Improvements relating to Motor Carriages.
Year: 1896

page_text: .Date of Application, 9th June. 1896
Improvements relating to Motor Carriages.
I, JOHN JOHNSTON, of 2, Bush Street East, Pembroke Dock, in the County of
Pembroke, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention consists of improvements relating to motor carriages, my object
being to provide more efficient and reliable means for steering than exists with the
vehicles at present in use.
In the application of my invention to a motor carriage having two back wheels,
1 mount such wheels upon separate axles coupled together by compensating gear
or a jack-in-the-box motion arranged in the ordinary manner to permit one wheel
to over-run the other, and thus enable the vehicle to be turned round a sharp
corner. Upon each of the back axles I mount a brake wheel and fix a friction
block adjacent to each wheel upon the short arm of a brake lever. At the
extremity of the long arm of each brake lever I form a hole or aperture to admit
a steering rod which is connected with a hand or foot operating lever in any
ordinary manner. Upon the steering rod I form or attach two collars adjacent to
the brake levers, and I interpose a spring between each of the levers and the
adjacent collar or projection from the steering rod. Steering is effected by the
application of the friction block to one or the other of the brake wheels;
the adjacent wheel of the vehicle being thus retarded, the opposite one over-runs
it, and causes the vehicle to swing round.
When the carriage is in motion the front wheels can be caused to swing or slew
round in either direction by the operation of the steering gear, by pivotting them
forward of the centre of the axle, but the slewing is effected against the resistance
of springs, such resistance always tending to return the wheels to their central or
normal position. The motion of the carriage is thus maintained in a straight line
direction until forcibly turned aside by the operation of the steering gear, and such
steering can be readily effected without producing a jerky or unsteady motion of
the vehicle.
In the construction of steering gear for a motor carriage having but one front
wheel, preferably arrange the spring or springs upon the central steering head in.
such a manner that when the steering head is turning a torsional force is imposed
upon the spring, thus setting up a resistance tending to return the head to its
central position. I sometimes apply the same arrangement to a carriage with two
front wheels.
1 sometimes arrange the driving wheels with the compensating gear and steering
arrangement to the front of the vehicle instead of the back.
MARKS & CLERK,
18 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13 Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, JOHN JOHNSTON, of 2 Bush Street East, Pembroke Dock, in the County of
Pembroke, 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 :-
This invention consists of improvements relating to motor carriages, my object
being to provide more efficient and reliable means for steering than exists with the
vehicles at present in use.
The accompanying drawing, to be hereinafter referred to, is a plan representing
the under frame of a motor-car with my invention applied thereto.
In the application of my invention to a motor carriage having two back wheels,
I mount such wheels upon separate axles as A A' coupled-together by compensating
gear or a jack-in-the-box motion B arranged in the ordinary manner to permit one
wheel to over-run the other, and thus enable the vehicle to be turned round a sharp
corner. Upon each of the back axles A. A' I mount a brake wheel as C or C' and
fix a friction block as D or D' adjacent to each wheel upon the short arm of a
brake lever as E or E'. At the extremity of the long arm of each brake lever E E'
I form a hole or aperture to admit a steering rod F which is connected with a hand
or foot operating lever such as G in any ordinary manner. Upon the steering rod F
I form or attach two collars II II' adjacent to the brake levers, and I interpose a'
spring between each of the levers, and the adjacent collar or projection from the
steering rod. Steering is effected by the application of the friction block to one
or the other of the brake wheels the adjacent wheel of the vehicle being thus
retarded, the opposite one over-runs it, and causes the vehicle to swing round.
When the carriage is in motion the front wheels can be caused to swing or slew
round in either direction by the operation of the aforesaid lever G which forces
the T shaped lever J, to which it is connected by the link G', to the position shown
by dotted lines, such movement being transmitted by the links K K¹ to the axles
of the front wheels and moving same to the dotted line positions. But the slewing
is effected against the resistance of springs on the steering head or other convenient
position such resistance always tending to return the wheels to their central or
normal position. The motion of the carriage is thus maintained in a straight line
direction until forcibly turned aside by the operation of the steering gear, and such
steering can be readily effected without producing a jerky or unsteady motion of
the vehicle. I sometimes dispense with the resistance springs hereinbefore
referred to.
I adapt the herein before described arrangement for a single steering wheel or to
a forelock, by employing a straight lever instead of the T shaped lever .J.
In the construction of steering gear for a motor carriage having but one front
wheel, I sometimes arrange the spring or springs upon the central steering head in
such a manner that when the steering head is turning a torsional force is imposed
upon the spring, thus setting up a resistance tending to return the head to its
central position. I sometimes apply the same arrangement to a carriage with two
front wheels.
I sometimes arrange the driving wheels with the compensating gear and steering
arrangement to the front of the vehicle instead of at the back.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is.-
1. The improved means for steering a motor carriage substantially as described.

page_text: 2. In motor carriages and like vehicles, the combination of compensating gear,
with steering and brake mechanism, substantially as described and as illustrated.
3. In motor carriages, the combination comprising the separate axles as A A¹
coupled with compensating gear as B, and the brake wheels CC, blocks D D' and
levers E E', with steering mechanism, arranged substantially as and for the purposes
described and as illustrated.
Dated this 8th day of March 1897
MARKS & CLERK,
18 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13 Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicant.