Improvements appertaining to Road Vehicles Propelled by Steam, Oil, Electric, or like Motor Mechanism.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Apr.. 1896
Complete Specification Left, 11th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 13th Mar., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements appertaining to Road Vehicles Propelled by Steam,
Oil, Electric, or like Motor Mechanism.
1, FRANK LISTER of Keighley in the County of York, Consulting Engineer.
do hereby declare the nature of this invention t be as follows, that is to say :-
In accordance with my invention I arrange those wheels of the vehicle which are
driven or rotated by the motor, to be on a stationary axle or otherwise on an axle
arranged so as not to be used for transmitting the motion of the motor to the
wheels of the vehicle.
The peripheries of these wheels I also prepare for the reception of friction
driving wheels which are mounted on a bearing shaft in such a position as to
enable the weight of the vehicle to press their peripheries against those of the
vehicle's wheels above referred to, so that the weight of the vehicle exercises a
direct and beneficial influence over the driving power of the wheels, while the
wheel on one side of the vehicle is driven entirely independently of that on the
other side thereof.
I arrange the driving shaft of the motor mechanism so that it may transmit its
rotary motion to the friction driving wheels, through a driving belt or chain
preferably the former (or toothed driving wheels may be employed if desired) on
one side of the vehicle independently of those on the other by which means the
necessity of having a rotary bearing axle is entirely avoided and by suitable rod
and lever connections the above described friction driving wheels may be
independently of each other thrown out of contact with the vehicle's wheels when-
ever the steering gear operated to cause the vehicle to turn in little space or at
an acute angle. When the vehicle will answer its purposes without having the
usual kind of supporting springs then the shaft on which the friction driving
wheels revolve, is mounted in simple bearings, however should the vehicle have
springs, then the bearings for this shaft allow space for its movements to correspond
with that of the springs, while they further guide same so that it does not alter the
distance between it and the motor's driving shaft, thus the driving belt or chain is
allowed to act freely without any extra strain being put upon it.
Instead of the friction wheels being mounted on the axle upon which the weight
of the vehicle rests, I may arrange the wheels of the vehicle to support same by
the usual axle and springs, in which case the friction wheels are held by springs or
other like or suitable means, against the peripheries of the vehicle's wheels or
against Hanges mounted concentrically thereon-so that whether I use this
arrangement or the one first before described I relieve the spokes and hubs of
the vehicle's wheels of the excessive strain that would otherwise be put upon them
had the whole force used for rotating them to be transmitted to them through their
axle or central bearing shaft. Further this arrangement enables the use of the
motor on the vehicle for other purposes than the mere propulsion of such vehicle,
since by raising the wheels from the ground or by removing the friction driving
wheels from those of the vehicle the motion of the motor may be transmitted to
other machinery especially such as are used by farmers for cutting turnips, chaff
and the like or for other well known requirements.
The driving wheel or disc of the motor mechanism I arrange to rotate with its

page_text: on one side of the vehicle is driven entirely independently of the wheel c¹ on the
other side thereof.
I arrange the driving shaft g of the motor mechanism so that it may transmit its
rotary motion to the friction driving wheels c c', through the medium of the
pulleys hand k k (the former being secured to the shaft g while the latter is
fixed to the wheels c c respectively, and rotate freely upon i.e., without
transmitting motion to, the shaft d) through driving belts m m (shown in broken
lines Fig. 1, or in place of these belts m m¹ chains may be employed, or even
instead of either of these or the pulleys h h and ke k¹ toothed gearing wheels may
be used yet I preferably make use of the parts as illustrated) the belt pulley k on
one side of the vehicle being entirely independent of the pulley k¹ on the other
side, by which means the necessity of having the bearing axle d to rotate is
entirely avoided and by the levers n (one of such being placed on each side of the
vehicle) and connecting rods or wire ropes o being coupled so as to be operated by
and whenever the steering mechanism is moved, the whole body f may be raised
on one side or the other to carry with it its wheel c or c', as the case may be,
clear of its wheel a or a', thus only one of such wheels c or c¹ will be in effective
operation and so its wheel a or a will alone be moved consequently the vehicle
will be quickly and readily turned around or caused to travel at an acute angle.
When the vehicle will answer its purposes without having springs or resilient
bearings for its body part f, then the shaft d is mounted in simple bearings as
shown by Figs. 1 and 2, however should the vehicle be required to have springs,
then the bearings for this shaft d are supported by springs pas shown by Fig. 3 in
which case the body is secured thereto as shown, and to keep the shafts d and
the proper distance apart from each other, so that the tension of the belts m m¹
may be kept even at all times, 1 employ a coupling link q which I pivot to the said
shafts d and g on each side of the vehicle.
Instead of the friction wheels c c being mounted on an axle upon which they
are supported, I may arrange the wheels a a¹ of the vehicle to support said body f
by its usual axle 6 and the old and well known kind of springs, in which case the
friction wheels cel will have to be held by springs or other like or suitable means,
against the peripheries of the wheels a a¹ or against flanges as shown by
Fig. 5 (this device being particularly appropriate when the peripheries of the
wheels a a are supplied or fitted with pneumatic tyres as shown by said Fig. 5) so
that whether I use this arrangement of driving wheels or the one first before
described I relieve the spokes s and hubs st of the wheels a a¹ (or a2 a³) of the
excessive strain that would otherwise be put upon them had the whole force used
for rotating them and propelling the vehicle, to be transmitted to them through
their axle or central bearing shaft b. Further this arrangement enables the use
of the motor on the vehicle for other purposes than the mere propulsion of such
vehicle, since by raising the wheels c cf clear of the. wheels a a¹ and coupling said
wheels c or c¹ to any mechanism that it is desired to operate, the motion may be
transmitted thereto as will readily be seen, and this is especially advantageous for
farmers' uses such as for cutting turnips, chaff or the like or for other well known
requirements.
The driving wheel or disc t of the motor mechanism I arrange to rotate with its
axis at right angles to the horizontal plane while the shaft g, to which its motion
is transmitted through the friction pulley u, extends horizontally beneath it from
one side of the vehicle to the other, by which means the said friction pulley
mounted on this shaft g and for contact with the disc t forms substantial support
for relieving it of the friction that would otherwise be caused had said disc t to
depend on its journal bearings t¹ t2 alone to counteract its weight or gravity.
Again this arrangement of the disc t and shaft g enables the pull of the driving
belts m m² (as would also be the case if chains were used) when transmitting their
motion to the wheels c c to automatically press the friction pulley u with a greater
or less force against said disc t (the bearings g' g for said shaft y being formed to
allow same thus to act) as occasion may require or as same is needed to propel the