Improvements in or relating to Electric Motor Road Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 20th Jan., 1900
Communicated from abroad by KÖLNER ACCUMULATOREN-WERKE GOTTFRIED
HAGEN, of Cologne, Germany, Electrical Engineer.
Improvements in or relating to Electric Motor Road Vehicles.
I, HERBERT SEFTON-JONES, of the Firm of W. P. Thompson & Co., British
and Foreign Patent Solicitors, 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in the County
of Lancaster, and Lower Temple Street, Birmingham, in the County of War-
wick, Chartered 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:-
The present invention relates to a novel arrangement of the electric motors
of motor cars with steering wheels located on adjustable axle shafts and which
are each driven by a motor capable of revolving around the same vertical axis
as the respective axle-shaft. This arrangement consists briefly in placing
the springs supporting the motor on a lever, by means of the corresponding
adjustment of which the steering wheels are controlled. The motor cars already
known, in which the two steering wheels are each driven by a motor fixed to
the rotary axle shafts present considerable defects. Either the motors cannot
be mounted on springs at all, or the spring mounting must be secured on the
car body, which makes it impossible for the wheels to turn round more than
about 900, or else the motors must be spring mounted on the axle shafts them-
selves. Moreover the axle shafts are subjected to great strain by the suspen-
sion and jolting of the motor.
All these defects are effectually obviated by means of the arrangement form-
ing the object of this invention, which is illustrated in the accompanying
drawing in which—
Figure 1 shews the arrangement of the motor in elevation.
Figure 2 is the corresponding side elevation.
Figure 3 is a plan of the same.
The axle a fixed upon the frame of the car possesses the pivots b bent round
at right angles, upon which the axle shafts bearing the steering wheels can
revolve. The gear wheel e located on the axle of the motor m engages with
the toothed wheel attached to each steering wheel. A bearing d fastened to
the motor engages round the adjustable axle shaft c so that the distance of the
motor remains always the same and the adjustable axle shaft must follow the
movements of the motor. The motor itself is supported by means of a spring f
from the arm h revoluble around the vertical shaft g. The spring f is attached
at or near the centre of gravity of the motor, and is pivotally connected with
the arm h as well as with the motor.
By means of the arrangement described it is-attained that on the one hand all
jolts caused by the motors and their movements are directly transmitted to the
fixed axle, and consequently there is no strain on the axle shafts, and that on

page_text: the other hand the car can be steered directly by means of a corresponding
movement of the lever. If the lever h is turned in either direction round the
vertical shaft this movement will cause the motors m to turn round the centre
of rotation of the corresponding axle shaft, on account of the bearings d en-
circling the adjustable axle shaft.c. Thus the steering wheels are turned in
the required manner without altering their parallel position with regard to one
another or the engagement of the gear wheels. Instead of arranging both
motors at different sides of the axle a, they may be arranged at the same side
of said axle, as shewn by dotted lines in Figure 3.
As, by means of this invention, the wheels are able to turn about 180°, the
car can be turned round within the space it stands upon, if any of the usual
means for overcoming the dead point are made use of.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In motor cars with steering wheels located on adjustable axle shafts, each
driven by a motor revoluble round the same vertical axis as its corresponding
axle, the arrangement of the electric motors in such a manner that the springs
supporting the motor are carried by a lever pivotted on the fixed axle, the adjust-
ment of which effects the required steering of the said wheels.
2. The improved mounting for the electric motors of motor cars having inde-
pendently mounted steering wheels driven by the said motors, substantially as
described and shewn in the accompanying drawing.
Dated 101
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.