Improvements in Motor Cars.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 11th May, 1899-Accepted, 15th July, 1899
Improvements in Motor Cars.
I. CHARLES EDOUARD LUFBERY, Chemist, of Cheuny (Aisne), France, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment:
This invention relates to a motor car of which the driver has complete control,
constructed and arranged as I shall describe with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side view and Fig. 2 is a plan of a motor car according to this inven-
tion; Fig. 3 is a side view and Fig. 4 is a plan of the brake gear.
The motor engine is shewn on an enlarged scale in Fig. 5 which is a vertical
section and Fig. 6 which is a transverse section; Fig. 7 is an elevation of the
regulating gear and Fig 8 is a section of the distributing valves.
Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section, Fig. 10 is a plan and Fig. 11 is a transverse
section of the interruptor for electrical ignition.
Figs. 12 and 13 shew the electric ignition mechanism. Fig. 14 is a diagram of
the electric connections for igniting. Fig. 15 is a longitudinal section of the
igniter.
Fig. 16 is a vertical section of the carburators.
As shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, A is the motor, B indicates the dynamo and centri-
fugal pump, C is the carburator, 1) the reservoir for the exhaust gases, E is a
tightening roller for the band which as shewn in Figs. 3 and 4 is mounted on arms
of a rock shaft F. A pedal R at the front part of the car has ratchet teeth on its
stem engaged by a catch a on a lever b pivotted at h. When the roller is down
tightening the driving band, the parts are in the positions indicated by the dotted
lines in Fig. 3.
When the brake lever Q is pushed down the lever
is moved so as to withdraw
the catch a leaving the pedal free, and the roller E is raised by the springs c so as
to loosen the band and immediately stop the driving gear.
The arms A¹ A2 which on depressing the pedal R, depress the tightening roller E
are fixed on a shaft H which passes through a sleeve G free to turn in it, and on
this sleeve are fixed the arms B1 B2 by which the catch a is withdrawn.
As the lever Q is pushed farther down, the brakes are put on and the car is
stopped, the motor engine still continuing to work ready to propel the car again
when Qis raised and R pushed down. The lever Q also operates the steering
gear.
I is the sliding fork for moving the band along the stepped pulley, and J the
gear for varying speed, K the brake drums for stopping. O the lever and rods for
working the brake blocks, L are the chains which drive the road wheels. M is
the gear for varying speed and reversing, which is the same as that described in
my previous Specification No. 27191 of 1896. N is the reversing lever, P is the
steering gear. The shifting of the band is effected by the lever S, the reversal by
the handle and lever T and the carburation is regulated by the handle U, whilst V

page_text: .
is a commutator. For slowing the spring of the regulator is actuated by the
handle W, and X is the ring for working the safety catch; Y are steps and Z
the signal horn.
Besides the parts mentioned there are as accessories, A' the water reservoir, B
the spirit reservoir C the casing of the motor and gear, D¹ the suction pipe
of the centrifugal pump, E¹ its discharge pipe, F the pipe leading the gases to the
escape cylinder, 'G' the pipe from the carburator to the motor; H is the starting
handle.
The motor as shewn in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 has two vertical cylinders placed side by
side above a framing I which is a tight casing made of aluminium alloy. Through
it passes the main shaft J' having keyed on it within the casing two fly-wheels
and on its ends outside the casing on the one side a centrifugal governor L' and
on the other side a set of stepped pulleys M. Above the cylinders as shewn more
fully in Figs. 7 and 8 are the arrangements for admission of the combustible mix-
ture and for emission of the products of combustion. The admission valves N¹ are
self acting but the exhaust valves are worked mechanically.
The pistons P¹ fitted in the cylinders Q are connected by two rods to one crank
on the shaft J and reciprocate together. A countershaft R¹ (Fig. 6) passes
through the casing, extending outside on the right hand. This shaft is driven
from the mainshaft by gear arranged within the casing driving R at half the
speed of J. On the outside R¹ has insulated on it two cams which work the
switch for electric ignition; and inside the casing the shaft R¹ has on it two
cams for working the exhaust valves O¹. The governor acts on the exhaust
valves in the following manner.
Above each of the cams T is a vertical sleeve U¹ in which are guided two sliding
rod din line with the stem of the exhaust valve. The lower rod d has on its
lower end a roller, the upper rod has set into it a knife e of chrome steel, the
upper parts of both rods are cylindrical. They have mortices f engaging keys fl
which prevent the rods from rotating, there being like mortices in the sleeve Ú₁
but longer than f so as to allow the rods d d to move up in obedience to the
cam T. On the top of the sleeve U₁ is pivotted a steel hook which passes
through a slot of so that when the upper rod is near the top of its stroke it
can engage under the knife e and so hold up the rod d keeping the exhaust valve
up from its seat. A blade spring urges the hook h¹ away from d¹ but a rod k
connected to the governor lever is linked through springs m m to the hook h¹
at n tending to engage the hook with e when the governor lever is moved by excess
of speed.
As shewn in Figs. 12 and 13, cams V1 V2 which are on the end of the shaft R'
(Fig. 8) press springs qq so as to make contacts at op with contact screws r r.
The engine operates as follows:
As the pistons descend they draw in combustible mixture by the self acting
admission valves; the charge being then compressed by the ascent of the pistons
is electrically ignited, and after the pistons are propelled down, the exhaust valves
are opened by the cams acting on the rods d d so as to allow escape of the com-
bustion gases.
The exhaust cams are set at 180° on the shaft R¹ so that the two cylinders work
alternately giving the motor an impulse at each revolution. Should the crank
shaft revolve too rapidly the governor balls move outwards moving the lever
so that it pulls the spring m and the hook in opposition to the spring, and
when the rod is raised by the cam opening the exhaust valve the hook is
thus engaged under the knife e holding the exhaust valve open so that combustion
gases are drawn into the cylinder, the admission valves do not open, and the engine
is retarded.
The governor thus ceasing to act on the hook h¹, it becomes disengaged from e
and, allows the exhaust valve to close. By adjustment of the springs m m' the
governor may be made to act first on only one of the exhaust valves, and if this

page_text: hould be insufficient, then on the others. Thus the retarding effect is rendered
ore smooth and gradual than if both cylinders were simultaneously affected.
The electric ignition apparatus has been devised for very rapid motors, making
or instance, 1000 or more revolutions per minute. This apparatus infallibly
gnites when the piston is at the end of its stroke, a result which is not obtained
ith vibrators of induction coils, but is in my system obtained without complex
echanism for working the interruptors. As shewn in Figs. 9 10 and 11, a
wooden bobbin u encloses an iron core v carried on a bracket ✗1 of steel plate cut
nd bent as shewn. On the bobbin are two coils xx¹ of 10 mm. diameter covered
with cotton, wound together from the one end of the bobbin back to the same end
orming two layers. Over these is wound also a silk covered wire 2 of 14/100 m.m.
liameter. This wire which fills up the bobbin has much greater length and
esistance than the wires a¹. The three wires a¹² at their one end are attached
o separate posts y y y, and at their other ends through a screw z, to a blade spring a¹
having one end fixed on a turned up part of the plate frame. Its other end carries
an armature facing the core v, and near the middle of the spring there is a
platinum pin & in position to make contact with a platinum screw c¹ insulated
from the frame by mica washers but connected by a brass plate el to the +
post g¹. On connecting this post to the terminal of any source of electricity,
such as two accumulators, while the terminal is connected to any of the posts y,
the breaks of current at 6 c¹ cause vibration of the spring a produced by the
current acting either alternately or simultaneously in the coils of the bobbin, all
these coils conspiring to maintain the vibration. The wires and a¹ are traversed
by two currents from the same source, but form parts of two distinct circuits in
each of which is inserted the primary of an induction coil and a commutator as
shewn in Figs. 12 and 13. The circuit of the fine wire 2 is closed on the source
of electricity, owing to its resistance taking a very small current, but still sufficient
to maintain the rapid vibrations of the spring a¹. It has been said that the
wires a form parts of distinct circuits in each of which is introduced a com-
mutator and the primary of an induction coil to produce the igniting spark.
If the circuit of eis closed by its commutator there is obtained in it and in the
corresponding primary of the induction coil a succession of currents setting up
induction in the secondary of the coil and the spark is produced between the ends
of this wire, the one of which is attached to the igniter, the other to the body of
the motor. The igniters are screwed into the motor at Y¹. From what is described
When the
the operation of igniting may be understood on reference to Fig. 14.
motor is to work the fine wire a² of the interrupting coil is connected always with
the source of electricity, and the vibrator goes on continually vibrating. The
cams on the valve shaft, as they revolve, make contact by means of the
commutator Z (Figs. 12 and 13) so that the inducing current traverses alternately
the induction coils & ¹, only at the moments of contact, and the spark is
The com-
immediately produced in the one or the other cylinder of the motor.
mutator. Z can be turned around the shaft which carries the cams V1 V2, and
thus the moment of ignition can be varied to suit the speed of the motor.
In Fig. 14, indicates the commutator, E2 the source of electricity, F2 the con-
denser for the interrupter and induction coils, a³ a their primaries, 63 their
secondaries, Q Q3 the two motor cylinders, y¹y their two igniters and the wire
to the metal of the engine.
The igniter, Fig. 15, so arranged as to prevent short circuiting by soot on the
porcelain of the igniter. For this purpose the porcelain is withdrawn from direct
action of the explosion flame by arranging the body in a sheath i¹ at the bottom
of a cavity which holds a layer of inert combustion gas interposed between the
porcelain of the igniter and the explosion flame so that deposit of soot is impossible
even when the carburation is defective.
the steel
The porcelain body h² is held between two asbestos packings ¹k
sheath is screwed into the motor cylinder at Y as previously stated.
A steel rod having brazed in its end a platinum pin m² extends through the

page_text: porcelain and the layer of inert gas j¹ to the end of the sheath when it meets
the explosion mixture. The rod is fixed in the porcelain by a cap'n' made of
an alloy of lead with 25 per cent. of antimony, this cap being cast around the
porcelain and held by circular grooves of the porcelain. One of the wires for the
induced currents is connected to the rod 7, the sparking takes place at o'.
The carburator, shewn on an enlarged scale in Fig. 16 comprises a reservoir A³
containing the petroleum spirit for carburating part of the air supply of the motor;
the level of the liquid in A2 is kept constant by a float B2 which can close the
supply pipe at C³. The motor in the suction stroke produces a partial vacuum
in A2 which would draw in spirit at C2 and quite fill A notwithstanding the action
of the float E; but a pipe H2 making communication between the upper parts
of the reservoir, and the float vessel equalises the pressure therein, so that the
liquid level is the same in both vessels.
A copper coil placed in the carburator is heated by part of the exhaust gases
passing through it, and keeps the spirit warm. The coil terminates with a check
valve which allows gases to escape but prevents any air from being drawn in.
A regulating cock y₁ serves to adjust the quantity of the exhaust gases passing
through the coil and consequently to determine the temperature of the spirit.
Instead of petroleum spirit, alcohol, benzine or other hydrocarbon might be
employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner, the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is;-
1. The mechanism for raising by a partial movement the tightening roller and
so loosening the driving band, and by a farther movement putting on the brakes
substantially as described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4.
2. In combination with the centrifugal governor and with the cams for opening
the exhaust valve, the sliding rods arranged to act on the valve stems and the
knives and spring catches whereby the valves are held open in case of excessive
speed substantially as described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8.
3. The igniting mechanism and electrical connections arranged and operating
substantially as described.
4. The igniter and sheath constructed substantially as described with reference
to Fig. 15.
5. In combination with the carburator a supply vessel provided with float and
valve and with a pressure balancing pipe substantially as described with reference
to Fig. 16.
6. A motor car having its engines, speed and driving gear and their
accessories arranged and operating substantially as described and illustrated by
the drawings.
Dated this 11th day of May 1899