Improved Speed Indicator, and Distance and Direction Recorder, particularly intended for Use on Locomotives.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Ja.. 1896-Accepted, 29th Aug., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Speed Indicator, and Distance and Direction Recorder,
particularly intended for Use on Locomotives.
ALEXANDER LOUIS POUGET, Honorary General Inspector of the Posts and
Telegraphs of France, 12 Rue Fabre, Montpellier, France, 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:-
My invention relates to improvements introduced in speed indicators and
recorders and has more particularly reference to that kind of apparatus which is
intended for use on railway locomotives and in which the movements of the
recording style or styles, and of the indicating hand or index are determined and
controlled by a piston moving in a cylinder under the action of a liquid forced
beneath the same by means of pumps actuated through parts deriving motion from
the wheels or other moving device of the locomotive.
This improved apparatus is intended for controlling the duty of the locomotive
engineer. The latter has constantly before him a dial upon which moves an index
indicating for the time being the speed at which the engine is running;
furthermore, the apparatus (without in any way enabling the engineer to interfere
with the normal operation of the various styles as the same are not accessible to
him) records the speed per hour at which the engine has been running for a given
trip, as well also as the number of miles travelled over and, finally, the apparatus
also records every change of direction, that is to say whether the engine has been
moving backwards and vice versa.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the complete apparatus, the lower portion thereof,
i.e. the actuating and controlling devices for the indicating index and recording
styles being in section on the broken line 1, 1 of Fig. 3. The casing for the
apparatus is likewise shown in section.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same, at right angles to Fig. 1 and looking from
the left of the latter figure; the casing of the apparatus is shown in section on the
line 22 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a top view in section on the line 3, 3 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a top view of the upper portion or indicating and recording mechanism
of the apparatus, the cover of the casing supposed removed.
Fig. 5 shows a portion of a graphic as obtained after the run of a locomotive
engine.
The entire apparatus is enclosed in a casing divided into two compartments A, B,
connected by flanges and bolts, as shown, or in any other suitable manner and
separated from each other by a disc b serving as a base plate for the upper com-
partment B. The lower compartment A contains the pumps and accessory parts
thereof, as well as the slotted cylinders within which moves the piston which
determines and controls the movements of the index and the speed recording
stylus, to be hereinafter described. The upper compartment B contains the
recording cylinder, the clock work and the actuating means for the recording styles,
all as hereinafter explained. A cover which closes the top of the upper com-
partment B, can be locked by any desired means for preventing anyone from
having access to the mechanism.
The device by which the initial movement is imparted to the apparatus and
which may be of any desired kind, has not been shown in the drawings; it may

page_text: preferably consist of a suitable roller held in contact against and moved
frictionally by the rim of a driving or other wheel of the locomotive, the
shaft C of the said roller being fitted in bearings of which one is shown at D in
Fig. 2 & 4.
The shaft C carries a bevil pinion e meshing into a bevil wheel e fast upon a
vertical shaft E, the lower end of which is supported in a step el (formed in the
covery of the force chamber of the pumps) and is suitably supported at the top
in a hearing formed upon the base plate b Upon the shaft E is fastened a
came in the inclined groove e of which work bowls carried by the piston
rods of the pumps F, F1, F2, F³. Each of these pumps is composed of a pump
cylinder fin which moves a piston . It will be readily understood that as the
shaft E rotates, the rotary movement thereby imparted to the came³ causes
the necessary to and fro movement to be simultaneously imparted to the pump
pistons, through the instrumentality of the bowls fand piston rods so as to
cause the four pumps to be actuated in succession, once for every revolution of the
shaft E. In each pump cylinder, below the piston f', slides with friction a
cylindrical ring acting as a slide valve, and the piston rod extends downwardly
within a tube f which at the same time acts as a nut for securing the piston upon
its rod and which carries a cross piece fe at the bottom.
In each of the pump cylinders is a suction port formed at such a height that
when the piston is at the bottom of its stroke, its lower edge meets the level of
the lower edge of the suction port. In each pump body is also an ejection port
below the port fat such a height that when the piston is at the top of its stroke,
the upper edge of the port will be ou a level with the upper plane of the cross
piece. The height of the ring fis equal to the vertical distance which
separates the upper edge of the port from the lower edge of the port f. The
whole lower part of the compartment A is filled up to a suitable level a, a, Fig. 1
above the suction ports with a liquid which is preferably composed of water in
which chloride of inagnesium has been dissolved, so as to increase its density to 1,8,
in order that it may resist very low temperatures without risk of congealing. In
the wall of the compartment A is an opening closed by a screw plug a for filling
and emptying the said compartment.
From the foregoing, it will be readily understood that, as the piston rises, it
uncovers the suction port f' and draws into the pump cylinder a portion of the
liquid contained in the compartment A, the ring then occupying the position
shown in the left hand pump F, Fig. 1, showing the position of the parts at the
time the piston is about to rise and about to produce a suction. But just before
the piston reaches the end of its upward stroke, the cross-piece comes in contact
with the lower edge of the ring and carries the said ring with it, thereby closing
the port and opening the ejection port 18, see the right hand pump F2 in Fig. 1.
At this moment, the piston having reached the end of its upward stroke, begins to
descend and forces the liquid through the port f until its lower surface, a very
short time before the piston reaches the bottom of its downward stroke, comes in
contact with the ring and causes it to descend, thereby closing the ejection
port and uncovering the suction port f; the parts are then restored to the
position of the parts in the left hand pump of Fig. 1 and the same operation is
repeated as long as the shaft E is in motion. The piston rods of the
pumps F, F1, F2 & F3 are guided in blocks f formed at the ends of the arms of a
cross piece f10 carried by the shaft E.
The ports issue into valve boxes y in which are placed valves all opening
into a common box G closed at the top by the cap g and communicating through
a pipe y with the lower part of a water chamber H above which are fitted the
slotted cylinders h, h. The inner cylinder 4, in which moves the piston *, is
slotted longitudinally at 3, a more or less great portion of the slut being uncovered
by the piston as it rises under the action of the water forced under it by the
pumps. The outer cylinder fits with a slight friction over the cylinder and
has likewise a slot of the same length and width as the slot 3 with which it

page_text: registers. The cylinder A is stationary, whilst the outer cylinder 4 is movable
with reference to h, around which it can be turned by means of a lug Figs. 2
and 3, so as to regulate at will the width of the opening which is common to both
slots and hand through which the water force.l under the piston can escape
and return into the compartment A from which it can be again pumped and forced
under the piston. When once the extent of the opening at the slots h³h has been
regulated, the lug is made fast by means of two screws which engage
lugs formed on a bridge I fitted upon the base plate b. A screw h' fixed
into the cylinder h and passing through a slut in the cylinder limits
the rotary movement of the latter cylinder with reference to the former.
The piston rod A terminates at the top in a rack 4 engaging a wheel J
keyed upon a shaft supported in brackets . At one end the said shaft also
carries a wheel, Fig. 1 which, by means of an idle wheel ja imparts motion
to the index moving over a suitable dial K. The said dial is also graduated or
divided as an ordinary clock dial over which move the hands, indicating
respectively hours and minutes, and actuated by the gearing L. The sail gearing
receives motion from a clockwork not shown, which, besides transmitting motion
to the clock hands through a shaft, also causes a uniform rotary movement
to be imparted to the rotary cylinder M which co-operate with the recording
styles, as hereinafter explained.
From the foregoing it will be understood that motion is imparted directly from
the piston to the index . As the water is being forced by the pumps, it
reaches under the piston and causes it to rise until it uncovers beneath it a length
of opening which is common to both sluts h³ and sufficient to enable the amount
of water issuing from the slot to be precisely equal to the amount of water forced
by the pumps under the piston, when the piston hecomes balanced. The greater
the speed of the locomotive, the quicker the operation of the pumps will be and
the higher will the piston rise within the tube and the more the index will move
over the dial K. If the speed slackens the lower portion of the slot uncovered by
the piston will become too great with reference to the amount of water forced
under the piston and the latter will then descend until equilibrium is re-established.
it the pumps are stopped, no water will be forced under the piston and the latter
will at once descend to the bottom of its cylinder, bringing the index back
to zero.
To the rack 10 of the piston is attached a sleeve n guided by a rod upon
which it slides; to the said sleeve is secured the style holder carrying a suitable
crayon or stylus N. The stylus N thus follows all the movements of the piston /²
and therefore moves up or down along the sheet of paper (which is rolled on the
cylinder M and upon which the graphic is recorded) according to the speed of the
pumps, inscribing on the said sheet the run of the locomotive as it is indicated for
the time being by the index j upon the dial K, see the sinuous line of Fig. 5.
Besides the stylus N, the apparatus is provided with two other recording
styles O & P, the one O for the number of kilometers or miles run, and the other
for reconling the backward run of the engine.
The operation of recording the mileage is as follows: Upon the upper end of the
shaft E is secured a worm gearing into a worm wheel R fast upon an axis r
supported in a bearing 1, Figs. 1, 2 & 4. The relation of the driving roller to the
locomotive wheel and to the driving gear connected to the driving roller, as well
also as of the tooth wheels c, e and worm gear R, Q is so calculated that the worm
wheel K and with it the axis r shall make exactly one turn for every kilometer
travelled over by the engine. At the end of the axis r, opposite to the worm
wheel R, is keyed a small crauk disk carrying a crank-pin to which is jointed
one end of a link the other end of which is jointed to one arm of an elbow
lever pivotted at , the other arm thereof being jointed to the lower eml of a
link. The link is jointed at its upper end to the sleeve o guided by the rod o
and carrying the crayou holder o for the stylus O which records the number of
miles or kilometers run, upon the top of the sheet. As the worm wheel R moves

page_text: one revolution for every kilometer, the stylus O will thus receive, through the
parts hereinbefore described, a vertically forward and backward motion at every
kilometer and will inscribe upon the sheet a broken line (see Fig. 5), the number
of breaks indicating the number of kilometers travelled over by the engine.
For recording the backward travel of the engine, there is formed above the
worm a head S in the periphery of which are cut two inclined grooves s,
Fig. 1 & 4; in these grooves engages (when the apparatus is at rest) a pin & carried
by a lever arm T keyed upon an axis fitted in bearings and guided at one end
in a groove formed in a standard . Upon the axis & is keyed another lover
arm T jointed at one end to a link t connected at its other end to the sleeve p
guided by the rod o' and carrying the holder p for the stylus P which records the
backward travel of the engine. A flat spring U secured at one end to one of the
standards and the other end of which is engaged between two pins u, u Fig. 1,
secured to the lever arm T, constantly tends to bring the said lever back int, the
position shown in Fig. 1. But when the apparatus is in motion, the worm turning
in the direction shown by the arrows in Figs. 3 and 4, thus corresponding, for
instance, to a forward travel of the engine, the inclined grooves will cause the pint
to come upon the top of the head S, where it will remain as long as the said head
continues revolving in the same direction; the stylus P will thus remain stationary
as long as the direction of travel remains unchanged except a slight vibration
caused by the open upper end of the grooves a passing under the pin t. But as
soon as the direction of travel changes, whereby the shaft E and head S are
reversed, the pin t, under the action of the spring U, engages the first of the two
grooves & which passes under it and is carried along by the said groove and moved
to the underface of the head S, causing the levers T T to tilt, whereby the
stylus P will move up along the sheet contained around the cylinder M and will
record upon such sheet the change of direction effected by the engine.
In the diagram shown in Fig. 5, the line is the line produced by the stylus P.
At the point y, the stylus has recorded a retrograde run of the engine after a
stoppage and immediately before being run forward again, such retrograde run
corresponding with the record shown by the lines and respectively.
It will be observed that, according to the position of the slots & with reference
to the pint at the time the direction of travel of the engine changes, a slight delay
of the style in recording such change of direction will ensue, but considering the
speed at which the worm Q and head S revolve (say 60 revolutions per kilometer,
the worn wheel having 60 teeth) such delay will be very slight, and it may be
held that, on an average, the stylus P will record a change of direction before the
engine has travelled inore than four or five meters in the other directiou; the
greatest delay which may occur if, at the time the change is taking place, one of
the slots a has just passed under the pin t, cannot exceed
rate of 60 revolutions of the worm Q for every kilometer.
1000
60 × 2
= 8 meters at the
The shanks a, o, of the respective style holders are used for raising the styles
from the surface of the recording cylinder M, in order that a sheet of paper may be
placed in position thereon and removed without causing the same to receive any
mark from the styles. During operation, rods r, e' acted upon by springs,
Fig. 2, hear under the said shanks in order to press the styles upon the sheet of
paper rolled upon the cylinder M.
Finally, in addition to the three styles N, O, P, the operation of each of which
has already been described, there is, or should preferably be, a fourth stylus (not
shown) which the engineer can actuate by hand whenever he thinks fit, by nieaus
of a knob, string or otherwise, for the purpose of recording upon the same sheet of
paper any defective spot of the permanent way or any spot at which the said way
is not in a normal condition. The record su produced by this fourth stylus is
shown on the sheet of paper at a, in Fig. 4.
It is evident that many modifications of detail might be introduced in the
apparatus, without departing from the principle of my invention. For instance,

page_text: -
instead of the pumps herein before described there might be employed soft rubber
pumps, shown in elevation in Fig. 6 and acting more after the fashion of injectors
than of pumps.
Each of these pumps would be formed of two soft rubber hollow
bodies F and F of somewhat spheroidal shape connected to each other at the
middle and to two metal plates F³, and F, one above and the other below the
bodies F1 and F, the plate F being fixed to the base of the apparatus. Each
pump would be provided with a suction valve and a force valve. The said pumps
could be operated, by means of suitable eccentrics F5, rods F, and levers F, from
a single shaft FB driven from the shaft C, the general operation of the apparatus
being the same as that herein before described.
The operation of the various devices constituting the herein before described
apparatus having been explained as the specification of the same proceeded, it is
not held necessary to describe the operation of the whole, as it will be readily
understood from the foregoing specification and from an inspection of the annexed
drawings.
During the travel of the engine, the driving roller being in contact with the rim
of the engine wheel, motion is imparted to the apparatus, the pumps force water
under the piston more or less quickly, according to the speed of the engine; the
various operations hereinbefore described take place, leaving upon the sheet of
paper carried by the cylinder M an absolutely true and exact record of the travel
of the engine.
Although the hereinbefore described speed indicator and recorder is more
particularly intended for use on locomotives, it is evident that it can likewise be
applied to other machinery, whether stationary or movable, in case it be desired to
keep a record of the work thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The hereinbefore described apparatus for indicating and recording the speed
of locomotive, stationary & other engines, the said apparatus comprising mainly
one or more pumps actuated from the engine the run of which is to be recorded,
through any suitable operating mechanisin, and forcing a liquid under a piston in a
cylinder having an adjustable outlet slot, the said piston imparting motion to the
indicating index and to the speed recording stylus by means of suitable parts, the
apparatus comprising further two other recording styles, of which one is for
recording the number of kilometers run and the other for recording changes in the
direction of the motion of the engine, all operating substantially as herein set forth
and shown in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a speed indicating and recording apparatus of the kiud specified in Claim 1,
the arrangement of the slotted cylinders h, and piston h2, as well as the means by
which the latter acts upon the indicating index j and stylus N, substantially as
herein set forth and shown in the accompanying drawings.
3. In an apparatus of the kind herein set forth and as specified in Claim 1, the
employment of one or more pumps such as F, F, F, F constructed and operating
substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying drawings, and for
the purpose set forth.
4. In an apparatus of the kind herein set forth and as specified in Claim 1, the
modification consisting in the employment of soft rubber pumps, operating after the
fashion of injectors, substantially as herein described.
5. In an indicating and recording apparatus of the kind herein set forth and as
specified in Claim 1, noting the kilometers upon the record sheet, by means of the
stylus operating by the action of the mechanism constituted by the worm Q,
worm wheel R, crank disk, rod r, elbow lever and rod r' imparting motion to
the sleeve o carrying the holder o³ for the stylus O, substantially as berein described
and shown in the accompanying drawings.
6. In an indicating and recording apparatus of the kind herein set forth and as

page_text: specified in Claim 1, noting the changes in the direction of travel or rotation by
means of the stylus P operating under the action of the mechanism composed of
the head S having slots 's, s of the lever T T' carrying the pin t and of the rod t
imparting motion to the sleeve p, substantially as herein described and shown in
the accompanying drawings.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.

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