US1365489A

US1365489A - Internal-combustion-engine-starting device

Info

Publication number: US1365489A
Application number: US219940A
Authority: US
Inventors: Homer C Hanna
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1918-03-01
Filing date: 1918-03-01
Publication date: 1921-01-11
Anticipated expiration: 1938-01-11

Description

H. c. HANNA. I INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE STARTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILEQ MM; 1. I918.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

JIIULIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITT :1 1M! H. C. HANNA.

INTERNAE COMBUSTION ENGINE STARTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1,19l8.

1,365,489. Patented Jan. 11,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOMER o. HANNA, or OKLAHOMA,- OKLAHOMA.

INTEaNAncoMBUsrIoN-ENGI E ST'ARTING DEVICE To all '10 7mm it may concern. 7

Be it known that I, HOMER C. HANNA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oklahoma city, in the county of Oklahoma and State of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion-Engine-Starting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention seeks to provide, as its principal object, apparatus to be usedin conjunction with an internal combustion motor of an auto vehicle, whereby an initial movement may be imparted to the motor.

A further object of the invention seeks the provision of a supplementary tank designed to hold a specified quantity of liquid fuel, the remainder of the tank being filled with compressed air, so that an easily combustible gas is formed. This tank is designed to supply this gas to that cylinder of the motor whose piston is in the position where it would ordinarily create the greatest compression in the cylinder, the motor being provided with means to permit the intaking of a charge in thecylinder, so that the charge may be ignited to impart an initial movement to the piston.

A still further object is to provide a valve at the top of each cylinder of the motor, these valves controlling the means of communication between the cylinders and the tank, and being rendered operative by mechanism having connection with the crank shaft of the motor.

Still further and other objects of the invention will appear in the detailed description which follows.

To the exact construction to which it is shown, and described, the invention is not to be restricted. The right is reserved to make such changes or alterations as the reduction to practice may suggest, in so far as such changes or alterations are comprehend ed within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevationalviewof an auto vehicle engine equipped with the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a front end view of the engine per se,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing one of the valves controlling the means of communication between the tank and the cylinders of the engine,

Fig. 4 is a side elevational View of a cam Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an. 11 192 1.

Application filed March 1, 1918.

Serial No. 219,940.

member used in conjunction with the inven an autovehicle engine A which is designed to i be mounted in the usual way behindvthe. radiator B and under the hood C of avehicle. The engine is equipped with the usualcrank' shaft 1 and .the cylinders 2, each of which is provided with a conventional form of spark plug 3. The invention comprises a tank l, which may be carried in any suitable way on the chassis of the vehicle. The tank 1- is equipped with a pressuregage 5 "posi: tioned preferably near its forward end. Also near the forward end projectingiupwardly therefrom, there is a pipe 6 which eifects communication with the interior of the tank 4;, the pipe 6 being provided with a valve 7, the stem 8 of which is made of sufficient length to permit the end ofithe stem to be passed through the dash of thevehicle behind which the stem 011 its end receives a handwheel 10. This construction permitsthe valve to be operated from the inside of the vehicle on which the invention is applied. Leaving the valve, the pipe 6 rises upwardly and then extends forwardly over the upperv ends of the cylinders 2, being provided with a branch 11 which effects communication with a tubular member 12,-there being one tubular member on the upper end of each cylinder 2, and this tubular member communicating with the interior of the cylinder and being attached to the cylinder preferably by threaded engagement with the latter, as indicated at 13 in Fig. 3. The upper end of the tubular member 12 is closed by a cap 14 which screws on the tubular member and which is provided with a central hole to permit sliding movement of the valve stem 15 therethrough. The vlave stem 15 carries at its lower end a valve 16 whose normal position is such that it closes communicationbetween the tubular member 12 and the branch 11 from the pipe 6.

A contractile spring 17 is carried in the tubular member 12 between the top of the valve 16 and the bottom face of the cap 14, this spring having its two ends suitably connected with the valve and with the cap respectively. The spring 17 tends normally to hold the valve 16 in its open position, but is prevented from doing this except at the proper time by means of a Z-shaped arm 18 whose upper horizontal leg overhangs and engages the stem 15 on the upper end thereof. As each of the cylinders 2 is provided with one of the valves 16 and its attendant mechanism, there is also provided for each of the cylinders, a Z-shaped arm 18. These Z-shaped arms are mounted for sliding movement in the direction of the length of the cylinders, each cylinder being provided with a pair of bearing brackets 19 through which the Z-shaped arm slidingly moves;

The movement of the arm is controlled by means of cams 20 which are mounted rigidly on a shaft 21, the latter being journaled in a bearing 22 mounted on one side of the cylinder. At its forward end, the shaft 21 receives a gear 23 which meshes with a gear 24 mounted on the crank shaft 1.

The cams 20 are each provided on either side with an annular slot 25 and the lower horizontal legs of the Z-shaped arms 18 are provided with forked ends 26, the free end of each leg of the forked ends having an inturned projection which slidably engages one of the slots 25, the forked end of each Z-shaped arm straddling its attendant cam to permit the engagement of the projections 27 in the slots 25 on either side of the cam.

The ratio between the

gears

23 and 24 is designed to be two to one, so that the angular velocity of the shaft 21 may be one-half that of the crank shaft 1.

In the operation of the invention, the shaft 21 turns at one-half the angular velocity of the crank shaft 1, the gear ratio between the two being as one to two. Therefore, the cams 20 make one revolution for every two of the crank shaft, and they are so positioned on the shaft 21 that they will raise the Z-shaped arms 18, each at the proper moment when the. piston is on the compression stroke in the particular cylinder whose arm 18 is raised. The raising of the arm 18 leaves the spring 17 free to contract with the result that the valve 16 is raised to a position where it opens communication between a branch 11 of the pipe 6 and the tubular member 12 of the particular cylinder concerned. Then the valve 7 is opened by turning the handle 10, a mixture of compressed air and gasolene will be admitted to that cylinder whose valve 16 is open. Therefore, the manipulation of the sparking mechanism will finally result in locating the cylinder to which this charge has been admitted, the resulting explosion serving to initially move the engine. The engine having been started, the valve 7 is closed, and the engine continues to move as a result of induction of explosive charges in the carbureter. This arrangement, of course is of the usual form and is unnecessary of illustration or explanation here.

It will be observed that the several cams 20 are arranged on the shaft 21, one to have an angular advance over the other in a manner similar to the position in which the cranks are usually arranged with reference to the crank shaft.

The engine having been once started as indicated above, the various Z-shaped arms 18 will be operated on every other revolution of the crank shaft, but since the valve 7 is closed when the engine is running, this does not interfere with the successful operation of the engine.

When the engine is to be stopped, with the present device in use, it is preferable to cut off the fuel supply and to allow the engine to run as a result of the inertia of its moving parts. The valve 7 may then be opened, when the compression stroke of each piston will result in compressing'back into the tank 4:- When the engine is finally brought to rest, the valve 7 is closed, and the compressed air trapped while the engine was coming to a standstill maybe reused for imparting initial movement to the engine when started.

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new and useful is:

The combination with the cylinders of an internalcombustion engine, of a tank designed to hold a starting fluid, a tubular member mounted on the upper end of each cylinder and disposed in the direction ofthe length of the cylinder, a pipe leading from the tank and provided with branches connecting with the tubular members at the sides thereof, a valve slidably mounted in each tubular member for movement to close or open communication between the branch and the tubular member, the valve having a stem slidably projecting through the upper end of the tubular member, a contractile spring housed inthe tubular member between the valve and the upper end thereof and tending normally to move the valve to open position, Z -shaped arms slidably mounted on the sides of the cylinders and having their one extremity overhanging the upper ends of the valve stems, and a rotatable shaft carrying cams with which the remaining extremities of the Z-shaped arms are operatively engaged.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

HOMER C. HANNA.