Improved Means for Indicating the Speed of Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Dec., 1899
Complete Specification Left. 19th Sept.. 1900-4 ccepted, 17th Nov., 1900
Date of Application, 19th Dec., 1899
Complete Specification Left. 19th Sept., 1900-4ccepted, 17th Nov., 1900
Improved Means for Indicating the Speed of Vehicles.
We, HENRY MANNINGTON SAYERS, Electrical Engineer, and SAMUEL SUDWORTH,
Inspecting Engineer, both of Donington House, Norfolk Street, Strand, in the
County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
1
This invention relates to means for indicating the speed at which a vehicle, such
for example as an electrically driven or other tramcar, is travelling.
Each tachometer. or equivalent speed indicating device is mounted upon or in
juxtaposition to the end of a pipe or tube suitably fixed to the vehicle body or
dashboard, and the truck of the vehicle is provided with other suitably fixed
tubes to correspond, provision being made for readily connecting and disconnecting
the truck tubes to and from the tubes which lead to the tachometers. Within
these tubes are arranged corresponding lengths of flexible shafting with means
for connecting and disconnecting same at the points of junction of the tubes. The
flexible shafting is driven from an axle of the vehicle or a sleeve thereon through
suitable gear; the arrangement being such that the tubes carried by the vehicle
body or dashboards and their contained lengths of flexible shafting can be readily
disconnected from the corresponding tubes and lengths of shafting carried by the
truck and thus the vehicle body with the tachometers can be easily removed, and
replaced without serious interference with the speed indicating gear.
In lieu of flexible shafting sometimes there can be employed lengths of light
shafting or rods with interposed universal joints at the points where change of
direction occurs.
In carrying out the invention as applied to a tramcar according to one arrange
ment a casing is mounted on one of the tie bars of the truck, or on the truck
itself, and has in three of its walls bearings in which work spindles, one end
of each of which extends into the interior of the casing and has fast on it a
bevel wheel the spindles are so arranged relatively to each other that the bevel
wheels in two of them gear with the bevel wheel on the remaining spindle. The
outer end of one spindle has fast on it a sprocket wheel driven by a chain from a
sprocket wheel on one of the axles of the car or on a sleeve mounted on and which
rotates with such axle. To the outer end of each of the other two spindles is
attached one end of a flexible shaft (or its equivalent as above indicated). These
shafts are enclosed within tubes as before referred to, and one such shaft is con-
ducted to each end of the car up which it passes; the outer or free end of each
flexible shaft being attached to the spindle of the corresponding tachometer or
other speed indicating device employed. The arrangement is such that when the.
car is moving, motion will be transmitted from the axle through the sprocket and
chain gear and the bevel gear to the flexible shafting and thence to the spindles of
the tachometers, or other speed indicating devices. The tubes or casings in
which the flexible shafts are arranged can advantageously be of the kind commonly
known as flexible metallic tubing preferring that which is spirally corrugated.
The couplings at the points where the tubes carried by the truck are to be

page_text: disconnected from those carried by the body can be of the kind comprising a
flange screwed on to one of the ends of the flexible metallic tubing and abutting
against the end of the other part of the tubing inside a coupling sleeve which
screws onto a thread on part of the tubing so that when it is necessary to remove
the car body from the truck the part of the flexible metallic tubing that is led
along the truck can be easily disconnected from that part of the tubing that is
led up against the dashboard; the flexible shafting being also at like points made
disconnectable as before mentioned. The flexible metallic tubing is suitably con-
nected to the casing containing the bevel wheels.
In another arrangement the casing has bearings formed in only two of its
walls, the spindle that is driven from the axle having also attached to its outer
end, the end of one of the flexible shaftings, which is led to one end of the car,
whilst the flexible shafting that is attached to the outer end of the other spindle
is led to the other end of the car.
Various kinds of flexible shafting can be employed. One suitable kind consists
of two wires wound spirally on each other in opposite directions over an inner wire
of tempered steel; or, according to a modification, over a strand of tempered
steel wires. Another kind of suitable shafting is in the form of a single spiral
of wire without any core.
The casing that contains the bevel gearing is made dust proof and is preferably
filled with oil. In some cases the tachometers or other speed indicating devices
may be so constructed that only the speed indicating device at that end of the
car which when it is in motion is the forward end will indicate the speed, the
speed indicating device at the rear end of the car being automatically disconnected.
As will be obvious the invention may be applied to vehicles other than tram-
cars and driven by power other than electricity; and in some cases may in a
modified form be applied to a vehicle carrying only one speed indicating device.
Dated this 19th day of December 1899
Improved Means for Indicating the Speed of Vehicles.
We, HENRY MANNINGTON SAYERS, Electrical Engineer, and SAMUEL SUDWORTHI,
Inspecting Engineer, both of Donington House, Norfolk Street, Strand, in the
County of London, 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:-
This invention relates to means for indicating the speed at which a vehicle, such
for example as an electrically driven or other tramcar, is travelling.
Each tachometer or equivalent speed indicating device is mounted upon or in
juxtaposition to the end of a pipe or tube suitably fixed to the vehicle body or
dashboard, and the truck of the vehicle is provided with other suitably fixed
tubes to correspond, provision being made for readily connecting and disconnecting
the truck tubes to and from the tubes which lead to the tachometers. Within
these tubes are arranged corresponding lengths of flexible shafting with means for
connecting and disconnecting the same at the points of junction of the tubes. The
flexible shafting is driven from an axle of the vehicle or a sleeve thereon through
suitable gear, the arrangement being such that the tubes carried by the vehicle

page_text: body or dashboards and their contained lengths of flexible shafting can be readily
disconnected from the corresponding tubes and lengths of shafting carried by the
truck and thus the vehicle body with the tachometers can be easily removed and
replaced without serious interference with the speed indicating gear.
In lieu of flexible shafting sometimes there can be employed lengths of light
shafting or rods with interposed universal joints at the points where change of
direction occurs.
In the accompanying illustrative drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly
in section, shewing part of a car equipped with the improved means for indicating
the speed thereof. Fig. 2 is a plan, partly in section of part of the speed indicating
means; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line A B of Fig. 2, Fig. 3ª is a
transverse section on the line C-D of Fig. 2, and Fig. 3b is a detail view.
1 is a casing that is mounted on one of the tie bars of the car truck, or on the
truck itself, and has formed through three of its walls 2, holes 2ª through which
work spindles 3, 4 and 5 that are mounted in antifriction bearings 6 and extend
into the interior of the casing 1 where they are provided with bevel wheels 3, 4ª,
and 5 respectively, the three spindles being so arranged relatively to each other
that the bevel wheels 4ª and 5 on two of them gear with the bevel wheel 3ª on
the remaining spindle. The outer end of the spindle 3 has fast on it a sprocket
wheel 7 driven by a chain 8 from a sprocket wheel 9 that is either fixed on one
of the axles 10 of the vehicle, or, as shown, is fixed on a sleeve 10ª that is
mounted on and rotates with the said axle 10. To the outer end of each
of the two spindles 4 and 5 is attached one end of a flexible shaft 11 and 12
respectively (or its equivalent as above indicated). These shafts 11 and 12 are
enclosed within tubes 13 and one of such shafts is conducted to one end and the
other to the opposite end of the car up the corresponding dashboard of which it
passes, the outer or free end of each flexible shaft 11, 12 being attached to the
spindle 15 of the corresponding tachometers 17 or other speed indicating device
employed. As will be seen, the arrangement is such that when the car is moving,
motion will be transmitted from the axle 10 through the sprocket wheel 9,
chain 8, sprocket wheel 7 and bevel wheels 3", 4ª, and 5ª to the flexible shaft-
ing 11, 12 and thence to the spindles 15 of the tachometers 17, or other speed
indicating devices. The tubes or casings 13 in which the flexible shafts are arranged
can advantageously be of the kind commonly known as flexible metallic tubing
preferring that which is spirally corrugated. The couplings at the points where
the tubes 13 carried by the truck are to be disconnected from those carried by
the body can be of the kind comprising a flange 18 screwed on to one of the ends
of the flexible metallic tubing 13 and abutting against the end of the other part
of the tubing inside a coupling sleeve 19 which screws on to a thread on part
of the tubing 13 so that when it is necessary to remove the car body from the
truck the part of the flexible metallic tubing that is led along the truck can be
easily disconnected from that part of the tubing that is led up against the dash-
board; the flexible shafting 11, 12 being also at like points made disconnectable
as before mentioned and as indicated for example in Fig. 3b, where the adjacent
ends of the lengths of flexible shafting are shown connected together by a
removable pin 11* passing through blocks to which the adjacent ends of the
shafting are secured. The flexible metallic tubing is suitably connected to the
casing 1 containing the bevel wheels 3ª to 5" inclusive.
Fig. 4 shows partly in plan and partly in section, a modified arrangement in
which the casing 1 has bearings 6 in or on only two of its walls, the spindle 3
that is driven from the axle 10 having attached to its outer end the end of the
flexible shafting 11, which is led to one end of the car, whilst the flexible shaft-
ing 12 that is attached to the outer end of the other spindle 5 is led to the other
end of the car.
Various kinds of flexible shafting can be employed. One suitable kind consists of
two wires wound spirally on each other in opposite directions over an inner wire
of tempered steel; or, according to a modification, over a strand of tempered steel

page_text: wires. Another kind of suitable shafting is in the form of a single spiral of wire
without any core. These forms of flexible shafting are well known.
The casing 1 containing the bevel gearing is made dust proof and is preferably
filled with oil. The tachometers 17 or other speed indicating devices, may, as
usual, be so constructed as to be driven in one direction only, so that only the
speed indicating device at that end of the car which, when it is in motion, is the
forward end, will indicate the speed, the speed indicating device at the rear end
of the car being automatically disconnected, and only brought into action when
the direction of motion of the car is reversed.
As will be obvious the invention can be applied to vehicles other than tram-
cars and driven by power other than electricity; and in some cases may be applied
to a vehicle carrying only one speed indicating device.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
Means for indicating the speed of vehicles constructed, arranged and operating
substantially as herein before described with reference to and shewn in Figs.
to 3ª inclusive, and in Fig. 4, of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 19th day of September 1900.
For the Applicants,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent