US732346A

US732346A - Electric igniter.

Info

Publication number: US732346A
Application number: US14098703A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert F Ganz
Original assignee: AUTO IGNITER Co
Current assignee: AUTO-IGNITER Co; AUTO IGNITER Co
Priority date: 1903-01-29
Filing date: 1903-01-29
Publication date: 1903-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 1920-06-30

Description

UNITED STATES Patented June 30, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT F. GANZ, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO .THE ATO- IGNITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC IGNITER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,346, dated J' une 30, 1903.

Application led January Z9, 1903. Serial No. 140.987. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. GANZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hoboken, in the county of Hudson .and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Igniters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in electric igniters of the type suggested by Leon J. Le Pontois, wherein a y-wheel or other inductor having a cut-away portion or portions in itsrperiphery is rotated with respect to a coil wound on the pole of a magnet, so as to generate an electric current by induction. With the Le Pontois apparatus the duration of the current thus generated has been extremely brief, so that when a mechanically-operated circuit-breaking device is employed for breaking the circuit between the sparking terminals when the current reaches its maximum electromotive force great difficulty has been experienced in so timing the mechanism that the circuit-breaking device shall operate in unison with the igniter. If with the Le Pontois apparatus the attempt be made to prolong the duration of the generated current by extending the length of the cut-away portion of the iiy-Wheel, such an expedient will necessitate the employment of objectionably large and heavy apparatus. I aim to overcome this special defect by employing an inductor of relatively small diameter,

' formed either as a separate disk mounted on the engine-shaft or as a part of the ily-wheel itself, and arrange the magnet and coil with respect to said inductor in such a way that the cut-away portion of the latter may extend through a muchAk greater arc than would be possible if formed directly in the periphery of the iiy-wheel.

It has been found in practice in experimenting with apparatus of the Le Pontois type that some diflculty is experienced in starting the apparatus, owing to the fact that the engine ily-wheels are first rotated by hand, the relatively low surface speed of the inductor resulting in the generation of a current having too low an electromotive force to produce a proper spark. If, on the other hand, the coil were so wound as to give the proper electromotive force at low speed, then the engine the number of turns in the circuit v will be sufficient to give an available electromotive force at low speed, while when the engine attains the normal speed part of the turns may be cut out to thereby prevent the generation of a current of objectionably high electromotive force. y

The invention also utilizes details of construction and arrangement, both electrical and mechanical, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Generally speaking, my objects are to provide an electric igniter of the Le Pontois type which shall be simple in construction, eifective in operation, and by which I am enabled to overcome certain defects and objections in the previous apparatus which have been observed from experiment.

In order that the invention may be better understood, attention is directed to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which-Y Figure 1 is a sectional perspective View showing one form of my improved igniter with a single coil; Fig. 2, a corresponding view showing another form of the igniter with a double coil wound on two poles; Fig.

3, a diagrammatic view showing one arrangement for utilizing a plurality of coils, and Fig. 4c a similar lview of another arrangement for utilizing a plurality of coils.

In all of the above views corresponding parts are represented by the same numerals of reference.

Referring first to Fig. l, the engine-shaft lis shown as carrying a disk-like inductor 2, keyed thereto and having a cut-away portion 3 in its periphery. Instead of usinga separate inductor thelatter may compose a part of the fly-wheel. The inductor is made of steel and may be laminated or not, as desired. The magnet 4 is supported in. any

IOO

suitable way and is of a general horseshoe shape, one of its poles 5 being curved to cooperate closely with theinductor at one side and the other being equipped with a polepiece 6,coperating with the inductor at adiametric point. When a single pole-piece is used, the cut-away portion 3 of the inductor may be somewhat wider than said pole-piece. In Fig. l I illustrate the magnet 4 as being composed of a series of laminze in order to reduce hysteresis. Carrie-d by the pole-piece 6 is a coil 7, having the proper number of turns and being composed of insulated wire of the proper cross-section to give the desired electromotive force at normal engine speed. This coil connects either directly to the sparking terminals through a circuitbreaking device or, in the case of a jumpspark, indirectly through an induction-coil, both of which expedients are common in this art.

In Fig. 2 the magnet 8 is illustrated as being composed of a single casting and is of a double-horseshoe shape, being provided with two pole-pieces 6 6', each carrying a coil`7. In this way the two pole-pieces overlap the cut-away portion 3 of the inductor, so that the magnetic circuit of the magnet is never completely broken. If desired,the pole-pieces 6 may be formed of separate laminze dovetailed in place. In any case the magnet is supported with respect to the inductor by suitable mechanism. In Fig. 2 I illustrate the magnet as being formed at its sides with lugs or ears 9, through which a supportingrod l0 extends, engaged by a set-screw 11, so that the magnet may be adjusted with respect to the inductor.

Referring to Fig. 3, I illustrate one of the coils 7 as being formed of very much finer wire than the other coil and show a switch l2 for connecting either of these coils at will with the sparking terminals 13. When the engine is starting, the line-wire coil is connected with the sparking terminal, so as to generate a current of the desired. electromotive force at low speed. When, however, the engine reaches its normal speed, the switch is moved into contact with the contact-plate 14, so as to connect the other coil in circuit with the sparking terminals to give a current of the desired electromotive force at the normal speed.

In Fig. 4 I illustrate the coils 7 arranged in such a Way that when the engine is starting the coils will be in series with each other in circuit with the sparking terminals 13. When, however, the engine reaches its normal speed, the switch l2 is operated so as to cut out one of the coils, whereby a current of the desired electromotive force will be geuerated at the normal speed.

The operation of my device will be readily understood, as it is the same in principle as the Le Pontois igniter, currents being inductively generated in the

coils

7 or 7 by the rotation of the inductor wit-h respect to said coils.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

l. In an igniter of the character described, the combination with an inductor independent of the ily-wheel, said inductor having a cut-away portion of large angle, the peripheral extent of said cut-away portion being smaller than the continuous portion, ofa magnet whose poles cooperate with said inductor, and a coil carried by a pole of the magnet, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In an igniter of the character described, the combination with an inductor independent of the fly-wheel, said inductor being continuous except for a single cut-away portion in its periphery, of a magnet whose poles cooperate with the said inductor, and a coil carried by the magnet at one of its poles, sub.- stantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In an igniter of the character described, the combination with an inductor independent of the ily-wheel and having a cut-away portion, of a magnet whose poles are arranged diametrically with respect to the inductor, and a plurality of coils carried by the magnet at one of its poles, one of said coils being wound to produce currents of higher electromotive force than the other coil', substantially as and. for the purposes set forth.

4. In an igniter of the character described, the combination with a disk-like inductor continuous except for a single cut-away portion in its periphery, of a magnet whose poles are arranged diametrically of the inductor, and a coil carried by one of said poles substantially as set forth;

5. In an igniter of the character described, the combination with a disk-like inductor continuous except for a single cut-away portion in its periphery, of a double-horseshoe magnet whose poles are arranged diametrically of the inductor, and a coil carried by one of said poles substantially as set forth.

6. In an igniter of the character described, the combination with a disk-like inductor continuous except for a single cut-away portion in its periphery of a double-horseshoe magnet whose poles are arranged diametrically of the inductor, and a plurality of coils carried by one of said poles, substantially as set forth.

7. In an igniter of the character described, the combination with an inductor having a cut-away portion, of a double-horseshoe magnet surrounding the inductor with its poles arranged diametrioally thereof, and a plurality of coils carried by one of said poles, one of said coils being wound to give a current of higher electromotive force than the other coil, substantially as set forth.

8. In an igniter of the character described, the combination of an inductor having a cut- IOS IIO

away portion, a magnet arranged adjacent to the inductor, a plurality of coils carried by said magnet,sparking terminals,and a switch for regulating the number of turns in circuit with the sparking terminals, substantially as set forth.

9. In an igniter of the character described, the combination of an inductor having a cutaway portion, a magnet adjacent to the inductor, two coils carried by one of the magnetpoles, sparking terminals, and a switch for connecting either of the coils in circuit with the sparking terminals, substantially as set forth.