US685960A - Electrical ignition device for explosion-engines. - Google Patents

Description

N0. 685,960. Patented NOV. 5, I9OI. Z. WIRT.

ELECTRICAL IGNITION DEVICE FOR EXPLOSION ENGINES.

(Application filed May 21, 1901.) (No Nodal.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

w I I WWJML C No. 685,960. Patented Nov. 5, I90I. Z. WIRT.

ELECTRICAL IGNITION DEVICEFOR EXPLOSION ENGINES.

(Application filed May 21 1901.) (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ZEBULON VVIRT, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

ELECTRICAL IGNITION DEVICE FOR EXPLOSION-ENGINES.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,960, dated November 5, 1901.

Application filed May 21,1901- Serial No. 61,241- (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ZEBULON \VIRT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hampstead, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Electrical Ignition Devices for Ex plosion-Engines, (for which application has been made in Great Britain under No. 19,223, dated October 26, 1900,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electrical ignition devices for explosion-engines, and has special reference to explosion-engines having two or more cylinderssuch, for example, as that described in the specification of my pending United States application, Serial No. 2,0443, filed January 19, 1900althoughits use is not restricted thereto.

An ignition device according to this invention is so constructed that if there are two or more cylinders to the engine any ofthose cylinders may be cut in or out of action without afiecting the remainder.

The invention further comprises an ar rangement by means of which a spark may be produced for igniting the charge in any particular cylindersay for starting pur poses-when the engine is stationary.

By the employment of the improved ignition device it is possible to operate a multicylinder engine with an induction-coil having a single primary and a single secondary winding.

For the sake of clearness that portion of the ignition device which operates when the engine is working is herein described as the running portion, while the part which is manually operated when the engine is stationary is called the starting portion. Each of these portions comprises two 1nembers, which may be distinguished as the se lector and contact-maker, respectively. The function of the selectors is to make electrical connections between certain circuits, so that when the contact-maker operates only certain cylinders will be brought into action. The selector of the starting portion of the device may be constructed so that either of the sparking-circuits, of which there is one to each cylinder, may be arranged so that the contact-maker shall place it into connection with the secondary winding of an inductiondevice is also provided with a contact for each of the cylinders. These contacts are joined to contact-springs which are periodically brought into connection with a moving contact-block, and any particular contactspring which has been joined up by the selector forms when in contact with the moving block part of a closed circuit in which the primary winding of the induction-coil is in series with a battery. Moving synchronously with the contact-block is another contact-block also operating upon a series of contact-springs placed in positions corresponding to those of the first-mentioned set of contactsprings. This second set of block and springs controls the connections between the sparking-circuit of each cylinder and the secondary winding of the inductioncoil, so that as the block comes in contact with each spring the sparking-circuit connected with that spring is placed in series with a secondary coil. The second moving contact-block is arranged to come' into contact with its contact-springs just before the first contact-block makes contact with the corresponding spring, so that the secondary circuit is closed just before the corresponding selected primary circuit is completed. Thus if, say, No. 1 cylinder is to be used, each time the synchronously-moving contactbloclzs make contact with their respective No. 1 contact-springs the charge in that cylinder is ignited. Contact-springs 2 3, &c., not being joined up by the selector the primary circuit is not completed when those springs are in contact with the moving block, and thus no spark is produced. Obviously if the running-selector is set to join up contact-blocks 1, 3, and 5 the cylinders corresponding to those numbers will be operated.

The above-described contact-springs and contact-blocks may be looked upon as the contactmaker for the running portion of the device, and conveniently the contact-blocks 1 sets of contact-springs are placed. The two disks may be mounted upon a common shaft driven from the engine at any desired speed.

In practice it is found that a convenient running-selector may be made by placing a series of contact-pieces of gradually-increasing length, each joined to one of the contactsprings, so that they come into contact successively with the arms or prongs of a metallic comb. The first position of the comb will then bring contact-spring No. 1 into connection; the second, springs 1 and 2; the third, springs 1, 2, and 3, and so on. This is a very simple and generally useful arrangement, although it does not permit of any single cylinder other than No. 1 being used when working. The selector, however, may be readily modified to effect this, if desired.

The starting-selector and contact-maker are conveniently made as one piece of apparatus in the form of a switch with a double set of contacts, one setthe selector groupcomprising a ring of blocks each joined to one of the sparking-circuits, and the other set-the contact-maker group-arranged so that when the switch is closed the primary circuit is. completed in series with the battery and the secondary circuit in series with the particular sparking-circuit selected also completed. The two sets of contacts may be operated by one switch-lever, the particular sparking-circuit being selected by a preliminary turning movement of the lever or a portion of it so that it is in line with the particular contact-block in the ring.

The switch above described is preferably arranged so that on releasing the handle after using it for starting it moves back automatically and closes gaps in circuits connected with the running device, so that that portion of the apparatus may immediately and automatically come into action.

It will be noticed that two or more cylinders may be operated from the one primary and secondary windin In fact, if the coil be powerful enough all the cylinders, however many there may he, may be ignited from it.

In order that, when starting, the most suitable cylinder shall be selected for ignition, an indicator may be arranged on the shaft carrying the rotating disks, such indicator pointing to the number of the cylinder in which the charge is, say, under greatest compression.

Obviously if an ignition device according to this invention is used in connection with an engine having only one cylinder the selectors will be unnecessary. The contactmakers, however, may be used, and the system is found to be advantageous owing to the fact that the primary circuit may be a complete metallic one,insulated from the frame of the engine, and thus having no connection with the secondary winding in cases where that winding is earthed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram showing one arrangement of circuits and apparatus forming an ignition device according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view,with a portion broken away, of one form of starting-selector and cont-actmaker. Fig. 3 is a plan of a running contact-maker, part being removed for the sake of clearness; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line +L 4 of Fig. 3.

Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

With reference first to Fig. 1, A and A are respectively the primary and secondary win dingsofan induction-coil. The primary winding A is provided with a spring contactbreaker A of the usual typeand is connected by a wire B to one pole of a battery 0, the other pole of which is joined by a wire C and rubbing-contact C to the spindle D of a se lector. This selector comprises a series of segmental contact-blocks D,D ,D ,D' ,D ,and D all mounted upon the spindle D and in electrical connection therewith. The contact-blocks are spaced upon the spindle-say by means of fiber or other distance-piece. so that each block is opposite to one of a series of contact-springs E,E ,ll",E",E ,and E", the blocks being so arranged that by rotating the spindle D by means of a handle D one, two, or any number of the six blocks may be brought into contact with the corresponding springs. The selector contactsprings E to E are joined by wires F to another series of contact-springs G, G G G, G, and G, E being joined to G, E to G and so on. The ends of the contact-sprin gs G to G are ar ra nged symmetrically around the periphery of a disk H,of insulating material,which carries at one point a contact-arm H and is mounted upon a spindle Hflwhich can be rotated. The contact-arm is connected by a wire H to the primary winding A, a gap being left in the circuit which maybe closed by the action of a switch J. If new the selectorbe turned so that the first segmental contact-block D is alone in contact with its spring F. and the shaft ll be rotated, a current will pass from the battery 0 through the primary winding A each time the contact-arm H passes under the spring G. Again, if the selector be turned farther around, so that blocks D, D and D for example, make connection with their respective springs E E E then the primary winding will be energized when the contact-arm 11 passes under the springs G, G and G The secondary circuit is provided with a series of contact-springs K, K K K", K, and K, which are arranged three on one side and three on the other side of a cylinder L, of insulating material, which is provided with three segmental contact-blocks L L L, all connected to a common spindle L", provided with a brush or rubbing contact L This rubbing-contact L is joined by a wire M to a switch-block M, and a switch-arm J can connect this block through a wire M. to one end of the secondary winding A, he other end of the secondary winding being earthed. The springs K to K are connected to a group of: blocks N, N N N N and N, the spring K being connected to the block N, K to N and so on, and from each of these blocks a wire leads to the sparking-circuit of a cylinder of the engine. One of these circuits is shown connected to the block N a wire N joining that block to a sparking-gap, (diagrammatically represented at N From the sparking-gap the circuit passes to earth or, if desired, by metallic insulated return to the end of the secondary winding. It will of course be understood that the sparking-gap N is arranged in the usual way within the cylinder. Similar circuits are connected to each of the blocks N, N N and N but are not shown in the drawings. Preferably the shafts L and H rotate synchronously. They may, in fact, be portions of the same shaft, and the springs and contact-blocks are so disposed that any given secondary circuit is completed just before the corresponding primary circuit. Forinstance,thecontact-blockL would come in contact with the spring K completing the secondary circuit through the sparking-gap connected to the block N just before the primary contact-arm H came in contact with its spring G The operation of the device when running will be readily understood from the above description. Should all the selector contactblocks D to D be brought into connection with their corresponding springs, the primary winding A is energized every time the primary contact-arm passes under one of the springs G to G and as the corresponding secondary circuit is completed in advance of the primary, sparks occur successively at the sparkingaps of the six cylinders and the charges are exploded in the proper order. Obviously the secondary contact springs might be arranged around the periphery of a disk in a way substantially similar to that described with reference to the primary contactsprings G to G but it is preferred to arrange them, as described, around a cylinder,in order that there may be as great a distance as possible between succeeding sparking-circuits, thus rendering surface leakage less likely to occur. a

The arrangements above described are those necessary for use when the engine is running automatically. Some additional circuits necessary for use when the engine is to be started will now be described.

Six additional circuits 0 are provided, each connected to one of the blocks N to N joined with the sparking-circuits and terminating in separate contact-blocks O, 0 0 O, 0 and O. A movable contact-finger O is provided, which can be brought into connection with either of these blocks and is connected to a switch-block 0 which can be placed by the switch-arm J in connection with the secondary winding A through the wire M Another switch-block O is connected by a wire 0 to the battery 0 and can be connected by the switch-arm J to the primary winding A. The switch-arms J and J are in the diagram forming Fig. 1 connected by a cross-bar J Supposing now the engine to be stationary after having been running, the contact-finger O is placed in connection with the sparkingcircuit of the cylinder in which the charge is under compression, and the switches J J are then moved over into the dotted position. This has the effect of closing the secondary circuit comprising the secondary winding A and the sparkiug-circuit 0 N 850., and also closes the primary circuit consisting of the primary Winding A, wire B, battery 0, and wire 0 Consequently the charge in the particular cylinder selected is ignited and the engine started. Preferably the switches J J and the contact-finger O are comprised in one piece of apparatus, one construction of such apparatus being illustrated in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 2 the switch-arm J is shown pivoted, as at J, to one side of an insulatingcasing J the other switch-arm J being similarly pivoted, as at J to the other side of the casing. The switch-arms J and J are connected by a cross-barJ to the center of which a spindle or plunger J is attached in such a manner that it can rotate about its axis. This spindle J passes through a hole in a cover J and is furnished with a handle J a spiral spring J being provided between the handle and the cover. Set around the cover J with their ends projecting, are contact-blocks O, 0 O O O and 0, each furnished with a terminal or binding screw, to which wires may be attached. Beneath the handle is a spring which corresponds to the contact-finger O (Represented diagrammatically in Fig. 1.) When in the position shown, the switches would be in position for automatic running; but when it is desired to start the engine the handle J is turned so that the spring 0 is opposite to the contact-block belonging to the particular sparking-circuit selected. When this has been done, the handle is depressed and the switches J J make 0011- tact with their blocks 0 0 the motion necessary to bring this about first bringing the spring O into contact with the selected block, so that the secondary circuit is closed first in the manner previously described. The function of the spring J is to return the switches into the running position automatically as soon as the engine has been started.

Figs. 3 and t are respectively a plan with a portion removed, and a vertical section of one construction of running contact-maker. The springs K toK are arranged on the inside of a cylinder K of insulating material, and the segmental contact-blocks L L L are mounted upon the outside of an inner insulating-cylinder L and joined up, as by straps If, to a shaft L, which is furnished with a rubbing-contact L Conveniently the primary contact-maker may be arranged on top of the secondary, and the portion of the disk II is shown in Fig. i. The cylinder K is provided with slotted lugs K by means of which its position may be adjusted.

In order that it may be known which cylinder is most suitable for selection for starting purposes, an indicator may be provided. This may be attached to any suitable shaft, and in Fig. 1 an indicator is shown in chain lines at P attached to the shaft H and work ing in conjunction with a scale which is represented by a chain-line circle I It will be noticed that in the particular construction of running selector illustrated in Fig. 1 if one cylinder only is to be used that cylinder must be No. 1, if two are to be employed Nos. 1 and 2 must be selected, and so on. This is asimple and convenient arrangement in practice; but it is obvious that by making the contact-blocks D to D movable independently any single cylinder orany desired grouping of cylinders could be used.

It is to be understood that the particular forms of selector and contactmaker described and illustrated are merely given by way of example and that other constructions operating in substantially the same way may be employed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

1. In an explosion-engine the combination of a plurality of cylinders, a sparking'circuit for each cylinder, an induction-coil having a primary and a secondary winding, asource of electric energy connected with the primary winding, a plurality of contacts corresponding to the number of cylinders, a contactmaker for automatically placing each of these contacts successively into connection with the primary winding and the source of electric energy, a selector controlling gaps in the contact-circuits so that the contact-maker can only close the circuit of predetermined contacts, a plurality of contacts connected to the sparking-circuits of the cylinders and a contact-maker automatically operating to place each of such contacts successively in connection with the secondary winding substantially as set forth.

2. In an explosion-engine the combination of a plurality of cylinders, a sparkingcircuit for each cylinder, an induction-coil having a primary and a secondary winding, a source of electric energy connected with the primary winding, a plurality of contacts corresponding to the number of cylinders, a contactmaker [or automatically placing each of these contacts successively into connection with the primary winding and the source of electric energy, a selector controlling gaps in the contact-circuits so that the contact-maker can only close the circuit of predetermined contacts, a plurality of contacts connected to the sparking-circuits of the cylinders, a

contactmaker automatically operating to place each of such contacts successively in connection with the secondary winding, and a manually-operated contact-maker for cutting out the automatic contact-makers when starting the engine, substantially as set forth.

3. In an explosion-engine the combination of a plurality of cylinders, a sparking-circuit for each cylinder, an induction-coil having a primary and a secondary winding, a source of electric energy connected with the primary winding, a plurality of contacts corresponding to the number of cylinders, a contactmaker for automatically placing each of these contacts successively into connection with the primary winding and the source of electric energy, a selector controlling gaps in the contact-circuits so that the contact-maker can only close the circuit of predetermined contacts, a plurality of contacts connected to the sparking-circuits of the cylinders, a contactmaker automatically operating to place each of such contacts successively in connection with the secondary winding, a manually-operated contact-maker for cutting out the automatic contact-makers when starting the engine and a second selector connected to the starting contact-maker and to each of the sparking-circuits so that the charge in any selected cylinder may be ignited for starting purposes substantially as set forth.

t. In an explosion-engine the combination of a plurality of cylinders, a sparking-circuit for each cylinder, an induction-coil having a primary and a secondary Winding, a source of electric energy connected with the primary winding, a plurality of contacts corresponding to the number of cylinders, a contactmaker for automatically placing each of these contacts successivelyinto connection with the primary winding and the source of electric energy, a selector controlling gaps in the contact-circuits so that the contactrmaker can only close the circuit of predetermined contacts, a plurality of contacts connected to the sparking-circuits of the cylinders, a contactmaker automatically operating to place each of such contacts successively in connection with the secondary winding, a manually-operated contact-maker for cutting out the automatic contact-makers when starting the engine, a second selector connected to the starting contact-maker and to each of the sparking-circuits so that the charge in any selected cylinder may be ignited for starting purposes and an indicator to show which cylinder should be selected substantially as set forth.

5. In an ignition device for an explosionengine a starting contact-maker and selector comprising two pivoted switch-arms operatively connected, contact-blocks at each end of the stroke of the arms, a spindle operatively connected to the switch-arms and rotatable relatively thereto, a contact-spring carried by the spindle and contact-blocks so [0 means for igniting the charge in a selected cylinder by a spark from the secondary Winding substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ZEBULON WIRT.

Witnesses:

HAROLD WADE, HARRY B. BRIDGE.

Images