Improvements in Electrically-propelled Road Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electrically-propelled Road Vehicles.
PERCY WILBRAHAM NORTHEY (A.I.E.E.), Electrical Engineer, 34, Victoria
Street, London, S.W., THE ELECTRIC MOTIVE POWER COMPANY (LIMITED), 74,
Caistor Road, Balham, London, S.W., do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is an improved means for rendering the appear-
ance of electric carriages more symmetrical by the specific disposal of the motor
relatively to the cells. One method we employ is to so fix the motor within the
carriage body that the armature spindle lies in a vertical plane at an angle most
suited to the description of carriage, the connection between the motor and the
driving axles is made by a shaft having a double universal joint combined with
a telescopic action which thus allows for the play. of the springs supporting
the motor mechanism. According to another modification depending mainly
upon the size and shape of the motor employed we place the motor wholly
between the rows of cells, in which case the rows will evidently be separated by
the width of the motor, or in the event of the motor being given a position above
the cells then the rows will be separated only by the vertical or inclined shaft.
According to a further modification we tilt the vertical shaft at an angle so as
to bring the motor to the most convenient point, on the score of accessibility or
of appearance. In either case the essential feature of our combination is main-
tained, viz.a motor whose axis of revolution is at any convenient angle in
the vertical plane at right angles to the axle and approximately in the centre of
the carriage and whose motion is communicated to a live-axle and differential
gear by means of bevel, tangent or other equivalent gearing, the cells being
disposed symmetrically at either side of the motor or of the shafting transmitting
the motion, and the said shaft having a combined flexible and telescopic move-
ment to allow for the play of springs.
Improvements in Electrically-propelled Road Vehicles.
PERCY WILBRAHAM NORTHEY, Electrical Engineer, of 34, Victoria Street,
Westminster, and THE ELECTRIC MOTIVE POWER COMPANY LIMITED Motor Carriage
[Price 84.1
.
:

page_text: Builders, of 74, Caistor Road, Balham, in the County of Surrey, 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:-
5
Our invention consists in an improved arrangement and construction of the
parts of an electric motor carriage whereby the mechanism is made more acces-
sible to inspection and adjustment, and great symmetry and lightness of appear-
ance are secured.
For this purpose we fix the motor above the battery with its spindle either
vertical or tilted at an angle to the vertical so as to bring the motor to the most
convenient position on the score of accessibility and at the same time to reduce
to a minimum the mechanism to be carried underneath the vehicle.
The connection between the motor and the driving axles is made by a shaft
having a double universal joint or other suitable form of flexible coupling combined
with a telescopic action which allows for the play of the springs supporting the
motor mechanism; and the motion of the shaft is communicated to the live axles
and differential gear by means of a bevel, tangent or other equivalent gearing.
The motor is placed centrally in relation to the width of the carriage, the
cells being disposed symmetrically on either side of the vertical or inclined motor
shaft and the interval between the cell boxes being just sufficient to allow of
the passage of the shaft. In this way two equal cell spaces are obtained into or
out of which the cells may easily slide.
+
Any suitable form of electric motor may be employed, but we find that a
multipolar machine having a field magnet in the form of a cylindrical ring is
most favourable to compactness and symmetry.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 and 2 show the application of our
invention to a vehicle of the brougham type and Fig. 3 & 4 to a vehicle of the
dog-cart type. Fig. 1 is a side view & Fig. 2 an end view of a brougham with
one-half of the battery box removed in each case to show the details of the driving
mechanism. A is an electric motor of the ring magnet type set obliquely above
the cells BB, which are contained in a box attached to the back of the vehicle
body, which box is designed, if required, to slide up vertically into the position
shewn. The details of the slide and fixing arrangements are omitted in the
drawings. We prefer however with this type of vehicle to use the form of box
shewn in Figures 3 and 4 which allows of the cells being slid in and out at the
back of the vehicle.
The motor spindle is connected by means of a double universal joint C C
provided with a telescopic action D to a worm or tangent gearing and differential
gear E, which actuates the driving axles FF.
Fig. 3 is a side view and Fig. 4 an end view of a dog-cart with half the body
removed in each case. In this type of vehicle the motor A is preferably fixed
between the front and back seats with its spindle vertical, and the cells B B,
disposed in the body of the vehicle underneath the seats in two boxes.
The spindle drives through a double universal joint CC provided with a tele-
scopic action D and a bevel or other equivalent gearing H on to a countershaft K
which transmits the motion to a worm or tangent gearing and differential gear E
and the driving axles FF¹. It is evident that if preferred the motor may be
tilted in this as in the former case so that the shaft drives direct on to the
differential gear. In such case the countershaft and bevel gear are dispensed
with.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
I. In and for an electrically propelled vehicle the combination and relative
arrangement of parts consisting of an electric motor having a vertical or inclined
spindle placed symmetrically with relation to the breadth of the vehicle and cell
boxes placed below the motor & enclosing the vertical or inclined shaft; said

page_text: shaft having a flexible and telescopic action all substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
II. In and for an electrically propelled vehicle the combination and relative
arrangement of parts consisting of an electric motor having a vertical or inclined
spindle placed symmetrically with relation to the breadth of the vehicle and a
pair of cell boxes placed below the motor and on either side of the shaft, said
shaft having a flexible and telescopic action, whereby the motor is made readily
accessible and the cells capable of sliding in and out of position substantially as
set forth.
III. The arrangements and combinations of parts constituting our improve-
ments in electrically propelled vehicles substantially as described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
PERCY W. NORTHEY.
THE ELECTRIC MOTIVE POWER COMPANY, LIMITED.
PERCY W. NORTHEY,
Managing Director.