US691561A

US691561A - Igniter for explosives-engines.

Info

Publication number: US691561A
Application number: US6971201A
Authority: US
Inventors: John Titus Metcalfe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1901-07-25
Filing date: 1901-07-25
Publication date: 1902-01-21
Anticipated expiration: 1919-01-21

Description

No. 69l,56|. Patented Ian. 2|, I902.

' J. T. METCALFE.

IGNITER FUR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

(Application filed July 25, 1901.) (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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WITNESSES: r INVENTOR L/a mZw' ntm Han'w B) ATTORNEYS THE unnms PETERS co. PHcTauTHu. WASNINGYON, n c.

No. 69|,56I. Patented Jan. 2|, I902.

J. T. METCALFE. IGNI'I'ER FOB EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

(Application filed July 25, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN TITUS METOALFE, OF QUINCY, PENNSYLVANIA.

IGNITER FOR EXPLOSIVE-ENGIN ES.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No. 691,561, dated January 21, 1902.

Application filed July 25, 1901.

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN TITUS METCALFE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Quincy, in the county of Franklin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Igniter for Explosive-Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

. My invention relates to igniters for exploding the gas in the cylinders of gas and gasolene engines. I V

My invention further relates more particularly to means producing a distinct and positive spark at a certain period of the rotation of the main shaft, this period being governable at will.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device as applied to a gas-engine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, a certain part ofthe cylinlder being broken away, so as to exhibit the sparking device proper. Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary elevations showing some of the same parts as Fig. 1, but in diderent positions. Fig. 5 is a sect-ion on the line 5 5 in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow, certain details being partly broken away. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section on the line 6 6 in Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 7 is an enlarged section on the line 7 7 in Fig. 1 looking in the directionof the arrow; and Fig. 8 is afragmentary elevation of the sparking device proper, another view of which is shown in Fig. 2. r

Upon the frame 1 of the engine i secured a cylinder 2, having a cylinder-head 3, which is provided with a central cup or receptacle 4, integral therewith, and provided with a screw-cap 5, secured thereto by means of threads 6. This screw-cap 51s provided with In the space 8 is the Serial No. 69,712. (No model.)

sparking apparatusproper,which is actuated by the mechanism outside of the cylinder. Upon a revoluble shaft 9, which is mounted in a bearing 10, there is a revoluble sleeve 11,

provided with a disk 12. By means of heads 13 and 15 a connecting-rod 14 connects a crank-pin 13 with the lower end of a rocking lever 16, so that the revolution of the shaft 9 causes a rocking. of the lever 16. This lever 16 is looselypivoted at its center upon a shaft 24, which has a slight rocking movement independent of the rocking movement of the lever 16, as will be hereinafter explained. The lever 16 is free to move upon its shaft independently of its rocking movement. Upon the upper end of the rocking lever is loosely secured, by means of a head 17, a catch 18, which moves back and forth as the lever is rocked. Upon the shaft 24 is loosely pivoted a heavy arm 19, which is connected with the shaft 24 by means of a spiral spring 21. This heavy arm 19 when actuated by the spring acts as a hammer and by the rocking of the lever is pulled or tilted back by means ofthe catch 18 and suddenly released, so as to strike a blow under tension of the spring. This heavy arm, which I term a hammer, is normally pressed by the spring 21 into engagement with the anvil face or lug 20, which is secured, by means of a bolt 42, upon the shaft 24-that is to say, a member consisting of two spring-arms 41 and the anvil or lug 2 0 is loosely fitted upon the shaft 24 and tightened, by means of the bolt 42, so as to become relatively fixed to said shaft 24, and the hammer, which is'wide at its top, normally engages the anvil-surface mentioned. When the lever rocks, the catch 18 engages the hammer 19, holds the same backward contrary to the tension of the ing of the arm 40 causes the catch 18 to rock.

This arm 40 is engaged by a boss 26 upon a head 24, which is integral with thelower end of the base of the hand-lever 23, as shown in Figs. at and 6, so that when said hand-lever is moved in an arc the boss is likewise moved radially and is made to govern the movements of the catch 18that is to say, when the arm 40 engages the boss 26 .in its extreme right-hand position, as shown in Fig. 1, the catch 18 releases the hammer 19 at a slightlydifferent period than would be the case if the boss 26 were in its extreme left-hand position, being moved to the same by the hand lever 23. It will be observed, therefore, that this boss (by merely shifting the lever 23 to the right or the left to govern the period when the catch 18) will engage and release the hammer 19, the period of such engagement and release being relative to the period of revolution of the main shaft 9. In other words, the exact moment of the stroke of the hammer relatively to the position of the main shaft 9 can be regulated within certain limits by adjusting the lever 23 to the right or the left, as desired. Upon the other end of the shaft 24 is rigidly secured an arm 37 of conducting material and provided with a platinum contact-point 36, which engages a similar platinum contact-point 35, fixed upon an electrode 31. The

points

35 and 36 constitute the make-and-break mechanism for producing sparks in the receptacle 3.

Referring now to the action of the hammer 19 when retracted and released by the catch 18, it will be observed that the shaft 24: rocks back and forth, but when released suddenly moves with a snap. This rocking motion causes the arm 37 to be slowly lowered until the platinum contact-point 36 rests upon the platinum contactpoint 35, thereby closing the circuit, and then when the hammer 19 is released and flies downward, striking the lug 20,the arm 24is moved quickly and positively, so as to raise the arm 37 and break the contact between the two platinum points. The result is that the hammer 19 in moving in one direction has a slow motion while in moving in the opposite direction it has a vigorous snap, and the arm 37 is slowly moved until the platinum points are in contact and then is abruptly drawn away, so as to break the contact with a sudden snap. The object of this movement is to facilitate the breaking of the contact between the

points

35 and 36 for the purpose of making the spark abrupt and positive in its action. When the spark ignites the gases, an explosion takes place, as in any other engine, and need not be further described.

It is now obvious, since the adjusting-lever 23 can be so used as to govern the period when the spark is made relative to the position of the main shaft, that the spark can be made at any desired point within reasonable limits relatively to the stroke of the engine. When the adjusting-lever is in the center of the guard 22, the spark is produced while the engine is on a dead-center. 1f the lever be moved to the right, as shown in Fig. 1, the spark is produced just before the engine moves on its dead-center. If the lever be moved to the left, the spark will be produced immediately after the engine leaves its deadcenter. This being the case it is obvious that by means of the adjusting-lever 23 the explosion can be made to take place just before or just after the deadcenter is passed and can therefore be made to reverse the direction of the engine. In this connection it should be remembered that the means for reversing the direction of the piston in a gas-engine can be very simple. If the spark be made just before the engine reaches the dead-center, the engine going ahead in the usual direction, the effect will be a reversal of motion in the engine, whereas if the spark be made just after the engine passes the dead-center, supposing the engine to be in the usual position going ahead, the effect will be to drive it ahead in the usual manner, so that by merely adjusting the period when the spark is made relatively to the position of the piston as regards the deadcenter, or, what is substantially the same thing, as regards the position of the main shaft, the engine can be driven ahead or backward, as desired.

In my device I inclose the contact-points for the sparking apparatus proper in the receptacle shown in Fig. 2, so as to protectthese parts from the violence of the eXplosion-that is to say, the gases are ignited inside of this receptacle, and the local explosion causes the general explosion to take place in the cylinder proper, the communication being established through the aperture 7. To be sure, the sparking device proper is subject to slight violence of the local explosion in the receptacle, yet the casing comprising the cap 5 and the wall 1 prevents the explosien from damaging the parts as much as would be the case if they were thoroughly exposed to the cylinder. Besides, by means of this receptacle the explosive gases within the narrow space 8 can be much better mixed and otherwise better prepared for explosion than would be the case if the sparking device were thoroughly exposed within the end of the cylinder.

The electrical connections other than as above described are as follows: The wires 27 28 are connected to any source of electricity, as is usual with other devices of this kind. These wires are secured by binding-n uts 29 30 upon bolts '29 30. The bolt 30 is secured directly to the metallic disk 25, while the bolt 29 is insulated from this disk by the asbestos packings 31 32 and the insulating-washers 33, which may be of porcelain. The bolt29 and the shaft 21 are therefore insulated from each other throughout, except when the arm 37 is lowered so as to make contact between the platinum points 35 36.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. An igniter for explosive-engines, comprising an electric circuit provided with sepa- IIC rable contacts for producing sparks, a rocking shaft for actuating one of said contacts, a lug rigidly mounted upon said rocking shaft and provided with an anvil-face, a springdriven hammer loosely mounted upon said rocking shaft and free to strike said anvilface, a rocking lever loosely journaled on said rocking shaft, acatch mounted upon said rocking lever for engaging said hammer, and a movable arm for releasing said catch.

2. An igniter for explosive-engines, comprising an electric circuit provided with separable contacts for producing sparks, a rocking shaft for actuating one of said contacts, a lug rigidly mounted upon said rocking shaft and provided with an anvil-face, a springdriven hammer loosely mounted upon said rocking shaft and free to strike said anvilface, a rocking lever loosely journaled on said rocking shaft, a catch mounted upon said rocking lever for engaging said hammer, a

movable arm for releasing said catch, and a pivotally-mounted hand-lever provided with a boss for controlling said arm.

3. An igniter for explosive-engines, comprising an electric circuit provided with separable contacts for producing sparks, a rocking shaft for actuating one of said contacts, a lug provided with an anvil-face and with spring members for engaging a rocking shaft, a spring-driven hammer for striking said lug, a catch for periodically engaging said hammer, means for periodically actuating said catch, a movable arm for disengaging said catch from said hammer, and an adjustinglever mounted upon a pivotal support and provided with a boss disposed eccentrically to the said pivotal support for the purpose of con-- trolling the disengagementof said catch from said hammer.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of 7 two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN TITUS METOALFE.