An Improvement in or connected with Gas-engines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left. 29th Nov. 1892-Accented. 31st Dec.. 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in or connected with Gas-engines.
I, ROBERT GEORGE SCHWARZ of 6, Clement's Lane, Lombard Street, in the
City of London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has for its object to provide a gas-engine with means whereby it
may be started by power mechanically stored during the previous running of the
engine, so as to avoid the necessity of turning the engine by hand power for the
purpose of causing it to inhale the first explosive charge.
The invention consists in the combination, with the engine shaft, of means for
accumulating power, such for example as a spring barrel, and of sets of clutch
gear respectively adapted to connect the shaft with the axis or the circumference
of the barrel or otherwise so as, on the one hand, to enable the springs to be wound
up thereby in order to store power during the running of the engine, and on the
other hand, to enable the power so stored to be applied at the required time to
turn the engine shaft in the direction in which it had previously been running.
In order to avoid loss of power, the means of connecting the power-storing
device with the engine shaft would be such that when the power-storing device is
out of gear with the shaft there would be no contact between the two and conse-
quently no friction.
I provide a safety device for preventing the overwinding of the springs in the
event of their having been fully wound up before the engine has come to a
standstill.
Dated this 20th down of T1000
R. G. SCHWARZ,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in or connected with Gas-engines.
I, ROBERT GEORGE SCHWARZ of 6, Clement's Lane, Lombard Street, in the
City of London, Gentleman, 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:-
My invention has for its object to provide a mechanical starting apparatus for
gas engines (under which term I include engines wherein oil vapor is used as the
agent of internal combustion) said starting apparatus being actuated by power
mechanically stored during the previous running of the engine so as to avoid the
necessity of turning the flywheel by hand power at starting.
The invention consists in the combination, with the engine shaft, of a spring
barrel for accumulating power and of clutch gear adapted to connect the engine
shaft with the inner or outer end of the spring or springs so as, on the one hand, to
enable the springs to be wound up in order to store power during the running of
the engine and, on the other hand, to enable the power so stored to be applied at
the required time to turn the engine shaft in the direction in which it had previously
been running.
In order to avoid loss of power, the means of connecting the power-storing device
with the engine shaft would be such that when the power-storing device is out of

page_text: gear with the shaft there would be no contact between the two and consequently no
friction.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, wherein
Figure 1 is an elevation, Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 3 an end view of the barrel
and brake. Figure 4 is a half-sectional elevation, Figure 5 is a cross-section, (on
line 1-1 Figure 4,) Figure 6 an end view, and Figure 7 a section (on line 2-2
Figure 4) the brake being omitted in Figures 4 to 7 for the sake of simplicity.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
A is the end of the engine shaft or of a countershaft in gear therewith, A' a fixed
shaft kept in alignment therewith by a stud a on the one entering a recess in the
other. Bis the spring barrel containing a coiled spring or springs (not shewn)
attached at the outer end to the circumference of the barrel and at the inner end
to a sleeve C loose on fixed shaft A' and on which the barrel B is also free to turn.
D is a friction drum keyed on sleeve C. E, E, are a pair of friction dogs adapted
to engage frictionally with the V-grooved periphery of D, said dogs being carried
by slide blocks F mounted to slide in radial guides on a disc G keyed on engine
shaft A, the dogs being operated through toggle links jointed to the slide
blocks and to a collar H free to slide on, but turning with, shaft A. I is a flange,
fast on the other end of the sleeve C, carrying a number of pawls i which engage
with a ratchet wheel J fast on fixed shaft A. The barrel B has a brake rim K
fast on it, having internal ratchet teeth k with which the dogs E engage when the
latter are moved outwards to their full extent for applying the stored power to
start the engine. L, L, are a pair of brake shoes embracing rim K and pivoted
to a pair of levers M pivoted at one end to a link in carried by the rear cross-
stay n of the framing N. The other ends of the brake levers are coupled by a
spiral spring O tending to apply the brake shoes L to the rim K of barrel B.
The collar H is slid on the shaft A to operate the toggle and clutch gear by a
double or forked lever P engaging with a groove in collar H said lever being
pivoted to a spring-supported fulcrum p on the cross-stay n and operated from a
handing lever Q through the medium of a slide rod R connected to both. This
slide rod has a pair of reversely-inclined cam-surfaces r, r, which, when the rod R
is moved sufficiently to the left in Figure 1, come between a pair of rollers,
carried by thrust rods S bolted to the brake levers M, as shewn in Figures 1 and 3,
the slide rod being guided by the front cross-stay N₁ of the frame which is an
angle iron slotted to give passage to the upper inclined cam r. The cams 1, by
thrusting apart the rollers s, overcome the spring O and cause the brake shoes L
to release the rim K. The frame is mainly supported by a standard T and steadied
at the other end by the shaft A and is provided with three holes u in one of which
engages a spring bolt U to retain the clutch gear in either of three positions as
required, the operation of the apparatus being as follows-To store power, the
parts are placed in the position shewn in Figures 1 to 4, the friction clutch D, E,
being in gear and the brakes L being applied by the spring O so that the shaft A;
running in the direction of the arrow, winds up the power storing spring through
the medium of the friction clutch D, E, and sleeve C, the brake L acting as an
abutment and the pawls i slipping idly over the ratchet teeth. If, in the winding
up of the spring, the engine is stopped, the pawls and ratchet i, J, will prevent the
spring unwinding by turning the engine backwards but if the engine continues
running when the spring is wound up, the brakes or the clutch will slip and if it is
desired that the engine should continue running the handing lever Q must be moved
to its mid-position thereby disengaging the dogs E from drum D without however
engaging them with rim K, the spring being prevented from unwinding as before
by pawls and ratchet wheel J. In this position the parts E, F, G, H, alone
rotate with the shaft A. In order to apply the stored power to restart the engine
at any time, the handing lever Q is moved to the left, thereby first throwing the
dogs E into gear with ratchet teeth and then by means of the cams r releasing
the brake shoes L from rim K and so permitting the latter to rotate the shaft ▲

page_text: in the direction in which it was previously running. Should, however, the dogs E
happen to come against the tops of the teeth k, the motion of the slide rod R
necessary to enable the cams to release the brakes will still be permitted by the
yielding of the spring-supported fulcrum p of lever P and as soon as the brakes
Blacken and rim K begins to rotate, the dogs E will be thrown fully into gear
with teeth k by the action of the spring p. When the engine has been fairly
started, the dogs are returned to the mid-position and the brake shoes applied to
the brake drum.
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. The herein described mechanical power-storing gas-engine starter constructed
and applied to operate substantially in the manner specified.
2. In a gas-engine power-storing starter, the combination, with a spring barrel
turning on a sleeve loose on a fixed shaft to which and to the barrel the springs
are attached, of clutch gear adapted to engage the engine shaft either with the
barrel or the sleeve, spring-applied brakes adapted to hold the barrel stationary
and ratchet gear connected to the sleeve to prevent unwinding substantially as
specified.
3. In a gas-engine power-storing starter, the combination, with the spring barrel
and sleeve the clutch gear and the spring-applied brake, of the gear for operating
the clutch gear and putting the brake into or out of action, substantially as
specified.
R. G. SCHWARZ,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.