Improvements relating to Power-driven Road Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Power-driven Road Vehicles..
I, ANDREW AINSLIE COMMON, of 63, Eaton Rise, Ealing, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has for its object the reduction of vibration in power-driven
vehicles, with a means of readily changing the driving machinery, for the purpose
of recharging or replacement by other machinery.
In carrying out this invention, I place the driving machinery on a frame
separate from the vehicle to be driven, but capable of being attached thereto in a
suitable manner, so that whilst free to move up and down, to suit the irregularities
of the road, it is constrained in other directions.
This frame is carried on one wheel, which is driven by the machinery carried
by the frame. This wheel is placed near the centre of gravity of the frame, when
complete, with the machinery used as a source of power. Two or more wheels
may be used, but one only is preferable for driving, when the frame carrying the
machinery is placed within the wheel base of the vehicle.
In cases where the vehicle has 3 or 4 wheels, the front one or two of which only
turn, to change the direction of the vehicle, I place the frame so that the driving
wheel is near the centre of a line joining the two hind wheels. When all the
wheels turn at an angle to the axis of the vehicle in steering, I prefer to place the
frame so that the driving wheel is in the centre of the wheel base.
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The frame can be made of any shape suitable for the machinery used, and the
power of the dynamo, steam, oil, or other engine, can be communicated to the
driving wheel in any suitable way. The necessary mechanism for stopping, start:
ing, &c., can be taken to the proper place on the vehicle, in such a way that it can
be readily disconnected when it is desired to take out the frame carrying the
machinery.
In the case of the use of electricity in storage cells, two or more frames carry-
ing the storage cells and dynamo can be provided for one vehicle, so that when
one is exhausted it can be at once replaced by one fully charged.
The frame can be attached to the vehicle in such a way that it can be turned at
an angle to the axis in the direction as the steering wheels, if desired, or the
wheel itself can be made to turn independently of the frame.
Dated this 11th day of June 1897.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements relating to Power-driven Road Vehicles.
I, ANDREW AINSLIE COMMON, of 63, Eaton Rise, Ealing, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:―
The object of this invention is to obviate the vibration which is a cause of so
much inconvenience in power-driven road vehicles, and the invention consists in
mounting the driving machinery in a frame separate and distinct from the vehicle
proper, and so attaching it thereto, that it may be readily detached, for the pur-
pose of recharging or replacement by other machinery, as desired.
In carrying out this invention, the frame for the driving machinery is pivotted
by its forward end to the vehicle to be driven, so that whilst free to move up and
down, to suit the irregularities of the road, it is constrained in other directions.
This frame is carried, at or near its rear end, on one wheel, which is driven,
and being in contact with the road, acts as the driving wheel to propel the car-
riage forward.
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Two or more wheels may be used, if desired, but one only is preferable for driv-
ing, when the frame carrying the machinery is placed within the wheel base of
the vehicle.
In cases where the vehicle has three or four wheels, the front one or two of
which only turn, to change the direction of the vehicle, I place the frame so that
the driving wheel is near the centre of a line joining the two hind wheels. When
all the wheels turn at an angle to the axle of the vehicle in steering, I prefer to
place the frame so that the driving wheel is in the centre of the wheel base.
The frame can be made of any shape suitable for the machinery used, and the
power from a dynamo, steam, oil, or other engine, can be communicated to the
driving wheel in any suitable way. The necessary mechanism for stopping,
starting, &c., can be taken to the proper place on the vehicle, in such a way that
it can be readily disconnected when it is desired to take out the frame carrying the
machinery.
When using electricity in storage cells, two or more frames carrying the stor-
age cells and dynamo can be provided for each vehicle, so that when one set of
cells is exhausted, it can be at once replaced by another fully charged.
The frame can also be attached to the vehicle in such a way that it can be
turned at an angle to the axis, in the same direction as the steering wheels, if
desired, or the wheel itself can be made to turn independently of the frame.
In the accompanying drawings I have shewn the invention as applied to an
electrically-driven road vehicle.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation, taken on the line 2-3 of Figure 2, of such a
road vehicle, with my invention applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the motor arrangement, with the body of the vehicle
removed; and
Figure 3 a transverse section of the motor arrangement, taken on the line 1-2
of Figure 2.
It will of course be understood that the details of construction may be more or
less modified according to the nature of the motor employed, and the character
of the vehicle to which it is to be applied, and therefore the following description,
and the accompanying drawings, are given by way of example only.
A represents the body of a four-wheeled road vehicle, B indicating the front
or steering wheels, and C the hind wheels.

page_text: For the purpose of my invention, the axle C¹ of the hind wheels C is cranked
upwards, as shewn in Figure 3, to allow of the frame carrying the driving
mechanism being placed below it.
Dis the frame, which may be of any convenient construction, such, for instance,
as shewn, consisting of two side pieces 1), which project forward, and are pivotted
at E to the body A, trussed cross pieces D', and top bars (or a plate) D.
Fare boxes which carry the storage cells F¹, and depend from the parts D D³.
These boxes also carry the bearings for the axle of the driving wheel G, which is
placed between them at the centre of gravity, the axle being in the same vertical
plane as that of the hind wheels C.
H represents an electrical motor, the axle of which is connected by a universal
joint to a shaft J carrying mitre and other gearing for driving the driving
wheel G.
I attach the switch apparatus governing the flow of electricity through the
motor to the frame D, and connect this switch to the front part of the body A,
where it can be operated by the driver, by means of a jointed rod, or other suitable
connection, that can be readily broken, when it is desired to remove the motor
frame.
I provide brake mechanism on the driving wheel, which can be operated by a
rod provided with a connection similar to that of the switch. This brake can, if
necessary, be applied to the motor, or to any part of the intermediate gear, to
obtain greater stopping power.
In the case where the carriage is provided with steering gear operating_both
front and hind wheels equally, for the purpose of turning, I place the motor frame
in the centre of the wheel base, so that the driving wheel is always tangential to
the curve described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The application to a road vehicle of a detachable frame containing motor
mechanism provided with a driving wheel running in contact with the road, as
shewn and described, and for the purpose set forth.
2. Motor mechanism for road vehicles, consisting of a frame carrying a motor,
and supported by a driving wheel to run in contact with the road, means for
transmitting power from the motor to the wheel, and means whereby the frame
may be jointed to the vehicle, as herein set forth.
Dated this 11th day of March 1898.