US2042755A - Remote control for internal combustion engines - Google Patents

Description

June 2, 1936. R. WITZEL ET AL REMOTE CONTROL FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Sept. 5, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY June 2, 1,93 E. R. WITZEL ET AL REMOTE CONTROL FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Sept. 3, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNE June 2, 1936.

E. R. WITZEL ET AL REMOTE CONTROL FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Sept. 5, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 mne'z, 1936.. E, R WITZEL ET AL 2,042,755

REMOTE CONTROL FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Sept. 3, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 N TOR m zmm ATTORNEY Patented June 2, 1936 PATENT OFFICE REMOTE CONTROL FOR; INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Earl R. Witzel. and Reuben L. Humbert, Kohler, Wis.

Application September 3, 1931, Serial No. 560,984

4 Claims.

Our invention relates to means for starting and stopping an internal combustion engine by remote control, thus obviating the necessity of having an attendant at or near the engine. Contemplated uses of. such a device are in connection with an internal combustion engine for operating a dynamo or generator to furnish electric current, for operating a water pumping system, and for many other instances where it may be desirable to start and stop an internal combustion engine by remote control.

The objects of our invention are: first, to provide suitable electrical circuits whereby the starting and stopping of the engine may be accomplished by remote control, as by a switch located at some distance from the plant; and second, to provide a shut-01f throttle valve adapted to close the intake manifold upon stopping of the engine.

We attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying. drawings, in which Figure l is a diagrammatic view of the electrical circuits; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the carburetor showing the shut-off valve and choker coils in section; Fig. 3 is a front view of the main relay; Figs. 4 and 5 are side elevations of the main relay showing it in, respectively, the positions which it occupies when the engine is stopped and when the engine is operating; and Figs. 6 and 7 are diagrammatic views of the engine governor and switch connections thereto. Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

It will be understood that the circuits shown in the accompanying drawings constitute only the preferred form of our invention, and that they may be altered or combined by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of our invention; therefore, we do not confine ourselves to the specific details shown, but claim the construction and circuits shown and all equivalents thereto.

The circuit includes two relays, a main relay and a starting relay. It also includes an elec- 45 trio starting motor, a thermal out-out switch, a

choker coil, and a shut-01f valve coil. All of these parts are hereinafter more fully described.

The starting relay, the shut-01f valve coil and the choker coil may be of the solenoid or any 50 other suitable type. The main relay may be of any type which, upon operation, simultaneously closes one circuit and opens another. A suitable type is that shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5,, commercially known as the Ward Leonard two wire con- 55 trol relay.

The parts of the above devices are numbered and described below.

The numeral I indicates the remote control switch for starting and stopping the engine. This may be a manually operated switch as shown, a 5 time switch, an electrical relay, or any other suitable means for closing the circuit as desired. The closing of the switch I establishes a control circuit from the storage battery 2, through wire 3, starting relay terminal 4, wire 6, ammeter ter- 10 minal l, ammeter 8, ammeter terminal 9, wire I0, main relay terminal ll, main relay coil l2, main relay terminal I3, wire [4, thermal cut-out switch terminal l5, pivoted arm l6, thermometal strip l1, wire l8, switch I, and wire I9 to ground on the 15 engine frame. The negative terminal of the storage battery is grounded to the engine, providing a return to the battery for any grounded circuit.

The primary of the ignition magneto 20 of the 20 engine is grounded when the plant is not in operation through wire 2|, main relay terminal 22, contacts 23 and 24, and wire 25. The contacts 23 and 24 are closed when the plant is not in operation, as shown in Fig. 4 thus grounding the 25 magneto. The main relay may be returned to this position by gravity or other suitable means, such as a spring, when the current ceases to flow through the coil l2 due to opening of the control circuit. The current from the battery 30 which flows as a result of the closing of the above described or first circuit energizes the main relay coil I2, raising the main relay armature 26 and separating the contacts 23 and 24 as shown in Fig. 5. This breaks the connection of the mag- 35 neto to the ground and allows it to become effective for the ignition of the engine through the conventional connections to its secondary, which are not shown.

It will be understood that in case battery ignition of the engine is used, the above described magneto circuit would be dispensed with, the battery ignition circuit being controlled by reversing the operation of contacts 23 and 24 or by suitable connections to contacts 21 and 28.

The energizing of the main relay coil l2 and the raising of the main relay armature 26 serves also to close the contacts 21 and 28 which are open when the plant is not in operation, and closes the second battery or starting motor control circuit. This circuit branches from the first circuit at main relay terminal II, and flows. through wire 29, main relay terminal 30, contacts 21 and 28, wire 3|, starting relay terminal 32, starting relay coil 33, starting relay terminal a third or starting motor circuit for the battery..- current which branches from the control cir cuit at starting relay terminal 4 and flows through contact 44, conducting bar 45, contact 43, starting relay terminal 5, wire 46, starting motor terminal 41, and starting motor windings 48, and to ground on the engine frame.

The closing of the starting relay also estab lishes a fourth or thermal cut-out switch circuit which branches from the third circuit at start ing relay terminal 5 and flows through wire 49, terminal 50, heater unit 5| wire 52 to ground.

A fifth or choker coil circuit branches from the second circuit at main relay contact 28, and flows through wire 53, terminal 54, Wire 55, choker coil 56, wire 57, terminal 58, wire 38, spring contacts 39 and 40, wire 4|, and ground on en gine frame.

A sixth circuit branches from the third circuit at starting motor terminal 41, and flows through wire 59, shut-off valve coil 66 and ground to engine frame.

A seventh circuit branches from the fifth circuit at terminal 54 and flows through wire 6|, shut-off valve coil 62 and ground to engine frame.

It will thus be seen that we have provided a starting circuit which will operate to start and stop an electric plant by the operation of a switch which may be a considerable distance from the plant.

The closing of the switch I starts current flowing in the control circuit, energizing the main relay coil |2, disconnecting the magneto 20 from the ground and rendering the ignition circuit of the engine operative and also closing the second circuit, which energizes the starting relay coil 33, closing the third circuit and allowing current to flow through the starting motor to crank the engine.

The fourth circuit through the thermal cutout switch is a safety circuit to prevent such prolonged cranking as to entirely discharge the battery or overheat the wiring in case the engine fails to start. In such a case the heat generated serves to operate the switch, opening the first circuit, thus de-energizing the main relay and consequently the starting relay, and stopping the cranking operation. The fifth circuit operates the choker. coil 56 and chokes. the engine during the cranking period. The sixth and seventh circuits through shut-off valve coils 60 and 62 open a shut-off valve 63 whichis hereinafter more fully described. After the engine has started and has reached a certain speed an engine operated governor separates the spring contacts 39 and 40. This governor is hereinafter more fully described. This opens the fifth circuit, discontinuing the choking of the engine and also opens the second circuit, de-energizing the starting relay, opening contacts 43 and 44, thus opening the third and fourth circuits, discontinuing the cranking and the current through the heating unit 5| of the thermal cut-out switch. The opening of the third circuit also opens the sixth circuit and de-energizes the shutopened, opening the seventh circuit and deenergizing shut-off valve coil 62 so that the shutolf valve closes 'as'hereinafter described.

The storage battery may be recharged by any suitable circuit such as that shown in Fig. l.

The'battery charging generator is a single wire unit with internal connection to ground and may be the conventional type of charging generator. with third brush regulation as shown. Current from the generator passes through the reverse current relay 64, wire 65, ammeter terminal 9, ammeter 8, ammeter terminal 1, wire 6, starting relay terminal 4, wire 3, to storage battery 2.

In engines started by remote control it is common practice to regulate the speed at which the plant is run by a mechanical governor actuated by the engine which opens the throttle as the engine slows down and closes it as the engine speeds up. One type of governor for this purpose is shown in Figs. 6 and '7 and hereinafter more fully described. This system, however, While very practical in maintaining a constant speed of the engine despite variations in the load, has the disadvantage that the engine always stops with an open throttle, consequently if there are heated carbon deposits in the cylinders the engine may not stop when the ignition circuit is broken, but the heated carbon deposits in the cylinders may ignite the charge drawn into the cylinders through the open throt-' tle, and the engine continue to run. This is a serious disadvantage in an engine designed for remote control with no operator in attendance.

To obviate this difficulty we have provided means auxiliary to the throttle for shutting off the intake manifold upon stopping of the engine shown in detail in Fig. 2 and consisting of the shut-off throttle valve 63 in the intake manifold of the carburetor connected by the rod 66 and Y the angular link 6'! pivoted at 68 to the movable plunger 69 of the coils 69 and 62. These coils are wound on the non-magnetic form 16 and the iron plunger 69 is held in an upward position by the spring thus maintaining the shut-off throttle valve in a closed position. The coils 66 and 62 are energized by the sixth and seventh circuits above described and shown in Fig. 1, and serve to overcome the effect of the spring H and pull down the plunger 69, opening the shut-off valve 63 as soon as the cranking circuits of the engine become operative. The coil 66 aids in this action upon starting, but is inoperative after the opening of the contacts 39 and by the engine governor after a certain predetermined speed is reached. However, the coil 62 remains energized during the entire running period of the engine, and serves to hold the plunger 69 in the lowered position against the tension of the spring H and thus maintains the valve in open 70 position during the running of the plant.

When the control switch is opened for stopping the plant the main relay coil I2 is de-energized, opening contacts 21 and 28, disconnecting the coil 62 allowing the plunger 69 to be .t. MMWW Wm.

pushed upward by the spring H. thus closing the shut-ofi valve. In this way the engine always stops with the shut-off valve closed, while the shut-off valve is opened immediately upon starting of the cranking operation of the engine and remains fully open during the running of the engine.

While we prefer to use two separate coils for accomplishing the downward movement of the plunger 69, thereby securing more positive action, the same result may be obtained less positively with only a single coil.

To prevent discharge of the battery or injury to the circuit through a too prolonged cranking in case the engine for any reason fails to start, we have provided the thermal cut-out switch, which automatically cuts out the current in such an event. The switch may be of the type shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,853,957 granted April 12, 1932 to Anton F. Brotz.

The choker hereinabove referred to is illustrated in Fig. 2 and consists of the butterfly valve 93 in the air intake of the carburetor connected by the rod 94 and the pivoted link 95 to the plunger 96. The plunger 96 is normally held in an upward position by the spring 91, thus holding the valve 93 in open position. However, when the coil 56 is energized by the circuits above described, it draws the plunger 96 down and closes the valve 93 causing the choking of the engine.

The abovementioned engine governor is shown in Figs. 6 and '7. These figures are diagrammatic rather than pictorial and it will be understood that many variations of the exact construction shown will occur to one skilled in the art and may be used as equivalents without departing from the spirit of our invention.

In the drawings the numeral 98 indicates the weights of the governor which is driven in any suitable manner by the engine and may be of the revolving ball type having a collar 99 mounted on the shaft I00 so as to be drawn upwardly as the weights 98 travel outwardly due to centrifugal force. The lever IN is pivotally mounted at I02 and is pivotally connected to the collar 99 and to a link I03 which, at its opposite extremity, is pivotally connected to the arm I04. The weight I05 mounted on the arm I04 acts as a dashpot and prevents over-running of the governor. The arm I04 is rigidly attached to the lever I06 which is pivotally mounted at I01. The link I08 pivotally connects one extremity of the lever I06 with the arm I09 of the main throttle valve H0. The link III connects the other extremity of the lever I06 with the contacts 40 and opens and closes the contacts 39 and 40.

Thus it will be seen that when the engine is stopped the throttle valve H0 is in the open position, and the contacts 39 and. 40 are closed as shown in Fig. 8. As the engine speeds up and centrifugal force throws the weight 98 outward, the lever I06 is moved so as to close the throttle valve 0 and also to open the contacts 39 and 40, discontinuing the cranking of the engine as above described.

We claim:

1. In starting means for an internal combustion engine, a battery, a switch operated control circuit from said battery, a relay in said control circuit adapted to close a second battery circuit upon closing of said control circuit and to open said second circuit upon opening of said control circuit, a relay in said second circuit adapted to close a third battery circuit upon closing of said second circuit, a starting motor included in said third circuit and actuated by the flow of current therethrough, and a shut off valve control circuit parallel to said control circuit and,

when energized, actuating a shut off valve coil to open a shut off valve.

2. In starting means for an internal combustion engine, a switch operated control circuit, a relay in said control circuit, a circuit controlled by said relay and including a starting motor, and

a shut off valve control circuit parallel to said control circuit and controlled by said relay, said shut off valve control circuit comprising a shut off valve coil which is effective, when energized, n

to open a shut off valve.

3. In starting means for an internal combustion engine, a switch operated control circuit, a shut 01f valve control circuit parallel to said control circuit, said shut ofi valve control circuit comprising a shut off valve coil which is efiective, when energized, to open a shut off valve, a relay in said control circuit, a starting motor, means whereby said relay is effective to control the closing of a circuit to said starting motor, means independent of said relay for opening said starting motor circuit upon operation of the engine, and a second shut oif valve coil, positioned to aid the first mentioned shut off valve coil and connected in parallel to said starting motor cir cuit.

4. In starting means for an internal combustion engine, a switch operated control circuit, a relay in said control circuit, a shut-off valve control circuit parallel to said control circuit and controlled by said relay, said shut off valve circuit comprising a shut ofi valve coil which is effective when energized to open a shut off valve, and means whereby the closing of said relay causes the closing of a starting motor circuit and means independent of said relay for opening said startingmotor circuit upon starting of the engine.

EARL R. WITZEL.

REUBEN L. HUMBERT.

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