US2076418A - Ignition device for gas burners - Google Patents

Description

April 6, 1937. Y G Q SMH-H 2,076,418

IGNITION DEVICE FOR GAS BURNERS Filed April 1, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l /f lnuentm pril 6, 1937. G, Q SMH-H 2,076,418

IGNITION DEVICE FOR GAS BURNERS Filed April 1, 193e 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Apr. 6, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT oEFicE 13 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in ignition devices for gas burners and the like, and the object of the invention is to provide a low voltage spark generating device for igniting the gas, in combination with an electrically actuated gas feeding valve operated in unison therewith.

A further object of my invention is to furnish a master switch contained in the .electric circuit actuating the ignition device, so that if the ignition device fails to light the gas, the switch opens to break the circuit and close the gas valve and also stops sparking of the ignition device.

Another and Very particular object of my invention is to provide a small self contained unit operating on a current in the vicinity of six volts and wherein light wiring of the electric bell type can be used.

With these and other objects in view, which shall be hereinafter disclosed, my invention consists of an ignition device constructed and arranged, all as hereinafter more particularly described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of one side of my device, the solenoid and gas valve actuated thereby being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the other side of the device, the casing of the master switch being shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device.

Fig. 4 is an end elevational View of the device.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross sectional View through the master switch casing, being taken through the line 5 5 of Figure 2.

Fig. 6 is a similar View of the master switch and its casing to that shown in Figure 2, the switch in this view being shown open, and

Fig. '7 is a reduced side elevational View of a complete assembly.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different views of they drawings.

The device, apart from spark point carrying arms, is housed in a casing I, which in most figures of the drawings is shown in section. The spark point carrying arms 2 and 3 are preferably of elbow shape and project through the top of the casing I and have their outer ends positioned above a gas burner 4 or the like, as illustrated in Fig. '7.

A gas valve assembly 5 is provided in the gas line feeding the burner 4, and comprises a down- Wardly depressible mushroom valve 6 having its head resting on a seat 1 formed in the open bottom of a perforated sleeve 8. The valve is depressed against a spring 9, and the gas entering from the pipe II) passes through the open bottom of the sleeve 6 and through the perforations into the gas burner feeding pipe II, as indicated by the arrows. When the valve is allowed to move upwardly under the tension of the spring S, the passage of gas to the burner is cut off.

The casing I contains a solenoid coil I2 carried upon a spool I3 which is formed of fibre or other insulating material. The lower half of the central passage I 4 in the spool contains a steel bushing I5 which becomes magnetized when the coil is energized. A brass rod i6 is freely slidable within the bushing I5 and projects from the bottom of the spool to rest upon the upper end of the stem of the valve 6. The upper end of the rod carries a steel head I'! which is pulled towards the top of the steel bushing I5 when the coil i2 is energized, and such movement of the head and its supporting rod I6 moves the valve 6 downwardly, against the spring 9, into the open position.

The solenoid coil containing spool I3 is mounted in a ring member I8 preferably formed of soft iron and having a threaded orifice 49 in its lower end which receives the top of an outer sleeve I 9 threaded upon the upper end of the perforated sleeve 8. The coil assembly is supported in place by an iron spacing ring 5U interposed between the top of the sleeve I9 and the bottom of the bushing I5. The casing I has a bottom orifice aligned with the orice 49 and through which the sleeve I9 extends. The sleeve I9 carries a casing engaging nut 2D.

The upper end of the ring member I8 supports a pair of coils 2| and 22, the cores of which become magnetized when the coils are energized. The coils are insulated from the ring. A length of spring steel 23 projects from the upper end of a block of insulation 24 and has its free end positioned above the core of the coil 22. When the coil is energized the free end of such length of spring steel bends downwardly towards the core. This length of steel carries the elbow arm 2. The lower end of the other elbow arm 3 is secured to the side of the ring member I8. The arm 3 is rigid, while the arm 2 vibrates with the length of spring steel 23. A tension spring 25 extends from a block of insulation 26 on the arm 3 to the arm 2. In practice this spring is adjustable in tension to govern the degree of oscillation of the arm 2.

'I'he outer end of the arm 3 carries a bimetal strip 21 enlarging in width towards its free end.

il ness.

The strip 2l carries a spark point 29 in the vicinity of its outer end, and such point contacts a similar point 28 carried upon the end of the arm 2. The studs constituting the points 29 and 28 are respectively threaded into the strip 2"! and arm 2, so that they are adjustable in relation to one another.

A libre lever 3G is fulcrumed intermediately of its length upon a pin 3l projecting downwardly from the top of the casing i and at one end carries an adjustably mounted steel stud 32 positioned above the core of the coil 2i. The other end of the lever 38 projects from the casing l through an orice 33, and carries a rigidly mounted downwardly projecting rod 34. A master switch housing 35, formed of insulating material, is mounted upon the top of the ring member i8 and projects from the casing l.

A strip of metal 3S is contained within the housing 35, having one end anchored and the other bent over and contained in an orice 3l in the face of the housing projecting from the casing l. A second strip of metal 38 extends between the orifice 3'1 and the rod 34, and is bent over at -1 one end.

The bent over end of the strip 38 is also contained within the orifice 3l, and normally makes resilient electrical contact with the bent over end of the strip 36. The other end o the strip 38 carries a terminal screw 39 to which the lead in wire lli] is secured. The lower end oi the rod 34 projects through an orice 4l in the strip, such orifice being of a diameter greater than that of the rod, so that there is a lost motion between rod oscillations and resultant sliding movement of the inner end of the strip 38, as shall be hereinafter explained.

In the drawings I have shown the wiring of my device in diagrammatic form for the sake of clear- Electrical current enters the device from the lead in wire i0 through the strips 33 and 33, from where a lead 42 extends to the winding of the coil 2l. The winding of the coil 2i is in turn connected to the winding of the coil 22 by a connection 43, and the coil 22 is connected to the elbow arm 2 by a lead 44. Current passes from the arm 2 to the arm 3 between the points 28 and 29, and from thence to the ground terminal 155 carried on the arm 3.

To energize the gas valve controlling solenoid coil l2, a lead fili is taken from the lead 42 and extends to the winding of the coil I2, and an outlet connection 8'.' is provided between the coil i2 and the ground terminal 85 on the arm 3. Current is supplied to my device from a suitable source, as from a transformer provided to step down the voltage from the normal input of say one hundred and ten to six volts, thus permitting a light duty wiring to be used between the transformer and the ignition device. A switch 48, either manually or thermostatically actuated, is furnished in the wiring l0 to the device.

The operation of my device is as follows:-

When the switch i8 is closed to ignite the gas burner f1, current enters through the contacting metal strips 38 and 3S and flows through the connection 42 to the pair of coils 2l and 22 and also through the lead 43 to the solenoid coil l2, and from the respective coils through the arms 2 and 3, and lead d'1, to the ground terminal 55.

The passage of current through the solenoid coil i2 magnetizes the steel bushing l5 to draw the head towards the top of the bushing, and this action moves the head supporting rod I6 and Valve 6 downwardly against the spring 9 to open the valve and permit the gas to pass from the pipe IG to the burner 4. At the same time, the energizing of the coils 2l and 22 magnetizes their cores so that they exert an attraction upon the spring strip 23 and the steel stud 32 on the b-re lever 30.

The stud carrying end of the lever 30 is normally held against complete downward movement towards the coil 2i by the tension between the engaging bent ends of the strips 38 and 38. As the end of the spring strip 23 bends towards its energized coil 22 it swings the supported arm 2 downwardly, as indicated by the arrow A in Figure l, thus separating the points 28 and 29 and causing a spark jump, as the current energizing the coils 2l and 22 passes through the arms. The separation of the points breaks the circuit to de-magnetize the coils thereby vibrating the steel strip 23 and the lever 30 and upon return of the arm 3 under the tension oi the spring 25 the electrical circuit is closed and the operation is repeated. The recurring spark, thus created, ignites the gas.

When the gas is ignited, the heat playing upon the bi-metal strip 21, which is of increased width at its end to secure a rise in temperature as soon as possible, causes such strip to bend upwardly as shown in dotted line in Figure l, whereby the point 29 moves out of Contact with the vibrating point 28 and opens the circuit through the coils 2l and 22. This circuit remains open, through the bent position of the bi-metal strip, as long as the burner is lit. The opening of the circuit through the arms and coils 2| and 22, does not affect the passage of current through the solenoid coil l2. During the sparking period, which is normally about ten seconds, before the gas ignites, the lever 38 vibrates about its fulcrum pin 3| as the circuit is opened and closed, and such vibrating motion causes the end of the rod 34 to tap against the side of the orifice 4i in the strip 38, in the direction shown by the arrow B in Figure 2.

If there should be no ignition of gas, through some unforeseen reason, the protracted tapping action will in less than several minutes overcome the tension between the bent ends of the strips 36 and 38, and cause the strip 38 to jump out into the position illustrated in Figure 6 whereby the passage of current into the device is cut orf with the consequent de-magnetizing of all the coils, which stops the sparking and permits the gas valve 8 to close under the tension of the spring 9. When the cause of non-ignition of gas in the burner fl is remedied, the strip 38 is manually returned to its contacting position, as shown in Figure 2. In order to prevent the strip 38 from being pushed too far into the orice 3'! when the switch is being reset, I form the bent end of the strip with a lip which engages the face of the housing 35. When it is desired to turn off the heat, the switch 48 is opened to cut off current passing to my device, whereupon the de-magnetizing of the solenoid coil i2 permits the gas valve 6 to close under the tension of the spring 9, and when the gas goes out, the bi-metal strip upon cooling straightens out, and my device is ready to function and reignite the gas when the switch 48 is again closed.

While I have shown and described my device as used in conjunction with a gas burner, it is to be understood that it can be used for a diversity of purposes, without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an ignition device of the character described, the combination with a vibratory electrical spark gap element and electro-magnetic means actuating said element, of a master switch vcontained in the electrical circuit energizing the Aelectro-magnetic means and actuated by the elec tro-.magnetic means, and a member vibrating under the influence of the electro-magnetic means and tending to open the master switch.

2. In an ignition device of the character described, they combination with a vibratory electrical spark gap element and electro-magnetic means contained within the same electrical circuit as the spark gap element and actuating such element, of a master switch also contained in the same circuit and actuated by the electro-magnetic means, and a member Vibrating under the influence of the electro-magnetic means and tending to open the master switch.

3. -In an ignition device of the character described, the combination with a vibratory electrical spark gap relement and electro-magnetic means actuating said element, of a master switch contained in the electrical circuit energizing the electro-magnetic means and actuated by the electro-magnetic means, a fuel valve, and a solenoid coil actuating the valve and energized by an` electrical circuit apart from the circuit to the electro-magnetic means but controlled by the master switch.

4. In an ignition device of the character described, the combination with a vibratory electrical spark gap element and electro-magnetic means actuating said element, of a master switch contained in the electrical circuit energizing the electro-magnetic means and actuated by the electro-magnetic means, a fuel Valve, and a solenoid coil opening the valve when energized, said coil being energized by an electrical circuit apart from the circuit to the electro-magnetic means but controlled by the master switch.

5. In an ignition device of the character described, the combination with a vibratory electrical spark gap element and electro-magnetic means actuating said element, of a master switch contained in the electrical circuit energizing the electro-magnetic means and actuated by the electro-magnetic means, a member vibrating under the influence of the electro-magnetic means and tending to open the master switch, a fuel valve, and a solenoid coil opening the valve when energized, said coil ybeing energized by an electrical circuit apart from the circuit to the electro-magnetic means but controlled by the master switch.

6. In an ignition device of the character described, the combination with a vibratory electrical spark gap element and electro-magnetic means contained within the same electrical circuit as the spark gap element and actuating such element, of a master switch also contained in the same circuit and actuated by the electromagnetic means, a member vibrating under the influence of the electro-magnetic means and y tending to open the master switch, a fuel valve,

and a solenoid coil actuating the valve and energized by an electrical circuit apart from the circuit to the electromagnetic means but controlled by the master switch.

7. In an ignition device of the character described, a uid valve, a solenoid coil opening the valve when energized, a pair or" arms, one of the arms being mounted for vibration, a spark point carried by each arm, a member bendable under an increase of temperature and mounted upon points, a .second electric circuit energizing the f solenoid coil independently of the passage of current through the electro-magnetic coil and across the points, a master switch controlling the passage of current through both circuits, and electro-magnetic means energized by the first circuit and provided to` actuate the master switch.

8. In an ignition device of the character described, a fluid valve, a solenoid coil opening the valve when energized, a pair of arms, one of the arms being mounted for vibration, a spark point carried by each arm, a member bendable under an increase of temperature and mounted upon one arm and upon which one of the spark points is carried, an electro-magnetic coil io-r vibrating one arm, an electric circuit energizing the coil and passing between the spark points, a second electric circuit energizing the solenoid coil independently of the passage of current through the electro-magnetic coil and across the points, a master switch controlling the passage of current through both circuits, a vibratory lever member for actuating the master switch, and electromagnetic means energized by the first circuit and operating the vibratory lever member.

9. In an ignition device of the character described, a iiuid valve, a solenoid coil opening the valve when energized, a pair of arms, one of the arms being mounted for vibration, a spark point carried by each arm, a member bendable under an increase of temperature and mounted upon one arm and upon which one of the spark points is carried, an electro-magnetic coil for vibrating one arm, an electric circuit energizing the coil and passing between the spark points, a second electric circuit energizing the solenoid coil independently of the passage of current through the electro-magnetic coil and across the points, a. master switch controlling the passage of current through both circuits, a second electro-magnetic ycoil contained in the rst circuit, and a lever pivoted, to be swung by the magnetic attraction of the second coil and actuatably connected to the master switch.

l0. In an ignition device of the character described, a uid valve, a solenoid coil opening the valve when energized, a pair of arms, one of the arms being mounted for vibration, a spark point carried by each arm, a member bendable under an increase of temperature and mounted upon one arm and upon which one of the spark points is carried, an electro-magnetic coil for vibrating one arm, an electric circuit energizing the coil and passing between the spark points, a second electric circuit energizing the solenoid coil independently of the passage of current through the electro-magnetic coil and across the points, a master switch controlling the passage of current through both circuits, a slidable contact member in the master switch resiliently retained in the contacting position, a second electro-magnetic coil contained in the rst circuit, and a lever pivoted to be swung by the magnetic attraction of the second coil and actuatably connected to the master switch.

11. In an ignition device of the character described, a uid valve, a solenoid coil opening the valve when energized, a ferrous metal bushing contained in one end of the bore of the coil, a non-ferrous metal rod freely slidable within the bushing, a ferrous metal head on the rod contained in the bore of the coil for movement towards the end of the bushing when the coil is energized, the rod operating the uid valve, a pair of arms, one of the arms being mounted for vibration, a spark point carried by each arm, a member bendable under an increase of temperature and mounted upon one arm and upon which one of the spark points is carried, an electromagnetic coil for Vibrating one arm, an electric circuit energizing the coil and passing between the spark points and a second electric circuit energizing the solenoid coil independently of the passage of current through the electro-magnetic coil and across the points.

12. In an ignition device of the character described, a fluid valve, a solenoid coil opening the valve when energized, a ferrous metal bushing contained in one end of the bore of the coil, a non-ferrous metal rod freely slidable Within the bushing, a ferrous metal head on the rod ccntained in the bore of the coil for movement towards the end of the bushing when the coil is energized, the rod operating the fluid valve, a pair of arms, one of the arms being mounted for vibration, a spark point carried by each arm, a member bendable under an increase of temperature and mounted upon one arm and upon which one of the spark points is carried, an electro-magnetic coil for vibrating one arm, an electric circuit energizing the coil and passing between the spark points, a second electric circuit energizing the solenoid coil independently of the passage of current through the electro-magnetic coil and across the points, a master switch controlling the passage of current through both circuits, and electro-magnetic means energized by the rst circuit and provided to actuate the master switch.

13. In an ignition device of the character described, a fluid valve, a solenoid coil opening the valve when energized, a ferrous metal bushing contained in one end of the bore of the coil, a non-ferrous metal rod freely slidable Within the bushing, a ferrous metal head on the rod contained in the bore of the coil for movement towards the end of the bushing when the coil is energized, the rod operating the fluid valve, a pair of arms, one of the arms being mounted for vibration, a spark point carried by each arm, a member bendable under an increase of temperature and Imounted upon one arm and upon which one of the spark points is carried, an electro-magnetic coil for vibrating one arm, an electric circuit energizing the coil and passing between the spark points, a second electric circuit energizing the solenoid coil independently of the passage of current through the electro-magnetic coil and across the points, a master switch controlling the passage of current through both circuits, a second electro-magnetic coil contained in the first circuit, and a lever pivoted, to be swung by the magnetic attraction of the second coil and actuatably connected to the master switch.

GEORGE CLARK SMITH.

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