Improvements relating to the Steering of Horseless Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 27tn Feb., 1897-Accepted, 15th May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Steering of Horseless Vehicles.
I MAURICE LE BLANT of 21 Boulevard Poissonniere, Paris, in the Republic of
France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide convenient and simple means for
operating the moveable part of the fore-carriage of horseless vehicles, for steering
purposes.
In carrying out this invention, the moveable part of the fore-carriage is provided
with a toothed ring, with which gears a pinion mounted on the spindle of the steering
handle or wheel.
Between the ring and the fixed part of the fore-carriage, especially in the case of
heavy vehicles, antifriction rollers or balls are placed, such balls or rollers being
guided by a circular guide plate carried by arms extending from a collar mounted on
the perch bolt.
1000
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements relating to the Steering of Horseless Vehicles.
1 MAURICE LE BLANT, of 21 Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris, in the Republic of
France, 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:-
The object of this invention is to provide convenient and simple means for
operating the moveable part of the fore carriage of horseless vehicles, for steering
purposes.
In carrying out this invention, the moveable part of the fore-carriage is provided
with a toothed ring, with which gears a pinion mounted on the spindle of the steering
handle or wheel.
Between the ring and the fixed part of the fore carriage, especially in the case of
heavy vehicles, antifriction rollers or balls are placed, such balls or rollers being
guided by a circular guide plate carried by arms extending from a collar mounted on
the perch bolt.
And in order that this invention may be readily understood, I will now proceed to
more fully describe it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which―
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the fore carriage, partly in section:
Fig. 2 is a transverse section; and
Fig. 3 a plan view.
A is the fixed platform of the carriage, beneath which the fore carriage is situated.
Din the closing wheul for the fore carriage placed at a convenient height within the

page_text: conductor's reach. C is the shaft of the said steering wheel, and D is a socket of the
shaft C fixed to the platform A. This socket D is traversed by the shaft (with
slight friction), which is provided with a shoulder to rest thereon."
E is a pinion keyed to the lower part of the shaft C, and gearing, by means of an
intermediate pinion y, with the exterior (or, it may be, the interior) toothed portion
of a ring fixed to the movable portion of the fore carriage. F is the ring fixed to
the movable part of the forecarriage, and turning on the perch bolt. G is the perch
bolt & I is the bar of the fore-carriage, which also turns on the perch bolt. The
ends of this bar are fixed to the springs in the usual way. It is to this bar I that the
toothed ring F is fixed, upon the upper face of which rest and slide the plates J J₁
fixed to the rigid cross bar K, attached at its ends to the platform A. This cross beam
receives, at its middle, the perch bolt G, and the plates J J rest laterally against the
circular ledge L, situated in the interior of the ring F, which relieves the said perch
bolt from lateral shocks.
Between the parts F and J may be interposed rollers X, X, X2, X3, X, or balls,
which are kept in their path by any suitable guard, V, or by radial plates turning on
the perch bolt. This construction is specially suitable for heavy carriages, for
lessening the friction between the two rings of the forecarriage.
With light
carriages, the rollers or balls may be dispensed with.
It will be seen that, on actuating the steering wheel B, and with it the shaft C and
the pinion E, the toothed ring F' will be turned to the right or left, and thus move
the fore carriage to which it is attached.
. I would remark that the fore-carriage, properly so called, may be the same as is now
used, and in dispensing with the direct traction of horses, and in adding thereto the
parts above described, I thus obtain, in a definite combination, a new application of
known means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained, the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of a fore-carriage of any construction, with means, and
especially those described, for effecting the movement of the fore carriage of horseless
vehicles, for the purpose of steering the same, as set forth.
2. In the construction forming the object of the Claim 1, the application of rollers
or balls between the two rings of the fore-carriage, particularly for use in heavy
carriages, as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 26th day of February 1897.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.