US1909271A - Mechanical movement - Google Patents

Description

y 16, 1933- w. HARPER, JR., ET AL 1,909,271

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Filed March 20, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l INV N 2 WILLIAM 55353 JR.

E AERY B. KEREKE'S ATTORNEY May 16, 1933. w. HARPER, JR., ET AL- 1,909,271

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Filed March 20, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 ERY B. KEREKES '1 INVENTORS IL- WILLIAM HARPER, JR.

(7 ATTORNEY y 1933. w. HARPER, JR., ET AL 1,909,271

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Filed March 20, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY y 16, 1933- w. HARPER. JR., Er- AL 1,909,271

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Filed March 20, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 WILLIAMINMERIEEQSJR. EwRY B. KEREKE'S ATTORNEY,

Patented May 16, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM HARPER, .13., OF

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A

PORT WASHINGTON,

OIE PATTERSON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO AM CORPORATION OF DELAWARE NEW YORK, AND EMERY MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Application filed March 20, 1931. Serial No. 524,102.

numerous other situations.

The invention will be described in connection with its application to a rotary cylinder combustion engine of the type disclosed in a pending application of William Harper J r., Serial No. 422,041, filed J anuary 20, 1930, in which tangentially or radially arranged revolving cylinders are attached to a hollow shaft containing inlet, exhaust and ignition passages controlled by a rotary valve which is rotated in timed relation to the cylinders.

In the engine referred to, the cylinder pistons are carried by a reaction member which rotates about a center offset from that of the cylinder rotor and must be rotatedat the same speed as the rotor in order to maintain a true balance. In the Harper appli: cation, this is accomplished by providing the rotor and the reaction member with separate gears which are connected by aoounter-gear at the intersection of their pitch diameters.

In applying the present invention to an engine of this type, we rotate. the cylinder rotor. and the piston reaction mlember in the same phase by means of one or more rotary connecting members or, yokes arranged to rotate about a third center preferably midway between the centers of the rotor and reaction member. This yokerotates in a plane parallel to the planes of the rotor and reaction member and is connected to said members by means of sliding bearings which are preferably equidistant from the, center of the yoke.

. The sliding bearings may consist of pins mounted on the yoke and engaged in slots in the rotor and the reaction member. the preferred form of the invention, however, these pins are mounted on the rotor and the reaction member and work in slots in the yoke so that their points of contact with the yoke will always lie plane parallel to the planes of B. KEREKES,

ERICAN GAS TURBINE CORPORATION,

in a common I the rotor and reaction member and there can be no component tending to cause the yoke to bind on its bearing surface.

These as well as other features and advantages of the invention will be described in connection with accompany in which:

ing drawings,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a rotary cylinder internal combustion engine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 33 of tions of the rotor, yoke Fig. 1 showing the relative posiand piston reaction member for rotation about separate offset centers Fig. 4 is an exploded per spective view showing the mounting of the parts for rotation about the three separate centers;

Fig. 5 is a section on the lin e 5-5 of Fig.

1 showing the sliding pin connection between the yoke and cylinder rotor;

Fig. 6 is a similar section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1 showing the connection between the yoke and the reaction member;

Figs. 7 to 10,

sections similar inclusive, are transverse to Fig. 3, but on a much smaller scale, showing the relative positions of the rotatmg parts at different points" in the cycle;

similar to' Fig. 11 is a fragmentary vertical section Fig. 1, but showing a modified form of yoke, or connecting member; 7

Fig. 12 is a transverse sectionfon the line 12-12, of Fig. 11; and s Fig; 13 is a detail section preferred ball-bearing mounting The engine shown in Figs.

showing the of the yoke. land 2 comprises a base casing 1 having a removable top 2; and removable end casing 3, provided and 5 which support The inner ends of provided with flanges 8 which are fixed to and The cylinders the rotor casting are preferentric to their center of rotation, though they may be radial. Hence the main shafts 6 and 7, their flanges 8 and 9, and the rotor casting 10 containing cylinders 11 turn as a unit, rotation being in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2.

The pistons 12 are connected through wrist pins 13 and connecting links 1% to an outer U-shaped carrying ring or reaction member 15, so called because it takes the re action of the pistons, which ring or reaction member has its axis offset from the axis of the rotor casting 10. The ring 15 is held in its true rotating plane by means of pressed steel cheek discs 16 and 17 supported on bearings 18 and 19,respectively,and driven in a manner hereinafter described. The cheek discs 16 and 17 enclose the rotor and are locked to the flanges of the ring 15 by means of bolts and nuts 21, to which bolts the piston links 14 are fulcrumed.

The construction and operation of the water cooling system, rotary valve, ignition, etc. are fully described in the Harper application referred to above and will not be repeated here except in so far as is necessary to a complete understanding of the present invention. The combined centrifugal and force water circulating system includes a water acket space 23 cored in the rotor casting 10, and a special construction of the main shaft 7 to provide water inlet and outlet channels 24 and 25, respectively.

The tapered valve 26 contains inlet, exhaust and ignition ports adapted to register with ports 27 in the valve bushing 28 which is keyed to the main shaft. The valve 26 is driven by the gear 29 which is keyed to the shaft 6, through idler gears 30 and 31 on shaft 32, to the outside valve gear 33 which is loose or rotatable on the valve sleeve 34. By referring to the above-nientioned Harper application it will be seen that the valve gear 33 has a set of internal splinc-like projections or teeth which mesh with corre sponding projections on the valve sleeve 34 to drive the valve and to automatically unseat the valve in response to any increase in its driving torque.

The shaft gear 29 meshes with hand-crank gear 36 which is keyed to crank shaft 37 supported in bearings 38, for starting the engine by hand. Power is conveyed from the main shaft 7 through its gear 39 to the gear 40 on shaft 41. I

Coming'now to the present invention, it will be evident that the cylinder rotor 10, and the piston reaction member comprising ring 15 and cheek discs 16 and 17, rotate in parallel planes about separate offset centers. In other words, since the cylinder rotor is attached to the main shaft 67, the main shaft and the reaction member rotate about separate offset centers. In Figs. 3 and 4 the center of the shaft and cylinder rotor is indicated. at w, and the center of the piston reaction member is indicated at 3 The connecting members or yokes 13 are arranged to rotate in planes parallel to the planes of the rotor and reaction member, but about a third center 2 which is midway between the centers 00 and y as shown in Figs. 3 and 4:. The connecting members or yokes 43 are thus rotatably mounted on opposite sides of the rotor 10 adjacent and inside the respective cheek discs 16 and 17.

The mounting of the connecting members or yokes 43 is best shown in Figs. 1 and 4; from which it will be seen that these yokes, as well as the main shaft 67 and the cheek discs 16 and 17, are rotatably mounted on bearing blocks or collars 4 1 which surround the main shaft and are secured to the casing 1 by means of screws 15. These collars are cast or machined in one piece and have three cylindrical bearing surfaces t6, t7 and 4&3 whose centers correspond respectively with the centers at, y and 2 of the shaft, reaction member and yokes. The internal bearing surfaces 46 of the respective collars contain the shaft bearings 4c and 5, while the external bearing surfaces 4L7 support the cheek disc bearings 18 and 19, and the external bearbearing surfaces 13 support the bearings -19 of the respective yokes 43.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 to 10 the yokes 43 each have an inwardly projecting pin 51 on one side and an outwardly projecting pin 52on the other side, the former engaging in slots 53 on opposite sides of the rotor 10 and the later engaging in slots 54 in the respective cheek discs 16 andj17. The pins are adjacent opposite ends of the respective yokes 43 and are equidistant from the center 2 about which the yokes revolve.

In order to provide a snug running fit between the pins and slots, and to compensate for wear, the free ends of the pins are swiveled to rectangular bearings 55 which are in runing contact with the linings 56 of the respective slots 53 and 54. The bearings 55 and linings 56 are tapered in complementary fashion, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and springs 57 of any suitable type are arranged to press lightly upon the bearings 55 M so as to keep them seated snugly in the slot linings 56and thus compensate for wear.

In order to properly center the yokes 43 on their bearing surfaces 48 we provide annular plates or discs 58 which are secured to the yokes by means of screws 59 andproject over the inner edges of the bearing surfaces 48 as shown in Fig. '1. On their'opposite sides the yokes are prevented from creeping along the main shaft by the cheek disc bearings l8 and 19.

Since the pins 51 and 52 are equidistant from the center 2 about which the yokes 43 revolve it is, of course, self-evident that these pins will remain the same distance from the center 2 in all positions of the yokes. Now, since the center 2 of each yoke is midway between the center 00 of the main shaft and rotor, and the center y of the reaction member, it is evident that at all points in the cycle the distance between pin 51 (engaging the rotor) and the center a of the main shaft and rotor will always be the same as the distance between pin 52 (engaging the reaction member) and the center y of the reaction member. This is clearly illustrated in Figs. 7 to 10 showing the complete cycle. It follows from this that the driving torque between the cylinder rotor and the piston reaction member will be constant so that a perfect balance is maintained.

In the modification shown in Figs. 11 and 12 we providepins 61 and 62 on the cylinder rotor and the cheek discs, respectively, engaging in slots 63 and 64 in the connecting member or yoke 43. The pins 61 and 62 are equidistant from the center 2 of the yoke 43, and it is evident that the points of contact of these pins with the slots 63 and 64 will always lie. in a plane parallel to the planes in which the rotor and cheek discs revolve. The construct-ion and operation are otherwise the same as previously described and need not be repeated here.

In either form of the invention we prefer to employ ball bearings for all the rotating parts, similar to the shaft bearings 4 and 5 in Fig. 1. In Fig. 13, for example,

the cheek discs are supported on ball bearings 19, and the yoke 43 is supported on ball bearings 65. Oil ducts 66 are provided to lubricate the several bearing surfaces as best shown in Fig. 1.

It will be evident that various changes may be made in the details of construction herein shown and described without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. The combination with a driving member and a driven member rotatable in parallel planes about separate offset centers, of a yoke rotatable in a plane parallel to said members about a center midway between the centers of said members, and pinsin said members equidistant from thecenter of the yoke and slidable in the yoke to couple the parts together.

2. The combination with a driving member and adriven member rotatable in parallel planes about separate offset centers, of a yoke rotatable in a plane parallel to said members about a center midway between the centers of said members, and pins in said yoke slidable in said members to couple them together.

3. The combination with a driving member and a driven member rotatable in parallel planes about separate offset centers, of a yoke rotatable in a plane parallel to said 7 carrying member.

members about a center midway between the centers ofsaid members, a1 1d pins in said yoke equidistant from thecenter thereof and slidable in said members to couple them to;

gether. p p I 4. Th combination with a driving memb r a a d ivenmember otatabl 1139 1- allel planes about separate offset centers, of a yoke .intermediateand parallel to said members androtatable about a center. midway: between the centers thereof, anc l slid able bearings connecting thefyoke to said members at 1 oints equidistant from tliecent ro the yore. v '5. A combustion engine comprising r0 tor 7 containing a plurality "of cylinders, pistons in said cyl nclersa p st n r y ng member rotatable about a center offsetffrom that of the rotor, a yoke rotatable about a center offset from the centersoftherotor and, piston carrying member, and .means connecting said yoke to the rotor and piston carrying member.-

6. A combustion engine comprising a rotor containing; a plurality of cylinders,

pistons in said cylinders, .a piston carrying" member rotatable about a center. offset from that of the rotor, a yoke rotatable about a center midway betweenthe centers ofthe rotor and piston carrying members, and slidable bearings connecting. the yoke to the rotor and piston carrying member. i.

7 A combustionengine comprising a rotor containing a plurality of cylinders, pistons in said cylindcrs,a piston carrying member rotatable in a plane parallel to-the rotor about acenteroffset from that of the rotor, a yoke rotatable in a planeparallel to the rotor and piston carrying member abouta center midway between the. centers of said members, and slidable bearings connecting the yoke to the rotor and piston 8. A combustion engine comprising a rotor containing a plurality of cylinders, pistons in said cylinders, a piston carrying member rotatable in a plane. parallel to the rotor about a center offset from that of the rotor, a yoke rotatable in a plane parallel to the rotor and piston carrying member about a center midway between the centers of said members, and slidable bearings connecting the yoke to the rotor and piston carrying member'at points equidistant from the center of the yoke.

9. A combustion engine comprising a rotor containing a plurality of cylinders, pistons in said cylinders, a piston carrying member substantially enclosing the rotor and rotatable about a center offset from that of the rotor, a yoke between the rotor and piston carrying member rotatable about acenter midway between the centers of said mem-- bers, and means connecting said yoke to said rotor and said piston carrying member.

10. A combustion engine comprising a rotor containing a plurality of cylinders, pistons in said cylinders, a piston carrying member substantially enclosing the rotor and rotatable in a plane parallel to the rotor about a center offset from that of the rotor, a yoke between the rotor and piston carrying member rotatable about a center midway between the centers of said members, and pins 011 said rotor and piston carrying member engaging said yoke at points within a common plane parallel to the planes in which the aforesaid members rotate.

11. A combustion engine comprising a rotor containing a plurality of cylinders, pistons in said cylinders, a piston carrying member rotatable about a center offset from that of the rotor, a yoke rotatable about a center ofiset'from the centers of the rotor and piston carrying member, tapered bearings on said yoke engaging in tapered slots in the rotor and piston carrying member, and springs acting on said hearings to seat them in said slots.

12. A combustion engine comprising a r0.-

tor containinga plurality of cylinders, pistons in said cylinders, a piston carrying member rotatable about a center offset from that of the rotor, a yoke rotatable about a center offset from the centers of the rotor and piston carrying member, tapered bearings on said rotor and piston carrying member engaging in tapered slots in theyoke, and springs acting on said bearings to seat them in said slots.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 19th day of March, 1931.

WILLIAM HARPER JR.

Signed at Paterson, in the country of Passaic, and State of New Jersey, this 17th day of March, 1931.

EMERY B. KEREKES.

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