US1341362A - Ignition device - Google Patents

Description

L. RANNEY, I. w. DISSETTE AND F. E. TYRRELL.

IGNITION D EVICE.

APPLICATION FILED .IUNIE 10. I919.

Patented May 25, 1920.

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L. RANNEY, J. W.'D|SSETTE AND'F. E.. TYRRELL.

IGNITION DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED. JUNE 10. 1.9.19.

Patented May 25, 1920.

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RUNNING P05] 7'ION a 1 Z? W; rw w ""013 an IaT r .0 0 mw a fl UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LED RANNEY, JOHN W. DISSETTE, AND FRANKLIN TYRBELL, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; SAID RANNEY AND TYRBELL ASSIGNOBS TO SAID DISSET'I'E.

IGNITION DEVICE.

Application filed June 10,

To all whom it may concern:

B?) it known that we, LEO RANNEY, JOHN W. citizens of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have mvented certain new and useful Improvements in, Ignition Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved 1gnition device for use in connection with internal combustion engines and has as one of its principal objects to provide a device whereby a spark gap may be placed in each of the spark plug circuits of the engine for cleaning the plugs at the sparking po'mts thereof and insuring uninterrupted fir g of the engine. r

The invention has as a further object to provide a device of this character which may, at will, be manipulated for closing the gaps or varying the length of the gaps but wherein means will be provided for preventing the interposition in the plug circuits of gaps of undue length.

And the invention has as-a still further object to provide a device which will successfully combine extremesimplicity of construction with entire efiiciency and which will be adapted for general use in connec- Ition with automobile engines.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter. In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view showing our improved device applied to the instrument board of a conventional type of motor vehicle,

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken centrally through the device.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the adjustable electrode-carrying bar of the device in detail,

Fig. 4 is a'horizontal sectional view,

Fig. 5 is a perstpective view showing the ad'usting screw 0 the device in detail, and

igs. 6, 7 and 8'are detail views showing diflerent positions of the adjustable electrode-carrying bar.

In carrying the invention into eli'ect, an oblong casing '10 is employed, this casing being closed at its rear side by a closure platg 11 forming. the inner side wall of the casing. The casing, as well as the closure plate 11, is preferably constructed of suitable insulating material and projecting trem the casing at its ends are ears 12 by which Specification of letters Patent.

issnr'rn and FRANKLIN E. TYRBELL,

' the bore at one side thereof is Patented May 25, 1920.

1919. Serial No. 303,033.

the device may, as particularly shown in Fig. 4, be secured to an instrument board, as conventionally shownat 13, or to any other approved part of a motor vehicle. Formed through the end walls of the easmg are suitable openings 14 for ventilating the casin Extending through the bottom wall of the casing and fixed thereto is a series of alined binding posts 15 suitably spaced longitudinally of the casing and insulated thereby with respect to each other. In this connection, it may be observed that the present device is intended for use in connection with a four cylinder engine and will be so described. However, it is believed that the modifications necessary to adapt the device for engines having either a greater or less number of cylinders will be obvious. The binding posts 15 are preferably cast in the bottom wall of the casing and are designed to receive secondary igmtion circuit wires. Set into the front wall of the casing is a centrally located socket 16 and fitted through the cover plate 11 opposite this socket is a sleeve 17. Journaled at its inner end within said socket and rotatably fittin sleeve is the inner section 18 of an adjusting screw. This screw section is provided in its outer end portion with an axial bore and fitted through the section to extend across a tangentially dis osed stop pin 19 projecting at its outer en portion from the screw section. Slidabl'y fitted within the core I of the inner screw section is the outer section 20 of said screw. The inner end portion of the outer screw section is provided at one side with a flat face to coact with the inner end of the stop in 19 so that the outer section may be turne for rotating the inner section and fixed upon the outer screw section at its through the holding the inner screw section against out ward movement through the sleeve. The

inner screw section carries a bar 291. This bar is formed of suitable ins'ulatir material and at its lower edge is provide with a medial depending boss 23 in which is embedded? hushingilet. As particularly shown in *ig. 2, the inner section of the adjusting screw is threaded through this bushing and termed on the upper edge'ot the bar adjacent its ends are upstanding lugs 25 coacting with the top wall of the casing for holding the bar against rotation. Extending through the bar is a series of spaced electrodes 26 cast into the bar and insulated thereby with respect to each other. The electrodes 26 are preferably arranged over the binding posts 15 and extending between. and electrically connecting corresponding posts and electrodes are suitable flexible conductors 27. Extending through the front wall of the casing and preferably cast therein is a series of electrodes 28' insulated with respect to each other by the casing and mounted to cooperate at their inner ends with the forwardly projecting ends of the electrodes 26. At their outer ends, the electrodes 28 carry binding nuts designed to secure circuit wires connecting the electrodes in series with the spark plugs of the engine.

The section 20 of the adjusting screw is freely received through the instrument board 13 .,and secured to the front face of said board to surround this section of the screw is a dial plate 29. In this connection,

it is to be observed that since the section,--

20 of the screw is slidably engaged with the section 18, the e'fiective length of the screw may be varied to accord with varying thicknesses of different instrument boards or other vehicle arts to which the device may be secured. xtending through the section 20 beneath the plate 29 is a stop pin 30 holding the section against outward displacement. As particularly shown in Fig. 5, the dial plate is? provided with indicia designating three different working positions of the adjusting screw. The first of these positions is identified by the letter S indicating the starting position. The second position is identified by the letter R indicating running position, and the third position 1S identified by the letter C indicating cleaning position. In order that the adjusting screw may be accurately set, the knob 21 of said screw is preferably provided with a pointer 31. Projecting inwardly from the cover plate 11 above the adjusting screw-is a stop pin 32 and as will now be observed, the stop pin 19 upon the inner screw section 18 is adapted to cooperate with the pin 32 for limiting the screw in its turning movement in opposite directions.

In using our improved device, the adjusting screw is normally set at starting position when as particularly shown in Fig. 6, the electrodes 26 will contact with the electrodes 28 so that the plug circuits will be uninterrupted. However, after the engine has been started, the adjusting screw is' then moved 'to running position when, as particularlyshown in Fig. 7 the bar 22 will be shifted to position the electrodes 26 away from the inner ends of the electrodes 28. Gaps will thus be interposed in the plug circuits and the presence of these gaps Wlll, of course, greatly increase the intensity of the spark at the respective spark plugs so that the engine will thus be properly fired. Furthermore, since the presence of a gap in each of the plug circuits will, of course, greatly increase the tension of a current flowing to the respective plugs, it has been found in practice that a plug which has on account of being subjected to excessive heat, developed a tendency to short circuit, may thus be caused to fire uninterruptedly. Dependable ignition may thus be had for ordinary running. For cleaning the spark plugs, the adjusting screw is moved to cleaning position when, as particularly shown in ig. 8, the bar 22 will be shifted to form an extreme gap between each pair of coacting electrodes 26 and 28. An extremely intensified spark will accordingly occur at each of the spark plugs and it has been found in practice that this greatly inten-vv sified spark at the respective plugs will soon result in cleaning the plugs of all soot or oil thereon. Accordingly,'fouling of the plugs may, without difliculty, always be easily overcome. As will be noted, the stop pin 19 will engage the stop pin 32 when the adjusting screw has been rotated to cleaning position. Consequently, it will be impossibleto so adjust the device that sparking gaps of undue length will be formed between the coacting electrodes thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what'is claimed as new is:

1; In a device of the character described, the combination of a binding post, an electrode insulated with respect to the binding post, adjustin means, and a second electrode sustaine by the adjusting means and electrically connected with the binding post, the adjusting means being operable for positioning the latter electrode with respect to the first electrode.

2. Ina device of the character described, the cornbination of a binding post, an electrode insulated with respect to the binding post, adjusting means, a second electrode electrically connected with the binding post, andmeanssustained by the adjusting means and carrying the second electrode, the adjusting meansv being ,operable for shifting the latter means to position the second electrode with respect to the first electrode.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a binding post, an electrode, means insulating the, binding'post and electrode with respect to each other, adjusting means upon said 'first mentioned means, a second electrode electrically connected with the binding. post, and insulating means sustained by said adjusting means and carrying the second electrode, the adjusting means being operable for positioning the latter electrode with respect to the first electrode.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a casing, a binding post carried thereby, an electrode upon the casing insulated with respect to the binding post, an adjusting screw journaled upon the casing, a bar mounted upon and sustained by said screw within the casing, and an elec trode mounted upon the bar and electrically connected with the binding post, the screw being rotatable for shifting the bar to position the latter electrode wlth respect to the first electrode.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a casing, a binding post upon the casing, an electrode upon the casing insulated with respect to the binding post, rotatable adjusting means carried by the casing, a second electrode electrically connected with the binding post, means carrying the second electrode and sustained by the adjusting means within the casing, said last mentioned means being loose with respect to the casing, and stop means carried by said last mentioned means and coacting with the casing for holding the latter means against rotation, the adjusting means being rotatable for shifting the electrode-carrying means to position the second electrode with respect to the first electrode.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of a casing of insulating material, a binding post carried thereby, an electrode mounted upon the casing and insulated thereby with respect to the binding post, an adjusting screw journaled upon the casing, an insulating bar mounted upon and sustained by said screw withinthe casing, the bar being provided with lugs coacting with the casing for holding the bar against rotation, and an electrode carried by the bar and electrically connected with the binding post, the screw being rotatable for shifting the bar to position the latter electrode with respect to said first mentioned electrode.

7. In a device of the character described, thecombination of a casing, a binding post carried thereby, an electrode upon the casing, the binding post and electrode being insulated with respect to each other, a second electrode electrically connected with the binding post, means supporting the second electrode within the casing for adjustment with respect to the first electrode and including an adjusting screw formed of operatively connected sections whereby the effective length of the screw may be varied, a plate upon the screw, and means carried by the outer section of the screw and coacting with said plate for holding the outer screw section from disengagement from the inner section of said screw.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of a binding post, an electrode insulated with respect to the binding post, adjusting means, a second electrode sustained by the adjusting means and electrically connected with the binding post, the

adjusting means being operable for positioning the latter electrode with respect to the first electrode, and stop means secured to said adjusting means for limiting the adjustment of the second electrode away from the first electrode. I

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of a casin a binding post carried thereby, an electrode upon the casing insulated with respect to the binding post, a second electrode electrically connected with the binding post, means sup porting the second electrode within the easing for adjustment with respect to the first electrode and including an adjusting screw journaled upon the casing, a stop pin carried by the casing, and a stop pin carried by said screw and movable to engage the first pin forlimiting the second electrode in its adjustment away from the first electrode.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

LEO RANNEY. 1 s} JOHN w. DISSETTE. L. s.]

FRANKLIN E. TYRRELL. [1 s.]

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