Improvements in Gas and Oil Motor Engines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Apr., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 19th Dec., 1990-Accepted, 24th Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas and Oil Motor Engines.
1, Dr. NICOLAUS AUGUST UTTO, of Cologne, in the Empire of Germany,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists in a method of obtaining in four-stroke-cycle gas or oil
motor engines, a higher degree of uniformity of action by causing the igniting device
of the engine cylinder to be put out of action during one or more working strokes,
so that the explosive charge drawn in cannot be ignited, but is successively compressed
and allowed to expand again in the cylinder until the regulating mechanism puts the
igniting apparatus into action again, so that at the end of the next following com-
pressing stroke the explosive charge will be ignited.
For carrying out this mode of operating, the igniting apparatus is so arranged and
operated by means of a governor, that when the engine is running too fast, the
governor prevents the igniting apparatus from firing the charge in the cylinder;
this may conveniently be effected by arranging in connection with a heated igniting
tube of known construction a cylindrical chamber containing a sliding piston, which
chamber communicates both with the interior of the igniting tube and with the
engine cylinder. The piston has at one point a circular groove which, when the
piston is moved into a certain position by the reciprocating rod of an inertia
governor, establishes the communication between the igniting tube and the engine
cylinder, but when the piston is not acted upon by the governor rod owing to the
engine running too fast, the piston is held by a spring in a position in which it cuts
off the communication between the igniting tube and the cylinder.
The engine shaft has a crank or eccentric which imparts a to and fro motion to a
lever carrying a pivotted catch rod, adapted to push open the discharge valve of the
engine when brought in line with its stem, but which is acted upon by a spring
tending to keep it out of line with the valve stem. This rod is connected by a link
to a small piston or flexible diaphragm in a casing which is made to communicate
with the engine cylinder at such a point that the communication is uncovered by the
piston when near the end of its outstroke, so that when there exists an overpressure
in the cylinder resulting from the explosion of a charge, this pressure acting upon
the small piston causes it to push the catch. rod in line with the valve stem against
the action of the spring but when there is only atmospheric pressure or a partial vacuum
in the cylinder, such as occurs during the suction outstroke, the small piston does
not bring the catch rod in line with the valve stem.
The action of this apparatus is as follows.
When the engine runs too fast, an explosive charge drawn into the cylinder and
then compressed is not ignited, consequently when the piston performs its next out-
stroke the charge expands again. As in this case when the piston arrives near the
end of its outstroke and uncovers the communication with the small piston or
diaphragm, the pressure being only about that of the atmosphere, the discharge valve
will not be opened, and consequently the charge will be again compressed by the
following instroke. This action will continue until the speed has been sufficiently
reduced to cause the governor to open the communication between the igniting
apparatus and the cylinder again, whereupon at the end of the next following
compressing stroke, the charge will be ignited.
The pressure then produced in the cylinder will cause the small piston to bring
the catch rod in line with the discharge valve stem, so that at the following instroke
the discharge valve will he opened.
Deted this 10th day of Anril 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas and Oil Motor Engines.
I, Dr. NICOLAUS AUGUST OTTO, of Cologne, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer,
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 consists in a method of obtaining in four-stroke-cycle gas or oil
motor engines a higher degree of uniformity of action, by causing the igniting device
of the engine cylinder to be put out of action during one or more working strokes,
so that the explosive charge drawn in cannot be ignited but is successively compressed
and allowed to expand again in the cylinder until the regulating mechanism puts
the igniting apparatus into action again, so that at the end of the next following
compressing stroke the explosive charge will be ignited.
I will describe by way of example à construction of engine for carrying out the
above described method of operating, referring to the accompanying drawing in
which Fig. 1 shews a side view of a gas motor engine with the igniting apparatus
in section.
The engine shaft carries a crank or eccentric a the connecting rod 6 of which
actuates a hell-crank lever i, whose vertical arm imparts motion by means of a link k
to the side of an inertia governor ", while the horizontal arm has pivoited to it a
catch rod c. The end of the governor arm engages, as the normal speed of the
engine, with the notch on the stem of a piston 1, having a circular groove m and
capable of working backwards and forwards in the cylindrical casing of the igniting
apparatus. This piston is acted on by a spring at its inner end tending to keep it in
the forward position, in which the groove m does not communicate with the opening
leading to the heated igniting tube, nor with a second opening leading to the
cylinder, this being the position shewn on the drawing.
When however the piston is pushed backward by the forward motion of the
governor r, the groove m is made to establish the communication between the
cylinder A and the igniting tube z, whereby the ignition of the explosive charge is
effected.
The catch-rod c on the lever i is held out of gear with the notched end of the
discharge valve stem d by a spring e, and it is connected by a link n with the
rod of a piston (or it might be a flexible diaphragm) the cylindrical casing of
which communicates by a connecting passage o with the interior of the cylinder,
as soon as the engine piston, in the course of its outstroke, passes beyond the
point o; this position is indicated by the line on the indicator diagram at
Fig. 2. When, during such outstroke the pressure in the cylinder A is above that
of the atmosphere, the piston h will be forced forward by such pressure at the
time above mentioned, and will bring the catch-rod c in line with the discharge
valve stem d so that when by the motion of the crank a, the lever i is made to
raise the catch-rod c, it will force open the discharge valve f against the action
of its spring so as to allow the products of combustion to escape.
Referring to the diagram Fig. 2 the action of the machine is as follows:
On the suction or charging stroke of the engine-piston, an explosive charge will
enter the cylinder through the mixing valve p of known construction.
The piston, when arrived at the point Fig. 2, will open the communication
with the casing of piston h, but the partial vacuum then existing in the cylinder A
will not affect the position of piston h, and the catch-rod c will remain out of line
with the valve stem d, so that at the return stroke, when the catch-rod will be raised,
it will fail to open the discharge valve, and the explosive charge will consequently be
compressed.
Towards the end of such compressing stroke, the rod of the inertia governor r
will have pushed back the piston I so far against the action of its spring, that when
arrived at the dead centre, the groove m will establish the communication between the

page_text: cylinder A and the igniting tube z so as to effect the ignition of the compressed
charge. The engine piston being thereupon made to perform its working outstroke,
it will again establish the communication with the piston h through passage o when it
passes the point xx Fig. 2 so that the pressure then existing in the cylinder A being
communicated to piston h this will push catch rod c in line with the valve stem d, and
consequently when c rises at the commencement of the return expelling stroke, it wil!
force valve f open and keep it open during the stroke so as to allow the combustion
gases to escape. At the end of the expelling stroke, the catch rod c in descending is
freed from the notch of d, and can then be drawn back into the position shewn, by the
spring e, at the same time moving the piston into its backward position again. The
above described action will be repeated at each cycle of four strokes.
It will be seen from the above that the catch rod c will only be brought in gear
with the discharge valve stem d when the ignition of a charge has been effected,
and this will take place as well with a perfect ignition as with an imperfect ignition
of the charge (see diagram 7 Fig. 2) if the communication o is effected at the point a
shewn.
If now, owing to the engine running too fast, the rod of the inertia governor » fails
to push back the piston 7, so that no communication is established between the
cylinder A and the igniting tube z, and consequently the compressed charge is not
ignited, then on the following outstroke, the charge will expand again, and as, by the
time the piston has arrived at the point where it establishes the communication
through o with the piston h, the pressure is not sufficient to cause this to overcome the
pull of the spring e, the catch rod e will remain drawn back and the discharge valve will
remain closed during the following instroke, and the engine piston will consequently
continue to alternately compress and expand the explosive charge in the cylinder
until the speed has become sufficiently reduced to cause the inertia governor to act
on the piston again so as to ignite such charge at the end of a compression
instroke, and thus at once effect a working outstroke again.
In the arrangement shewn on the drawing, the regulation is effected by an inertia
governor, and the ignition by a heated igniting tube, but it will be readily understood
that any other suitable modes of regulation and of ignition may be employed in
carrying out the above described invention.
The starting of the engine is effected by the aid of the cock H, through which, on
starting, a portion of the charge drawn in is discharged again into the escape flue
until, on attaining the correct proportions of gas and air, the charges become
ignited, whereupon the cock H is closed again. Fig. 3 shews a diagram of the four-
stroke-cycle.
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 four-stroke-cycle gas or oil motor engine the combination of means whereby
the opening of the discharge valve of the cylinder is effected by means of the
pressure produced in the cylinder on the explosion of the charge, with an igniting
device controlled by a governor in such manner that when the engine runs too
fast, the igniting device is prevented by the governor from igniting the com-
bustible charge in the cylinder so that the charge is alternately compressed and
expanded by the engine piston until the speed is again reduced substantially as
described.
2. In apparatus for retaining an un-ignited combustible charge in the cylinder of a
four-stroke-cycle gas or oil motor engine when it is running too fast, the combination
of a piston or equivalent device in a cylinder communicating with the engine
cylinder A, a catch rod c connected to the said piston and receiving reciprocating
motion from lever i which at the same time imparts reciprocating motion to an inertia
governor r, the stem d of a discharge valve which is operated by the catch rod c when
a charge has been exploded in the cylinder, and an igniting device lz acted upon by
the inertia governor so as to prevent its communication with the cylinder charge
2

page_text: when the engine runs too fast, substantially as described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
101 1
ր DL1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.