US1519079A - Automatic safety tractor device - Google Patents

Description

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AUTOMATIC SAFETY TRACTOR DEvIcs Fed Nov. 24.` 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 illu 58 www@ 'mh B WWW v A 0mm/s Dec. 9, 1924.

1,519,079 v E. H. wHmNG AUTOMATIC SAFETY TRACTOR DEvI Filed Nov. 24. 1920 2 SheetswSheet 2 `.dumm

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Patented Bec. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES EVERETT H. WRITING, OF SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY TRACTOR DEVICE.

Application filed November 24, 1920. Serial No. 426,200.

T all fur/0m it may concern.' j

Be it knmvnthat I, Evnnn'r'r H. VHITING, a citizen of the United States, and a resident oi' Santa Rosa, in the county of Sonoma and State of California, have invented a 'new and Improved Automatic Safety Tractor Device, of which the following is a tull, clear, an'dexact description.

My invention relates to automatic safety tractor devices; thatis to devices in they nature of automatic circuit breakers, so constructedand arranged as to break the ignition circuit of the tractor, so as to cut ofi the power, in the event the tractor is tilted beyond a predetermined angle relative to its normal level. j

More particularly stated, I provide the tractor with a circuit breaker containing a volume of free mercury and connected with the ignition circuit of the vehicle in such a manner thatthe mercury by its flow in one "direction, When the vehicle is tilted, breaks the ignition circuit and thus causes the vehicle to come to a full stop. j

Reference is madeto the accompanying drawings :forming a part of this speciiiica` tion, and in which like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several figures. I

Figure 1 is a side vieiv partly in elevation and partly in` section, showing my device with its movable parts arranged in the positions they respectively occupyivhen the body 'of the tractor is substantially level.` j

Fig. 21's a side view partly in elevation and partly in section showing my device with its movable parts occupying the respec-` tive positions they occupy when the vehicle is inclined and the ignition circuit broken.

Fig. 3 is a plan vieiv of my improved cir cuit breaking lever, Which .is controllable by gravity and for this purpose is adapted to contain a volumeof mercury.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4.4 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. V

The two members 6, 7 constitute a portion of the engine body and are provided with lianges 8, 9 inte-gral with them. Extending through these 4llanges are bolts 10 provided with heads 11 and fitted with nuts 12. The purpose of these bolts is two-fold, namely, to hold the flanges. 8, 9 together, and to sew cure upon the engine body an-apron plate 13, This apron plate is provided `with a flange 14 integral with it and extends laterally as shown in Fig. 5, so that the bolts extend through the iiange 14. Thus the apron plate 13 is rigid relatively to the engine body. Extending through the apron plate 13 is a journal bolt 15 provided With a head 16 and with a nut 17 and a nut lock 18. The apron plate 13 carries a sector plate 19 through which the journal bolt 15 extends. The sector plate 19 may be turned upon the journal bolt 15, and thus adjusted in different angular positions relatively to the apron plate 13.

` The sector plate 19 is provided with notches 21 disposed upon its peripheral edge; and is further provided With degree marks, in this instance 30, 40, 50o, 60, as shovvnin Figs. 1 and 2. Extending through the apron plate 13 is a bolt 22 the form and arrangement of which may be understood from Fig. 5. This bolt carries a detent 23, adapted to t loosely into the notches 21, one at a time, as the bolt 23 is turned. The bolt 22 is provided With an angular head 24 whereby it may be turned. It is further provided with a nut 25 and a nut lock 26. The operator by turning the bolt head 24 can cause the detent 23 to enter the notches 21, one at a time, so as to turn the sector plate 19 step by step, to a limited extent per* mitted by the number of notches 21.

The sector plate 19 carries a sector frame 27 having generally the form of a box, as may be understood from Figs. 1,2 and' 5', and provided with a cover 28 which in this instance is made of sheet metal.

The circuit breaking lever is shown .in Figs. 3 and 4, and has the form of a boitY 29, adapted to contain mercury, and `conveniently designated as the mercury box. The mercury box is provided with a neck 29y and with a screw stopple 29b to enable mercury to be poured into or out oi it. The mercury boX is provided with trunnions One oi these trunnions is engaged by a trunnion screw 32, locked in position by a nut lock 33, as shown in Fig. 5, the other trunnion eet-- tending into a bearing 34. The operator by turning the trunnion screw 32 may adjust the mountings i'or the mercury box, so as to allow the mercury box more or less freedom as required. The mercury boX is'provided With an eye 34 asindicated more par-` ticularly in Figs. 3 and 4. A contact but- Tu O ton 35 is `carried by a threaded stem 36 which extends through the eye 34. Engaging the threaded stem 36 are nuts 87, 38; these nuts together with the stem 35 serving the purpose of a binding post.-- Connected with this binding post is a Wire 39 which extends through a bushing -ll of insulating material carried by the sector frame 27. This- Wire 39 is so mounted as to possess a certain vdegree ol' flexibility,- in order to allowY the mercury box a certain amount-ofifreedom-to enableit to rock. lll 1s mounted upona stem-42, which extends through.'insulation48 carried by the sector frame 27. A contactwspringfefl is mounted upon the stem 42 andcheld in position bly-nuts 415,46, theseA nuts andy the boltll2 together forming a binding-post. Con--Y nected with'thisibinding post .1s a Wire 47.-

The'wire 47 and the Wire iQ-.above described-,- together with .the-contact buttons-.35i and/ll i and parts Y immediately adjacent. thereto,

form -a part .of the igntion circuit of the.

tractor engine.

When. thecvarious movable parts are 'in their .v respective normal,.positions, as ind-'icatedin Fig. 1, the ignition eircuitis closed,

owing-to the 'fact that thercontact button- 35i is in engagement with the .contactbutton- L.Lland `is alsoV inengagementl with thecontact spring 4 4. Howeveiywhen the vari-` ous movable parts are in their respectiveab--y normal-positions vas indicated in Fig. l.2, .so that themercury box is tilted as lshovvnV in Fig. '2, the ignitioncircuit-.vis broken A- quantity of mercury Iis located-- within the mercury box 29. and .is adaptedy to loiv from one. endet the mercury boxto the other` as maybe-understood by contrast ing- Figs. l and 2.

The sector frame 27 carries a llatch 4.8-

having the general torni-oit a. leali spring and provided with al handle -l9as shown in Figs. l. and-2. through kan opening in the sector frame.

The operator, by pressing downwardly uponv the handle 49 -may shift'the .position ofthe'- spring latch'48.- The mercurybox-2941M- ries a lipl 51 made of metal and adapted to be engaged by the spring latch 48. When the mercury box 29 is tiltedinto the posi,-

tion indicated. for it in -Fig.: .2 the lip 51,-

is engaged byk the spring latchS so` thatthe-mercury. box is locked relativelytothe'.-

A contact button The' handle f .proj ects as long as theengine body remains substantially level.

It, however, it happens that the tractor engine body is tilted, as indicated in Fig.

i2, the volume of mercury 45 flows from its position which itoccupies in Fig. l, to the position which' it occupies in Fig. 2, thereby causing the mercury box to tilt and thus open the ignition circuit.

The operator may .from time to time, b turning the bolt-24, as above described, .a

just the sector plate 19 into diiferenoangw` lar positions relatively to -.theapron-plate.r 13, andby dOing-thishemay: control Y.the-V sensitiveness- -o'l the circuit kbreaking mecha: w

nism.-

I do not limit myself to theiprecise-mechanism :here shown and. descr1bed,- as l vvaria-- tionsmay bemade fthereron'r-y without. .de-g. part-ing. 't'ro1n:the .spirit of my invention.- i

I claim z 1. In a circuit breaking-switch, thecom. bination. of an. apron.plate-providedpwith; a 'Ii-ange,- means .for -detaehably connectingsaid lange with the body of a tractor-enr gine yor -thelike, a sector plate-journaled uponl said apron plate, means controllable at...the will. of the operator for. adjustingsaid :sector plate to diferent angles` re1a'4 tivelyto said apron.v plate, a sector frame carried bywsaid sector plate and having-the'- general formera box, :a Acontact-fin the bottom of said box,-;a switchleverlocatedy within .said box and `mounted, to rock, ,said switch lever being ,hollow 1and'` having; the

form of `a box, va volumey of--free mercury. located- Within. said-last mentioned box,` a contact on one end `of the meren-ryA box..

and adaptedto ybe :engaged- `with: andn disengagedfrom-theicontacty of` the. section frame..l vby thev tilting movements of said mercury box, and means y for enabling the operator -to kconnect Y saidv contact mecha nisln with an ignition-circuit..

2. A .device -o't -the character described comprising an-apron plate, sa sectoriplate journaled-` relatively to said apron. plateand `providedwith notches, a bolt `,carried by said apron-:plate and provided With a detent for enteringsaid notches one-at, a time-in order-toholdsaid sector` plate in dllie'rent positions relatirely to said apron. plate, a sector frame connected; rigidly lwith said esector plate .-andphaving thel generaly form of a box, a circuit breaking switchin;

the! form. of. a boxycontainingniercury and journaled-xvithin ..sa-d` @sector 'trainen-and adapted to be tilted relatively to said-secstor'frame f by` -thenmereury -1 contact..v mechanism located Within said sector frame and controllable by movements of. said mercury. box therein, and electrical connections tosaidcontact. mechanism.

3 A device of .theycharacterv describedt compri-sing an apron plate vprovided'-fwithf.

a flange, bolts for connecting said flange with the body of a tractor, a journal bolt carried by said apron frame, a sector plate mounted upon said journal bolt, means controllable at the will of the operator for shifting said sector plate into different polsitions relatively7 to said apron plate, a sec tor frame carried by said sector plate and yhaving the general form of a box, a mercury box carried by said sector frame and so journaled relatively thereto that said mercury box may be tilted, means controllable at the Will of the operator for adjusting the freedom with which said mercury box can 15 tilt relatively to said sector frame, and

contact mechanism carried by said sector frame and mercuiy box and controllable by movements of said mercury box for the purpose olf breaking an electric circuit.

4. A device of the character described, con'iprising a pivoted box-like frame having contact in its bottom, means for adjusting said frame to different angular positions, a mercury box pivoted in the said box-like frame and having a contact at one end and provided at its other end with a lip, wires connected with said contacts, and a latch carried by the box-like frame and adapted to engage the lip of the mercury box to lock the latter against movement.

EVERETT H. WHITING.

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