Improvements in and relating to Motor-cars.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 24th Mar., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Motor-cars.
I, EMILE POTIER, of Aulnay, near Bondy, in the Department of Seine & Oise,
France, Engineer, 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 present invention relates to a motor-car distinguished by a hydrocarbon
motor with three cylinders having a centrifugal gas admission regulator, double
compensating pistons for the effects of the explosion direction, direction and
speed modifying devices and wheels the construction of which ensures tension
of the rims.
In order that this my invention may be the more readily understood and
carried into practical effect, reference is hereby made to the accompanying
drawings, wherein :-
Fig. 1 is a general view of the vehicle with parts shown in vertical section,
others being indicated by outlines.
Fig. 2, is a vertical sectional view of one of the three main cylinders, the
section being on a plane at right angles with the longitudinal axis of the
vehicle.
Fig. 3, is a vertical sectional view of same on a plane passing through the
axis of the car.
Fig. 4, is a section of one of the four wheels of the car, on a plane passing
through its axis.
The car is composed of a frame resting upon wheel-carriages by means of
ordinary carriage springs.
This frame is composed of iron bars A, braced by metallic crossbars; toward
the rear end portion of the car said iron bars are bent upwards as shown in
Fig. 1 to support the back seat, and rest upon the driving axle C through the
intermediary of a guiding plate D and springs E. At the fore-part, the frame
rests upon the axle of the leading wheels, through the intermediary of springs F,
said axle being elbowed and supporting the motor also by means of springs.
The car is actuated by a hydro-carbon motor, with three cylinders, placed
upon a hexagon shaped box within which the connecting-rods and cranks are
rotated in a bath of oil; said three cylinders are placed radially around the
driving axle and are at 120° from one another. To two of the polygonal faces
of the box are bolted supports, not shown in the drawings and adapted to
secure said box to the frame; the third free hexagonal face at the top of the
box, is arranged for the introduction of oil and for cleaning; it is closed by
a lid a.
Each of the three cylinders is composed of a bored cylinder i, housed within
a cast-iron casing having wings or ribs for the ready cooling of the cylinder,
and having an annular space K between it and the casing for the circulation of
water, led thereto by the admission b and therefrom through the outlet (Fig. 3).
In each cylinder reciprocates a piston P with a connecting-rod L pivoted.

page_text: thereto, said rod having its opposite end pivoted to the crank of the main
shaft. This piston is hollow and bored at its outer part, above the attachment
of the connecting-rod, and it receives a second piston P, closed at its outer
part; between the disk forming said outer part and the outer surface of the
afore-mentioned piston, a spring M is inserted formed of a series of disks m;
the piston P, which can slide in the first travels' toward the outside and its
stroke is limited by a collar N screwed in the hollow part of piston P and
tightened against a collar of very thin sheet-iron.
At the time of the explosion the spring M is compressed and the piston P
enters to a certain extent into the cavity of the piston P; the shock of the
explosion will therefore be progressively transmitted to the piston P.
The end of each cylinder carries its respective distribution chamber provided
with the admission valve, the release or outlet valve and the electric lighting
candle. There are two candles to each cylinder, and one of them, or both
together, can be substituted, by incandescent tubes.
The admission valve S is actuated by a rod T adapted to slide in a tube 0 0
of a certain amplitude; said rod has, at its upper end a lug t, and at its lower
part a yoke portion Q, embracing a roller R, journalled in said yoke; said roller
runs over a cam secured to the main shaft, and said cam operates the opening
of the valve S and therefore the admission of the explosive gas into the corre-
sponding cylinder; the gas may be supplied by any suitable carburet generator.
The speed controller, acting upon the admission valve, comprises a sleeve V
adapted to slide along the main shaft; said sleeve carries a ring W with a
double crank lever X, pivoted thereto. Said lever is adapted to swing around the
stationary journal y, the other arm of which is pivoted at to the rod T, the
sleeve has a recess into which is introduced the end of one of the two arms ec
of a double lever pivoting on the stationary journal f and the other arm of
which carries a weight g; said weight g by the action of the centrifugal force
when the motor is in motion, moves away from the main shaft and draws the
sleeve toward the left of Figure 3, said sleeve carrying with it lever X,
forcing the rod T downwards, whereby the speed of the motor and therefore the
receding of the weight becoming sufficient, the lug will be lowered and
thrown out of engagement with the rod t of the valve, thus remaining shut
to intercept the admission into the cylinder until the motor rotates again at
a normal speed. The valve-rod as well as the operating rod T thereof, are
controlled by coiled springs; the sleeve V of speed controller has a lugh to
which a tube I is secured; said tube having an inner coiled spring which is
compressed, when the sleeve is moved to the left on account of the receding of
weight g, by a piston secured to a plate wedged on the main-shaft: this
spring, when released, brings the sleeve V back to its initial position; a thumb-
screw being provided to regulate the tension of spring r and the greater or
lesser facility of the receding of weight g.
k
The electric candles of each cylinder produce the spark at the desired moment,
by a current of any electric supply whatever, said current being suitably dis-
tributed by switches which may be arranged on the main shaft or on a secondary
shaft in connection with the former; these candles may be substituted by incan-
descent tubes.
The central box of the motor has its inner walls provided with gutters n
made one with said walls and into which the oil, projected upwards by the
rotation of the axle, falls, so as to be led to the frictional parts of the mechanism
by passages p.,
The main shaft B¹ carries near the motor, two friction sockets FF Fig. 1
having different diameters and connected by a sleeve C¹ moved by a yoke link D
pivoted to one end of an actuating lever operated by the mechanism: one of
these two friction sockets may by means of said lever E, be put into contact
with either of the two friction rims G G of wheel H¹ wedged on the trans-
mission shaft transmitting the motion of the motor to the driving axle of

page_text: the car. According as the one or the other of the friction sockets make contact
with the corresponding rim of wheel H the speed transmitted to the trans-
mission shaft and therefore to the car, will be more or less great.
Furthermore, said transmission shaft carries another friction wheel secured
thereto and having an outer friction rim K' and an inner friction rim L';
each of these rims may be put into contact with one of the two friction
sockets MM", mounted on main shaft B' and adapted like the pair of
sockets FF to be moved sideways by means of a sleeve N' connecting them
and which may be operated by a link pivoted to the actuating lever E',
according as the one or the other of the friction sockets M¹ or M" make contact
with the corresponding rim K or L' the transmission shaft will rotate in
the one or the other direction; this latter arrangement forms the motion reversing
device with back motion. Owing to the relative position of the two axles as regards
the height and as said position is liable to be modified at every moment, said
axles being arranged on springs, the motion is transmitted from the motor to
the driving axle by the transmission shaft, held, at its fore end in a
bearing Q, and at its rear end in a bearing R and said transmission shaft is
connected with another 11 by means of a universal joint S'; said shaft 11
carries a bevel pinion T at its rear end, for transmitting the motion to the
driving axle and driving wheels of the car.
The wheels are composed of a hub formed of a sleeve A" in the shape shown
in Fig. 4 and having an annular flange B" this sleeve is externally threaded
over a certain portion of its length and receives a second internally threaded
sleeve C screwed thereon and also provided with an annular flange. In the
annular space formed by these two flanges there are inserted the ends of the
wheel spokes said ends are held against one another by wedges sécured by
bolts D.
The outer cylindrical ends of the spokes, are fitted into a socket having a
slit, which allows said spoke end to be tightly clasped in the socket by means
of a bolt H. On the outer bottom of the socket is applied the inner side of the
wheel rim provided with any suitable tyre; a screw passing through said rim
and socket bottom contacts with the end of the corresponding spoke and the
tension of the rim depends upon the tightening of said screw from the outside
of said rim.
The car may be provided with an air-cutter K made of thin sheet-iron,
secured to the fore-part of the car.
The motor is cased in a suitable box or basket supported by the frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1) In a motor-car, the arrangement of a hydrocarbon motor with three
cylinders controlling devices for the admission valves of the motor; double
compensating pistons for the shocks at the moment of explosion; a speed modi-
fying device and means for changing the direction; finally special wheels with
a tension adjusting device for the rim of said wheels, substantially as described.
2) In a motor-car, a piston reciprocating in each of the three cylinders of the
motor and hollowed and bored at its outer part to receive another piston adapted
to slide in such hollow part and pressing against a disk spring arranged on the
outer face of first piston said spring being compressed at the time of explosion
to progressively transmit to the first piston the power produced by the explosion,
substantially as described.
3) In a motor-car, explosive gas admission controlling devices, each embodying
a sleeve mechanically connected by levers with the valve-rod; said sleeve being
moved longitudinally along the main shaft by a lever provided with a weight
adapted to be thrown outward by the centrifugal force, and said sleeve being
brought back by a spring operating in a small cylinder secured to said sleeve

page_text: and pressing against a piston secured to a disk mounted on the main shaft;
the tension of said spring being adjusted by a screw, substantially as described
and shown.
4) In a motor-car a transmission shaft in two parts connected by a universal
joint, transmitting the motion of the motor to the driving wheels, by means of
friction wheels and of a bevel pinion thus dispensing with transmission chains,
substantially as described and shown.
5) In a motor-car, a speed modifying device embodying a wheel having double
friction-rim and being wedged on the transmission shaft, two friction sockets of
unequal diameters mounted on the main shaft, connected together, and adapted to
make contact with either of the above-mentioned friction rims, substantially as
described and shown.
6) In a motor-car, a motion reversing device allowing of back-moving and
embodying two friction-sockets mounted on the main shaft, and adapted to
engage either of the two rims of a wheel wedged on the transmission shaft,
one of these rims being external and the other internal and the position of said
friction sockets, as also that of the speed modifying sockets being controlled by
an actuating member provided with an operating lever, substantially as described
and shown.
7) In a motor-car, wheels constituted by two disks forming the hub, and
between which disks the spokes are held; the outer ends of said spokes being
fitted into slit sockets in which the spokes are secured by means of bolts; said
sockets being connected to the rim of the wheel by means of screws ensuring
the tension of said rim having any suitable tyre, substantially as described and
shown.
Dated this 5th day of October 1899
S. S. BROMHEAD,
Agent for Applicant, 33, Cannon Street, London.