US2119156A

US2119156A - Power plant

Info

Publication number: US2119156A
Application number: US110764A
Authority: US
Inventors: Martin J Finnegan; Baer Howard
Original assignee: Eclipse Aviation Corp
Current assignee: Eclipse Aviation Corp
Priority date: 1936-11-13
Filing date: 1936-11-13
Publication date: 1938-05-31
Anticipated expiration: 1955-05-31

Description

y 1933- M. J. FINNEGAN ET AL 56 POWER PLANT Filed NOV. 13, 1936 INVENTORS. Marf/h J. F/hneycm 8 Howard 506/ RNEY.

Patented May 31, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

POWER PLANT Application November 13, 1936, Serial No. 110,764

10 Claims.

invention relates to power plants and particularly to a power plant involving the provision of two or more distinct prime movers adapted for selective application to a single mechanism to be driven, whereby the power for operating such mechanism to be driven may be taken from one or'both of a pair of internal combustion engines, at the selection of an operator, or in accordance with the density of the atmosphere from which the prime movers happen to be drawing the air for combustion of the fuel charge.

When the invention is applied to a pair of engines carried by an aircraft, it will produce au tomatic cutting in and out of the second of the two engines, in accordance with variations in the altitude attained by the craft.

Anobject of the invention is to provide, in a system of the foregoing character, novel -means for controlling the successive starting of the two engines to be successively applied to the mechanism to be driven, as well as the successive coupling operations themselves.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a system of the foregoing character a single source of energy to ignite the fuel charge of either of the engines together with novel unitary control means whereby the ignition is automatically caused to occur in properly timed relationship in each Ofthe'engines to which the driven mechanism is coupled, and preferably as an incidental operation to the act of so coupling the successively energized engines thereto.

Other objects and features of the invention reside in the, specific construction and relationships of ,the elements and sub-combinations entering into the complete system as will become apparent upon analysis of the following specification when considered in its relation to the accompanying drawing illustrating one embodiment of the invention.

It is to be expressly understood, however, that 'the drawing is for the purpose of illustration only, and is not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the ap-' pended claims for this purpose.

In the drawing:-

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of the invention applied to a power plant including a pair of successively energizable internal combustion engines and a single combination of elements to be driven therefrom;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the altitude controlled switch; 7 and Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse views alonglines 3-3 and 4-4, respectively, in Fig. 2.

Referringfirst to Fig. l, the two internal combustion engines are represented therein at 5 and 6, and each is shown as'provided with an ignition current distributor and a starting motor, the distributors being shown at "I and 8 and starting motors at 9 and in for the

engines

5 and 6 respectively. interposed between" the two engines is a gear l4 rotatable with a shaft l5 projecting from opposite sides thereof and. adapted to be driven by either of the clutch mechanisms l2 and i3, and in turn adapted to transmit rotation to a plurality of current generating units or other accessories to be driven through intervening gear trains as indicated at l8 and I9. Included among these generating units (indicated by the reference characters 2|, 22, 23 and 24) is a magneto 24 constituting a source of ignition current to be distributed through one or both the distributors 'l and 3 in accordance with the conditions hereinafter more fully explained. The selection may occur' manually, or automatically in response to closure of the proper switch or combination of switches 30, 3|, and 32. When the switch 3i is moved in an upward (closing) direction, current is caused to fiow from the battery 33 through the

contacts

34 and 35 of the switch 3! to cause energization of the

electromagnetic devices

43, 44 and ill, the latter being the electric motor for starting the engine 6 as heretofore indicated. Closure of the switch 30 or 32 (with switch 3| remaining closed) would cause current to flow from the source 33 through the switches 3i and 30 (or 32) in series, to energize the corresponding electromagnetic devices 36, 3! and 9 associated with the engine 5. The

electromagnetic devices

36 and 43 are shown as solenoidscontrolling the operation of the clutch mechanisms l2 and I3, respectively, through the agency of shiftermechanisms 8| and 32 operatively connected to the ends of the solenoid plungers 41 and 48 respectively. In order to delay the operation of the clutch mechanisms for a brief interval sumcient to permit the engine to acquire some speed, there is preferably interposed in the circuits of the

solenoids

36 and 43 resistor units as indicated at 5| and 52,\ respectively,' whereby

solenoids

36 and 43 do not become fully magnetized as readily as do the solenoids 3'! and 44, the latter being in direct shunt relationship to the windings of the motors 9 and I0 respectively and hence operative to close the

switch

53 or 54, as the case may be, promptly in response to flow of current thereto, thus assuring that theassociated engine willbe provided with ignition current as soon as the crankshaft begins to turn under the influence of the energization of the starter motor 9 or H]. Upon restoration of the switch 3| to its normal position consequent deenergization of

solenoids

36 and 37, as well as 43 and 44, will likewise cause the return of the solenoid plungers and associated mechanism to their original positions due to the action of the conventional normalizing springs (not shown) thereupon.

As soon as the engine develops suflicient power so that its crankshaft runs in excess of the speed of the starting gear the latter may be thrown to the inoperative position by the well-known overrunning action, assuming the use of some such starting mechanism as that known as the Bendix drive; and by using a. centrifugal switch such as is indicated in Fig. 2 of the Ertz Patent No. 1,940,- 712, the circuit to the electric motor may be interrupted by the action of such speed responsive switch (indicated diagrammatically at 61 for the motor 9 and at 62 for the motor iii), the setting of these speed responsive switches being such that they are normally closed and moved to the open position only when the engine crankshaft acquires a speed approximately corresponding to its normal running speed. It will be noted that the branch' circuit to the motor is the only one interrupted in this fashion, the other circuits controlled by the switch 3| remaining closed so long as it is desired to maintain the driven units 2| to 24 in operation. The clutch l2and the following is also true of clutch i3is preferably of a character which functions normally as a positive, non-slipping clutch but initially as a slipping or friction clutch adapted to permit gradual picking up of the load; the elements constituting the normal path of torque transmission being a pair of gears or jaw clutch elements such as the jaw clutch elements. designated by reference characters l9 and II in the drawings of Patent No. 1,991,112 granted February 12, 1935 to Romeo M. Nardone. Such clutch elements have their meshable teeth so disposed in relation to the driving and driven shafts that driving engagement of the clutch is possible only when the said driving and driven shafts are in predetermined relative angular positions, thus assuring maintenance of proper timing relationship between the engine crank-shaft and the rotor of the magneto 24, to the end that the igniting spark shall always occur at the predetermined piston positions.

. capacity. During such ascent aneroid 9i (Figs. 2

and 3) will have been operative to swing sector 92 upward and rotate pinion 93 in a counterclockwise direction, thus permitting spring 94 to rotate disc 95 to the extent of movement of the pin 96 (moving with pinion 93) in slot 91 of disc 95. Moving with disc 95 is a magnet 98 designed to exert a magnetic attraction upon magnet 99 when moved sufficiently close thereto; whereupon contact arm 100, with which magnet 99 is integrated, will be swung sharply in the clock-wise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, to cause closure of contact llll upon contact I02, constituting the switch 390i Fig. 1. A stop 13 limits movement of arm I00 as the craft descends.

What is claimed is:-

1. The combination with a plurality of internal' combustion engines, each having an ignition current distributor and starting motor associated therewith, of an ignition current supply device common to said engines, means for causing the starting of one of said engines, and by the some action electrically connecting said ignition current supply device to the distributor of the engine to be started, said means comprising electrical conductors controlling energization of both the starting motor and the distributor for each engine, and pressure responsive means for controlling current fiow to one of said starting motors and distributors, but not to the other.

2. The combination with a plurality of internal combustion engines, each having an ignition current distributor and starting motor associated therewith, of an ignition current supply device common to said engines, means for causing the starting of one of said engines, and. by the same action electrically connecting said ignition current supply device to the distributor of the engine to be started, said means comprising electrical conductors controlling energization of both the starting motor and the distributor for each engine, electromagnetic means for causing the coupling of each engineto said ignition current supply device, to rotate the latter and thereby cause it to generate ignition current, and means in circuit with said electrical conductors for energizing said electromagnetic means.

3. The combination with a plurality of internal combustion engines, each having an ignition current distributor and starting motor associated therewith, of an ignition current supply device common to said engines, means for causing the starting of one of said engines, and by the same action electrically connecting said ignition current supply device to the distributor or the engine to be started, said means comprising electrical conductors controlling energization of both the starting motor'and the distributor for each engine, and speed responsive means for interrupting the current flow to the starting motor.

4. The combinationwith a plurality of internal combustion engines, each having an ignition current distributor and starting motor associated therewith, of an ignition current supply device common to said engines, means for causing the starting of one of said engines, and by the same action electrically connecting said ignition current supply device to the distributor of the engine to be started, said means comprising electrical conductors controlling energization of both the starting motor and the distributor for each engine, electromagnetic means for causing the coupling of each engine to said ignition current supply device, to rotate the latter and thereby cause it to generate ignition current, and means in circuit with said electrical conductors for energizing said electromagnetic means, said coupling v means including clutch elements meshable only when the crankshaft is in a predetermined angular position with respect to'said ignition current supply means.

5. The combination with a plurality of internal combustion engines, each having a starting motor associated therewith, of means comprising electrical conductors for controlling energization of said starting motors, and pressure responsive means for controlling current flow to one of said starting motors but not to the other.

6. The combination with a-plurality of internal combustion engines. each having an ignition current distributor associated therewith, of an ignition current supply device common to said engines, means for electrically connecting said ignition current supply device to said distributors said means comprising electrical conductors for controlling energization of the distributors, and pressure responsive means for controlling current flow to one of said-distributors but not to the other.

'7. The combination with a plurality of internal combustion engines, each having an ignition current distributor and starting motor associated therewith, of an ignition current supply device common to said engines, means for causing the starting of a selected one of said engines, and by the same action electrically connecting said ignition current supply device to the distributor of the selected engine, said means comprising electrical conductors controlling energization of both the starting motor and the distributor for each engine, and aneroid actuated means for controlling current flow to one of said starting motors and distributors, but not to the other.

8. The combination with a plurality of internal combustion engines, each having a starting motor associated therewith, of means comprising electrical conductors for controlling energization of said starting motors, and aneroid actuated means for controlling current flow to one of said starting motors but not to the other.

9. The combination with a plurality of internal combustion engines, each having an ignition current distributor associated therewith, of an ignition current supply device common to said engines, means for electrically connecting said ignition current supply device to said distributors said means comprising electrical conductors for controlling energization of the distributors, and aneroid actuated means for controlling current flow to one of said distributorsbut not to the.

other.

10. The combination with a plurality of internal combustion engines, each having a starting motor associated therewith, of means comprising energy conductors for controlling energization of said starting motors, and aneroid actuated means for controlling energy flow through one of said conductors but not the other.

MARTIN J. FINNEGAN. HOWARD BAER.