Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 16th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 24th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 26th June, 1897
I, CHARLES THERYC, of 95 Boulevard Beaumarchais, Paris, in the Republic of
France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Various types of electric traction vehicles have been designed and in all of them,
dynamos have been employed to actuate the driving wheel or wheels by the aid of a
suitable transmitting device.
The object of this invention is to construct a wheel with an electromotor hub,
capable of being adapted to any vehicle, and, more especially, to bicycles. This
device, consists in the combination of the hub of a wheel of any suitable kind, with
an electro motor in a particular manner, which allows the auxiliary transmission gear,
as hitherto used, to be dispensed with.
The advantage resulting from this arrangement as regards the interchangeability of
this wheel is evident.
Taking for example a bicycle having as its driving wheel a wheel constructed
according to my invention, and consequently propelled by electricity; if at any time,
this bicycle is required to be converted into an ordinary bicycle, it is sufficient to
replace the driving wheel by an ordinary wheel.
In the following description, I will, in order to facilitate its clearness suppose, that
my driving wheel is applied to a safety bicycle, it must however be well understood
that I do not restrict my rights to this application only of the invention, I may use
this wheel for any other suitable vehicle.
Upon a suitable part of the bicycle frame I arrange a source of electricity (batteries,
accumulators or the like) and connect such source of electricity, by means of two
wires, to metal concentric plates or rings, placed on one face of the circular box
forming the hub casing. My electro motor is composed of a dynamo, the armature
of which revolves in the magnetic field developed by the pole pieces. This armature
is fixed to the axle of the bicycle wheel which is supported in the usual manner by
the forks, and which turns freely in ball bearings. The connection of the armature
with the axle is effected by means of two press-cones of insulating material such as
wood, ebonite or the like. The axle carries at one of its extremities a pinion which
gears with an intermediate wheel mounted in ball bearings upon a shaft or stud
supported by the fork. This intermediate wheel is thus actuated by the shaft pinion
and transmits motion to an internally toothed wheel formed solid with the circular
box to the interior of which the field-magnet is fixed. The circular box containing
the field magnet is connected, to the tyre rim by means of spokes fastened to
projections or flanges on the said box, and is held in position upon the axle, around
which it freely turns, by means of ball bearings.
The electric conductors which convey the current to the motor, are arranged inside

page_text: the fork and terminate at their lower ends in two carbon brushes which rub upon the
two concentric plates or rings fixed upon the side cover of the circular box and which
are consequently revoluble therewith. The two concentric plates or rings communicate,
in their turn, from the exterior to the interior of the box, with the commutator brush
holders. The concentric plates are of course insulated from the remainder of the box
and only transmit current to the said brush holders which communicate in their turn
with the commutator through the medium of two carbon brushes held in contact with
the said commutator by spiral springs.
From the preceding description it will be easily understood that the current
proceeding from any appropriate source of electricity carried by the bicycle, and
arriving at the armature in the manner indicated, will set the latter in motion. The
said armature by the toothed gear before mentioned communicates an inverse
movement to the circular box which is rigidly fixed to the field magnet and to the
rim of the wheel through the medium of the spokes. I may of course place a
rheostat in the electric circuit within reach of the rider so as to enable him to vary
the speed.
It is obvious that by means of this construction which dispenses entirely with the
auxiliary transmission gear a self propelling bicycle or other vehicle of any
description may be immediately converted into an ordinary bicycle or other
vehicle.
Taking for example an ordinary safety bicycle with pedals and chain, of the
common type. In order to instantly convert such vehicle into a self-propelling
bicycle according to my system, it is sufficient to remove the rear wheel, and to
replace it by a wheel constructed as described having an electro-motor hub, and to fix
to any suitable part of the frame a source of electricity, (batteries accumulators or
the like). When this is done, it only remains to connect the source of electricity by
the metal wires to the concentric plates or rings on the circular box in order to obtain
a self-propelling bicycle. The cyclist is then enabled to utilize at will either the
electric power, or to continue the use of the pedals, which in this case have been
retained.
The inverse transformation; that is to say the conversion of the self-propelling
bicycle into an ordinary bicycle is just as simple; it suffices to remove the source of
electricity and to replace the electro-motor wheel by an ordinary wheel.
Dated this 101 a
1 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
I, CHARLES THÉRYC, of 95 Boulevard Beaumarchais, Paris, in the Republic of
France, 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 :-
Various types of electric traction vehicles have been heretofore designed and in all
these types, dynamos have been employed which actuate the driving wheel or wheels
of the vehicle by the aid of any transmitting devices.
The object of this invention is to construct a wheel with an electromotor hub,..
capable of being adapted to any vehicle, and, more especially, to bicycles. This
device as its title indicates, consists in the combination of a wheel of any appropriate
kind with the hub of which the electro motor is combined in a particular manner,

page_text: which combination permits of the auxiliary transmissions, as hitherto used, being.
dispensed with.
The advantage resulting from this arrangement as regards the interchangeability of
this wheel is evident. Taking for example a bicycle having as its driving wheel a
wheel of my kind, and being consequently propelled by electricity; if then at any
moment, this self-propelled bicycle is required to be converted into an ordinary bicycle,
it is sufficient to replace the driving wheel by an ordinary wheel.
In the following description, I will, in order to facilitate its clearness suppose, that
my driving wheel is applied to a safety bicycle, it must however, be well understood
that I do not restrict my invention to this application only as I may use this wheel for
any other suitable purpose.
In order to render the following explanations as clear as possible, I have repre-
sented the same in the accompanying drawing as applied, by way of example, to a
bicycle-wheel with an electromotor hub.
Figure 1 represents a cross section of the wheel and its hub.
Figure 2 is a cross section of the electro motor constituting the hub of the
wheel, and
Figure 3 represents in detail the driving gear.
At any suitable point of the bicycle frame I arrange a source of electricity
(batteries, accumulators or the like) and I connect such source of electricity by
means of two wires, to metal crowns or rings g¹ g², placed on one of the faces of
the hub casing (Figure 1). My electromotor is composed of a dynamo, the
armature A A B B of which revolves in the magnetic field developed by the pole
pieces CC (Figure 1); this armature forms a solid body, with the axle D of the
bicycle wheel which is supported in the usual manner by the forks T T¹.
This
axle D turns freely in ball bearings M M. The connection of the armature A B
with the axle D is effected by means of two press-cones D' D' of insulating
material such as wood, ebonite or the like. The axle D carries at one of its
extremities a pinion K which gears with an intermediate wheel J mounted in ball
bearings upon the shaft N supported by the fork T. This intermediate wheel J
thus receives the motion from the pinion K and transmits the same to the internally
toothed wheel L which forms solid part of the circular box I, to the interior of which
latter the field-magnet A' A' B' B' is fixed. This box I with which the field magnet
acts jointly, is connected, on the one hand, to the rim by means of the spokes R R¹
fastened to the projections or flanges OO and, on the other hand, this box I is
hold in position upon the axle, around which it freely turns, by means of the ball
bearings H H.
The electric conductors which convey the current to the motor, descend in the
fork T and terminate in two carbon brushes which rub upon the two concentric
circles gg, which are fixed upon the side cover of the box I, and which are
compelled to follow the rotary movement of this box. The two circles g¹ g2 com-
municate, in their turn, from the exterior to the interior of the box, with the brush
holders G G. The circles g¹ g² are of course insulated from the remainder of the
box and only transmit the current to the brush holders G. The brush holders G
communicate in their turn with the commutator E through the medium of two carbon
brushes F held in contact by two spiral springs g.
From the preceding description it will be easily understood that the current
proceeding from any source of electricity carried by the bicycle, and arriving at the
armature, in the manner indicated, will set the latter in motion. The said armature
by the epicycloidal gear K J L communicates the movement in the inverse direction
to the box I which carries along with it the field magnet A' B', forming a rigid body
with the said box and with the rim of the wheel through the medium of the
spokes R R¹. I may of course insert into the electric circuit a rheostat, placed within
reach of the rider, so as to enable him to vary the speed.
Such is the arrangement of the wheel with electro motor hub for vehicles which
forms the subject of this invention. As is apparent, it permits-owing to its con-
structional arrangement which dispenses entirely with the auxiliary transmissions-of

page_text: immediately converting a self-propelling bicycle of any description or other self-
propelling vehicle, into an ordinary bicycle or ordinary traction vehicle.
Taking as an example a safety bicycle and supposing an ordinary one of this kind
with pedals and chain (of the most commonly used type). In order to instantly
convert such vehicle into a self-propelling bicycle of my system, it is sufficient to
remove the rear wheel, to replace it by a wheel with electro-motor hub, and to fix to
any appropriate place of the frame a source of electricity (batteries accumulators or
the like). When this is done, it only remains to connect the source of electricity by
the metal wires to the crowns or rings g g in order to obtain a self-propelling
bicycle. The cyclist is then enabled to utilize at will either the electric power, which
he disposes of, or to continue the use of the pedals, which in this converted form have
been retained.
The transformation in the inverse sense, that is to say the conversion of the self-
propelling bicycle into an ordinary bicycle is just as simple; it suffices to remove the
source of electricity and to replace the wheel with electromotor hub, by an ordinary
wheel.
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 above described wheel with electromotor hub for vehicles..
2. The combination of the electromotor-hub-wheel with a safety bicycle, such as
herein before specified.
3. The combination of the electromotor-hub-wheel with any vehicle.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.