Improvements in Gas and Oil Motor Engines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 20th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oc'., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE GAS MOTOREN FABRIK DEUTZ, of
Koeln-Deutz, in the German Empire, Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Gas and Oil Motor Engines.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
in the County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object, the construction of a gas or oil motor engine
in such manner that while capable of developing considerable power, it shall
occupy as small a space as possible in the direction of its width and height, so as
to be specially applicable where the space for placing the engine is limited, as in
the case of vehicles to be driven by gas or oil motor engines.
For this purpose two such engines are arranged in line with and opposite each
other, both piston rods being connected to one and the same crank on the engine
shaft, which also carries a fly wheel. A countershaft extending along the entire
length of the two engines is geared to the engine shaft by a pair of equal worm
wheels, so as to revolve at the same speed therewith; the said countershaft also
carries at each end a centrifugal governor that governs the speed of the respective
engine. This countershaft drives two smaller countershafts by means of gearing
proportioned as two to one, so that the smaller countershafts are made to revolve
at half the speed of the engine shaft. They carry the cams that actuate the
levers of the discharge valves of the two cylinders.
On the first named countershaft are arranged cams that act upon the levers of
the gas admission valves, these cams being mounted on sleeves that can slide on
the countershaft and are connected to or formed in one with the sleeves of the
centrifugal governors, so that when the engines run too fast, the governors move
the sleeves so that the cams are prevented from acting upon the gas valve levers
during one or more strokes.
The said sleeve also has a neck which is embraced by a forked lever on a shaft
that also carries two horizontal lever-arms loaded with weights, and so arranged as
to cause the forked lever to press upon the cam sleeve in the contrary direction to
that in which the spring of the governor acts, so that the governor arms, being
relieved of their spring pressure, become very sensitive, and will move the cam
out of gear with the gas valve lever when a comparatively low speed is exceeded.
The said loaded levers are however connected to a device whereby one or both
can be raised, and thus be made to relieve the forked lever partially or wholly of
their load, so that the governor spring can act either fully or partially on the
governor sleeve. By this means the governor will act upon the gas valve
cam only when the engine is running at a higher speed than before, such speed
being variable according as one or both levers are raised.
Thus when both loaded levers are allowed to act on the governor sleeve, the
engine will run at a slow speed, when the one lever is raised it will run at a medium
speed, and when both are raised it will run at a fast speed.
In order to enable the regulation of both engines to be effected simultaneously
from one end of the combined engines, the said levers of each engine are connected
by chains of unequal length to an overhead drum, on the shaft of which is fixed a
pitch wheel, and these pitch wheels of the two engines are geared together by a
pitch chain.
The one shaft carries a hand lever by which it and consequently the pitch
wheels and drums cau be simultaneously turned into three different positions.

page_text: 1
In the one position both chains of each engine hang loose so as to allow both
pairs of weighted levers to act upon the governor sleeves; on moving the hand
lever into the second position, the two chains having the least amount of slack will
be wound on their drums and thus raise the two corresponding weighted levers,
while on moving the hand lever into the third position, the other two weighted
levers are also raised.
The ignition of the combustible charges of the cylinders is preferably effected
by an electric current; for this purpose it is preferred to provide each engine with
a magneto-electric machine whose armature. carries a lever arm that, at each
revolution of the slow-motion countershaft is moved by a cam on the latter from
the central position through a certain angle, and is then moved rapidly back again
by a spring when it is released by the cam. By this means a short but powerful
electric current is produced in the circuit of the magneto machine, in which is
included the electric igniter of the engine.
Dated this 19th day of January 1802
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas and Oil Motor Engines.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
in the County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 :-
This invention has for its object, the construction of a four-stroke-cycle gas or
.oil motor engine in such manner that while capable of developing considerable
power, it shall occupy as small a space as possible in the direction of its width and
height, so as to be specially applicable where the space for placing the engine is
limited, as in the case of vehicles to be driven by gas or oil motor engines.
For this purpose two such engines are arranged in line with and opposite each
other, both piston rods being connected to one and the same crank on the engine
shaft, which also carries a fly wheel. A counter shaft extending along the entire
length of the two engines is geared to the engine shaft by a pair of equal worm
wheels, so as to revolve at the same speed therewith; the said countershaft also
carries at each end a centrifugal governor that governs the speed of the respective
engine. This countershaft drives two smaller countershafts by means of gearing
proportioned as two to one, so that the smaller countershafts are made to revolve
at half the speed of the engine shaft. They carry the cams that actuate the
levers of the discharge valves of the two cylinders.
On the first named countershaft are arranged cains that act upon the levers of
the gas admission valves, these cams being mounted on sleeves that can slide on
the countershaft and are connected to or formed in one with the sleeves of the
centrifugal governors, so that when the engines run too fast, the governors move
the sleeves so that the cams are prevented from acting upon the gas valve levers
during one or more strokes.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shews the side elevation of the above
described improved construction of gas or oil motor engine; Fig. 2 shews a plan
of the same, and Fig. 3 shews an end view. CC are the cylinders of two gas
motor engines, arranged in line with each other on opposite sides of the crank
shaft B provided with a flywheel D, the piston rods being connected to one and
the same crank. B. Extending along the whole length of the engine, parallel with
the longitudinal axis thereof, is a countershaft s' carried in suitable bearings on the
frame, and which is geared with the crankshaft by means of two equal worm
wheels and Q, so that the countershaft revolves at the same speed as the
engine shaft. This shaft carries on its projecting ends two centrifugal

page_text: governors T for regulating the speed of the engines, as will be presently described,
and it is geared with two other countershafts ss by means of spur gearing R R¹
proportioned as two to one, so that the shafts ss revolve at half the speed of the
engine shaft. These shafts are provided with cams and for actuating respec-
tively the discharge valves of the engine cylinders and the magneto-electrical
devices for igniting the charges.
By the above described arrangement of a countershaft s' running at the same
speed as the engine shaft, and two other countershafts ss running at half that
speed, the before mentioned compart construction of the combined engine is
attained, as by this means it is rendered possible to fix the governors T directly
on the countershaft s', which is not possible with a countershaft running at half
the speed of the engine. On the other hand, by the employment of equal sized
transmission wheels QQ the wheel Q is only half the size it would have to be
if the shaft & ran at half the speed of the engine shaft, so that the shaft s' can
be placed much closer against the side of the engines, and the governors
consequently require much less room in width and height than with the ordinary
arrangement.
The gas supply valves at G, supplied with gas through pipes g and regulating
cocks H, are actuated by means of levers h² and cams non sleeves S carried by
the shafts, so as to revolve therewith, but capable of sliding thereon, such
sleeves being connected to or formed in one with the sleeves of the governors T.
Thus when the engine runs too fast, the governors, in moving the sleeves S along
the shaft, bring the cams 2 out of, gear with the gas vaive lever h², so that the
gas valve remains closed at the next charging stroke or strokes, until the speed is
reduced again.
The air supply for the combustible charges enters through pipe into the
admission valve chamber M of ordinary construction, in which is the usual
automatic admission valve interposed between the gas and air supply and the
cylinder. In this chamber the air mixes with the gas supply from G. and on the
automatic opening of the admission valve at the charging stroke of the piston,
the charge of gas and air is drawn into the cylinder, such charge being then
compressed by the return stroke and ignited at the end of such stroke by an
electrical igniter, supplied with current from a magneto electric apparatus Z.
This consists of permanent magnets having a rotatable armature whose axis Z¹
carries a lever ¹ that is acted upon by a cam or wiper n¹ on shaft & so as to be
turned thereby through a certain angle from its middle position. On the cam
releasing the lever, this together with the armature is thrown rapidly back into its
original position by a spring, thereby producing a short but powerful electric
current by means of a suitable interrupter in connection therewith, in a well known
manner, and thus producing the requisite igniting spark in the igniter in the
cylinder.
The discharge valve A of the engine is actuated by a lever pivotted at h³,
the roller of which lever is acted upon by a face cam n formed on the face of
the wheel R' on shaft s.
The speed of the combined engine is regulated directly without the use of
variable transmission gear, so as to run fast, medium, or slow, by the following
Ieans. The governor or cam sleeve S has a neck into which takes a forked
lever fixed on a shaft t' carried by a bracket on the engine frame. On the
other end of the shaft t' are mounted, loose, two horizontal levers p p' loaded with
adjustable weights P P. The levers are supported in the horizontal position by
bearing with notches in their bosses on studs on the shaft t', so that by means of
this connection they tend to turn the shaft so as to cause levert to press the
governor sleeve in the contrary direction to that in which the governor spring T¹
acts upon the sleeve and governor arms; the pressure thus exercised by the
levers p p is so proportioned as nearly to balance the contrary pressure of the
governor spring, so that, the governor, being very sensitive under these conditions,
will move the cam n' out of gear with the gas valve lever when a comparatively

page_text: slow speed of the engine is exceeded, and consequently the engine will then run
at a slow speed. If now, say, the weighted lever p be raised up sufficiently to
take its pressure off the lever t and sleeve S, then as the governor will be subject
to an increased pressure of its spring, it will be less sensitive, and will only move
the cam n¹ out of gear when a certain higher speed is exceeded, so that the engine
will then run at a medium speed.
If on the other hand, both levers be so raised up, the governor will be subject
to the full pressure of its spring, and will allow the engine to be run at a quick
speed.
For enabling such regulation of the action of both governors to be readily
simultaneously effected by hand from one end of the combined engines, the two
weighted levers p p of each engine are connected by slack chains kk' to a
drum m the axis of which is suitably supported by a bracket and carries a chain
pulley N, the two pullies N being geared together by an endless pitch chain A*.
The chains of the levers p' have more slack than the chains k of the levers p,
so that on the simultaneous rotation of both drums m by means of a crank
handle K on the axis of the one drum, the chains & will first be simultaneously
coiled up so as to raise the levers p p, while on the further rotation of the drums
the chains will also be sufficiently wound up to raise the levers pl p². The slack
of the chains is so proportioned that when the crank handle K is in the position I
Fig. 1, the governors are loaded by both the weighted levers, for the slow speed;
when it is in the position II, both the levers are raised, for the medium speed,
and when it is in the position III all the levers are raised, for the quick speed.
The other parts of the engine are constructed in the well known manner, and
need therefore not be further described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
.
1. In a gas or oil motor engine, the combination of two four-stroke-cycle engine
cylinders arranged in line with each other on opposite sides of an engine shaft B
and having their piston rods connected to one and the same crank, a countershaft s
geared with the engine shaft so as to run at the same speed therewith, and
carrying the governors T T and the gas valve cams n' n', and two further counter-
shafts geared with the shaft s' so as to run at half the speed of the engine
shaft, and carrying cams n of the discharge valves A, and cams n' actuating
magneto electric igniting apparatus Z, substantially as described.
2. In a combined gas engine arranged as set forth in the first claim, the com-
bination, with the governors, of weighted levers so arranged as to counteract the
pressure of the governor spring, and to be capable of being raised so as to allow
the governor spring to act with greater or less force and thus cause the engine to
work at a greater or less speed, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of September 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.