US673138A

US673138A - Governing device for explosive-engines.

Info

Publication number: US673138A
Application number: US69757198A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles A Miller
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1898-11-26
Filing date: 1898-11-26
Publication date: 1901-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 1918-04-30

Description

No. 673,| 38. Patented Apr. 30, IBM.

A c. A. MILLER.

GOVERNING DEVICE FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

(Application filed Nov. 26, 1898.

- 3 Shuts-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

No. a73,|ss. Patented Apr. '30. mm. c. A. MILLER. GOVERNING DEVICE FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

(Application filed Nov. 26, 1898.) mo Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3,.

nomus PETERS 00.. morau'moq WASHINGTON, u. c

OHARLE$ A. MILLER, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

GOVERNING DEVICE FOR EXPLOSlVE-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letterslatent No. 673,138, dated April 30, 1901. Application filed November 26, 1898. serial No. 697,571. (No model.)

To ntZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in gas-engines,and particularly relates to means for applying an explosive mixture of uniform quality and regulating the quantity thereof to the Work to be performed, and thus securing a uniform speed of the engine.

My invention consists of the various constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view, somewhat in the nature of a diagram, showing the manner of connecting up my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view of a centrifugal governor, whereby the speed of engine is controlled under great variations of load. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the governor proper. Fig. 4 is a detail view, partly in section, of the same, showing a modification. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the adjusting device for the governor. Fig. 6 is a' detail view in section of a regulator used for determining the pressure of gas, and therefore the proper quality of the explosive mixture. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the same.

Like parts are represented by similar letters of reference in the several views.

My invention is capable of use with gas-engines of various difierent forms and types;

but I have illustrated in Fig. 1 a two-cylinder engine of; the horizontal type, only so much thereof, however, being shown as is necessary, and in this view a. a represent the cylinders of a gas-engine, and a a the piston-" rods. a is a rotating shaft, which receives its motion from the moving parts of the engine and is provided with a cam a which, through a connecting-rod a, is adapted to furnish power to an air-pump a The gas to produce the explosive mixture is conveyed to the engine through a pipe b, which pipe leads directly to the governor c and is connected with the same at o, as shown in detail in Fig. 3. The air to form the explosive mixture enters the governor at the bottom at c and passes into the chamber a the gas being adapted to pass up through the central opening The chambers 0 and c are normally closed at the top by a checkvalve 0 which when opened admits the air and gas to the mixing-chamber 0 At the top of the mixing-chamber c is a valve-seat c and there is arranged above this valveseat a valve 0 which is fastened to a valvestem 0 This valve-stem 0 passes into a cylinder 0 at one end of the governor, and in this cylinder there is fitted a piston c. The valve-stem c is preferably extende I so as to form a guide for the check-valve 0 which is adapted to move up and down. loosely thereon. The governor-valve c is normally held open by a spring 0 which also tends to hold the piston at or near the end of the cylinder 0 The end of the cylinder 0 is open to the atmosphere, preferably through openings 0 so that the atmospheric pressure is against the piston. Leading from the cylinder and on the opposite side of the piston from that which is open to the atmosphere is an opening or port 0 which is connected to a pipe 0 which leads to the pump a Located within the pipe 0 is an adj usting-valve device a which has a small portc leading from the atmosphere to the interior of said pipe, said port being adapted to be closed by an adjustable valve 0 which is preferably screw-threaded with threads of small pitch to secure the necessary and delicate adjustment. The pump of, running at the usual speed of the engine, has a tendency to exhaust the air from the cylinder and as the air is exhausted therefrom the atmospheric pressure acting on the piston will tend to close the valve 0 The pump, however, is intended to Work all the time at a uniform speed, and consequently to pump a uniform quantity of air. The valve 0 is therefore opened sufficiently to supply the air thus pumped, so as to keep a uniform degree of exhaustion in the cylinder which will result in the opening of the valve 0 to the proper degree to admit the charge; In case the pump slackens its speed the degree of exhaustion in the cylinder will be less and the spring will have a tendency to open the valve, and thus increase the speed of the engine. As the speed comes to the normal the valve will remain in its new position, as the exhaustion of the cylinder will continue to be normal; but in case it becomes greater or less the atmospheric pressure on the piston will change the location of the valve to compensate for this change in speed.

ordinarily admitted at a higher pressure than.

the atmosphere and as this pressure is more or less variable throttling-governors have been successful only to a degree, as the action of the piston in taking in the charge and the variation in the pressure of the gas will make adecided difference in the quality of the mixture,

- and therefore in the explosion resulting therefrom. To overcome this, I employ in connection with the governor a regulator or gasometer, which is shown in Fig. 6, by the use of which the gas is reduced to the atmospheric pressure and maintained at this pressure under all conditions of use. This is accomplished as shown in Fig. 6, in which dis a reservoir, which is partly filled with liquid, preferably oil. d is an inverted reservoir, which is closed at the top and immersed at the bottom into the oil. d is a gas-supply pipe, which enters the valve-chamber d and from thence through a T connection 01 and a standpipe d into the reservoir d. From the other end of the T connection 01 leads the enginesupply pipe I). The reservoir dis pivoted at the top to a lever d fulcrumed at (1 and to this lever is connected the valve-stem d of the valve (1 which is located in the valve-chamber d and is arranged to open and close the supply-opening d. The lever d is provided with a weight d or a spring 01, or both, and by means of this weight or spring or the joint use thereof the reservoir d is accurately bal-' anced. In the normal condition the reservoir will be filled with oil and with the top of the stand-pipe at the top of the reservoir, in which position the valve (1 will be open and the gas admitted through the pipe (1 will pass into the reservoir and raise the same. The reservoir being perfectly balanced, the air therein will be at atmospheric pressure. As the reservoir rises the valve is closed, and when the reservoir is filled to the proper extent the valve will be entirely closed and the supply cut off. When in usein connection with the engine the supply-gas is drawn through the pipe I), and the moment the' amount of'gas is reduced in the reservoir the reservoir, owing to the atmospheric pressure, will descend, thus opening the valve (1 a corresponding amount. So long as the supply to the engine is uniform the valve will remain in position to maintain it. If the supply required for the engine should be less, the gas will go into the reservoir and the pressure close the valve,

the cylinder. reached, the exhaustion is such as to move and, on the contrary, if more the valve will open more, so that by this arrangement the gas, as well as the air, is maintained at the uniform pressure.

When the spring d is employed, it is pref erably connected by a screw-threaded rod (1 having an adjusting-nut (1 by which the tension of the spring may be accurately adjusted. The weight (Z maybe sliding on the lever d and adapted to be held in any suitable position of adjustment by the set-screw (Z In Fig. ll have shown a modification of the operating parts of the governor. In this construction the spring 0 is dispensed with, the valve 0 being adapted to open by gravity, the weight of the piston 0 and the weight of the valve being made sufficient for this purpose. The atmospheric opening to the cylinder is placed below the piston, and the pump-opening 0, through which the exhaust is obtained, is placed above the piston. The governing-valve c is in the nature of a cylinder valve or gate, the valve seat being placed above the valve, so that an upward movement of the valve closes and a downward movement opens. The operation, however, is the same, except that, as before stated, the valve is opened by gravity instead of by the operation of a spring, the closing of the valve being efiected by atmospheric pressure, as in the case above described.

Where an exceptionally-heavy load may be thrown onto the engine and a sudden drop in the speed result therefrom, it is desirable that a rapid filling of the vacuum side of the piston be accomplished, and to provide for same I employ, in combination with the atmospheric governor, hereinbefore described, a' centrifugal governor e, having a valve c, adapted to normally close an opening 3 which leads to the pipe 0 So long as the speed of the engine is uniform the centrifugal governor holds the valve 6 over the port-e but in case of a'sudden drop in the speed the valve e moves away from the port and allows theair to enter rapidly into the pipe o -and thence into the vacuum side of the piston 0 thus bringing the same to the atmospheric pressure and permitting the governor-valve to open to its fullest extent, the port 6 being immediately closed as soon as theengine approaches its normal speed, whileZYthe slight fluctuation in the speed will be governed wholly by the atmospheric governor operated by the pump, as before described.

A brief description of the operation is as follows: The engine being at rest, the air enters through the con trollin g-valve 0 and fills the cylinder 0 which brings the piston in the normal position, (shown in Fig. 3,) and as the engine is started power is communicated to the pump and it begins to exhaust air from When the normal speed is the piston and partially close thegoverningvalve,so as to regulate the speed. The charge is drawn into the engine by the action of the engine-piston, which raises the check-valve c and admits the air and gas at an equal pressure, and by reason of the relative sizes of the air and gas openings produces the proper explosive mixture. The change in the speed of the engine results in the change of the speed of the pump, which results in the change of the degree of exhaustion of the cylinder 0 which results in a position of the valve which increases or decreases the amount of the explosive gas at each stroke, which is proportionate to the load of the engine.

The centrifugal governor, as before described, admits the air quickly to the cylinder, so as to produce a quick movement of the governing-valve in the event of a sudden drop in the speed of the engine.

Having thus described my. invention, I claim 1. In combination with a throttling-governor having independent air and gas supply inlets, said air-supply leading to the atmosphere, a fluid-reservoir connected with said gas-supply inlet, a pivoted lever and a valvechamber with its valve in said gas-supply inlet, an inverted reservoir fitting into said fluid-reservoir and connected by said pivoted lever to said valve, and means for balancing said inverted reservoir so as to maintain a supply of gas in said inlet at atmospheric pressure, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination with an explosive-engine of a governor-valve for controlling the admission of the explosive and air, a vacuumpump, a piston connected to the governorvalve one side of which is open to the atmosphere and the other side connected to the vacuum-pump whereby the air is exhausted more or less from the vacuum side of said piston; and a centrifugal governor with valve for permitting air to enter rapidly into the vacuum side of said governor-valve piston for correcting any great change in speed of engine; and a fluid-reservoir, the gas-supply inlet connected to same, a pivoted lever and valve-chamber with its valve in said gas-supply inlet, an inverted reservoir fitting into said fluid-reservoir and connected by said pivoted lever to said valve, and means for balancing said inverted reservoir so as to maintain the explosive in said inlet at atmospheric pressure, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of November, A. D. 1898.

CHARLES A. MILLER.

Witnesses:

CHAS. I. WELCH, EARL WELCH.