Year: 1899

page_text: I, ROBERT FREDERICK HALL, of "Ferndale," Church Road, Moseley, near the
City of Birmingham, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to self-propelled vehicles driven by oil motors, electricity,.
steam or other motive power.
Motor-cars now in use are supported upon either three or four wheels. In the
three wheel or tricycle pattern, two of the wheels form the drivers whilst the.
third one is used for steering. In another pattern the third wheel forms the
sole propelling medium while the remaining two wheels do the steering only. In
four wheel cars the two rear wheels are generally used as the driving while the
two front ones steer. The common defect in all these systems is side slip and
a tendency for the car to turn round when the brake is applied suddenly or when
on greasy or slippery surfaces. Another defect is that when two wheels only are
used as the drivers the tyres wear out very quickly. The object of my invention.
is to overcome these objections and to attain this end, instead of driving only
two wheels of a four-wheeled vehicle I drive the whole four and thus equally
distribute the driving wear and tear over the whole system. All the wheels
being live wheels and each doing its share of the driving side slip or tendencies.
to turn round are entirely eliminated. Inside the centre of each hub I fit a
universal joint through which I drive the wheel.
I then mount each wheel in a pair of forks and each of these pair of forks are
connected into a swivel bearing or socket at the top and an arm is fixed to each
fork and projects from same. The projecting arms of each of these four forks
are all connected to each other by means of connecting rods having joints at
their ends and
of these rods is cut
its side like
on
a rack
one
into which a small pinion or wheel is geared and by revolving the
spindle which is fixed to this pinion the rod is made to move in the desired
direction and all the four wheels are moved to form a portion of the circle they
are required to traverse.
By thus, arranging the four wheels of a self-propelled vehicle that the whole
of them admit of being used for both driving and steering simultaneously, the
whole of the objections hereinbefore referred to are overcome.
The shafts which drive the wheels revolve in bearings carried by a rigid and
fixed portion of the body carriage or frame and move only in a rotary direction,
but have no control over the steering, which is effected by means of the system
of rods or levers.
The gearing which drives the two shafts may be of any known type and each
of the coupled shafts may be provided with balance or compensating gearing.

page_text: My invention is also applicable to vehicles having three wheels or more than
four.
Dated this 20th day of Tumo 1000
Improvements relating to Self-propelled Road Vehicles.
I, ROBERT FREDERICK HALL, of "Ferndale," Church Road, Moseley; in the
City of Birmingham, 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:-
This invention has relation to motor-driven road vehicles propelled by oil and
like explosion engines, electricity, steam or other motive power. Such vehicles
commonly run upon four wheels, generally with the back pair being used as the
drivers whilst the front pair are utilized for steering, and a common defect with
all such vehicles is side slip and a tendency to turn round when the break is
applied suddenly or when at high speeds on greasy inclined or slippery surfaces.
The principal object of my invention is to overcome these defects, and to
equally distribute the driving wear and tear over the whole system, which is
effected by making the whole of the wheels of the vehicle act both as drivers and
steerers. Further objects of my invention are to construct the vehicle wholly,
or nearly so, of detachable parts thereby facilitating manufacture and rendering
everything accessible for inspection, repair and the like to so construct the
undercarriage of framing of the vehicle that twisting of the same is obviated:
and to improve and simplify the construction and arrangement of the speed and
driving gear of such vehicles.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a side elevation of a road
vehicle, propelled by an oil motor, and having four road wheels of equal size,
the whole of which are so mounted and connected with the motor and the steering
gear as to act both for driving and steering in accordance with my invention.
In this and the succeeding figures of the drawings, the superstructure or body
of the vehicle, which may be of any suitable character or design, is not shown.
Figure 2 shows a plan of the said vehicle, and
Figure 3 is a view of the back end thereof.
Figure 4 represents a cross section of the vehicle upon the dotted line,
taken through the transversely swivelling joint which connects together the front
and back parts of the frame, which is so constructed for the purpose of obviating
any liability to longitudinal twist in the structure.
Figure 5 represents, upon an enlarged scale and partly in section and partly
in elevation, the hub of one of the live wheels, showing the construction of the
joint by which it is swivelly connected to the driven axle in such a manner as
to admit of the wheel being turned for steering.
Figure 6 is a view showing a modified form of joint for connecting the driven
axle to the live driving and steering wheel.
The same letter of reference indicate corresponding parts in Figures 1 to 5
of the drawings.
1
The vehicle illustrated in the said figures comprises a framing made up of
two sections constructed in a rectangular form from an assemblage of tubular

page_text: members, and swivelly connected together; the motor is mounted on the front
frame and drives, by an arrangement of toothed gearing, bands and pulleys, the
axle of the rearmost pair of live road wheels, whilst motion is communicated from
the rear axle to the other axle, which is mounted in bearings in the front frame,
by chain and sprocket gearing. The steering is effected by mounting the whole
of the wheels in vertically pivoted forks coupled together so as to move collectively
by a system of connecting rods, levers and flexible steel bands, controlled and
operated by a hand wheel and rack and pinion.
Dealing first with the framing, a is the front part or fore carriage and the
rear part or rear carriage, the former consisting of pairs of parallel side tubes
or members ¹, a², connected together at the front transversely by parallel
members a³, and vertically through the medium of sleeve like extensions d', of
the split bearings d, wherethrough the front axle e, of the vehicle passes, whilst
at the back or inner end, the sides are connected to vertical junctions or corner
pieces 3, the latter being secured, in turn, by means of four transverse tubes or
stays a³, to an end gapped plate or bearing ², constituting one of the members
of the swivelling or yielding connection c, by which the fore and rear parts of
the carriage framing are coupled together. The several members comprising
this rectangular structure are preferably secured together by detachable mechanical
joints, both for convenience in manufacture and to facilitate detachment when it
is necessary to remove any of the parts of the vehicle carried on the fore frame.
The rear part of the framing is preferably longer than the fore part and consists
of a similar rectangular assemblage of tubular members comprising two parallel
side pairs 61, 62, having parallel transverse stays 63, at the rear end and braced
vertically near the said rear end by the sleeve like extensions f', of the split
bearing f, of the rear axle g, whilst the side tubes terminate inwardly in junction
pieces c, similar to, and coinciding with, the junctions 3, at the inner corners
of the fore carriage, and from which transverse stays 65, proceed to the bearing
plate c, opposed to, and gapped to coincide with, the fore-carriage end or bearing
plate . The inner faces of these end plates c², c, come together and work upon
one another when the two parts of the framing change their relative positions,
and the connection between the two sections is effected by a series of three
bolts do, do, d, the former two of which are passed respectively through coin-
cident curved slots e, formed in the opposed corner junctions c³, c, of the back
and front frame sections, which junctions come together and work upon one
another in like manner as the middle bearings, whilst the third bolt ³, takes
through a coincident pair of curved slots c7, made in the upper parts of the said
middle bearings or opposed elements e², c, of the swivelling connection c. Further,
in order to admit of the said connection having a certain amount of longitudinal
play or elasticity, pairs of rubber washers d, are strung upon the bolts and
arranged to come upon the opposite sides of the connected parts, whilst fibre
or vulcanite rubbing pieces may be disposed between the opposed faces of the
two halves of the joint to minimise friction.
The motor is suitably mounted upon the fore carriage, and consists in the
arrangement shown, of a pair of independent engines g, of any suitable type,
collectively driving a drum 2, which acts as a fly wheel, this system being
preferred from the fact that in the event of a breakdown of either engine, it
may be uncoupled from the drum and the other engine used alone to propel
the vehicle. The drum g, carries, or is fashioned into a pair of pulleys, g³, g³,
from which a pair of crossed high-speed driving bands g, g, proceed rearwardly
to the speed gearing, which is designed to give only two speeds and is arranged
as follows:-
-
Mounted upon a dead spindle h, supported by a pair of brackets h', detachably
secured to the transverse stay members 63, of the rear carriage, are two pairs of
fast and loose pulleys h2, 3, and 4, 5, the former pair being driven by the
belt g, from the engine drum 3, whilst the latter pair are driven by the other
band g, from the second drum. The fast pulley h², is keyed to a sleeve or bush

page_text: surrounding and working upon the spindle h, whilst the other pulley h³, revolves
idly either upon the spindle or the bush, an end of which latter extends into a
gear case, longitudinally divided into two detachable halves and carried by
the axle and countershaft. Inside the gear case, the sleeve of the live pulley is
fitted with a small pinion (not shown in the drawings) gearing for high speed
with a large toothed wheel made fast to a driven sleeve f, through which the
rear axle g, passes, the said sleeve and axle being coupled together for driving
purposes by a balance gear of any ordinary construction contained within the
casing f, for the purpose of admitting of the road wheels with the axle and the
driven shaft, rotating at differential rates when the vehicle is turning a corner.
The other fast pulley, driven by the second belt g', is connected with a larger
slow speed pinion, engaging with a toothed wheel enclosed within a second gear
case f³, and made fast to the driven pinion.
It will thus be seen that when the band g, is thrown onto the pulley h²,
the vehicle is driven at a high speed, the other band g6, meantime running idly
on the loose pulley h, but when the belts are shifted by suitable means so as
to transfer the belt g³, to the loose pulley ³, and the belt g, to the fast pulley h³,
then the high speed gear is thrown out of action and driving at the lower rate of
speed is effected through the pinion on the sleeve of the pulley . On the other
hand, when both the bands are thrown onto the loose pulleys, then the motor is
disconnected from the driving gear and axle and runs idle whilst the carriage
stands stationary.
For the purpose of driving the front axle e, at the same speed as the rear axle g,
the driven sleeve f, is provided, in the longitudinal centre of the vehicle, with
a toothed wheel f7, gearing by means of a drive chain, with another toothed
wheel of the same size d', secured to a driven sleeve d, through which the front
axle e passes, with driving connection between the said sleeve and axle being
established by a balance gear enclosed within the casing, and so arranged that
normally both the axle and its sleeve rotate together at the same speed.
Each of the road wheels j, j², and ¹, 1, is mounted and runs between the
branches of a steering fork m, of which the crown m³, has a short vertical post
or pivot m², working within a socket m³, carried by an arm or end m³, of a
transverse member 68, (or a8,) of the framing, the said post being retained in
the socket by nuts m, taking upon the upper screwed end of the same, whilst
ball bearings are interposed between the contacting surfaces of the working
parts to minimise friction. Each fork consists of two opposite pairs of blades m³,
and m², each detachably connected at their upper ends to the crown m¹, by means
of bolts m; at their lower ends, the inner pair of blades mo, come together and
terminate in a common fitting m³, which is jointed at m¹0, to a ring m¹¹, con-
stituting a suspended bearing for the wheel hub n, whilst the lower and con-
verging ends of the outer blades m7, terminate in a similar fitting m¹³, which is
detachably jointed at m14, to a second suspended hub bearing 2.
The hub a, of each road wheel comprises a body n¹, of which the inner and
larger end ³, works within the fixed suspended ring bearing m", with anti-
friction rollers m2, interposed between them, whilst at the outer end, the hub body
is made fast to an internal fitting n', whose shank n³, is connected by a universal
joint o, to the driven axle, so that the two road wheels of both the driven front
and back axles are coupled to the said axles by joints which both transmit the
rotary motion for driving and permit of the said wheels being turned with their
forks about a vertical centre for steering, and preferably the said swivel joint
is arranged to come exactly in the centre of the wheel, so that in the event
of the wheel in running striking against any obstruction lying in its path, it
readily mounts the same without any leverage likely to distort the wheel or
set up shock, being created, such as would be apt to occur if the centre of the
joint was out of the wheel centre. The forward extension 6, of the fitting n',
is provided with a pair of bearing cones n', n8, the inner one of which comes

page_text: up to abutment, and is prevented from rotating by pegs 10, whilst its shank n",
is screwed and the outer cone 8, takes and is adjustable thereon for the purpose
of taking up any slack which may occur in the outer hub bearings, comprising
two sets of antifriction balls 12, 13, located respectively in races formed by the
half races of the live or rotating cones 7, ns, and opposed half races n14, 15,
in the stationary or dead element formed by the fork suspended part n², which is
screwed to receive the dust cap 17, are the nuts and 18, the washer by
which the cones are retained in place upon the extension 6, of the hub body.
These bearings are entirely self contained and may be removed bodily from
the hub by disconnecting the outer fork blades, removing the dust cap and un-
screwing the lock nuts.
To prevent dust and the like gaining access to the inside of the hub from the
inner end, and yet without interfering with the swivelling movement of the
wheel relative to the axle, a sleeve or sheath p, of flexible material is provided,
the inner part of which is secured to the body of the hub by means of a ring p',
whilst the outer end is made fast in like manner by a ring 2, to the axle.
For the purpose of effecting the steering of the vehicle through the medium
of the four live or driven road wheels, I employ a system of levers and connections
arranged in the following manner:-Mounted upon suitable bearings q', preferably
detachably fitted to the members of one side of the rear frame,. is a spindle q,
provided at one end with a steering hand wheel, arranged to come within
convenient reach of the driver of the vehicle and having a toothed wheel q',
which gears with a rack r¹, cut in the edge of a sliding rod r, working within a
pair of guides 2, which may also be removably fitted to the framing side, both
for convenience in manufacture and to facilitate repair. To the rearmost end of
the slide is jointed a connecting rod, terminating in and jointed to the one
end of a levers, made fast to a vertical steering pillar s', carried by a pair of
bearings 2, detachably connected by means of clips 3, to the transverse stay
members 63, of the rear framing, whilst the extreme upper end of the said pillar
works in a third bearing s4, carried by the rear end of a stay 66, secured by
a clip 6, or other mechanical or detachable joint to the transverse framing
member 8, before referred to, and which is arranged to come between and brace
together the bearing sockets m³, of the wheel forks and is supported in an elevated
position above and parallel with the rear axle by vertical members 69, extending
from the framing b. At or near its upper end, the said steering pillar is provided
with a double armed lever or triangular frame t, the ends of the two angularly-
disposed branches t', 2, of which respectively have jointed to them, the inward
terminations of a pair of connecting rods 3, and 4, the former proceeding and
being jointed to an arm, projecting rearwardly from the crown of the fork of
the left hand rear road wheel, whilst the latter proceeds and is jointed in like
manner to a similar arm to, carried by the fork crown of the right hand rear
wheel.
of
To ensure the front driven wheels being moved in unison with the back. pair
for steering, I secure preferably to the lower end of the steering pillar s¹, a cross
piece or straight double-armed levers, and at the front of the fore part a,.
the vehicle framing, I arrange a second steering pillar, supported in bear-
ings u², u, the latter pair being detachably connected to the transverse framing
members, and the former by a supplementary stay, attached by a clip a,
to a transverse frame tube 8, supported by uprights, and bracing together the
bearing sockets of the front wheel forks. The lower end of this pillar u¹, is
provided with a double armed lever, the counterpart of the one, on the
rear pillar, and the two levers are connected together by means of a pair of
crossed flexible steel bands 1, 2, of which the one is jointed at rear end to the
left hand branch of the lever and at the front end to the right hand
branch of the lever u³, whilst the ends of the other band are jointed to
the other branches of the two levers. Near the summit of the pillar u, is

page_text: an angle lever w, the counterpart of the lever at the back and whose
branches w, w, are respectively coupled to forward arms w³, w, extending
from the fork crowns of the two front road wheels by connecting rods w³, 14.
By the employment of such a double system of levers and connecting rods
with flexible metal bandings coupling together the front and back parts of the
system, in conjunction with swivelling joints between the driven axles and their
road wheels, it follows that when the driver rotates the steering wheel, motion is
communicated in common to the whole of the levers, and the road wheels, through
their forks, are taken into positions more or less at an angle relative to their
axles, according to the radius of the curve to be turned, whilst by the interposition
of the angular levers t and w, I ensure that the wheels which come innermost on a
curve and have to describe a smaller circle shall assume a more acute angle relative
to the axles than the outermost wheels (see the positions indicated by the dotted
lines in the plan Figure 2).
Adverting again to the construction of the framing and to the manner in which
the various parts are assembled together and secured by detachable mechanical
joints, I may say that the sections of the split bearings d, and f, within which
the live driving sleeves run may be connected together by pins or bolts a, and
clips a, at the tops and bottoms of the sleeves or extensions d¹, f¹, which clips
also serve to detachably secure the upright members aº, 6º, supporting the trans-
verse fork socket braces as, 68, and also (through the medium of the sockets a²)
the transverse end members a³, and 3, with their corner lugs a¹0, 10, and short
tubes a¹¹,, to the front and rear body sections of the main framing. By such
a construction it is rendered possible to remove either of the steering pillars
(after the flexible steel bands have been disconnected) and the levers carried them
by detaching the upper levert or w from its connecting rods and then unfastening
the clips, or 3, b, or a, by which the bearings s2, s, or u², u³, are secured to
the transverse frame tubes 63, 6s, or a³, as, respectively. The outer bearings of
the wheel hubs are also removable (as previously described) after the outer fork
blades have been disconnected from their crowns, whilst after the steering pillars
and their levers have been removed and the drive chain i, unfastened, either of
the driven axles, with its sleeve and the parts of the driving gear carried thereon,
may be removed, bodily with the road wheels and the end frame members,
from the main framing by withdrawing the bolts and detaching the clip con-
nections. Further, when the driving belts go, go, drive chain i, and steering
bands, have been removed, the front of the framing earrying the motor
and its cognate parts may be readily separated from the back part carrying the
speed gearing by removing the bolts do, do, d³, of the flexible or yielding con-
nection e. The withdrawal of the dead spindle permits of the detachment of
the fast and loose pulleys of the speed gear, whilst the brackets h, and the
sectional gear case may also be taken away and replaced with ease should cir-
cumstances necessitate it.
h
Instead of employing a universal ball joint for connecting the axles to the
hubs of the driven and steering wheels such as shown in Figure 5, I may use
a form of hooks joint such as shown in Figure 6, or any other suitable form of
joint or swivelling connection may be used which will transmit the movement of
the driven axle to the road wheels and at the same time permit of the said wheels
being turned to any angle that may be required for steering purposes.
The framing may be constructed of angle or channelled section metal instead
of tubing as described.
Instead of the motor driving by belts, it may gear into wheels carried upon
a shaft arranged longitudinally from end to end of the framing and which may
also be used in preference to the drive chain herein described for communicating
motion at the same rate to the axles of both the front and back road wheels, the
said shaft in such a case being fitted at its ends with bevel pinions, gearing
into bevel wheels on the differential gear casings of each axle.
Further, when such a driving shaft is used instead of mounting the steering

page_text: wheels each in an independent fork, and universally jointing them to their axles,
they may be made fast to the said axles, a universal or swivelling joint may be
arranged in the driving shaft, which will admit of the front driven wheels being
turned to a different angle relative to the back wheels for steering.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First In a motor driven road vehicle utilizing the whole of the running or
road wheels for both driving and steering, substantially as herein described and
set forth.
+
Secondly: In motor driven vehicles, using the whole of the running or road
wheels for both driving and steering, by mounting each wheel in a steering fork
or vertically pivoted carrier and swivelly jointing it to a driven axle.
Thirdly In motor driven vehicles in which the whole of the road wheels. are
utilized for both driving and steering, connecting the said road wheels to their
driven shafts or axles by universal or swivelling joints, with the front and back
axles being coupled and driven at the same speed by gear, and with each wheel
being mounted in a vertically pivotted fork or carrier the whole of which forks
are controlled and operated in common for steering by a system of levers and
connecting rods, substantially as described and set forth.
Fourthly: A motor-propelled vehicle in which the whole of the road or
running wheels are driven, and are arranged in two pairs respectively connected
by means of universal or swivelling joints to front and back axles coupled together
to rotate at the same speed by chain or other gear, whilst each wheel is mounted
in an independent steering fork vertically pivoted to the frame of the vehicle,
with the steering forks of each pair being operated by levers and connecting links
worked by a steering post, and with the two steering posts being coupled together
so as to move in unison by steel bands or equivalent flexible means.
Fifthly-In motor propelled vehicles in which the whole of the road or running
wheels are utilized both as steerers and drivers, the employment in conjunction
with the steering posts controlling the steering movement of the pairs of wheels
of a branched lever whose arms are respectively connected by rods or links to
levers or arms on the steering forks, the several parts being so arranged that when
the steering post is operated, that wheel of the pair which has to turn through
the curve of least radius is made to assume a more acute angle relative to its
axle than the other wheel, substantially as herein described.
Sixthly In motor-driven vehicles, making the framing or the underframing
of the vehicle, in two transversely or cross-divided parts swivelly connected
together substantially as and for the purpose described and set forth.
Seventhly: In motor-driven vehicles, making the framing, or the underframing
of two separate and transversely or cross-divided parts, each made up in rectangular
or other form from an assemblage of tubular members united together by
detachable or other joints, and with the fore part, which may carry the motor,
secured to the rear part, on which the speed and driving gear, with the seat
may be mounted, by a swivelling and flexible connection, substantially as and for
the purpose described and set forth.
Eightly In motor-driven vehicles in which the framing, or the underframing
is made in two separate or detachable and transversely or cross-divided parts,
coupling or securing together the said parts by a swivelling and yielding joint,
consisting of a pair of end bearing plates or their equivalent respectively fitted
to the opposed ends of the two parts of the frame and having curved coincident
gaps through which bolts are passed, with or without rubber or elastic washers
strung upon their opposite ends, substantially as and for the purpose herein
described.
Ninthly: In motor-driven vehicles, the system of constructing the framing
of detachable members and parts, and securing the steering pillars, the steering
:

page_text: forks, and the bearings and connections of the axles of the road wheels, to the
tubular framing of the structure by detachable mechanical joints and clips, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein described and set forth.
Tenthly: In motor-driven vehicles in which wheels are utilized for both
driving and steering, the construction of the wheel hubs, with inner and outer
bearings suspended from the sides of the steering forks and with centrally located
universal or swivelling joint connections between them and the driven or "live"
axles, substantially as herein described and set forth.
Dated th 7+1
Aust 1900
ROBERT FREDERICK HALL,
By Henry Skerrett,
24, Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.