Improvement in Electrically-propelled Vehioles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 13th July, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvement in Electrically-propelled Vehioles.
We, HENRY CHASE BAKER, residing at Kansas City, in the County of
Jackson, and State of Missouri, United States of Ameen, Physician, IIEBER
STONE, esiding at Brenham, in the County of Washington, State of Texas,
United States of America, Banker, and JoHN RICHARD ELBERG, residing at
Kansas City, in the County of Jackson and State of Missour', United States of
America, Cartage-maker, do heroby 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:-
Our invention relates to electrically propelled vehicles, and it consists in certain
peculiar and novel features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be
hereinafter described and claimed, and the object of the invention is to produce, in
combination with a light vehicle of any character or type, and an electric motor
carried thereby, a mechanism which, deriving its motion from the motor, propels
the vehicle at any suitable speed and with the least possible noise. A further
object of the invention is to produce a vehicle of this chaincter which is simple,
strong, and inexpensive of consti uction, and which may be thrown in or out of gear
with the motor at will
In order that the invention may be fully understood, we will proceed to describe
it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which.
Figure represents a view partly in section and partly in side elevation, of an
clectically propelled vehicle embodying om invention
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same, with the body of the vehicle 1(moved.
Figure 3. represents a rear view of the vehicle on an enlarged scale.
Figure 4. represents a transverse section of the rear axle of the vehicle, and the
mechanism for throwing the same at one side into or out of engagement with the
motor.
same
Figure 5. is a view, representing in diagram the motor and the battery.
Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line - of Figure 3.
In the said drawings, 1 designates the rear wheels, and 2 the axle connecting the
3 designates the longitudinally extending springs, which no secured in the
ordinary manner upon the axle, and 4 designates binckets or castings, which are
secured to and project upwardly from the upper side of said springs, and support
the rear end of the vehicle body 5, which in this instance is in the form of a
phaeton The front portion of the phaeton body is supported upon the horizontal
portions 6 of the front springs 7, which converge forwardly, and me pivotally
secured to the ears 9, projecting from the opposite sides of a steering-head 8, and
depending from said steering-head is a fork 10, which embraces and carries
rotatably there the front and guiding wheel 11. The upper end of the steering-
head is also rotatably embraced by a beaning 12, caused at the front end of the
phaeton body, and extending longitudinally of aud projecting through the front
end of the same are a pan of foot-levers, which are pivotally connected at their
front ends to the ears 14, projecting from opposite sides of the steering-head, so
that pressure against one or the other of said levers will guide the vehicle in the
dnection desired. A pair of U-shaped brackets 15 embrace the axle 2, one being
located adjacent to the inuer side of each wheel 1, and carried rigidly between the
vertical aims of the said brackets, and also the brackets 16, arranged at the inner
sides the cof, are the vertical standards 17, which are provided with the central

page_text: and vertical screw-threaded passages 18, and these passages are engaged by the
vertical lift-screws 19; the lift-screw 19 at the left-hand side of the vehicle, as
viewed from the car, being preferably a night-hand screw and the one at the
opposite side of the vehicle a left-hand screw, and these lift-screws are provided at
their upper ends each with a cylindrical head or enlargement 20, which operatively
engages a recess 21 formed in the upper side of the bracket or casting 22. A
bearing comprises the lower member 23, and the upper member or cap 24, and the
lower member is embraced by and bolfed to the vertical arms of the casting 22,
and bridges the upper side of the recess 21, occupied by the head or enlargement 20,
and this bearing is supplied with oil though the cup 25. Arranged hori-
zontally and extending transversely of the vehicle, and vertically above the rear
axle 2, is the shaft 26, which finds a journal near its opposite ends, in the bearing
boxes just described, and inounted rigidly upon the outer cuds of said shaft are the
small friction-discs 27, of leather or any other suitable material, which engage,
when the vehicle is in motion, the fiction-discs 28, bolted or otherwise rigidly
secured to the inner side of the wheels 1.
It will be observed in the drawings, that the conical fiiction-discs 27 engage the
correspondingly beveled inner surface of the discs 28, but it is to be understood
that I do not confine myself to this precise ni rangement of parts, as the object in
view, viz. the propulsion of the velucle, may be accomplished by engaging the
small discs 27, which may be either comical or cylindrical in form, with the
external surface or periphery of the discs 28, said external surface to be beveled if
the conical disc 27 is used. If a cylindrical disc be used the external surface of the
large disc 28 must be cylindrical, as will be readily understood.
Mounted rigidly upon the shaft and centrally thereof, is the armature of a
motor 29, and the support of the motor-frame we will now proceed to describe
AU-shaped bracket 30 embraces the axle 2, and is bolted or otherwise rigidly
secured to the under side of the bracket 31, which at its middle rests upon the said
axle, and the front and rear aims of said bracket 31 ate vertically grooved as
shown at 32, at then inner sides, and the spring 33 rests upon the upper side of the
horizontal bridge or base portion of said bracket. The motor-fame comprises the
vertical side-arms 34, which fit snugly between and are embraced by the arms of
the bracket 31, and said arms 34 are provided with vertical ribs at their outer
sides, which engage the grooves 32 of said bracket, so as to prevent the lateral
displacement of the motor, and the base or bridge portion 36 of said motor-frame
is yieldingly supported by the sping 33
The function of the spring 33 is to relieve the shaft 26 of the weight of the
motor-fiame, by exciting a yielding and continuous upward pressure against
the saine.
It is obvious, particularly in the case of a heavy motor-fiame, that
some support should be provided for the motor-frame, otherwise the shaft sustaining
all this weight at its middle might be bent or otherwise injured, and that any but
a yielding or adjustable support would render the whole device moperative,
because the shaft must be vertically adjusted to throw the mechauisin in or out
of gear.
Projecting laterally from the motor-frame, is the rectangular arm 37, to form a
support for the brushes 38, which engage the commutator 39 of the motor. The
Ibutor is connected in the ordinary manner through the medium of the conductors
or wires 40 and 41, with the opposite poles of the battery 42, which is removably
mounted in the body of the vehicle below the seat, so as to be entirely out of the
way of the occupant or occupants of the vehicle. This battery is preferably a
storage or secondary battery of the ordinary type
Secured rigidly to the lift-screws 19, between the upper ends of the standards
and the lower side of the brackets of castings 22, and converging real wardly, are
the aims 43., A pair of levers 41 are arranged a suitable distance apart, and
projecting downwardly through slots in the bottom of the vehicle-body adjacent to
its front end, ac pisotally mounted at 45 upon the depending brackets 46, which
are carried rigidly by the body of the vehicle, and link-1ods 47 extend through

page_text: openings in the vehicle-body, and are pivotally connected at their rear ends to the
inner ends of the arms 43, and at their front ends to tho levers 44 a suitable
distance above their pivotal points, as shown clearly in Figure 1.
From this construction, it will be apparent, by pushing forwardly upon the
levers 44, owing to the opposite disposition of the lift-screws, that the rotating
friction-discs 27 will be moved upward into frictional engagement with the friction-
discs 28, and cause the vehicle to move forward, and that tho rear ward movement of
said levers will reverse the operation of said lift-screws, and lower the fiiction-
discs 27 out of engagement with the discs 28. It will be further observed that
when it is desired to turn the vehicle, say to the night, the guide-wheel 11 is turned
by the proper operation of the foot-levers 13, and the lever 44 at the left-hand sido
of the vehicle, is pulled rearwardly, so as to lower the small friction-disc 27 at the
corresponding side of the vehicle out of engagement with the friction-disc 28, which
lowers the moto-shaft a little more at one end than at the other, but this
movement is so slight as uot to affect the operation of the other friction-dise 27.
In order to retard the movement of the vehicle when on a descending plane,
and to stop the vehicle at any desired time or place, a motor-reversing mechanisin
of the ordinary construction will be employed, but as this motor-reversing
mechanism forms no part of this invention it is deemed not necessary to describe it
in this application.
From the above description, it will be apparent that we have produced an
electrically propelled vehicle which is simple, strong, and inexpensive of con-
struction, and which, by reason of the mutually engaging fiction-discs 27 and 28,
will be propelled with the least possible noise.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what wo
claim is:
1. An electrically propelled vehicle, comprising a wheeled frame, a battery
carted thereby, a motor electrically connected to said battery, friction-disca
mounted upon and rotating with the motor-shaft, and friction-discs mounted to
rotate with certam wheels of the vehicle, and engaged by the first-mentioned
friction-discs, substantially as set forth.
2. An electrically propelled vehicle, comprising a wheeled frame, a motor carried
thereby, a bracket carried by the rear axle of said frame, a spring carried by said
bracket, a motor yieldingly supported upon said spring, and electrically connected
to the battery, small fiction-discs mounted upon the motor-shaft, and large
fiiction-discs carried rigidly by the wheels of the frame journaled loosely upon the
said axle, substantially as set forth.
3. An electrically propelled vehicle, comprising a wheeled frame, a bracket
carried by the rear axle of said wheeled frame, a spring carried by said bracket, a
battery located in the body of the vehicle, a motor mounted upon said spring and
between the aims of said bracket, and electrically connected to said battery,
friction-discs mounted upon the shaft of the motor, and fiction-discs carried by
the wheels of Eaid axle, screw-threaded standards supported upon said axle, lift-
screws engaging the same, bearing-boxes carried by saul lift-screws and engaging
the motor-shaft near its opposite ends, arms mounted rigidly upon said lift-screws,
and means to operate the same so that the motor-shaft will be raised or lowered,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 29th day of November 1894.
HENRY CHASE BAKER.
HEBER STONE.
JOIN RICHARD ELBERG.