Improvements in and relating to Cyclometers, applicable to Cycles and other Vehicles or purposes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 1st Apr.. 1896-Accepted, 4th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Cyclometers, applicable to Cycles
and other Vehicles or purposes.
.
I, HUGH ALEXANDER THOMSON of 42 Whitehall Road, in the City and County
of Aberdeen, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be
as follows:-
This invention has reference to an improved construction and arrangement and
combination of the parts of cyclometers applicable to cycles and other vehicles or
purposes, for showing at a glance the distance travelled.
As applied to bicycle the cyclometer would be mounted on the axis of the
steering wheel. This would consist in having a plate clamped or fixed between
steering fork and shoulder of wheel axis and in having a radial stud projecting from
same. A circular disc would be mounted to rotate eccentrically on this stud, and
be driven by a pin secured to steering wheel and passing through an eye on disc.
A ratchet wheel would be fixed to an axis mounted in cyclometer case, while a lever
or arm would be fulcrumed or mounted loose at its one end on ratchet wheel axis ;
and at its other end have a pin or stud projecting from it, preferably with anti-
friction roller or cam which would enter a circular slot formed in eccentric disc.
A spring pawl would also be attached to this stud at outer end of arm. As the
eccentric rotated the lever arm would be oscillated by the engaging stud and roller
pin, and the pawl would engage with the teeth of ratchet wheel, and move the latter
round preferably to the extent of one tooth at each revolution. The motion thus
given to the axis of ratchet wheel would in turn be transmitted through bevel,.
spur or worm wheel gear and spindles to a train of wheels which by means of
pointers and moveable dials would record on and beneath a visable fixed dial plate
the distance travelled in furlongs, miles, tens of miles, hundreds of miles, thousands.
of miles, or like measurements, said dial being placed in a position convenient for
the rider to see without requiring to dismount from his machine. While the hands
of dial may be placed at zero without requiring to open the glass.
By this means the distance travelled, whether it refers to a single journey, or a
seasons running can be at once seen at a glance.
Dated the 3rd day of July 1895
Improvements in and relating to Cyclometers, applicable to Cycles
and other Vehicles or purposes.
I, HUGH ALEXANDER THOMSON, of 42 Whitehall Road, in the City and County
of Aberdeen, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in>
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement in writing that is to say :-
This invention has reference to an improved construction and arrangement and

page_text: combination of the parts of cyclometers applicable to cycles and other vehicles or
purposes for showing at a glance the distance travelled.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
same into practice may be properly understood I have hereunto appended two
explanatory sheets of drawings in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cyclometer as constructed in accordance with my
improvements. Figure 2 is an elevation of same partly in section taken on the
irregular line 2-2 on Figure 3 showing the moveable dials with actuating and
indicating mechanism.
Figure 3 is a section as taken on the line 3-3 Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a detached view of the ratchet wheel spring pawl and actuating
lever.
Figure 5 is a side sectional elevation of the actuating disc and securing plate
taken on the line 5-5 Figure 1, and
Figure 6 is a front elevation showing eccentric groove in disc.
Figure 7 is a sectional view showing the indicating spur gearing and
Figure 8 is a front view of the indicating dial.
Figure 9 is a side elevation showing the pin attachment to the steering wheel of a
cycle.
Figure 10 is a corresponding plan view, and
Figure 11 is a detached view of the spoke gripping attachment.
Figures 12 to 15 are detached enlarged views of the mechanism used in my
method of turning the hands back to zero without requiring to open the glass.
Referring to these drawings:
From the following description it may be seen that the whole mechanism readily
divides into two parts the actuating and the indicating.
2
As applied to a bicycle, the cyclometer would be mounted on the axis of the
steering wheel. This would consist in having a plate A clamped or fixed between
steering fork and shoulder of wheel axis and in having a radial stud or retaining
ring A screwed to and projecting from same. A circular disc B with eccentric
groove would be mounted loose on and be retained between this ring A' and
Hlange on plate A, said disc B being driven by a pin a in a device secured to the
spokes of the cycle steering wheel. This actuating device comprises an adjustable
pin a, two links a', a², and securing screw a³ and nut a, and is attached by
placing the two links a¹, a² between spokesz to bring pin a into the desired position
in tail piece B' for actuating the disc B in cyclometer case the links are then fixed
in position by the head of screw a³ and clamp plate a gripping one spoke in
a groove on both and being secured by nut a¹, this prevents any side motion
whatever of the pin a and keeps it in true working position. A ratchet wheel C
would be fixed to axial spindle C₁ mounted between a bracket Ax and the plate A
all within the part A2 of cyclo-case. This ratchet wheel C receives its motion
from a spring pawl c mounted on a pin or stud C³ on the lever or
which is fulcrumed or mounted loose on spindle C'. On the other side of this
lever or arin C and projecting from it is a continuation of the stud or pin C³
on which is preferably mounted an anti-friction roller to enter and engage with
the eccentric slot b formed in the circular disc B and receive from said slot in its
rotation the necessary motion to oscillate the lever C which through the medium
of the spring pawl c actuates ratchet wheel C one tooth for each revolution of
the disc B.
arm (2
Instead of the groove being eccentric as described above, the disc might work
eccentrically on the securing ring A' in this case the plate A would have no
outer flange. The motion thus given to the axial spindle C¹ of ratchet wheel ()
would in turn be transmitted through the bevel pinion d mounted on same axis C¹,
to the bevel wheel d', having a spur pinion secured to and mounted on same
axis. The motion thus imparted would in turn be conveyed through an inter-
mediate wheel d³ to a train of wheels d₁ to d". A pine is mounted on the

page_text: wheel and engages with a star wheel e, from which motion is transmitted
through a pinion carried on a bracket to the spur wheels e³, et, the spindle e of
said pinion e being carried through the fixed dial E of cyclometer, with square on
same for adjustment. The pointer f which indicates furlongs on the fixed dial E
is secured to a friction block F mounted on the main spindle G on which the wheel +
and pinion d³ are secured. The pointer which indicates miles on fixed dial E is
mounted on the disc H on the hollow spindle G' of which the wheel d³ is secured.
The pointer which indicates tens on the fixed dial E is mounted on the disc H³ to
the hollow spindle G2 on which the wheel d¹¹ is secured. The moveable dial which
indicates miles is secured on the same axis as the wheel
from the wheel mounted on the hollow spindle G¹.
indicates tens is secure i on the hollow spindle G² and
on the axis of the moveable dial which indicates miles.
wheel the pin e comes into action with the star wheel e¹ and turns it one tooth to
indicate hundreds on its moveable dial; and the pinion e² on the same spindle actuates
the wheels e, e to indicate thousands on their moveable dials. For indicating
thousands a repeating dial et is necessary so that when the number on the true
indicating disc e disappears the number is repeated on dial e thus keeping the last
number indicated in view until the one following is fully exposed.
which receives its motion
The moveable dial which
gears with the pinion d
At each revolution of the-
The main spindle G has formed on it at the back end a key square for adjusting
the moveable dials indicating the miles and tens when necessary.
The hands f, f, f2, of the fixed dial can be placed at zero without requiring to
open the glass. This is effected by securing the friction block F on the main
spindle G by means of a spring F¹ which makes the block turn with the spindle G
when the latter is moving forward. The hand for indicating the furlongs is.
attached to this block F so that when the latter is turned in an anti-clockwise
direction said hand can be brought back to zero. The pointers, f, for the miles.
and tens respectively are secured to their respective discs H, H', which have spring
pawls k, k, mounted on them to engage with ratchet wheels h ' fixed on the spindles
on which the discs are respectively mounted. By this means these discs H, H',
travel forward with said spindles, but to bring the pointers f¹, f2, which are secured
to these discs back to zero the pawls slip over the ratchet wheels. A spring pawl g
is secured on the friction block F so that when the latter is being turned to bring
its pointer to zero said pawl will engage with the projecting parts g¹, 92, of the
discs H, H, at same time turning these and bring the pointers back to zero.
Although it has been shown how frictional resistance between the pointers and
their axis is obtained by means of ratchets and ratchet wheels, yet my invention
is applicable with equivalent contrivances so long as they are actuated by the
combinations of frictional block F and lever g.
By this means the distance travelled whether it refers to a single journey or a
seasons running can be at once seen at a glance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The construction or arrangement in combination of the main parts of a
cyclometer substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
2. In cyclometers the arrangement and use of a rotating disc or cam which gives
an eccentric or oscillatory movement to a lever or arm and so transmits motion
through a train of connected gearing to indicate the distance travelled by cycle
substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
3. In cyclometers, the method of arranging the indicating mechanism-to register
the distance travelled, whether it refers to a single journey or a seasons running
substantially as described.

page_text: 4. In cyclometers the method of turning the pointers to zero without requiring to
open the glass substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated 31st day of March 1896.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96 Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.