US1508418A

US1508418A - Accelerator attachment

Info

Publication number: US1508418A
Application number: US478639A
Authority: US
Inventors: William G Stewart
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1921-06-18
Filing date: 1921-06-18
Publication date: 1924-09-16
Anticipated expiration: 1941-09-16

Description

Se t. 16 192 w. G. STEWART ACCELERATOR ATTACHMENT F'iied June 18, 1921 a vwtoo 214mm a 5 220;

Patented Sept. 16, 1924.

UNITED STATES ACCELERATOR ATTA Application filed June 18,

To all whom it may concern:

Bev it known that 1, WILLIAM G. STEWART, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Windsor, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of.Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Accelerator Attachments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to accelerators for use on motor cars andconsists in a pneumatically actuated construction which is applicable either to cars unprovided with foot accelerators or to cars having accelerstore where .a more convenient location of the actuating means is desired. For instance, a location of accelerator switable for one operator may be very inconvenient for another operator and also in long continued-driving it is restful for the opera tor to change the position of his foot. Therefore, my improvement maybe advantageously used on any type of motor car. I have, however, specifically shown it as applied to a car of the Ford type.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the attachment as installed;

Figure 2 is a perspective view; and

Figure 3 is a cross-section through the pneumatic bulb.

Certain makes of motor cars, as, for instance, the Ford, are unprovided with footoperated accelerators. They have, however, a hand-operated control for opening and closing the throttle, which includes a pair of rock arms and a connecting rod or llnk. My improvement consists in a pneumatically operated device, including a foot-actuated compressor bulb and an expansionchamber operated thereby. Also, a substitute connecting rod having slidably engaged portions between which said expansion chamber is arranged.

In detail, A is the'steeringcolumn of a motor car and B the rock shaft adjacent to said column, which is actuated by the hand control and which is provided at its lower end with a rock arm C having a rod connection with a rock arni D of the throttle. My attachment consists .in a substitute rod E having at one end the bent. arm

F and at its opposite end an arm G, preferably adjustably connected by a threaded engagement with the rod, as indicated at H.

1,508,418 TEN OFFICE.

0, CANADA.

1921. Serial No. 478,639.

pivotally attached to the end of the rockarm. C, while the member G pivotally en-' gages the rock arm D. L is a compressor bulb formed of rubber or other suitable material and which is connected bya tubing M with an expansible chamber N, preferably a pair of peripherally attached disks. member-N is placed between the arm J and the bent arm F and the opposite sides of the disks are preferably engaged with said arms, as by means of stirrups 0.

With the device as described, whenever pressure is placed on the bulb L, the compressed air passing through the tube M will expand the disks and force, the arms F and J apart from each other. As the arm J is held by the rock arm C of the hand control, the efieet or" expansion of the member N is removed from the rod E relative thereto,

The I thereby rocking the throttle arm D. When ing L which is normally closed by means of a spring-pressed 'valve' P. This valve may be moved inwardly against thetension of its spring "to.permit the air in the bulb to escape when the latter is partly compressed and then may be closed by its spring to prevent ingress of air when the bulb is expanded. This, byreducing the pressure within the member L will permit external atmospheric pressure to positively actuate the arms F and J towards each other. If desired, a springQ may be sleeved'upon the rod E between a collar R thereon and the member I to operate in'conjunction with the expansion of the bulb L in returning the throttle. This constitutes a safe device in case the pneumatic mechanism s ould fail to operate. 1

The device constructed as described can be manufactured at'jvery low cost and any car in any convenient position. Thus, the operator can accelerate by a foot in much the same manner as on standard motor cars having foot accelerators.

Where my accelerator is placed upon a diflerent type of car, some modifications may be required in the specific construction, but in general the construction is the same.

One advantage of a pneumatically operated accelerator is the non-positive resiliency of the same. With mechanically actuated accelerators it frequently happens, when driving over a rough road, that it is diflicult to operate the motor smoothly. This is because any vibration of the foot will be positively transmitted to the throttle but with my pneumatic construction such vibrations will have no eiiect on the throttle. In other words, the resiliency of the air will compensate for quick vibrations.-

What I claim as my invention is:' a

1. An accelerator attachment :for motor cars comprising a substitute connecting rod between the hand control and throttle, having members relatively movable longitudinally of the rod, a pneumatic compressor bulb and an expansible chamber connected with said bulb engaging said relatively movable members of the rod to actuate the same.

2. An accelerator attachment for motor cars comprising a substitute connecting rod between the hand control and throttle, ineluding slidably engaged members having adjacent laterally extendin arms, a pneumatic compressor bulb, an an expansible chamber connected with said bulb inserted between said arms to relatively move the same.

3. A11 accelerator attachment for motor cars comprising a rod between the hand control and throttle formed in relatively movable sections having laterally projecting arms adjacent to each other, a pneumatic compressor bulb, an expansible chamber connected therewith and inserted between said adjacent arms and secured thereto, the air within said bulb when said pressure is expanded being at less than atmospheric pressure, whereby said arms are drawn together by atmospheric pressure.

4. An accelerator for motor cars comprising a pneumatic compressor bulb, the pressure in said bulb normally being reduced below atmospheric pressure, an expansible chamber located to actuate the throttle, and v a flexible connection between said bulb and expansible member, whereby said bulb may be moved from one position to another.

5. An accelerator attachment for motor cars comprising a substitute connecting rod between the hand control and throttle, having relatively movable members, a pneumatic compressor bulb, and expansible means connected to said bulb and disposed between said members for moving the same.

6. The combination with an accelerator mechanism for a motor vehicle, of pneumatic means connected to said mechanism for actuating the same comprising an expansible member and a bulb connected to said expansible member and adapted to be compressed to expand the same, the pres sure in said bulb normally being'below atmospheric pressure whereby said expansible member will be contracted by atmospheric pressure to return said accelerator mechanism to normal position when said bulb is expanded. y

7. The combination with an accelerator mechanism for a motor vehicle, of pneumatic means connected to said mechanism for actuating the same comprising an expansible member and a bulb connected to said expansible member and adapted to be compressed to expand the same, the pressure in said bulb normally being below atmospheric pressure whereby said expansible member will be contracted by atmospheric pressure to return said accelerator mechanism to normal position when said bulb is expanded, and means adapted to return said accelerator mechanism to normal position upon failure of said expansible member to operate.

8. The combination with accelerator mechanism for a motor vehicle, of foot-operated compressor means, and fluid transmission means between said compressor means and accelerator mechanism.

9. The combination with accelerator mechanism for a motor vehicle, of foot-operated compressor means freely shiftable to different operatin locations, and a connection between sai compressor means and mechanism permitting such shifting movement.

10. The combination with accelerator mechanism for a motor vehicle, of foot-operated compressor means freely shiftable todifi'erent operating locations and producing in its operation no reaction tending to shift its location, and a'fiexible fluid transmission means between said compressor and said mechanism.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM G. STEWART.