US1158876A - Controlling means for ignition systems. - Google Patents

Description

L. C. WATSON & E. F. BOYER.

CONTROLLING MEANS FOR IGNITION SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I9. m4.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

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L. C. WATSON & E. F. BOYER. CONTROLLING MEANS FOR IGNITION SYSTEMS. APPLICATION FILD AUG. I9. 1914.

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as mean LEWIS C. WATSON AND EARL F. BOYER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

masses.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

Application filed August 19, 1914. Serial No. 857,517.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, LEWIS C. WATSON and EARL F. BOYER, citizens of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Means for Ignition Systems,

- of which the followinggis a specification.

Our invention'i'elates to time controlling means for ignitionsystems embodying mag netos, and the invention is especially adapted for use in the ignition systems of motors employed for propelling automobiles, motor boats, and the like.

The primary object of the invention is to provide means whereby the time of firing'o'f explosive charges in the cylinders of a motor may be advanced or retarded at will without varying thev intensity of the igniting sparks. We attain the foregoing object by having the sparks always occur at such times when the armature core is at a'predetermined distancefrom the pole-shoes of the field of the magneto as to produce sparks of maximum intensity.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a diagram ofa motor, its ignition system, and our invention. Flg. 2 is a longitudinal section of the important features of the invention connected to the spindle of an armature. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section, enlarged, on line III-III of Fig. 5. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the invention mounted upon the spindle of a magneto. Fig. 5 is an elevation, partly broken away, of a section of important parts of the invention. Fig. 6 is a cross section of a part of the magneto, showing the relative position of its armaturecore to the pole shoes of the field at the time the spark occurs. Fig. 7 is a broken elevation of the contact breaker of the magneto.

A designates the motor, B the magneto, and C the wiring between said magneto, the motor, and the spark plugs C.

D designates the gears whereby the magneto armature E is driven from the motor, F the armature spindle, the contact breaker disk secured to one end of the spindle F, H a contact screw rotatable. with the disk G, I another contact screw normally engaging the screw H, J a bellcrank lever carrying the screw I, K a spring bearing against the lever J to hold the screw I in engagement with the screw H, and L the fixed segments for rocking the lever J to throw'the screw I out of engagement with the screw H twice at each revolution of the disk G to short circuit and interrupt the primary current of the magneto, so that sparks will occur at the spark plug C.

The magneto B is, preferably, of the nonvariable timing type, or'one in which the breaker-box M is nonrockable. This insures sparks of maximum intensity, as the screw I lsnot disengaged from the screw H until gaps N, of such length as to insure sparks of maximum intensity, occur between the armature E and the pole shoes C, Figs. 6 and 7. The foregoing magneto is one of ordinary type.

Our invention comprises means whereby the armature E may be retarded or advanced at will relative to the motor pistons, to obtain any desired compression of the charges in the cylinders without varying the length of the gaps N at the time of'firing said charges. By thus having-the gaps N of a uniform length best adapted for the production of the hottest possible sparks at the spark plugs C, it is obvious that greater efliciency is had than where the gaps are frequently so great that the. sparks produced are often too weak to ignite the charges, as is the case. where magnetos of the ordinary variable timing type are employed, especially when the latter are adjusted to fully retard the time of firing.

In carrying out the invention, we employ a coupling 1 embodying a bushing 2 firmly mounted upon the armature spindle F, and a sleeve 3 loosely mounted upon said bushing 2. The sleeve 3 is free to rotate upon the bushing 2, but .is held from longitudinal movement thereon by a collar '4: integral with one end of the bushing, and a nut 5 threaded upon the opposite end of said bushing 2. Collar 4 fits into an annular internal recess 4 in the adjacent end of the sleeve 3, Figs. 2 and 5.

Bushing 2 has a pair of oppositely-disposed longitudinal grooves 6 in its periphery to receive the inner ends of a pair of lugs 7, extending through oblique slots 8, in the periphery of the sleeve 3. The outer ends of the lugs 7 are fixed to a shifting member 9 comprising an inner ring 10 loosely embracing the sleeve 3, and an outer slip-ring 11 loosely embracing said inner ring 10. Antifriction balls 12 are interposed between the inner and outer rings, so that the rotation of the former within the latter will be attended with but little friction. The'slip-ring 11 is provided with a pair of diametrically-opposed trunnions 13 fitting into the slotted ends of a yoke 14, mounted upon a rock-shaft 15 which may be actuated at a distance, such as the seatopposed grooves 18 to receive corresponding lugs 19 on a member 20, fixed to an intermediate shaft 21 carrying one of the gears D.

In practice, the time of firing the combustible charges in the cylinders can be varied-with relation to the position of the pistons in said cylinders by actuating the rod 16 to cause the shifting member 9 to move either'to the right or the left, as required. For instance, when the firing is to be retarded to permit the pistons to reach the ends or other predetermined point, of their compression strokes, the shifting member 9 is moved to the right. As the sleeve 3 is held by the member 20 from rotating independently of the intermediate'shaft 21 the .lugs 7, moving in the oblique slots 8- and the straight slots 6, turn the bushing 2 backward and thereby retard the armature E, so that it will not reach the firing posi-. tion (Fig. 6) until the pistons have advanced to the predetermined point of their compression strokes. When the firing is to be advanced the member 9 is shifted to the left, so that the armature E will reach the firing position earlier in the compression strokesio-f the pistons. In both cases the gaps N will be of a uniform length to produce the hottest possible sparks at the sparkplugs C, because the position of the segments L is never changed, whereas in magnetos of the variable timing type embody ing rocking segments, the gaps N vary to such an extent that efficient sparks are pro duced only when advanced as fully as possible.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

In a device of the class described, a shaft, a rotatable bushing having one end fixed thereto, a collar carried by one end of the bushing, a rotatable sleeve encircling the bushing and having one end engaged with said collar, a nut engaged with the other end of the bushing and sleeve to hold the,

section, a driving shaft alined with the first named shaft, and means for locking the driving shaft to said sleeve.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures, inthe presence of two witnesses.

LEWIS C; WATSON. EARL F. BOYER.

"Witnesses:

F. G. FISCHER, L. J. FISCHER.

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