US938123A - Electric igniter for gas-engines. - Google Patents

Description

a., Aj. ognuna. -A mi() IGIITB FOB GAS ENGINES.

1-P2LIOATIOI- FILED JULI 28, 19.08.

Patented occ 26,1909.

I l I l Il J. A. CHARTER. BLEGTRIG IGNITER POR GAS ENGINES.

Patented not. 26, 1909..

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28. 1908.

'a SHEETS-SHEET z.

llllllll .jsfiAT-Esv PATENT *clarion JAMES A. CHARTER, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIcNon-To AUSTIN MANUrAcTUnnJacoMrANY,. or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A ConnonATIoN or ILLINOIS.

ELECTBI IeNITEn ron GAS-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oct. v26, 1909.

Application mea my as, 190s. serial No. 445,33.

' Zoall whom it may concern: I i

Be it'known that I, JAMES A. CHARTER, a

I citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, inthe county of Cook and State o f Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements' in Electric Igni't-ers" for Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification. l l

This invention relates to the art of eX- plosive engines, and'has reference more particularly to a new and 'improved ignition mechanism for firing explosive charges admitted to the engine cylinder. .I i

My present improvements are embodied in that type of ignition mechanism employing relatively fixed and movable electrodes in vthe explosion chamber "of the engine, a inagneto of the oscillating armaturetype, and

electric connections between said ymagneto and electrodes.

One of the principal ob]ects of the invention is to provide a simple mechanism. whereby the ignition :can be adjusted or timed properly tothe engine cycle While the en gine is .in motion, This is ai very desirable .feature, since with different fuels, different .the crankl at the etc., the point of explosion in relation to the position, of time the explosion is to be rates of speed must be varied produced. n

Another object of the invention is to provide. an 4igniter mechanism which will per-lv mit the positive starting of the engine from a stand-still, usingthe current from the magl' neto which is re ularly used whenthe engi e is running, an .preventing any danger of the engine reversing-or starting to runy back-NA resides, 17 designates a pendulum arm that Figure 1 is an end elevational view of an engine cylinder and its side shaft showing my improved igniter mechanism applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the parts shown inFig. 1.-` Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of the adjusting mechanism for the magneto trip whereby the time of sparkd ing is varied relatively to the piston stroke.

n' on thelineA--il of Fig. 3.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional detail, enlarged,

Referring-to the'drawings, 5 designates a portion of the engine cylinder, and 6 the trally ofthe end wall of the head 6 is an igniter casting 7 which carries a xed electrode 8 and a movable electrode 9, the shaft of which latter is journaled in the casting 7 and at its outer end carries a short depending arm 10 having a laterally projecting pin 11,- a spring 12 connected to said arm nor- 'nially tending to rock the shaft of the movable electrode in a direction to maintain contact between the electrodes. The fixed electrode 8 is suitably insulated, as usual, and has an electrical connection with the magneto through a Wire indicated at 13.

The magneto herein shown and designated as an entirety by 14 is known as'the oscillating type, the armature being of such a construction and shape, and so positioned* ,tion by means of two strong springs l15 attached to av cross-arm 16 fast on the shaft of the oscillating armature. This being a standard make of magneto, no very detailed description thereof is necessary to a full understanding of the present invention.

- Referring'now more particularly to those features wherein my present improvement depends from" the armature shaft. Pivotally connected to the-pendulum 17 near. its lower end is v:ix-connecting rod 18, the inner end ofy which is screwed into a slotted link 19 formed with a closed outer end 20,l the slot of'this link 19 engaging the pin 11 carried by the i niter arm 10.

The pendu um 17 is actuated in a manner to effect a quick separation ofthe electrodes 8- and 9'bythefol1owing mechanism. On the side shaft 21 of the engine is mounted a disk 29., said disk having on one side a laterally projecting boss or hub This boss or hub has a radial slot Q3 engaged by a pin 23" projecting from the sliaft'foi the pui'- ed beneath the armature ofthe magneto and in such positionjthat the depending end of tlierpendulum arm 17' overlaps the forward face ofthe liska On the same face'of the disk 22 is mounted a pivoted trip 24, lthe upwardly projecting ends of which are adapted 'to travel in a circular path across which .the lower end of the pendulum arm 17 1s projected; The trip 2li has a tail-.piece 241 normally held .in engagement with lthe periphery of the hub 23 by a light spring 25.

From the foregoing itvwill be seen'tliat when the disk 22 revolves in a contra-clockwise direction, the trin 24C, engaging the pendulum 17, will oscillatev the armature the required thirty: degrees, more or less, to suit' the conoitions of the n iagneto;l and, 'as soon as the catch has' cleared `the lower end of the pendulum arm, the springs -15 instantly return," the armature to a neutral position,

thereby generating the electric current through the wire 13, xed electrode 8, movableelectrode 9, and metallic engine f1-ame,

'back to the generator, which current is interrupted or broken at the electrodes at the instant of its highest etliciency by the re!` bound of the pendulum arm I Y acting through the rod' 18 and link 19,'the closed end 2() Vof the latter striking the pin 11 and thus rockan annularly n" baivedcollar -'being provi longitudinal.

ingthe movableelect-rode 9 away from the fixed electrode 8.

The time of sparking,v relatively tothe piston stroke is, in accordance with my invention, varied by varying the time, relatively to the stroke, at which the trip 24; engages the pendulum arm; and this vis Aeectedbyan angular operation ofthe disk 22 on the side shaft 21.4 Referring to the means for effecting this 'angular adjustment of the disk 22, and considering more particularly 1T ige.. 2 and 3, it'will beseen that behind the disk, 22 en the shaft 21 is mounted 26, saidcollar with akey 2"? slidable inv a eey-way 28 in the shaft 21.

The outer end of thisv key-is turned up, as

shown at 27, forming a tted into an oblique groove projection. which is 29 formed 1n fthe inner periphery of the disk 22 and its hub' 23. From this it will be seen that a longitudinal sliding movement of thecollar 26 on the shaft 21 will impart a partial rotation to 'the disk 22 in one direction or the other, according tod-he direction of movement of the collar 26 along the shaft 21, the disk 22 being held against Ven'dwise movement on the shaft. The means which I provide for effecting this' adjustment of the disk 22 while the' engine is running .are perhaps best shown in the detail view, Fig. 3, wherein 3() designates a manually operable lever pivoted at 31 to a hired member of the frame and having a forked lower end embracing the-annular groove of the collar 2t?. The longer arm ofthe lever plays over swung a quadrant plate 32p'5rovided ywith a series of holes 33, with any one of which a spring catch 34' carried by the lever'BO mayfbe engaged to hold the collar26 in any, adjusted position andthus, through the key V27 and itsl upturned end, secure the'trip-carrying i .disk 22 1n any angularly adjusted position.

Briefly' describing the operation of the mechanism as whole, the. said shaft 21 is rotated continuously from the crank -shaft lof the engine, and at a fixed relationthereto,

in a contrae-clockwise direction; The contact of 4the-trip 24 with the pendulum arm 17, therefore, tilts the pendulum toward the left, or in a direction toward theigniter. Bymeans ofthe slotted link 19 the pendulum can travel thirty degrees, moreor less,

as required by thel magneto, without contacting with the vpin 11 carried bythe act-uating arm ,10 of the movable electrode; but whenthe pendulum is released and flies back into its central or neutralposition, under the influence of springs 15, it carries with it the' rod 18 andlink 19, which have been so adjusted by virtueof their screw-threaded connection that a slight rebound past the central position of the pendulum causes the outer or closed end 2O ofthe link. 19 ltostrike the pin 11, and by' this contact the electrode shaft is slightly turned, carrying the movable electrode away from the face of the fixed electrode, thus opening the electric circuit and permitting the discharging of the' electric current produced by the magneto to jump and form an arc or a spark between the open points of the movableand fixed electrodes. I

By manually adjusting the lever 30, the angular position of the trip 211 relatively to the shaft 21 is varied, so as to actuate the magneto and piactic'ze,` when it is' desired to start the engine it is simply necessary to charge the cylindex' with an explosive mixture- (wh1eh in Athis case l. accomplish-by connecting a smallA hand-operated charging pump to the cylinder through a suitable opening provided in the cylinder head, and supplying the mixture between the latter andv the piston. The crank of theengine isthenxset onsthe eXploseparate the electrodes at' the desired or proper point inthe cycle. in

sion position, just enough above the center to allow .the pressure setup-or causedby:

the hand pump to start the piston on its out-stroke. Atthis time the 'disk 22 has been so adjusted 'that the trip'24 4will notrelease the armature of the-magneto from'it's ees out-of lineuntil 'the ,piston `has traveled ing the trip 241:0 vpass-under the .pendulum v17. Then the springs 15reseat the armature,

'as above described, and` produce lthe-spark position of approximately thirty de.

The engine then is given-.suiicient .force to store up energy inthe fly wheels and-,cause the rotationof the shaft, drawing in a second charge into the cylinder through the regular mixer provided with the engine. This new mixture is then compressed and exploded in the same manner, andthe engine is allowed to run for a few revolutions until it builds up in speed. Then, by releasing the spring catch 34 on thelever 30, the collar 26 controlling the disk 22 which operates the magneto, is advanced in relation to the shaft 21, and the explosionsv are produced at an earlier point in the cycle of the engine, preferably below the dead center. This point can be varied to a considerable extent on either side of the dead center to suit the conditions and speed of the engine and fuel used, and without necessitating the stopping of the engine. 4 AI claim: l p

1. In an igniter mechanism for gas engines, the combination, with a pair of separable electrodes, and a magneto for supplying current thereto, said magneto having an oscillatory armature, of a pendulum arm fast on said armature, a link connect-ing said pendulum arm and movable electrodes through. a pin-and-'slot connection permitting' movement of said link in one direction without actuating said-electrode, a

spring opposing the turning-movementof said armature and, when tensioned vand released, eecting a return swing of said pendulum arm past the neutral position of'said armature whereby to separate said electrodes, a rotary shaft adjacent to said magneto, a disk rotatable but'confined against endwise movement on said shaft, a trip carried by said disk and adapted to engage and swing said pendulum arm thereby tensioning said spring, and hand-operated means operable While the engine is running to shift said disk in either direction around said shaft,

' substantially as described.

2. In an igniter mechanism forL gas engines, the combinationl with a pair of normally closed separable electrodes, spring-actuated mechanism for separating said electrodes, of a rotary shaft, a' disk on said ,shaft having a hub, atrip pivoted on the face of said disk ,and having a tailpiece, a spring normally holding said tri with its nose projected beyond the periphery ofthel` disk and its tail-piece in contact with said'hub, whereby said trip is adapted to cont-act with and'tension and then release saidelectrode-separating mechanism when traveling in a forward direction, but is depressible When ltravelingbackward, la manually operable lever, means actuated by said lever for adjusting said disk in either direction around saidfshaft, and means Yfor locking said lever in set position, substantially as described.

3. In an igniter mechanism for engines, .the combination with a pair csf .nor-v mally closed separable electrodes, a magneto and for supplying current thereto, anda spring- .connected to said key, a quadrant plate pro- I vided with aplurality of holes, and a sprinvr catch carried by` said lever and l. adapte to engage any onel of said series of holes to secure said lever in set position, substantially as described.

JAMES A. CHARTER. .l Witnesses:

S. F. MANN, CLARE L. RosENoW.

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