Improvements in Speed Indicators for velocipouts and Vehicles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Delgium),
1895
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 25th Mar.,
Complete Specification Left, 25th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Speed Indicators for velocipouts and
Vehicles.
We, VICTORIEN LOUIS MARIE RENARD and HENRI MARIE EUGÈNE
CANDAS trading in partnership under the Firm of V. Renard & Cie. of
61, Avenue de la Grande Armée, Paris, in the French Republic, Engineers and
Machinists, 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 instruments or apparatus for indicating the speed of
velocipedes or other vehicles and consists in improvements in their construction.
The improved indicator consists of a metal ring rotated with the shaft of the
indicator and acting as hereinafter described, and a set of links connected thereto
and operating a pointer, the whole being enclosed in a tubular casing and provided
with an external driving pulley.
On the drawing appended hereunto,
Fig. 1 shows the ring ;
Fig. 2 the arrangement of pointer and scale;
Fig. 3 the apparatus with its parts in the positions when turning at the maximum
speed;
Fig. 4 the same in the positions at the commencement of the movement;
Fig. 5 a modified arrangement of links operating the pointer;
Fig. 6 an outside view of the apparatus mounted on the handle bar of a
velocipede;
Fig. 7 the clip used for this purpose.
One of the essential parts of our invention is the metal ring V which acts by
centrifugal force. This ring is diametrically traversed by a rod t t¹ Fig. 1, fixed
thereto which passes through the shaft A of the apparatus, the rod working freely
in a hole o made in the shaft. Two small tubes c through which the rod passes bear
against the shaft and hold the ring central with the shaft A. The ring can thus be
laid and rest against the shaft, and when at rest is held in this position by a
spring R fixed to it (Fig. 4).
The tubes c or their equivalent may be fixed to the shaft A and the rod t t¹ have
its bearings in them, or the rod may in this case be replaced by two pivots fixed
in the ring V and turning in the tubes or their equivalents, and any other suitable
kind of spring may be used for laying or holding the ring V against the shaft A
when at rest.
The shaft A is rotated by a band passing round a pulley on the wheel or wheel
hub of the velocipede or other vehicle, and the pulley a on shaft A or by any other

page_text: convenient means. In consequence of the centrifugal force produced thereby the
ring has a tendency to overcome the resistance of the spring R and to lift itself
from the shaft and finally place its plane square to the shaft A as shewn on Fig. 3
when it attains its maximum speed.
The second part of our invention consists in the arrangement of a set of links
connected to the ring V, the object of which is to multiply the stroke of the
pointer F while using a fly ring of quite small diameter (Figs. 3 and 4). The
links m m² m² turn simultaneously with the shaft A and are arranged as shewn on
the drawing, the support a¹ being fixed to the shaft. The links push a sliding
bush T along the shaft which likewise rotates with the same; another tube T' of
larger diameter and which carries the pointer F is loose upon the tube T and held
longitudinally at its ends by two flanges so that it moves forwards and backwards
with the bush T but without turning.
The cylindrical casing N of the apparatus is slit for part of its length and the
slit covered by a graduated plate Fig. 2, the doubly curved pointer passing round
the same as shewn.
Fig. 5 shows an arrangement with graduated sector. The pointer F' is pivotted
on the tube T' at the point o¹ and connected at its lower end to a link
which is hinged on a bar rigidly fixed to the end of the casing N. This
arrangement of the pointer increases like the arrangement of links described with
reference to Figs. 3 and 4, the movement of the end of the pointer while allowing
the latter to be placed quite close to the casing.
The casing may be fixed upon the handle bar of a velocipede by means of a
double clip D which surrounds the two parts to be connected as shewn by
Figs. 6 and 7, or in any other suitable way and used for any kind of vehicle.
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 :-
1. In a speed indicator for velocipedes and other vehicles the use and arrangement
of a fly ring rotated with the shaft of the indicator and mounted thereon so that the
centres of the ring and shaft coincide and the plane of the ring can vary its angle
with the centre-line of the shaft substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by the drawings.
2. In a speed indicator for velocipedes and other vehicles the use and arrangement
of a fly ring mounted on the shaft of said indicator so as to be angularly moveable
thereon against spring pressure by the centrifugal force of said ring, and actuating
through links revolving with the shaft a pointer, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawings.
3. The arrangement of speed indicator or combination of parts thereof
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the
drawings.
4. The arrangement of speed indicator or combination of parts thereof
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 5 of the
drawings.
Dated the 23rd day of March 1895.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.