An improved Electrically Propelled Carriage.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 20th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1895
An improved Electrically Propelled Carriage.
I, FRANK KING of 4 Great Winchester Street in the City of London, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to provide an electrically propelled carriage for
common roads the combination and arrangement of parts constituting the said
carriage being such that the carriage is under easy control and is not subject to
such excessive jar or vibration as will injure the electric appliances used on the
carriage.
One of the chief difficulties hitherto found in the application of electrical power
to carriages upon common roads has been that the jarring and vibration have
tended to disorganise the secondary batteries and the machinery and to damage
the insulation of the armatures and conducting wires of the motor.
In order to obviate these difficulties I may according to one form of my invention
support the batteries and machinery upon air or other springs and in order to do
this I provide means of connection between the wheels and the motor which shall
permit of the rising and falling of the driven wheel axle relatively to the motor.
In the ordinary locomotive engine this relative freedom is provided for by the
intervention of the connecting rod which is unsuitable for an electrically driven
car. I may employ for this purpose as the connecting medium for driving the
wheels a worm mounted upon a sleeve so as to be free to move in a direction
tangential to a worm wheel upon or in connection with the axle shaft, thus
permitting the axle to rise and fall and allowing springs or rubber balls or air
cushions to be introduced in order to relieve the car and its batteries and machinery
from vibration.
According to another plan which I prefer I provide the road wheels with
pneumatic tyres or I use pneumatic wheels which take up the vibration and permit
at the same time of the use of wheel axles as heretofore rigidly connected with the
body of the car and the driving machinery without the necessity for using a
connecting rod, sliding worm, or equivalent device.
The driving power is preferably applied from separate motors each driving the
parts of a divided axle on each part of which a simple or compound driving wheel
is secured. The brakes may be applied to a special wheel or wheels fixed on the
axies as the application of effective brake power to pneumatic wheels or tyres
would cause excessive wear and tear.
The steering is performed preferably by an electric motor distinct from that or
those which drive or drives the carriage and the current actuating this motor is
controlled by a switch in convenient position to be operated by the person in charge.
It is preferred to provide an arrangement in connection with the steering apparatus
by means of which the current to the steering motor is automatically cut off by
breaking the electric circuit when the axle and wheel or wheels have been brought
to the maximum angular position considered expedient; when the driver reverses
the switch or returns it to the mid-position the contacts for completing the circuit
to the steering motor are again made. The shafts and axles may be mounted to
run on roller or ball bearings. The storage batteries which supply the motors
with current may be carried in receptacles under the body of the car in such a
manner as to prevent any fumes arising from the working of the battery from
entering the car or affecting its occupants. They may be run into position on

page_text: sliding runners or on rails which are also used as contact pieces for completing the
circuit between the batteries and motors. The whole of the motor, steering and
battery arrangements may form, part of a platform whereon the body of the
carriage may be built or placed. The carriage may be provided with switches
arranged in connection with, conductors from the divisions of the battery or
batteries so that the battery or batteries can be used together as one series or
divided up into several series varying the speed or power as may from time to
time be required or desired as for instance when additional power is required for
ascending hills or greater speed is desired for level roads.
Dated this 20th day of November 1894.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, Agents.
I, FRANK KING of 4 Great Winchester Street in the City of London, 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 :-
My invention has for its object to provide an electrically propelled carriage for
common roads, the combination, and arrangement of parts, constituting the said
carriage being such that the carriage is under easy control and is not subject to
such excessive jar, or vibration, as will injure the electrical appliances used on the
carriage.
One of the chief difficulties hitherto experienced in the application of electrical
power to carriages upon common roads has been that the jarring and vibration
have disorganized the secondary batteries, and the machinery generally and
damaged the insulation of the armatures, and conducting wires of the motor. To
obviate, or reduce to a minimum these difficulties I may support the batteries and
machinery with the intervention of air or other springs. The accompanying
drawing shows in Fig. 1 in elevation and in Fig. 2 in plan the lower part of an
electrically propelled carriage constructed according to my invention wherein the
springs which are arranged to give the effect hereinbefore mentioned are shown as
consisting of spiral springs A. interposed between, the platform B which supports
the body of the vehicle and the bracket or bar C and between the. said bracket or
bar and the seating of the driving motors and of spiral springs A2 between the said
platform and the supports for the axle of the driving wheel and also of laminated
springs which are placed between the said platform and the fore carriage (which
carries the steering motor) and the supports of the axle of the steering wheels..
DD are the driving motors. The driving power is most efficiently applied by
employing a driving axle divided into two lengths G G2 each dynamo driving a
part of the divided axle by means of a worm E gearing with a worm wheel Fone
being secured to each part of the axle the worms and worm wheels being covered
by protecting casings e. I have shown a single wheel on each part of the.axle but
I may use a compound wheel at each side if preferred.
The springs introduced as aforesaid may be of any suitable kind for instance
they may be rubber balls or air cushions instead of the metal springs shewn provided
thoy are of a nature to relieve the car and its batteries and machinery from jar and
vibration as aforesaid. The carriage is shown as being provided with pneumatic
wheels or wheels having pneumatic. tyres which have the effect of taking up or
absorbing jarring. or vibration, and would even lessen these if the parts which carry
the wheel axles were rigidly connected with the body of the car but it is desirable
also to use the springs as hereinbefore described.