Improvements relating to Brakes for Bicycles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Apr., 1898-Accepted, 23rd July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Brakes for Bicycles.
:
I, OTTO RUHL, Engineer, at Hamburg, Kleine Lindenstrasse 4, in Germany,
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:-
-
The object of the present invention is a bicycle-brake automatically braking
as soon as a certain velocity is attained and thus obliging the rider, for instance
in much frequented streets, to slacken the movement, of which the following is a
specification.
Fig. 1 shows the fore-wheel of a bicycle with the braking-roller A ready for use.
Fig. 2 shows a cross-section of the brake-roller in natural size.
Fig. 3 shows a section following the lines x and y of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 shows the interior of the device on the point of entering into action.
The brake-roller A when in use is maintained pressing against the tread of the
fore-wheel by the elastic fixture a.
After each braking-operation for being anew ready for use the roller is slightly
lifted by means of the draw-string b. In case the rider, contrary to the prescrip-
tions, keeps the brake lifted, this will become manifest by the lateral different
coloured fields c, c¹ becoming separately visible as no rotation is taking place,
and the rider may justly be required to slacken his pace.
Besides this, in a passive state, a bell d fitted in the interior of the roller, thre
sound of which strikes the ear of the rider through the sound-holes c would not be
audible, whereas otherwise, the incessantly sounding bell would be a warning-
signal for all persons crossing the street, as without such a signal the approaching
cyclist would hardly be perceptible by the car.
The axis f of the roller is fixed. The braking effect is produced by the clog h
which is given a straight movement by the bars gg being pressed outwards in
consequence of the centrifugal force; will finally with an increase of the velocity
and a quicker rotation of the roller vanquish the pressure of the spring i and
strike with the tappet h¹ the catch j of an eccentric, as shown in Fig. 4, where-
upon the latter is carried along in the rotatory direction of the roller. But as in
this case the travel of the catch j of the eccentric will in consequence of the loca-
tion of its centre of motion be nearer to the axis, the clogh will be drawn down-
wards and pressed against the axis f; and thus together with the striking of the
superficies n against the arm the travel of the eccentric is limited, the clog h
with its tappet h¹ cannot reach beyond the eccentric and the movement of the
roller ceases; and as the latter is pressed by a strong spring a against the tyre
of the fore-wheel, a sufficiently strong braking effect will be produced, the more
so as the roller is provided with a cover of soft india-rubber k.
On lifting the roller A by means of the draw-string the working of the roller
in the direction of its rotation will cease and the spring m fixed in the interior
with the arm upon the firm axis, being connected with the eccentric and strained
by the movement of the latter, will cause it to bound back again.
The working of the bell is operated in the manner that a clapper o elastically

page_text: fixed on the guide gl, on revolving the roller A strikes against a projection p
managed on the inside of the bell a connected with the fixed axis. Consequently,
as long as the cycle is running and the brakeroller A does not enter into action,
i.e., as long as it is in rotatory motion, the bell will incessantly be sounding as a
warning-signal.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. On exceeding a certain velocity an automatically braking roller for bicycles,
characterized by a clog h fitted in the interior and subject to the influence of
spring-power, this clog, with the rotation of the roller being, in consequence of
the centrifugal power, forced out of its travel, and finally striking against the
tappet of an eccentric, connected with the fixed axis and not acted upon by the
rotation, and drawn by the eccentric towards the axis, will check the rotatory
movement, thus producing a braking effect, in consequence of the friction exer-
cised upon the fore-wheel and consequent upon the downwards pressure of the
elastic bearing a.
2. With a roller for bicycle, automatically braking on exceeding a certain velo-
city, as specified in Claim 1, the connection of the eccentric ; with a spring m
connected with the fixed axis f which, at the cessation of the friction, between
the fore-wheel and the stopped roller A and the cessation of the working upon the
latter in the direction of its rotation will cause the eccentric j to rebound into its
passive condition.
Dated Hamburg 13th day of innil 1900