Improvements in and relating to Mechanism for Driving Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 17th June, 1899-Accepted, 16th June, 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Mechanism for Driving Vehicles.
A communication from GEORGE BAXTER UPHAM, of No. 74, Chestnut Street,
Boston, County of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, United States of. America,
Attorney at Law.
I, ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES, of 55 and 56, Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 driving mechanism, and more particularly to such
mechanism as applied to motor vehicles or automobiles, and it has for its broad
object the production of a crank member and compensating driving connections
between it and a pair of driving wheels, whereby differential movement of tlie
wheels is permitted when necessary, as when the vehicle is turning corners.
The utilization of a crank member for transmitting the power of the motor
to the driving wheels of a vehicle is productive of numerous advantages, such
as the very direct application of power, and the avoidance of a sprocket chain
or similar power transmitting device, but so far as known the combination
of a crank member with compensating mechanism is broadly new, and while
herein is shown one very effective and practical embodiment of the invention,
it is not restricted to the particular construction and arrangement shown and
described.
Inasmuch as the invention comprehends only the driving shaft and its imme-
diately co-operating or related parts other portions of a vehicle unnecessary to
a full understanding of the invention are not illustrated.
The various novel features of the invention will be hereinafter fully described
and particularly pointed out in the claims.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a crank-shaft and co-operating compensating
mechanism. embodying one form of the invention, with the inner bearings and
their connecting trusses, suitable for use in a motor vehicle.
and
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, through the centre of the shaft,
Fig. 3 is a partial cross section thereof on the line -, Fig. 1, the bevel
pinions of the compensating mechanism being shown in elevation, and illustrating
clearly the brake mechanism, to be described.
The shaft is shown as comprising an intermediate crank member, and co- .
operating, like tubular members a and b, separated one from the other at their
inner ends and at their outer ends. securely attached in suitable manner to the
driving wheels W, partially shown in dotted lines Fig. 2, said members near
their inner ends having external annular shoulders a¹, 61, respectively.
The crank member herein shown is double, that is, has two like cranks c
and d, at right angles to each other, see Fig. 3, and having oppositely extended
from their inner faces tubular crank pins c¹d, the ends c, d, of said crank
member extending snugly into the inner ends of but rotatively movable relative
to the tubular members a and b.

page_text: The ends of the crank member extend well into the tubular members, and
preferably beyond the bearings, to be described, and in order to obviate the use
of two cranks for each crank pin while maintaining the necessary rigid connec
tion between the parts of the crank member, and for other reasons, to be referred
to, a distance bar 25, is provided, Figs. 1 and 3, having an eye or hub 26 at each
end, which is driven tightly on to a tapered portion 2 of each crank pin, see
Fig. 2, the bar being bent between its ends as shown in Fig. 1, as the inner ends
of the crank pins extend oppositely beyond each other.
A nut 3 screwed upon the threaded end of each pin against the hub of the
distance bar holds it securely in place on the tapered portion 2.
Each crank pin has extended through it a shaft e, Fig. 2 preferably hollowed
out to lighten it, and having secured to or formed upon it at one end a spur
gear e which rests against the outer face of the crank, the opposite end of the
shaft projecting beyond the pin being externally tapered at 4 to receive upon it
the hub of a suitable sprocket e², held securely in place by a nut e screwed on
to the reduced and threaded extremity of the shaft, the latter being movable
bodily with the crank pin and at times rotating therein, a sprocket chain e¹o
connecting said sprockets.
The spur gear e carried by the crank pin c¹ is in mesh with a large gear A
rigidly secured to the tubular member a between its shoulder a and the adjacent
crank c, the elongated hub at of said gear entering a cylindrical bearing A*,
forming a part of the frame of the vehicle, and to be described, the said bearing
supporting the driving shaft at one side of the crank member thereof.
This bearing has brazed on to it a hollow sleeve A¹ extended concentric to the.
shaft to the wheel hub, and provided at its outer end with any suitable or usual
form of bearing, not shown, to support the tubular shaft member a adjacent the
wheel, this sleeve forming, with the like sleeve B at the opposite end of the
shaft, a part of the frame of the vehicle in the present embodiment of the
invention.
The shaft end d of the crank member has loosely mounted upon it adjacent
the crank d, a bevel gear 9 forming part of the compensating mechanism proper,
a large gear B keyed or otherwise secured to said bevel gear meshing with the
spur gear e carried by the crank pin d', and beyond the hub of the gear g the
shaft end is outwardly tapered at 5, Fig. 2 to receive the hub of a gear carrier
or spider G, tightly forced upon the tapered portion, and further held securely
by a key 6.
and
The spider is shown as having four radial arms, near the outer ends of which
are rotatably mounted bevel pinions * which mesh with the bevel gear g
also with an opposed, like gear h, the inner end of its hub resting against a
nut 7 screwed on to a threaded part 8 of the shaft end against the spider,
the bevel gears g and h and the spider with its bevel pinions forming com-
pensating mechanism proper, the hereinbefore described devices between the
gear and the left hand wheel, Fig. 2, connecting the latter, through the crank
member, with the compensating mechanism proper.
The bevel gear h has an elongated hub h¹ which enters and rotates in the
bearing B, said hub abutting against the shoulder 1 of and being securely
attached to the tubular shaft member b, the bearing A and B preventing
outward movement of the two parts of the crank member.
The bearings are provided with hollow bosses a10, 10, on their upper sides,
into which are brazed upright hollow standards A8, B8, connected at their upper
ends by a cross bar A10, shown as hollow, it with the standards constituting a
truss form of connection between the bearings.
A similar truss connection A12, 1312, Fig. 3, is secured to the bearings at the
back thereof and substantially at right angles to the upright truss, the two
trusses serving to support with the proper strength and stiffness the inner
bearings for the driving shaft.
A driving motor is not shown herein, it being understood that the connecting

page_text: rods leading from the motor will be attached to the crank pins c¹, of the shaft,
the rotative motion being applied to the crank member of the shaft.
When the vehicle is going in a straight path the wheel carrying members a, b,
rotate in unison with each other and with the crank member, and at such time
the bevel gears g and will be locked together by the bevel driving pinions g³,
as is common in compensating mechanism of this type, the connections described
between the gears A and B causing them to rotate in unison to thereby rotate
the wheel carrying members.
When, however, the vehicle is turning a corner or travelling in a curved
path, the outer driving wheel will travel faster than the inner one, and at such
time the compensating mechanism and the transmitting connections between
the gears A and B will operate, as will be manifest from an inspection of the
drawings.
If the left hand wheel indicated in Fig. 2 is travelling slower than the right
hand wheel, the gear A will be retarded, rotating its meshing gear e and the
connected sprocket on the crank pin c¹, the sprocket chain e transmitting
such rotation to the sprocket on the crank pin, and thereby to the gear c
in mesh with the gear B, and the latter will be retarded or held back to the
same extent as the gear A so that the bevel gear 9 will rotate more slowly than
its opposed bevel gear h.
If the left hand wheel travels faster than the right hand wheel, then the
gears A and B, and the bevel gear 9 will rotate faster than the gear h, and
the difference in the speed of the driving wheels will be compensated for.
For convenience in assembling the parts the cross-bar A10 of the truss is pre-
ferably permanently secured by a brazed or other suitable joint to one of the
standards, as 18, and enters the boss at the upper end of the standard A8 on a
taper, as shown at 20 in Fig. 2, a retaining nut 30 holding the cross-bar and
standard securely together.
The distance bar 25 passes from one crank pin to the other between the runs
of the sprocket chain, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3, without in any way
interfering with the chain.
The aligned portions and of the crank members are shown in Fig. 2 as
threaded to receive the threaded ends of rods 30, 0, respectively, said rods
passing through the tubular shaft members and loosely through the wheel hubs,
and beyond the latter a washer 10 is fitted onto the projecting end of each rod,
and held in place by a nut 30
Longitudinal displacement of the shaft members is thus prevented, in addi-
tion to the action of the truss portions of the frame hereinbefore referred to.
The invention is not restricted to the precise construction and arrangement
of parts as herein shown, for the same may be modified in various particulars
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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. A pair of driving wheels, a crank, and compensating driving connections
between said crank and wheels, to at times permit differential rotation of the
latter.
2. A pair of driving wheels, an intermediate crank rotatable relative to the
wheels, and compensating driving connections between said crank and wheels,
to permit differential rotation of the latter.
3. A pair of driving wheels, an intermediate crank rotatable relative to the
wheels, compensating means between and connecting the crank and one of the
wheels, and driving connections between the other wheel and, the compensating
means, transmitted through or around the crank.
4. A pair of driving wheels, an intermediate crank rotatable relative to the
wheels, compensating means, the actuating member thereof having the power

page_text: applied at the centre and rotating with the crank, driving connections between
said compensating means and the other wheel, transmitted through or around
the crank.
5. A pair of driving wheels, an intermediate crank member in alignment
with and rotatably movable relative to the wheel axes, compensating mechanism
driven by the crank member, including a bevel gear rotatable with each wheel,
and driving connections between one of the wheels and a bevel gear, transmitted
through or around the crank member.
6. A vehicle driving shaft having a crank, wheels mounted upon the shaft,
and compensating mechanism connective of the shaft and wheels to permit
differential rotation of the latter.
7. A vehicle driving shaft comprising wheel turning members, an intermediate
crank member rotatably movable relative to the wheel turning members, and
compensating mechanism connective of said wheel turning members and the crank
member, whereby differential rotation of the wheel turning members is permitted.
8. A vehicle driving shaft comprising wheel turning members, an intermediate
crank driving member rotatably movable relative to the wheel turning members,
compensating mechanism connective of said members and the crank member,
and a rod extended from each end of the crank member through the wheel hubs,
to prevent longitudinal displacement of the parts.
9. A vehicle driving shaft comprising tubular members each having a wheel
rigidly attached to it, an intermediate crank member supported in the inner ends
of said tubular members and rotatably movable relatively thereto, and compen-
sating driving connections between the crank and wheel carrying members, to
normally effect rotation of the latter in unison.
10. A vehicle driving shaft comprising separated members each having a
wheel rigidly attached thereto, an intermediate crank member, compensating
mechanism, including a spider fast on the crank member and provided with
bevel pinions, opposed bevel gears one of which is fast on the adjacent wheel
carrying member and the other loosely mounted on the crank member, a gear
fast on the other wheel carrying member, and driving connections between said
fast gear and the loose bevel gear mounted on the crank member.
11. A pair of driving wheels, an intermediate double crank member rotatable
relative thereto, and compensating driving connections between the wheels and
crank member, including a rotatable sprocket wheel carried by cach crank pin,
and a sprocket chain connecting said sprocket wheels.
12. A vehicle driving shaft comprising wheel turning members having a wheel
rigidly secured to cach, compensating mechanism in which the power is applied
at the centre which mechanism is located intermediate said members, a driving
crank between the compensating mechanism and one of the wheels and means to
transmit the action of the compensating mechanism to the wheel beyond the
crank.
13. A pair of driving wheels, a truss provided with bearings for the wheels,
a crank intermediate the wheels, and compensating driving connections between
said crank and wheels.
14. Wheel carrying members having each a rigidly attached driving wheel, a
truss provided with bearings for said members and having tubular extensions
through which said members are extended, a crank driving member, and com-
pensating driving connections between the crank and wheel carrying members,
to permit differential rotation of the wheels.
15. A pair of driving wheels, connected trusses at substantially right angles
to each other and provided with bearings for the wheels, a crank member between
said bearings, and compensating driving connections between the crank member
and the wheels.
16. A pair of driving wheels, two driving cranks intermediate said wheels and
having oppositely extended crank-pins, a "ance bar rigidly connecting the
outer ends of the pins, and compensating driving connections between the cranks

page_text: and the wheels, to effect rotation thereof in unison and also to permit differential
rotation of the wheels.
17. A vehicle driving shaft comprising a double crank member, tubular wheel
carrying members, a sprocket, its shaft, and a gear, mounted rotatably upon said
crank pin, a chain connecting the sprockets, a large gear in mesh with each of
said gears, one of the large gears being fast on a tubular member, the other
having a rigidly connected bevel gear loose on the crank member of the shaft,
an opposed bevel gear fast on the other tubular member, and a spider fast on the
crank member, having bevel pinions in continuous engagement with the opposed
bevel gears.
18. In a motor vehicle, a driving shaft comprising tubular members, a wheel
fast on the outer end of each, an intermediate crank member supported in the
inner ends of and rotatably movable relative to the tubular members, a tie rod
extended from each end of the crank member through the adjacent tubular
member and the hub of its wheel, to prevent longitudinal displacement of the
parts, compensating mechanism connecting the tubular and crank members,
shaft bearings, one at the inner end of each tubular member, and trusses sub-
stantially at right angles to each other connecting said bearings around the crank
member.
noted the 1011.
1000
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.