IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROVISIONALATION
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Anthony Reckenzaun, of Leytonstone, in the County of
Essex, Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION loft by the said Anthony Reckenzaun at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd November 1882.
"
ANTHONY RECKENZAUN, of Leytonstono, in the County of Essex, Engineer,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRIVING TRAM-CARS AND OTHER VEHICLES
BY ELECTRICITY
"
My invention relates to the driving of vehicles by electric energy and comprises
means for varying the speed of such vehicles without materially changing. the speed
of the electro-motor.
Electro-motors develop the greatest efficiency when working at one particular
speed; therefore it is desirable that the variations of speed of the vehicle should be
effected otherwise than by changing the electrical conditions of the said motor or
primo mover. My said invention is designed to effect this result and I employ
therefor the apparatus and arrangements hereinafter described, that is to say, for
instance-
In applying my invention to a tram-car I place the electro-motor in any
convenient position under the car and arrange the same in combination with
adjustable pulleys for communicating motion to the car-wheels. The peculiarly
constructed cone-pulleys described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to
B. and A. B. Blackburn June 19th A.D. 1879, No. 2441, are very advantageous for
ny purpose. Each of these pulleys consists of two obtuso conical discs so formed
that when placed face to face on a shaft they have between them a V-shaped
groove and by shifting one of these cones or discs on the shaft the said V-shaped
groove is made wider or narrower at will. A flexible band or strap formed of
segments or pieces adapted to fit the sides of the said discs is used in connection
with the said pulleys; this band or strap should be of such width as to fit the said
V-groove near the periphery of the cones or discs when the same are as close
together as possible, but when the said discs are separated, that is to say, when tho
ID 611

page_text: width of the -shaped space between is increased, the band will change its position
and run on a portion of the discs surface nearer the centre of the pulley and thus
the effective or acting diameter of the said pulley can be varied at will, and with
it the speed of the driven shaft whilst the driving shaft, that is to say, the shaft of
the electro-motor maintains a constant velocity.
The two discs or cones are pressed together by a strong spring or springs on the
motor shaft, and I regulate the tension of this spring by a screw or other suitable
device and thus adjust the pressure on the pulley with great precision.
The driven shaft carries similar pulleys of the same or of other suitable diameter,
but these pulleys are arranged to adjust themselves automatically according to the
changes of the belt or band on the driving pulley, and as the distance between the
pulleys and length of the belt are unchangeable, any change in the position of the
belt on the driving pulley must be compensated by a change of its position on the
driven pulley, that is to say, when the cones of the driving pulley are pressed
together by augmenting the tension of the aforesail spring, the belt will assume
a position further away from the centre of the pulley, and as the band or strap
does not change in length it must separate the cones of the pulley on the driven
shaft and therefore run around a smaller circumference of the same.
The springs used in combination with the pulley on the driven shaft are set to
the required pressure to ensure the automatic adjustment of the cones and to hold
then with sufficient firinness to allow the belt to work properly thereon.
If desirable, in cases where the difference of speed between the motor and the
driven shaft is so great that the required difference of speed cannot be provided for
by using two pulleys of the same or different diameter on the driving and driven
shafts, I introduce another shaft. One of these shafts serves as a counter-shaft and
has on it two pulleys, namely, the aforesaid driven pulley and a sinaller pulley
which acts as a driver for the third shaft; in this modified form of my apparatus
1 provide a spring or springs to act on one cone of each pulley on the said.counter-shaft
in such a manner that the pressure on each pulley will be varied automatically; that
is to say, one or several springs are put on the counter-shaft between the two
pulleys, and a sleeve made in two parts connected by screw-threads may be used
to sustain these springs. It will be seen that though the width of each pulley may
vary according to the adjustment of the belt or band on the driving pulley, the
position of each pulley on the shaft is constant.
I may use any source of electricity for supplying the current to the motor but
I find it most advantageous in ordinary cases to employ accumulators or secondary
batteries. When I employ batteries in a tram-car I place then in long troughs
under the seats of the car, and I provide for the ready removal and replacement of
a set of these batteries by arranging the said trough or tray to run on rollers. In
order that the battery boxes or cases should not be injured through vibration
I place the trays, or the boxes in the trays, upon soft or elastic material. These
trays may be drawn out laterally or endwise from the car.
The last or driven shaft in any vehicle will be one of the shafts or axles on
which the wheels are fixed and in the case of a vehicle with four or more wheels
the wheel shafts or axles may be coupled to increase the traction.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Anthony Reckenzaun in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd May
1883.
ANTHONY RECKENZAUN, of Leytonstone, in the County of Essex, Engineer,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRIVING TRAMCARS AND OTHER VEHICLES BY
ELECTRICITY
"
My invention relates to the driving of vehicles by electric energy and comprises
means for varying the speed of such vehicles without materially changing the
speed of the electro-motor.
My said invention is based on the fact that electro-motors develop the greatest
efficiency when working at one particular speed, and if the speed thereof is
decreased by reason of a temporary increase in the work to be performed (for
instance, when the vehicle is going up hill, or when it is being started) the result is
a great waste of energy in heating the wires of the armature, therefore it is
desirable that the speed of the electro-motor should, as much as possible, be inde-
pendent of the variations in the speed of the vehicle, and my invention is designed
to accomplish this result.
In Siemens' electric tram-car the electricity is usually supplied through con-
ductors from a source independent of the car, the current being of uniform strength;
and resistances are used to absorb that portion of the electric current not required
for driving the car, that is to say, when less work is to be done resistances are
included in the circuit, and when more work is to be done the said coils are cut
out of the circuit. By my invention I obviate the necessity for using resistances and
I utilize all, or nearly all, the current supplied to the motor, although I may, in
some cases, employ resistances.
In applying my invention to a tram-car, I place the electro-motor in any con-
venient position under the car and arrange the same in combination with adjustable
pulleys for communicating motion to the car-wheels.
These pulleys are so constructed and arranged that the effective or acting
diameter of the said pulleys and consequently the speed of the driven shaft can be
varied at will, whilst the driving shaft, that is to say, the shaft of the electro-motor
maintains a constant velocity..
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved apparatus, and
Figure 2 is a plan of the same
Like letters indicate corresponding parts in both these Figures.
The apparatus shewn in the drawing is arranged to be suspended below the floor
of a tram-car, that is to say, the electro-motor a is carried by the frame b which is
supported upon the axles of the car by the bearings b¹; and springs b' may be
employed, if desired, to counteract the effects of vibration. This arrangement
renders the whole apparatus independent of the body of the car, so that it can be
readily attached thereto or detached therefrom when necessary. The motor might
be arranged to drive the car-wheels by means of only one pair of pulleys, but when
the normal speed of the motor is so great that the driven pulley (when only one
pair is used) would require to be of very large dimensions, I prefer to employ a
countershaft c (supported by suitable brackets & fixed to the frame b, or by other
convenient means), and two pairs of pulleys, as shown.
The pulleys which I employ are of peculiar construction, similar to those
described in the specification of Letters Patent granted to B. and A. B. Blackburn
and dated 19 June A.D. 1879 N° 2441. Each of these pulleys consists of two
conical dises so formed that, when placed face to face on a shaft, they have between

page_text: them a V-shaped groove and by shifting those discs on the shaft towards or from
each other the said V-shaped groove can be made wider or narrower, as desired.
I usually fix one of these discs on the shaft and make the other disc free to slide
longitudinally thereon. In this groove or between these discs is arranged a
flexible band or strap made of pieces of leather, india-rubber, wood or other suitable
material, which pieces are of such shape and are threaded upon a chain, rope or the
like in such a manner that the said band or strap can easily pass around the
pulleys. The cross section of this band or strap is wedge-shaped so as to fit the
said V-shaped groove near the periphery of the discs when the same are as close
together as possible, but when the said discs are separated, that is to say, when the
width of the V-shaped groove between them is increased, the band will change its
position and run on a portion of the surface of the discs nearer the centre of the
pulley. By these means the effective or acting diameter of the said pulley is
varied at will, and with it the speed of the driven shaft, as above stated.
To further facilitate the starting and stopping of the vehicle, I place within
either of the driving discs a loose collar or pulley, similar to that described in the
said former specification, so that the motor may move without moving the car, or
the car can be moved without affecting the speed of the motor, as the case may be.
This loose collar is of such diameter that the band may run upon it when the
discs are separated to their utmost limit, a recess in one of the discs receives the
- collar when the discs are brought together.
In some cases I place a fly-wheel e on the shaft c and make use of the momentum
of such fly-wheel for starting the vehicle as hereinafter described.
The movable disc of the pulley f on the driving shaft and the movable disc of
the pulley f¹ on the driven shaft or axle g are held in position by springs h, h¹ (or
as an equivalent for the springs I may employ inclined surfaces or weights) and
the said discs are automatically moved towards or from the fixed-discs of the said
pulleys, as the tension on the bands increases or decreases. The movable discs of
the pulleys, f³ are moved towards or from the fixed discs of the said pulleys by
the following means, that is to say, I provide a sleeve on the countershaft c, which
sleeve, when a fly-wheel is employed as shown, consists of two rings i, i fixed to
the movable discs of the pulloys f³, f³, and connected by rods j. This sleeve is free
to slide to and fro on the shaft c and is operated by means of the lever k which is
pivotted to the bracket and is moved by hand or otherwise.
The movement of this lever in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1
causes the movable disc of the pulley f' to approach the fixed disc thereof, and
the movable disc of the pulley f³ to move to a corresponding extent away from
the fixed disc thereof; the tension on the belt or band m being thereby increased
the movable disc of the pulley f' is moved away from the corresponding fixed disc,
the spring being thus compressed; the tension on the belt or band n being
decreased by the separation of the discs of the pulley f³, the spring acts upon
the movable disc of the pulley fand causes it to approach the corresponding fixed
disc. When the lever is moved in the opposite direction these movements are
reversed.
When a countershaft is dispensed with, the movable disc of the driving pulley
can be shifted by any suitable appliance, and the movable disc of the driven pulley
be arranged to be shifted automatically by a spring, or vice versa. In some cases,
when a countershaft is employed, I sometimes use pulleys as abovo described on
one side of the vehicle and any other well known gearing on the other side thereof.
For example, I may combine with these pulleys, chains and chain-wheels, a spur-
wheel and pinion, a worn and worm-wheel or the like, of fixed dimensions. The
variable gearing above described may be applied either between the motor and the
countershaft only, or between the countershaft and the driven shaft only.
The springs used in combination with such pulleys are so arranged that they
can be adjusted to the required tension to ensure the automatic shifting of the
discs, and to hold them with sufficient firmness to permit the band to work properly
thereon.

page_text: The operation of my improved apparatus is as follows, that is to say --When
the tram-car is to be started, assuming the band m to be resting upon the loose
pulley between the discs of the pulley f, the current from the source of electricity
is caused to flow into the motor by means of a switch or other suitable device, and
motion is thus imparted to the shaft c by means of the belt or band n but no motion
is imparted to the car; the lever k is then moved in the direction of the arrow so
as to bring the discs of the pulloy f together and separate the discs of the
pulley f³, the effect of which is to cause the pulley f² to act upon the belt or band m,
the tension of which is increased so that it forces the discs of the pulley f' apart,
and motion is then imparted to the axle g by means of the band m. To stop the
car, the lever is moved in the opposite direction until the band m again runs
upon the loose pulley, and the brake may be applied at the same time, if desired.
The shaft c continues to rotate without acting upon the axle g, and, if the fly-wheel e
is employed, its momentum will assist in starting the car when the lever & is again
moved for this purpose.
I may use any source of electricity for supplying the current to the motor, but
I find it most advantageous, in the case of train-cars or other road vehicles, to
employ accumulators or secondary batteries, or primary batterios, and when
I employ batteries I usually place then under the seat or soats of the car. In
order to provide for the ready removal and replacement of the batteries when
necessary, I place them in long troughs or trays provided with rollers and I
arrange under the seat or seats of the car suitable rails for the said troughs or
trays to run upon. At each end of the car I form doors through which the said
troughs or trays may be inserted or withdrawn. By these means the removal and
replacement of the batteries can be effected in a very short time.
In order that the batteries, or the boxes or cases containing them, shall not be
injured through vibration, I place the trays, or the boxes in the trays, upon soft or
elastic material.. These trays may be arranged to be drawn out either laterally or
and wise from the car.
The last or driven shaft in any vehicle will be one of the shafts or axles on
which the wheels are fixed, and, in the case of a vehicle with four or more
wheels, the wheel-shafts or axles may be coupled to increase the traction.
Having thus fully described my said invention and the manner of performing the
samo I wish it understood that I Claim :-
First. The above described improved apparatus for driving tram-cars or other
vehicles, wherein I employ an electro-motor in combination with means substan-
tially as described for regulating or varying the speed of the vehicle without
materially changing the speed of the motor.
Second. In the above described apparatus, the employment of a fly-wheel in
such a manner that its momentuin can be utilized for starting the vehicle,
substantially as set forth.
Third. The combination, with a tram-car or similar vehicle, of the rails arranged
under the seat or seats of the vehicle, and troughs or trays provided with
rollers, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
In Witness whereof I the said Anthony Reckenzaun have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Second day of May in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
ANTHONY RECKENZAUN (L.S.)