Improvements in Vehicle Motors.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 27th July, 1895
Improvements in Vehicle Motors.
I, JAMES JOHNSON of 4 Clayton Square, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Patent Agent, 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 :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle provided with my improved apparatus.
Figures 2 and 3 are views on a larger scale, Figure 2 being a longitudinal section
on the line II II of Figure 1, and Figure 3 being a section on the line III III of
Figure 2.
Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the clutch connection between the pedal shaft and
the sprocket wheel.
The object of my invention is to provide a motor for driving bicycles and other
wheeled vehicles, and its purpose is to simplify the construction, and to afford cheap
economical and efficient apparatus.
I have shown my invention as applied to driving of a bicycle of ordinary
construction, but I wish it to be understood that the invention is not limited
thereto, and that with mechanical modifications it may be applied to the driving
of vehicles of other types.
12 is
In the drawings 2 represents the driven wheel of a bicycle. The crank shaft
which is fixed to the bicycle frame 2' has two journal portions 3. 4 at opposite ends
of the hub of the wheel and in line with each other, and an intermediate crank 5.
The hub of the wheel comprises a hollow casing 6 fixed by means of discs 7 or
otherwise to sleeves 8 which surround and are journaled upon the shaft 3. 4. Said
hub is contained between the spokes of the wheel which are fixed to discs 9. 10. at
opposite sides of the hub. The sleeves 8. 8. may be provided with ball bearings 11
so as to reduce the friction of their revolution around the crank shaft 3. 4.
the usual chain sprocket wheel which is fixed to one of the sleeves 8 and is connected
by a chain to the usual pedal shaft. The hub-casing 6 when thus applied to the
wheel contains within itself the crank 5, and is closed, except that it is provided
with lateral exhaust holes 13 hereinafter described; and at its periphery it is
Where, as
formed with sockets 14 for the reception of motor cylinders 15. 15.
shown in the drawing, two of these motor cylinders are used they are preferably
placed at diametrically opposite points on the hub-casing. Each of the cylinders
is provided with a reciprocating piston 16 and with a connecting rod 17. At their
inner ends these connecting rods are journaled to the crank pin 5, and at their
outer ends they are pivotally connected to the piston, preferably by means of the
sleeve 18 on the connecting rod which loosely encircles a pin 18¹ in the piston.
When thus constructed it will be clear that if the pistons of the cylinders be
caused to reciprocate by a suitable motive agent, as hereinafter described, the
action of the pistons against the stationary crank 5. and the reaction against
the cylinder-heads and the hub-casing 6, will cause the wheel to revolve around
the axis 3. 4. and will drive the bicycle or other vehicle to which the wheel is
applied. The motive agent which 1 prefer to use for actuating the cylinders
is explosive gas, though the claims of my invention are not limited thereto,

page_text: since other motive fluid or explosive agents may be employed. As shown in
the drawing, however, each of the cylinders has, at its outer end or head a gas
inlet device comprising a valve casing 37 having a gas inlet port 38 and a
puppet valve 39, which is normally held against its seat by a spring 40, or by
other means, such as the centrifugal action of the revolution of the wheel itself.
The gas is supplied to the inlet ports 38 by pipes 19, which extend to the hub
of the wheel and are secured or otherwise fixed to one of the sleeves 8 com-
municating therethrough with an annular recess or chamber 20 formed on the
interior of the sleeve. Said annular chamber is in communication with a port 21
which leads from a tubular passage in the stationary shaft 4. and said passage
at the end of the shaft is connected by a suitable pipe 23 to an air mixing
funnel 23' into which a regulated supply of volatile explosive fluid, such as
naptha, drops from a reservoir 24 fixed to a suitable place on the frame of
the bicycle. The reservoir may be charged with compressed gas and connected
directly with the pipe 23. The piston of each cylinder is provided with a
suitable exhaust device, preferably constructed as follows: 25 is a tubular
chamber or casing which is fixed to the inner side of the piston and has lateral
Within this chamber is a rotary valve 27. having lateral ports 28
adapted to register with the ports 26 at certain periods of rotation of the
valve. On the end of the piston next to the wheel-hub the valve 27 is formed
with a flange or disc-portion, the face of which has a circular series of notches
or teeth engaged by pawls 30 projecting radially from a pin 31 which is fixed
to the sleeve 18. As the piston reciprocates within the cylinder and drives the
wheel as above described its motion oscillates the sleeve 18, and as the pawls 30
oscillate with said sleeve, their engagement with the teeth or notches 29 causes
the flauged valve to turn the distance of one notch for each stroke of the
piston. The parts just described are so proportioned relatively to each other
that the valve shall be turned so as to bring the ports 26 and 28 into register
once at each fourth stroke of the piston, that is once at each second revolution
of the wheels to which the cylinder is fixed.
ports 26.
For the purpose of igniting the explosive charge within the cylinder I may
employ any suitable igniting device, but I prefer to use an electrical igniter
having two terminals 32 and 33 the terminal 32 being a spring which projects
inwardly from the head of the cylinder, and the terminal 33 being a projection
extending from the piston, so that at the end of each outstroke of the piston
(the stroke away from the hub of the wheel) the terminals shall be brought
into contact, and that they shall be separated at the beginning of the in-stroke,
thereby producing a spark by which the gas is ignited. The battery 34 or
other suitable electrical generator to which the terminals are connected is carried
on the machine at any suitable point.
35 is a valve rod which is connected to a valve in the pipe leading from
the reservoir 24 and which enables the rider of the bicycle to open or close
connection of the reservoir with the cylinders at will and thus to cut off or to
regulate the supply of explosive fluid to the cylinders.
In the use of a bicycle driven by a motor it is desirable that the rider
should be able when he is using the motor to have the pedals remain stationary,
and for this purpose I connect the hub of the sprocket wheel 41 on the pedal
shaft 42 with the pedal-shaft itself by means of any well known or suitable
clutch device such as the cam piece 36 so constructed that when the pedal shaft
is turned in a forward direction it shall operatively engage the hub and shall
rotate it, but that the hub may turn forward without rotating the shaft. This
clutch, if desired, may be placed on the rear sprocket wheel. When provided
with this device the rider may put his feet on the pedals and thus hold them
stationary while the motor drives the sprocket wheel freely and without
interference by or with the pedals.
The operation of the apparatus as thus described is as follows: To start the
motors in operation the rider opens the valve 35 puts the battery or electrical

page_text: generator into circuit, and starting the wheel in motion mounts it. The first
in-stroke of the piston in each cylinder draws through the valve 39 a supply of
mixed gas and air into the cylinder, the return stroke of the piston then
compresses the charge within the cylinder, the inlet valve being seated by the
compression and by the action of its spring the terminals 32. 33 are brought
into contact at the termination of said stroke. At the beginning of the next
i-stroke the separation of said terminals produces a spark which ignites the
charge and causes it to act by explosion propulsively upon the piston, pressing it
inwardly. On the next return stroke of the piston, the exhaust valve is opened
by means above described, and the exploded gases within the cylinder are
expelled through the exhaust valve out of the inner open end of the cylinder
into the hub-casing 6. and thence they escape through the exhaust opening into
the air. The hub-casing 6. into which the gases discharge acts as
a hood
preventing the disagreeable noises attending the exhaust from gas engines. The
two cylinders are thus operated alternately with reference to each other, and at
each explosion an impulse is given to the wheel which causes it to revolve and
to propel the bicycle. A very rapid motion can thus be transmitted.
As the motor cylinders are carried around with the wheel and travel at a
considerable rate of speed through the air they are cooled by the air currents and are
thus prevented from being overheated without the necessity of making any provision
for water circulation.
The entire apparatus being very simple can be made of light weight so that it
does not detract from the usefulness of the bicycle, and as the cylinders are
contained between the two rows of spokes of the wheel they are out of the way and
afford no inconvenient projections.
The lubrication of the pistons of the cylinders 15 may be effected easily by
providing them with suitable oil cups. Oil leaking from the pistons will be caught
within the hub casing 6, and when the wheel revolves will be thrown by centrifugal
action out against the pistons, and will thus be saved from loss.
Within the scope of my invention as defined in the claims very many changes
and modifications of the parts may be made. Valves constructed differently from
those which I have described may be employed, and other changes will suggest
themselves to those skilled in the art, when the problem of adapting my invention
to varying conditions is presented.
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. A driven vehicle wheel having a hub provided with sleeve-portions and
with a surrounding casing, a crank-shaft which passes through the sleeves, a
cylinder or cylinders fixed to the casing and having pistons which extend within
the same and are connected with the crank, dises surrounding the sleeves at opposite
ends of the hub, and two sets of spokes connected respectively to said discs, and
enclosing the cylinders between them.
Second. A driven vehicle wheel having two sets of spokes, and a motor cylinder
or cylinders placed between the sets of spokes and connected with a stationary pin
or crank.
Third. A driven vehicle wheel having a hub provided with a surrounding casing,
cylinder or cylinders fixed to the casing and having pistons which extend within
the same and are connected with a crank and two sets of spokes situate respectively
on opposite sides of the cylinder or cylinders and connected with the casing.
Dated this 19th do at March 1905
J.
JOHNSON,
Patent Office, 4 Clayton Square, Liverpool.
J.
JOHNSON,
Patent Office, 4 Clayton Square, Liverpool.