Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Jan., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 1st June, 1897-Accepted, 3rd July, 1897
I, LUCIE MARZIA PONSARD of 21 Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris in the Republic of
France, Spinster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a self-propelling bogie which can be applied to all kinds of
vehicles such as coupés, victorias, brakes, omnibuses and the like.
It consists of a special arrangement of a bogie on which are situated the different
mechanical parts comprising the motor, its accessories and controlling gear, necessary
to what is known as a motor-car. In detail it includes the arrangement of a platform
rigidly secured to the front axle tree, a steering gear, apparatus for the independent
working and control of the wheels and other details of construction as will be hereafter
mentioned.
The advantages obtained by the use of my invention are :-
1. Any existing four-wheeled carriage or vehicle can be changed into a motor-car
without, or with but very slight, modification.
2. From the driver's seat on the carriage or other vehicle all mechanism for
regulating speed and direction of the motor can be controlled.
3. The bogie being provided with the motor and drawing the carriage after it,
imparts to it a smoother motion and renders steering more accurate than when
propulsion is given to the car from some portion thereof such as its centre or rear.
4. As the mechanism is caused to rest directly on the axle tree and the wheels of
the bogie, the body of the carriage can be supported on or suspended from springs as
light and as flexible as those usually employed in carriages of the very highest class,
without occupants feeling unpleasant jerks or jolts imparted by the alternating motion
of the pistons of the engine, or other parts of the mechanism.
According to my invention the wheels of the bogie are keyed or otherwise secured
to the halves of the axle-tree, which halves can each turn independently of the other,
one portion of the axle-tree passing into a socket formed in the other half and
provided with the well-known balance gear resembling that applied to tricycles.
This gear consists of a worm wheel provided internally with pinions turning freely
on their axis and capable of engaging with two bevel wheels secured to the halves of
'the axle-tree. The worm wheel is driven by a worm actuated by any suitable motor
through suitable connections.
When the wheels of the bogie travel in a straight line the worm wheel imparts an
equal motion to the bevel wheels on the halves of the axle-tree by means of the
pinions but when the driver directs the bogie to the right or the left he causes the bogie
wheels to travel in a curve and the outer wheel to travel at a rate faster than that of
the inner wheel by means of the pinions, this movement taking place in proportion to
the curve described by the bogie.
The axle tree runs in suitable bearings which support a horizontal platform suitably
shaped and fitted to receive the motor. This platform is provided with a ring having
a circular groove formed therein and covered by a similarly shaped but inverted ring,
the space between the 'rings containing a number of suitable balls arranged in the

page_text: groove and held in position by a washer or diaphragm pierced with suitable holes and
placed between these rings.
A number of clamps prevent the rings from separating whilst allowing the necessary
free rotation thereof upon the balls.
The upper ring is fixed; it carries a number of plate springs (preferably three in
number) secured to suitable frame work and the front part of the carriage or other
vehicle is securely connected therewith.
The lower ring formed with or secured to the platform which supports the mechanism
and wheels is rendered capable of turning to the direction desired by the Conductor
or Driver in the following way.
The platform is furnished with several ribs or webs converging to its centre and
there fixed to a cylindrical casing which passes through the platform or footboard
arranged under the feet of the driver of the vehicle, the whole being of such a shape
as to allow the controlling portions of the mechanism (steering gear, alarm, speed
regulators etc.) to pass through it and to be easily within reach of the driver's hand.
Underneath this footboard and at such a distance as to allow for the action of the
springs, is fixed to the cylindrical casing a toothed quadrant engaging with a pinion
which travels vertically therewith and which imparts motion derived from a second
pinion secured to and operated by a steering handle placed within easy reach of the
driver.
The interposition of the first pinion between the quadrant and the second pinion
allows, in the first place, the quadrant to be always under the control of the first
pinion in spite of their varying positions due to the action of the springs, and, in the
second place, imparts the identical rotatory movement of the steering handle to the
platform; this rotatory motion would be in the opposite direction if the teeth of
the second pinion and the quadrant had engaged directly one with the other.
ated this Vilananth
C T1005
GEDGE & FEENY,
Chartered Patent Agents, 60, Queen Victoria Street, London E.C.
For the Applicant.
Motor-Car Bogie for all kinds of Road Vehicles.
I, LUCIE MARZIA PONSARD, of 21 Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris, in the Republic of
France, Spinster, 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 :-
This invention relates to a self-propelling bogie which can be applied to all kinds
of vehicles such as coupés, victorias, brakes, omnibuses, cabs and the like.
It consists of a special arrangement of a bogie on which are situated the different
mechanical parts comprising the motor, its accessories and controlling gear, necessary
to what is known as a motor-car. In detail it includes the arrangement of a platform
secured to the front axle-tree, a steering gear, apparatus for the independent working
and control of the wheels, and other details of construction as will be hereafter
mentioned.
The advantages obtained by the use of my invention are,-
1. Any existing four-wheeled carriage or vehicle can be changed into
"motor-car" without, or with but very slight, modification;
2. From the driver's seat on the carriage or other vehicle, all mechanism for
regulating the speed and direction of the motor, can be controlled;
3. The bogie being provided with the motor and drawing the vehicle after it,
imparts to the latter a smoother motion and renders steering more accurate than
when propulsion is derived from some portion of the car, such as its centre or rear ;

page_text: 4. As the mechanism is caused to rest directly on the axle-tree and the wheels of
the bogie, the body of the carriage can be supported on or suspended from very light
springs without the occupants feeling unpleasant jerks or jolts imparted by the
alternating motion of the pistons of the engine, or other parts of the mechanism.
In order that my invention may be better understood, I will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying sheets of drawings upon which, by way of examples, I
have shewn the manner in which I prefer to carry out my invention.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a motor-car bogie constructed in accordance
with my invention, the section being taken on line 2-2 of Figure 2.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the platform of the bogie.
Figure 3 is a view of the bogie, half being shewn as rear elevation and half as
cross-section on line 3--3 of Figure 2;
Figure 4 being a plan view of the steering device.
According to my invention, the wheels of the bogie X and X' are keyed or otherwise
secured to the halves U and U¹ of the axle-tree, each of which halves can revolve
independently of the other and is supported in suitable journals or bearings A, B,
and A', B. The axle-tree is provided with a "balance" gear, as illustrated on Figure 7,
resembling that applied to tricycles, and consisting of a double helical toothed wheel Ć
which is provided internally with pinions D D¹, these latter being able to turn freely
on their axis and engaging with bevel wheels E E' firmly secured to the parts U U¹
of the axle-tree.
The wheel C is actuated or driven by any convenient motor through any suitable
connections.
When the wheels X X¹ of the bogie travel in a straight line, the wheel C imparts
an equal motion to each of the bevel wheels E E¹ by means of the pinions D D¹, but
when the driver steers the bogie to the right or to the left he causes the bogie wheels
to travel in a curve, the outer wheel travelling at a rate greater than that of the inner
wheel by means of these pinions D D¹, this movement taking place proportionately to
the curve described by the bogie wheels.
The bearings A B and A¹ B¹ support a horizontal platform of any suitable shape
and intended to receive the motor and a greater portion of the gear. This platform
is preferably recessed and webbed in parts as shewn on the drawings, and is provided
with a ring F having a circular groove covered by a similarly shaped but inverted
ring G, the space between these grooved rings containing a number of steel balls a,
to form a ball-bearing. The ball-race thus formed is provided with a suitable felt,
sheet metal or other suitable washer or diaphragm H perforated at intervals, for the
purpose of retaining the balls in their positions.
A number of suitable clamps K prevent the rings from separating whilst allowing
the necessary free rotation thereof upon the balls. These clamps may be fixed
inwardly to the lower ring (Fig. 1). The upper ring G is fixed; the front part of
the carriage or other vehicle can rest thereon by means of a number of plate springs L
secured to a suitable frame-work which is rigidly connected to the carriage. This
framework may be made detachable so that various forms may be used for different
vehicles.
The lower ring F formed with or secured to the platform supporting the mechanism
and the wheels is made capable of turning to the direction desired by the conductor
or the driver, in the following way.
The platform, as stated above, may be furnished with several ribs N converging
towards its centre and there fixed to a cylindrical casing M which passes through the
footboard or platform arranged below and in front of the driver's seat, the whole being
of such a shape as to allow the guiding and controlling apparatus (steering-gear, speed
regulators, reversing gear etc.) to pass through it and to be within easy reach of the
driver. Underneath the driver's footboard and at such distance as will allow for the
action of the springs, is fixed to the cylindrical casing M a toothed quadrant or
segment R engaging with a pinion Q which travels vertically therewith and which
imparts to the former motion derived from a second pinion P secured to and operated
by a steering handle S placed within reach of the conductor's hand.

page_text: The interposition of the pinion Q between the toothed segment R and the pinion P
allows in the first place, the segment R to be continuously controlled-(see Figs. 1, 4
and 5) by the pinion Q by reason of the comparative length of this latter and in spite
of the varying positions of the segment due to the action of the springs, and, in the
second place, imparts the direction of rotation of the steering handle S to the
platform; this rotatory movement would, of course, be in the opposite direction if
the teeth of pinion P and segment R had engaged directly one with the other.
Extending forward of the platform I arrange a fender or buffer composed of a light
framework c serving to support an arrangement of tubes or coils c¹, in which latter
the cooling water circulates (in the case of an oil or gas engine), or which serve to 1
'condense steam in the case of a steam motor.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 show the arrangement on the bogie of a 'steam motor with
boiler.
A vertical boiler is shewn at a'; it passes through the platform being supported by
'angle brackets b. A fender similar to that described above shields the boiler and the 1
latter may be furnished with a series of tubes acting as a condenser.
'On each side and underneath the platform are feed water heaters (not illustrated
on the drawing) which are supplied with water from the reservoir r placed in front of
the driver's footboard (see Fig. 5).
Above the platform and similarly on each side of the boiler are placed the
cylinders v, v², their pistons actuating cranks of a driving shaft d. A sleeve furnished
with pinions e¹, and e², transmits motion of shaft d'to shaft f (Fig. 7), and this latter
operates the differential gear C mounted on the halves of the axle-tree by means of a
pinion g.
'To obtain the backward movement of the bogie, there is no need to make use of a
complicated reversing gear, but it may be effected as follows :-
The sleeve on the shaft & can slide on its keys in such a manner as to disengage
'itself from directly gearing with the shaft f, and its smaller pinion e² is then brought
into contact with the pinion k (mounted on the auxiliary shaft 1)-which
re-establishes the gearing with a second wheel on the shaft f. In this manner 'the's
rotation of the shaft f and of the axle-tree which it controls can be made in a direction
contrary to the first.
In lieu of a steam motor, a gas, oil or electric motor might be arranged upon the
'platform, and be supported in position by any suitable means.
In lieu of securing a platform to the lower rotatable ring, I may arrange to
'substitute a suitable framework therefor. This framework may consist of suitably
bridged or stayed rods and will, as above described, be securely fixed to the movable
ring and support the weight of the mechanism upon the axle-tree. The ribs N can
be replaced by bows or the like connecting the wheel C and its bearings to the
cylindrical casing.
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. For propelling ordinary road vehicles, a motor-car bogie comprising a
wheel-mounted platform whereon are arranged the motor and transmitting, controlling
and steering gear, said platform supporting a ring secured by springs to a frame rigidly
connected to the fore-part of the vehicle and being capable of revolving upon
a ball-bearing, the whole being arranged and operating for the purposes and as
described.
2. In a motor-car bogie for propelling road vehicles, two grooved rings acting as a
ball-bearing, the upper supporting the forepart of the vehicle, and the lower carrying
the motor mechanism and bearing upon the axle-tree, substantially as described.
3. In a motor-car bogie for road vehicles, a cylindrical casing surrounding the
mechanism for controlling the motor and its gear rigidly secured to the movable
ring and extending upwards through the foot-board of the vehicle, substantially as
described.
14

page_text: 4. In a motor-car bogie for road vehicles, the combination of a pinion Pactuated
by a steering bandle S, of an intermediary. pinion Q, and of a segment R, as and for
the purposes set forth.
5. In a motor-car bogie for road vehicles, a buffer or fender serving to connect and
support the tubes or coils of a cooling or condensing apparatus, substantially as
described.
Dated this First day of June 1897.
GEDGE & FEENY,
Chartered Patent Agents, 60, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.,
For the Applicant.