US86833A - Improved treadle for operating machinery - Google Patents

Description

'VILLIAllf S MITH HAL L,

OF QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVED TREADLE FOR OPERATING MACHINERY,l

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 86,833, dated February 9, 1869.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SMITH HALL, of Quincy, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Treadle Mechanism; and I do hereby declare that the'followin g, taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification, is a description of my invention sucient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

The invention relates to the arrangement of mechanism for imparting a continuous rotative movement from one or more treadles to a iiywheel shaft, to which is to be belted or geared the main shaft of the machine to be driven by means of the treadle, and to the combination with such mechanism of a mechanism for arresting movement of the iiy-wheel shaft.

The drawings represent a treadle mechanism embodying the invention.

A shows a rear elevation of thc mechanism; B, a section on the line w a'. a denotes a table for supporting the machine to be driven by the treadle mechanism and the mechanism to which the treadle imparts direct or immediate motion.

In cross-pieces Z1, running from post to post at the end of the table, are bearings for the treadle-shaft c, each foot or treadle-piece d turning near one end loosely on this shaft. At or near the opposite end, each foot-piece d is connected by a rod, c, with one end of a springpawl or clutch-levenf, fulcrumed and rocking on a shaft, g, upon which is a gear-wheel, h, having 011 011e or both sides a flange or lip, k. The front arm of each lever extends beyond the fulcrum-shaft and out beyond the wheel h, and at its end it carries an arm, z', (jointed loosely to it by a pin, In) fromwhich project two pins, l m, which embrace the ila-n ge oi the wheel 7L.

By gravity or by a spring, n, the arm i is thrown out of radial position into an inclined position, opposite tothat in which the arm is moved by the descent of the treadle, in which position the pins press or bite upon the wheeliiange, so that if thc arm/ is rotated while held in such position in a direction opposite to such inclination, the pins will grasp the iiange and carry with them the wheel, while, if the arm be brought toward a radial position, the flange will be released from the bite ofthe pins, thus allowing the flange to rotate 'reely between them. Each lever f is brought to normal position by a spring, o, each treadle being then tipped up, as seen at B. Now, as each or either treadle is pressed down by the foot the motion imparted to the lever f causesV the pins lm to rotate the gear-wheel, and when the treadle stops or reaches its lowest point the motion imparted to the wheel causes the flange to bring the two pins slightly toward a radial line, or sufficiently so to destroy the hold of the pins upon the flange, so that theA rotation of the wheel continues, the spring returning each treadle to its normal position, as the pressure upon it is released when. the foot tips up.

Geared to the gear-shaft by a pinion, p, is the y-wheel shaft q, which carries the iiywheel r and the wheel s, through which the shaft is geared to the machine to be driven by the treadle mechanism. Now, this wheel might be placed upon the shaft of the wheel directly driven by the friction-clutches; but as each clutch could then only impart a direct motion to the wheel equal to the extent of rotative movement of the clutch, and as the momentum of the fly-wheel can be greatly increased by giving to it one or more positive revolutions at each action of the friction-clutch upon the gear-wheel, I place the fly upon a counter-shaft geared directly to the shaft of the wheel upon which the clutch acts.

To increase or diminish the leverage exerted by each friction-clutch lever, I connect the treadle to the lever by an adjustable slide, which is adjusted and lixed in position relatively to the end of' the lever, or more or less distant from the fulerum-shaft, by a screw, u, and slot o.

In a machine driven by such mechanism, in which power to continue or keep up the motion of the mechanism is accumulated in a ilywheel, and in which the machine or mechanism to be operated is placed upon the top of a bench or table, some provision is necessary for instantly stopping the mechanism without reaching beneath the table for that purpose.

For this purposeI use a long brake-slice, w, placed above the fly-wheel, and fixed to the end of a spindle, x, which is jointed to or extends through a lever, f1, fulcrumed back of the spindle, as seen at z, the front end of the .2 Sessa ever being jointed to a rod, a?, sliding vertically through the.table, the top of which rod bears a ringer-piece, b2. On the rod is a shoulder, c2, which, when the rod is pressed down, catches under a plate, cl2. The brake-spindle is pressed up and the brake kept normally out of contact with the periphery of the fly-wheel by a spring, c2.

When the Ymechanism is running, if the fui"- ger-piece be depressed, the lever will force down the brake and instantly arrest the movement of the ily-Wheel, and thereby stop the driven mechanism, and the mechanism is thus locked in position by t'he catch on the rod a2 being pressed under the plate d2.

It will be observed that the clutch-arm is bent in such manner as to bring the point of support of the arm into the plane of action of the clutch-pins, by which provision the alternating grasp and release of the clutchA are made certain.

The hole inthe arm, through which the pin upon which the arm is hung projects, is made .oblong in the direction ofthe length of the arm, so that the arm can readily slip slightly upon the pin to assume an inclined or a radial position, as the clutch-lever moves in alternate directions. This construction of the arm is shown at C, which represents a section through the hole and clutch-pins.

l claim*- 1. In combination with the treadle or ireadles d, spring lever or levers f, and gear Wheel h, the friction clutch or clutches lm, When arranged to drive the-wheel in one di- 'rection and slip upon it in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

2. Also, the adjustable connection of the impelling lever or levers with the treadle or treadles, substantially' as described.

Also, in combination With a paWl or clutch driven Wheel, actuated by a treadle or treadles, the fly-wheel shaft, geared directly to the pawl or clutch driven Wheel, substantially as de scribed.

A. Also, in combination with a treadle mechanism, constructed an d arranged as described, the brake w, iixe'd tov the foot of a spindle, x, jointed to a lever, y, such lever being depressed by a Jnger-piece, b2, and raised by a spring, c2, substantially as shown and described.

5. Also, hanging the paWl-clutch arm directly in the line of the wheel-flange and clutclr pins, substantially as described.

6. Also, the provision for end movement ot' the pawl-clutch upon its supporting-pin, substantially as described.

7. Also, the paWl-cluteh, as made With round clutch-pins, in contradstinction to a clutch having its griping part made as a slot in the material of the clutch.

WTM. SMITH HALL.

XVitneSses:

J. B. CROSBY, S. 13. KIDDER.

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