IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR PROPELLING CARS OR OTHER VEHICLES BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Percy Ruskin Allen of Salisbury Street, Strand, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer--for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS FOR PROPELLING CARS OR OTHER VEHICLES BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY,
(Void by reason of the Patentee having neglected to file a Specification in
pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Percy Ruskin Allen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th March 1883.
PERCY RUSKIN ALLEN of Salisbury Street Strand in the County of Middlesex
Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR PROPELLING CARS OR OTHER VEHICLES
MEANS OF ELECTRICITY APPLICABLE IN PART TO SUCH VEHICLES WHEN
PROPELLED BY OTHER MEANS
BY
3
My Invention relates to improvements in the propulsion of cars and other vehicles
on rail or tram ways or other places and refers principally to those instances in
which electromotors are used for propelling the vehicles.
It is desirable to have a method of varying the speed of the vehicle when
required without altering the speed of the motor or it is desirable to alter the
speed of the gearing at different rates. To accomplish this end I cause the motor to
drive the countershaft or axle of the wheels themselves by means of ropes passing
over pulleys both on the axle of the motor and on the countershaft or axle of the
vehicle the said pulleys have grooves or recesses formed in them of a suitable angle
to grip the rope. Each pulley is made in two pieces one piece carrying the sides
which form half the groove the other piece carrying the sides which form the other
half these two pieces interlocking all the way round by means of fingers engaging
one with the other. It is obvious that when these halves are caused to approach
to or recede from one another the diameter of the circle where the fingers intersect
will become greater or less. If the pulley on the dynamo machine is caused to
expand and the pulley on the countershaft or axle is caused to contract in propor-
tion it is obvious that the relative diameters of the pulleys can be varied and a

page_text: varying speed be thus imparted to the countershaft and thus to the counter-
shaft or axle and so to the road wheels whilst the rope is kept at equal tension.
These expanding pulleys may be actuated by any convenient means such as a lay
shaft with an arm at each end one arm causing the two halves of the pulley to
approach while the other arm by the same operation causes the two halves of the
opposite pulley to recede or by means of a lever pivoted so that the opposite ends
give the required simultaneous motion to the pulleys Apart from this simulta-
neous motion to the pulleys I employ an independent adjustment to one or both of
the pulleys so that in the event of the Cords or ropes getting slack the diameter of
one of the pulleys may be increased relatively to that of the other and this without
interfering with their simultaneous adjustment I may employ several expanding
pulleys of this sort placed side by side on the same axle or spindle and actuated by
the same movement of the lever so that the power may be transmitted by several
cords or ropes simultaneously Instead of the halves of the several pulleys being
independent of each other all the corresponding halves say the left hand halves of
all the pulleys may be formed in one piece and all the other corresponding be
similarly formed in one other piece
In the application of this gear for driving Vehicles these expanding pulleys may
be placed on the motor shaft and Countershaft or on the motor shaft and axle
direct or from the Countershaft to the axle or more than one set of gearing of this
kind in combination with one or more countershafts may be employed-To enable
the Vehicle to be readily started and to prevent injury to the motor by any sudden
rush of current through it while the vehicle is moving slowly I arrange gearing so
that a slower motion is communicated to the wheels of the car at the moment of
starting this gearing being arranged to throw itself out either automatically or by
hand when a certain rate of speed is attained when the ordinary gearing comes
into play. This arrangement enables the motor to be run at its normal rate at the
moment of starting so that it generates a sufficient back electro motive force to
prevent an undue amount of current flowing through it-Either one or more axles
of the car may be driven simultaneously from the motor but I preferably commu-
nicate the motion from the motor to one of the axles and gear the other axles by
means of pitch chains-To prevent an undue flow of current to the motor at the
moment of starting I may insert a variable resistance between the motor and the
source of electricity which when the machine is at rest is of such resistance that
only a small amount of current will flow sufficient to start the motor but. as, the
difference of potential at the terminals of the motor increase owing to the genera-
tion this resistance may be diminished and this may be accomplished by means of
an automatic arrangement controlled by an electro motive force measurer at the
terminals of the motor-The same effect may be more economically cut, cutting
out a cell or cells of the battery throwing them in again as required-With a view
to farther facilitate the starting of the car I sometimes apply to the countershaft or
axles of the motor or to the axle of the car an arrangement of friction clutch which
can be tightened either by hand or automatically to bring the car gradually into
motion The speed of the vehicle may be controlled in the ordinary manner by
increasing the current sent through the motor or by increasing the speed of the
wheels by means of expanding gearing or by a combination of both and where the
car is on a level the speed can be kept practically uniform by means of a centrifugal
governor driven off the axles of the car and altering the expanding gearing or the
amount of current flowing through the motor:
When it is temporarily desired to increase the tractive power of the car such as
in starting or ascending inclines I may employ two motors which may be worked
either independently from the cells or in combination the one with the other but I
prefer to employ as a motor a machine which has either several armatures or.inde-
pendent coils wound upon one armature then by connecting the circuit in series or
parallel more or less current may be temporarily taken from the battery according
to the requirements of traction To enable this to be done automatically I may fit
to the car a tube situated longitudinally of the car with a rising portion at each

page_text: end-This tube may contain mercury and at one or each end of the rising tubes
there is a metallic contact which actuates mechanism for controlling the before
mentioned arrangement-When the tube is running on a level road the mercury
stands at the same height in both of the rising tubes but when it is ascending an
incline the level in the back tube is higher than that in the front tube and if it
reaches a predetermined distance it effects the required changes in the circuits and
when it comes level again the normal condition of the circuit is restored, when
descending an incline the converse takes place-When descending an incline the
revolutions of the car wheels may be made to generate current in the motor and
feed back into the secondary batteries or source of power, Where two motors are
used a suitable clutch may be provided to gear them together I make these
alterations of the dynamo circuits to be controlled by a centrifugal governor or its
equivalent, As a brake I employ a disc of metal fixed to the countershaft or car
axle This. revolves between the poles of an independent electromagnet In the
ordinary course of events when no current is sent round the magnet this freely
revolves and may also be employed as a flywheel but when the electro magnet is
rendered active by a current being sent through it a powerful braking action
tending to arrest the motion of the shaft takes place. the arrangements for stopping
and starting the car consists in providing a clutch upon the axle or counter shaft
which clutch when thrown into gear will by suitable mechanism pull upon a piston
in a cylinder or chamber so as to compress air or produce a vacuum therein the
power expended in doing this exerting a retarding action upon the car and when it
is desired to start the car the stored power in the compressed air or vacuum
cylinder or chamber is caused to act to give impetus in starting. The parts are so
arranged that when the car has started and the piston has resumed its, normal
position the ordinary driving gear will be engaged with the motor or the changing
of the circuits of the multiple machine or of the separate machines will be
effected.
Where the expanding gearing hereinbefore described is applied to vehicles
operated by motive power other than electricity the variation in their diameters
may be effected by a governor and suitable mechanical connections-The expansion
of the air in the chamber or the fall of the vacuum can be made to start the motor
as well as start the car
Another part of my Invention relates to instantaneously changing when
exhausted the cells or accumulators which are used to propel the vehicle, To
enable this to be readily done I fix several cells on a frame and make the outside
frames common to several cells and fit trunnions at the ends or sides of these
frames so that when it is desired to change the cells they may be lifted out of their
place by means of a suitable derrick and instantaneously replaced by a fresh set
To enable this to be done with the least possible loss of time I arrange the electrical
connections of the cells to the motor and to the regulating apparatus so that they
are controlled by one lever or handle, the connections being in the form of spring
catches actuated by one bar This arrangement may be used in combination with
the means for continuing the current during change as described in the Provisional
Specification of my Application for Letters Patent No. 5899 dated the 9th December
1882