A Lighting Regulator for Gas and Petroleum Motors, Lighting Electrically.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Nov., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Aug., 1898-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Lighting Regulator for Gas and Petroleum Motors, Lighting
Electrically.
I, HENRY MARIE LEON CROUAN, of 21, Boulevard National, Clichy, Department
of Seine, France, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of the present invention is a regulator for producing automatically
and at a proper moment according to the speed of the machine, the lighting of the
exploding gases in the gas and petroleum motors lighting electrically.
The object of this apparatus is to keep the speed of the motor regular by making
the moment of the projecting of the spark vary automatically according to the speed
of the motor, a result which can only be obtained by a hand regulator with other
motors and is consequently very imperfect.
The ensemble of the regulator is composed of two essential parts: a fixed regulat-
ing disc and a centrifugal regulator arranged on the fly-wheel.
The regulating disc is formed of a circular plate of insulating matter fixed upon
the motor in front of the fly-wheel. This disc has, on its exterior face and fixed
in its body, a copper plate bent and cut according to a special form determinated
according to the maximum and minimum degree of inflammation corresponding
respectively with the maximum and minimum speed the motor can attain; besides
this plate is connected by a conductor with one of the poles of an electrical current
supply so as to form a fixed contact.
The centrifugal regulator is composed of a metallic arm oscillating around an
axle fixed upon the interior face of the fly-wheel. This arm, which stretches in
the opposite direction to that of the rotation tends to approach the driving shaft
by the action of a spiral spring fixed upon the fly-wheel and intended to partly
compensate the action of the centrifugal force upon the arm; moreover, this arm
bears upon its free extremity a transversal copper plate terminated by a stem fixed
perpendicular to this plate and coming in contact with the fixed disc during the
rotation of the fly-wheel.
The motor being electrically connected with the free pole of the electric supply
when the friction rod passes over the plate of the fixed disc, the electric circuit is
shut by the motor, the centrifugal regulator, the disc plate and the conductor con-
necting the latter with the electrical current supply; this circuit being then broken
as soon as the friction stem leaves the plate of the disc.
The working of this regulator is very simple and easy to understand; according
to the speed of the motor the oscillating arm of the fly-wheel urged by the centri-
fugal force, will recede more or less from the driving shaft and consequently the
friction stem will describe larger or smaller circumference on the fixed plate; the
result of this is that owing to the appropriate form of the disc plate, the friction
stem will come in contact with the latter at different moments corresponding with
the course of the piston and will produce the lighting, according to the speed of the
motor with a certain advance over the arrival of the piston at the end of its stroke.

page_text: Owing to this advance of the inflammation a more or less compression will be
produced behind the piston the effect of which is to bring the piston and conse-
quently the main-shaft back to its normal speed.
Dotad
זן.
1 1
L. DUVINAGE
Agent for Applicant.
A Lighting Regulator for Gas and Petroleum Motors, Lighting
Electrically.
I, HENRY MARIE LÉON CROUAN, of 21, Boulevard National, Clichy, Department
of Seine, France, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:―
It is known that in high speed motors having electric ignition, the moment when
the spark is given out or produced should not correspond to that at which the
piston is at the bottom of its stroke, but should precede the latter proportionately
more the faster the motor rotates, or else the action upon the working of the latter
will be injurious.
Up to the present time this variation in the point of ignition could only be pro-
duced by hand. It followed from this that if the speed of the motor decreased
or increased by reason of some outside influence, its point of ignition did not
correspond to the new speed, and its power diminished sometimes up to the stoppage
thereof.
The mechanism now described has for its object to obviate this defect by auto-
matically regulating the ignition in accordance with the speed of the motor.
The drawing only illustrates the parts of this regulator, and the flier or rotating
part of the motor upon which the movable part is mounted.
Upon the motor, facing the flier, or rotating part, is fixed a disc formed of
insulating material D, and located in the thickness of the disc, is a copper blade C,
of a special shape, determined in accordance with the maximum and the minimum
of lead necessary for the maximum and minimum speed at which the motor should
run. (In the present instance we assume up to revolution of lead which represents
a considerable speed.
This arrangement forms the fixed contact. The insulated piece of copper C is
connected to one of the wires of the battery or of the accumulator, and the current
will be interrupted so long as this piece of copper is not in contact with the movable
piece which, mounted upon the flier, or rotating part of the motor, is connected to
the other wire of the accumulator or of the battery through the medium of the
said motor.
The movable piece P consists of a blade capable of oscillating round an axis 0,
under the action of centrifugal force, but which a spring R tends constantly to
bring or draw back. This piece carries a copper blade L terminating in a stem T
which rubs against the fixed contact disc.
When the speed is slow, centrifugal force not acting, the stem T assumes the
position indicated at T, and follows on the disc the path marked "low speed."
The spark will therefore be produced when the stem T arrives at the point 4
marked I in contact with the insulated piece of copper C.

page_text: When the maximum speed is attained, the stem assumes the position indicated
at T and the path followed on the disc is that indicated "high speed." The
ignition is then effected at the point marked 3, that is to say with half a revolution
of lead.
Finally for a speed included between the highest and the lowest, the stem T will
make contact and allow the current to pass at a corresponding point, 2, effecting
the ignition at the desired point.
It is sufficient to make the piece C of such a shape that the contact will be effected
with the desired lead, in accordance with the speed of the motor at that moment
and the displacement of the piece T resulting therefrom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The regulation or adjustment of the ignition point in accordance with the
speed, automatically by that speed itself, without any necessity for outside inter-
vention.
2. In lighting regulators, the combination and arrangement of the various parts
of mechanism, substantially as above described in this specification and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
11
1000
J. P. BAYLY,
18, Fulham Place, London, W., Agent for the Applicant.