Improvements in Means for Operating Various kinds of Breaks for Vehicles.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1887
Specification Accepted, 13th Jan., 1888
Improvements in Means for Operating Various kinds of Breaks
for Vehicles.
1,
BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, carrying on business under the firm or
style of Harris and Mills, of 23 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, a communication to
me from abroad by Henri Roberjot of 13 Rue de Créqui, Lyons, in the Republic of
France, Carriage Builder, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
The object of the invention is to obtain the working of breaks of all kinds applied
to vehicles by utilising the motion of the vehicle.
For this purpose, one of the rotating axles or one of the wheels, if the axles do not
rotate, is furnished with a cam having one or several rises, which is caused to act
at any desired time on a lever, which transmits its motion to the parts operating
the break.
I will describe the invention as applied to several examples.
The accompanying drawings show at Figures 1 and 2 the application of the
invention to a screw break mounted on a light carriage. The break mechanism is
shown separately in order that it may be clearly understood. It is composed of break
blocks B, carried by the oscillating shaft A, and of the screw C acting at the end of
the lever F keyed upon the same shaft A.
To this mechanism, which is well understood; is added a lever L capable of acting
upon the nut E by causing it to turn in the direction for applying the break blocks,
this action is effected by means of the click or driver I carried by the lever; and by
the ratchet wheel H, the movement of which is communicated to the nut by bevel
gearing as shown. The nut is held between two supports P, P, which prevent its
having any longitudinal motion, on the other hand all rotary motion of the screw is
prevented by a stop N which engages in the teeth of the ratchet wheel O. This stop
is carried by the handle D, in the square eye of which the screw can slide without
turning. The rotation of the nut E will result therefore in the descent of the
screw G, and consequently the application of the break.
Normally the lever L is suspended by a hook J held, (as shown by dotted lines in

page_text: Figure 1), on the end of a tooth K fixed on an axis which is prolonged into the
interior of the carriage and carries at any convenient position a lever terminated by a
pedal M, which is held raised by a spring Y.
On the nave of one of the wheels is fixed a cam G, with one or several rises, above
which is prolonged the lever L.
This cam turns without touching the lever, so long as it remains hooked to the
tooth K, but if it is desired to apply the brake, the pedal M will be depressed, when
by the tooth K freeing the lever L, the latter will fall upon the cam as represented at
Figure 2 and will receive a to and fro motion which will give rotary motion to the
ratchet wheel H and will turn the nut E.
The break blocks will then be forced against the wheels with rapid speed at the
commencement which will gradually diminish in proportion as the speed of the
vehicle is reduced until the complete stoppage thereof.
To remove the break, the hand will no longer act on the nut E but the screw C will
be turned in the nut which has become fixed, by means of the handle D after having
disengaged the stop N.
The pedal being then released and raised by its spring the first movement of the
wheel will cause the lever L to be lifted and the hook J to be suspended by the
tooth K thus removing the lever from the can.
This arrangement, as is seen, permits the break to be worked in the ordinary manner
by the handle D, which will be used to slacken the speed upon declines and even for
stopping if desired.
Figures 3 to 5 show the same system. applied to a waggon furnished with a screw
break.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section, figure 4 is a plan view and figure 5 is a transverse
section on the line 1, 2 of figure 3.
In this case the cam G is a simple excentric mounted on one of the axles, the
lever L is held up by an oscillating hook K in which engages a stud or pin J fixed
on the lever. The hook K. held by a spring K' is on the other side attached by a
chain or link to the hand lever M. This hand lever when pushed in the direction of
the arrow liberates the lever L and allows it to fall into contact with the eccentric
from which it will receive as before mentioned a to and fro motion.
This movement is transmitted by means of the click I to the ratchet wheel H, as
shown in figures 4 and 5 mounted on the same shaft as the pinion E¹, which gears
with the pinion E forming a nut upon the screw C which works the break blocks B
in the manner well understood.
To release the break the fly wheel D will be worked by hand after the stop N has
been lifted which fixes it to the crown toothed wheel O. This movement is trans-
mitted by bevel pinions to the longitudinal shaft U which transunits it to the screw C
by the toothed wheels V. V.
On starting again the lever L is hung up automatically upon the hook K.
As in the former case the fly wheel D may be used to slacken speed or even to
stop entirely.
The two preceeding examples only differ as will be seen in the means of transmitting
the movement.
It will be readily understood that the transmission of the power may be varied so
that this invention may be applied to all vehicles and to suit all known systems
of breaks.
Figure 6 shows the application of this system to a waggon fitted with compressed
air breaks.
The lever L acts in this case by means of an arm I upon the piston of a com-
pressor H which forces the air into the break cylinder E, which acts in the ordinary
manner upon the break blocks B. The separation of the lever L is obtained as in the
preceeding cases by a hook K worked by a hand lever M. A simple tap D serves to
release the breaks, when opened, by allowing the air to flow from the cylinder. The
lever L is hung up again automatically on restarting.
To diminish the speed without stopping, the pump will be put into action by

page_text: unhooking the lever L and the escapement tap D will be more or less opened in such
a manner as to maintain in the break cylinder the desired pressure.
By substituting for the compressor H a pneumatic or hydraulic pump, vacuum or
water breaks can be operated in a similar manner.
Any number of waggons may be coupled together having either air or mechanical
breaks by connecting all the hand levers M together in order to unhook the motor
levers and apply the breaks, and also on the other hand by connecting all the
shafts U working the screws as in figure 3 or all the escapement taps D shown in
figure 6 for releasing the breaks. This coupling may consist of simple chains or links
and by universal joints for the shafts, a means of coupling which presents greater
facility than that of air pipes in known breaks.
The same advantage may be obtained with this system as with continuous automatic
breaks, that is to say the application of the breaks by the rupture of a connection.
For this purpose the hand levers M will be arranged by their own weight or by the
action of springs in such manner as automatically to liberato the levers L when the
connections which unite them become broken.
The preceeding examples show that the invention consists essentially in the putting
into operation of all kinds of known breaks worked either by screws cams or excentrics,
or by compressed.or rarefied air; or by hydraulics, by means of a cam formed with
one or several rises, keyed upon one of the axles or one of the wheels of the vehicle,
the said cam acting upon a lever which can be made at will to approach or recede
from the cam to establish or suspend the motion.
The oscillations of this lever being afterwards transmitted to the piston of a pump
in air or water breaks or to ratchet gear operating a screw, cam or excentric in
mechanical breaks.
my
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The combination of a cam fixed on the wheel or rotating axle of a vehicle and
of a lever receiving from it a to and fro motion which is transmitted to ratchet gear
for producing the application of screw cam or other mechanical breaks.
2. The combination of a cam similarly fixed and of a lever which transmits its
motion to an air or water pump, to effect the application of pneumatic or hydraulic
breaks.
3. In the two preceeding cases the separation of the cam and the lever, obtained by
the suspension of the latter by a hook which liberates it when it is desired to apply
the break, and which holds it as soon as the vehicle is again allowed to proceed.
4. In screw breaks, the fixing of the screw by a stop which permits of effecting the
automatic application of the break by acting upon the nut whilst the screw may also
be operated by hand by disengaging the stop.
Dated this 10th day of December 1887.
B. J. B. MILLS.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.