US975567A - Apparatus for starting gas-engines. - Google Patents

Description

v o. H. OSLUND. APPARATUS FOR STARTING GAS ENGINESH APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1909.

' PatentedNov. 15, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

0B 3 ,l 1 A. u A n I T a s, l m w G. HVOSLUND. APPARATUS FOR STARTING GAS ENGINES.

' APPLICATION FILED EAR-.16, 190a;

975,567; Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. v

%l|w-- Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

CHARLES H. 'osLUND, or woncns'rnn, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR STARTING GAS-ENGINES.

T 0 all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that'I, CHARLES H. Os'LUm),

a citizen of the United States, residing at YWorceSter, inthe county of 'orcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Starting Gras-Engines, of whichthe following is a specifica tion. i

This invention relates to an apparatus for starting gas engines.

- As is well known the present practice of starting gas engines, such as are used for automobiles and "the like, is awkward and undesirable, and many inventions have .been made for the purpose of doing away with the cranking up of the engines in order to get them started. I

To provide for efficiently accomplishing this result is the principal object of this invention.

Another, object of this invention is to utilize for this purpose a source of energy which is-already provlded on most automobiles and other motor vehicles.

It also involves improvements n several features of construction as will appear here'- inafter.

' Reference is to behad o the accompanying drawings, in which-.

Figure 1. is a side view somewhat diagrammatic in form of a four-cycle QHS'G11 .ginesnitable for use on an automobile showing one way in which the ii'iyention maybe applied thereto; Fig. 2 1s a side v ew of a "valve for controllingthe starting'arrangement; Fig 3 is a sectional view of the same on the line 33 of Fig. Fig. 4 is a side view on enlarged scale of a detail; Fig. 5 is a side view on enlarged scale of mechanism for operatingthe manually controlled valveshown in Fig. 1 for setting the device into operation. Fig. 6 is a sectional View of a detail of the same; and Fig. 7 is adiajgrammaticvi'ew of an. ordinary form of W11: ing showing how 1t may be controlled by the last mentioned valve operating mechanism.

The invention is shown" in the drawings.

as applied to a fourcycle gas engine having the four cylinders 1, 2, 3, and at, and pistons therefor, said pistons being connected as usual with a crank shaft 6; This crank shaft, as is usual, is geared up two to one with a longitudinal shaft 7 so that the latter shaft runs half asfast as the crank shaft This is the shaft which controls the sparking arrangement, etc. According to theipresent Specithzatioim of Letters Patent. I Patented Nqv; 1910,'

Application filed March 16, 1909. Serial No. 488,694..

inventionthis' shaft is shown-as provided;

I with a gear 8- meshing with a gear-9 on a shaft 10, these two gears preferably-being, miter gears. The gear 9 is loose on the shaft 10- and is adapted to be connected struction. These latter parts are-supported from a. valve casing 12 mounted on the frame of the machine or in any desired position, and in this valve casing is a valve 13 fixed to the shaft 10. This valve has a cenmnnication with the acetylene tankso as to passage 17 of the valve will rotate in unison ing 12 are a plurality of passages 18 adaptturn as the shaft 10 rotates. These passages are eased off slightly at 19, the solid space between each two fillets 19 being very slightlysl'iorter than the width-of the passage 17, so that if the valve stops 'with the passage 17 between two of the passages it will always be in communication with one. The passages 18' connect with four conductors or pipes 20 which communicate with the respective cylinders 1, 2, 3 and 4 so as to admit the acetylene to one cylinder at a time. and prevent its introduction into more than one at the same time. At the point where each of these pipes enters the cylin vder i s a check-valve 21'for preventing back pressure from the cylinder interfering with the operation of. the device or going back to the acetylene tank.

From what has been stated itwill be seen ,that the valve 13 always rotates with thecrank shaft and that whenevert-he engine plosion stroke. The acetylene is forced into therewith'by clutch 11 of any desiredco'n- I t-ral passage 14 connecting through a con in, the valvetl3 can" constantly be in com-' admit pressure to the valve and that thewith-the rotation of the shaft 7. In the casstops the passage 17 will be left in commu tion and is just starting forward on its ex-f ed to communicate with the passage 17 in parts are so set up that the cylinder with inder to start the engine.

with the cylinder 37. The gas then flows 'whereby the introduction of the acetylene 40- sition to be operated by the foot of the opnite charge of gas can be kept ready to introduce. lnto the cylinder so that the acetylene this cylinder and the explosion takes place. This forces the piston forward. Before this piston starts back on the exhaust stroke, another cylinder takes thelregular fuel. From this it will be seen that means is provided whereby the pressure from the a'etylene tank can be introduced at any time into the engine and that another means is-iprovided into the engine will necessarily take place in such a manner as to introduce that pressure where it is needed in order to start the proper piston. In this way a method of operation is provided whereby a source of pressure present in nearly every motor car, namely the acetylene gas for lighting, is-au-' tomatically introduced into the proper cyl- In addition to what has been described it is preferred to provide means whereby the acetylene gas can be shut off from the conductor 15 'so that the acetylene can be used for lighting in the regular way. For this purpose and another one, as will appear below, a valve 25 is employed in the conductor 15. This valve is shown as having an operating arm 26 on which is pivotally mounted by means of studs '27 a block 28. This block is provided with an opening through which can slide a rod 29. This rod is normally held with .suflicient tightness by a'spring-pressed plug 30.80 that when the rod is pushed the arm will be turned. As the plug 30. bears on the rod by friction only, when the arm rotates against one of the stops 31, the rod can be pushed still further withoutbreaking anything. This rod 29 is shown as extending back into poerator, and is provided with a plate 32 for that purpose.v Under this plate is a spring 33 for normally pulling the rod back, this plate bearing on the dash 34 of the vehicle in the present case. It will be understood that the valve 25 could be so constructed that the gas from the'acetylejne tank could be'allowed to flow freely through the conductor 15 after the rod 29 was pressed down, but it is preferably toprovide means whereby a defitank will not be called upon for more than is necessary, and there will always be a charge for starting the engine sothat thev operator will not have to be careful about not using too much'of the gas in the tank 16 for lights. Within thespring 33 is a piston rod 35 connected with a piston 36 in a cylinder 37 The valve-25 is provided with a passage 38 so constructed that when the rod 29 is pulled up and the arm is caused to engage the stop 31 this passage connects the acetylene tank into this tank and' pushes the piston 36 baclg assisted by the. -s'pring33.-' In this way a definite amount of gas will always be available in the cylinder 37. Now when it is desired to start the engine, it being remembered that the valve 13 is always automatically brought to the proper position to conduct the gas to the rightcylinder, all that is required is to push down the plate 32 so that the valve 25 will be turned to permit the-gas in the cylinder 37 to flow into the engine cylinder which is in position to receive the charge. At the same time the tank 16 is automatically cut ofi. It will be understood of course that the tank 16 (preferably is provided with a hand-operate valve 39 for shutting off the tank altogether when itis desired to do so. After the cylinder has been charged and the engine started the operator removes his foot from the plate 32 and the spring 33 operates the rod 29, changes the valve back to the position shown in Fig. 5, and withdraws the piston so that a charge of gas will be introduced into the cylinder 37, at the same time shutting off communication between that cylinder and the valve casing 12. A valve 50 is shown for controlling the lights.

It will be understood that the sparking arrangement can be operated in the regular way, and that therefore no description of that operation has been given above. It is preferred, however, to provide means whereby the spark will be caused to take place at the proper ime. For this purpose the rod 29 is provied with a projection 40 which at the proper time engages a movable contact member-41 to bring it into contact with the other terminal 42 of a circuit 43. In this way when the plunger is down the contact is closed at this point and the spark plug in the proper cylinder is caused to be energized and the spark to be made at the proper time to explode the charge of acetylene gas which has been sent into it. The remainderof the wiring diagram will be well understood, as it involves merely a battery 44,-an electromagnetic release switch 45, a circuit 46 which connects through a timer 47 withthe selected one of a series of conductors 48 through a coil 49 to the desired one of the cylinders 1, 2, 3 or 4 in which the spark plugs are located. \Vhen the contact points 41 and 42 are connected by means of the projection 40, the switch 45 is magnetically connected and remains so untilop ened by hand. Therefore only one battery is necessary.

Many of the advantages and the opera tion have, been described in the course of the description of the mechanism so that a further detail description thereof is not necessar lll hile I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, I am aware that many modifications can be made by any person skilled in the art, and that it can be applied to many other types of gas engines without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims.

What I do claim is-:

1..In a device for starting gas engines,-

the combination with the gas engine, .of

. .en ine. g

a receptacle for gas under pressure, acylin der for receiving a charge of gas from said receptacle, and a valve having passages for simultaneously disconnecting said cyl-" inder from the gas receptacle ,andconnect- 15 ing it with .a cylinder of the engine.

Q 2. In a device for starting gas engines, the, combination ofa source of gas pressure, a

conductor for connectingsaidsource of pressure with the engine, a'valve in said 0011- 'ducto'r, a cylinder adapted to be connected by said valve either with thesource-Of gas .pressureior with the engine, and apiston in said cylinder for forcing the gas into the 3'. In a thecgmbination of a source of gas pressure,

;a,conductor communicating therewith and with; the gas engine, valve in said conductorr for closing directcommunication be--.

tweei'i the source of gas pressure and'thfe. en

.gine, a cylinder adaptedito .be connected by valve either with the source of gas pres- 'sure or with the engine, a pistonin said cylinder, and means fortorcing saidpiston toward the valveto force the charge of gas to the engine.

4'. In 'a device for starting gas engines,

the combination ofjasource' of gas pressure,

a conductor communicating therewith-. and

with the gas engine, avalve in said conductor for closingdirect communication between the source of gaspressureand the en- 'gine, a receptacle connected with said valve,

and": means for turning said valve .to simul-.

taneously shutotfmominunication between the cylinder and source ofngas pressureand connect the cylinder with the engine.

5. The combination witha gas engine-,of

. a source of gas pressurea'connected with the several cylinders of said engine, means for opening the connectionbetween saidsource ofgas pressure the cylinder whichis ready toreceive a charge, and means for cont-rollingthe connection of saidsource of supply 'Wllill said cylinders. comprising a valve, a

rod for operating the valve, and a spring for normally holding the valve closed and a device for opening thevalve and positively" forcing the gas alongsa-id connection.

$5. In a startingdevice for gas engines, the combination of asource of gas pressure. a conductor therefrom to the cylinders of the engine, means for controlling-said con- 'ductor automatically from the engine to .causethe gas to be introduced into the cyldevice for starting gas engines,

thefvalve,;said'valveliaving-means for disconnecting the receptacle from the source of. gas pressure and connectingit withone of theengine cylinders when said rod is op- }erated.

' 7. In a device for starting gas. engines, the combination of a source of-gas pressure,

p a conductor for connecting said source of 1 pressure with the engine, a valve in said conductor, a cylinderfiadapted to be connected by saidsvalve either with the source of gas pressure or with theengine, a pie: ton in sa d cylinder, :1 rod for operating the valve, a piston rod, a spr ng tor forcing said piston upwardly, and means for connecting said rods with each other so that they move. in unison. i g

I 8. In 'a'device forstarting gas engines, the combination of a source of gas pressure, a conductorcommunicating therewith and with the gas engine, a valve in said conductor', for closing direct communication between tliesource of gas pressure and the engine, a. cylinder adapted to'be connected by said valve. either with the source of gas pressure or with theengine, a piston in said cylinder, means for forcing said piston to-i ward the valv'e'to force ;the cli arge of gas to the engine, and means for simultaneously ,turning said valve to shutoff communication between the cylinder and source-of gas pressure and connect the cylinder with the engine. 4 9. In a device of the charactcrdescribed, the combination of-a conductorya two-Way valve. therein having an arm; operating stops for said arm, a block mounted on the arm and having a passage tli erethrough, an

holding said rod so that the reciprocation of the rod'will operatethe arm.

10(In a startingdevice for gas engines,

the combination of a source of gas pressure, a conductor therefrom to the cylinders ot the engine, means for controlling said passage to cause the gas to be introduced into the cylinder which ready; to receive charge, a valve in said 'cOnducton'and manulally controlled means 'for operatingthe valve comprising a crank-arm on the valve, a sliding rod for operating the crank-arm, a spring operating the rod fcrmormally hold ing the crank-arm in position to close the valve, aplunger movingwith the rod, and electrical connections controlled by the rod for causing a spark when the valve is opened toexplode the charge.

11. In "a starting device -fori asengines,

5 for controlling the conducting means to innected with said rod for closing said circuit 1 when the valve is open.

the combination with a gas engine having cylinders and spark plug, with a source of gas pressure, means for conducting the gas to the several cylinders of the engine, means I 12.In a device for start-inga gas engine, the combination With the gas engine having cylinders and a spark plug, of a conductor communicating with said cylinders, a receptacle for receiving an explosive gas, a valve i having means for simultaneously cutting ofi communication between said receptacle and the cylinders of the engine and for permitting the introduction of a gas into the receptacle, and means for subsequently simultaneously operating said valve to prevent the admission of gas into said receptacle and forcing the gas out of said receptacle into the engine cylinders, the last named means having a device for connecting the spark plug with the source of electricity to explode the charge.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES H. OSLUND1. Witnesses:

A. E. FAY,

C. FORREST WESSON.

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