US1428772A - Engine compression regulator - Google Patents

Description

P. M. FREER. ENGINE COMPRESSION REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.20, 1921.

Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

1 /76 2px fli Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

PATENT OFFICE.

PHELPS Iti. FItIEER, IDE'IIMBIT, MICHIGAN.

, I" i v :aue rnn ooiarnnssron REG-ULA'IUR Application filed January e0, 1921. serial no. assess.

I To all whom it may comm: I

Bait known that I, Piinnrs M. Fenian, acitizen of the United States of America, residingat Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State ofMichig-an, have invented certain newand useful. Improvements in Engine Compression Regulators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. This invention relates to engine constructions and lnethod'ot operating same and re fers more particularly to an engine compression regulator or system.

In internal combustion engines particularly those' operated at variable speed such as the ordinary automobile, airplane, motor boat or the like type of enginesthe degree of compression in the enginecylinders is limited from a practical standpoint by the compression that can be used at speeds bclow the maximum. Therefore in designing the engine it has been considered necessary to use a compression space of a size which will be practical for the various speeds. The present invention contemplates a radi' caldeparture tromthe prior art in that the engine is initially designed with a relatively small compression space thus producing a higher degree of compression than is practical with engines and systems of oper ation now inuse; I then provide a novel mechanism for regulating the maximum compression at the various speeds so that when operating at the variousspeeds the proper degree of compression will be maintained which compression regulating system can be employed either with or without the ordinary speed governor. The "invention also resides in the novel arrangement for providing preferably automatically a different degree ofcom'pression in starting the en gine when "cold and in the operation of the engine after being heated up. Further ob jects of the-invention are to provide a con-- struction and system which can be economically installed and which can be readily adaptedto the types of engines now in use without material change or alteration in the construction thereof. Other features oi. the invention reside in the novel combinations of the different control mechanismsand in such further features of construction and arrange ments of parts andoperations as will more fully hereinafter appear.

In-the drawings:

Figure 1. is a diagrammatic fragmentary vertical section illustrating one embodiment oi ny invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view of the automatic temperature control adjustment.

Describing first in detail the particular embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, A designates one of the cylinders of an internal combustion engine having the water jacket it providing cooling water spaces A In this cylinder there is arranged to reciprocate the ordinary piston B connected by the piston rod B to the crank shaft I5 It designates the intake manifold having a connection C to the carburetor D. The latter may be of any known construction, but as shown is ofthe type in which the air is admitted through the inlet D and passing through the bowl D picks up fuel from the supply nozzle D the latter being controlled by a needle valve D The amount of air and mixture is controlled by a butterfly Valve ii) which is operated by a hand-controlled lever IE, these parts being of ordinary construction and forming no part of the present invention except in their relation and combination with the compression control mechanism. j

In addition to the butterfly valve E the passageway C is provided with a second but teriiy or throttle valve F which is operated by a rocking of an arm F, which in turn is moved toward its open position by a cam G and normally held toward its closed position by a springI The cam G turns on a pivot G" carried by a vertically adjustable rod or support G the construction and operation of which is later described in detail. For rocking the. cam Gr about its pivot there is employed a vertically adjustable sleeve II, which at its upper end engages the projec tion 6- on the cam G. The sleeve II is telescopically mounted on a governor shaft I which, as it is rotated at variable speeds, causes the arms I to be thrown outwardly by centrifugal force as the speed of the shaft I increases thus lifting the sleeve II which in turn lifts the projection G on the cam G- and rocks the latter about its pivot G. Thus as the speed of the shaft I increases the cam G- is rocked to a position which will raise the outer end oi the rod l?" and rock the valveI toward its open position. As the speed of the shaft I decreases the cam G will be returned toward its lower position thus permitting the spring I to draw the rod F downwardly and variably restrict the I venting too high compression.

opening past the valve F. This shaft I is driven in timed relation to the speed of the engine and While the intermediate connection'may be from a timer shaft or any other part of the engine I have shown it in the drawings as operated from the crank shaft B by means of a series of bevelled gears J, J, J and J By this novel arrangement above described, the amount of air and gas mixture passing to the cylinders and thus the compression desired at each speed is compression regulator performs an entirely di'fi'e'rent functionthan the control of the maximum speed which can be developed. In fact it may be used in conjunction with speed regulators or entirely independent thereof, and could be set to regulate the maximum speed, as well as regulating the compression at all intermediate points. 1

V In starting an engine (as is well known thesame adjustment which is used when the engine is running at its normal high temperature is not satisfactory when the engine 18 running cold. For this purpose I provide a temperature control adjustment (preferably automatic) whereby the valve F in all its various adjustments of compression control through the cam G is nevertheless operated at different ranges. While this 7 couldbe accomplished in various forms of mechanism, I have diagrammatically illustrated it as being carried out in the followa ing manner: At its upper end the stem Gr I which has ahas an adjustable sleeve portion K which connects the, two parts offthe stem G? carried by the thermostat ,K. The latter, through a pipe K is subjected to the temperature of the water 'acket A so that as the tem-' perature in t e cylinder is increased, the heat developed will, throu h the watercooling system, pass to the c amber K and expand the thermostat K. This will lower the rod Gr and adjust the pivot G of the cam Gdownward. ,Therefore, when the sleeve H is raised by the centrifugal arms I it will produce a lesser open adjustment of the valve F than when the thermostat is contracted. In order to ermit of a manual adjustmentof the cam I preferably provide the stem G with a sleeve portion K pin operating in the inclined groovejK. herefore, as the sleeve K is rocked by the arm;K it will increase or decrease the total length of the rod G so that manual adjustment of the ivot point G is possible inde endent of the thermostatic ad'ustment. hile I have shown and describe the valve F as being se arate from the valve E it isof course possib e that the two valves might be combined in one and variousother changes made in the details of construction (which is illustrated mostly diagrammatically) without departing from the scope of my invention.

One important feature of my invention that I particularly desire #4 "nt out ia the fact that an engine equippefgv ith my compression regulator system cannot be by the o erator suddenly throwing the throttle va ve E to, open position. he does so with my construction it will be impossible for the engine to receive a charge that will give a higher mpnewion than t at desired at the partwidar spe d it which the engine, is tur Thisie due-t0 the fact that the valve WW"? adjusted to restrict the opening past the same to a degree where the amount of mixture reaching the engine eylinder can only pr duce th m ximum degree of c mpression desired at any speed. However, as the speed of the eng ne increases the valve F will be automatically adju fied to a hither open position so as to permitthe amount of a r and gas mixture to flow to the engine cylinders which will givethedesited d 00 of compression at tillShigbOl' was I am enabled to use an abnormally 8 W clearance space and at the. M time to'limit the compression at all speeds so that the danger of injuringthe b the o ator suddenly adjusting the handicontre led throttle to wide open position is avoided. The invention, however, in its broader 88- pects is not limited to the two for-me of mechanism shown nor to the commotion and combination of parts and operations except as ultimately set. forth in the claims.

7 What I laim as my invention is:

1. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with the engine cylinder, of mechanism associated therewith .for automatically increasing the degree of compres- 101.1 in sa1dcy1inder in, accordance with the increase in the speed of the engine.

2. In an internal combustion engine, ;the combination with the engine cylinder, oi. mechanism associated therewith for automatically increasing the degree of compression in said cylinder in accordance withithe increase in the speed of the engine and to adjust the range of compression ire in accordance with changes in the engine temperature.

3. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with'theen ine cylinder and a piston working thereinfi a a constant minimum clearance s I connected therewith or automatically in- ISO creasing the degree of compression in said. cally governed valve independent of the cylinder in accordance with the increase in first-mentioned valve for increasing the the speed ofthe engine.- maximum amount of combustible mixture 10 4. In an internal combustion engine, the in said cylinder in accordance with the in- 5 combination With the engine cylinder, of a crease in the speed of the engine.

Valve controlling the supply of combustible Intestimony whereof I affix my signature.

mixture to said cylinder and an automati- PHELPS M. FREER.

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