Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Autocars and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Feb., 1899-Accepted, 15th Apr., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Autocars and the like.
A communication by THE KÖLNER ACCUMULATOREN-WERKE GOTTFRIED HAGEN,
of Kalk, near Cologne, in the Empire of Germany.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester,
both in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil 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 relates to a driving mechanism for autocars and the like in
which the motor is connected rigidly or on springs with the car body and drives
by means of belts, chains or the like the driving axle which cannot share in this
spring action.
This improved, arrangement has for its object the influencing of the tension
of the belts by means of springs in such a way that in spite of all the joltings
or oscillations of the car body, not only does the belt remain constantly taut,
but elongations of the belt are compensated for, and too great strains on the belt
and overloading of the motor by alterations of speed in the same or impediments
in the way of the car are avoided.
In the present invention this is attained by the arrangement of a peculiar
flexible or hinged four cornered figure which has two spring sides situated
opposite one another and two rigid ones and also a rigid diagonal as will be
hereinafter described.
The object of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings,
in which:-
Figure 1 is a mainly diagrammatic representation of this improved driving
apparatus in side view.
Figure 2 a front view of same partly in section.
Figure 3 a section on the line A
Figure 4 a section on the line B
A of Figure 2.
B of Figure 3.
The wheel axle a carries springs c supporting the car body b. On the end of
said axle the car wheels d and cog wheels firmly connected therewith are
mounted so as to be freely revoluble. The axle a is also enclosed by two
sleeves which can also freely rotate on it and in the arms g of which the
shafts of the pinions i engaging with the cog wheels e are mounted. In order
that both wheels d may rotate independently one of the other, the shafts h are
driven by means of differential gearing 1 from a motor k firmly connected with
the car body b, which gearing is only shown diagrammatically in the drawing
and is at the same time assumed to consist of a belt pulley for the belt m.

page_text: As shown in Figure 1 the shaft can revolve in a circle round the shaft a as
both are connected with one another by the arms g. The pinions i can thus
never come out of engagement with the cog wheels e. In order to keep the
belt or chain m always correctly taut, the following arrangement is adopted.
Over the sleeve f on each side a freely revoluble arm n is placed which is
pivotally connected with the under frame of the car by links o carrying a
bolt 2.
On this bolt p a spring q engages, the other end of which is received
by a holder or sleeve r placed on the shaft h (Figure 4) and freely revoluble
thereon.
The arm g, spring q, link and spring thus form a flexible four cornered
figure, one diagonal of which is formed of the rigid arm n. This four cornered
figure is attached by one corner to the wheel axle a and with an adjacent one to
the under frame of the carriage. Between the two other corners is located the
spring which controls the tension of the belt. Instead of the links o other
any
like vertical guide may of course be employed.
On the motor being started and also at each increase in the speed the spring q
-is first compressed and thus produces a slight slackening of the belt m and
consequently a transmission free from jerk. The same takes place if the car
when running suddenly encounters obstructions, like gutter stones (channel
stones) or short extraordinary steep gradients and the like. The slackening
of the belt admits of the same slipping slightly and thereby avoids overloading
the motor in the most effective manner.
If, where electric motors are used, the motor is also to be utilized as a brake
the spring 9 yields when the brake is applied and the belt is stretched more
strongly. By this means any slipping which is so dangerous in this case is
avoided.
-Where-benzine or petroleum motors are employed several step pulleys may be
arranged on the gear shaft in order to allow of different speeds. The spring
mounting of the gear shaft in this case also allows of a slight slipping of the
belt in the event of sudden changes in the load or of overloading of the motor
and there is therefore no reason to fear the motor becoming stationary by reason
of overloading.
In the drawing it is assumed that the motor and gear shaft are arranged on
different sides of the driving axle but they may be both placed on the same side
with a suitable arrangement of the spring q
It is also not necessary that there be only one motor as shown in the draw-
ings, acting on a differential gear arranged as a belt pulley but a separate
motor may be provided for each wheel so that the two may revolve independently
one of the other.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. A driving mechanism for autocars and the like characterized by the
driving wheel gear shaft which is operated from the motor by means of a belt,
chain or the like being always maintained in engagement with the same and
pressed away from the motor by means of springs, with the object, on the one
hand, of maintaining the means of transmission between motor and gear shaft
always sufficiently stretched, and on the other hand of transmitting without
jerk to the driving wheels alterations in the speed of the motor substantially
as herein before set forth.
2. A form of construction of the hereinbefore described driving mechanism for
autocars and the like in which the car axle (a) carries on the one hand revoluble
arms (9) which always maintain the gear pinion (2) at an equal distance from
the driving shaft and therefore always in correct engagement with the cog-
wheel (e) of the driving wheel (d), and on the other hand revoluble arms (n),
the ends of which are connected with the car body (b) by means of links (o) or

page_text: other vertical guide, springs (9) being arranged between the two groups of
arms (g and n), to press the gear shaft away from the motor axle, substantially
as described.
Dated the 22nd day of Wobmum 1900
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.