CA1071064A - Governor and decelerator control linkage - Google Patents

Abstract

A GOVERNOR AND DECELERATOR CONTROL LINKAGE

A B S T R A C T
A governor and control linkage having a first manually operated actuator provides for setting of a shaft and a con-trol arm at a particular operating position through a coupling. The coupling locks the shaft in the aforedescribed desired position while allowing a second actuator to tempor-arily reposition the control arm at any intermediate setting without disturbing the manual setting. A resilient member is included to return the control arm to the manual setting on release of the second actuator. The prepositionable shaft is movable only in response to the first actuator.

Description

This invention relates to a manually operated control -linkage and is particularly directed toward a device in which a first actuator may be used to preposition a control -arm at a desired setting while a second actuator may tem-porarily reposition the control arm at a different setting without disturbing the setting achieved by the first actua-tor. The control mechanism includes an anti-creep device so that the selected position of the first actuator is not dis-turbed by vibration or shocks which might otherwise dislodge the controlled parts from their locked positions.
The invention is particularly applicable to various , devices where a manually actuated lever is employed to ad- ~-, ~ust a mechanism linkage or the like at a predetermined position while retaining the capability to reposition the mechanical linkage temporarily. It is particularly applic-able to engine governors and it is shown and described herein as so used for purposes of illustration.
l It is conventional practice to employ a governor to ^l maintain a constant engine speed under varying load condi- -tions particularly in heavy earthmoving equipment, where ~-generally a compression type ignition engine is used.
` i~ Various types of governors used in such applications are -~ generally well-known in the art. A governor representative .j ..
¦ of the type herein considered is to be found in U.S. Patent -No. 2,961,299, invented by J. H. Parks and issued November ;~ 22, 1960. Generally, governors of the type herein described utilize a spring loaded device and a control lever to ten-~` sion the governor spring. Particular tensioning of the ` go~ernor spring determines the operating speed of the engine.
In the operation o~ heavy earthworking equipment it is ~-: ~ ` -2-', ~ . .
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desirable to position the governor setting at a particular engine speed to produce a particular operating speed over the ground while retaining a capability to slow the engine for brief periods without disturbing the governor setting.
Various schemes have been utilized to accomplish such a constant speed setting, but in most cases the schemes have proved complicated and in some cases cumbersome. In the operation of heavy construction equipment, it is extremely desirable to provide an operating scheme for the vehicle which allows the operator to devote his attention to the job at hand. Thus, simplicity of controls is of great importance.
Use of the more complex governor control systems presently available may require diversion of operator attention from the task at hand. Furthermore, these complex systems gen-erally have a hlgh initlal cost. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a governor control linkage which is of the simplest design and requires the least amount of operator attention.
According to the invention a control linkage com-prises a housing; a first shaft rotatably mounted in the housing; a second shaft rotatably mounted in the housing;
coupling means associated with the housing and associating the first shaft with the second shaft to allow rotation of the second shaft relative to the housing only upon rotation of the first shaft; first lever means associated with the second shaft for rotation therewith; second lever means rotatably I eYcr mounted about the second sha~t; third 6b~i~ means rotatably mounted about the first shaft; the first and third lever means each being engageable with the second lever means for rotating the second lever means in a flrst rotative direction relative to the second shaft; and resillent means associated with the second shaft and the flrst and second lever means . ~ .

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-` 107~064 for urging the second lever means in a secon~ rotative direc-tion to engage the first le~er means in a predetermined posi-tion relative to the first lever means.
This invention provides a simply operated and easily constructed governor control linkage (with the second lever connected with the governor) which permits an operator to manually select a desired engine operating speed (with a ~irst actuator connected to the first shaft) and retain this desired ~-operating speed setting under varying operating requirements.
A second actuator (connected with the third lever) is pro-vided for the operator to decelerate the engine from the pre-set operating speed for brief periods of time without dis-turbing the afore-described setting. Upon release of the second actuator, the engine speed can return to the preset settlng where it will continue to operate until the ~irst actuator is repositioned, or the second actuator is again used to temporarily vary engine speed.
The invention also provides a linkage which permits positioning of the governor control linkage as described and insures that vibration or-shocks will not dislodge the control parts from their locked position.
The linkage is a simply operated arrangement requiring minimum operator attention and can be economically manufactured.
One example of a linkage according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

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1071~)64 Figure l is an elevation view of the linkage shown in a fi:rst position;
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same linkage shown in Figure l in a second position;
Figure 3 is a front elevation partly in section of a portion of the linkage shown in Figure l particularly showing the coupling;
Figure 4 is a view of the linkage depicted in Figure l with the decelerator pedal in the deceleration position;
Figure 5 is an end elevation view taken at the line V-V in Figure 3; and, -~
Figure 6 is a sectional view taken at line VI-VI of Figure 3.
Detailed Description Shown in Figure 1 is a control linkage lO which is adaptable for use in an engine driven vehicle controlled by an engine governor. The control linkage 10 is particularly applicable for setting an engine governor to operate the engine at a predetermined speed while allowing the operator to temporarily decelerate the engine withbut influencing the , operational setting of the governor. A hand operated first actuator means such as engine governor control lever 12 (here-inaft,er referred to as control lever 12) is positioned con-venient to the operator station to allow the operator to set a predetermined governed engine speed. In the embodiment described herein the control lever 12 is movable from a first position as illustrated in ~igure l to a second position as ~ illustrated in Figures 2 and 4 to obtain a higher governor I setting. Control lever 12 is pivoted at a pin 14 affixed to the control linkage bracket 15 which in turn is affixed to . I .- .

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the structure of the vehicle (not shown). Associated with ~ -control lever 12 is a crank 16 extending outwardly from pin 14 and movable in response to movement of control lever 12.
It should be noted that control lever 12 and crank 16 may be integrally formed as a single part to form a conventional bell crank or they may in turn be separately formed parts and associated upon assembly in a fixed relation. Crank 16 -has affixed at the end distal of pin 14, a link 18 which in turn is affixed to a lever 20, the lever 20 being fixedly associated with a first shaft 22 rotatably mounted in housing 24 which in turn is affixed to bracket 15. Referring now to Figure 3, it can be seen that lever 20 is affixed to first ~ hcr shaft 22 by a conventional key means 25~ e~her means for afflxing lever 20 to first shaft 22 are equally applicable.
Housing 24 is comprised of a cylindrically shaped first mem-ber 26 having a smaller cylindrical extension 29 extending axially therefrom in which first shaft 22 is rotatably mounted. Housing 24 also includes annular disc shaped second j member 28 in which a second shaft 30 is rotatably mounted.
¦ 20 Second member 28 is affixed to first member 26 to form a cylindrical cavity 35. First shaft 22 and second shaft 30 -are axially aligned in an abutting relation interior of cavity 35. The first and second shafts are formed with axial wells 31 and 33, respectively, in which a pin member 32 is ¦ positioned to insure rotational alignment and a second bearing . ,i ..
point for second shaft 30.

l A plate 34, which~forms a portion of a coupling means ` 27 for rotatively associating first shaft 22 with second ` shaft 30, is dlsposed within cavity 35 and is secured to the inner end of shaft 22 for rotative movement therewith.
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1~)710~;4 A locking member 36 forming a second portion of coupling means 27 is also disposed within cavity 35 in a face to face relationship with plate 34. Locking member 36 is fixed to the inner end of second shaft 30 for rotative move-ment therewith and is provided with a pair of cam surfaces 38. As shown in Figure 6, a pair of wedging members 40 are carried within the space defined by cam surfaces 38 and the inner wall of the cylindrical shaped first member 26. While -the wedging members 40 are shown as rollers, the shape is - 10 not essential to the function they perform and balls or wedging means of other configurations may be used as desired.
The wedging means are jammed into the space between the cam surfaces and the inner wall of the first member to prevent relative movement between these parts in either direction.
,' The wedging members are normally held in their ~ammed posi-tion by means of springs 42 carried in recesses 43 formed in locking member 36. With this arrangement, the wedging ~ ;
action of each of the wedging members will prevent relative movement in one direction between the cylindrical surface and the cam surface with which it engages, but will permit ` movement in the opposite direction. With two wedging members arranged in the manner shown, reIative movement in either :
direction is prevented.
The wedging members 40 are unlocked by means of pins ~ 45 carried by plate 34. The pins 45 pro~ect into the space -l between the locking member 36 and the inner wall of first -member 26 so that upon movement of first shaft 22 by actua-tion of lever 20 one of the pins engages one of the wedging members to dislodge it from its ~ammed position. Further ,, -3~ movement of lever 20 by control leveF 12 causes compression ~ ed~i~g ~ ~ b~
of sprlng 42 associated ~lth that l~cl~1~6 mc~na and continued 'l _7_ ' 1 :: '.
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movement of the lever affects rotation of the locking member 36 with relation to the housing. This rotative movement is transmitted through second shaft 30 to a first lever means such as lever 47 affixed thereto. When movement of the lever 20 is stopped, the spring 42 returns the wedging mem-ber 40 into its normal jammed position and the parts are again locked against relative rotation.
During operation, machinery vibration or in the case of an engine installation, engine vibration may cause the lever 20 to creep. This circumferential movement of the lever 20 causes rotation of the associated first shaft 22, ~~
plate 34 and unlocking pins 45. When one of the pins 45 is vibrated into contact with the corresponding wedging member 40, the wedging member is urged toward the unlocked position wlth the result that locklng member 36 and the associated parts are allowed to move. This movement may cause unde-' .
slrable fluctuations in the speed of the machinery being governed due to the variations and tensions of springs inter-connecting this device with an engine governor. In order 1 20 to prevent any tendency of the control to creep due to oscillatory vibrations, a dampening member 46 is positioned within a recess 48 formed in abutting faces of plate 34 and locking member 36. As shown in Figure 6, the ends of dampening member 46 overlap the plate and the locking mem-ber directly and resiliently oppose any reIative movement induced by vibration. The force of the dampening member is easily overcome when the lever 20 is actuated.
~Referring now to Figure 3, lever 47 is affixed to : shaft 30 by appropriate means such as a key 49 insuring .

rotation of lever 47 upon rotation of shaft 30. Rotatably '` , . .. ..

'i -8-, I , 'j ~071~64 mounted about shaft 30 is a second lever means such as a : . .
second lever 51 which is adapted to be linked to a machine control such as an engine governor (not shown) through link means such as a link 52. Second lever 51 has integrally formed therewith a plate member 54 which extends transversely of the lever in a generally parallel arrangement with the ~h~
, first shaft 22 and ~ second shaft 30, while first lever 47 ~i~
: ~ is formed with a lateral extension 56 engageable with plate 54. Resilient torsion means such as helical spring 58 is -positioned relative shaft 30 and plate 54 so that one end 59 is biased against lateral extension 56 while the other opposite end 60 is biased against plate member 54. The biasing and load on spring 58 is sufficient to hold lateral extension 56 in engagement with plate 54, thus allowing the ; first lever and the second lever to rotate together. ~ .
~ Rotatably mounted about shaft 22 and in the embodiment ;~, depicted in Figure 3 about the cylindrical extension 29 of first member 26 is a third lever means such as third lever i 62 which terminates in a second actuator such as pedal 63 ' 20 distal of the housing 26. Third lever 62 is formed with a .
( lateral extension 64 which is engageabIe with plate member - 54. In this embodiment, lateral extension 64 is formed ~1 with a threaded bore 65 in which a bolt 66 may be threadably .

.` engaged to adjustabIy position lever 62 relative plate 54.
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: Referring now to Figure 1, control lever 12 and pedal 63 are shown in their first positions reIative bracket 15 ¦ while in Figure 2 the control lever and pedal have been moved -~

to second positions reIative bracket 15. Assuming the first `¦ position indicated in Figure 1 is the idle position and the ~ 30 second position shown in Figure 2 is the full speed position, -~

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~71~64 then with control lever 12 in the second position pedal 63 is available to decelerate the engine without disturbing the position of control lever 12 and second shaft 30 due to coupling means 27. Coupling means 27 interconnecting first shaft 22 and second shaft 30, insures that the second shaft is rotatable only upon rotation of the first shaft. Fur-ther, it can be seen in Figure 2 that second lever 51, which is resiliently biased to first lever 47 and thus follows the motion of second shaft 30, moves link 52 leftwardly, as seen in Figure 2 to adjust the setting of a control such as an engine governor. It should be pointed out that in movement of second lever 51 from a first position shown in Figure 1 , to the second position shown in Figure 2, third lever 62 -~ because of the lateral extension 64 and bolt means 66 follows ;j the motion of second lever 51. Referring to Figure 4 pedal 1 63 is shown returned to its first or idle position as indi-cated in Figure 1 while control lever 12 and second lever q 51 are in the second position or full speed position. It is pointed out that reference to control lever 12 is utilized ~; 20 for convenience in orienting lever 20, movement of control ~ lever 12 will, of course, move lever 20 from the first to j the second position as indicated in Figures 1 and 2. Re-ferring now to Figure 5, lever 62 which serves as the ;~ supporting member for pedal 63 and lever 51 are shown in the first position as indicated in Figure 4 while the re-mainder of the control device is shown in the second position.
~ Particularly, lever 47 which is integrally fixed with shaft ; 30 is shown in its second position. It can be seen in Figure 5 that plate 54 is no longer ln engagement with later-al extension 56 thus the spring 58 has been loaded by ~ `?
.. ~ ., , ~0710~4 ~ ~depressing pedal 62 separating the first end 59 from the second end 60 of spring 58. Depression of pedal 63 has carried plate member 54 and the integrally fixed lever 51 in a clockwise direction in Figure 5 (counterclockwise in Figure 4). This movement may be used to "decelerate" a :
governor affixed thereto by link 52. Release of pedal 63 will return both pedal 63 and lever 51 to the second posi-tion as indicated in Figure 2. Return of lever 51 to the .
second position returns the engine control or governor to the condition set by control lever 12 before depression of pedal 63. Thus, it can be seen that temporary deceleration - ~.
of an engine through the governor may occur without disturb- --ing the setting of the engine governor control lever.
; Although this invention has been described with par-tlcular reference to the setting of an engine governor, it is equally applicable to any other device which requires a :
particular setting and a means for temporarily changing .:.
that setting.

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Claims (7)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. An engine control linkage comprising:
a housing;
a first shaft rotatably mounted in the housing;
a second shaft rotatably mounted in the housing;
coupling means associated with the housing and associating the first shaft with the second shaft for allowing rotation of the second shaft relative the housing only upon rotation of the first shaft;
first lever means fixedly associated with the second shaft for rotation therewith;
second lever means rotatably mounted about the second shaft;
third lever means rotatably mounted about the first shaft;
said first and third lever means each engageable with the second lever means for rotating said second lever means in a first rotative direction relative the second shaft; and resilient means associated with the second shaft and the first and second lever means for urging the second lever means in a second rotative direction to engage the first lever means in a predetermined position relative the first lever means.

2. The control linkage as set forth in claim 1 fur-ther comprising a fourth lever means fixedly associated with the first shaft for rotating the first shaft.

3. The control linkage as set forth in claim 2 further comprising adjustable engagement means integrally formed with the third lever means for adjustably positioning the third lever means relative the second lever means.

4. The control linkage as set forth in claim 3 wherein the second lever means comprises a lever arm rotatably mounted about the second shaft and a plate integrally formed with the second lever to allow the engagement of the plate with the first lever means and the third lever means.

5. The control linkage as set forth in claim 4 wherein the resilient means comprises a helical torsion spring having a first end engaging the first lever means and having a second end engaging the plate so that the plate is urged relatively toward the first lever means.

6. The control linkage as set forth in claim 5 wherein the coupling means comprises a plate member affixed to the first shaft for rotation therewith, a locking member fixed to the second shaft for rotation therewith and in face to face relation with the plate member, said plate member and said locking member rotatable in the housing, the locking member defining a first cam surface and a second cam surface;
the coupling further comprising a first wedging mem-ber and a second wedging member positioned between the first cam surface and the second cam surface, respectively, and the housing;
a first resilient means and a second resilient means urging the first wedging member and the second wedging mem-ber, respectively, into locking engagement with the cam surface and the housing, first pin means and a second pin means each respec-tively engaged with the plate member and rotatable therewith;
the first pin means for disengaging the first wedging member on rotation of the first shaft in a first direction, and the second pin for disengaging the second wedging member upon rotation of the first shaft in the second direction.

7. The control linkage as set forth in claim 6 fur-ther comprising a dampening member engaged with the plate and the locking member to dampen out vibratory motion between the plate and the locking member.