USRE13370E - Speedometeh - Google Patents

Description

L. A. GRBENLEAF.

SPEEDOMETER.

APPLIOATIOH IILED J'AH.4, 1912.

Reissued Feb. 20, 1912.

more A. GREENLEAI, or noncnns'rnmmssacnusnr'rs.

SPEEDOMETER Orlglnal No. 1,011,051, dated December 5, 1911, Serial No. 566,034. Application for reissue filed January,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS A. Gannnnmr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dorchester, in the count of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, ave invented an Improvement in Speedometers, of which the following description, in connection with the accom anymg drawings, is a specification, like etters on the drawings representin like parts.

y invention is a speedometer for automobiles, etc.,- having for its object the provision of means not liable to need attention either for lubrication, adjustment or repair.

In carrying out my invention I rovide means responsive to the driving mec anism.

of the vehicle to generate in the speedometer a current of air, and means connected with the speed hand or indicator responsiveto said air current. By this .simple means I eliminate the usual train of mechanism connected to the indicator, and practically eliminate the usual frictional problem at the indicator end of the apparatus, and thereby eliminate the error and uncertainty due to said friction and to the bearings, gears, and other mechanism heretofore necessary in the usual apparatus. Also I have found that the errors commonly due to the centrifugal force resulting in the usual geared or magnetic instrument are minimized and practically eliminated by employing the pneumatic connections mentioned between the prime mover and the indicator, as the light indicator and its delicate support respond with extreme alccuracy, both as to time and distance, to the free air current applied directly thereto. In response to the air current, the indicator moves instantly, there being'no lag either at the be 'nnlng or at the end of said movement, an the indicating distance traversed by the indicator is exactly in pro ortion .to the pressure or velocity of sai air current. Another princi-' pal advantage is that because of this air current actuation of the indicator, whereb the latter is practically disconnected Inec anically from "its actuator, the accuracy of the instrument is not affected by joke and jars of the vehicle.

In fact,1a chief'object of my invention has been to produce an instrument whose accuracy would not be afiected by the frequent 1912. .Serial No. 669,987.

jolts and jars to which automobiles are subjected.

My invention comprises further features of advantage relating more specially to details, such as the provision of a trip indicator ring, means whereby the instrument when closed cannot readily be opened by the user, theclosing means being conceale etc., all of which will be explained in connection with the more complete detailed'description of the apparatus hereinafter contained, taken with reference to the accompanying drawin s, in which I have shown a preferred embo iment of my invention.

In the drawin Figure 1 isa top plan view thereof; Fig. 2 is an approximately central. vertical sectional view, parts being Specification of Beissued Letters Patent. Rissued Feb,20, 1912, i

in elevation and parts being omitted; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on the line 3, Fig. .2; Fig. 4'is a transverse sectional view on the line Q44,Fig. 3; and F ig. 5 is a view in top planof aldetail of the indicator mechanism. I

As herein shown, the prime mover con-' sists of a fluted spindle or' a spindle pinion 1 meshing with a beveled driving gear 2 fast on a shaft 3 which is jourhaled in the main frame or base plate 4 of the instrument and projects at its outer end through'an otherwise solid boss 5 threaded at 6 for a flexible shaft connection (not shown) to contain a usual flexible shaft driven from the wheel of the vehicle, the outer end of the shaft3 being herein shown as squared at 7 to receive said flexible shaft in well known manner. On the upper end 8' of thedrivi spindle is fixed a fan 9 or equivalent wiiid producer, to generate a current of air directed on an air responsive device, herein" shown as a similar fan 10, which except for the air connection between the two is otherwise unconnected with the prime moving parts contained in the lower portion (Sf-the speedometer.

short shaft 11 journaled' in a bearing 12 frovided inasupportingdiaphragm 13 or 0t er wise braced, which provides an outer chamber 14 and a. lower chamber 15. Secured to the outer endof the shaft 11 is a speed hand or pointer 16 or 'any usual or preferred This fan 10 is provided with a- 4 means, forindicating to the observer the speed of travel, said speed hand'bein herein shown as cooperating with a s scale "may be provided for holdin the speed hand in normal position'against the movement of I the fan 10, said means as herein shown consisting of an eccentric lever 01' plate 19 fast on the shaft 11 just above the bearing 12, to which plate a flexible cord or wire 20 is secured at 21 provided with a spring22fsupportedin a post 23-and adjustable by a nut 24;. I find it of advantage to provide arr annular housing or current director. 25 surrounding the two fans and open at its opposite ends for the passage therethrough and laterally. therefrom of the air current,

said annulus or director 25 being supported on the frame posts 26 of the instrument which. extend rigidly upwardfrom the base 4 Also. mounted on said base is a stub shaft' 27 provided with a-worm-wheel 28 meshing with a worm 29' fast on the underside of the gear 2 for driving a train of. gears 30; 31, 32, 33, 34. The latter isprovide'd" with an eccentric which operatesv a pawl 36 in engagement with'the ratchet teeth 37 of an indicator ring 38 whose figures39 indicate the, distance of. an given trip, said ring being turned aroun 'to zero at anytime de-- 41 terminates in a thumb nut 42 for this urpose- A usuar odometer is also 'prefer ably "provided, to be-driven' by the same t'rainof gears, the'jsame however not'con' stituting a" feature of my present invention.

shell Hit-having 'a'glass outer end 44'and at its inner-lower rim' provided with a groove 45 toreceivetwo'lugs46 projecting upward frofiithebase14 as shown in Fig. 4. The

shell 43 is slightly larger than the dial. plate 7 i of diaphragm 13, so that when it is. placed overthe mechanism it is moved to one side slightly so as to permit ..the' overhanging lugs as to brmg the' l'ugsinto interlocking engagement with the shell, which when in this position fits snugly against a supporting wall 47 of a holding bracket 48, where it is secured by as'crew 49. The bracket 48 is provided at its" rear. side with a recess 50 and when the 'scr'ew 49 has been turned home I- cover it with a layer-oi putty or cement-51 =i-face with a coating 52,iwhereby the screw- 49"is entirely concealed The general objectha und'that the average 'user 'automobileshas a strong jiziolinationtolinvestigatgadjust and other- I claim as new V 1. speedometer', comprisin and'then paint orennmu the adjacent sun.

wise tamper with his speedometer, and as the instrument is necessarily delicate, and,

if reliable, must be let alone, I; have provided the abovedescribed constructionfor securin this result. I have provided a mechanism in which the speed indicator portion thereof is, as previously stated,not mechanically 'connected with the moving portion thereof but in which the power transmitting means consists of a controlled current of air, and accordingly it is of considerable practical value to have in connection therewith a construction whereby this air control cannot be externallyinfluenced or tamperedwith.

q The operation of my invention has already been explained in connection with .its construction. As the shaft 3 and its gear 2 rotate the. pinion 1 and fan 9, a current of air is produced,varying in velocity with the speed of the fan, and this current of air op-. crates on the fan 10 to rotate the latter and thereby actuate the indicator, herein shown as the distance hand 16.' The diaphragm '13 keeps the blast of'air from influencing the indicator in any way,' and the eccentric lever 19 and spring ,maintain a uniform movement of the latter under the varying p velocity of the air current. sired by agear 40, the outer end of-whose It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various .reg'ulatingjmea'ns may be 1 employed, and also that the operation of the device may be materially regulatedfand varied by varying the relative proportions and constructions of the two fans- Also it The: foregoing apparatus'isinclosed by. a

is to be'noted that my device may be oper- As already implied, it ,willfbe understood "ated in either direction, the-main difference 'being that the fan 10 is. operated in one 1 direction by asuction current and. in theother direction byan impin ing current,. the direction of numbering t e scale and I Z the direction of pull of the regulating spring icorresponding, of course, 1 to the direction d of rotation 'ofthe fan mechanism.

46 to enter the. groove 45 at that side of the instrument, and is then moved laterallyso wide rangeof mechanical constructions, cerjtain features of myinvention, as will be I more apparent from the claims, being broadlynew.

. Having described my invention-, what I and-desire to: secure by Letters Patent is I an inchsure, a vcontinuous hollow cylin rical-memand" means also wholly within," said. cylin'- bertherein', means for holdiiigfsaid member in .spaced apart. relationto the walls thereof I to leavetanopen annular space, air current I 7 drical member responsive to an air-current and having connected thereto-1a device to indicate the force. thereof, sa'id parts being 1 iconstructcd"v and arranged to producers.

closed circulation of air in one direction through the interior ,of said cylindr cal member, returning in the opposite directlon through said unobstructed open. annular 1 through the annular space between said cy- J rior of said section and constr space.

2. A speedometer, comprising a tight inclosure, a continuous hollow cylindrical member, means for holding said member in spaced apart relation to the walls thereof to form an unobstructed annular space, air current producing means mounted wholly within said member, a driving connection thereto, means also wholly withln said member responsive to an air current and a' de-- vice connected to be operated thereby to im dicate the force thereof, said parts being constructed to maintain a closed circulation of air in one direction through said hollow cylindrical member and in the other directlon through the unobstructed annular space between the same and the wall of said inclosure. -H

3. A speedometer, comprising an inclosing cylinder, a hollow cylindrical section having a mounting in said cylinder in s aced apart relation to the cylindrical wall lindrical section and said inclosing cylinder.

4. A speedometer, comprising a tight inclosure, a continuous and hollow cylindrical member, means for holding said member in Y spaced-apart relation to the walls of said inclosure to leave an unobstructed annular 45 space therebetween, 'a fan fitted to rotate wholly -within said member, having a mounting-coaxial therewith and a driving connection, afsecond fan mountedopposite said first fan' and fitted to rotate wholly within said member, and means connected to being externa with overhanging radially projecting In and coverin said second fan for indicating the force of an air current generated by said first fan,

' said parts being constructed to maintain a closed circulation of air in one direction through said hollow cylindrical member and in the other direction through the unobstructed annular space between the same and the wall of said inclosure.

5. A speedometer, comprising abase, in-

dicating mechanism, an inclosure for the latter imniovably secured to said base when in operative osition, the securing means liy inaccessible, a bracket for fastening the ap aratus to the vehicle, means for remova ly securing the said apparatus to the bracket, and means for concealing the securing means within the bracket.

6. A speedometer, comprising a base provided at its front side adjacent one edge indicating mechanlsm, an inclosure r .t e

latter having adjacent its lower edge an inwardly opening groove for receiving said lugs, a bracket'adjacent the opposite edge of said base, and threaded means operable from the rear of said bracket for securing said inclosure in place on said base and against the bracket.

7. A speedometer, comprising a base, indicating'mechanism, an inclosure for the lat ter immovably secured to said basewhen in operative position, the securing means being externally inaccessible, a bracket for fastening the apparatus to the vehicle, said bracket containing a cavity opening toward the rear and extending forwardly into the bracket, and a screw-hole adjacent said inclosure, a

screw fitting said hole and having threaded engagement with said inclosure, and a protecting coating ,for concealing said screw bracket within said cavity.

the adjacent surface of the V i In testimony whereof,-I have signedImy I name to this specification, in the presence of two subscriblng witnessea- Witnesses:

GEO. H. MAXWELL, M. J. SPALoINo.

LOUIS A. GREENLEAE.

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