US1220277A - Current-generator and spark-distributer. - Google Patents

Description

D. E. ROSS.

CURRENT GENERATOR AND SPARK DISTRIBUTER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25, $916.

Patnted Mar. 27,1917.

w w k Q T TW m 5 m J0 DAVID E. BOSS, OF LAFAYETTE, INDIANA- CURRENT-GENEBATOB AND SPARK-DISTRIBUTED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.-

Application filed January 25, 1916. Serial No. 74,238.

To all whomit may concern"v r Be it known that I, DAVID E. Ross, a citizbn of the United States, residing at La Fayette, in the county ofTippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Current-Gem erators and Spark-Distributers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in combined current generators and spark distributers whereby ,to produce the necessary current for the charge igniting sparks, at

1 the proper cyclic time, in the operation of I on line 22 of Fig. 1.

- on line 11 of Fig. 2.

internal combustion engines.

One of the salient objects of my invention is to provide improved means for generating and distributing single electric impulses, at proper cyclic times in the operation of internal combustion engines, to effectuate ignition of compressed fuel charges in the cylinders thereof, in harmony with the reciprocation of the respective pistons, and cooperating means for predeterminin the relative periods of time in which saidimpulses are to be produced, with respect to the excursions of the pistons of such engines, and in harmony with the velocity at which said pistons are moving.

Another object of my invention is to simplify the construction and operation of de vices of this character by eliminatin all commutators, spark coils, circuit brezfirers, condensers and other such contrivances usually employed and necessary in systems of this general character; to. eheapen the cost of construction and to render the'operation more reliable and dependable.-

Other and further objects of my invention will be apparent, to persons skilled in the art, from a consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is an end elevation of the combined current generator and spark distributer, showing the shafts upon which the rotatable parts are mounted, in section taken F ig. 2 is a vertical central section, taken In allthe views the same reference characters are employed to indicate similar parts. In the specific embodiment, which I have I chosen to exemplify my invention, 5 is the.

engine shaft of a four cycle engine, and 6 is the valve shaft, or other counter shaft, or it may be another shaft driven in harmony is a s rocket wheel 9 which has twice the number of teeth as are contained in sprocket wheel 10, to which it is connected by a sprocket chain 11.

The arrangement inany event shall be such that any desired number of points on the respective rotary members shall pass simultaneously through a plane in which the axes of the respective members are located, so'that the armatures will always out the magnetic fields of the respective inductors.

The sprocket wheel 10 is in this embodiment, a part of the sleeve 12, but it may be a separate wheel rotatively secured thereto, byv any suitable means. The sleeve 12 is loosely mounted upon an axially reciprocable sleeve 13, which is s idable upon the shaft 5, and which is p11 Etively driven by said shaft by, means of a spline and feather 1%. 'The sleeve 12' is spirally slotted, as at 16, and a screw tlrvaaded lug 17 passes through the sleeve 12 into the slot 16 so that when the sleeve 13 is longitudinally or axially moved, on the shaft 5, the stud 17,

cooperating with the slot .16, has the effectto rotate the sleeve 12, in some respect pro portional to the axial movement of the sleeve 13'. The sleeve 13 is axially'moved by means of a forked lever 18., pr; era: projections. 19, that err-er groove 20 between the two annular radial projections 21 on end of the sleeve13. The lever '18 may be moved by a speed governor, manually or by any other suitable means. for reciprocating the sleeve 13, for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The sleeve12"s radially enlarged, as at 22, to provide a hub, preferably of magnet steel, suitably drilled and preferably hardened.

Secured to the hub 22, at selected intervals are permanent magnet bars 23+ and 23-, as by means of rivets 24, or otherwise. Any suitable number of pairs of such permanent magnet bars may be securedto the hub or disk 22. In the particular embod' ment I have illustrated two pairs of sucl bars located at diametrically opposite points. After the hardened steel magnet. bars 23+ and. 23 have been suitably secured to the hub 22,'they should then be magnetized to produce the most powerful magnets, the inhaving roller I ticular exemplifica and tervening parts of the hub :22 affording a path for the magnetic flux or the yoke of the magnet.

The collar 25 is secured "to tl'" outer end of the shaft 5 by the screw .p Mounted on the shaft 6 is a hub 27 preferably of soft iron, or steel, secured thereto, as by a set screw28. The hub is reduced in width to provide an annular projection ordisk 29, upon each side of which are magnet cores m -3].. These cores are made, preferably, of laminated strips of soft sheet iron'secured together, as by rivets 32, and secured'to the annular hub portion 29, by other rivets 33. Any suitable number of pairs of mag net cores, 30-31, may be placed at suitable intervals aroundthe hub 2 In the par- Wion there are four such pairs and in conjunction with the permanent magnets 23-}- and 23--, which are connected to the hub 22, the device is adapted for ope 'ation with a four cylinder engine.

. The hub 27 is laterally "extended into a sleeve 3-1, which carries asleeve or cylinder of insulating material 35, upon which are mounted aseries of current collecting rings.

36, one for each cylinder of the engine. Bearing upon each of the rings 36 1s a brush. 37, held by a brush holder 38, and

pressed into contact with the respective ring by a spring 39. The spark plug of each of the cylinders of an engine with which the device 18 to be used 13 connected to the brush holder by the wire -tt0. llhe series of rings.

36, tl'irougb. their brush holders 38, may be connected tothe respective cylinders, in order of succession, in which they produce their respective power strokes. Surrounding the electro-magnet cores 30 and 31 are coils 30' and 31, respectively; The free terminals of coils 30 are preferably connected to the frame of the device, or engine, the other terminals 11, being each connected tonne of the rings 36, thus each pair magnet coils 1s connected to one of the rings 36 so as to transmit to the respective spark plugs the impulse which they will, in turn, generate When passing its coiip erating permanent magnet or inductor.

The operation of the device is as follows:--Assuming that the engine shaft 5 turns clockwise, as shown by the arrow in r Fig. 1, the inductor 27 will turn in the same direction,- but the proximate peripheries of the rotating elements will be driven in the opposite directions, as shown by the arrows of the respective elements. The permanent magnetsor inductors. will be rotated to- Ward-the right and the proximate electromagnets or armatures, toward the left, thereby increasing the rate of speed of the passing current inducing elements beyond what it would be if one or the other were stationary, while the coiiperating element was being rotated. Just before the mductor or engine.

pulse occur at an earlier or a later time,

a given pair of permanent magnets comes coincident with the armature or a given pair of electro-magnets, a magnetic flux will pass through the cores of said electro-magnet causing an electrical impulse to be generated in the coils 30 and 30 thereof, which will be transmitted over the wire 41 through the respective rings 36 and over the wire to the respective spark plug of the engine, causing the spark to pass between the contacts of the spark plug and thereby exploding the compressed charge within the particular cylinder of the engine. This action follows in proper cyclic sequence.

The generated impulses will normally be produced, with reference to particular positions of the engine speed shaft 5, and thereby with respect to the positions of-the re spective pistons within the cylinders of the If it is desirable to have the imwithin the cyclic operation, the sleeve 13 is reciprocated by the lever 18, which operation will have the effect of rotating the sleeve 12 and the inductor, comprising the permanent magnets 23+, 23-, either forwardly or rearwardly, and coincidentally, the inducing element, or armatures mounted upon the hub 27, will be rotatively displaced in the opposite direction, so that the radial coincidence, or generating location of the two elements, will occur sooner or later, in accordance with the axial movement of the sleeve 13 and the consequent rotation of the sleeve 12 thereby. The rotative displacement of the armature element and the inducing permanent magnet element in opposite directions is accomplished by a very slight rotation of the sleeve 12, and therefore it is only necessary to move the le. .r 18, in reciprocating the sleeve 13, a veer slight distance to effect the entire latitude of movement necessary for retarding or a dvancing the spark within the cylinders of the engine... As the armatures, or pairs of electro-magnets 30, 31 are equally spaced around' the periphery of the hub 29, any rotative displacement of the element will effect the spark time in all of the cylinders proportionately. v

For an engine having eight cylinders it is only necessary to double the number of electro-magnets 30, 31 and the number of pairs of permanent magnets 23+, 23-, or to change therelative speed of the inductor and inducing elements in proper relation, all of which will be clearly understood by persons versed in the art.

lVhile l have herein shown a single embodiment of my invention for the purpose of clear disclosure it is manifest that many changes may be made in the general relation, disposition, configuration and size of the parts within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a device of the character described, for use with an internal combustion engine, the combination with a rotatable permanent magnet inductor; of a rotatable armature; connecting means for rotating the said armature and inductorgsynchronously with each other and in harmony with piston movement of an engine, so that proximate coincident'current inducing parts move in an. opposite direction and means for rota,- tively displacing said parts to change the time of coincidence thereof.

2. In a device of the character described, for use with an internal combustion engine, the combination of a rotatable permanent magnet inductor; a rotatable armature; driving means. for rotating said armature and inductor synchronously with each other and in harmony with piston movement of an engine, so that proximate coincident current generating parts move in opposite directions, and means for rotatably displacing said parts with reference to said piston movement to change time of coincidence thereof,- whereby to' vary the time of the current impulse.

3. In a device of the character described, for use with an internal combustion engine, the combination of a plurality of rotatable permanent magnet inductors; a series of separate and. independent rotatable armatures: driving means for rotating said armatures and inductors synchronously with each other and so that proximate coincident current generating pairs of inductors and armatures move in opposite directions, and means for rotatably displacing said respective pairs to change time of coincidence thereof with respect to the driving means, to vary the time of the current impulses.

I. In a device of the character described, for use with an internal combustion engine, the combination of a rotatable inductor element. comprising a hub having a pair of radially disposed. permanent magnets attached thereto, one limb thereof on each side of the hub; a rotatable armature ele- I rotatably and relatively displacing said inductor element and said armature element to cause coincidence of operation to occur at an earlier or later period, with reference to the driving means.

5. In a device of the character described, for use with an internal combustion engine, the combination with an engine shaft to be driven at engine speed; a counter-shaft; means for driving the latter in two to one relation with said engine shaft; an inductor element, having half the number of inductors as there are cylinders contained in an engine with which the device is to be used, mounted on one shaft; an armature element, having as many armatures as there are cylinders in an engine with which the device is to be used, mounted on the other shaft, each armature adapted to pass a gi en inductor once during each revolution of the armature element; collecting rings mounted on the shaft carrying the armature clement, one for each armature; brushes bearing on said rings for connection with the respective spark plugs of an engine with which the de vice is to be used; and means for relatively, rotatably displacin said elements, to cause generation of current impulses at earlier or later periods with reference to the cyclic operation of the pistons of said engine.

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

DAVID E. ROSS.

In the presence of- Gno. C. Kmri mc, J. Nnwamn KELLY.

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