Improvements in Motor Road Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th July, 1896-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1896
-Improvements in Motor Road Vehicles.
I, CHARLES HENRY BARROWS, of 41 Bank Street, in the City of Willimantic,
County of Windham, and State of Connecticut, United States of America, Label
Cutter, 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 relates to improvements in motor vehicles, and the object in view
is to provide a simple, light and substantial construction in which the parts are
completely arranged in a manner to apply power to the front wheel which is also
the steering wheel of the vehicle.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle is a tricycle
with a main carrying frame equipped with one or more seats for the accommodation
of the rider or riders and with receptacles for the electrical storage battery or
batteries which furnish the energy for the motor. To the main frame are connected
independent forked bars, and in each forked bar, of which there are two, is fitted
one of the rear carrying wheels, the short axle of said wheel being journaled in
bearings provided therefor in the forked bar, whereby the rear wheels are inde-
pendently journaled in separate forked bars attached to the main frame. At
the front end of the main frame is a fixed tubular head, in which is fitted an
upright steering spindle, the upper end of said spindle having a handle bar and
the lower part of the spindle being bifurcated to accommodate the single front
wheel of the vehicle. This front wheel is peculiarly constructed to render it
available for service as the propelling wheel for the vehicle in addition to serving
as the steering wheel for the guidance of the machine. Said wheel consists of
a single hub, two parallel rims spaced a suitable distance from each other and
having their spokes arranged alternately or in staggered relation to one another
and said spokes rigidly united to the hub, and suitable tires on the two rims, and
a large driving sprocket wheel arranged between the spaced rims and suitably
united thereto, preferably by fastening the sprocket wheel to the spokes of said
parallel rims by means of clips the whole being substantially built up.
The diameter of the sprocket wheel is considerably less than the diameter of the
two spaced rims, and said sprocket wheel is secured to the spokes of the rim
within the inner edges of the said rims to leave annular open spaces between the
inner edges of the sprocket wheel through which spaces may be discharged any
dirt, snow, etc. which may accumulate in the annular groove of the front wheel,
whereby the front wheel is prevented from clogging to interfere with the action of
the sprocket chain.
My improved vehicle is equipped with an electric motor which is carried or
rigidly mounted on the head or upper end of the steering fork so that the motor
will be adjusted with, and partake of the adjustment of, the steering fork and the
front wheel, in order to keep the motor shaft in parallel relation to the axle of said
front wheel.
This motor is a twin motor, with two sets of pole pieces or field magnets,
two armatures and a single shaft; and between these field magnets and arma-
tures is arranged a small sprocket wheel which is rigid with the motor shaft.
The employment of a twin motor enables me to mount it on the steering head

page_text: Figure 4 is a detail view of the front, steering and propelling wheel.
Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the
drawings, referring to which,
A designates the main carrying frame of my motor vehicle, B, B, are the rear
carrying wheels, and C is the front wheel which serves both as the steering wheel
and as the propelling wheel for the vehicle.
The main frame A may be constructed in any suitable way, having in view a
light but strong frame, but in the form shown in the drawing, it comprises the
transverse bars a, a, a, the vertical and inclined bars a¹, a', and the reach bars a", al,
the latter being the "back bone" on which the saddle A' is mounted when the
machine is designed to accommodate a single rider. As stated, the frame may be
differently constructed and braced, and especially so when the vehicle is to carry
two or more persone.
To the front end of the frame A, or rather to the reach bars a", al, is securely
joined the bead D', which head receives and forms the journal for the steering
spindle D, the latter fitting loosely in the head D' so it can be turned freely therein.
A handle bar d is fastened to the upper end of this steering spindle, and at the lower
end of said spindle is a cross head e and a fork e, the latter accommodating the front
wheel C which has its axle c, journaled in suitable bearings at or near the lower
extremities of the steering fork e'.
The rear wheels B, B, are made similar to ordinary rubber-tired bicycle wheels,
and each rear wheel has a short-axle b, which is journaled in bearings provided at
the rear ends of a bifurcated or forked bar B', the wheel B fitting between the
forks of said bar, as shown by Figures 1 and 2. Two of these forks B', B', are
provided for the accommodation of the two wheels B, B, and one wheel and its bar
are arranged in one side of the frame A, while the other wheel and bar are disposed
on the opposite side of said frame A. These forked wheel-carrying bars B¹, B',
are attached to the main frame A in any suitable manner, and I prefer to couple
said bars B' to said main frame A in a way to permit each wheel B to turn with
its own short axle when rounding curves or turning corners, so that there will be
no more friction when the vehicle is turning corners than when pursuing a straight
course.
"The main frame is also designed to carry the storage batteries which furnish the
currents of electrical energy for running the motor. The storage battery cells are
contained in the receptacle or receptacles E, which are rigidly secured to and

page_text: between the bars a of the main frame in any suitable way. I prefer to employ two
of the receptacles E and to arrange them side by side and longitudinally of the
frame A, so that ready access may be had to the rear ends of said receptacles, at the
rear end of the machine, for the purpose of placing the cells in said receptacles or
removing the cells therefrom.
The front wheel C of the machine is built up to form a central annular space or
groove o in the periphery of the wheel. Said wheel consists of the single trans-
verse hub f, the rims g, g¹ and the sprocket wheel or rim h. The rim, 9, 9 are
made of metal, or other suitable material, and they have spokes i, , which are
fastened to the hub in a suitable way, the spokes i of the rim y alternating with
the spokes of the rim . These rims g, y' are spaced apart laterally a
sufficient distance to accommodate the sprocket wheel h between the rims
and their spokes, and said rims g, gare arranged parallel to each other,
so that their outer surfaces are in parallel planes or flush with each other.
These rims 9,
are equipped with elastic tires, j, preferably of rubber,
and these tires may be of any suitable pattern or construction. The sprocket
wheel h while made of large diameter, still is less in diameter than the rims g, g¹ so
that the annular openings or spaces k will be left between the inner edges of the
rims g, g' and the outer edges of the sprocket wheel h, through which spaces k may
be freely discharged any dirt, snow etc. which may accumulate in the annular groove
of the wheel C. This sprocket wheel h is rigidly fastened between and within the
rims g, gl in a suitable way, preferably by means of clips, which embrace the
spokes, of the rims g, g', whereby a wheel is produced which is substantial, and
light in construction.
L designates the electric motor which is mounted on, or carried by, the cross
head e of the steering fork, so that the motor is adapted to partake of the adjustment
of the spindle D', and the motor shaft is held in parallel relation at all times to
the axle c of the front wheel in order that the motor shaft and front wheel may be
in gear at all times. This motor is of the "twin motor" variety, with a divided
field magnet and a divided armature, and a single continuous shaft on which the
armatures are mounted; and to this shaft is secured a small sprocket pinion M
which is arranged between the field magnets and armatures, as shown.
The motor shaft and front wheel are geared together by means of an endless
sprocket chain, N, which engages with the teeth of the large sprocket wheel and
motor shaft, respectively. The motor may be of any suitable construction, and it
is braced and held in a suitable way on the cross head e of the steering fork, over
the front wheel C, as shown.
The current from the storage batteries in the compartments E is led to the
motor L by the flexible conductors o, connected in a suitable way.
A suitable switch is provided for regulating the flow of electric current to the
motor, which switch is under control of the rider to start and stop the machine.
I prefer to provide ball bearings throughout the machine.
It is thought that the operation of my new motor vehicle will be readily under-
stood from the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawing.
The speed of the vehicle is determined by making the sprocket wheel in proper
proportion to the sprocket pinion M. My motor vehicle may be used for travelling
over roads and streets, and it may also be so geared as to be well adapted for use in
pacing riders in bicycle races.
While I have shown and described my vehicle as being equipped with a motor
and storage batteries for electrical propulsion, yet I do not confine myself to the
use of electrical appliances for propelling the vehicle as I am aware that gasoline,
compressed air, or steam, or gas motors may be provided for the operation of the
vehicle.
Changes in the form and proportion of parts and in the details of construction
herein shown and described as an embodiment of my invention may be made by a
śkilled mechanic without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of

page_text: my invention, and I therefore reserve the right to make such modifications and
alterations as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a steering spindle, and a steering
and driving wheel carried by said spindle, of a rotary twin electric motor
mounted on the spindle to have its weight distributed equally on opposite sides
thereof, and direct gear connections between the motor-shaft and said driving wheel,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
2. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a steering spindle, of a front wheel
having a driving rim within the divided tread of the wheel, a twin electric motor
balanced on the steering spindle and having the driving pinion secured to its shaft
between the divided field magnets and armature, and a chain or belt which connects
said driving pinion and the driving rim directly together, substantially as and for
the purposes described.
3. In a motor vehicle, the frame consisting of the steering head, the laterally
diverging bars a", a" joined to said head and connected to each other, and the
forked rear bars joined to the bars a", al, in combination with a steering spindle
carrying the front wheel, the rear wheels journaled in the forked rear bars, a rotary
twin motor balanced on the steering spindle, and direct gear connections between
the motor shaft and the front wheel, substantially as described.
4. In a motor vehicle, the wheel C having the spaced rims and the propelling
rim or wheel secured between said spaced rims and within the edges of the same,
said propelling rim or wheel forming lateral clearance spaces between itself and the
spaced rims, substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 28th day of Jule 1996
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.