US2644682A

US2644682A - Governor having spring rate and tension adjustment means

Info

Publication number: US2644682A
Application number: US239148A
Authority: US
Inventors: Guy C Fricke; Elmer M Bimberg; David J Schaffer
Original assignee: Bendix Aviation Corp
Current assignee: Bendix Aviation Corp
Priority date: 1951-07-28
Filing date: 1951-07-28
Publication date: 1953-07-07
Anticipated expiration: 1970-07-07

Description

7, 3 s. c. FRICKE ETAL. 644,682

GOVERNOR HAVING SPRING RATE AND TENSION ADJUSTMENT MEANS Filed July 28, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOEJ Gar C. Fem/(E ELMEB M. B/MBEEG DAV/D u. JCHAFFEE I ATTORNEY July 7, 1953 s. c. FRICKE ETAL 2,644,682

GOVERNOR HAVING SPRING RATE AND TENSION ADJUSTMENT MEANS Filed July 28, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ugW I VII/ Alli INVENTOE-S Gar C! Fem/(E 62/152 M B/MBEEG .DA we a? Jaw/4 FFEE ATTORNEY Patented July 7, 1953 OFFICE Gov ER NoR HAVING sramGn 'r Nn "jifENsIoN ADJUSTMENT MEANS Guy- 0. Fricke, Elmer M. Bimberg, and David].- Schaffer, Detroit, Mich.,- assignors to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, .Ind., a corporation of Delaware Application July 28, 1951, Serial No. 239,148

: 11 Claims.

' The present invention relates to governors for internal combustion engines; especially for automotive vehicles and the like, and more'particularly to governorsembodying 'acentrifugal type mechanism for regulating'the speed of said engines by controllingthe air now in the induction passage. e One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a relatively simple, long wearing mechanical governor of high sensitivity for internal combustion engines, which can be easily mountedor'insta-lled on'the engine and thereafter readily serviced as a unit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a governor for regulating the speed of an internal combustion engine wherein all forces involved inthe operation of the governor are applied on the center line of the rotating and moving parts when the engine is being operated below the governed speed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a centrifugal governor unit'for the aforementioned engines which can be readily and accurately adjusted over a wide rangeto any desired maximum speed while the engine'is running and which is particularly'adapted for use as a master control for a vacuum actuated slave unit of agovernor. Still another objectis 'to provide a compact, relativelysimple, goverhorfor anint'ernal combustion' engine in which all the mechanically op erable elements are fully sealed against dirt, water orot her foreignmaterials which would interfere with the operation thereof. I

From the detailed description which follows," modifications and additions to the present in: vention will'be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is to be understood that although only the preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosedin detail, many variations employing the combination of elements forming'the present gov-'- ernor are possible, and we contemplate the use of any such variations in structure, arrangement and mode of operation that properlyfall within the scope'of the appended claims. -'In the drawings: A Figure 1 is a side elevation-of an internal combustion engine on which the present governor is mounted; Figure 2 is a cross section taken through th housing of the governor showing the several ele ments comprising the governor in elevation-in the relative positions they vzaccupy-whenthe governoris operating below thegovern'ed speed;

: Figure 3 is asection taken through thegovernor' on the line 3--3' of. Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side: elevation of "the centrifugalweight mechanism showing the elements-in operative position; and.

.Figure 5. is a sectionitaken on line; 5-5 of Figure 2.

9, 1951, mounted on the side of carburetor l2 adjacent the throttle valve and connected to the master unit M by a push-pull cable [8, such as a Bowden wire. Although in this embodiment of the invention the governor is'shown drivenby the engine through the distributor, it may be driven from any other suitable power take-off.

The centrifugal mechanism of the governor is clearly shown in Figure 2 disposed in a housing 28, and includes

centrifugal weights

30 and 32 which are mounted on bell crank levers 34 and '36 and are securedthereto by pins 33 and 40 m serted in holes through said weights and levers. In order to make the unit as compact as possible, the weights are provided with a peripheral curvature of a radius substantially equal to the radius of the are produced by the outer edge of said weights when they are intheir fully extended position as shown in- Figure4. The outside'faces of the weights are such that they are parallel withthe axis of rotation when the weights are" fully extended. 7 The weights are preferably made of some relatively heavy metal so that their size will be consistent with compactness and efiiciency of operation.

Levers 34 and :36 are pivotally mounted on

pins

42 and 44 of bracket 4|? which is rigidly secured to one end'of a rotatable shaft 48, said shaft being driven by the engine through the distributor shaft Hi.- The ends oflevers 34 and 36 opposite the ends supporting the weights contact a plate 50 on a rotatable and axially movable shaft 52 and move said plate and shaft axially to the left, as shown in Figure 2, when weights 3!) and 32 fiyoutwardly during the operation of the governor. The right-hand end of shaft 52 is supported by a thrust bearing 54 mounted in an axially mov able cup-shaped member 56 which is connected tothe Bowden Wire l8 by a shaft 57, set screw 58, and pin 60, said pin extending through the side walls of member 56 and through one end of shaft 7 A main. governor'spring It for controlling cen trifugal weights 3!! and. 32. is disposed in housing 28 around shaft 57,. Oneaend ofspring Til is connected to shaft .57 and the other end is anchored 'to" an adjustable securing means,-- generally designated by numeral 12. In order to adjust thegovernor to operate at various maximum speeds over a wide range, primary and secondary adjustment mechanisms are included and are adapted to vary both the rate and tension of spring 10. The primary mechanism consists of a rotatable and axially movable sleeve 14 having internal threads '16 corresponding to the convolutions of spring for receiving one end of saidspring and normally holding it against axial movement. The secondary mechanismconsists of a rotatable ring 18 held against axial movement and having internal threads 80 for receiving sleeve 14. Easy access to the adjustable securing means is provided by an opening 82 normally closed by a cover 84.

Unintentional rotation of sleeve '14 is prevented by a bar normally disposed in one of the peripheral slots 86 in an annular flange 88 on sleeve 18. The bar is carried by cover 84 and is, therefore, withdrawn from the slots when the cover is removed to make an adjustment. Unintentional rotation of ring 78 is prevented by set screw 90.

In the adjustment of the main governor spring 10 to establish some desired maximum engine speed, the spring rate as well as spring tension is changed. Throughout the normal operating governor range the spring rate and spring tension are varied with the primary adjustment by removing cover 84 and then rotating sleeve 14 to increase or decrease the number of spring convolutions between said sleeve and member 56, and consequently to increase or decrease the spring rate. For each revolution of the sleeve, the tension is changed by an amount equal to the diameter of the wire constituting the spring. Since this change in tension would not be correctly coordinated with the change in spring rate, the tension of the spring is also changed by the rotation of the externally threaded portion of the sleeve in the internally threaded ring 18. As sleeve 14 is rotated, it screws into or out of said ring, thus moving axially to the right or left and consequently increasing or decreasing the distance between the sleeve and member 56. Each revolution of the sleeve would change the spring a tension by an amount equivalent to the pitch of the thread on the sleeve. It may be further seen that for each revolution of the sleeve, when ring '18 is held fixed, the tension of the spring would be changed by an amount equivalent to the diameter of the wire plus or minus the pitch of the thread on the sleeve, depending on whether a left or right-handed thread is used. In some instances where the maximum speed setting has been moved to a point near the maximum or minimum limit of the governor range, the setting obtained by the primary adjustment mechanism may not be as accurate as desired. To make the desired correction, the secondary adjustment mechanism is used. This adjustment is made by turning ring '18 to move sleeve M axially either to the left or right and consequently decrease or increase the distance between the sleeve and member 56. This results in a change in spring tension without causing a change in spring rate.

In the operation of the present governor, while the engine is running at a speed less than the predetermined governed speed, the centrifugal weights are held in their nonoperative position as shown in Figure 2 by th force exerted by the main governor spring 70 through member 56, shaft 52 and plate 50 on

bell cranks

34 and 36. When the velocity of the engine reaches the maximum speed as determined by the governor setting, the centrifugal weights which have been rotating with shaft 48 at the lower sp eeds in the 75 4 position shown in Figure 2 move outwardly to the position shown in Figure 4 or to some intermediate point depending on engine load, thus causing plate 50, shaft 52, member 56 and shaft 51 to move to the left. As shaft 51 moves to the left in opposition to the main governor spring, it moves Bowden wire [8 in the direction to operate the throttle valve on the engine or to operate a vacuum power unit which in turn operates the throttle valve to prevent overspeeding of the engine or vehicle. When the engine speed has decreased to a rate somewhat below the predetermined maximum speed, the centrifugal force in weights 34 and '36 is no longer able to overcome the force of the main governor spring and the weights are rapidly moved to their original position, as shown in Figure 2, where they have no effect on the operation of the engine.

It is contemplated that other arrangements of elements comprising the present invention than.

those shown in the accompanying drawings may be provided without departing. from the scope of the present invention. Further, the present invention is applicable not only to engines equipped with carburetors, but also to steam engines, and engines wherein the fuel is supplied by solid injection. Other modifications of the present governor as well as other uses therefor will occur to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. A governor comprising a rotatable shaft, a. bracket secured to said shaft and adapted to move therewith, a plurality of pivoted levers mounted on said bracket, 3, weight on each of said levers adapted to move said levers in response to variation in the speed of said rotatable shaft, a means adapted to be moved by said levers, a. flexible motion transmitting means one end of which is in substantial axial alignment with said last mentioned means, a spring for resisting the movement of said first mentioned means by said levers, a sleeve having internal and external threads thereon, said internal threads corresponding to the convolutions of said spring and adapted to receive said spring, and a ring threaded onto said sleeve and held against translatory movement.

2. A governor comprising a rotatable shaft, a bracket secured to said shaft and adapted to move therewith, a plurality of pivoted levers mounted on said bracket, a weight on each of said levers adapted to move said levers in response to variation in the speed of said rotatable shaft, a means adapted to be moved by said 1evers, a flexible motion transmitting means one end of which is in substantial axial alignment with said last mentioned means, a spring for resisting the movement of said first mentioned means by said levers, a sleeve having internal and external threads thereon, said internal threads corresponding to the convolutions of said spring and adapted to receive said spring, a means for preventing rotation of said sleeve, a. ring threaded onto said sleeve and held against translatory movement, and a means for preventing movement of said ring.

3. ,A governor comprising a rotatable shaft,.a bracket secured to said shaft and adapted to move therewith, a plurality of pivoted levers mounted on said bracket, a weight on each of said levers adapted to move said levers in response to variation in the speed of said rotatable shaft, a shaft adapted to be moved axially by said levers, a spring for resisting the axial movement effected by said levers, asleevehaving internal threads corresponding to the convolutions of said spring and adapted to receive said spring, means for preventing rotation of said sleeve, a ring threaded onto said sleeve, and a flexible cable motion transmitting means connected to said last mentioned shaft.

4. A governor comprising a rotatable shaft, a bracket secured to said shaft and adapted to move therewith, a plurality of pivoted levers mounted on said bracket, a weight on each of said levers adapted to move said levers in response to variation in the speed of said rotatable shaft, a shaft adapted to rotate in unison with said first mentioned shaft and to be moved axially by said levers, a spring from resisting the axial movement effected by said levers, a sleeve having internal threads corresponding to the convolutions of said spring and adapted to receive said spring, a ring held against translatory movement and threaded onto said sleeve, a means for preventing movement of said ring, and a flexible cable motion transmitting means operatively connected to said last mentioned shaft.

5. A governor comprising a rotatable shaft, a

bracket secured to said shaft and adapted to move therewith, a plurality of pivoted levers mounted on said bracket, a weight on each of said levers adapted to move said levers in response to variation in the speed of said rotatable shaft, a shaft adapted to rotate in unison with said first mentioned shaft and to be moved axially by said levers, a spring for resisting the axial movement effected by said levers, a flexible motion transmitting means operatively connected to said last mentioned shaft, a sleeve having internal threads corresponding to the convolutions of said spring and adapted to receive said spring, slots in the periphery of said sleeve, a member adapted to seat into said slots to prevent rotation of said sleeve, and a ring threaded onto said sleeve.

6. A governor comprising a rotatable shaft, a bracket secured to said shaft and adapted to move therewith, a plurality of pivoted levers mounted on said bracket, a weight on each of said levers adapted to move said levers in response to variation in the speed of said rotatable shaft, a shaft adapted to rotate in unison with said first mentioned shaft and to be moved axially by said levers, a spring for resisting the axial movement effected by said levers, a flexible motion transmitting means operatively connected to said last mentioned shaft, a sleeve having internal threads corresponding to the convolutions of said spring and adapted to receive said spring, slots in the periphery of said sleeve, a member adapted to seat into said slots to prevent rotation of said sleeve, a rotatable ring threaded onto said sleeve, and means for holding said ring against translatory movement.

7. A governor comprising a rotatable shaft, a bracket secured to said shaft and adapted to move therewith, a plurality of pivoted levers mounted on said bracket, a weight on each of said levers adapted to move said levers in response to variation in the speed of said rotatable shaft, a shaft adapted to rotate in unison with said first mentioned shaft and to be moved axially by said levers, an axially movable shaft connected to said second mentioned shaft, a spring around said last mentioned shaft for resisting the axial movement effected by said levers, a flexible motion transmitting means connected to said last mentioned shaft, a sleeve having internal threads corresponding to the convolutions of said spring and adapted to receive said spring, means for preventing rotation of said sleeve, a ring held against translatory movement and threaded onto said sleeve, and a means for preventing movement of said ring.

8. In a governor, a rotatable shaft, a bracket secured to said shaft and adapted to move therewith, a plurality of pivoted levers mounted on said bracket, a weight on each of said levers adapted to move said levers in response to variaation in the speed of said rotatable shaft, a shaft adapted to rotate in unison with said first mentioned shaft and to be moved axially by said levers, an axially movable shaft connected to said second mentioned shaft, a spring around said last mentioned shaft for resisting the axial movement effected by said levers, a flexible motion transmitting means connected to said last mentioned shaft, a sleeve having internal threads corresponding to the convolutions of said spring and adapted to receive said spring, slots in the periphery of said sleeve, a member adapted to seat into said slots to prevent rotation of said sleeve, a rotatable ring held against translatory movement and threaded onto said sleeve, and means for holding said ring against translatory movement at all times and against rotational movement some of the time.

9. A governor spring assembly comprising a movable member, a fixed member, a spring secured at one end to said movable member, a rotatable internally threaded annular member positively held against translatory movement and supported by said fixed member and a second annular member threadedly received in said first annular member and having internal threads corresponding to the convolutions of said spring for receiving said spring.

10. A governor spring assembly comprising a movable member, a fixed member, a spring secured at one end to one of said members, a rotatable internally threaded annular member positively held against translatory movement and supported by the other of said members, and a second annular member threadedly received in said first annular member and having internal threads corresponding to the convolutions of said spring for receiving said spring.

11. A governor spring assembly comprising a movable member, a fixed member, a spring secured at one end to said movable member, a rotatable internally threaded annular member positively held against translatory movement and supported by said fixed member and asecond annular member threadedly received in said first annular member and having internal threads corresponding to the convolutions of said spring for receiving said spring, and means for preventing accidental rotation of said annular members.

GUY 0. FRICKE.

ELMER M. BIMBERG. DAVID J. SCHAFFER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France Aug. 13, 1902