US1095102A - Internal-combustion engine. - Google Patents

Description

L. s. GARDNER. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION PILED JUNE 10, 191 2.-

1,095,102. Patented Am. 28, 1914.

- j KMJMM LEVI S. GARDNER, OF SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914..

Application filed June 10, 1912. Serial No. 702,655.

To all whom it may concern:

, y/Be it known that I, LEVI S. GARDNER, a citizen oi the United States, residing at,

Shreveport, parish of Caddo, State of Loui siana, have invented a certain new and uscful Improvement in Internal-Combustion Engines, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingidrawings which form a part of this specification.v

In the ordinary internal combustion engine, in which the charge is fired by means of an electric spark it is impossible to 0btrain a low speed together with efficient operation, because either the combustible mixture is so dilute as to interfere with the proper propagation of a flame or else the mixture must be made so rich as to result in a heavy deposit of free carbon. Even where it is attempted to obtain a low speed with a rich combustible mixture, the ignition will be uncertain unless the spark is very powerful, and even then there is a loss of efiiciency on account of the excess of combustible material and the losses arising on account of the carbon deposit.

lhe object of my invention is to providemeans whereby perfect ignition and combustion may be obtained at speeds much lower than have heretofore been practicable, without loss of efiiciency.

In carrying out my invention I make use of means for supplying a small charge of the proper combustible mixture at and main taining it at the point where the ignition takes place. This may conveniently be accomplished by having the inner end of the spark plug arranged within a small pocket which opens into the combustion chamber and which receives a small. charge of combustible independently of the main charge delivered to the cylinde By filling this small po ket with combustible on the suction stroke of the engine, it remains 'within and is compressed within the pocket during the compression stroke and prevents the pocket from being filled with the more 1 dilute mixture in the combustion chamber proper. Consequently the pocket contains at the proper time a compressed charge ofcombustihle of just the desired degree of richness the entire charge in the engine cylinder or-comltmstion chamber may readily be ignited through the ignition of the small charge contained within the pocket. The pocket may be filled in any suitable way, but I prefer to connect it to the main carburetor by means of a small pipe con taining a check valve to prevent back flow;

so that whenever the engine is drawing in a charge through the carburetor, it draws in an auxiliary charge into the pocket. I prefer to connect the pipe leading to the pocket to the carbureter at a point back of the throttle valveso that the operation of the throttle valve to control the main charge will have no influence on the auxiliary charge.-

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will herein after he pointed out with particularity n the claim; but, fora full understanding of my invention and of its object and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a fragment of an engine equipped in accordance with a preferred embodiment of my invention; and Fig. 2 is a vertical section an an enlarged scale through the device which carries the spark plug and contains the pocket adaptinl to hold the auxiliary charge, an. adjacent portion of the engine cylinder being also shown.-

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents an engine having the usual inlet and exhaust valves '2 and 3; the inlet valve being adapted to control the inflow of the main combustible charge through a pipe 4 leading from a suitable carbureter 5. In the particular an rangement illustrated, I have made provision for adapting my invention to engines of any type which have already been built and are in use and, for the I shall describe in detail only this. particular form. although it will of course he understood that the structural details may be widely varied without departing, from my invention.

The engine which I have illustrated is one in which ignition is efl ected by means of a suitable spark plug 6 and. instead of sore-win; this plug directlyjnto the head of the cylinder or one of the walls of the comv bustion chamber, I screw it into the top oi a n'ioniber 7 which is in turn screwthreaded into the usual openingfor receiving the spark plug as indicated at 8. The

member 7 is made hollow and is open at the top and at the bottom. The top is closed by means of a spark plug but the bottom remains open so as to place the interior of the member 7 in communication with the combustion chamber in the engine. The member 7 is made long enough so that the chamber within the same below the spark plug forms a pocket of considerable length. A; pipe 9-leads from the carbureter to the member 7 and communicates with the interior thereof at a point just below the spark plug. The pipe 9 preferably joins the carbureter back of the throttle valve 10. The connection between the member 7 and the pipe 9 may take any suitable or convenient form, there being in the arrangementshown a nipplell on one side of the member 7 and the pipe 9 being fastened to the nipple by a suitable coupling 12. The inner end of the nipple communlcateswith the pocket or chamber within the member 7 through a radial passage 13. .Asuitable check valve 14; within the nipple permits fluids to flow from the pipe 9 into the pocket or chamber within the member 7, but prevents a back- How.

The operation is as follows: When the engine is running, one charge afteranother is drawn in through the main inlet pipe 4 in theusual way. Simultaneously with the main charges, small auxiliary charges are drawn through the pipe 9 into the pocket 15' within the member 7. By making the inlet into this pocket radial, the incoming auxiliary charge does not flow out of the pocket immediately and enter the combustion chamber, but remains within the pocket. Consequently at the beginnin of the compression stroke the pocket is full of a comustible mixture having a degree of richness determined by the adjustment of the carbureter and not influenced in any way' by the character ogiithe mixture in the main combustion chamber and cylinder. Therefore on the compression stroke of the engins, the charge in the pocket, as well as the main charge, is compressed; but the charge the main charge within the combustion chamber. In this way good ignition 'will always'beobtained and, when the main charge is a very weak one, as is the case where the engine is running slowly, ignition of the main charge may be eliected where this would be impossible if the primary ig nit-ion had to take place within the main charge.

lVhile I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the structural details thus illushated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which tall. within the terms employed in the definitimis of my invention constituting the appended claim.

I claim:

In combination, an internal combustirm engine having a small: pocket con'mnniicating with the combustion chamber, a carburetor. a COI'lnUCiIlUIl between the combustion chamber and the carbiu'oter for supplying the engine with a combustible charge, and

an auxiliary connection between the rairbureter and said pocket, a throttle valve in said carburetor, and said auxiliary conned tion opening into the carburetor on the side of the throttle valve opposite that on which the engine is located.

In t estimony whereof, I, sign this Fpwrh fication in the presence of two witnesses.

LEVI Gr illllNEll.

Images