Improved Method of and Means for Automatically Braking Road Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 14th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 29th May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of and Means for Automatically Braking
Road Vehicles.
I, ROBERT HENRY HALL, of Lower Mills, Kingsteignton, Devon, Grain Miller,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to applying, automatically, brakes to wagons, carriages,
traction engine trucks, autocars and other road vehicles.
According to this invention, the body of the vehicle is made separate from the
under frame and has play longitudinally thereon, so that, in descending a gradient,.
the body moves forward independently upon the under frame. Anti-friction rollers
or balls (or the equivalent thereof) are interposed between the body and the under
frame for the former to run on. The inclination.of the gradient and the weight of the
body and of the load it carries are utilized in applying the brake and regulating its
degree of pressure.
As the body moves forward, as aforesaid, it acts upon a lever or levers connected.
to the brake which latter may be of any usual kind. The brake is operated by the
lever or levers, and binds upon a suitable brake wheel or drum centred on an axle or
a wheel hub of the vehicle road wheels.
When on level or approximately level ground, the body does not advance in the
manner above set forth and the brake is not applied. The body is held in place on
level ground by a spring the resistance of which is overcome when the vehicle is
descending a gradient. Similarly, on returning to level ground after descending a.
gradient, the body is moved back to its normal position by the spring. The same
effect is obtainable by substituting for the spring an inclined plane for the body to rise
on when descending a gradient. Or, a counterweight, adjustable on a suitable arm,.
may be employed to act against the forward thrust of the body.
In order to enable the vehicle to be backed up a gradient, the brake wheel is fitted
with a ratchet and a pawl or pawls acting upon the ratchet when the vehicle is
travelling forward descending a gradient, but when the vehicle is backed on the
gradient, the ratchet wheel is not restrained by the pawl or pawls but moves round.
with the road wheels and thus the road wheels on the axle of which the brake wheel.
is centred are free to turn while the brake is still applied to the brake wheel.
Instead of a ratchet and pawl or pawls, a clutch or the like may be employed.
According to another arrangement, the brake wheel, instead of being centred on:
an axle or hub of the road wheels, is centred on any other axle or on a shaft or a
journal connected with the vehicle. In such case the brake wheel is driven from
the road wheels by means of intervening gearing, or by a chain and chain wheels, or
by other suitable mechanism.
Dated the 14th L 190e
NICHOLAS WATTS,
Chartered Patent Agent, Bristol.

page_text: Improved Method of and Means for Automatically Braking
Road Vehicles.
་
I, ROBERT HENRY HALL, of Lower Mills, Kingsteignton, Devon, Grain Miller, 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 braking road vehicles. It is specially applicable to
vehicles drawn by a separate motor. For example, trucks and like wagons drawn by
traction engines or by motor cars.
Among other vehicles, autocars are mentioned in the Provisional Specification left
with my application for Letters Patent, as vehicles to which this invention is
applicable. I find, however, that conditions exist which practically prevent such
application usefully, and I, therefore, do not include vehicles carrying their own
motors as coming within the scope of this invention.
According to this invention, the body of the vehicle is made separate from the
under-frame and has play longitudinally thereon, so that, in descending a gradient,
the body moves forward independently upon the under-frame. Anti-friction rollers or
balls (or the equivalent thereof) are interposed between the body and the under-
frame for the former to run on. The inclination of the gradient and the weight of
the body and of the load it carries are utilized in applying the brake and regulating
its degree of pressure.
As the vehicle body moves forward in descending a gradient, it acts through rods
and a lever upon the brakes and applies them to retard the vehicle. The brakes bind
upon a pair of suitable brake wheels or drums centred on the axle or hubs of the
vehicle road wheels.
When the vehicle on level or approximately level ground, the body does not
advance in the manner above set forth and the brake is not applied. The body is then
held in its normal place by a spring, the resistance of which is overcome when the
vehicle is descending a sufficiently steep gradient. Similarly, on returning to level
ground after descending a gradient, the body is moved back to its normal position by
the spring. The same effect is obtainable by substituting for the spring an inclined
plane for the body to rise on when descending a gradient. Or a counterweight,
adjustable on a suitable arm, may be employed to act against the forward thrust of
the body.
In order to enable the vehicle to be backed up a gradient, the brake wheel or drum
is fitted with a ratchet wheel and a pawl or pawls acting upon and restraining the
ratchet wheel when the vehicle is travelling forward descending a gradient, but when
the vehicle is backed up the gradient, the ratchet wheel is not restrained by the pawl
or pawls, but moves round with the road wheels, and thus the road wheels, on the axle
or hub of which the brake drum or wheel is centred, are free to turn while the brake
is still applied to the brake drum. Instead of a ratchet wheel and pawl or pawls, a
clutch or the like may be employed.
According to another arrangement, the brake drum, instead of being centred on an
axle or hub of the road wheel, is centred on any other axle, or on a shaft or journal
connected with the vehicle. In such case, the brake drum is driven from the road
wheels by means of intervening gearing, or by a chain or chain wheels, or by other
suitable mechanism.
Referring to the accompanying sheets of drawings which illustrate the application
of my invention to, as an example, a wagon for haulage by a road traction engine,
Fig. 1 represents such wagon in longitudinal elevation. Fig. 2 is a front end view.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section; Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line x, x, Fig. 3.

page_text: Fig. 5 is a plan with part of the wagon flooring removed. Fig. 6 is an elevation of
the inside face of one of the rear wheels with a part of the brake drum cover removed..
Fig. 7 is a part plan and part section of Fig. 6.
The body a of the vehicle rests upon flanged rollers & supported on the side soles c
of the frame or under-carriage. The rollers are centred on spindles d which extend
transversely across the vehicle under the body a thereof and are passed through links e
through slets in which are passed pins el securing the links to the body a, and pins e
securing the links to the under carriage. The links e are free to turn on the spindles d'
as pivots. Passed through a cross-beam fixed to the body a is a pin g having a
helical cushion spring garound its front end which carries a nut . To the rod g is
connected a rod extending rearwards and connected to a lever i to which are
connected rods j connected to the brake beams to which are fixed the brake
blocks j².
Embraced at or towards its centre by a socket k, formed at one end of a pin k¹ which
is passed through a cross-bar I fixed to the body a, is a laminated spring the ends.
of which bear against brackets m bolted to the side soles e of the under-carriage or
under-frame of the vehicle.
From the brake beams extend upwards flat spring arms n which are bolted to.
beams extending across the vehicle and fixed to the under-face of the side soles e
of the under-carriage. The spring arms a tend to withdraw the brake blocks * from
contact with the drums o of the rear wheels p.
When the vehicle is on level ground the brakes are off, and the cross beam q fixed.
to the body a towards the front thereof bears against the cross-bar fixed to the
side soles c of the under-carriage. As represented in the drawings, the vehicle body a
is shown advanced as it would be when descending a gradient, though not to the full
extent of its allowed travel which is limited by contact of the cross-beam fixed to.
the body a with the cross-bar fixed to the side soles of the under-frame.
As, when the vehicle is descending a gradient, the body a travels forward by
gravitation over the under-carriage, a forward pull is exerted on the rod A, and the
brake blocks bind on the drums o of the rear wheels p. Resistance offered by the
spring to the forward movement of the body a is, at the same time, overcome.
On the return of the vehicle to level ground the body a is forced back to its normal
position by the rebound of the spring k
The same effect is obtainable by substituting for the spring an inclined plane-
or inclined path for the rollers to rise on in running forward when the vehicle.
is descending a gradient. Or a counterweight adjustable on a suitable arm may
be employed to offer resistance to the forward movement of the body, a, the arrange-.
ment being such that in either case the device employed returns the body to its
normal position when the vehicle returns to level ground.
The Eody a can be locked to the under carriage, when desired, by hooking the
bar & to the eye a fixed to the body.
By the rocking links e the spindle rollers are always maintained at or
approximately at a right angle to the sides of the under-carriage.
Other devices may be employed, in lieu of the links e, for this purpose. For
example, the flanges of the rollers & might be furnished with teeth and made to-
gear with racks fixed to the side soles e and the body a.
In order to enable the vehicle to be backed up a gradient, notwithstanding
application of the brakes, each drum o contains, as seen at Figs. 6 and 7, a pawl
centred on a pin u¹ which pawl locks into a ratchet wheel t, formed in or fixed
on the hub of the rear road wheel of the vehicle when moving in a forward
direction. A spring v acts upon the pawl u to keep it in gear.
When the vehicle is travelling forwards, the ratchet wheel is locked by the
pawl w, as aforesaid, but when the vehicle is backed on the gradient the ratchet.
wheel is not restrained by the pawl u, but moves round with the road wheels
which latter, on the hubs of which the brake drums o are centred, are free to turn.
while the brakes are still applied to the drums.
In lieu of ratchets and pawls, clutches may be employed for this said purpose.

page_text: In case of such vehicles which only require to be backed very rarely or only
occasionally up a gradient and the advantage of the brake drums o centred, as
shown, on hubs of road wheels p together with ratchets and pawls is not deemed
worth the cost of same, the said brake drums, ratchets, and pawls, may be dispensed
with and the brake can be applied direct to the periphery of the road wheels in
the same manner and by the same means as shown on drawings applying it to
brake drum o. But in this case, in order to allow the vehicle, should occasion
arise, to be backed up a gradient, a suitable screw or equivalent device (to be
worked by hand) is employed acting between the body and under-frame in such
a way that the former is put back to its normal position and the brakes are thus
released.
In conclusion, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the
precise details of construction hereinabove described and shown in the accompanying
drawings, as, obviously, the same may be varied while still retaining broadly the
operation of applying and taking off the brakes by the movement forward of the
body of the vehicle over the under-frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
1. Construction of road vehicles such as traction-engine trucks and like and
analogous vehicles, designed for mechanical traction by independent motors; in
such manner that the body has a range of movement longitudinally over the under-
carriage and causes, through suitable mechanism, the brakes to be applied in
descending gradients, substantially as hereinabove described.
2. Road vehicles for mechanical traction by independent motors, having a body
such as a supported on rollers such as b and connected by rods such as h and j
and lever such as i to the brake beams carrying the brake blocks, substantially
as described and shown in the accompanying sheets of illustrative drawings.
3. The brake wheels or drums o for the brake blocks to act against centred on
the hubs of the road wheels, substantially as hereinabove described and shown in
the appended drawings.
4. Means for returning the body of the vehicle to its normal position; and taking
off the brakes; said means consisting of the spring k² so fixed and connected that
as the vehicle body advances in descending a gradient, the said spring becomes
compressed and, in subsequently reacting, forces back the body as return to level
ground is made.
5. Means to enable the vehicle to be backed up gradients while the brakes are
still applied; consisting of ratchet wheels such as t formed on the hubs of each
of the rear wheels p,. and pawls such as u pivotted in the brake drums o; the
arrangement being such that, in the forward movement of the vehicle, the ratchet
wheels are locked by the pawls, and, in backing the vehicle up a gradient, the
pawls slip over the teeth of the ratchet wheels and permit the road wheels to
rotate, substantially as hereinabove described with special reference to Figs. 6 and 7
of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 12th day of Annil 1907
NICHOLAS WATTS,
Chartered Patent Agent, Bristol.