US1255278A - Air compressor or motor. - Google Patents

Description

R. G. 'BATTIN.

AIR COMPRESSOR 0R MOTOR.

V APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2? 1915- L55,%?., 7 Patented Feb. 5,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Mm, M ZZZ R. G. BATTIN.

AIR COMPRESSOR 0R MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 27. 1915.

Patented Feb 2 SHEETS-SHEET Z- l/v 'iv TOR Haber/ 65077777 QJHJHIIIIIIIIIIII ROBERT G. BATTIN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

AIR COMPRESSOR R, MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 5, rate.

Application filed December 27, 1915. Serial No. 68,712.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT G. BATTIN, a citizen 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 Air Compressors or Motors; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to air compressors and more particularly to a device of this character that may, by certain adjustment of its parts, be converted into a motor, and by a readjustment of the parts will again operate as a compressor whereby air may be compressed and thereafter used for various purposes, including the starting of the de vice when used as a motor.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a device of the foregoing character that may be conveniently carried, and operatively connected with the crank shaft of an automobile engine of the ordinary type, in order that the latter may be started by the motor, when operated by air previously compressed thereby, instead of being started by the usual manual method of cranking.

A further object of the invention is to provide an automatic adjusting mechanism whereby the driving gearing may be moved to operate as a motcr, or to drive as a com pressor, or will be moved to a neutral position when the air within the storage tank has reached a determined pressure.

In accomplishing these and other objects I have provided the details of structure hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure I is a plan view of a convertible compressor and motor constructed according to my invention, a part of the gear casing being removed for better illustrating the contained parts.

Fig. II is a longitudinal, vertical section of the same taken on line IIII, Fig. I.

Fig. III is a longitudinal, vertical section taken on line IIIIII, Fig. I, particularly illustrating the sleeve lifting mechanism and slide bar.

Fig. IV is a vertical section, showing the piston sleeve in its lowest position.

Fig. V is a vertical section showing one of the relative positions of the piston sleeve and piston, when the device is being used as a compressor.

Fig. VI is a detail view showing the automatic gear shifting mechanism.

Referring more in detail to the parts 1 designates the device taken as a whole, comprising a main or cylinder section 2, having an integrally formed, ofiset side housing 3 for containing the sleeve operating parts, later described, and a lower, removable crank case section 4:.

The upper section 2 comprises a plurality a main crank shaft 12; the said shaft being mounted in suitable bearings interposed between the upper and lower sections 2-4, and projected therefrom into a gear casing 13 where it is provided with gearing, presently described, and through which connection is made with the vehicle engine.

Threaded into the outer ends of the cylinders 567 are head. caps 15 having central ports 16 which lead outwardly through necks 17 integrally formed with the head caps and through connections 18 with a conduit 19 to a storage tank (not shown) that may be carried in any suitable manner on the vehicle.

Located within the ports 16 and adapted to control the passage of air therethrough are check valves, comprising balls 21 that are yieldingly retained on seats 22 by springs 23 that are contained within the said ports.

By so arranging the valves it will be seen that the air compressed within the cylinders by each upward movement of a piston therein will be forced outwardly through the valves into the storage tank, but will be retained against a back flow into the cylinder,

Located within the cylinders 567 and adapted for vertical, slidable movement therein, are sleeves 252627 which extend the length of the cylinders and contain respectively the pistons 8-9-10.

When the device is to be used as a motor it is necessary that the air under pressure may be admitted to the cylinders to cause an outward movement of the pistons, and it is also essential that means be provided for relieving the pistons of pressure as they start on their upward movement. To provide for the admittance of air to the cylin ders, I provide each of the sleeves, near its upper edge, with an intake slot which is adapted, when the sleeve is in proper position, to admit a charge of air into the cylinder from the storage tank (not shown); connection therewith being made through a conduit 31 which leads from the said tank and opens into a slot 32 milled in the cylinder casing, the said slot 32 communicating with all of the cylinders and being closed at the outside by a cover plate 33.

In order that the air may be exhausted from the cylinders on the upward movement of the pistons, I provide the said sleeves with exhaust slots 35 which are cut through the sleeves opposite the intake slots and slightly higher, so that when the exhaust is open the intake slots are closed; the exhaust opening into a slot 36 milled in the cylinder casing as the slot 32, and discharging through a conduit 37 to a mufller (not shown). I

I also provide each sleeve with an auxiliary intake port 38 which is located at a point slightly higher than the lowest point of the piston stroke, and, when the sleeve is held at its highest position, opens to atmosphere through a port 40 in the cylinder wall, so that when the device is being used as a compressor, with the sleeves shifted to their highest position, and the intake and exhaust slots 32 and 35 closed, the pistons on their downward movement will create a vacuum within the cylinders and as the pistons pass below the auxiliary intakes, air will rush in to fill the cylinders, and with the upward movement of the pistons the ports will be closed and the air taken in will be forced through the valves 20 tothe storage tank.

lVhen the device is used as a motor, the piston action is produced by the automatic opening and closing of the intake and exhaust ports, to admitand discharge air from the cylinders, this action being accomplished by the shifting of the piston sleeves within .the cylinders, which brings the ports therein into registration with the intake and ex haust ports of the casing at the proper intervals; this shifting action being accomplished in the followmg manner:

Each of the sleeves 252627 is supported within its respective cylinder by a lift arm 41 that is threaded onto and extends laterally from a lift rod 42; the said lift rods being slidably supported in vertical position within brackets 43, integrally formed with the casing 3 and projected into sockets 44 of caps 45 threaded into the lions ing; the lower ends of the said rods being rounded and adapted to ride on the cams 46 of a cam shaft 47.

The cam shaft 47 is mounted in suitable bearings parallel with the shaft 12 and at one end is provided with a gear wheel 50 which meshes with a like gear 51 on the shaft 12, whereby the cam shaft is revolved simultaneously with the shaft 12, so that the cylinder sleeves, supported by the lift arms 41 and actuated by turning of the cam shaft 47, retain a certain movement relative to the movement of the pistons therein.

As the cam shaft revolves, the lift rods are given an upward and downward movement, due to the cam action, which causes a, like movementof the sleeves within the cylinders; the downward movement of the lift arms being insured by springs 52 that are wound about the lift rods and bear against the arms and easing caps.

lVhen the device is used as a compressor, it is necessary that the sleeves be raised to close the intake and exhaust ports 32 and 35, and to retain the sleeves in this position I provide a lift bar 54 which extends longitudinally through the casing and is slidably supported 011 the brackets 43 and is adapted for slidable movement beneath the lift arms 41.

On the upper side of the lift bar 54: are spaced lift wings 55, having inclined faces 56 adjacent the lift arms and adapted for sliding thereunder, so that when the said bar is drawn outwardly the inclined wing faces slide beneath the arms 41 to lift the arms and cause a like lifting movement of the sleeves within the cylinders.

; As an automatic means of raising the lift arms to elevate the lift rods out of engagement with their respective cams when the device is to be used as a compressor, the lift bar 54 is extended outwardly through suitable bearings in the casing and into a cylinder 58 that carries at its outer end a piston 59; the said bar being urged outwardly to normally retain the lift wings beneath the lift arms, by means of a coil spring 60 which bears against the piston and easing.

Opening mto the air supply conduit 31 is a connectlon 62 whlch opens mto the cylinder 58 at the outer side of the piston 59, so that when air is admitted through the supply conduit 31 to the piston cylinders 5-67, to operate the motor, it is also admitted to the cylinder 58, causing the piston 59, carried on the lift bar 54, to be pushed inwardly against the spring 60 and thereby shift the bar 54 beneath the lift arms 41,- allowing the same to be lowered.

When pressure is cut off from the supply tank, to stop the. motor, pressure is also removed from the piston 59, allowing the same to be pushed outwardly by the spring 60, again bringing the lift bar into normal position.

The gearing which forms a drive from the motor to the vehicle engine and from the vehicle engine to the compressor may be defined as follows: The crank shaft 12 is extended slightly within the gear case 13 and is there provided with a gear wheel 65, having on its outer face a clutch collar 66, the said gear being in constant mesh with a larger gear 67 fixed on a free shaft 68.

Projected into a socket 69 in the end of the shaft 12 and resting in a bearing 70 in the gear casing, are rounded portions 71 and 72 of a square shaft 73, the outer end of which carries a sprocket wheel 74 by which connection with the vehicle engine may be made in any suitable manner.

Slidably carried on the square shaft 73 and revolved thereby, is a gear wheel 76, carrying a clutch collar 7 7 thereon, adapted for meshing with the clutch collar 66 of the gear 65, and adapted for being shifted in and out of mesh with a gear wheel 78 fixed on the shaft 68.

When the device is being used as a com pressor, connection is made direct with the shaft 12 from the vehicle engine by shifting the gear 76 along the square shaft 73 to bring the clutch collars 6667 into mesh, thereby locking the two shafts 12 and 73,

and causing a direct drive from the engine to the compressor.

When it is desired to use the device as a motor, connection to the vehicle engine is made by shifting the gear wheel 76 along the squared shaft into mesh with the gear wheel 78, thereby lowering the driving speed, and power being transmitted from the crank shaft 12, meshing gears -67 and gears 7873 to the sprocket 74 and to the vehicle engine.

Assuming that the device is operating as a motor and is being driven by air under pressure admitted from a storage tank through the conduit 31, as the air pressure is turned into the conduit 31 it is also admitted through the connection 62 to the cylinder 58, causing an outward movement of the lift bar 54. The shifting of the bar 54 not only releases the lift arm 41 but also shifts the gear 76 into mesh with the gear 78; the shifting being done by an arm 80 which is yieldingly secured on the bar 54, which is moved therewith, and is provided withua yoke 81 which fits within a peripheral groove 82 in the collar 77 on the said gear, so that the latter is shifted along the square shaft by the movement of the bar 54.

After the vehicle engine has been started, the air may be cut off from the supply tank, which will remove the pressure from within the cylinder 58, allowing the piston 59 to be pushed outwardly by the spring 60 and thereby shifting the slide bar 54 to raise the cylinder sleeves, and at the same time shifting the gear 76 along its square shaft and bringing the clutch 77 and 66 into mesh. The device will now be operating as a compressor to refill the storage tank.

It will now be seen that in order to avoid injury to the storage tank when a certain pressure has been reached therein, the gearing will have to be shifted to a neutral position. In accomplishing this I provide a pressure regulator comprising a cup 90 having connection with the pressure tank directly through a conduit 91, the said cup containing a diaphragm (not shown) which will be forced outwardly when a certain pressure is exerted thereagainst, and carries pin 93 which projects from the cup and is adapted for engaging a release lever 94.

As before mentioned, the arm 80 is slidable on the bar 54 but is yieldingly held in a certain position by springs 95 and 96, which normally hold the gear in a neutral position on the shaft 73, the spring 95 being secured at one end to the bar 54 and bearing against the arm collar 97 and the spring 96 bearing at one end against the arm collar and at the opposite end against the gear casing.

When air is turned into the conduit 31 to operate the device as a motor, the bar 54 is shifted as before described, carrying with it the shifting arm 80 and the gear 76 is brought into mesh with the gear 78 and power is transmitted from the shaft 12 through the meshing gears to the vehicle engine.

In order to insure the movement of the arm 80 with the bar 54, I provide the said bar with a notch 98 for receiving a latch member 99, that is slidably carried in the arm collar and has an outturned lip 100 at its outer end that is downwardly pressed by a spring 101, so that as the bar is moved outwardly the latch 99 will seat in thenotch 98 and the arm 80 will be carried outwardly therewith.

l/Vhen pressure is shut off to stop the motor the bar 54 is drawn back by the spring 60 and the device operates as a compressor. As the bar 54 is thus drawn back, carrying with it the arm 80, the latch lip 100 is positioned above the outer end of the release lever 94. "When sufficient pressure has been reached in the storage tank to move the pin 98 outwardly, the lever 94: is so moved to raise the latch 99 from the bar notch 98, which allows the spring 95 to push the arm 80 along the bar 54 until the two springs balance and the gear 76 is shifted to a neutral position.

Presuming the device to be so constructed and operatively connected through the sprocket 74 with an engine, it will operate as a motor by supplying air to the cylinders through the conduit 31, which simultaneously admits air to the cylinder 58 so that the piston shifts the bar 54 Within the casing to place the cylinder sleeves in operative position as previously described.

It will also be seen that the device may be used as'a compressor by shifting the gears and sleeve rod, and upon a certain degree of compression they will be automatically cut out, allowing the gears to run in a neutral position and the pistons to remain idle.

It will be seen that the exact details of the device and exact arrangement of the gears might be modified to a certain extent without departing from the spirit of the invention. Obviously the pressure within the supply tank may be used for various purposes for w ich compressed fluid is adaptable and as the device is connected directly with an engine, the source of supply of compressed fluid is always maintained.

It will furthermore be seen that the device is not limited to use on motor vehicles but.

is adapted for combustion engines in general, either stationary or mobile, and may be used advantageously in mining operations for raising or lowering shaft cars.

'Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is: V

1. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free and compressed air intake and exhaust ports, a reservoir in communication with the compressed air intake port, a slide valve in the cylinder for opening each of said ports independently ofthe other, a member for shifting the valve to alternately open the compressed air intake and exhaust ports, means for moving said member to position for closing said ports and opening the free air intake port and holding the valve in set position, a conduit for feeding the reservoir from the cylinder, and an automatic valve for controlling fiow to said conduit;

2. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free and compressed air intake ports and an exhaust port, an automatically valved conduit leading from the cylinder, a slide valve for controlling said ports, a piston in the cylinder, a

reciprocating member connected with the Valve, cam mechanism for urging the member in one direction, a spring cooperative with the cam mechanism and adapted for returning the valve, and a shifting device for moving the reciprocating member against the tension of said spring and holding the valve in determined position.

3. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free and compressed air intake ports and an exhaust port, of a slide valve for controlling said ports, a reciprocatory pin having an arm connected with said valve, a cam for engaging said pin to shift the arm, a spring for urging the pin to engagement with the cam, a shift bar having a cam head thereon for engaging the arm to hold the same against the tension of the spring, and a piston operable in said cylinder.

4. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free and compressed air intake ports and an exhaust port, of a slide valve for controlling said ports, a reciprocatory pin having an arm connected with said valve, a cam for engaging said pin to shift the arm, a spring for urging the pin to engagement with the cam, a shift bar having a cam head thereon for engaging the arm to hold the same against the tension of the spring, a piston operable in said cylinder, and yielding means for normally retaining the shift bar in holding relation with said arm.

5. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free and compressed air intake ports and an exhaust port, of a reservoir feed conduit in communication with the cylinder, a conduit in communication with the compressed air intake port, a slide valve for controlling said port, a reciprocatory member having a shift arm thereon for actuating the valve, a cam for engaging said member to actuate said arm and yielding means for holding the said member against the cam. a shift bar cylinder, a piston in the said cylinder, :1 shift bar connected with said piston, and having a cam head for engaging said shift arm to move and hold the same against the tension of its spring, a spring for urging the said piston to move and hold the shift bar in operative relation to the shift arm. and connection between said cylinder and the conduit leading to the compressed air intake port for supplying fluid under pressure to the shift bar cylinder at the side of the piston opposite the spring.

6. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free and compressed air intake ports and an exhaust port, of a reservoir conduit in communication with the compressed air intake port, a reservoir supply conduit in valved communica mamas tion with the cylinder, aslide valve having separate ports for the several cylinder ports, a reciprocatory pin, a cam for actuating said pin, a spring for urging the pin to engagement with the cam, an arm on said pin connected With said valve, a slide bar having a cam head for engaging said arm, yielding means for urging the shift bar to operative position relative to the cam head.

7. The combination with a cylinder having longitudinally spaced free and compressed air intake ports and an exhaust port, of a reservoir conduit in communication with the compressed air intake port, a reservoir supply conduit in valved communication with the cylinder, a slide valve having separate ports for the several cylinder ports, a reciprocatory pin, a cam for actuating said pin, a spring for urging the pin to engagement with the cam, an arm on said pin connected with said valve, a slide bar having a cam head for engaging said arm, yielding means for urging the shift bar to operative position relative to the cam head, a piston on said shift bar, a cylinder inclosing said piston and connection between said last named cylinder and the reservoir conduit, whereby fluid under pressure is admitted to the shift oar cylinder simultaneously with admission thereof to the main cylinder.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT G. BATTIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioncr of Patents, Washington, D. C."

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