US1618937A

US1618937A - Electric valve-operating gear

Info

Publication number: US1618937A
Application number: US74200A
Authority: US
Inventors: John L Macpherson; Eric N Sorensen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1925-12-08
Filing date: 1925-12-08
Publication date: 1927-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 1944-02-22

Description

Feb- 22, J. L. MACPHERSON E'l AL ELECTRIC vALvE OEERATING GEAR Filed Dec. e, 1925 2 sheets-sheet 1 Feb. 22,1927. 1,618,937

J. L. MACPHERSON ET Al.`

ELECTRIC VALVE OPERATING GEAR Filed Deo, 8. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNEssES 'y INVENTOR J I a i ATTORNEYS solenoid 1.5 operates the power admission valve. These solenoids are mounted in a bracket 24 attached to the top of the cylinder bloc.

Above the engine or located at any suitable point is a commutator shaft 25 driven by a belt 26 passing` over a pulley 27 on the shaft and connected at the other end to a pulley 28 on the engine'shaft 29. Mounted on the conimutator shaft are a plurality of commutator drums 30 to 43 inclusive. These drums are associated with a plurality of brushes 44 to 57 inclusive, which bear on the periphery of the drums. These brushes are mounted on a brush shaft 53. The shaft at one end ifs-provided with a yoke bar 59 fixed to a shaft 60 threaded as at 61 and operated by a hand-wheel 62 so that the brush shaft can be moved laterally to move the brushes laterally across the surface of the drums. A magnetic brake such as 63 engages the control shaft 60 to hold it in fixed position. One side of this magnetic brake is connected by the wire 64 to one side of the power line and the other side is connected by a wire 65 to a contact 66 associated with a control bar 67 to be described later. Another contact 68 is associated with contact 66 and connected by a wire 69 to a wire 70 connected t0 the other side of the power line. y

The commutator drum 30 and the commutator drum 40 are metal drums suitably insulated from the shaft 25 and are in constant electrical contact with the brushes bearing thereagainst. The biush 44 is connected by a wire 71 to a wire -72 leading to a contactv 73 mounted on the control bar 67. This wire 72 is also connected to one end of the solenoid 11. The brush 54 is connected by a wire 74 to one side of the power line. The

drums

30 and 40 are called feeder drums because their brushes are always in electrical contact tl'ierewith. The drinn 30 is connected by a continuous wire such as 75 to the drums'31, 32 ant The drum 40, which is a feeder drum7 is connected by a wire 76 directly to the metallic parts of the drums 34 to 43 inclusive. In other words these two feeder drums feed current to all the other drums.

Figures 5 to 9 indica-te the construction of. the drums. As shown, the drums comprise metallic pulleys 77 insulated from the shaft 25 by sleeves 73 of insulation, and these drums, with the exception of the feeder drums, are covered by a layer of insulation 79. This insulation however, at selected points-is broken away and contact strips such. as 80 connected to the metallic portions of the drums extend through the insulation flush with the surface thereof to make electrical contact with the brushes. The feeder wires are connected to the metallic portions of thedrums by being connected to suitable binding posts such as 80 and 81, In the type of drum shown in Figure 8 there is a contact strip 82 which extends partly around the periphery in the middle thereof. There are three drums, 34, 35 and 36, provided with this sort of contact strip 82. These three drums are the drums which control the exhaust valves of the cylinders under control.

As shown in Figure 2 the magnetic brake comprises an electro-magnet 33 having an armature 84 which is attracted to the magnet. This armature is normally held away from the magnet by a spring 85. This magnetic brake is of any standard type, the details of which are not shown, but it is so constructed in accordance with the general practice that the'handle 62 can only be actuated when the electro-magnet 83 is enei'- gized, and as will be hereinafter made plain, this energization can only take place when thc control lever is in the stop position. It will also be noted that I provide auxiliary power lines 86 and 87 with the switch S3, so that if the main power fails auxiliary power can be supplied. This power may be automatically thrown if desired, by relays, which are not shown.

In considering Figures 3 and. 4 which illustrate the details of the construction of the control bar and lever, there is provided a base 89 on which is mounted a vertical, sector-shaped pedestal 90, the upper surface of which iscurved and provided with notches such as 91. A control lever 92 is provided with a latch 93 to engage these notches.

This lever is pivoted at 94 and is connected to a lever 95 which in any suitable manner is adapted to control a supply of fuel to the engine. Lever 92 is .provided with a U-shaped yoke 96 carrying a stem 97 held downward by a spring 98. The lower end of the stein 97 engages in a notch 99 in the upper edge of a control bar 100. The stein is also provided with a .laterally extending pawl 101 and as the control lever is movedV forward it carries the control bar 100 with. it until the pawl 101 engages u rising cam surface 102 fastened to the side of the pedestal 90, thus lifting the stein 97 and disengaging it from the notch 99 in the con'.n troller bar 100 which is iniu'iediately snapped back to a normal position by a spring 1.03. The controller bar carries an insulated wedge piece 104 which tion of tl'ie bar to be inserted between

con tact springs

105 and 106 connected to wires 69 and 65 as above mentioned, separating these springs and breakingT the circuitbe tween these two wires. `When the springs are together the wires are energized.; These wires are connected'to the magnetic brake above mentioned.

In the opera-tion of the device, assumingr that the switch 23 is closed, the cont-rol lever is moved forward ever so slightly to with-` is adapted in a normal posi- Y fil draw the wedge 104C and permit the engage ment of the

spring fingers

105 and 106, thus energizing the electroanagnet 83, allowing the handle 62 to be moved to set the brushes, for example, for the ahead movement of the engine. The controller lever is then further advanced until the contact piece 73 on the bar engages with the contact piece 4 mounted on the. side of t-he pedestal 90, this contact piece beine' connected by la. Wire 70 to the power line. As this connection is made` the cam 102 engages the pawl 101 and t-his causes the disengagement of the controller bar 100 which springs back to normal position and causes the deenergiziation of the magnetic brake, so that the handle 02 can be moved. Vfhen the Contact pieces T3 and 107 are connected the current flows from the plus side of t-he power line, as shown in Figure 1, through wire 7 0, through the contact pieces to wire 72, through the solenoid 11 and returning by way of wire 21 to the other side of the power line. This actuates he air master-valve and the air is admitted into the air trunk lines. The wire 72 is also connected by wire 71 to brush lili bearing on feeder drum and this drum is connected to the three

air starting drums

31, 32 and 33, each of which are connected by Wires respectively to the different air starting solenoids such as 12. As the engine is started under air pressure the various commutator drums are rotated and the brushes are successively brought into engagement with the contact segments thereon to actuate the various solenoids in the proper order.

In reversing the engine as t-he brushes are moved from the 'ahead position to the astern position they contact with the continuous segment 82 Which will energize the exhaust solenoids such as 13 to release the pressure within the cylinders while the engine is being reversed. n

This device is exceedingly simple and eflicient and is substantially entirely automatic.

Vhat I claim is:

1. An electrical valve operating gear which comprises av commutator shaft, a plurality of commutator drums thereon, a plurality of brushes bearing against the drums, a shaft on which said brushes are mounted, means for moving the brushes with respect to the drums, electro-magnetic braking means for controlling the brush-moving means, and manually operated means for controlling the energization of the braking means.

2. An electrical valve operating gear which comprises al control mechanism including a control lever and a control bar, means for detachably fastening them together whereby as t-he lever is moved from a. normal position the bar will be moved also, and means in the path of the lever' to disengage the detachable fastening means, and means for moving the bar back to normal position when thus detached from the lever, said control lever adapted to actuate fuel-admitting means, a plurality of valves, electro-magneticv means for actuating said valves, and circuit connections and apparatus associated with the control bar for controlling the actuation of said electro-,magnetic means.

3. An electrical valve operating gear which comprises a control mechanism including a control lever and a cont-rol bar, means for detachably fastening them together whereby as the lever is moved from a normal position the bar will be moved also. and means in the path of the lever to disengage the detachable fastening means, and means for moving the bar back to normal position when thus detached from the lever, a. reversing mechanism, an electro-magnetic brake connected thereto and circuit means extending bet-Ween the brake and the control mechanism` said circuit means being energized by the movement of the control bar from its normal position, and cle-energized bythe movement of the control bar back to its normal position.

4. An electrical valve operating gear which comprises a commutator drum having spaced arcuate contact segments thereon and a central circumferential continuous segment, a brush engageable with the drum, means for moving thel brush laterally across the face of the drum, an engine having an exhaust valve, electro-magnetic means for operating said valve, and connection between said electro-magnetic means and the brush whereby the exhaust valve. is operated as the brush is moved from one position to the other.

5. An electrical valve operating gear which comprises a control mechanism in cluding a cont-rol lever and a control bar, a fuel throttle connected to the lever, electrical circuit-controlling elements associated with the bar, means for permitting the movement of the bar and the lever for a portion of theirtravel, means for automatically disengaging them at a predetermined point in their travel, means for returning the bar to a normal position, a reversing mechanism, a. magnetic brake associated therewith and means Linder the control of the bar in its norma-l position to control the condition of the braking means..

JOHN L. MACPHERSON. ERIC N. SORENSEN.