Improvements in or relating to Motor-driven Road Vehicles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Oct., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Motor-driven Road Vehicles.
We, THOMAS NIXON DARE of 13 Monmouth Road, Westbourne Grove, in the
County of London, Gentleman, and CHARLES DIXON of 5 and 6 Downing Street,
Cambridge, in the County of Cambridge, Gentleman do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the conversion of existing vehicles at present adapted
for horse or similar traction into motor vehicles, but new vehicles may be built
upon this system as motor vehicles. As the principal object is to convert existing
vehicles with as little interference as possible with their present construction, we
will describe the invention as applied to a horse vehicle of ordinary construction
and will take as an illustration an ordinary omnibus, it being understood that we
may apply the invention to any form of vehicle suitable for the purpose whether
carriages, hansom cabs, public vehicles, carts, vans or the like, and with any number
of wheels.
In applying the invention to an omnibus of ordinary construction, we take the
vehicle as it stands, removing only the pole and horse connections, and in place of
these we apply at the front end of the omnibus the motor which may be supported
and encased in any convenient manner. Any suitable motor may be employed
whether steam, electric, oil or otherwise, and the application or connection with
the vehicle may be made in any convenient manner and at any convenient part,
whether front, back or underneath.
The motor attachment above described high for convenience we will call the
motor box, besides carrying the motor and its appurtenances will also have a wheel
which may either be a specially arranged steering wheel or merely a castor wheel
provided if necessary with suitable spring connections. The fore-carriage of the
omuibus will be used for steering purposes, a convenient means of operating it
being to provide it with a toothed sector with which will engage a toothed pinion
upon the shaft of a hand wheel or equivalent, or chains or other devices may be
employed. If the castor wheel is to be used as a steering wheel it will be connected
with the steering apparatus so as to move with the fore-carriage. If desired the
motor box and motor may be carried upon the fore-carriage of the vehicle instead
of being attached to the vehicle body.
The connections with the driving wheels of the vehicle which would preferably
be the large back-carrying-wheels of the omuibus may be made in any convenient
manner say for example by one or more chains and chain wheels operating upon
the hub of the road wheel.
The application to a cab or brougham would be substantially the same as that
to the omnibus, the driving mechanism being carried clear of the doors and steps
in any convenient manner; if necessary bevel gearing or the like may be employed
for this purpose.
In applying the invention to a hansom cab the motor would preferably be placed
behind, underneath the present driver's seat which may be removed or retained
according to circumstances, a third wheel either steering or castor being preferably
placed behind so as to prevent the vehicle from falling backwards. If desired a
front wheel either steering or castor may be added. The driving and steering
arrangements would be substantially the same as those already described with the
necessary modifications to suit the altered form of vehicle.

page_text: Brako power may be applied to the periphery of the wheels and to any required
number of the wheels or to the hubs or to special drums provided upon the wheel
or axle for the purpose, or it may be placed upon the driving axle of the motor
and operate through the chain or other connecting mechanisin, but preferably it
would be applied to the road wheels as directly as practicable, any of the well
known devices being employed for applying or removing the brakes, whether
ordinary mechanical devices, compressed air, water, electricity or otherwise.
Dated this 16th day of October 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicants.
Street,
mornige
age, Cientieman, 110 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 the conversion of existing vehicles at present adapted
for horse or similar traction into motor vehicles, but new vehicles may be built
upon this system as motor vehicles. As the principal object is to convert existing
vehicles with as little interference as possible with their present construction the
invention will now be described as applied to horse vehicles of ordinary construction,
it being understood however that it may be applied to any form of vehicle suited
for the purpose, whether carriages, hansom cabs, carts, vans, or otherwise, and
with any number of wheels.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation and
Figure 2 a front elevation of an omnibus to which the invention is applied;
Figures 3 and 4 are respectively side and rear elevations of a hans om cab to
which the invention is applied.
Figures 5 and 6 are side and rear elevations of a brougham with a motor fitted
thereto according to this invention.
Fig. 7 is a side elevation illustrating a four-wheeled wagon converted into a
motor vehicle.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
With reference first to Figs. 1 and 2 the vehicle A is taken as it stands, with
the exception that the pole and horse connections are removed; in place of them
the motor B is applied, preferably, at the front end of the omnibus, being
supported, and if desired, encased in any convenient manner. Any suitable motor
may be employed, whether steam, electric, oil, or otherwise, and the connection
with the vehicle may be made in any convenient manner and at any convenient
part, whether at the front, bick or underside.
The motor B is attached to the body of the vehicle A by bults or otherwise as
may be desired. Whatever be the mode of attachment adopted it is desirable
that rubber buffers or elastic cushioning devices of some sort should be interposed
between the notor and the vehicle, in such a manner as to obviate or materially
diminish the transmission of vibration from the motor to the body of the
vehicle.
The motor B is preferably entirely encased as shown except that the driving
shaft 13' thereof extends from each side of the casing and carries at each of its
ends a chain pulley B³.

page_text: Each of these chain pulleys is geared by a chain C to a corresponding but
larger chain pulley D, one of these latter being fixed to each of the rear road
wheels E upon the hub E¹.
A toothed sector F is applied to the fore-carriage of the omnibus, which is
used for steering; a convenient means of operating it being a spindle G carried
in bearings on the motor, or in the motor casing and having at the upper end a
hand-wheel G and at the other end a pinion G³, serving to turn the sector F to
the right or left as desired when the hand-wheel G is rotated by the driver.
Any other steering device may be employed if desired, but it is preferable that,
as in the example given, is many of the appurtenances as possible necessitated
by the use of a motor in place of horses should be attache to the motor or to
the motor casing, so that the simple operation of putting the motor into place
upon the vehicle shall simultaneously put into the desired position these
appurtenances; to enable the rod G which is carried by the motor B to go into
place when the motor is put on the omnibus the driver's foot-board H is slotted
as at H (Fig. 2) to enable the rod G to pass into position without difficulty.
The control devices for the motor which are not shown in the drawings as their
disposition and arrangement will vary with the circumstances of each particular
case should be arranged similarly wherever possible, and in any case would be
brought into convenient proximity to the driver seated in the usual seat on the
front end of the top of the vehicle.
With reference to Figs. 3 and 4 which illustrate the application of the notor to
a hansom cab the motor B is fixed to the rear of the vehicle and geared to the
road wheels E by chain wheels B2 D and a chain Carranged in a manner sub-
stantially similar to that in which similarly-lettered parts are arranged in the case
of the omnibus just previously described.
A small wheel J carried at the end of a readily detachable bracket J' is fixed
under the front of the bansom to prevent any possibility of its tilting too far
forward.
The steering arrangements in the hanson are necessarily somewhat different
from those previously described with reference to the omnibus; at the rear of the
vehicle there in two parts with a hand-wheel G at its upper end in
proximity to the driver; this rod is journalled in a bracket 133 extending from the
motor casing. At its lower end it has a fork G³ in which is a rear wheel G pre-
ferably fitted with a solid rubber or pneumatic tyre. Between the head G of the
fork G³ and the bracket B³ a spring K is interposed to permit the rol G, with its
wheel G*, to rise and fall in running over inequalities in the ground. Preferably
the rod G is made in two parts so that in putting it in place the driver's seat need
not be disturbed; the upper part can be passed through a hole in the foot-board H
of the driver's seat into a socket G on the lower part of the rod below that plat-
form; this however is only for convenience and is not essential.
As an alternative the cab might be fitted with a front steering-wheel.
Figs. 5 and 6 which illustrate the application of the invention to a four-wheeled
cah or brougham show that the steering arrangements are substantially the
same as those in the omnibus, except that the steering shaft G is journale in
a socket H2 specially provided for it upon the foot-board H. The motor is fixed
to the bottom of the brougham and geared by chain wheels B D and a chain C
to one culy of the two rear road wheels of the brougham, although if desired
the motor driving shaft B' might be extended to both sides of the vehicle and
geared to both the rear wheels E as in the omnibus.
In Fig. 7 which illustrates the application of the invention to a four-wheeled
wagon the motor B is fixed beneath the vehicle, otherwise the steering and
driving arrangements are substantially the same as those in Figs. 1 and 2.
If desired the motor may be carried upon the fore-carriage instead of being
attached to the vehicle body; or it may be slung to the underside of or otherwise
carried ou a fixed axle if de-ire.l. An extra wheel or wheels such as J (Fig. 3)
arranged as a castor or otherwise can be litted to the motor casing, or to the

page_text: vehicle, if found desirable, as it might be in certain enses, for instance those in
which it is found that the addition of the motor to the vehicle would otherwiso
affect the trim or the running of the vehicle.
Brake power may be applied to the periphery of the wheels and to any required
number of the wheels or to the hubs or to special drums provided upon tho
wheel or axle for the purpose, or it may be placed upon the driving axle of the
motor and operate through the chain or other connecting mechanism, but preferably
it would be applied to the road wheels as directly as practicable, any of the well-
known devices being employed for applying or removing the brakes, whether
ordinary mechanical devices, compressed air, water, electricity or otherwise,
Although chain gear is hereinbefore described for operatively connecting the
motor and the road-wheel or wheels of the vehicle, bevel or rope or other gear and
the necessary shafting may be used instead, if desired.
If the castor wheel is to be used as a steering wheel it may be connected with
the steering apparitus so as to move with the fore-carriage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is-
1. The combination with vehicles of the types described of a motor and driving-
gear arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. In a motor-vehicle of the kind described steering-apparatus wholly or
partly carried by the motor or its casing substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
3. In a motor-hansom or similar vehicle a castor steering device substantially as
and for the purpose described and illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the accom-
panying drawings.
4. A horse-vehicle converted into a motor-vehicle substantially as and for the
purpose described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 or Figures 3 and 4 or Figures 5
and 6 or Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 17th day of August 1896.
THOMAS NIXON DARE.
CHARLES DIXON.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicants.