Improvements in Vehicles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1889
Improvements in Vehicles.
I, FRANK ATWOOD HUNTINGTON, of No. 45 Fremont Street, in the City and
County of San Francisco, State of California, one of the United States of America,
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:-
My Invention relates to certain improvements in vehicles; and it consists of an
engine and suitable intermediate gearing, whereby the vehicle may be propelled, as
will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a plan view of the engine, tank, and gearing.
Figure 2 is a side elevation with a portion of the wheel broken away to show the
gearing.
Figure 3 is a detail of speed-changing and backing devices.
This invention is designed to apply a gasoline or other vapor-engine to an ordinary
carriage or road-vehicle, with frictional mechanism for transmitting power, changing
the speed of the forward movement of the vehicle, and reversing the motion of the
vehicle at will.
In the present drawings, I have only shown so much of the vehicle as is necessary
to indicate the relative position of the parts and show the application of the
mechanism.
A is the frame-work of the vehicle, having the rear wheels B, a front steering-
wheel C, provided with the handle D, extending to within convenient distance of the
operator, who would be seated in the body E of the vehicle.
The body of the vehicle and the engine and driving mechanism will be supported
upon the main frame-work A, and beneath the body of the vehicle, being operated
therefrom by suitable levers, as will be hereafter described.
In the present case, I have shown a gas or vapor-engine with reciprocating
piston and crank-shaft, but a rotary or other form of engine may be substituted,
the shaft which I designate as a crank-shaft being in all cases the power or driving
shaft.
F is the generator, containing the gasoline or other volatile liquid, the vapor of
which is employed to drive the piston in the cylinder G. .H is the connecting-rod,
through which power is transmitted to the crank-wheel I. The crank-wheel I is
mounted upon a shaft J, journaled across the frame of the vehicle, as shown in
Figure 1, and upon this shaft are fixed two friction-wheels K, and L, one being
somewhat smaller than the other.
M is the shaft or axle upon which the wheels B are fitted, and N is a counter-shaft
journaled across the frame A parallel with the axle M.
Connected with each of the wheels B, which may run loosely in the usual manner
upon a fixed spindle or axle, are the gear-wheels O, and upon the counter-shaft N, are
corresponding pinions P, through which power is applied to drive the gear-wheels and
the bearing-wheels B.
In order to allow the wheels B to turn independently, so that one may move
faster than the other when turning corners in either direction, the shaft N is divided.
and is provided with any suitable form of differential balance-gear which will allow
the wheels to be driven simultaneously when power is applied to the exterior of the
drum containing this gearing, but which will also allow one wheel to turn faster than
the other when necessary.
This gearing, which is common, and is not, therefore, described here at length,
is contained within the drum Q, to which power is applied to drive the shaft, as

page_text: This drum is made of two different diameters. with frictional surfaces, and the two
diameters correspond respectively with the diameters of the friction-wheels K, and L,
but are not in contact with them. In order to produce contacts between the small
drum L, and the larger portion of Q, which will give a slow rate of speed, or
between the larger drum K, and the smaller portion of Q, which will produce a more
rapid speed, I have mounted two frictional rollers R, and S, in the frame T, which is
curved in the form of a segment, as shown.
Just inside the concave portion of this segment, and between it and the drums K, L,
is a shaft journaled upon the main frame-work A, and carrying crank-arms U. The
outer ends of these crauk-arms are connected with the segment T, and upon the
end of the crank-shaft is a hand-lever V, by which this shaft may be turned.
It will now be seen that by placing this shaft and its rollers R, and S, in a position
where the latter will have no contact with the drums K, L, Q, the machine will
stand still, although the engine may continue in motion; but by moving the lever V,
so as to raise the segment, the lower drum S, will be brought into contact with the
smaller frictional wheel L, and the larger portion of Q, and motion is thus imparted
to the shaft N, and through the gears P, and O, to the bearing-wheels B, giving them
the slowest rate of speed.
If it is desired to travel at a high rate of speed, the lever V is moved so as to
depress the roller S, and bring the roller R, into contact with the drum K, and the
smaller portion of the drum Q, which increases the speed.
It will be manifest that the variations in speed will depend upon the sizes of the
drums employed, and that any desired variation may be obtained by properly calculating
the diameter of these drums.
When it is desired to back the vehicle, it is done by means of a third frictional
drum W, which is secured to the crank-arm Y, fixed upon a shaft which is provided
with a lever Z.
This lever, which is also in reach of the driver, is movable so as to throw the
roller W into contact with the smaller drum L from beneath, and it will press also
against the intermediate drum S, thus forcing it against the larger part of Q, without
contact with the drum L, and by thus introducing the third drum, a reversal of the
motion takes place, and the vehicle will be backed at a slow rate of speed to any
desired point.
The steering-wheel C is journaled in the fork a, having a spindle extending up
through a vertical stationary sleeve b, and having the handle D, or equivalent
device, upon the upper end of which the wheel is turned.
From the lower ends of the fork a, where the wheel-shaft is journaled, a curved
guard c extends backward upon each side of the wheel C, and its rear portion forms
a sort of shoe which travels just inside of and out of contact with the arc d, bolted
to the frame A.
This are has a radius corresponding with the vertical axis of motion about which
the wheel C is turned, and when the vehicle is progressing ordinarily, the shoe or
rear portion of the yoke c, does not quite touch the inside of the arc d.
If, however, the front wheel meets with any considerable obstruction which would
tend to force it backward, this shoe will temporarily strike against the arc d, which
will thus support the wheel-frame against the arc and prevent strains upon the
steering-spindle which might otherwise occur.
The engine which I have shown for driving this apparatus, is, as above stated, a
gasoline or vapor-engine, and in order to keep the cylinder from becoming unduly
heated, I have arranged a jacket e, to surround it, having an inlet-opening upon
one side and an outlet-opening upon the other. The inlet-opening is connected by a
pipe f, with a small air-forcing mechanism or blower g, which is driven by means of
the belt h, from a pulley i, upon the main crank-shaft J.
When the vehicle is in motion, a blast of air is thus forced around the cylinder,
being discharged through the opening upon the opposite side from the inlet, and this
current of air keeps the cylinder sufficiently cool for practical work.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim, is:-
1. A vehicle, having the independently-journaled bearing and driving-wheels, and
a steering-wheel or wheels, an engine from which power is transmitted to a driving-
shaft with frictional wheels fixed upon said shaft, a divided counter-shaft with a drum
containing a differential gear, and gearing upon said shaft, through which power
is transmitted to the bearing-wheels independently, substantially as herein described.
2. A vehicle, with independently-journaled driving-wheels, and a steering wheel
or wheels, a divided counter-shaft with a differential connecting-gear, and gear-wheels
through which power is transmitted to each of the bearing-wheels, and frictional
drums of different sizes, an engine and engine-shaft, the latter carrying frictional
drums corresponding with those upon the counter-shaft, a movable frame with an
intermediate drum journaled therein, and a lever or means whereby the frame may
be moved to throw its drum into or out of contact with the others, substantially as
described.
3. The main axle, having the independently-journaled bearing and driving-wheels
of the vehicle, a divided counter-shaft with a differential clutch-mechanism, and
frictional drums of different sizes, and an engine, and shaft having corresponding
frictional drums of different sizes, in plane with those upon the counter-shaft, but out
of contact therewith, in combination with an intermediate segmental yoke, having
drums journaled in it corresponding with the different sized drums upon the engine
and counter-shaft, a rocker-shaft and arm by which the movable yoke is suspended,
and a lever by which said shaft is moved so as to throw either of the rollers into
contact with the corresponding drums upon the engine-shaft and counter-shaft, whereby
a change of speed may be effected, substantially as described.
4. The vehicle, having independently-driven wheels, a counter-shaft and engine-
shaft with friction-wheels and an intermediate movable yoke, with idler-wheel through
which power may be transmitted from the engine-shaft drum to the counter-shaft
drum, in combination with a supplemental shaft, rocker-arm, and drum, and a lever
for moving the same, whereby a reversal of the motion of the vehicle may be effected
by throwing this supplemental drum into contact with the driving-wheels, substantially
as described.
5. The vehicle, having the independently-driven wheels, counter-shaft, engine, and
intermediate gearing, the steering-wheel with an operating handle, and a yoke
connected with the steering-wheel shaft, and provided with a shoe traveling inside
of a segment fixed upon the vehicle-frame, substantially as described.
Dated this Seventeenth day of September 1889.