US2173870A

US2173870A - Booster system for ignmon circuits

Info

Publication number: US2173870A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1939-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 1956-09-26

Description

- Sept. 26, 1939.

E. w. wEsToN BOOSTER SYSTEM FOii IQNITION CIRCUITS Filed Aug; 18, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 B CHRYSLER bones FORD HUDSON PAcKnRD E.W.Wesion' Sept. 26, 1939. E. w. WESTON BOOSTER SYSTEM FOR IGNITION CIRCUITS Filed Aug. 18, 19.37

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 26, 1939 E.'W. WESTON 2,173,379

BOOSTER SYSTEM FOR IGNITION CIRCUITS Filed Aug. 18, 1937 4 SheetsShee't 3 Sept. 26, 1939. E. w. WESTON BOOSTER SYSTEM FOR IGNITION CIRCUITS Filed Aug. 18, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,173,870 BOOSTER'BYSTEM Foa IGNITION omcurrs Eugene W. Weston, Elginburgh. Ontario, Canada Application August 18, 1937, Serial No. 159,692 20 Claims. (01. 123-148) The present invention relates to boostersystems' and particularly to improvements in apparatus and the manner of connecting and controlling same whereby the conventional primary ignition circuitis modified during the starting period .to obtain a more intensified output in the secondary ignition circuit.

The principal objects of the invention are to eliminate the difliculty of starting a motor car.

engine or other spark-fired engines due to weak or defective sparking at the plugs and to provide a booster system which will be of neat and compact form and may be sold as a complete unit and which will provide for the quick attachment or detachment of the booster unit in a definitely predetermined or polarized relation to the standard battery and ignition circuits.

The principal features of the invention reside in part in the novel construction and arrange-- ment of parts and oo-operative circuits .whereby an increased current is caused to flow through a selective part or all'of the ignition coil primary underthe control of detachable or polarizing plug contact members which may 'be quickly withdrawn at any time to permit testing of the normal primary and ignition circuits.

A. further and important feature resides in the novel association with a tapped primary of an-ignition coil of a condenser which is connected between the tap and ground and is rendered effective only when a portion of the primary. winding is being energized and is rendered automatically ineffective during the normal functioning of the primary ignition circuit whereby not to interfere with the normal action or efliciency of the coil.

A still further and important feature resides in the novel construction and arrangement of plug-in contacts co-operative with the primary ignition circuit and winding whereby the booster in the battery may be readily inserted in itsproper polarized relation to the system and an s5 indication given of such proper polarization.

4 Figures 6 and 7,

timer and ignition circuit of a motor car.

Figures 1a; 1b and 1c are structural views illustrating a suitable form of contact socket and l" plugsuitable for use in conjunction with the booster system of Figure 1.

Figure 2 illustrates a modified form of tapped coil booster utilizing the plug-in feature as a means of cutting in and out a condenser of in- 20 creased capacity.

Figure 3 illustrates a further form ofmy in vention showing the plug-in feature associated with 'an auxiliary or booster battery.

Figure 4 is a part structural or diagrammatic 25 view of myimpro'ved booster system having a v modified form of plug-in contact means in association with a booster battery.

Figure5 is a plan view of detachable connector member and coil attachment adaptor and a cable connection therebetween as used in the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a top plate of the battery booster unit showing the plug-in contacts mounted. thereon and illustrating the 35 battery contacts in dotted lines.

Figure 7 is a perspecive view of the relay mounting clamping plate detached from the upper top terminal plate. ,7

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a combined 40 change-over relay and auxiliary contact device which is adapted to be clamped in its mounted position between the separated plates shown in Figure 9 is a perspective view ofthe complete battery booster unit showingthe battery inserted in one selected position of polarity to suit a certain make of car.

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure'9, but showing the battery insertedin the reverse position to adapt its polarity to a different make of car.

Figure 11 is a plan view of the battery booster unit with the cover removedshowing the change- Q being shown grounded.

over relay andauxiliary breaker in association with the plug-in contact and condensers.

Figure 12 is a miniature perspective view of the complete battery booster unit ready for connection to the starting motor and ignition c011.

Figure 13 is a perspective view illustrating the manner of attachment of the energizing cable to the ungrounded brush of the starter motor.

In my co-pending patent application Serial No. 134,096, filed March 31st, 1937, I defined a booster system wherein auxiliary breaker contacts were associated with the standard breaker contacts and operated at an accelerated rate independent of the rate of operation of the standard breaker contacts but in timed relation thereto during the period of starting the motor and the present invention is directed to improvements thereover and structural adaptations. 1;

. Referringto the form ,of the invention illustrated in Figure 1, the standard primary ignition circuit I is shown in fight lines and is connected with one terminal of the car battery 2 through the usual ammeter 3, the other battery terminal The circuit l leads through the primary winding 4 of the ignition coil and thence to the standard breaker points 5 actuated by the usual engine-driven cam i and across which the usual condenser 1 is arranged.

The engine-starting motor 8 carries an ungrounded brush 9'(Figure 13) which is energized on the closing of the starter switch II and in order to facilitate taking a connection from the energized starting motor to energize my booster system, I provide a lead cable II with a special thin flexible insulated termlnal i2 which may be readily inserted through the usual brush inspection openings I3 in the motor and attached to the ungrounded brush 9 by removal of the usual circular closing band, which band may then be replaced over the fiat inserted. terminal.

The cable lead II is here shown branched through a relay actuating coil H to ground and also through an auxiliary breaker actuating coil l5 and thence to a stationarycontact it of a relay change-over switch. v

A second stationary contact I! is spaced from the contact I6 and a contact I! is displaceably carried into and out of contact with

contacts

16 and 11 by operation of the relay arm is on energizing and de-energizing of the coil l4 respectively and the contacts I! and I8 are connected respectively with leads l1 and it which are compactly confined into a single cable 20 (Figures 11; and 10) along with'a third cable lead 2| which is connected with an auxiliary contact 22, the

. other auxiliary contact 23 being carried on a displaceable arm 24 and a spring-mounted arma-- ture. 25 is arranged to be attracted by the energizing of the coil l5 to permit the auxiliary contacts to close and on releasev of the armature 25 due to de-energizing of the coil IS the armature is adapted to spring upwardly to impact against.

the arm 24 and drive the auxiliary contacts instantaneouslyapart as set forth in my copendifig application in greater detail.

According to the present invention I insert at a desirable point in the primary ignition circuit I a pair of self-closing contacts 4' and 5' which may be said to be connected respectively with the outlet end of the primary winding 4 and with the standard breaker contact 5, so that when these contacts are allowed to spring or close together the normal primary circuit will be uninterrupted.

I provide a special contact plug such as illustacts l1" and I8" which are insulated by the intervening strip 26 and are connected respectivelywith the cable leads l1 and I8, so that when the contacts are inserted between the contacts 4 and 5' the change-over relay contact U will be connected with the end of the primary winding, while the movable contact l8' of the relay will be connected to the standard breaker points 5. j s

I provide in association with the contacts 4 and 5 a third contact 21 which is shown connected by a lead 28 to the primary winding at a suitable point intermediate of its length and a blade contact 29 .is shown associated with but spaced and insulated from the contacts l1" and I8" and connected with the end of the cable lead 2| and it will be seen that when the plug-in device shown in Figures lb and 1c is plugged into position, the normal primary circuit will be automatically interrupted and the control and booster circuits will be incorporated and due to the arrangement of the blade contacts there can be being further enhanced by the fact that the contacts are positively grouped in a predetermined arrangement and permanently. connected with the various contacts by a groupedcable arrangement.

In Figures 2 and 3 I have shown simple adaptations of the plug-in principle which automatically breaks the primary circuit and establishes a booster condition and in this form of the invention the change-over relay and auxiliary booster may be eliminated. I have found that when employing a tapped primary winding wherein only a selected portion of the winding is employed during boosting periods, or whenever the inductance is altered, special provision must be made to alter the con-. denser capacity in proportion to thedifierent ins ductance in the primary and such a condenser is shown in Figures land 2 at 3|] and it willbe noted that in Figure 1 the condenser is inserted in the coil tap lead 2| and a stationary contact 30' which is insulated from the contact ll of the relay and is adapted to be grounded on energizing of the relay coil 14 by engagement of a grounded displaceable contact 30", but when the relay coil is de-energized and the normal primary circuit thereby established through the complete primary winding by reason of the closing of the contact l1 and I8, contacts 30' and 30" will be opened, thereby cutting out the condenser 30 so that it will not interfere with the normal operation of the con.

A separate condenser 3| may be advantageously inserted across theleads l1 and I8 and the in- 'sulating' strip 26 may advantageously project beyond the blade contacts to first separate the conmoved as shown in dotto open said lead and engage a contact I" connected with the primary circuit l between the battery and coil.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 2 I incorporate the specialcondenser 30 by inserting the same between ground and the blade contact I8" and the tap lead 28 is shown connected by blade contact 29 through a resistance 32 which may be optional, and will serve to relieve the standard breaker of part of the extra load placed thereon due to the cutting out of the resistance of part of the. primary winding.

In Figure 3 lead 28 is connected at an intermediate point of theprimary winding which is left idle and open by blade 29 in thiscase not being in the circuit.

The double blade contacts I1" and I8 of Figure 3 are here shown connected with the respective terminals of an auxiliary battery. 33, so that the polarity will be properly related to the polarity of the standard car battery by insertion of the plug-in contacts so that the battery 33 will be in series with and boost the. voltage or potential of the car battery, but should the car battery be discharged the battery 33 will function through car battery 2 or its leads, to provide starting or running ignition current for th primary circuit.

Referring to the modified form of the invention illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 4 wherein a battery is employed in conjunction with a change-over relay and breaker, it will be noted that a special connector 34 (shown in greater detail in Figure 5) has one terminal 35 adapted to be connected to the timer side terminals 36 are removal of the timer lead I of the primary circuit therefrom and said connector member carries a second terminal 31 insulated from the terminal 35 and to which the removed standard primary timer lead I is adapted to be connected, the terminal 35 being formed with an extension 35 which extends into proximity to the high tension outlet to form a safety outlet for the high tension to protect the coil in the event of the normal high tension outlet being interrupted.

Leads

38 and 39 connect with the

terminals

35 and 31 and these are confined in a single cord or cable 34' which leadsto a special socket plug 34" having arranged therein a pair of spring contacts 38 and 39' which are adapted to normally spring together to connect the

leads

38 and 39, thereby establishing the normal continuity of the primary timer circuit and the contact of these springs with each other is elfected at a zone aligned with an ofiset opening 42 for a purpose hereinafter defined.

A pair of closely arranged

blade contacts

40 and 4| insulated from each other and bridged by the condenser 3|, are adapted to enter the plug opening 42 and the intervening insulating strip projecting beyond the contacts is adapted-to first engage between and separate the engaging -contacts 38' and 33' and on a further endwise movement of the plug the

blade contacts

40 and 4| will engage and makeelectrical contact respectively with the

spring contacts

38 and 39,

so that in effect the blade contact 40 will be connected with the outlet terminal of the primary winding, while the blade contact 4| will be connected with the standard timer points 5. r

A booster battery 43 is provided with contact with thestrip 50 and the plug 34" is adapted to co-operate selectively with either set of contacts,

Again referring to the diagrammatic showing in Figure 4, the movable relay arm I! is shown carrying a contact 40' for normal engagement with a fixed contact 4| which contacts are respectively connected to the

contacts

40 and 4|. A second movable contact l5 of the relay is connected to the breaker coil l5 and adapted to engage the contact 4| as the contact 40' is withdrawn therefrom on energization of the relay to engage a second fixed contact 46 connected with the battery terminal contact 46.

The other battery contact terminal 41 is con-- nected by a lead 41' to auxiliary breaker contact 22 and the other auxiliary contact 23 is shown grounded and the condenser 33 is shown connected between the contact 22 and ground and is of a suitable capacity to obtain the required rapid de-magnetization of the iron core of the ignition coil.

An open-ended plug guide and contact protector shown

in'Figures

9 and 10 and in dotted line Figure 6 houses the paired blade contacts so that they are ofl'set to opposite sides thereof to align substantially with the offset plug opening 42 only when the plug in inserted in its proper relation to the respective contacts housed within the hood 55 and it is therefore impossible for the plug to be wrongly inserted and thereby make an improper connection and the plug 34 carries a notch 56 which is adapted to receive a locking projection 51 at the entrance to the hood 55 and the spring of the plug contact is adapted to urge the plug toward the locking projection 51 to retain the plug against accidental removal.

By placing the plug in position so that its contacts engage the

contacts

40 and 4|, the normal primary circuit between the standard timer and coil will be broken and the opposite sides of the break will be connected with the respective relay contacts 40. and 4| sothat the primary circuit will then be normally closed by the normal engagement of the contacts 40' and "4|.

On the energizing of the 'relay coil l4 by depressing the starter switch III the contact |5 will be drawn into engagement with the contact 4| and contact 4|! will be disconnected from 4| and engaged with contact 46'. The engagement of contacts l5 and 4| establishes an auxiliary control circuit from battery 2 through lead ll, coil to contact 4| and 39' and through primary circuit lead I' to'the standard points and ground. Simultaneously the closing of contacts 40' and 46' establishes a booster primary circuit from battery 2' through the coil primary and cable leads 38, 38 and 40 and thence through the prgperly polarized booster battery 43 and from thence through the lead '41 and auxiliary breaker points- 22 and 23 to ground.

If it is desired to completely disconnect the.

booster system from co-operative relation with.

the standard primary circuit, this may be instantaneously accomplished by simply withdrawing the plug contact device 34" clear of the

contacts

40 and 4| and allowing the contacts 38'- and 39' to close and complete the normal primary circuit so that the said normal circuit may be quickly tested inthis way. r

If for any reason the standard car battery 2 or its connections to the coil primary should fail thereby ordinarily preventing the operation of the engine, this emergency can be quickly overcome by simply plugging the contact plug 34" on to the

battery blade contacts

48 and 49 at the opposite end of the hood 55, thereby establishing a primary circuit through the standard-breaker points 5, lead I, cable lead 39, contacts 39' and 49 and thence through the auxiliary battery 43 and back through-contacts l8 and 38', cable lead 38 and thence through the primary winding of the coil and through the remainder of the primary circuit l and to ground, so that the car may be maintained in operation until the defect in the standard battery has been corrected.

The change-over relay mechanism and the auxiliary 'breaker mechanism may advantageously be combined in a single unit as illustrated in Figure 8 and which specific construction forms the basis of a separate'application which I propose to file shortly.

In the present application it is to be noted that the said relay and auxiliary mechanism forms a complete compact unit which is adapted to be clamped between the: insulating plates 5| and 52 by the clamping screws 53, so that it will be housed in a compartment 54 above the battery case 53 in a sealed manner and in direct association with the plug-in contact arranged within the hood. 55 so that a compact and efflcient assembly is provided.

Referring to Figures 9 and 10 and to the illustrated showing in Figure 4, it is important to note that the battery 43 is adaptedto be reversibly placed within the casing 53 in conjunction with special indicating indicia which. will indicate very definitely the proper position in which the battery is' to be placed in the casing. In the present instance I propose to print the names of cars on one side of the battery having the negative terminal of the standard car battery grounded, while on the other and opposite side of the battery I propose to print the names of cars which have the positive side of the standard car battery grounded, so that when the battery is inserted in the open side of the casing with its contact terminals engaging the spring contacts and H, the battery will be properly positioned if the name of the car on which the installation is -made appears on the outward side of the battery. In this way the proper insertion of the auxiliary battery will be assured and in order to facilitate insertion and removal of the battery I provide a slidably removable base section 54" having protuberances 54" which may advantageously be of slight wedge shape so that when the bottom is pressed to its proper position with the battery inserted, the battery will be flrmlyheld upwardly.

The installation of this booster imit is a very simple matter, since it is merely necessary to connect the flat terminal I2 of the cable II to an ungrounded brush of the starting motor or other suitable available point of energy and to disconnect the primary lead I fromthe breaker side terminal of the coil primary and to attach the connector device 34 carried. by the cable 3| to the said coil terminal and replace the lead I on the connector terminal 31 and the cable arrangement of the wires and the provision of connector or plug members which can only be attached in the proper manner, eliminates difliculties heretofore experienced due to complications and the problems involved in wiring.

What I claim as my invention is: l. The combination with a primary ignition circuit including 'standard breaker contacts, a

high tension coil having its primary normally connected in series m'th said standard breaker contacts, and an ignition booster system in.- cluding auxiliary breaker contacts, of means including detachable plug-in connections for connecting said respective systems in cooperative re-- lation with the auxiliary breaker contacts in shunt with said standard breaker contacts and in series with a portion at least of the primary winding of said coil.

2. The combination with a primary ignition circuit of the coil and battery type including standard breaker contacts normally connected in series with said battery and the primary of said coil, and an ignition booster system including a control circuit and a booster circuit, the latter including auxiliary breaker contacts, of means for inserting said booster system in quickly detachable relation to said primary ignition circuit with the said control circuit in series with the standard breaker contacts and with the auxiliary breaker contacts of the booster circuit in shunt with said standard breaker contacts and in series with a portion at least of the primary winding of said coil to utilize said coil for boosting purposes while protecting said standard breaker contacts from overloading during the boosting cycle.

3. The combination with a primary ignition circuit of the coil and battery type including standard breaker contacts, normally connected in series with said battery and the primary winding of said coil, and auxiliary control and booster circuits including an auxiliary breaker having a control coil included in said auxiliary control circuit, of means manually operable to incorporate said respective control and booster circuits in cooperative association with said primary circuit with said control coil in series with said standard breaker contacts and with said auxiliary breaker in shunt with said standard breaker contacts and in series with a portion at least of with said auxiliary breaker, and means for incorporating said control circuit in said primary circuit.

5. The combination with a primary ignition circuit including standard breaker contacts and ignition coil having its primary normally connected in series with said standard contacts, of a booster system including auxiliary breaker contacts and means for detachably connecting said booster system within said primary circuit including contact members separable to break the normal primary circuit and establish connections with the booster system with said auxiliary breaker contacts in series with .a portion at least of the primary of said ignition coil and adapted on removal of the booster system to 2,178,870 complete the normal primary circuit to facilitate I testing thereof.

6. The combination with a primary ignition circuit including a primary winding, of control and booster circuits the latter including an auxiliary breaker, self-closing contacts in said primary circuit, paired contacts forming terminals of said control circuit adapted to be entered between said self-closing contacts to break the primary circuit and insert the control circuit therein, a further contact connected with said primary winding at a point intermediate of its length, and an insertable contact member cooperating with said latter contact and connected with said booster circuit.

7. Means as claimed in claim 6 in which said control and booster circuit contacts are grouped as a detachable unit to be plugged into and out of engagement with said primary and winding contacts.

8. Means as claimed in claim 6 in which said control circuit contacts comprise spaced blade members, and insulating means associated therewith adaptedto first separate said primary circuit contacts prior to the establishing of electrical contacts between said respective. blade contacts and the primary circuit contacts.

9. The combination with a primary ignition circuit including a primary winding and a booster .unit for cooperation therewith, of means forming a quick detachable connection between said booster system and primary circuit to provide an increased current flow in said primary winding, a condenser having a capacity greater than practical with the normal energizing of said primary circuit and winding, and means co-operative with the'aforesaid means for rendering said condenser efiective only when said booster system is in operation.

10. The combination with a primary ignition circuit and control and booster circuits the latter including an auxiliary breaker, of a pair of contacts spaced apart and one connected with the control circuit and the other with the booster circuit, means for breaking the primary circuit between the coil and standard breaker points, a pair of self-closing contacts connected with the opposite sides of the break and adapted to normally close the break and adapted to receive the aforesaid spaced contacts therebetween to connect the opposite sides of the break therewith and open the self-closing contacts, and a booster battery included in said booster circuit.

11. Means as claimed in claim 10 in which said means for breaking the primary circuit comprises a connector member having a pair of terminals one for connection to the timer side terminal of the high tension coil and the other for connection with the standardbreaker points, said terminals having leads therefrom confined in a cable formation and terminating in a detachable plug' member housing said self-closing contacts with 'which they are connected.

12. Means as claimed in claim 10 in which a second pair of contacts are provided spaced from each other and connected with the respective terminals of said booster battery and said self-closing primary contacts are adapted to be removed from said first-mentioned pair of contacts and placed on said latter pair of contacts to energize said primary circuit on failure of the standard battery.

13. Means as claimed in claim 10 in'which registering means are provided co-operatively relatedto said paired contacts and said self-closing conthe car on which the booster tacts respectively to ensure against an improper connection being made between said respective contacts.

14. Means as claimed in claim in which said booster battery is reversibly mounted whereby it may be properly polarized to meet the requirement of the particular primary circuit to which it is to be connected, and means for indicating when said battery is properly polarized in said System.

15. Means as claimed in claim 10 in which said booster battery is reversibly mounted whereby it-may be properly polarized to meet the requirement of the particular primary circuit to which it is to be connected, and means for indicating when saidbattery is properly polarized in said system, including a casing in which the auxiliary battery is reversibly mounted and having terminals to register with the battery terminals in either position, said battery having indicating indicia thereon adapted to be exposed when the batteryis in mounted position to indicate whether or not the battery is properly installed.

.16. Means as claimed in claim 10 in which said booster battery is reversibly mounted whereby it may be properly polarized to meet the requirement of the particular primary circuit to which it is to be connected, and means for indicating when said battery is properly polarized in said system, including a casing for reversibly receiving said booster battery and having an Opening at one side, said battery and easing having terminals which are adapted to contact in either position of the battery, said battery having on opposite sides the names of diiferent cars which when the name of the car is exposed at the open side of said casing corresponding to the name of system is installed, will indicate-the correct position of the battery in relation to said booster system.

17. The combination with a primary ignition circuit, of a. booster unitfor incorporation therein comprising in combination, a casing, a booster battery reversibly mounted in said casing, a

change-over relay andaux'iliary breaker mounted in said-casing, control and booster circuits incorporating said change-over and auxiliary breaker units respectively and including a cable connection extendingfrom said casing adapted to be connected to an ungrounded brush of a starting motor, paired contacts mounted on said casing and facing in opposite directions, one pair having the contacts connected respectively with the control circuit and booster circuit and the other pair being connected respectively with the terminals of the reversible battery, a cable having a pair of separate leads therein and means at one end for connecting said leads to the standard breaker point and primary winding respectively and having plug contacts at the other end for selectively engaging said first .and second-mentioned paired contacts, and a hood member mounted on said casing and having openings at the ends permitting entry of said plug-in contacts only in their proper relation to said paired contacts.

18. The combination with a primary circuit including a primary ignition coil winding, standard breaker contacts and a standard condenser associated with said coil and contacts, of control and booster circuits the latter including an auxiliary primary circuit'breaker and a condenser ofgreater capacity than said standard condenser, means manually operable to incorporate a portion only of the normal length of the coil primary in said auxiliary circuit and to simultaneously incorporate said control circuit in said primary circuit in series with said standard breaker points, the-increased capacity of the booster circuit condenser being proportional to the reduction in the active portion of the pri- 20. The combination with a primary ignition circuit including standard breaker contacts, a source of current, and a high tension coil having its primary normally connected in series with said standard breaker contacts and said current source of means for causing a heavier than normal boosting current to be circulated through a portion at least of the primary winding of said coii free 01 said standard breaker contacts in timed relation thereto, including in combination a booster system having an auxiliary breaker, and means for connecting said booster system with said standard ignition circuit and said primary with a portion at least of said primary in series with said auxiliary'breaker.

EUGENE w; WESTON.