Improvements in Brakes for Motor Cars.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Brakes for Motor Cars.
I, ERNEST CUÉNOD, of 3, Rue Laffitte, Paris, France, Operative, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The brakes usually employed for motor cars act on the tyres of the wheels
which have to rub against the brake blocks, or against the ground when retarded
by the blocks, in either case tending to damage the tyres especially when they
are of the pneumatic kind. My invention has for its object to avoid such
damage which I effect in the following manner.
For each of the two road wheels I provide a brake shoe which held to the car
by a chain preventing it from advancing too far and is connected to a hand
lever, so that when it is desired to stop the car, the shoes are by moving the
lever thrust between the ground and the peripheries of the wheels. This same
action releases a clutch, preferably a friction clutch, through which the gearing
for the wheels is connected to the motor, so that when the brake shoes are
applied the wheels are no longer driven. When it is desired to start the car
again, the wheels, are caused to revolve a little backwards and the brakes shoes
are withdrawn. When the motor is electric, the movement of the lever in apply-
ing the brake shoes, serves also to open the electric circuit and so stop the motor,
and the reverse movement in withdrawing the shoes closes the circuit again.
Dated this 21st day of November 1898.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, ERNEST CUÉNOD, of 3, Rue Laffitte, Paris, France, Operative, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described in and by the following statement:-
The brakes usually employed for motor cars act on the tyres of the wheels
which have to rub against the brake blocks, or against the ground when retarded
by the blocks, in either case tending to damage the tyres, especially when they
are of the pneumatic kind. My invention has for its object to avoid such
damage which I effect in the following manner.
For each of the two road wheels I provide a brake shoe which is held to the car
by a chain preventing it from advancing too far and is connected to a hand
lever so that when it is desired to stop the car, the shoes are by moving the
877

page_text: lever thrust between the ground and the peripheries of the wheels. This same
action releases a clutch preferably a friction clutch, through which the gearing
for the wheels is connected to the motor, so that when the brake shoes, are
applied the wheels are no longer driven. When it is desired to start the car
again, the wheels are caused to revolve a little backwards and the brake shoes
are withdrawn. When the motor is electric, the movement of the lever in apply-
ing the brake shoes, serves also to open the electric circuit and so stop the motor,
and the reverse movement in withdrawing the shoes closes the circuit again.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side view and Fig. 2 is a plan of a
motor car provided with a brake according to my invention.
Two shoes S S¹ are linked by rods L to a set of lever arms M N K, each of
the rods having a horn T which, when the car is running, bears against the
arm M holding the rod L vertical and the shoe off the ground. By means of a
hand lever A the lever arms M N K and the links I can be moved to the posi-
tions indicated by the dotted lines, the shoes S S¹ being thrust under the wheels
as far as permitted by chains R R¹. When the lever A is pulled back in order
to apply the brake, a stud F on it moves the rod D) and thereby the lever O
and rod P so as to withdraw the friction cone by which the motor engine imparts
motion to the driving gear. When the motor is clectric the same action oper-
ates a switch which opens the circuit. In order to start the car again the revers-
ing lever is first moved, pulling back the rod E on which there is a tappet B.
This tappet moving the lever C raises the rod D disengaging it from the stud F,
and the lever O and rod P being then left free, the friction cone is again engaged
by a spring or otherwise with the motor. Thus the car being moved back, the
wheels release the brake shoes which are withdrawn by moving forward the
lever A, and then the reversing. lever Q is moved forward causing the car again
to travel forwards.
The operations described are effected by the movements of parts already on
the car with a few accessories, and by the driver without having to leave his
seat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim
is:-
Brake apparatus for a motor car comprising a pair of brake shoes which by
means of levers and rods moved by a hand lever are thrust under the road wheels
the same movement unclutching the driving gear from a mechanical motor or
opening the circuit of an electric motor, substantially as described with reference
to the drawings.