US658689A - Vehicle-brake. - Google Patents

Description

No. 658,689. Patented Sept. 25, I900.

- M. VIDIE.

VEHICLE BRAKE.

(Applicstion filedNov. 11 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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VEHICLE BRAKE.

(Application filed Ifov. 11, 1899.)

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2 Sheets-Sheet z' time *rATns MAURICE VIDIE, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

VEHICLE-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,689, dated September 25, 1900.

Application filed November 11, 1899. serial No. 736,686. (No model.)

2'0 alt whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that LMAURIOE VIDIE,acitizen of France, residing at 74 Boulevard Haussmann, Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle- Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rope or band brakes, and has for its object to produce by a veryslight effort a much more powerful braking action than can be obtained by brakes of this kind employed at the present time.

In ordinary rope or band brakes when a pull is applied to one of the free ends it is by the rotation of the wheel transmitted to the other end at a power multiplied in proportion as the rope or band is wound around the hub.

Now the essential feature of my invention is to transfer back to the initial or starting end a portion of the power obtained on the other end, so as to automatically increase the initial effort, and to thus produce a most powerful braking action.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents, diagrammatically, an arrangement in which both rope ends are upon one and the same side of the hub. Fig. 2 represents, diagrammatically, a construction wherein the two ends of the rope are one upon each side of the hub. Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate, by way of example, an arrangement for operating the brake automatically.

Let a, Fig. I, be a shaft or drum having a rotary motion in the direction indicated by the arrow, and b a rope wound around the same. The ends of this rope are fastened to a spring-lever od, adapted to turn on a shaft or fulcrum c, situated nearer to (Z than to c. The movements of the lever are limited'by two stops f and g. Supposing under these conditions that the respective Working parts occupy the positions represented in full lines, the grip of the rope upon the shaft or drum being ml, and supposing we exert a pull of say p kilograms upon the end h of the rope Z). This will at once cause the rope to grip the shaft or drum a. It will be obvious that this pull will be transmitted to the pieces 1' of the rope at a degree increased in proportion to the number of times the rope I) is wound around the shaft a. Assume, for instance, that the strain thus transmitted to the end 1' of the rope equals 10 kilograms. This strain or effort causes the lever cd to turn around its axis e and would place it in the position ('0' if the rope I) were sufiiciently extensible, (for cc is larger than (1 d because cc is larger than ed,-) but as the rope is inextensible the lever ed actually bends and assumes the position d'ec, thus exerting upon the piece h of the-rope b an additional pull, which will be transmitted to the piece 1) immediately after having thus been multiplied to the extent of the factor it above, so that ultimately the tension of the piece 2' is much greater than it would be without the employment of the spring-lever.

When the end 0 of the lever is by any suitable means pushed in the opposite direction to that of the pull exerted by the spring upon the rope, all the respective parts will resume their initial positions, (represented in solid lines.) Fig. 2 represents a similar arrangement, in which, however, the two ends of the rope are upon opposite sides of the drum. In this case it is necessary to connect the end 0 of the lever to the end it of the rope by a rigid connecting-rod lo and a transmitting-lever m, adapted to turn on a fixed pivot 71. In this case one or the other of the two levers cd or m may be made flexible. According to Fig. 2 the lever on is made flexible and the lever cd rigid.

As will be seen, the main feature of my invention is to judiciously utilize a considerable portion of the power obtained by the grip of the rope I) on the shaft or drum to increase the initial pull, and thus to obtain a considerable increase of the resulting effect.

It is evident that my invention may be carried out in a number of ways and be applied to any different problems, and it should be understood that I reserve the property of the principle, irrespective of what may be the ultimate application. One application, however, is to the stopping of vehicles, and I will now describe, by way of example, an improved brake on the principleI have explained.

In this application I have adopted the sec ond arrangement, and it will be seen that in Figs. 3 and 4 like letters of reference designate the corresponding parts of Fig. 2.

As there are two brake-wheels, and consequently two ropes b, I have for the sake of simplifying the construction arranged one single connecting-rod 7c in the central plane of the vehicle. The two shoe-supports are mounted on a single shaft 6, suitably connected to the frame of the vehicle.

The two ends h of the ropes are connected by a leaf-spring 'm, suspended from the frame of the vehicle by means of small chains 0.

To the center of the shaft 8 the lever is keyed, the same being longer than the lever ed, and its extremity 0 being coupled by a rigid connecting-rod k, and the spring in is eifected by means of an adjustable milled nut 19, serving for regulating. The connectingrod is adapted to slide in axyuide q, fixed below the axle, and carries a stop 1'; The action of this arrangement will be readily understood. A very slight efiort exerted upon the rope ends h is sufficient to cause the ends '5 to apply the brake-shoes against the rim of the wheel and simultaneously to effect the rotation of the lever e c, which latter, by the connecting-rod 7c and the spring 172, transmits an additional initial tension to the rope ends h.

In order to render the brakeautomatic, all that is necessary is to connect the ends .9 of the sprin, m to an appropriate link 15, which is subject to t he haulage or pull on the vehicle. This may, for instance, be effected by fastening the swingle u to a rod a), sliding in the fore-carriage and carrying a stop 2. The length of the link or band i, which may, for instance, be a steel wire, is such that the stop rot the connectingrod is will bear against the fixed piece q a little before the stop :4 bears againstthe fore-carriage. Under these conditions the spring m, which is slightly bent, draws the piece r back with a force adjustable by the nntp, and which force may, for example, he made equal to 13 kilograms. Consequently as long as the tractional eifort or draft puli is greater than )9 kilograms the abutment 2 will bear against the forecarriage and the vehicle will be in motion. As soon, however, as the pull becomes less than 19 kilograms the ends .9 of the spring m become free and exert upon the rope ends it a tension sufficient to cause the rope to adhere to the hub of the Wheel, and consequently to throw the shoe-brake and the ordinary ropebrake into operation. At the same time the lever cc and the connecting-rod 7a are set in motion and the center at of the spring mis forced back to a greater extent than the points of connection of the rope ends h, seeing that the lever e0 is larger than the lever cd. Thus a considerablygreater braking effect is produced.

The initial tension of the ropes may be produced by other means than the permanent tension of the spring 'mfor instance, by a counterweight, which may he one of the parts of the brake itself (the weight of the brakeshoe, the levers, the spring, the.) if they be arranged as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 or by other springs of less strength. In like manner the transmission of the pull from the horse to the ends of he spring may be effected in any other appropriate manner.

I claim 1. A rope or hand brake for vehicles, consistingofa rope, or band, wound upon a shaft, or drum, one end of said rope or band being connected to a rigid lever, andthe other end to a flexible lever, substantially as described.

2. In a vehicle-brake, the combination with a shaft, or drum, of a rope, or band, wound on said shaft or drum, a rigid lever arranged on one side of said shaft connected to one end of said rope or band, and a flexible lever arranged upon the opposite side of said shaft and connected to the other end of said rope or band, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a shaft, or drum, of a rope or band wound thereon, a rigid lever connected to one end of said rope or band on one side of the drum, or shaft, a spring-bar connected to the other end of said rope or band on the other side of the drum or shaft and a rod connecting said spring-bar to the lever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

MAURICE VIDIE. Witnesses:

EDWARD P. MAOLEAN,

ALFRED FREY.

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