Electric drive mechanism and method of operating same

Claim 1

IN A VARIABLE SPEED ELECTRIC DRIVE ASSEMBLY FOR DRIVING A VARIABLE LOAD AND ADAPTED TO BE ENERIZED BY ELECTROCHEMICAL SOURCES OF DIRECT CURRENT ENERGY; A DIRECT CURRENT CURRENT MOTOR FOR CONNECTION TO THE VARIABLE LOAD TO DRIVE OR BE DRIVEN BY THE SAME AND HAVING A HIFH RESISTANCE FIELD WINDING AN A RELATIVELY LOW RESISTANCE AR AMATURE WINDING; A PAIR OF ELECTRICALLY INDEPENDENT ELECTROCHEMICAL SOURCES OF DIRECT CURRENT AT LEAST ON OF WHICH IS RECHARGEABLE; AN ARMATURE CIRCUIT INCLUDING THE ARMATURE WINDING AND THE RECHARGEABLE ONE OF SAID PAIR OF SOURCES OF CURRENT ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TOGETHER; A FIELD CIRCUIT ELECTRICALLY AND OPERABLY INDEPENDENT OF THE ARMATURE CIRCUIT INCLUDING THE FIELD WINDING AND THE OTHER OF SAID SOURCES OF CURRENT ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TOGETHER; SAID RECHARGEABLE SOURCE OF CURRENT COMPRISING A SERIALLY CONNECTED PLURALITY OF ELECTRO-CHEMICAL CELLS; ONE OF SAID SERIALLY CONNECTED PLURALITY BEING CONNECTED TO ONE SIDE OF SAID ARMATURE WINDING, SWITCH MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID ARMATURE WINDING INTO SAID PLURALITY OF SERIALLY CONNECTED CELLS AT VARIOUS POINTS TO VARY THE NUMBER OF SUCH CELLS WHICH ARE SERIALLY CONNECTED ACROSS THE ARMATURE WINDING; AND SAID FIELD WINDING CONNECTED TO ITS SOURCE OF CURRENT IN THE FIELD CIRCUIT FOR UNINTERRUPTED ENERGIZATION OF THE FIELD WINDING DURING ALL VARIATIONS IN THE VOLTAGE OF THE ARMATURE CIRCUIT.