IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COUNTING AND REGISTERING THE REVOLUTIONS OF ROTATING SHAFTS OR WHEELS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Dominicus Kittoe of West Kensington Park in
the County of Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR COUNTING AND REGISTERING THE REVOLUTIONS OF ROTATING SHAFTS OR
WHEELS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Dominicus Kittoc
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th January 1883.
GEORGE DOMINICUS KITTOE of West Kensington Park in the County of
Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COUNTING AND REGISTERING THIE
REVOLUTIONS OF ROTATING SHAFTS OR WHEELS"
My invention relates to apparatus for counting and registering the number of
revolutions made by a rotating shaft or wheel, the object which I have in view
being simplicity of construction and certainty of nction. As such apparatus are
largely used for measuring the distances travelled over by bicycles and other
vehicles, I will, by way of example, for the sake of simplifying description, explain
the construction of a counter according to my invention, such as would be suited to
a bicycle. I will assume that the counter is to be applied to a wheel having a
circumference of 13-2 feet, so that 100 revolutions make up one quarter of a mile.
On a central arbor carrying an index, I fix a wheel having 80 teeth and on a sleeve
enclosing this arbor I fix another index and a wheel having 100 teeth. On the
arbor above named I mount, free to revolve, a heavy arm having on it a crank pin
which enters a slot in a lever pivotted to the framing, and carrying a spring pawl
arranged to engage with the teeth of the second wheel of 100 teeth. On this
second wheel is also mounted a pawl arranged to engage with the teeth of the
first wheel but usually kept disengaged from them by a light spring, but which
once in every revolution of the second wheel in passing a fixed stud is forced to
engage with the first wheel until it passes the stud. Both wheels are provided
with V ended springs, engaging with their teeth so as always to bring them to a
definite position, tooth by tooth and hold them there with a certain force. The
operation of the apparatus is as follows: The instrument being fixed on a revolving
FD..

page_text: wheel or shaft, the loaded arm always tending by gravity to hang vertically, its
crank pin acting in the slot of the lever, causes it to mako a to and fro stroke once
in every revolution, and its pawl moves the second wheel one tooth. As the pawl
of this wheel passes the stud once in a revolution moving the first wheel one tooth,
it follows that 80 revolutions of the second wheel cause one revolution of the first.
The index of the second wheel will by a complete revolution show a travel of
100 × 13-2 = 1320 feet or 1 mile, and the dial to which it points being
graduated by 22 divisions, each division will indicate 20 yards. The index of thic
first wheel will mark by one complete revolution 80 times one quarter of a mile or
20 miles, and its dial may have 20 divisions each indicating one mile. Although I
have given divisions and numbers suited to a particular case, it is obvious that by
varying the numbers of teeth in the wheels and of divisions of the index dials other
numbers and measurements might readily be counted and registered
By adding other wheels worked one from the other as I have described the first
wheel worked from the second, any desired multiples of the indications may bo
obtained

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Dominicus Kittoc in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd July 1883.
GEORGE DOMINICUS KITTOE of West Kensington Park in the County of
Middlesex 'IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COUNTING AND REGISTERING THE
REVOLUTIONS OF ROTATING SHAFTS OR WHEELS
"
My invention relates to apparatus for counting and registoring the number of
revolutions made by a rotating shaft or wheel, the object which I have in view
being simplicity of construction and certainty of action. As such apparatus aro
largely used for measuring the distances travelled over by bicycles and other
vehicles, I will, by way of example, for the sake of simplifying description, explain
the construction of a counter according to my invention, such as would be suited
to a bicycle. I will assume that the counter is to be applied to a wheel having a
circumference of 13-2 feet, so that 100 revolutions make up one quarter of a mile.
On a central arbor carrying an index, I fix a wheel having 80 teeth and on a
slcevo enclosing this arbor I fix another index and a wheel having 100 teeth. On
the arbor above named I mount, free to revolve, a heavy arm having on it a crank
pin which enters a slot in a lever pivotted to the framing, and carrying a spring
pawl arranged to engage with the teeth of the second wheel of 100 teeth. On this
second wheel is also mounted a pawl arranged to engage with the teeth of the first
wheel but usually kept disengaged from them by a light spring, but which onco
in every revolution of the second wheel in passing a fixed stud is forced to engage
with the first wheel until it passes the stud. Both wheels are provided with
V-ended springs, engaging with their teeth so as always to bring them to a definito
position, tooth by tooth, and hold them there with a certain force. The operation
of the apparatus is as follows; The instrument being fixed on a revolving wheel or
shaft, the loaded arm always tending by gravity to hang vertically, its crank pin
acting in the slot of the lever, causes it to make a to and fro stroko once in every
revolution, and its pawl moves the second wheel one tooth. As the pawl of this
wheel passes the stud once in a revolution moving the first wheel one tooth, it
follows that 80 revolutions of the second wheel cause one revolution of the first.
The index of the second wheel will by a complete revolution shew a travel of
100 x 13.21320 feet or /, mile, and the dial to which it points being graduated
by 22 divisions, cach division will indicate 20 yards. The index of the first wheel
will mark by one complete revolution 80 times one quarter of a mile or 20 miles,
and its dial may have 20 divisions each indicating ono mile. Although I have
given divisions and numbers suited to a particular case, it is obvious that by
varying the numbers of teeth in the wheels and of divisions of the index dials,
other numbers and measurements might readily be counted and registered.
By adding other wheels worked one from the other as I have described the first
wheel worked from the second, any desired multiples of the indications may bo
obtained.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing is a view of the interior of a counting and
registering apparatus according to my invention, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section
thereof. Fig. 3 is an interior view showing a modified construction. A is the
central spindle on which is fitted free to revolve a segmental weight B. On the
boss of this weight is a crank pin C as in Fig. 1, or an eccentric D as in Fig. 3,
which works in the slot of a lever E. This lever E carries a spring pawl F which
engages the teeth of a ratchet wheel G. On the tubular axis of this wheel is fixed
an index H which points to one set of divisions on a dial. On the wheel G is

page_text: mounted a pawl K kept by a spring out of gear with the teeth of another ratchet
wheel L having on its axis a second index M which points to other divisions on
the dial. A stud N is fixed to the framing in such a position that the pawl K,
while it is passing it, is caused to engage with a tooth of the wheel L. O and P
are spring pawls V-ended, which engage the teeth of G and L. The operation of
the apparatus is as follows: The instrument being fixed to a revolving shaft or
wheel so as to be carried bodily round with it, the segmental weight B tending by
gravity to hang vertically, its crank pin C or eccentric D once in every revolution
of the shaft or wheel causes the lever E to make an oscillation to and fro, and the
pawl F to advance the wheel G one tooth, so that its index H points on the
graduated dial to divisions indicating the number of revolutions. Once in every
revolution of the wheel G its pawl K in passing the stud N is caused to engago
the wheel L and to advance it one tooth, so that the index M points on the
graduated dial to divisions indicating a multiple of the number of revolutions,
that multiple depending on the number of teeth in the wheel L. Obviously, by
actuating from a pawl on L a third ratchet wheel, a still higher multiple might be
indicated. Sometimes it is desired that the pawl K should move the wheel L
more than one tooth at a time; it may be made to move it two, three or more
teeth, by lengthening the contact surface of either the pawl K or of the stud N so
as to keep the pawl engaged during a part of a revolution of G equivalent to two,
three or more teeth of L. Tho pawls O and P tend to bring the wheels to their
exact position after each movement and to retain them with sufficient force to
prevent them from being displaced by vibration. Instead of employing a carrying
arrangement like that described as resulting from the action of the pawl K and the
stud N, an eccentric like D in Fig. 3 might be fixed on the wheel G, and this
eccentric working in the slot of a lever such as E Fig. 3 might carry a pawl such
as F, engaging with the teeth of L so that, once in every revolution of the first
wheel G, the second wheel L would be advanced a tooth, or it might be advanced
several teeth according to the stroke given to the pawl which moves it.
Instead of attaching to the axes of the wheels G and L indices moving over
stationary dials, theso wheels may move dials past a stationary index.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to bo performed, I claim :
In apparatus for counting and registering the revolutions of rotating shafts or
wheels, the combination of a freely suspended weight carrying a crank pin or
eccentric with a lever, pawl and ratchet wheel working an index, arranged and
operating substantially as herein described.
In Witness whereof I tho said George Dominicus Kittoe have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Thirtieth day of June in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
ATA
TAMAN