US1273798A - Automatic starter and controller. - Google Patents

Description

R. D. ERNEST.

AUTOMATIC STARTER AND CONTROLLER. APPLICATION FILED ocT. 19. I916.

1,273,798. v r Patented July 23, 1918..

WITNESSES I NVEIVTOI? A TTORNEYS FICE RALPH DWIGHT ERNEST, E ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN. AUTOMATIC sTARTER Ann CONTROLLER.

Patented July 23, r918. Application filed October 19, 1916. Serial No. 126,478. i

1,273,798 Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH D. ERNEST, a citizen of theUnited States, and a resident of Ann Arbor, inthe county of Washtenaw and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Auto-' matic Starters and Controllers, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in b no demand for power.

A further object of my invention is to mains. It controls together with the auxiliary switch S the ignition circuit tothe engine. This relay is arranged to openwhen the current flowing in the generator mains falls below a predetermined minimum, thus opening the ignition circuit. The relay Z is a current relay in series with the switch S the battery, and the mains L and L", and is used to control the starting circuit.

The operationof the device will best be understood by taking up the steps in, the order in which they actually occur. Let us assume that the generator is standing still, the relays X, Y and Z are open. The circuit breaker E, as will be seen from the drawing, is .in such position as to close the switches S and S and to openthe switch S There is therefore a 12 volt pressure on the circuit mains L and L". Suppose'now a watt lamp, such as that shown at W is switched on, this will cause a current to flow from the battery D through wire 2, relay Z,*wire 3,

' switch S wired, through one of the mains eliminate the necessity for the 11 of a L, then through the lamp Wto the other 25 storage battery, storage batteries being eX- ain L and back to the battery by the- 80 pensive, inefficient, and short-lived. i 5

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,'and the novel features of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims. v

My. invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which is a diagrammatic view of the various parts and their circuit connections.

In carrying out my invention, 1 provide a generator A which may be a 110 volt direct current shunt or compound wound generator driven by, and direct connected to a single cylinder gas engine B. A 12 volt starter C is geared direct to the common shaft. 1 A 12 volt starting battery D is provided to furnish energy for starting. At E, I have shown a single pole, solenoid operated circuit breaker.

In addition to the above apparatus, I

provide three relays, X, Y, and Z. Three ,switches are also provided, as shown "at S, S and S respectively, the latter being a The operation of the relay Z will close the circuit from the battery D through the starter C, wire 7, contacts of the rela Z through the wire 8 back to the battery. he ignition circuit will also be closed, the current flowing from the battery D through wire 6, wire 9, primary P of the induction coil, wire 10, wire 11, switch S wire 12, wire 7, contacts of relay Z, wire 8, back to the battery.

The engine is now started. As speed in;

creases, the voltage of the generator will increase, exerting a pressure on relay X which will operate at about 105volts. The closing of the contacts of the relay X energizes the coil of the circuit breaker over the following path; from battery D, through wire 13, contacts of the relay X, coils of the circuit breaker E and back by wire 14 to the battery. The operation of the circuit breaker in closing, opens the auxiEary switches S and S and closes the auxiliary switch S Switch S is slightly retarded due toits time element, in order to allow time to energize the relay Y, by the cur rent flow due to the closing of the circuit breaker. The auxiliary switch S is thus open during normal running, which gives relay Y complete control over the ignition circuit. The relay Z is protected from the generator voltage by the opening of the auxiliary switch S The closing of the auxiliary switch S closes the circuit between the starting motor-generator 'and the battery, allowing the starting motor, now a generator, to charge the battery in addition to furnishing current for ignition and for operating the circuitbreaker solenoid.

Let us now consider the efiect when all the lamps are turned off, causing the current in the generating circuit to decrease to a minimum. Relay Y having no current to energize it will open and break the ignition circuit, causing the engine to stop. As the speed falls old, the generator voltage will fall ofi and at 105 volts, the circuit breaker will open and will restore the auxiliary switch S1 to a closed position, thereby completing the circuit through the relay Z as far as the circuit mains, ready for starting. The opening of the circuit breaker opens auxiliaryswitch S before the starting motorgenerator voltage falls low enough to begin to take power from the bat tery. The auxiliary switch S tends to close, but is retarded in doing so long enough to allow the engine to stop before closing, as otherwise ignition would be restored and the engine would start up again.

It will be seen that the operation of the generating sets is controlled by the condition of the load on the circuit mains, and obeys the call for energy instantly One has only to close the switch to cause the generator to be started and furnish the power required,

and on the other hand, one has only to open the switch to stop the whole system tar/ res ll claim:

1. The combination of an internal combustion engine, having electric igniters, an electric starter for said engine, a generator driven by the engine, a battery, a main power or lighting circuit, said battery having normal connections with said main circuit, a relay operated by the battery current for controlling the ignition circuit and the electric starter, a relay in the main circuit for opening orclosing the ignition circuit, a circuit breaker for opening and clos 6 'the electric starter, a relay in the main circuit for opening and closing said ignition circuit, a switch for controlling the battery circuit, a quick-acting switch and a time retarded switch for partly controlling the ignition, all of said switches being'operated by said circuit breaker, and a relay in the main circuit and operated at a predetermined voltage for controlling the circuit breaker of the generator,

RALPH DVVTGHT ERNEST,

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