US1085608A

US1085608A - Circuit-breaking means for motor-vehicles.

Info

Publication number: US1085608A
Application number: US?5675711A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harley S Heath; Millard L Heath
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Publication date: 1914-02-03
Anticipated expiration: 1931-02-03

Description

H. S. & M. L. HEATH. CIRCUIT BREAKING MEANS FDR MOTOR VEHICLES. APPLICATION FILED 00-1. 25, 1911.

Fig. [5

Patented Feb. 3, 19141.

L Fig. 4

Witnesses:

Atty.

srATEs PATENT OFFICE.

HARLEY s. HEATH AND MILLABD L. HEATH, or KENTON, OHIO.

cmcurr-snuakme MEANS Eon MOTOR-VEHICLES.

Application filed October 26, 1911. Serial No. 658,757.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HARLEY S.

and MILLARD L. HEATH, citizens of the United States, residing at Kenton, in the county of Hardin and State of Ohio, have 5 invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circ'uit-Breaking'Means for Motor- Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for automatically shutting off an engine or motor of the explosive or internal combustion type when same 15 mounted on a motorcycle or similar machine, when the latter is upset or is tilted at an angle so great as to be likely f to result in the overturnin of the machine.

The especial object of tie improvements of our invention is to provide automatic shut- 1 oil or circuit breaking means whereby the? electric circuit connected wit-h the spark plug or any similar spark producing means, is broken when the cycle ormachine on 5 which the motor is mounted, is tilted to a 3 dangerous angle in its operation, or is over i turned.

A. further object of said invention is to provide a device of the character described that will be cheap to manufacture, add but little to the weight of the motor vehicle, and

as applied to a motorcycle, it will be under-- stood that it may be clamped or secured to such portion of the frame of the vehicle as will be most convenient and which will surely operate in case the machine is tilted at an angle to which the automatic controllingdevice is adapted.

In the accompanyingdrawing:Figure 1 shows partly in elevation and partly in section a circuit breaking or controlling device embodying our invention; Fig. 2 is a bot- HEATH torn plan view of the device; Fig. 3 is a detail on an enlarged scale of the frictional control which forms a feature of the device as a whole, a nd Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of the terminal connect-ions for the circuit Wire's.

Referring to the details of the drawing, 4 represents a box or casing preferably made of thin sheet metal in the trunco -'conical form illustrated. The bottom wall of the casing is curved and throughout the greater part of its length is provided with a longitudinal slot 4 Secured to the outer face of the bottom wall at a point-adjacent one end of the slot, is an angular stop 4) and on one side of the slot near its ends, are two lugs 4.. Projecting at right angles from the rear wall of the casing is a bracket i in which are suitable bolt holes 4 to receive the bolts, 4!, by which the device may be attached to a motor cycle frame in any desired manner.

5 is 'a plate of insulating material rigidly secured within the casing at the rear wall thereof. To one side of this plate is attached, a contact plate 6 having contact surfaces of different radii, 6, 6 6 This plate is in circuit with

binding posts

7, 7, which project through the rear wall of the casing and through openings provided therefor in the plate 5. These posts it will be understood, are connected by suitable wires with the circuit in which the spark plug of the motor is placed.

7 represents the pendulum rod which as shown, is made of a rod of round brass and is pivoted at its upper end on the binding post 7. To the lower end of the rod 7 is fixed a cylindrical pendulum 7 of suit-able material, and extending through the rod at a point just above the pendulum, is an opening 7" to receive the guide rod 10.

Specification of Le'tte'r's Patent. Pat t d 3, 1914 8 represents a pair of opposed contact I bars which are connected with the pendulum rod 7 bya boss 9 in which a hole 9 is formed to receive the rod, and a-thumb screw 9 passes through the boss and has its inner end impinging on the rod so as to secure the bars 8 in positionon said rod. One end of the bars 8 is flexibly connected by a link 8 and the other ends are connected by an expansion spring 8", the tension of which is exerted to hold the bars apart and thus provide a yielding support for the roller 8 which is mounted in the roller box 8, the latter being secured to the outer face of the bars 8.

10 represents a guide-ro-d bent in the arc of a circle and adjustably connected by screws 10" secured in its ends and fitting in slots 11 in the free ends of the radial bars 11 which are secured at the inner ends to the plate 4. The rod lO'has a close sliding fit with the pendulum rod 7 at the slot 7 12 represents an adjustable stop having an extension 12 which projects through the slot a in the casing 4:, and an oppositely arranged extension 12* which projects vertically into the casing. This stop is held in adjusted position in the casing between the two stops 41 by a small spring 12, one end of which is secured to the stop and the other end frictionally engages the under face of the bottom wall of the casing as clearly shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the stop 12 is arranged at the right hand end of the casing by the spring 12 being pushed to the outer side of the lug 4 at that end of the casing. In this position, the stop does not interfere with the swinging of the pendulum 7 If it be desired to throw the pendulum out of engagement so as to make it inoperative, the stop 12 is pushed to the opposite side of the casing or to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and when in such position the spring l2 will have passed over the lug 4 at that side of the casing and the stop will be held against the angular stop 4 and the pendulum will be held at the corresponding end of the casing. It will be understood that so long as the roller 8 is in contact with any portion of the contact plate the circuit in which said parts are connected is closed and that as soon as said roller leaves said plate 6 and engages the insulating plate 5, the circuit will be open.

The operation of the above described appliance will be apparent, provided it be further understood that the entire device is so mounted that as the motorcycle to which it is secured inclines from one side to the other the pendulum 7 will be correspondingly swung. Bymaking the cont-act portions of the plate 6 of different radii as indicated at 6, 6*, etc., it is obvious that as the radii 6 is much shorter than the surface 6*, the roller 8 will leave the contact plate much more quickly than if the roller is set opposite the portion 6. Hence, if the device is to be used by a beginner in motorcycle riding, he will adjust the bars 8 on the pendulum rod 7 so as to bring the roller 8 opposite the portion 8 whereupon the swinging of the pendulum in either direction will break the circuit upon a comparatively slight inclination of the motorcycle. As the operator be comes more proficient in the use of the machine and therefore is able to maintain the equilibrium of the cycle even though the latter may be inclined considerably from the upright, he will move the bars 8 upward on the pendulum rod by loosening and then tightening the set screw 9 until the contact roller reaches the portion 6. If the rider does not need the device, or for any reason wishes to cut it out of circuit he may disconnect the wires with the binding posts or move the stop 123w the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

It will be understood that one side of the box 4 is removable or if desired, may have a door therein or other means maybe pro vided for getting access to the adjusting screw 9 whereby the bars 8 may be moved up or down along the rod 7.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new, is

1. Circuit breaking means for motor vehicles, consisting of a casing adapted to be connected with the motor vehicle frame, and insulated therefrom, a contact plate secured within said casing and a member mounted in said casing to swing normally in contact with said plate, said plate and member being connected with the respective branches of an electric circuit and adapted to close said circuit when in contact with each other and to open it when out of contact.

2. Circuit breaking means for motor vehicles, consisting of a casing adapted to be connected with and insulated from a motor vehicle frame, a graduated contact plate fixed within said casing, and a member mounted in said casing to swing normally in contact with said plate, means for adjusting the point of contact between said swinging member and said plate, said plate and member being connected with the respective branches of an electric circuit and adapted to close said circuit when in contact with each other and to open it when out of contact.

3. A casin adapted to be attached to a motor cycle ame and insulated therefrom, a contact plate arranged in said casing and connected with one branch of the spark plu circuit of said vehicle, a "pendulum mounted -in said casing adapted to swing with the lateral movements of said vehicle, connected with the other branch of said circuit, and normally in contact with said plate, and means for holding said pendulum out ofcontact with said plate.

4. A casing adapted to be rigidly'attached to the frame of a motor-cycle and insulated therefrom, a plate fixed in said casing connected with one branch of the spark plug circuit of said motor-cycle and having con- In testimony whereof we afiix our signatact areas of different extent, a pendulum tures in the presence of two witnesses.

swingingly mounted in said casing and connected with the other branch of said circuit, adjust-able means whereby said pendulum may be in contact with the different areas of said plate, and means for holding said pendulum out of contact with said plate.

HARLEY s. HEATH. MILLARD L. HEATH.

Witnesses:

L. M. HEATH, F REEDA LoTz.