US629079A

US629079A - Electrically-propelled vehicle.

Info

Publication number: US629079A
Application number: US70773899A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rudolph M Hunter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1899-03-04
Filing date: 1899-03-04
Publication date: 1899-07-18
Anticipated expiration: 1916-07-18

Description

"0. 529,079. Patented July 12, I899.

mm. mmnzn. ELEGTBICALLY PBOPELLED VEHICLE.

(Appl iution filed Int. 4, 1899.

(In IMIUI.) 4 Sheets$heet l.

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-v Patented lul y l8, I899. B. M. HUNTER. ELEGTBIQALLY PRUPELLED VEHICLE.

(Application M In. 4, 1899.)

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No. 629,079. Patented July l8, I899.

, R. I. HUNTER.

ELECTRIOALLY PROPELL ED VEHICLE.

(Appliesion fl lod In. t, 1899.)

(I. IOIII.)

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FIG. 8

No. 629,079; Patents d m l8, I899. n. u. HUNTER. ELEOTBIGALLY PBOPELLED VEHICLE.

(Application am in. 4, 1000.)

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-i UNITED STATES PATENT G E-ice.

RUDOLPH M; HUNTER, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA;

" ELEGTRl CALLY-PROPELLED VEHlCLi-Z.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent ND. 629,079, dated July 18, 189.

Application filed March 4, 1899. Serial No. 707,738. (No model.)

To all whom may concern.- 7

Be it known that LRUDOLPH M. HUNTER,

, of the city and countyof Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Electrically;l?ropelledVehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has referencetoelectricallypropelled vehicles; and it consists of certain improvements set out in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

This application (Case No. 307) has special reference to pleasure vehicles, such as carriages, and comprises certain features of construction of the body and running-gear.

In the construction of electric carriages much difliculty has been experienced in suitably arranging the batteries so as to be conveniently placed and at the same time so shielded as not to destroy the general beauty of design. In my improvements the body portion of thecarriage is formed with a compartment immediately below the floor and shielded from view by the extensions of the walls of the bodyportion. The batteries are supported upon a suitable removable floor or bottom and inserted or removed as a unit.

The general configuration of the sides and ends may be extended downward,so as to pre-'- vent the appearance-to the eye of any existing compartment. The general proportions of the body are maintained, so that the additional space occupied by the batteries is not noticeable. The general character of the body above may be that of a brougham, hansomcam, Victoria, or open carriage. The compartment for the batteries may extend upward at the forward end and thebattery-support made L-shaped, so as to fit therein and increase the capacity where greater distance is to be run with one charge. The rear axle is provided with large wheels electricallydriven by separate electric motors, and the forward I and small wheels are the steering-wheels, be-

ingpreferably operated by knuckle-joints and levers. The friction-brake operates upon the rear wheels. and is actuated by a rod or bar extending through battery-compartment immediately below the floorof the vehicle.

My improvements will be better understood by reference to the drawingsfln which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an electric brongham embodying my improvement-s. Fig'.

2 is a sectional plan view of sam on line 2 2. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional elevat through the lower portion of the body andlgiigterysup 'port.

cuits, for the motors. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of a modification of my improved brongham. Fig. 7 is an elevation of the battery-support for the brougham of Fig. 6. Fig.

Fig. 4 is an inverted planvrew of the battery compartment, support, and carriage.

Fig-5 is a diagram showing the electric cir-'- Sis a side elevation showing my improve-- merits applied to'a hansom-cab, and Fig. 9 is a similar view showing my invent-ion adapted to a Victoria or open carriage.

In all of the types of carriages here shown the general construction may be the same so far as myimprovements are concerned, the only variations being in the shape of the up per part of the body. Thus in the Victoria or open carriage the upper part of the body of the brougham iscut away and the falling top is substituted, and in the case of the bansom-cab the operators seat may, if desired, be placed in the rear of the body. It may be placed in the front, if desired, as indicated in dotted lines.

Referring now to the drawings, Figs. 1 to 7, A is the body part and is shaped so as to closely resemble a brougham and is provided with a floor B at a considerable distance above the bottom of the side walls A. r The space bounded by these side walls forms acompartment 0, open on the bottom, into which the batteries d are placed. The batteries are supported upon a frameD, fitting to the bottom of the lowered and removed The weight of the batteries being large, hydraulic lifting devices may be employed for this purpose. Any

other suitable manner of .fasteningthe removable battery-support in place within the compartment may be employed in lieu of that shown, i fso desired.

. .Itrwillbe observed that thedoorsA? are brought down below the floor 13 and received 7 V in recesses l),so that they give the appear- 7 ance'ofrthcre' being no compartment below the floor. Furthermore, the sides A: below the doorare broughtdown below the support or frame D and curved to destroy the appearance of a box-compartment and also to provideguides Eforinsuring the battery prop- V large forward'curve to the post A and build:

ing of the body forward at A so as to enable the neck F extending down to meet the body, and thereby secure a great deal more space within the compartment 0 below the floor. Now it willbe observed that by this construction I am enabled to secure a greatly-im.

creasedcapacity of battery-compartment,'and

consequently room to carry the necessary battery without. destroying'the beauty of 'dea sign. 7 It will also be noticed that the batterycompartment Oextends forward of the actual floor Biof the passenger-compartm'ent, and as 7 this gives ample storage-battery capacity for most cases the interior of thejbody'may be the compartment 0 0.

provided with a three-quarter seat, if. so desired, or may have a closet G, if preferred.

.In cases where'long runsare necessary the space above the forward part of the compartment 0 may be made to receive an upward extension of the battery-support provided with cells. This construction is shown in Fig. 6 and the battery-support is shown in Fig. 7. In this case the compartment within the carriage is made L-shaped, since the lower horizontal compartment C has an upward extension 0, and the battery-support is also made L-shapcd by an extension D upon the forward end of the main part D. The upper edges of the battery-support are rounded, as at D to more readily guide the support into The upright compartment O is immediately in front of the passenger-compartment and may be said to be built partly therein, since the forward windows and walls are extended forward. In this manner the top of the compartment 0 is within the passenger-compartmentand acts as a table 9. If the upright part D of the battery-support is reduced in height, this top of the compartment may be sufficiently lowered to make it perform the function of a seat instead of a table. This is evident from an examination of Fig. 9, The'neck F is brought forward and is hollow, as is customary. It supports the operators seat f, as usual.

The forward or small wheels II are mounted on stub-axles hinged to the axle H by knucklejoints h, which are provided with levers connected by a link 11*. This link is moved by bell-crank H operated by a hand steering lever I, pivoted to the operators platform at 1'. By-throwingtl1e lever forward or backward the wheels H are turned for steering.

the elliptic type.

forwardfrom the platform, andthe rear ends of the springs are connected to a transverse spring H or,'it' desired, to the rear ends of The axle II is seen red to two springsll of The forward ends of these springs are hinged to rigid arms J, extending be employed for supporting the motor, so as not to transmit unpleasant jarring to the occupants; It also secures more flexibility for the motor-support. The motor-shafts are provided on theoutside with pinions n,which mesh with the internal gearsN, bolted to the spokes of the wheels'K. In this mannerthe motors are respectively arranged to'drive separate wheels; The motors are arranged between: the axle and the lower part ofthe body A and under the seat portion, so that they are greatly shielded or'hidden from View,

and thereby enhancing the beauty of design. f i V The controller 0- may be of the series-multipletype and isplaced under. the operators seat and manipulated by a handle O The circuits 0, Fig. 5,.extend from the battery to controller through the neck portion. F and thence back through the body to the motors. Any additional controlling devices, such as reversing-switch and cut-out switch, may be employed. The electric braking-switch is usually embodied in the controller.

P are brake-shoes carried by a lever-frame P and adapted to act upon the rear wheels K. This frame P is moved by a bar P ex tending through the battery-compartment below the floor B, and is operated by a bell-crank P rod P, and foot-lever P A spring P re moves the brake when thefoot-lever is released.

All that hasbeen said with regard to Figs. 1 to 7 equally applies to Fig. 9, and hence that figure requires no further explanation.

Referring to Fig. 8, the operators seat may be at the rear, as shown at f in full lines, or in front, as indicated in dotted lines, according to preference. In this case the batterycompartment 0 is under the floor both on the interior of the body and exterior thereof, and on account of the short length of the floor the compartment may, if desired, be extended a short distance backward as well, as clearly shown. I is the steering-lever and is shown as a rocking shaft on account-of the small space available when the seat is at the rear. When,

however, it is at the front, then the steeringlever may be as described in connection with Fig. 1. In all of these cases the step R is se- (aimed to the outside walls of the battery-compartment immediately below the entrance to the floor of the vehicle.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1.- In anelectrical vehicle the combination of a body provided with a seat and floor in front of and at a lower level than the seat, and a battery-compartment built into and as a part of the body portion immediately below the floor and forward of the seat of the-full width of the body, and a removable batterysupport adapted to said compartment.

2. In an electric vehicle the combination of a body provided on the interior with a'seat and floor and a battery-compartment built into the body portion immediately below the floor and ofthe full width of the body and open at the bottom, in combination with a removable battery-support adapted to fit into the open bottom of the battery-compartment, and means for holding the said battery-support in position.

- 3. In an electric vehicle, the combination of a body provided on the interior with a seat and floor and a battery-compartment built into the body portion immediately below the floor and of the full-width of the body and open atthe bottom and also having entrances on each side of the body directly to the floor and immediatelyin front of the seat, in combination with a removable battery-support adapted to fit into the open bottom of the battery-compartment, and means for holding the said battery-support in position. A

4. In an electric vehicle, the combination of a body provided on the interior with a seat and floor and a battery-compartment built into the body portion immediately below the floor and of the full width of the body and open at the bottom and also having entrances or passage-ways oneach side of the body directly to the floor immediately in front of the seat, in combination with a removable battery-support adapted to fit into the open bottom of the battery-compartment, means for holding the said battery-support in position, and doors hinged to the body part to close the passage-ways to the interior thereof arranged forward of the seat and extending to a point below the floor-line.

5. A body for an electric vehicle consisting of an inclosed upper body portion having therein a seat and a floor at a lower level and I in which the sides of the body are extended below the floor-level to constitute a rectangular 6. A body for an electric vehicle consisting of an inclosed upper body portion having I having a transversely-arranged fioorat a contherein a seatand a floor immediately in front of the seat and at a lower level and in which the sides of the body are extended below the floor-level to constitute a rectangular batterycompartment below the floor and forward of the seat and of the full width of the upper portion of the body, in combination with a battery-support below the floor removably connected withsaid compartment for sustaining the batteries within the same.

7. A body foran electric vehicle consisting of an inclosed upper body portion having therein a seat and a floor and in which the sides of the body below the floor-line are extended downward to constitute a rectangular battery-compartment, a removable bottom or battery-support for sustaining the batteries within the said compartment, and locking devices for locking the bottom of the support in position.

8. In an electric vehicle, a body portion having an inclosed upper part and provided with a seat and a floor at a consider-able distance above the bottom of the body and in which the lower portion of thebody below the floor-line is extended downward and forward beyond the floor to form a rectangular battery-compartment of greater area than the area of the floor, in combination with a removable battery-support of greater area than the floor to sustain the batteries within the r compartment below the floor.

9. In an electric vehicle, a body portion having .an inclosed upper part and provided with a seat and a floor at a considerable 'distance above the bottom of the body and in which the lower portion of the body below the floor-line is extended downward and forward beyond the floor to. form a rectangular battery-compartment of greater area than the area of the floor, in combination with a removable battery, and hinged doors on each side of the body and in line with the side edges of the hour and battery-compartment.

10. In an electric vehicle, a body part having a seat at therear, a floor in front of the seat, and an L-shaped battery-compartment arranged below the floor and extending up- Ward at the forward part of the floor, in combination with a battery-support having a forward upward extension or frameadapted to sustain the batteries in both the compartment below the floor and the upper forward compartment'.

11. In an electric vehicle, a body part having a seat at the rear, a floor in front of the seat, and an L-shaped battery-compartment arranged below the floor and extending upward at the forward part of the floor, in combination with a battery-support having a forward upward extension or frame adapted to sustain the batteries in both the compartment below the floor and the upper forward c0m partment, and locking devices for holding said battery-support in place.

12. In an electric vehicle, a body portion siderable-distanceabove its lower edge, a seat arranged to the rear of said floor, a compartment arranged in front of said floor and opposite the seat, a lower compartment arranged below the floor and extending beyond the same so as to communicate with the hollow compartment in front of the floor, and a removable means for supporting the batteries within the said lower and forward compartment.

13. In an electric vehicle, a body part having an offset under the seat at its rear, a battery-compartment below the floor forward of the seat, a hollow curved-neck portion extending forward of the main body and provided with the operators seat and platform, in combination with driving-wheels and axles spring connected at the rear of the body, electric-motor devices carried by the axle and adapted to rotate the wheels, steering-wheels of small diameter connected immediately below the curved neck and operators platform, steering mechanism arranged on said platform immediately above the steering-wheels and connecting with said wheels to change their angle, and controlling mechanism for the electric-motordevices arranged also upon the curved-neck portion and adapted to be operated from the operators seat.

14. In an electric vehicle, a body part having an offset under the seat at its rear, a battery-compartment below the floor forward of the seat, a hollow curved-neck portion extending forward of the main body and provided with the operators seat and platform, in combination with driving-wheels and axles spring-connected at the rear of the body, electrio-motor devices carried by the axle and adapted to rotate the wheels, steering-wheels of small diameter connected immediately below the curved neck and operators platform, steering mechanism arranged on said platform immediately above the steering-wheels and connecting with said Wheelsto change their angle, controlling mechanism for the electric-motor devices arranged also upon the curved-neck portion and adapted to be operated from the operators seat, a friction-brake adapted to control the rotation of the drivingwheels and connected to the rear part of the body, a foot-lever for operating the brake arranged on the operators platform forward of the body, and mechanical connections between said foot-lever extending through the curved neck and body below the floor-level thereof for operating the brake.

15. In an electrically-propelled vehicle, a body part supported upon the axles by springs and provided with a batter -compartment arranged below the floor. thereof, an operators seat arranged forward of the main body portion, a pair of large driving-wheels arranged at the rear portion of the vehicle, electromotor devices for rotating the said large driving-wheels partly carried by the axle and partly by the vehicle-body, a pair of steeringwheels of small diameter arranged immediately below the operators seat and in front of the main body portion, steering devices extending from said steering-wheels to a position in front of the operators seat, controlling devices for the electromotor devices arranged adjacent to the operators seat, and electric circuits including the motor, battery and controlling devices extending from the forward part of the vehicle-body to the rear thereof.

16. An electric brougham consisting of a closed body portion containing a passengerseat and having its sides extended down below'the floor to form a battery-compartment and also having a forward curved or goose neck portion of light construction upon which is arranged the operators seat and platform, in combination with electrically-propelled driving-wheels at the rear of the body portion, steering-wheels arranged in front of the body portion andimmediately below the .operators platform, a controller arranged within the space inclosed by the curved or goose neck portion and having a handle extending within reach of the operators seat, and a batteryarranged within the compartment under the floor of the vehicle, whereby the general construction of the vehicle closely resembles the modern type of brougham and the operating devices largely shielded from View.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand.

R. M. HUNTER.