Improvements in Steering Gear for Road Carriages Driven by Mechanical or Animal Power.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in Steering Gear for Road Carriages Driven by
Mechanical or Animal Power.
I, FREDERICK RICHARD SIMMS, of Amberley House, 12 Norfolk Street, Strand,
in the County of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in steering gear, for road carriages driven
ty mechanical or animal power.
According to my invention I arrange the two fore wheels or the two hind wheels
or both fore and hind wheels on independent axles mounted in frames or supports
pivoted vertically to the framing of the carriage and I connect the frames or
supports of each pair of wheels to a rod or bar by means of links or the like, the
said rod or bar being adapted to be reciprocated through the medium of. a lever or
the like.
With this construction it will be obvious that, when the rod or bar, is reciprocated
by means of the lever by the person steering the carriage, the wheels will be
turned correspondingly on their vertical pivots so as to steer the carriage.
The links connecting the two wheels of a pair to the reciprocating bar can be
raade either equal or unequal in length so that the two wheels of a pair can be
caused to simultaneously turn through the same angle or through different angles.
In some cases the two hind wheels are connected to the two fore wheels so that
all four wheels are controlled by the steering lever.
يفي
1906
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Steering Gear for Road Carriages Driven by
Mechanical or Animal Power.
I, FREDERICK RICHARD SIMMS, of Amberley House, 12 Norfolk Street, Strand,
in the County 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:-

page_text: This invention relates to improvements in steering gear for road carriages driven
by mechanical or animal power.
According to my invention I arrange the two fore wheels or the two hind wheels
or both fore and hind wheels on independent axles mounted in frames or supports
pivoted vertically to the framing of the carriage and I connect the frames or
supports of each pair of wheels to a rod or bar by means of links or the like, the
said rod or bar being adapted to be reciprocated through the medium of a lever or
the like.
The links connecting the two wheels of a pair to the reciprocating bar can be
made either equal or unequal in length or they can be otherwise arranged so that
the two wheels of a pair can be caused to simultaneously turn through the same
angle or through different angles.
In some cases the two hind wheels are connected to the two fore wheels so that
all four wheels are controlled by the steering lever.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe it by reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a plan of steering gear for road carriages constructed according to
my invention:
Figure 2 is a similar view shewing the wheels turned upon their pivots:
Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to Figures 1 and 2 of a slight modification;
and,
Figures 5 and 6 are views similar to Figures 1 and 2 of a further slight
modification.
a, a represent two wheels of a road carriage, the said wheels being arranged on
independent axles mounted in frames or supports b, b pivoted vertically to the
frame of the carriage (not shewn in the drawings).
c, c are the links connected to the two frames or supports b, b and d is the rod or
bar to which the frames or supports b, bare connected through the medium of the
links c
dis the steering handle or lever by means of which the bar d can be
moved laterally.
With this construction it will be obvious that, when the rod or bar d is recipro-
cated through the medium of the lever by the person steering the carriage, the
wheels a, a will be turned correspondingly on their vertical pivots so as to steer
the carriage.
In Figures 1 and 2 the links c, are shown straight and of equal length so that
the lateral movement of the rod or bar d turns the two wheels a,, a through the
same angle.
In Figures 3 and 4 the length of the har d is shewn less than the distance
between the vertical axes of the two wheels,so that the links c, c are inclined
inwards. With this construction the movement of the lever causes the wheels
to turn simultaneously through different angles as shewn in Figure 4.
In Figures 5 and 6 the construction shewn is identical with that shewn in
Figures 3 and 4 with the exception that in lieu of the straight lever da curved
bar or handle d' is employed..
It will be obvious that by making the links c, e of unequal length I obtain the
same result as with the arrangements illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 and 5 and 6,
that is to say, the two wheels of a pair are caused to simultaneously turn through
different angles. It will also be obvious, as above mentioned, that both the fore
and hind wheels can be operated by a single lever or handle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my_said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
.
1. In road carriages mounting each wheel on an independent axle pivoted verti-
gally to the frame work of the carriage and connected by links to a bar adapted to
be operated by a steering handle, substantially as, and for the purpose, hereinbefore
described.

page_text: 2. The manufacture and use of the improved steering gear herein before
described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, 3 and 4; and 5 and 6 respectively
of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of June 1897.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.