulation of the
several clutches we arrange them so that they are all controlled by one regulating
lever K. This lever is mounted in the hollow projection L formed upon the
shaft L (separately shown in Figures 4 and 5) and the bevel wheel K is rigidly
fixed upon the lower end of the lever K which projects through L. The shaft L
is mounted in bearings A and A fixed to the frame A3 and cams L and I are
loosely mounted upon the shaft L which cams engage the clutch levors M and M
mounted on the adjustable blocks M fitted upon the lower part of the frame A³.
The cams L and L have bevel teeth I formed round their inner faces which
teeth engage the teeth of the hevel wheel K consequently if the lever K is
moved forward in the direction of the arrow Figure 3 both the cams L³ and L* ure
partly turned upon the shaft L and the cams are so formed that such a movement
moves the clutch levers M and M2 towards each other which forces the clutch
cones C and D into the shells (and I and locks both the sun wheel (C) and
the annular wheel (1) referred to in the above cited specification to the shaft A.
Also as the ends of the band clutches & and I are fixed to the peripheries of the
cams L and L by the links G and I this same movement of the cams slackens
the bands and leaves the parts they embrace free to revolve with the shaft A.
If however instead of moving the lover K forward it is partly turned on its axis
one of the cams is turned in one direction and the other in the other direction.
This has the effect of engaging one of the clutch cones with its cone shell and
disengaging the other and at the same time the hand clutch round the engaged
cone is slackened whilst the other one is tightened. It is obvious that turning the
lever K in the roverse direction will disengage the cone previously engaged and
engage the other one and also slacken the tight hand clutch and tighten the other
one.
To lock the lever K in any position a toothed quadrant N is fixed on each side

page_text: of the bearing pieces A and A" and the circular rack Ks to engage these quadrant
pieces is provided on the lover K. The rack is prevented from rotating on the
lever K by the key K but it is free to be moved up the lever to disengage it from
the quadrants N whilst the lever is adjusted. The spring K5 confined between tho
collar K upon K and the central boss K on the rack Knormally keeps the rack
down to engage the quadrants. A small lever K8 pivoted to K aud connected by
the rod K to the rack K³ is provided to enable the rack to be lifted by the hand
used to hold and adjust the fever K.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
The mechanism hereinbefore described for controlling and actuating a three
speed mechanism for automotors or other road vehicles by a single lever,
substantially as herein shown and described.
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Patent Agents.