US809916A

US809916A - Controlling device for motor-vehicles.

Info

Publication number: US809916A
Application number: US23151104A
Authority: US
Inventors: John Charls Gallagher
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1904-11-05
Filing date: 1904-11-05
Publication date: 1906-01-09
Anticipated expiration: 1923-01-09

Description

No. 809,916. PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906. J. C. GALLAGHER.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.5,1904.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

No. 809,916. PATENTED'JAN. 9, 1906. J. O. GALLAGHER. CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.'5, 1904.

2 SHEETSSBBET 2.

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR MOTOR-VEHICLES.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed November 5, 190 Serial No. 281,511.

To My w/wm it may concern;

Be it known that 1, JOHN CHARLs GALLA- GHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elmira, in the county of (lhemung and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Devices for Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the motor-control devices which are carried by the steering-wheel standard in automobiles; and the object of my improvements is to locate the controlling-rods-such, for instance, as regulate the admission of gas and air to the cylinders and operate the spark adjustment-upon the outside of said standard and to carry said control-rods above the steering-wheel to a position where their operatinglevers may be manipulated without releasing the grip of the hands from the wheel.

A further object is to couple the controlrods for the gas and air together by an adjustable device, whereby both rods may be actuated simultaneously by the manipulation of one lever and so set relatively to one another that the proportion of air and gas to be admitted to the cylinders may be varied and fixed according to the desire of the operator and as weather conditions require.

I attain my objects by means of the arrangement and location of the several parts, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a plan view of a steering-wheel with the control rods and levers in position; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same with the wheel broken away to show the standard and the arrangement of control-rods and their support; Fig. 3, a vertical section on the line a {a in Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a transverse section on the line 1 y in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 a plan view of a modilied form of the steeringwheel.

Like numerals represent like parts in the several views.

1 represents the stationary tubular standard which contains the steering-shaft 2, said shaft being turned in one direction or the other to steer the wheel by means of the hand-wheel 3. This wheel is attached to the shaft 2 by means of a hub 1, outside of and surrounding which is a web 5, from which the spokes of the wheel radiate to the raised rim. The web 5 is provided with an annular slot 6, which nearly surrounds the hub, the

wheel being attached to the hub by means of one of the spokes which passes across to the hub at 7, said spoke being increased in thickness at this point to give the necessary strength and support to the steering-wheel.

At the head of the standard is an upright 8, which passes through the slot 6, the lower end of said upright being secured to the standard by means of a collar 9, which may be either brazed to the standard or split and secured thereto by a bolt, as indicated at 10 in Fig. 3. This upright 8 projects a short distance above the hub of the wheel, so as to bring its top surface in line with the rim of the steeringwhcel. The control-

rods

13, 14, and 15 are run up on the outside of the standard and pass through the upright 8, where they are provided with operating-

levers

16, 17, and 18, a segment-plate 12 being secured to the up right below said levers by means of screws which enter side projections 11 11, formed on said upright.

Levers

16 and 18 are provided with handles which project out sufliciently to be within the reach of a thumb or finger or so as to be readily manipulated without releasing the grip of the hands upon the steering-wheel. In order that these

levers

16 and 18 may be retained in their adjusted positions, I provide within each handle spring-actuated locking-bolts 21, the beveled ends of which engage the teeth on the segment-plate 12.

The levers 16 and 17 are coupled together by means of a slotted link 19, which is pivotally connected at one end to the lever 16 by means of a shouldered screw, and at the other end is secured to the lever 17 by means of a thumb-screw 20. This thumb-screw must be mounted in the lever in such manner as to be free to turn therein after the thumb-nut is set up to hold thelink inits adjusted position upon the lever in order that the link may be free to swing as one lever is moved by the other. By this means the lever 17 may be adjusted to or from the lever 16, and it will be evident that if the rod 13 controls the gas admission and the rod 14 the air admission by suitably adjusting the lever 17 with respect to the lever 16 more or less air may be admitted in proportion to the gas admission, the two

rods

13 and 14 being operated simultaneously by the manipulation of the one lever 16. In order to admit of a larger range of adjustment of the levers, I preferably curve the lever 17 so as to permit it to swing around the hub of the lever 16. By this arrangement I am enabled to place these control-levers in a position where they can be readily manipulated without removing either hand from the steeringwheel, and also where their degree of adjustment can be readily ascertained at a glance by the operator. The width of the upright 8, where it passes through the slot 6, may be made less than that illustrated in the drawings by setting the

rods

13, 1 and 15 closer together and the steering-wheel will have allowance for about one-third of a turn in each direction from its central position, which will be ample if the shaft 2 is coupled to the wheelshifting gear in a suitable manner.

While I prefer to construct the hand-wheel with a slotted web 5, fromwhich the spokes radiate, I may support the rim of the wheel from the hub-spoke 7 by other means, as in the modification illustrated in Fig. 5, in which the spokes 22 are shown radiating directly from the spoke 7, leaving a clear space between them for the upright 8, the other parts of the device remaining the same. I may also provide more or less of the control-rods, which are thus carried above the steering-wheel, and changes may be made in the form and construction of the operating-levers and the adjustable connection between the air and gas controls without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my improvements, what I claim as my invention andv desire to secure by Letters Patent is-*' 1. The combination, with a. steering shaft and wheel, of a tubular standard through which the shaft passes and a revoluble controlrod mounted upon the standard at one side and projecting above 'the hub of the steeringwheel.

2. The combination, with a steering shaft and wheel, of a tubular standard through which the shaft passes, an extension rising from the standard through an opening provided therefor in the wheel adjacent to the hub, a control-rod mounted at one side of the standard and passing through said extension,

and means for operating said rod secured thereto above the extension.

3. The combination, with a steering shaft and wheel, of. a tubular standard through which the shaft passes, an extension rising from the standard through an annular slot provided therefor in the wheel around the hub, a control-rod mounted at one side of the standard and passing through said extension, and means for operating said rod secured thereto above the extension.

4. The combination, with a steering shaft and Wheel, of a tubular standard through which the shaft passes, an extension rising from the standard through an opening around the wheel-hub, a revoluble control-rod passing through the extension, a lever for operating said rod, a toothed segment attached to the extension, and a spring-actuated locking-pin on the lever, to engage the segment.

5. The combination, with a steering shaft and wheel, of a tubular standard for the shaft, revoluble control-rods mounted on the standard, levers for operating said rods, and an adjustable link connection between said levers.

6. The combinations, with revoluble control-rods, of an adjustable connection between the rods, whereby they may be set at'different angular positions relatively to one another and both operated simultaneously.

7. The combination, with a steering shaft and wheel, of a tubular standard for the shaft, one or more revoluble control-rods mounted parallel with and outside the standard, said rods passing up through an opening provided therefor in the steering-wheel, and a lever or levers for operating said rod or rods in line with and projecting out toward the rim of the wheel for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my sig nature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN CHARLS GALLAGHER.

WVitnesses:

JOHN F. Ross, JAMES H. PARIS.