Improvements in motor Road vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in motor Road vehicles.
I, LOUIS MARIE GAUTIER, of Saint Malo Department de l'Ille et Vilaine, in
the Republic of France, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to a motor road vehicle in which the method of trans-
mitting motion enables a reciprocating rectilinear motion to be converted into a
continuous circular motion, by means of connecting rods and slides in combina-
tion, and in addition enables the speed and direction of rotation to be varied by
means of a special gearing.
This method of transmitting motion, without either chain, gear wheels or
pulleys is equally applicable to motor road vehicles, motor cycles, tricycles and
to all other industrial purposes. I may of course employ any special arrange-
ment appropriate to each of such applications.
I will now describe the construction of a mechanism intended for driving a
motor road vehicle.
This mechanism is particularly characterized by the use of slides or cams of
curvilinear polygonal form which are caused to rotate by means of rollers con-
nected and actuated by means of connecting rods rotating within their perimeter,
and by the employment of rollers transmitting the movement of rotation between
two engaging cups the variations of the transmission ratio being obtained by
the greater or less degree of inclination of the rollers upon the axis of the system.
I will describe successively the device for the transmission of motion by means
of cams and the speed changing mechanisms which are the characteristic features
of my invention.
The motor fixed to the framework of the vehicle drives the front axle which is
both the driving and steering axle, by means of a driving rod, a coupling rod
two cranked shafts, rollers, polygonal cams and gearing mechanism which
enables the shaft of the differential mechanism to be driven in either direction.
For this purpose, the cranked shafts rotate in supports fixed to the framework
and forming crank discs on each side of the axis, are each provided with three
spindles of which the two extreme ones are fixed at right angles one with respect
to the other and at an angle of 135° with respect to the central spindle. The two
cranked shafts being driven directly by the driving rod and by the connecting
rod which latter is recessed or slotted so as to allow the passage of the shaft of
the differential mechanism, the four outside spindles provided with rollers con-
sequently receive a continuous movement of rotation. "These rollers are likewise
connected in pairs by means of recessed or slotted connecting rods which main-
tain them at an absolutely constant distance.

page_text: The form of the cams in which the rollers travel is such that their perimeter
remains invariably in contact with the two corresponding rollers in their move-
ment of rotation; one of them passing away from the centre of the cam whilst
the other approaches the centre and vice versa. The contact of the rollers with
the polygonal perimeter of the cam produces the movement of rotation of this
latter in the proportion of a division, or one fifth of a revolution, for each com-
plete revolution of the rollers.
I thus obtain a reduction of speed in the ratio of 5 to 1 between the cranked
shafts and the pentagonal cams. I may, however, employ cams having any
number of sides in order to obtain different reduction ratios, such ratios being
always equal to the number of the sides of the polygon employed.
The developed length of a curvilinear side of the cam is equal to the circum-
ference described by a roller, so that there is no sliding between these parts.
The two cams are similar one to the other but they are fixed at an angle of 90°
one from the other in order to avoid the existance of dead points.
The circular movement of the cams being obtained in the manner described,
it has to be transmitted to the shaft of the differential mechanism whilst securing
forward travel at different speeds, and backward motion as desired.
As regards forward travel, the transmission is effected by means of two cups
between which work the aforesaid rollers, one of the said cups meshing with an
engaging sleeve provided with teeth. For this purpose the two engaging cups are
given the form of a torus having the same axis as the shaft of the differential
mechanism; the first cup is fixed upon the sleeve which carries the two poly-
gonal cams and which rotates freely upon the shaft of the differential gear, whilst
the second cup is mounted loose upon this shaft. Between the two cups, rollers
are mounted loose upon axes fixed in fork supports capable of pivoting around
axes at right angles to the first and arranged in the medium plane of the cups.
The spindles of these supports pivot in supports connected one with the other
by means of a crown-piece concentric with the shaft of the differential gear and
fixed to the framework of the vehicle. The forked supports, four in number,
arranged in the manner shown in the drawing, are rigidly connected one with
the other by means of bevel pinions whereby they are all compelled to incline
at the same angle when one of them is acted upon; these bevel pinions are
provided with stops which limit their angular displacement to about 107°. The
rollers are consequently able to occupy, between the cups, all the positions
comprises in angles at 53° above and below the main position parallel to the
shaft of the differential mechanism. In all these positions the prolongations of
the axes of the rollers meet in the shaft. Their surface of travel is spherical
and of the same radius as the generating sphere of the torus which forms the
internal surface of the cups. When the rollers occupy the mean position and
are in contact with the two cups, they transmit from one to the other a circular
motion of the same speed and opposite in direction; if at this moment the teeth
of the second cup mesh with the teeth of the engaging sleeve, the shaft of the
differential mechanism will be caused to participate in the movement of the
second cup.
A flat spring acting upon this cup, maintains sufficient pressure upon the
rollers to ensure that the driving by means of friction shall take place under
good conditions.
In order to effect variations in speed, it is only necessary to modify the inclina-
tion of the rollers; they then transmit the movement between contact circum-
ferences of different diameters, and thus enable the speed ratios to be varied
from 1 to 2.5 approximately, in a continuous manner.
As regards backward motion, movement is merely transmitted from the first
cup to the engaging sleeve by contact friction surfaces or cones.
These different results are obtained by the simple displacement of the engaging
sleeve and by the inclination of the rollers. The mechanism by means of which
I obtain these movements is as follows:

page_text: Upon the framework of the vehicle is fixed a bracket supporting a rod dis-
placeable in the direction of its length and terminating in a rack gearing with a
pinion fixed upon a hollow shaft which is at right angles to the said rod. Around
this rod a forked support is capable of pivoting in two bearings; this support
carries the point of articulation of a lever the extremity of which engages between
two stops upon the rod whilst the other extremity is within reach of the driver.
Within the hollow shaft is provided a second shaft the pinion of which is driven
by a toothed segment which is rigidly connected with the oscillating support.
By the operation of a single lever either backwards or forward, or to the left
or the right hand, this device enables rotation of either one of the shafts the
hollow or inner shaft, or of both of them simultaneously, to be obtained in either
direction. These two shafts are sufficient to control the driving mechanism;:
the first terminates in angle teeth whereby the inclination of the four rollers is
effected when it is desired to vary the speed. As regards the shaft which passes
loose through the shaft, it is bent oppositely to the differential mechanism and
forms a crank the sleeve of which engages in a groove of the engaging sleeve;
its rotation effects either the engagement of the teeth of the sleeve for forward
motion, or complete disengagement or finally the engagement of the friction
cones for backward motion.
Dated this 27th day of August. 1898
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, LOUIS MARIE GAUTIER, of Saint Malo Department de l'Ille et Vilaine, in
the Republic of France, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to motor road vehicles, in which it enables, by the
method adopted for transmitting the motion, a reciprocating rectilinear motion
to be converted into a continuous circular motion by means of connecting rods
and slides in combination, and in addition the invention enables the speed
and direction of rotation to be varied by means of a special gearing.
This method of transmitting motion without either chain, gear wheels or
pulleys, is equally applicable to motor road vehicles, motor cycles and tricycles,
and to all other industrial purposes. I may of course employ any special
arrangement appropriate to each of these applications. In particular there is
hereinafter described and represented in the accompanying drawings the con-
struction of a mechanism intended for driving a motor road vehicle.
This mechanism is essentially characterised by the employment of slides or
cams of curvilinear polygonal form, which are caused to rotate by means of
rollers connected with and actuated by connecting rods rotating within their
perimeter, and by the employment of rollers transmitting the movement of
rotation between two engaging cups, the variation of the transmission of
velocity ratio being obtained by the greater or less degree of inclination of the
rollers upon the axis of the system.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 represents the transmission mechanism as a whole in longitudinal
section.

page_text: Figure 2 shews the form of two transmission cams.
Figure 3 illustrates in side elevation the mechanism receiving the direct action
of the connecting rod and transmitting the movement to the polygonal cams
(these latter are not shewn).
Figure 4 is a plan corresponding to Figure 3.
Figure 5 is an elevation shewing the support of the shaft of the wheels and
of the cranked shaft actuated by the connecting rod.
Figure 6 represents the arrangement of the transmission rollers placed between
the two engaging cups.
Figure 7 is a plan view of one of the rollers and of its support.
Figure 8 represents the operating device for engaging and speed changing
mechanism.
Figure 9 is a plan view of the operating rod shewn in Figure 8.
Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view of a motor road vehicle constructed in
accordance with my invention and provided with the transmission mechanism
shewn in detail in Figure 1.
Figure 11 is a plan view of the vehicle as a whole, the body being omitted.
Figure 12 is a diagrammatic view shewing a method of driving the polygonal
cams by means of two rollers instead of four.
I will describe successively the device for the transmission of movement by
means of cams, and the speed-changing mechanism, which are the characteristic
features of my invention.
The motor M fixed to the frame work of the vehicle, drives the front axle a,
which is both the driving and steering axle by means of the connecting rod m,
of the coupling rod m', of the two cranked shafts m² m³ of the rollers & b², c¹ c²
of the pentagonal cams bc, and of the engaging device ef g, which enables the
shaft a of the differential mechanism to be driven in either direction.
For this purpose the cranked shafts rotate in supports fixed to the frame work
(Figure 5), and form disc cranks upon each side of the axis; each are provided
with three spindles, of which the two extreme spindles are fixed at right angles
one from the other and at an angle of 135° with respect to the central spindle
(Figures 2, 3, and 4). The two cranked shafts being driven directly by the
connecting rod m and by the coupling rod m', which latter is recessed in order
to permit of the passage of the shaft of the differential mechanism a, the four
extreme spindles, provided with rollers 12 o' o² consequently receive a
tinuous movement of rotation. The rollers 16 c¹² are likewise coupled in
pairs by means of recessed rods tt' which maintain them at an absolutely constant
distance.
con-
The form of the cams in which the rollers b₁62 c¹² travel (Figure 2) is such
that their perimeter always remains in contact with the two corresponding rollers
in their movement of rotation; one of them passing away from the centre of
the cam whilst the other approaches it, and vice versa, their contact with the
polygonal perimeter of the cam causes the movement of rotation of this latter at
the rate of one division, or th of a revolution, for a complete revolution of
the rollers. I thus obtain a reduction of speed of 5 to 1 between the cranked
shafts and the pentagonal cams. I may also employ cams having any desired
number of sides for the purpose of obtaining different reduced velocity ratios,
these ratios being always equal to the number of sides of the polygon employed.
A developed length of a curvilinear side of the cam is equal to the circum-
ference described by a roller, in such a manner that there is no slip between
these parts.
The two cams be (Figure 2) are similar one to the other but they are fixed
at right angles one to the other for the purpose of preventing the occurrence of
dead points.
I may also drive each of the cams b and c by means of any desired number of
rollers and suitably connected, and when possible even by means of a

page_text: single roller ¹ and c². In this latter case, which is applicable to the trans-
mission of small forces, the two rollers 6¹ and c¹ (Figure 12) are carried by pins
fixed at an angle of 180° upon a single cranked shaft and the central pin m² of
this shaft driven by the driving rod m, is fixed at an angle of 90° with respect
to the first. This simplified device enables the shaft m³, the rollers 622, and
the coupling rods m¹t and t¹ to be dispensed with.
The circular movement of the cams being obtained in the manner which has
been described, it is necessary to transmit it to the shaft of the differential
mechanism whilst securing forward travel at different speeds, and backward
travel as desired.
In order to travel forward, the transmission is effected by means of the cupe
(Figures 1, 6 and 7) the rollers g, the cup f and the teeth i of the coupling
sleeve h, in engagement with the teeth of the cup f. For this purpose the
two cups e and are given the form of a torus having the same axis as the
shaft a of the differential mechanism; the cup e is fixed upon the sleeve d which
carries the two polygonal cams b and c and which rotates freely upon the
shafts a, whilst the second cup f is mounted loose upon this shaft. The coupling
sleeve his adapted, as before stated, to receive an endwise motion upon the
shaft a, while at the same time rotating said shaft, by means of the feather h'.
The said sleeve h is further provided with teeth i facing the cup f, which latter
is formed with similar teeth ; thus if the coupling sleeve h, by means of
mechanism hereinafter described is moved to engage the teeth i with the teeth i',
the cup f is rendered as it were integral with the shaft a. Between these two
cups the rollers g are mounted loose upon axes fixed in forked supports which
are capable of pivoting around axes arranged at right angles to the first and
situated in the median plane of the cups. The pins carrying these forked
supports pivot in supports connected one with another by means of a crown con-
centric with the shaft a and fixed to the frame work of the vehicle. The forked
supports, to the number of four in the example represented in the drawing, are
rigidly connected one with the other by means of bevel pinions which compel them
all to incline at the same angle when one of them is acted upon; these bevel
pinions are provided with stops which limit their angular displacement to
about 107°. The rollers y are consequently able to occupy between the two cups e
all the positions comprised in the angles of 53° above and below the mean
position parallel with the shaft of the differential mechanism; in all these
positions the prolongations of the axes of the rollers meet upon the shaft. Their
rolling surface is spherical and of the same radius as the generating sphere of
the torus which forms the internal surface of the cups. When the rollers
occupy the mean position and are in contact with the two cups ef, they transmit
from one to the other a circular movement of the same velocity and of contrary
direction; if at this moment the teeth of the cup f and of the engaging sleeve h
are in engagement, the shaft of the differential mechanism will be driven in
the same direction as the cup f.
A flat spring acting upon this cup maintains sufficient pressure upon the
rollers to produce transmission by friction under good conditions.
In order to effect a change of speed, it is only necessary to modify the inclina-
tion of the rollers g; they then transmit the movement between contact circum-
ferences of different diameters, and thus enable the ratios of the velocities to be
varied from 1 to 2.5 approximately, in a continuous manner.
In the case of backward travel, the movement is merely transmitted from the
cupe (Figure 1) to the coupling sleeve h by means of the contact of the friction
surface k, of the sleeve with that of the hub of the cup e which is constructed
to suit the former.
These different effects are obtained merely by the displacement of the engaging
sleeve and by the inclination of the rollers g. These movements are obtained
by means of the following mechanism;
Upon the frame work of the vehicle is fixed a frame u (Figures 8 and 9)

page_text: :
supporting a rod v movable in the direction of its length and terminating in a
rack engaging with a pinion rigidly fixed upon a hollow shaft .r arranged
at right angles to the rod r. Around this latter a support wo is capable of pivot-
ing in the bearings u¹²; this support carries the point of articulation of a
lever the extremity wl of which is engaged between two stops of the rod v
whilst the other extremity w is within reach of the driver. Within the hollow
shaft is arranged a second shaft y the pinion y of which is driven by a toothed
segment y rigidly connected with the pivoting support w. This device as a
whole enables the rotation in one direction or another of either one of the
shafts y or of both simultaneously to be effected merely by the actuation of
the single lever w² either forwards, backwards or to the left or right hand. These
two shafts are sufficient for the control of the vehicle; the shaft. terminates
at (Figure 6) in bevel gearing by means of which the inclination of the four
rollers g is effected when it is desired to vary the speed. As regards the shaft Y,
which passes freely through the first, it is cranked opposite the differential
mechanism and forms a crank the pin of which is engaged in a groove in the
engaging sleeve h; its rotation effects either the engagement of the teeth i
(Figure 1) for forward travel, or complete disengagement, or finally the engage-
ment of the friction cones for backward travel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
:―
1. A method of or device for transmitting movement, by means of which a
reciprocating movement is converted into a continuous circular movement the
device comprising in combination, a connecting rod and a coupling rod each
of which actuates two crank discs the pins of which are provided with rollers
travelling upon the internal edge of cams having a curvilinear polygonal con-
tour, which they cause to rotate in a continuous manner, the reciprocating move-
ment of the said rods corresponding to the rotation of one side of the polygon.
2. A device for the transmission of movement in accordance with Claim 1,
comprising in combination a connecting rod actuating two crank discs the pins
of which are provided with rollers travelling upon the internal edge of cams
having a curvilinear polygonal contour which they cause to rotate in a con-
tinuous manner, the reciprocating movement of the rod corresponding to the
rotation of one side of the polygon.
3. In a device for the transmission of movement in accordance with Claim 1,
a speed changing friction engaging device, characterised by two cups having the
form of portions of a torus within which are arranged a series of rollers movable
in forked supports which enable various inclinations to be given to the rollers
with respect to the axes of the cups, these rollers transmitting between the cups
speeds varying in proportion as they are more removed from their median
position parallel with the axis of the cups.
4. In a device for the transmission of movement in accordance with Claim 1,
a speed changing friction engaging device enabling the direction of travel to
be altered, essentially comprising two cups having the form of portions of a
torus, both being mounted loose upon the shaft to be driven, one of the said
cups being provided with a conical friction surface and the other with radial
teeth; a series of rollers arranged between the cups and capable of being inclined
as desired upon the axis of the system by means of forked supports connected
one with the other by means of bevel pinions; a sleeve provided with an engag-
ing key and sliding upon the shaft to be driven, and also provided with teeth
and a friction surface corresponding with those of the cups; a mechanism
enabling this engaging sleeve to be displaced by the movement of a lever in a
predetermined plane; and a mechanism enabling the inclination of the trans-
mission rollers to be varied by the movement of the same lever in a plane at
right angles to the first.

page_text: 5. A motor vehicle the driving shaft of which is actuated by the device for the
transmission of movement which forms the subject of Claims 1, 2 and 3, as
described above and represented in its essential parts in the accompanying
drawing.
Tatal this with das of 1900
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.