Improvements in Driving Gear for Velocipedes, Auto-cars, and other. Vehicles..
Year: 1897

page_text: Complete Specification Left, 16th July, 1897--Accepted, 4th Sept., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Driving Gear for Velocipedes, Auto-cars, and
other. Vehicles..
I, CHARLES LARUE, Senior, of 108 Boulevard du Nord, Brussels, in the Kingdom.
of Belgium, Manufacturer, 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 :-
The object of the present invention is the production of an improved arrangement
of intermediate or transmission gear between the mechanical transmission, means and
the elements of propulsion with a view 1st to give.to the vehicle, when these means
are in motion, a greater speed to that which it would acquire by the normal working
of the said means, if the improved arrangement were not applied to it and 2nd tho
mechanical transinission means being at rest to utilize the momentum acquired.
The accompanying drawings represent an apparatus to be applied to a bicycle, the
size of which varies according to the dimensions and the weight of the vehicle.
In order to render the description as clear as possible I will suppose that the new
arrangement is applied to a chain driven bicycle, it is however to be understood that
it may be equally well applied to a machine or vehicle driven by hevel gearing &c.
In the accompanying drawings which represent the various parts of my invention:
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 illustrate the various elements of a drum made of metal or
other suitable material intended to enclose the mechanical parts of the new
arrangement.
Fig. 5 shows these parts fitted together.
Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section of the drum, seen in perspective, and shows
a ring of teeth on the interior of the said drum. Fig. 7 is a vertical section show-
ing how the drum is mounted on the hub of the bicycle wheel. Fig. 8 is a
vertical section showing the mechanical parts between the hub and the drum. Fig. 9
is a transverse section corresponding to Fig. 8.
In all the figures the same reference numbers indicate the same parts.
. 1 is the fixed axle of the back wheel of a bicycle on which the hub 2 of this wheel
rotates by the interposition of balls 3 as in the ordinary. construction. On this hub
is mounted the small toothed pinion which through the chain is in connection with
the large pinion on the crank axle. Contrary to what has hitherto existed in bicycles,
the felloe of the wheel is not directly connected to this hub, there exists between the
said wheel and this hub, an intermediary which constitues the object of my inven-
tion and has for its object to solve the problem stated at the commencement of this
description.
This intermediary comprises a small toothed wheel 4 held betwwen the two cheeks 5
of a fork fixed to or cast with the hub 2, and between which it can turn freely,
whether mounted on an ordinary axle or on balls, a paw! 6 mounted on the hub is held
in contact with the toothed pinion 4 by the pressure of the spring 7. As will be

page_text: understood the pawl 6 prevents the toothed pinion 4 from rotating from right to left.
The pinion 4 gears with the teeth 8, cast or fixed on the inside of a drum 9. This
drum has two ends shown as separate pieces in Figures 1, 3, 4 and mounted on the
drum 9, properly called shown in Figures 5 to 9 inclusive.
One or both of these ends, carries a ring 10 on the cheeks 11 which latter are
perforated around their exterior circumference to receive the spokes of the bicycle
wheel as in the ordinary hub; 12 represents an externally screw threaded ring to
engage with the internally screw threaded part 13 of the drum 9.
Around the axis, the cheeks 11 are pierced to permit the passage of the hub 2;
the drum will revolve on the hub by the intermediary of a series of balls 14.
The balls 14 like the balls 3 run between cones and cups I have not thought it
necessary to show completely the well known arrangement of these bearings as they
do not constitute an essential element of my invention.
After having described the different parts of my invention, I will now describe the
operation of this apparatus and how it fulfils the conditions mentioned above.
The bicyclist, in driving the cranks, drives the small toothed pinion, and with it
the hub 2, this in its turn drives the drum 9, by the intermediary of the small
toothed pinion 4, which in so doing acts as a pawl engaging in the teeth of the
ring 8.
The drum 9 drives the felloe with which it is connected by the spokes which unite
these two parts.
By my arrangement, the first desideratum is solved because the greater angular
speed of the felloe at a given moment, is not reduced by the lesser speed of the hub,
because these elements are not united rigidly; the drum passes freely around the hub
causing the small toothed pinion 4 to turn from left to right, which pinion is not
relatively at rest except at the moment when the cyclist drives the cranks.
The second desideratum is fulfilled in the same way, as during the time of rest of
the cranks, the back wheel and drum 9 can revolve which causes the small pinion 4
to turn in a stationary position from left to right. It will also be understood that
these same parts may be actuated by a slight frictional resistance, that is to say by
suppressing the teeth 8 of the drum and those of the small wheel 4 and simply milling.
this latter and bringing it into contact with a material such as caout-chouc used
in lieu of the teeth 8.
It will also be understood that instead of using this small toothed wheel as a means
for driving the drum 9, in relation to the hub 2, I may utilize a simple pawl acting
on an internally toothed ring as in the present case, but the teeth of which would
have a convenient shape like those of a ratchet-wheel for example.
As, in my invention, the stoppage of the machine cannot be effected by the pedals,
the bicycle should be fitted with a break such as those ordinarily employed, or which
might be arranged to act alone or supplementarily on the ring 10, the surface of which
may be smooth rough or notched if necessary, according to whether the break should
act by pressure, friction or wedging.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is:-
1. In driving gear for velocipedes, auto cars and other vehicles moved by other than
animal traction, an arrangement comprising a drun made up of several pieces
connected together in any convenient manner with internal toothed ring cast in one
or fixed to, worked hollow or in relief or perforated in the side of the drum, which
latter is united to the felloe of the wheel by means of the spokes the toothed ring
gearing with a small toothed wheel mounted on the hub connected with the means
for transmitting movement, said wheel being retained by a pawl which prevents its
movement in one direction and allows it only in the other, all substantially as herein
shown and described.
2. A similar arrangement to that mentioned in Claim 1,,without teeth on the drum
or on the small pinion, to work by a slight frictional resistance such as by the con-

page_text: tact of the small pinion which is milled on a smooth ring made of material such as
caout-chouc, fixed in the place of the internally toothed ring, substantially as herein
shown and described.
3. A similar arrangement to that inentioned in Claim 1, in which the small toothed
wheel of the hub is replaced by a pawl, and the teeth of the internally toothed ring
of the drum are of suitable form to receive the nose of the pawl, substantially as
herein shown and described.