US320137A - Electric engine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. C. A. JACKSON.

ELECTRIC ENGINE.

N0. 320,137. Patented June 16, 1885.

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4 Sheets- Shes C. A. JACKSON.

ELECTRIC ENGINE.

(No Model.)

N0. 320,137. Patented June 16, 1885.

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C. A. JACKSON.

ELECTRIC ENGINE.

No. 320,137. Patented June 16.1885.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. C. A. JACKSON. ELECTRIC ENGINE.

N0. 320,137. Patented June 16, 1885.,

into general use.

'UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

CHARLES ALMON JACKSON, OF LAVRENCE, ASSIGNOE TO THE JACKSON ELECTRIC ENGINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC ENelNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,137, dated June 16, 17885.

(No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLEs ALMON .More soN, a citizen ot' the United States, residing at Lawrence, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Electric Engines 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to electric motors, and belongs particularly to that class in which a reciprocating armature is used in connection with a series of commutators and brushes in lieu of employing the revolving armature, as in the ordinary dynamo-machines for generating power.

My invention consists, essentially, in the peculiar adaptation of a crank to a driving-shaft, whereby an increased length of crank is obtained with but a minimum traverse or throw of the armature.

Hcretofore there has been a serious defect in electric motors of this class, consisting in the great distance between the magnets, and the loss of attraction, motion, and power while the armature is passing over it. Owing` to this defect motors of this class have not gone It becomes, therefore, very desirable to reduce to a minimum the travel of the armature and the interval between the magnet-s. Now, I obtain this minimum of travel in my invention, which is thus brieiy described, by saying that the crank is attached to the shaft, but not to the cross-head within which it travels and from which it receives intermittent thrusts; but the cross-head is attached directly to the connecting-rod carrying the armature, and its extreme travel or thrust is but slightly more than the length of the radius of the bore of said cross-head, while the crank, after the thrust given, is free to travel the length of a radius without carrying the armature with it, thus obviating unnecessary throw of said armature, and when the crank has traveled one hundred and eighty degrees the crossliead again exerts an active thrust in the opposite direction for the length of a radius. Now, in case the latter and its connecting-rod were directly attached to a crank of the same radius, it would be forced to travel with it, and in lieu of moving only the length of a radius would be obliged to travel through one hundred and eighty degrees, or twice the radius, to reach the same point attained in my method. Thus I save the travel in a great measure, and still obtain the crank leverage. I have, therefore, endeavored to obviate any excessive travel of the armature by the relation of the operative parts to be hereinafter described.

My invention further consists in the general arrangement of the electro-magnets and their disposition with respect to the driving-shaft; also,in the construction and disposal ofthe commutators and brushes, whereby proper thrusts are obtained from the armatures and magnets to rotate the main shaft. and ready means are secured for reversing the motor at the will of the operator, or stopping it entirely. This arrangement of the crank permits the thrust or power to be exerted at the time when it is most effective-that is, when said thrust is at right angles to a radius instead of in line with it.

The drawings represent, in Figure l, a general plan or diagrammatic view of the current system as applied to the electro-magnets and armatures forming part of an electric motor embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 represents a horizontal section of the motor, while Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through one ofthe cross-heads at the commencement of an active thrust. Fig. 4 shows the position ofthe cross-head relatively to the crank during the inactive port-ion of revolution of the latter. Fig. 5 is a modified form of the crankdisk. Figs. G, 7, 8, and 9 are diagrams to show the position of the various co-operating parts at the commencement of oneqnarter of a complete revolution of the main shaft. Fig. l0 is an isometric view of one of the commutators, and Fig. 11 is a section on line x x of Fig. 10. Fig. l2 is a vertical cross-section of the standards in which the cross-heads reciprocate.

In these drawings, A A represent two parallel standards or housings, forming a general support for the motor. These standards are constructed with vertical polygonal openings a5 a, &c., tf-shaped at top and bottom to form ways in which to support and permit the travel of a series et' cross-heads B, &c., centrally bored at b5 b,&c., and provided with arms c5 c, de., in cross-section similar to the openings a a, in which they reciprorate. To the extremities of these arms are attached the connecting-rods C5 C" C CS, the latter being secured to swinging lever-arms Z5 d, die., and suitably disposed in bearings, while to the lower extremities of said levers are attached the armatures D5 DU. Thus when the current is passed through the electro magnets the armatures are influenced and a thrust is imparted to the main shaft E by means of the operative parts above described.

It will be observed that the openings If* b of the cross-heads are constructed of considerable diameter and made for the purpose of containing circular disks ci c, which latter revolve within them, and are pivoted and sccured to the shalt by means of cranks f5 f, &c., and cranlepins g5 g, &c. Thus the main shaft is composed ol" a series of short shal'ts supported upon and suitably journaled in a number of posts, F F, Cxc.

The electro-magnets are arranged in pairs, as shown at A B C Ds El l1"l G" H2, and similar corresponding pairs at a b c d3 ct j g* h2. In this nomenclature I have adopted a certain system of lettering to correspond with a continuous current which is shifted at l'our dillerent successive intervals of time to act upon a di fl'erent set ol' instrumentalities each time, which latter are operated by the magnets then rendered ellective by the shifting ol' the current. Thus the exponents of the letters used in designating said magnets always have the same exponent whenever they are employed simultaneously-that is, when the current is employed to operate the electro-magnets A A it also traverses the electro-magnets C C a a c c at the same time and renders them active likewise. By this system the parts cooperating with each other simultaneously at any given portion of the stroke or revolution ol' the shalt are easily ascertained in the description of the operation of said machine.

Suitably disposed and lixed upon one end of the shaft E are the commutatore I/JKL, adapted by means of their brushes f 7" 7i Z to make and break the circuit at proper intervals of time with respect to the main shalt, by which their cooperating parts shall actively alitect said shalt to maintain it in rotary movement. The commntators are four in number, andin the present case are compound for the purpose of enabling the driving-shaft to be reversible in its rotations or be stopped entirely. For this purpose I have made the eommutators compound-that is, each individual one consists of three disks, two outside or exterior ones (marked d) and the dividingfdisk p, composed entirely ol" insulating material. The insulating material is indicated in this instance and in all others by black spaces, the metal by white. The disks 0" o are similarly shaped, but have three-quarters ol`their peripherics ol' i nsnlating material, m m, while the other quarters, a a, of melal, are adapted to ell'ect metallic contact with each brush at proper times. llurthermore, the disks of upon one side of lhe l'our eommutators are so disposed that the metal contact-surlaces stand quartering, and each one shall occupy a distinct quadrant. 0n the other hand, each of the corresponding disks, o, on every commutator are similarly arranged in quadrature; but the two disks, of o, on the individual comm utators are so set with respect to each other that the metallic surl'aces a n shall be diametrically opposite. Thus in reversing the motor it is only necessary to shilt the brushes, which are mounted in a properlypivoted carriage or sliding support, M, l'rom one commutator of to a second but diametriA cally-arranged cooperating commutator, o Thus a pull or thrust is exerted in an opposite direction upon the shalt, and the latter is started in a reverse path ol" rotation l'rom that just before accomplished.

To stop the machine it is only necessary to move the brushes by means ot' the lever and carriage M to a position midway between the two disks, of o, forming each commulalor, or, in other words, allow them to rest upon the insulating-disksp. Thus all thehclices or electro-magnets are l'or the time being rendered inactive, and the machine remains stationary.

The actuating instrumcnlalities by which alternate thrusts exerted upon lhe cross-head ell'ect and transmit their Vl'orce to the shalt in order to rotate the same is accomplished b y means ol' circular disks c7 c,which corresliond to the crank in an engine. These disks are centrally and loosely pivoted upon crankpins g5 g eccentrically disposed upon cranks ff", the latter, however, being centered upon those portions ol" the shalt which goto constitute the main shalt E, all as hereintol'ore premised. Thus each ol the erank-disks ci e, &c., rotates intermittently upon the interior periphery ol` the cross-head inclosing it. As the cross-hcads reciprocate transversely ol' the shaft by the inllucnce ell the current passing' through the helices ol' the elccliro-magnets, which latter attract the armatrnes attached to the lever-arn'is and connecting-rods secured to said crossheads,pressure is brought to bear against said disks, which move away from the thrust so exerted, and by this means the revolution el" the shalt is accomplished by the movement ol' an epicycle, so called.

The operation of the motor is accomplished by shunting or shifting the current successively through the circuit-wires designated by the numerals l 2 3 -lA by means ol' the instrumentality of the commutatordisks and their brushes, which latter, by passing from the insulating material to the metallic surfaces composing said disks, affect certain ones of the helices to render them active, while others in the series of helices are made inactive at proper intervals of time, and so maintain a continuous succession of thrusts to rotate the shaft from which the motive power is to be furnished.

The battery may consist of any number of series of cells adapted to give a current of electricity most suitable for a machine of the above description, and is shown at N. The current generated therefrom has the same general direction with reference to the helices, only it is forced by means of the commutators to shift its course to render certain of the helices active, while the remainder are rendered inactive.

The helices are arranged as shown in pairs in lieu of being single, in order to obtain more power, while the length of the armatures is accordingly extended to suit existing circumstances. lt is evident from the arrangement andl system of the helices herein described that a second connecting'rod may be united to the rods, as shown, and in axial alignment therewith, while a secondary series of helices may be disposed in rear of the first series, making the entire series two deep, and thus augmenting the power twofold upon each connecting-rod. By this means the power of the machine can very easily be greatly multiplied without increasing the size very much, and at a very small expense or cost.

It must be understood from my invention that the cross-heads B5 B BT Bs co-operate alternately in pairs-that is, B5 B7 act together, and B BS-and t-hc current is so disposed that the opposite pairs of the helices are rendered active, and thus two opposite thrusts are eX- erted simultaneously upon the shaft to aid its revolution. Upon reference to Fig. l this idea is more easily explained, and so it will readily be seen that the alternate cross-heads with their operating mechanism act together simultaneously, but in different directions, as shown by arrows l and 2. Thus the cross heads B BT are now active, having just completed their stroke, and the helices or electro-magnets which have been employed to ef- `fect these thrusts by attraction upon the armatures D5 D5 are A A a c upon the crosshead B5, while the opposite helices, C C c c', of the similar acting pairs of electro-magnets operate the cross-head BT by the armatures D7 D2. The resultant or active thrust derived from the above position of parts effects positive movement of the shaft for ninety degrees or one-quarter of an entire or complete revolution. This is accomplished by means of the metallic contact-surface of its commutator l. with the brush i during that distance which directs the current'No. l through the helices A Aa c C C c c', as above premised. The

instant brush i has broken its metallic contact with its commutator the metallic contactsurface J 2 has completed the circuit by aid of its brush 72 through the wire which conducts current No. 2. The latter induces activity in the pairs of helices F2 E2 e2 e2 H2 li12/i2 h2, and their respective cross-heads B Bs are oppositely thrust, as shown by the arrows 3 and 4. This completes the second quarter oi' ninety degrees ol' a complete revolution of the shaft, when the brush t" and its commutator have broken their metallic contact, and the armatures are free to withdraw from their helices. This position ot' parts is shown in Figs. l, 6, 7, S, and 9. In the'fourlatter figures diagrammatically represented it will easily be seen that commutator l has just broken contact with its brush fi', while J2 hasjust completed contact with its brush j2, hence the current is on wire No. 2. Thehelices then active are E2 E2 H2 H2 c2 c2 h2 while the commutators 1' K2 L are inactive, with the current sh unted off.

In Fig. 2 is shown a different position of parts, and the crank-disk is then upon its extreme throw to the left just commencing its active thrust, as shown more fully in Fig. 3. At this time commutator K2 is then in contact with its brush la, and has vitalized the helices B:2 B b" b D2 D d d, which attract their ar- 1natures,D5 D DT DT. to thrust the cranledisk cT simultaneously with e, but inthe opposite direction. Upon the breaking of this current commutator K2 and brush L have closed the circuit upon the wire conveying current No. 3, and the cross-heads B5 and B7 are again brought into active operation by aid of the oppositely-disposed pairs of helices from that employed upon the first quarter of the revolution. In this instance helices B B b 122D" D3 d l2 are now active, and opposite thrusts are effected respectively tothosc shown by arrows l and 3 in the first quarterof the stroke. Metallic contact is maintained between commu tator K and its brush kf" for ninety degrees of are and thus an active thrust is obtained in order to complete the third quarter of the revolution of said shaft E.

Vhen the current No. 3 over its wire is broken by the insulating material of K niect ing its brush, commutator L'L has effected inetallic contact with its brush 1*, and current No. et is induced through the proper wires to actively operate the helices Fx F f j"1 G Gl g gt, and with the armature and operating mechanism connecting the cross-heads B and B2, each of which are oppositely thrust from the direction taken by them on the second quarter of the revolution, as shown in Fig. 1 by arrows S and ai. This completes the fourth quarter, and the complete revolution of the main shaft has been actively and continuously effected by the thrusts from the cross-heads resulting from the successive activity of the various pairs of helices forming the entire se ries. At this time, or upon the completion of one entire revolution, com niutator I and brush IOD t" are again in contact, and current No. l is actively employed'to operate the helices A A a. a C C c 0 and their opera-ting mechanism, as hereinbefore fully described.

To a more complete understanding ofthe active operation and position of parts during portions ol one complete revolution, I have shown in Figs. 7, S, and 9 diagrams of the positions of the crank-disks simultaneously with respect to their individual cross-heads, while below is represented the position ol' the commutators and their respective brushes. These four figures illustrate one-quarter ol' an entire revolution ofthe shalt E.

In order to insure freedom ot' motion to the crank-disks c" when they cease their active movement, or during the time they are passing from one active position to another, it is necessary that the periphery ol' the crosshead should be removed slightly therel'rom. New, it is evident that the crank-disks travel in arcs of circles with the shaft E as the center, and upon reference to Fig. (l one ol' said cranks is therein shown as just commencing the inactive portion of the revolution, with the armatures commencing to reverse their motion, and preparatory to advancing toward B D, but this motion would throw the cross-head B against the crank and prevent its advance forward motion; or, in other words, tend to drive it back to its position at the commencement of ils active stroke. It is-in order to prevent this antagonistic action ofthe cross-heads and their cranks that I have made the interior periphery ol' said cross-heads circular, but have given them a stroke sullicient to throw them l'rom the center to permit ol" the advance ol" the crank-disks and yet allow the armature to advance in the opposite direction required without retarding said crank disks. Thus when lhe disk has ceased its activity, the cross-head still advances eccentrically ol' its enclosing crank, and thus,while the armature 'is reversing its motion, the crank has reached a second active position, and simultaneously therewith the crosshead, by the action ol" its armatures, has returned `l'rom ils eccentric position, and is in readiness to again exert a positive active thrust upon the crank-disks to induce positive lorward motion ol" the main shalt. This is more l'ully illustrated by rel'erence to Fig. et ol" the drawings. At the point marked a the active thrust l'rom the crosshead, moving in the direction ol" the arrow, as designated, ceases, and the latter advances the distance shown between the l'ull and dotted lines in said drawings. During this movement the crank has advanced to the point marked fu,- but while said crank is passing l'rom e to yw the crossdiead, by reason ol" the action ol the armatures thereon, as above stated, has returned to its active position concentric with its crank in readiness l'or an active thrust through an are ol' ninety degrees.

In Fig. 5 is shown a slight modification, in which a slnall disk, q, is employed, suitably mounted upon a crank, r. By this means I am enabled to increase the length, and consequently the power, of the latter upon the shalt to produce rotary movement.

By a close examination into the system and arrangement ofthe parts composing my invention, it is easily understood that various modifications may be introduced therein without affecting the spirit and essence ol' the invention, and, although I have described and illustrated the machine as being operated by four distinct active thrusts in order to complete one revolution of the driving-shalt, stilll it is very evident that this may be easily modified by changing the number of commutators and likewise altering the length of arc comprised in the metallic surface. Thus each of the latter elements may contain only forty-live degrees ol are; hence this would necessitate eight commutators and eight correspomling` crossheads. By this means the shalt would receive eight active thrusts in lieu of i'our,and the resultant or power obtained would be very materially increased.

I claiml. In an electro-magnetic maehine,thecom bination, with a single brush or contact device, ol' the compound commutators insulated with respect to each other, and with the metallic portions of their peripheries diametrically opposed,whereby the direction of the motor may be reversed by the shitting` ol' the brush, sub stantially as herein setl'orth.

2. In an electromagnetic engine, the combination ol' a series ol' helices and their co-operating mechanism, with a driving-shalt pro vided with a pair ol' cranks and a pair ot' crossheads actuated by said helices and provided with openings b", which inclose said cranks, the arrangement ol` cranks and cross-heads allowing the latter to exert opposite alternate thrusts upon said shalt for ell'ecting the rotation thereof, substantially as set l'orth.

3. In an electric motor, the combination, with a main shalt having a crank, ol" a crosshead provided with a recess to inclose said crank, and devices i'or reci procati ng said cross` head to rotate said shaft by its action on said inclosed crank, the opening or recess in said cross-head being ol" sullieient size and said cross-head being given sullicient thrust to prevent contact between said cross-head and said crank while the latter is passing from an inactive position to an active position, substantially as set li'orth,

JC. In an electric motor, the combination of a cross-head having a circular opening, b5, with a main shalt provided with a crank having a disk arranged within said opening, the impulses ol" said cross-head being comn1unicated to said disk by contact of the wall or side of the opening therewith, and thereby causing the rotation of said main shalt, substantially as set l'orth.

In an electiic motor, the combination, with a shaft, a pair of cranks on said shalt,

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and a pair of cross-hcads, each provided with an opening, b5, which respectively inclose said cranks, of two commutators, theirbrushes, and the electric generating and conducting devices which cause said cross-heads to act alternately on said cranks and shaft, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with a shaft, adapted to furnish motive power, its cranks inclosed by and rotating` within reciprocating crossheads, and the co-operating armatures and helices, of a series of commutators and brushes and the necessary electric connections, whereby said commutators are connected to said heli ces, and effect successive active thrusts upon said shaft to compel rotation thereof, substanti ally as herein described.

7. In an electro-magnetic machine, the combination, with a single brush, of a compound commutator provided with two diametricallyopposed metallic contact-surfaces and a disk composed entirely of insulating substance, whereby upon shifting of the brush thereon the machine is stopped, substantially as stated.

8. In an electro-magnetic machine, the combination, with the main shaft, reciprocating armature, and cross-head, of a crank disposed thereon, said crank beingprovided with a disk which .is disconnected from and actuated intermittently by the said cross-head, to which is secured the said reciprocating` armature, substantially for purposes herein set forth.

9. In an electro-magnetic engine, the combination of a main shaft and a crank formed thereon with a reciprocating armature, an elec tro-magnet, and a cross-head which is actuated by said magnet and armature, said crosshead being unconnected to said main shaft, but intermittently engaging therewith to rotate said shaft, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afl-ix my signature in presence of two witncsses.

CHARLES ALMON JACKSON.

vWitnesses:

I-I. E. LODGE, A. F. HAYDEN.

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