US666875A - Controlling device for engines. - Google Patents

Description

No. 666,875. Patented Jan. 29, I90I. C. REEVES. CONTROLLING DEV-ICE FOB ENGINES.

(Application filed May 1, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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THE NORR Jeirra STATES ATENT Fries.

CLIFTON REEVES, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ANDREW O. REEVES, OF SAME PLACE.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,875, dated January 29, 1901.

Application filed May 1,1900.

T0 ctZZ whom it ma l/concern:

Be it known that I, CLIFTON REEVES, a citizen of the United States, residing in Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and usefulImprovemeuts in Controlling Devices for Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a controlling device for engines, and has for its main object the provision of'an improved device for controlling the speed and direction of movement of a steam-engine. It is adapted especially for governing the valve-gears of compound engines where it is necessary to control positively the point of cut-off, as well as to provide means for reversing the engine, and unless means are provided for varying the point,

of cut-off at will large engines particularly cannot be readily controlled or quickly reversed.

Ordinarily my invention Will be embodied in a reversing member or lever and a cut-off member or lever organized to cooperate with each other, the former serving to reversethe position of the valve or valves controlled thereby by shifting the valvegear thereof, while the latter will serve to set said valvegear and valve or valves to any desired position to regulate orthrottle the flow of steam to the pistons of the engine, said cut-off member or lever being held in the determined position by a latch releasable by the reversing member or lever on the movement of the latter. Usually the reversing-lever and the cutoff lever will be pivoted for movement about a common axis and each will be latched to and releasable from a locking member or segment, the cut-off lever being releasable by the movement of the reversing-lever itself, the parts being so organized that when it is desired to reverse the engine the reversing-lever will first be moved to actuate the valve-gear controlled thereby and at a proper point in its movement will then release the cut-off lever and preferably carry said lever with it to shift the valve and reverse the engine. By organizing the parts in this manner the cut-off lever may be set in any desired position by hand and afterward automatically released and shifted to reverse the engine by operat- Serial No. 15,063. (No model.)

ing the reversing-lever only, and the engineer will not have to perform two different operations in order to reverse his engine, nor will he have to attend to two different levers, as the shifting of the reversing-lever will antomatically control the operation of the cut-off lever. In order to prevent overthrow of the reversing-lever, I prefer to provide, in connection with these two main parts, a stop which will be shiftable to limit the movement of the reversing-lever with respect to that of the cut-off lever, said stop being effective in this case to limit the throw of the reversing-lever to an are which ends at the center line of the cut-off lever. This stop should be so controlled, preferably by the reversing-lever itself, as to keep the reversing-lever from passing the center line of the cut-off lever when the reversing-lever is being moved, and said stop should permit the cut-off lever to pass the center of the reversing-lever when the latter is locked in one of its several positions.

In the drawings accompanying this specification and forming part of the present application', Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved controlling device or reversinggear in operative connection with suitable valve-gears. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of said controlling device with parts broken away to show the construction more clearly. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail illustrating the releasing device for the locking-latch of the cut-off lever and also shows a coupling-latch for connecting with levers, so that they will move in unison; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail illustrating said locking and coupling latches.

Similar characters designate like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

In the present case I have shown my improved controlling device or reversing-gear connected for governing the operation of two valve-gears, which are designated in a general way by V and V, respectively. The former of these valve-gears is intended to control the movements of a valve governing the supply of steam to the high-pressure cylinder (not shown) of a compound engine and is connected in this case with the cut-off member or cut-off lever of the controlling device. The valve-gear V may be connected in a substantially similar manner to the valve which controls the supply of steam to the low-pressure cylinder (not shown) of said engine and is connected in turn to the reversing member or reversing-lever of said controlling device. These valve-gears may be of any suitable type, and it should be understood that they constitute merely one form of valve-gear which may be employed in connection with my improved controlling device. In this case the valvegear V has a well-known form of reversinglink, such as 2, connected by a suspensionlink 3 to one arm of an angle-lever t, secured to a rock-shaft 5, while the other arm of said angle-lever may be operated by the cut-off lever by means of a connecting-rod 6. In a substantially similar manner a similar reversing-link 2 of the valve-gear V may be operated by a suspension-link 3, connected to one end of an angle-lever 4, secured to a rock-shaft 5, operated in turn by a connecting-rod 6, pivoted to the main member or reversing-lever of the controlling device.

In the construction shown the cut-off and reversing members of the reversing-gear may be pivoted to a pin or stud 7, carried by a suitable support A, these two parts being preferably levers oscillatory about a common axis, as shown. In connection with the re- \-'ersing-lever and the cut-off lever, which will preferably be of substantially the construction illustrated, I may make use of locking means, such as the two locking segments or quadrants 10 and 10, the former of which serves to lock the cut-off lever, while the latter will lock the reversing-lever. These quadrants have the usual locking-notches 12 and 12 for receiving suitable latches on the cutoff and reversing levers.

The reversing member or lever is designated herein in a general Way by R and will preferably have the usual locking-latch, such as 15, which may enter any one of the several recesses or locking-notches of the quadrant 10. Said locking-latch is carried in this case on a slide 16, which may be operated by a lever or grip l7, pivoted on the upper end of the lever B and also pivoted to the slide 16 at 16. This grip 17 should be so located as to be gripped by the engineer at the same time that he grasps the handle 18 of the main lever or reversing-lever R, this action serving to release the locking-latch from its notch in the quadrant 10.

The cut-01f member or lever, which serves to regulate the point of cut-off for the highpressure cylinder of the compound engine, is preferably of substantially the construction shown herein at T, it having in this case a locking member or latch, such as 20, in the upper end thereof and preferably springpressed, so as normally to be received by a recess or locking-notch in the quadrant 10, the position of said cut-off lever serving to determine in a well-known manner the amount of steam supplied to the high-pressure cylinder, and hence the speed of the engine. This locking-latch for the cut-elf lever is carried in the present case on a slide 25, mounted for reciprocation on the cut-off lever lengthwise thereof and may be released by handas, for example, by means of a handle 26 and grip 26, secured to said slide. By means of this bandle the latch may be raised and the cut-off lever setin another position to control the speed of the engine.

In connection with the reversing-lever and the cutoff lever I have illustrated herein means for operating the cut-off lever from the reversing lever without manipulating the handle 26-that is to say, said cut-01f lever is intended to be positively controlled by the reversinglever when the latter is operated. Any suitable means maybe employed for this purpose; but I have shown in the present instance a latch-releasing device one member of which is carried by one lever and the other by the other lever, the reversing-lever preferably having thereon an actuating part or cam-face enacting with some suitable working face on the cut-olf lever. Moreover, in order to adapt the device for use at either side of the center line of the cut-off lever this releasing device, which serves to disengage the locking-latch 20 from the walls of the lockingnotch in the quadrant 10, is preferably a duplex one and in this case embodies a pair of cam-faces, such as 30 and 30, formed, preferably, on a cam-block 30, secured to the lever R, while the cooperating member of the duplex releasing device may be carried by the cut-off lever and may be in the form of an antifriction-roll, such as 32, journaied in this instance on a stud 31, secured to the slide and having, preferably, integral therewith a coupling-latch 3i, forming one member of an automatic coupling device for locking the two levers together when the reversing-lever reaches a certain point in its movement, which in this case is when it is in the same radial position as the cut-off lever. The other member of this automatic coupling device is preferably formed by the cam-block 30, which has between the cam-faces and 30 a recess or locking-notch Hence no matter in which direction thereversing-lever may be operated with respect to the center line of the cut-oil lever the antifriction-roll 32 will ride up one or the other of the separately- effective camfaces 30 and 30", and when said roll reaches the top of the rise the coupling-latch 31 will slip into the locking-recess 30, the spring 20 serving to operate said latch quickly to couple the two main levers together the moment the center line of the reversing-lever coincides with that of the cut-off lever. The block 30 may be made in one piece or in two parts, as shown herein, one member having in this case the cam-faces of the releasing device and the other having the locking-notch of the coupling device, the latter member of. said cam -block having cam-faces forming, substantially, continuations of the cam- faces 30 and 30", and on which continuations, re-

spectively, thelatch 31 itself mayslide. That part of the cam-block 30 which contains the main cam- faces 30 and 30" also has in this case a cut-away portion forming the curved face 30- to provide clearance for the antifriction-roll 32.

From the foregoing description of the manner in which the locking-latch and the locking-recesses for the cut-off lever are positioned and of the manner in which the coupling-latch and its locking-recess are located with respect to each other, and also owing to the fact that the locking-latch 20 and the coupling-latch 31 are carried by the same member or slide 25,it will be evident that said latches are reciprocally effective for locking the cut-off lever in a determined manner, the former for looking it in any desired position on the quadrant 10 and the latter for coupling it 10 the reversing-lever automatically,so that it will be moved byand with the latter. These two latches can only operate reciprocally,for the reason that one must be released from its locking-recess before the other can enter its recess, and hence this lever is controlled with greatcertainty and precision. The reversinglever will first be shifted and will begin to operate the valve-gear controlled thereby before the cut-01f lever moves at all, and when the reversing-lever reaches a predetermined point in its movement the latchreleasing device controlled thereby will release the locking-latch'20 from the quadrant 10 and at the same time the lever-coupling latch 31 will become effective to lock the reversing-lever and the cut-off lever together, whereupon the twoparts will move in unison until the reversing-lever is again locked with its latch 15 in one of the notchesof the quadrant 10.

It is of course desirable for many purposes, especially for locomotive-work, to provide means for operating the reversing-lever at either side of the cut-off lever, in accordance with the direction of movement of the engine, and yet permit the cut-off lever to be set in any desired notch when the reversing-lever is locked to its quadrant. For this reason I have shown herein in connection with said levers a shiftable stop on one of said levers for limiting positively the throw of the reversing-lever and preventing it from passing the center line of the cut-olf lever, this stop thus rendering more certain the proper operation of the latch 31. In this case said stop is carried by the reversing-lever and is shown at 35, secured to a slide 35, shiftable lengthwise of said lever and connected in this case to the slide 16 by means of a coupling-rod 36, held at its ends in bosses 16" and 35, projecting, respectively, from said slides. Hence when the latch 15 is released from the quadrant lO the stop 35 will be raised, and it is intended that this movement shall cause itto project into the path of a stop on the cutoff lever, so that when the reversing-lever is moved toward the cut-01f lever said stop 35 will come at the proper time into contact with the stop on the cut-off lever and limit the movement of the reversing-lever to an arc ending at the center line of said cut-off lever, regardless of the direction of movement of the reversing-lever. In the construction shown the stop on the cut-off lever is carried by a segment 38, pivoted to said cut-off lever and having therein a slot 38, in which works a pin 39, secured to said lever and serving, by coming in contact with the end walls of said slot, to limit the throw of said segment. The stop which is intended to coact with the shiftable stop 35 on the reversing-lever is designated by 38 and, as will be evident, has two stop-faces adapted to cooperate, respectively, with said stop 35, according to the position of the latter. When the reversing-lever is locked to the quadrant 10, the stop 35 will be below the stop 38, and hence out of the path of movement thereof, and at such time the cut-off lever may be released by hand from its quadrant 10 and swung to any desired new position to vary the point of cut-off for one of the cylinders, usually the highpressure cylinder, of a compound engine, and when it reaches its new position it will be locked therein by the latch 20. Said cut-off lever, however, cannot be so shifted unless the reversing-lever is latched to its quadrant, because the stop 35' will prevent the cut-off lever and its stop 38 from passing the center line of the reversing-lever.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In a controlling device for engines, the combination, with a reversing-lever and with a cut-off lever, of a latch for said cut-oft" lever; a lockin g-segment cooperative with said latch; a latch-releasing device controlled by, and effective on, the movement of the reversinglever, and embodying a cam-face on one of said levers and a coacting antifriction-roll on the other lover; a locking-recess at the end of said cam-face; and a lever-coupling latch on the roll-carrying lever.

2. In a controlling device for engines, the combination, with a reversing-lever and with a cut-off lever, of a latch for said cut-off lever; a locking-segment cooperative with said latch; a latch-releasing device controlled by, and, effective on, the movement of the reversinglever in either direction toward the cut-off lever, and embodying a pair of oppositely-inclined cam-faces on one of said levers and a coacting antifriction-roll on the other lever; a lockingrecess between the ends of said cam-faces; and a lever-coupling latch on the roll-carrying lever and adapted to be received in said recess.

3. In a controlling device for engines, the combination, with a reversing-lever and with a cut-off lever, of a latch for said cut-off lever; a locking-segment cooperative with said latch; a latch-releasing device controlled by, and effective on, the movement of the reversinglever; and a shifta-ble stop on one of said lecombination, with a reversing-lever and with a cut-off lever, of a latch for said reversinglever; a looking-segment cooperative with said latch; means for latching and releasing the cut-off lever; and a stop movable with said first-mentioned latch and shiftable, on the release of the latter, into a position for limiting the throw of the reversing-lever to an arc ending at the center line of the cut-off lever.

CLIFTON REEVES. Witnesses:

LINTON SATTERTHWAIT, JOSIAH STRYKER.

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