Improvements in or relating to the Gear or Mechanism for Steering Motor Cars or Motor Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 16th June, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 15th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 11th Nov., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in or relating to the Gear or Mechanism for Steering
Motor Cars or Motor Vehicles.
We, THE MOTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LIMITED, of 47, Holborn Viaduct,
London; and GEORGE IDEN, Manager to the aforesaid Company, of Motor Mills,
Coventry; do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the gear or mechanism for steering
motor cars, auto-cars or other motor road-vehicles special advantages obtained
(inter alia) being (1) fewness of the number of parts constituting this improved
gear or mechanism and (2) the said parts are constructed and arranged in such-
wise that should any nuts, split pins or washers by any means become loose never-
the less there would be no danger as this steering gear or mechanism would not
thereby break down or fail to act.
In carrying the present invention into practice with a motor vehicle having a
pair of steering wheels coupled and having the horizontal axle or shaft of each
said steering wheel carried on or connected to a vertical pin or axis each of which
latter is provided with a crank arm or lever extending horizontally therefrom;
according to the present invention the said cranks are coupled or connected by
means of a stout (solid or hollow) rod or connection advantageously a solid bar
in a single piece having each end of said rod or bar turned down at or about right
angles and such turned down ends screw threaded and adapted to pass through-
so as to be free to turn in the aforesaid crank arm or lever on each steering
wheel and nuts (and washers) can then be screwed thereon underneath each said
crank arm or lever which latter are thus securely coupled together by this single
piece bar or rod which for convenience will be termed the "coupling rod."
Towards one end of this coupling rod same has pivotted thereto or connected
by means of a link or knuckle joint or eyebolt or any other suitable means one end
of a rigid connecting rod which at its other end is similarly or otherwise suitably
66 tiller" or
connected to a crank arm or lever operated by the steering handle or
steering wheel or equivalent-and for the sake of example the invention will be
tiller," and the said crank
described as carried out with a steering handle or
arm or lever operated by said "tiller" will be termed as the "tiller-crank."
The shaft of this "tiller-crank" is pivotted or journalled in any suitable bear-
ing mounted on a fixed part of the vehicle frame or otherwise suitably mounted
and the "tiller" itself is rigidly fixed to or formed on said tiller-crank shaft and
thus whatever movement is imparted by the steersman to the tiller will conse-
quently be thereby transmitted to the tiller-crank which latter through the
medium of the aforesaid connecting rod will thereby operate the aforesaid "
ling rod" which in turn will simultaneously turn the pair of steering wheels in
the same direction (right or left).
coup-
A steering gear or steering mechanism according to the present invention is
strated by way of example in the accompanying sheet of drawings:-

page_text: Fig. 1 is a plan (diagrammatic) view thereof.
Fig. 2 is a "local" end view in elevation--and Fig. 3 a plan of the steering
mechanism alone; on an enlarged scale.
Fis frame or fixed part of the vehicle.
E is tiller" or steering handle.
Dis tiller-crank.
Dis tiller-crank shaft journalled in said frame F.
A is connecting rod from tiller-crank D to the coupling rod B.
B is coupling rod.
CC are crank arms or levers rigidly connected to the hinged or pivotted
pins YY respectively which latter are rigidly connected to the shaft or axle of
the wheels Z respectively.
Thus it will be seen that this steering device is of a very simple character and
consisting only of a very few parts.
Improvements in or relating to the Gear or Mechanism for Steering
Motor Cars or Motor Vehicles.
We, THE MOTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LIMITED, of 47, Holborn Viaduct,
London; and GEORGE IDEN, Manager to the aforesaid Company, of Motor Mills,
Coventry 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 improvements in the gear or mechanism for steering
motor cars, auto-cars or other motor road-vehicles special advantages obtained
(inter alia) being (1) fewness of the number of parts constituting this improved
gear or mechanism and (2) the said parts are constructed and arranged in such-
wise as to obviate or reduce any danger of the steering gear breaking down or
failing to act in the event of any nuts, split pins or washers by any means becom-
ing detached or loose.
In carrying the present invention into practice with a motor vehicle having a
pair of steering wheels coupled and having the horizontal axle or shaft of each
said steering wheel carried on or connected to a vertical pin or axis each of which
latter is provided with a crank arm or lever extending horizontally therefrom;
according to the present invention the said cranks are coupled or connected by
means of a stout (solid or hollow) rod or connection advantageously a solid bar
in a single piece having each end of said rod or bar turned down at or about right
angles and such turned down ends screw threaded and adapted to pass through-
so as to be free to turn in the aforesaid crank arm or lever on each steering
wheel and nuts (and washers) can then be screwed thereon underneath each said
crank arm or lever which latter are thus securely coupled together by this single
piece bar or rod which for convenience will be termed the "coupling rod."
Towards one end of this coupling rod same has pivoted thereto or connected
by means of a link or knuckle joint or eyebolt or any other suitable means one end
of a rigid connecting rod which at its other end is similarly or otherwise suitably.
connected to a crank arm or lever operated by the steering handle or
* tiller" ог

page_text: steering wheel or equivalent and for the sake of example the invention will be
described as carried out with a steering handle or "tiller," and the said crank
arm or lever operated by said "tiller" will be termed as the "tiller-crank,"
The shaft of this "tiller-crank" is pivoted or journȧlled in any suitable bear-
ing mounted on a fixed part of the vehicle frame or otherwise suitably mounted
and the "tiller" itself is rigidly fixed to or formed on said tiller-crank shaft and
thereby the movement imparted by the steersman to the tiller will conse-
quently be thereby transmitted to the tiller-crank which latter through the
medium of the aforesaid connecting rod will thereby operate the aforesaid "coup-
ling rod" which latter will simultaneously turn the pair of steering wheels in
the same direction (right or left).
A steering gear or steering mechanism according to the present invention is
illustrated by way of example in the sheet of drawings left with the Provisional
Specification herein.
Referring to the drawings left with the Provisional Specification in this case: -
Fig. 1 is a plan (diagrammatic) view.
Fig. 2 is a "local" end view in elevation--and Fig. 3 a plan of the steering
mechanism alone; on an enlarged scale.
F is bearing (for the tiller-crank shaft) fixed to the frame or body of the vehicle.
E is steering handle or tiller."
Dis tiller-crank.
"
Distiller-crank shaft journalled in said bearing F.
A is connecting rod from tiller-crank D to the coupling rod B.
Bis coupling rod.
CC are crank arms or levers rigidly connected to the hinged or pivoted
pins YY respectively which latter are rigidly connected to the shaft or axle of
the wheels ZZ respectively.
Thus it will be seen that this steering device is of a very simple character and
consisting only of a very few parts.
Moreover it will be seen that the connecting rod A at one end is connected
from above into the tiller-crank 1) and similarly at the other end into the coup-
ling rod B while the latter fits from above into the crank-arms or levers CC¹
respectively so that these parts would remain connected and workable even if
their nuts worked loose or came off.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A gear or mechanism for steering motor cars or other motor road-vehicles
consisting of a steering handle or other suitable means to rotate a crank-shaft.
journalled in a vertical bearing, a crank on said crank-shaft having
one end of a connecting rod connected thereto, a coupling rod to which
is connected the other end of said connecting rod this said coupling rod serving
to couple together the crank arm or lever on each of 2 otherwise independent
steering wheels whereby the latter are simultaneously turned to steer the vehicle
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described.
2. A gear or mechanism for steering motor cars or other motor road-vehicles
having 2 independently mounted steering wheels ZZ' each said wheel being secured
to its respective vertical crank-shaft Y Y adapted to be rotated by a crank arm
or lever CC and respectively journalled in vertical bearing secured to the frame
of the vehicle in combination and acting in conjunction with a coupling rod such
as the turned down ends of which are fitted from above into the cranks CC'
to couple the latter, a connecting rod A one end of which is connected from above
into the coupling rod B and connects said coupling rod to the tiller-crank D and
means (such as the steering handle E) adapted to operate said crank ]) and there-
by simultaneously turn the steering wheels substantially in the manner and for

page_text: the purposes herein before described with reference to the drawings hereunto
annexed.
3. The herein-described improved gear or mechanism for steering motor cars
or other motor road-vehicles constructed combined and arranged to. act substan-
tially as and for the purposes described with reference to and as illustrated in the
drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 15th day of September 1899.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
31, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.