USRE18699E - Control system for motor vehicles - Google Patents

Description

H. E. LIPPERT CONTROL SYSTEM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Del. 20, 1932.

Original Filed Feb. 5, 1929 5 INVENTOR Reiasued Dec. 20, 1932' PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY E. LIPIE'RT. OE NORFOLK. VIRGINIA ('JOlll'EllItOI: SYSTEM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Original No. 1,881,025, dated October 4, 1932, Serial No. 337,711, filed February 5. 1929. Application for reissue filed November 7,

This invention relates. particularly to a common control for actuating the transmission and power operated clutch of a motor vehicle, but is not limited thereto. The

prime object of'the invention is to simplify the controlling of a motor vehicle. control system relieves the strain on women operators and is also useful to persons having a crippled leg. Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

Similar reference characters in the different figures of the drawing indicate corresponding'elements or features of construction herein referred to. w

' Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a motor vehicle equipped with an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a part sectional view of the com- 0 mon control illustrated in Figure 1.

' Fig. 3 is a view of the upper end of the common control; and illustratesthe means for rendering the clutch actuating part of the common control inoperative whereby 2 said control can be used to actuate the transmission only.

In Figure 1 the numeral 1 des gnates the toeboard of an automobile, and 2 the usual clutch pedal that.may be operated manually or by a fluid motor 3. (Iv do not limit myself to the. type or location of the fluid motor shown and described herein, and'it should be understood that any type of fluid motor may be used if itsobject is to actuate the clutch.) The fluid motor 3 is actuated by the suction created in the manifold 4 of the vehicle engine (not shown) and is connected to the manifold 4 bv the conduit 5. (I have shown and described my invention in con- 4 nection with the man fold of the vehicle engine, but any source of suction may be used.)

a A valve A in the conduit 5 controls communication between the manifold 4 and the fluid motor 3.

' To insure instant release of the clutch when the control valve A is opened I have provided the reservoir 6 in the conduit 5 between the control valve' A and the manifold 4. When the vehicle engine is running and 'the valve A is closed the pressure in the fluid This 'mon control 8.

1932. Serial No. 641,687.

motor 3 is the same as atmospheric pressure and an almost complete vacuum is main tained in the reservoir 6. When the valve A is opened, making a communication between the reservoir 6 and the fluid motor 3, the pressure in both tend to neutralize and instantly the fluid motor 3 actuates.

The control valve'A is opened by downward movement of a telescopically mounted section 7 at the u per end of the common control 8. It can be seen in Figure 2 that the valve casing 9 of the valveA forms the lower portion of the common control 8, and has a lower port 10 in communication with the manifold 4. The upper port 11 is in communication with the air. The port 12, located between the ports 10 and 11, is in communication with the fluid motor 3. A spool valve 13 is slidably mounted in the valve casing 9 and makes communication between To the fluid motor port 12 and the air port 11, or the fluid motor port 12- and the vacuum port 10. Secured to the spool valve 13 is a rod 14 which extends upwardly through the common control 8 and is secured at its top end to the telescopically'mountedsection 7. The spool valve 13 is normally held to make communication between the fluid motor port 12 and the air port 11 by a spring 15 positioned in any desirable location in the com- Downward movement of the telescopically mounted section'7 breaks communication between the fluid motor port 12 and the air port 11, and makes communication between the fluid motor port 12 and the vacuumport 10. (I do not limit myself to the valve des gn shown and described herein, but any suitable valve may be employed.)

To actuate the clutch at the desired rate of speed I have provided the adjusting screws16 and 17 in vacuum and air ports respectively for varying the cross-sectional area of said ports. By decreasing the area of the air port 11 with the screw 17 the clutch is engaged slowly and bydncreasing the area the clutch is engaged rap-idly. By decreasing the area of the vacuum port 10 with the screw 16 the clutch is relea'sed slowly and by increasing the area the clutch is released rapidly.

Occasionally it may be desirable or necessary to render the hand control for actuating erable means can be used to actuate said seethe clutch by power ino erative, and use the 0nd element of the vehicle only.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set conventional pedal 2 or disengaging the clutch by manual efiort. For this purpose I have provided a pin 22 fixed to the common control 8 and adapted to move in the L- shaped slot 23 in the telescopically mounted section 7. In operating position the pin 22 slides in the vertical portion 24 of the 'L- shaped slot 23. To prevent the clutch from being operatedby'power, the telescopically mounted section 7 is turned-until the in 22 engages the lateral portion'25 of theL- aped slot 23 which-prevents vertical movement of the telescopically mounted section 7 From the structure described in this paragraph it is apparent that the common controlmay be used to actuate boththe transmission and clutch v of ,.1the vehicle,sjor be asa gear shift lever only. U I

Although I have shown and described a.

compact embodiment of my invention that can be cheaply manufactured, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to this articular construction, and that modifications of the separate parts and various arrangements of the difierent elements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, is:

In a control system. for motor driven vehicles, a pedal for disengaging the clutch of the vehicle by manual efiort, a vacuum operated motor for disengaging the clutch by power, a source of suction, means connecting the vacuum operated motor with the source of suction includinga conduit providing communication therebetween and a .valve interposed in} the conduit, separate and apart from the vacuum operated motor, for controlling communication therebetween, said means having an atmosphere inlet therein intermediate the vacuum operated motor and the source of suction for admitting atmosphere to the vacuum operated motor, means arranged at the atmosphere inlet to vary the rate at which atmosphere is admitted to the vacuum operated vmotorand thereby vary the speed of engagement of the clutch, common manually operable means for actuating the valve and thereby control the vacuum operated motor my hand.

and for actuating a second elementof the ,vehicle in controlling the latter, means- 0 eratively connecting the common manual y operable means with the valve whereby movementof the common manually operable means will directly actuate the valve, and .means for rendering bothj'the valve inopin communication with the source of suction and the common manually operable means in-- operative to control the vacuum operated v.erative to place the vacuum operated motor

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