Improvements in Electric Sparkers for Explosion Engines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Sept., 1898-Accepted, 22nd Oct., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Sparkers for Explosion Engines.
I, ALEXANDER WINTON, residing at Number 37, Bolton. Street, Cleveland,
County of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, U.S.A., Mechanical Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in electric sparkers for explosion engines,
and consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts which
will be fully described hereinafter and particularly referred to in the claims.
The primary object of my present invention is to provide an improved means
for producing an electric ignition spark, constructed to vary the ignition lead
according to the speed of the engine; that is when the engine is running beyond
its normal speed the ignition will occur correspondingly quicker.
Another object of my present invention is to provide a yielding operating mem-
ber for the sparking members, whereby the contact of the sparking members
is insured; the yielding member taking up any wear that may occur and giving
a uniform pressure of contact.
My present invention is especially adapted and intended for use in connection
with explosion engines for propelling vehicles, though it may be used advan-
I find it desirable
tageously in connection with engines used for other purposes.
in motors, especially when intended for use in connection with vehicles, to have
the motor to run at different speeds, for varying the speed of the vehicle, instead
of using a multiplicity of gears which greatly decrease the power of the engine
when running at a high speed. The speed of the engine varying, it becomes essen-
tial and indeed in practice necessary to vary the ignition lead automatically
according to the speed of the engine, whereby the time of ignition is automatically
varied and controlled to occur at the proper time according to the speed of the
engine.
Reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a gasoline engine embodying my
invention.
Figures 2 and 3, are enlarged perspective views of my improved means for
varying the ignition lead according to the speed of the engine.
Figure 4, is a cross sectional view of the same.
A represents a cylinder having the usual water jacket, and B the inlet to the
C is the exhaust valve and D the
explosion end thereof for the explosive mixture.
piston. E is the driving shaft, F the crank pin thereof, and G the piston rod.
Extending preferably transverse the cylinder and parallel with the driving
shaft E is a counter shaft H carrying a cam K engaging a wheel M in the lower
end of the exhaust valve stem 0, the shaft H being driven through the medium
of the gears I and J whereby the shaft H has one revolution to every two of the
shaft E as is usual in explosion engines. The cam K is so situated and is adjust-

page_text: able upon the shaft H through the medium of the clamping screw L, that the
exhaust valve is lifted at the proper time to permit the escape of the exhaust.
Situated preferably within the explosive inlet B are the electric contacts,
consisting of a stationary contact f and an oscillating shaft e also electrically
connected, the said shaft having at its inner end an arm d carrying a contact
to engage with the inwardly projecting end of the contact f. The outer end of
the oscillating shaft e is connected with the operating bar i through the medium
of a U-shaped spring h. This bar i is reciprocated through the medium of a cam
to be presently described, whereby it is lifted to cause the arm d to make contact,
and then suddenly dropped to quickly separate the contacts for producing the
spark. The special function of the spring his to insure a perfect electrical con-
tact, and even pressure at all times, while it also serves to take up any wear which
may occur upon the contacts and therefore its form may be varied without de-
parting from the scope of my invention.
My improved means for effecting the ignition or spark at the proper time
according to the speed of the engine consists of a cam. This cam comprises a
collar adjustably held to the shaft H by means of a set screw a¹, the collar
having at one end a cam s which begins at the point and having its opposite
end in a perpendicular line but bevelled outward to form a bevelled or tapered
end as shown at w. Situated outside and parallel with this cam s is a flange u
having both its ends tapered or bevelled as shown at y and y¹. This cam is
situated within a box j, its top k having an opening through which the lower
end of the rod i passes. A spring m serves to hold the rod normally downward,
and a spring n serves to hold it normally outward against the upper wall of the
box, and the outer surfaces of the camss and u are in the same plane, and rest:
against the adjacent face of the boxing ; as clearly illustrated.
The operation of my invention is as follows:-
The cam rotating in the direction indicated by arrow in Figures 2 and 3, the
lower extremity of the rod i is engaged first by the point t of the cam thus
gradually lifting the rod and making contact of the electric sparker, until the
opposite and tapered end of the cam is reached when the rod drops suddenly
downward causing a sudden and quick separation of the contacts for creating the
sparks. When the engine is running at its normal speed, the lower end of
the rod i will follow the flange u and its tapered end y, and on to the end or
extremity of the tapered portion of the cam s. When the speed of the engine
is increased however, and the cam therefore rapidly rotating, the light spring m
will not hold or pull the lower end of the rod against the tapered end of the flange
or cam u, thus causing the rod to travel in a straight line and dropping off of the
tapered end w at a point inside of its extremity thus causing it to drop off sooner,
as will be readily understood. The weight of the rod and the strength of the 4
spring n are made of the proportion and strength to cause this result. The
taper y serves to force the rod laterally as the cam is being rotated as will be
readily understood by reference to Figure 1, so that it will again move in at
the opposite taper y when the engine is running at its normal speed. When how-
ever, as before stated, the speed of the engine is increased the rod will drop off the 4
tapered end w further from its extremity, thus making a quicker ignition.
This tapered portion serves still another function, in that if the engine is run
backwards, there will be no breaking or displacing or straining of the parts, in
that the lower end of the rod will simply be forced laterally and travel in the
groove r.
5
A device of this character is found to automatically regulate the ignition lead
of the engine according to the speed thereof which is very desirable to get the
maximum power of the explosion in that the full explosion does not occur at
the instant of ignition, it requiring a fraction of a second to ignite the whole
of the charge; hence the most effective explosion is obtained by causing the 5
ignition when the pitman is on the centre, so that the ignition of the full
charge occurs just after it passes the centre, when the engine is running at normál

page_text: speed. It will thus be apparent that to get the ignition of the whole of the charge
the instant the piston passes the centre when the engine is running very rapidly,
the spark must take place earlier to get the maximum power of the explosion,
which is secured when the whole of the charge is ignited the instant the piston
passes its centre, at which instant the charge is under the greatest compression,
as is well understood by those skilled in the art. The taper of the cam and the
weight of the rod i and the tension of the spring n are made of a proportion to
accomplish this result as before stated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A sparker actuating device for explosion engines comprising a cam having
an abrupt end wall, a tapered end, and a projecting flange ending at a point
inside the abrupt end of the cam, substantially as described.
2. A sparker actuating device for explosion engines comprising a collar having
a cam with one end beginning on a plane therewith and its opposite end having
an abrupt tapered wall, the cam having a parallel projecting flange at its longest
side with tapered ends, substantially as described.
3. An electric sparker for explosion engines comprising electric contacts, means
for suddenly separating the contacts, a rotating cam having an abrupt end wall
and a tapered end, and an endwise and laterally moving member engaging the
said cam and operating one of the contacts, substantially as described.
4. An electric sparker for explosion engines comprising contacts, means for
separating them, a rotating cam having an abrupt end wall and a tapered end,
and a parallel flange at the outer side of the cam ending at a point inside the end
of the cam, substantially as described.
5. An electric sparker comprising contacts, means for separating them, a rota-
ting cam having an abrupt end wall and a tapered end, and a parallel flange at
the outer side of the cam and extending parallel therewith having a tapered end
ending at a point inside of the end of the cam, combined with an endwise and
laterally movable actuating member engaging the cam and operating one of the
contacts, substantially as described.
6. An electric spark for explosion engines comprising contacts, means for
separating them, a rotating cam, an end wall against which the face of the cam
rotates, the cam having an abrupt end wall tapered outward, and a flange parallel
with the outer face of the cam projecting outward therefrom, the ends of the
flange being tapered and the end adjacent the tapered end of the cam ending
at a point inside of the end of the cam, substantially as described.
7. An electric sparker comprising contacts a rotating cam having an abrupt
and diagonally extending wall, a flange projecting from the cam and extending
parallel therewith and having its ends ending at a point inside the end wall of
the cam, a rod having one end engaging the cam, a spring holding the rod
normally downward, a spring holding the rod normally against the said flange,
the opposite end of the rod connected with the movable contact, substantially as
described.
8. A sparker for explosion engines, substantially as herein shown and
described.
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.