Improvements in the Electrical Propulsion of Carriages and other Vehicles, Boats, and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 31st Mar., 1898-Accepted, 7th May, 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Electrical Propulsion of Carriages and other
Vehicles, Boats, and the like.
We, ADOLPHI MÜLLER, of 31A, Luisenstrasse, Berlin, in the German Empire,
Director, and HENRI TUDOR, of Rosport, Luxemburg, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to improvements in propelling carriages and other
vehicles, boats and the like by multiphase electric currents.
Hitherto practically only continuous current machines have been employed for
electrically driving vehicles of all kinds, boats and the like as such machines by
employing the earth or a rail for the return circuit only require one conductor
and also because the properties of the continuous current motor permit of con-
siderable overloading whereby the said motor is suitable for supplying the increase
of power required for starting a vehicle. The two-phase alternate current motor
does not enter into the question because it neither starts when loaded nor supports
an overload as in this case it becomes asynchronous and stops. It has not been
possible heretofore to practically employ the multiphase or polyphase current
because for directly conveying such a current at least three conductors are
required, the arrangement of which is naturally very difficult, costly and not
without danger when in use.
In order, therefore, to render the excellent properties of the polyphase current
suitable for driving the motors of electrical vehicles the said current is, according
to this invention, obtained from a secondary battery or accumulator which is
carried in the vehicle to be driven or propelled. This accumulator or secondary
battery can either be made of such dimensions that it stores up in the vehicle the
amount of energy which is necessary for the amount of work to be done or the
said battery can be charged during the journey by a contact connection wherein
as usual one pole can be connected through the medium of the body of the vehicle,
to the rails, the earth or in the case of boats or the like to the water whilst current
from. an overhead circuit, can be taken in the well known manner from the other
pole. In both cases the continuous current of the battery is conveyed by means of
à suitable commutator as a multiphase current to the field of the multiphase cur-
rent motor used for propelling the vehicle. The armatures of such a multiphase
current motor can in the case of vehicles running on land be directly mounted
upon the axles of the vehicles and in the case of boats or the like upon the pro-
peller or paddle wheel shaft, so that intermediate transmission gear such as
toothed wheels or the like is not required.
The commutator device by means of which the continuous current is trans-
formed into a multiphase current can be of the rotating drum or disc type or of
the switch type. The transformation of the current is effected by means
of the commutator device by connecting one pole of the accumulator to one con-
ductor and the other pole to the two other conductors, the three connections being

page_text: successively and regularly_changed. In order to avoid interrupting the current
during the switching operation a polarization battery consisting of small elements
or a condenser is advantageously connected up in the circuit before the commence-
ment of the said switching operation.
The commutator device is advantageously driven by a continuous current motor
connected up in a shunt circuit and receiving its current from the secondary bat-
tery. The speed of rotation of this shunt motor can be varied as required by a
suitable shunt regulator and according to the speed of rotation of the commutator
driven from the shunt motor the multiphase current motor has conveyed to it at
shorter or longer intervals current impulses flowing in opposite directions, whereby
a correspondingly quick or slow rotation of the magnet field and of the armature
of the multiphase current motor is obtained.
This arrangement also enables the motor to be run in the reverse direction
simply by causing the commutator, by changing the poles to rotate in the oppo-
site direction.
If it is desired to apply a brake electrically by means of such multiphase current
motors this can easily be effected by an auxiliary connection by means of which,
on rotating the commutator, a continuous current is conveyed through one or
more circuits to the field of the multiphase current motor during the period in
which the brake is to be applied. To disconnect or switch off the motor, the
brushes can be displaced or slid laterally upon insulating pieces although it will
be obvious that other switch devices can be employed if desired.
Instead of employing a continuous current as the charging current, an alterna-
ting current can be employed, the said alternating current being conveyed either
through two conductors to the vehicle or through one conductor the rails, earth,
or the water being employed as the return circuit; in this case however, the
alternating current would be first transformed into a continuous current by an
alternating current transformer in the vehicle and then conveyed to the battery.
It is also to be noted that for transforming the continuous current it is not
absolutely necessary to carry the battery in the car when the current is conveyed
thereto through an external circuit., The commutator transforms the said current
particularly when a small auxiliary battery is employed, without difficulty into a
multiphase current. It will be found, however, that the accumulator is generally
of considerable use in maintaining a regular tension in the circuit.
That this 2nd dow
T11007
Improvements in the Electrical Propulsion of Carriages and other
Vehicles, Boats, and the like.
We, ADOLPH MÜLLER, of 31A, Luisenstrasse, Berlin, in the German Empire,
Director, and HENRI TUDOR, of Rosport, Luxemburg, 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 relates to improvements in propelling carriages and other
vehicles, beats and the like by multiphase electric currents.
Hitherto practically only continuous current machines have been employed for
electrically driving vehicles of all kinds, boats and the like, as such machines, by
'employing the earth or a rail for the return circuit, only require one conductor

page_text: and also because the properties of the continuous current motor permit of con-
siderable overloading whereby the said motor is suitable for supplying the increase
of power required for starting a vehicle. The two-phase alternate current motor
does not enter into the question because it neither starts when loaded nor supports
an overload as in this case it becomes asynchronous and stops. It has not been
possible heretofore to practically employ the multiphase or polyphase current
because for directly conveying such a current at least three conductors are
required, the arrangement of which is naturally very difficult, costly and not
without danger when in use.
In order, therefore, to render the excellent properties of the polyphase current
suitable for driving the motors of electrically propelled vehicles, the said current is,
according to this invention, obtained from a secondary battery or accumulator which
is carried in the vehicle to be driven or propelled. This accumulator or secondary
battery can either be made of such dimensions that it stores up in the vehicle the
amount of energy which is necessary for the total amount of work to be done, or the
said battery' can be charged during the journey by a contact connection wherein
as usual one pole can be connected, through the medium of the body of the vehicle,
to the rails, the earth or in the case of boats or the like to the water, whilst current
from an overhead circuit, can be taken in the well known manner from the other
pole: In both cases the continuous current of the battery is conveyed by means of
à suitable commutator as a multiphase current to the field of the multiphase cur-
rent motor used for propelling the vehicle. The armatures of such a multiphase
current motor can in the case of vehicles running on land be directly mounted
upon the axles of the vehicles and in the case of boats or the like upon the pro-
peller or paddle-wheel shaft, so that intermediate transmission gear, such as
toothed wheels or the like, is not required.
The commutator device by means of which the continuous current is trans-
formed into a multiphase current can be of the rotating drum or disc type or of
the oscillating switch type. The transformation of the current is effected by means
of the commutator device by connecting one pole of the accumulator to one con-
ductor and the other pole to the two other conductors, the three connections being
successively and regularly changed. In order to avoid interrupting the current
during the switching operation a polarization battery consisting of small elements
or a condenser is advantageously connected up in the circuit before the commence-
ment of the said switching operation.
:
The commutator device is advantageously driven by a continuous current motor
connected up in a shunt circuit and receiving its current from the secondary bat-
tery. The speed of rotation of this shunt motor can be varied as required by a
suitable shunt regulator and according to the speed of rotation of the commutator
driven from the shunt motor the multiphase current motor has conveyed to it at
shorter or longer intervals current impulses flowing in opposite directions, whereby
a correspondingly quick or slow rotation of the magnet field and of the armature
of the multiphase current motor is obtained.
This arrangement also enables the motor to be run in the reverse direction
simply by causing the commutator, by changing the poles, to rotate in the oppo-
site direction.
If it is desired to apply a brake electrically by means of such multiphase current
motors this can easily be effected by an auxiliary connection by means of which,
on rotating the commutator, a continuous current is conveyed through one or
more circuits to the field of the multiphase current motor during the period in
which the brake is to be applied. To disconnect or switch off the motor, the
brushes can be displaced or slid laterally upon insulating pieces although it will
be obvious that other switch devices can be employed if desired.
To enable the invention to be fully understood we will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:-
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an electrically propelled car having our
improvements applied thereto.

page_text: -
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through a boat illustrating the application
of our invention thereto.
In the arrangement shewn in Figure 1, the accumulator or secondary battery
fitted in the car is supplied with continuous current from the line L in the usual
manner. When the car travels uninterruptedly under the said overhead con-
ductor L the capacity of the accumulator can be very low. If however, the car
is to travel certain distances by self-propulsion, the capacity must obviously be
calculated accordingly. G indicates the small continuous current motor which
rotates the transformer T. The velocity and direction of rotation can be varied
by means of the rheostat R, the lever of which simultaneously alters the direction
of the current in the armature and in the field magnets. H is the polarisation
battery necessary for the transformation.
Figure 2 shews the same arrangement applied to a boat. The different parts of
the apparatus are indicated by the same letters. A feed circuit is, in this case,
not provided as the battery is charged at the landing stages and the boat is self
propelled.
1 ..
Instead of employing a continuous current as the charging current, an alterna-
ting current can be employed, the said alternating current being conveyed either
through two conductors to the vehicle or through one conductor, the rails, earth,
or the water being employed as the return circuit; in this case, however, the
alternating current would be first transformed into a continuous current by an
alternating current commutator in the vehicle and then conveyed to the battery.
It is also to be noted that for transforming the continuous current it is not
absolutely necessary to carry the battery in the car when the current is conveyed
thereto through an external circuit. The commutator transforms the said current,
particularly when a small auxiliary battery is employed, without difficulty into a
multiphase current. It will be found, however, that the accumulator is generally
of considerable use in maintaining a regular tension in the circuit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
In electrically propelled vehicles, boats and the like, the employment of a multi-
phase or polyphase current generator in connection with a direct current source
and a commutator device, for transforming the direct current supplied into poly-
phase current for driving the said polyphase motor, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
1
01
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.