Improvements in Transporting Passengers and Goods from a Stationary to a Moving Stage or the like and vice versa.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, Tin June, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 24th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 10th June, 1899
Date of Application, 17th June, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 24th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 10th June, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Transporting Passengers and Goods from a
Stationary to a Moving Stage or the like and vice versa.
I, ALWIN VIETOR, Ph.D, of 13, Taunusstiasse, Wiesbaden, in the German
Empire, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to novel means for transporting passengers and goods
from a stationary to a moving stage on the like and rice versa, for example the
said invention may be applied to a merry-go-round for enabling passengers to
step into or from the revolving platform of the same or it may be applied for
raising persons to an elevated 1ail-road
According to the invention I make use of the kinematical law of cycloidal
motion, that is to say, that each point of a 1olling disc describes a cycloid If
the disc is circular and if the path along which it rolls 18 a circle (the limit being
a circle the radius of which is infinity, that is to say, a straight line) then all
the points on the periphery of the disc describe cycloid curves, pericycloids which
are congruent If the rolling path is formed of arcs of circles of various radu
or of a curve of another kind then more complicated or higher forms of cycloids
are described. As often as a point describing a curve makes contact with the
rolling path a turning point is formed in the development of the cycloid and its
velocity is at this point practically zero From one turning point to the next-
a distance corresponding to the complete enoumference of the rolling disc-the
velocity of a peripheral point describing a cycloid varies as follows, that 18 to
say, during the first half of the path its velocity gradually increases to double that
of the centre of the disc and during the second half gradually diminishes again
to zero.
For the purposes of explanation I will describe my invention as applied to a
merry-go-round of the kind wherein the passengers are required to mount from
a central fixed stationary stage or platform to an outer revolving stage or platform
concentric therewith Between the said two stages I arrange a cuculai inter-
mediate platform on stage which rolls between the stationary and the fixed stages
whereby all points upon its periphery describe cycloidal curves as above described
A person, therefore, can step from the fixed stage on to the intermediate stage at
the point where the latter makes contact with the said fixed stage with great
facility and security. The said passenger can similarly step from the intermediate
stage upon the revolving stage as the peripherics of the intermediate and revolv-
ing stages, where they make contact, move at nearly the same velocities. It will
be obvious that passengers can similarly pass from the revolving platform to the
stationary platform with equal convenience and safety
In cases where a single rolling intermediate platform or stage is insufficient
to carry the number of passengers I may provide two such rolling intermediate
platforms and I may pass around them any suitable band, chain-belt or the like
provided with suitable standing or sitting room,
Or, may connect two such rolling intermediate stages in any other suitable

page_text: manner, for example I may arrange for two such platforms, connected together by
a rod or similar device carrying seats or standing places, to roll between two
straight stages. This construction is suitable for elevated railways in which it is
required to elevate passengers to the trains.
Dated the 11th day of June 1898.
Improvements in Transporting Passengers and Goods from a
Stationary to a Moving Stage or the like and vice versa.
I, ALWIN VIETOR, Ph.D, of 13, Taunusstrasse, Wiesbaden, in the German
Empire, Mechanical Engineer, 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 novel means for transporting passengers and goods
from a stationary to a moving stage or the like and ece versa, for example the
said invention may be applied to a merry-go-round for enabling passengers to
step into or from the revolving platform of the same or it may be applied for
raising persons to an elevated rail-road.
According to the invention I make use of the kinematical law of cycloidal
motion, that is to say, that each point of a rolling disc describes a cycloid. If
the disc is circular and if the path along which it rolls 18 a circle (the limit being
& circle the radius of which is infinity, that is to say, a straight line) then all
the points on the periphery of the disc describe cycloid curves, pericycloids which
are congruent If the rolling path is formed of arcs of circles of various radii
or of a curve of another kind then more complicated or higher forms of cycloida
are described
As often as a point describing a curve makes contact with the
olling path a turning point is formed in the development of the cycloid and its
velocity is at this point practically zeio From one turning point to the next-
a distance corresponding to the complete circumference of the rolling disc-the
velocity of a peripheral point describing a cycloid varies as follows, that 18 to
say, during the first half of the path its velocity gradually increases to double that
of the centre of the disc and during the second half gradually diminishes again
The enclosing curve of the cycloids described by the various peripheral
points of the rolling disc contains the cycloidal points of highest velocity. If the
rolling path is a circle the enclosing curve is a circle concentric therewith; if the
path is a straight line, the enclosing curve is a straight line parallel thereto These
two most simple cases (and of which the latter is, as above stated, the limit of the
first) are those most suitable for the practical application of the invention and to
enable the said invention to be fully understood I will describe it by reference to
the accompanying drawings, in which
to zero.
Figure 118 a diagrammatic view illustrating the principle of the invention;
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of a merry-go-round constructed according to
the invention:
Figure 3 is a plan view thereof:
Figure 4 is a view illustrating the application of the invention to straight stages;
and,
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation shewing the invention applied for conveying
passengers or goods between stages arranged at different elevations.
Referring first to Figure 1, the edge A of the arc-shaped stationary stage or

page_text: step is the rolling path. The periphery of the disc B is the rolling curve. T'he
edge C of the movable stage is the enclosing curve.
The disc B enables passenger
traffic to take place between A and C whilst A is at rest and C is in motion
During rolling, sliding between A and B and between B and C can be avoided, for
instance, by means of toothed gear. The points b², 6ª, 6ª of the disc B succes-
sively come into contact with the points aº, a¹, a³, a³ of the stage A whilst
the points b, 65, 66, 67 situated diametrically opposite on the periphery of
the disc, meet the points, co, co³, 07 of the moving stage C which points are
moving in the direction in which the disc is rolling. On the completion of this
movement the point 6º, for example, describes the cycloid 0, 1, 2, 3,
8
in which 0 and 8 coincide and are therefore points having no motion, and 4 18
the point of greatest velocity
Whilst the point moves from 0 to 4, the arcs 68, b¹; b¹, b; 6, b³ and 63, 6* 10ll
upon A, that is to say, upon the arcs aº, a¹, a¹, aª; a³, a³ and a³, a respectively.
The arcs 6, 65; 68, 68; 66, 67 and 67, 68 simultaneously roll upon the corresponding
arcs, ;, c; c, e7, and c², c The point consequently shifts upon the
stage C as far as the point 4 of the cycloid whilst the disc B rolls upon à hom «°
to a. A person, therefore, who desires to pass from a to the stage C whilst the latter
is in motion, steps on to the disc at the point 68 at the moment that the rolling disc B
18 in contact with the point a of the stage A and remains upon the standing place
or seat provided thereon until, when the disc has rolled through half its periphery
and has consequently reached the point a, he reaches the point 4 of the cycloid
and is opposite the point of C which has the same velocity as the said point;
he can therefore step from B to C in as convenient and safe, a manner as he stepped
from A to B
If, now, a person with the intention of stepping from the point c³ of the moving
stage C passes on to the disc B at the moment the latter (which is moving rela-
tively with the stage C) 18 in contact with the point of the stage C, that is to
say, with the point 4 of the cycloid and remains in a standing place or seat at 68
whilst the disc rolls through half its periphery, when the point 8 of the cycloid
comes opposite the point as of the stage A the two points will be motionless
relatively with one another; he can then step on to the stage A
In this manner a passenger can step from all points of the edge à of the rigid
stage to all corresponding points of the edge of the movable stage and ice
versa, all passengers describing cycloidal aics as long as they remain upon the
disc B
The size of the disc B 18 regulated usually according to the velocity at which the
stage C rotates.
If the angle disc B does not suffice for the traffic between the stationary and
the movable stage, that is to say, between the platform or landing place and the
vehicle, two discs can be combined by means of a chain-belt or the like which
passes round both and is provided with standing places or seats which are caused
to linger at the edges of the stages A, C so as to thereby permit of the tians-
ference of passengers for a length of time which depends upon the distance
between the two connected disca
If the stationary stage A and the moving stage Care straight, as shewn in
Figure 4, the two discs B1, B2 are connected by a 1od S and are so operated that
their peripheries roll upon the edges of the stages A and C which are opposite
to one another Upon a second rod T, the ends of which engage with pins or
the like arranged upon the peripheries of the discs, seats F can be provided or
the passengers can step on or off at any point of this iod as all points of the raid
rod describe cycloidal curves The moving stage in this case has a reciprocating
motion imparted to it
It will of course be obvious that means must be provided to ensure that the
stage is moving in the right direction with respect to the train when it is to be
used. Any suitable means for this purpose may be employed; for example the
eyeloidal stage may be driven by an electrical current which is automatically

page_text: closed by the moving train, the trains being arranged to move regularly and
alternately in opposite duections. In this case assuming a train running to the
right has carried the cycloidal stage in the same direction the said stage is brought
to the night hand end of the station so as to be ready to be brought back by the
next train running to the left and so on. Before the train reaches the cycloidal
stage it automatically closes the circuit to produce the current for operating the
cycloidal stage so that the said stage when the train reaches it has a velocity equal
to half that of the train, that is to say, it is running at the correct speed for
enabling passengers or goods to be transferred from the stage to the train or
rice versa.
This arrangement is suitable for elevated railways when the discs B¹, and Bª
are placed vertically and the foot board is secured to the ades of said disc, in
this case, however, as is indicated in Figure 5, the plane of the rod T must be at
right angles to the plane of the disce B¹, B
The absence of sliding during the rolling of the discs B upon the stages A and C
is not an indispensable requirement in practice The passage from A to B and
from B to C and vice versa does not present any difficulty when, on the completion
of the movement of the peripheral point on B, the standing or sitting places
arranged upon B (or on the band or belt passing round the two discs B) moves
forwards or backwards against A and C with a relative velocity which is moderate,
that is to say, below one metre per second, and it is also possible to pass from the
moving stage C on to a vehicle which travels along near the outer edge if the
velocities of the two stages only differ from one another by less than one metre per
Becond. For the purpose of safety and convenience in passing from one to another
stage, however, it is advisable to limit these differences in velocity as far as
possible,
If the spaces between the stages A and C on both sides of B are covered for
preventing persons from being thrown from the edge of A, B or C, the cover D,
upon which standing places or sitting room can be provided for the officials super-
intending the traffic, must during the rolling of the disc B move forwards there-
with.
Instead of being employed for passenger traffic such a cycloidal stage can be
employed in an analogous manner for loading and unloading goods, particularly
for delivering mails to, and receiving them from, tiains For purposes of explana-
tion, however, I will describe the invention as applied to the merry-go-round shewn
in Figures 2 and 3.
R is the platform which continuously rotates, it 18 provided with seats and a
rotating stage C Opposite this stage and concentric therewith there is a
stationary stage A which is arranged in the centre of the merry-go-round and in
the same plane as the stage C. The passengers pass up and down stans in the
middle of the said stationary stage The ring D placed between the stages A
and C cailles discs B¹, B at two points, the rolling diameter of
which discs is equal to the distance between the stages A and C, the
necessary space being left for a chain or band E which passes around
the two discs The chain E 18 provided along its whole length with seats F and
care is taken, for instance by means of the chain, that only rolling and not sliding
takes place between the discs B', B and the stages A and C. The merry-go-
1ound R together with the stage C and the ring D can run upon rails whilst the
discs B', B rotate upon pivots which are secured to the ing D Now, as soon
as the merry-go-round It or stage or ring D is revolved, such motion being com-
municated thereto by any suitable means the other described parts are compelled
to move therewith The movement can also be effected from the discs B by
rolling them upon the stage A The peripheral points of the two rotating dises,
and consequently the part of the chain E, with the seats F, adjacent to the pe11-
pheries in so far as these are not at rest at the edge of the stage A or evolving
with the edge of the stage C, move in cy cloidal paths (Figure 1, Sheet 1) with the
passengers taken from the stage A or C If the rotation takes place in the dnec-

page_text: tion of the arrow passengers mount at B¹ (to C) and descend from B (to A) The
merry-go-round can be provided with a 100f in the usual manner
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 18
Apparatus for enabling traffic to take place between a stationary and a moving
stage wherein a disc (or discs connected by a band or the like) rolls between the
said stationary and moving stages, the peripheral points of the disc or discs
describing cycloidal curves so that passengers or goods stepping or transferred from
the stationary stage or the moving stage on to the rolling disc are gradually con-
veyed to the moving stage or the stationary stage respectively, substantially as
hereinbefore described
T14111000
G F REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant