Improvements in Engine Governors or Rotary Speed Regulators.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 1st July, 1891-Accepted, 19th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Engine Governors or Rotary Speed Regulators.
I, FRANÇOIS VAN RYSSELBERGHE, Electrical Engineer, of 37, Rue Philippe-
le-Bon Brussels, Belgium, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has for its object, to provide an isochronous speed regulator,
which answers all practical requirements. It is well-known, that theoretically
isochronism will be realised, if, for a given speed, the dynamic equilibrium of the
governor is independent of the position of its elements. In practice, however, it is
also necessary, that the passive resistances in the governor, such as the resistance
produced by the friction in the joints, should be as small as possible, otherwise the
mechanism will lack precision, even if it theoretically satisfies the conditions of
isochronism.
My regulator is constructed like a balance, inasmuch as the only joint in it is a
knife-edge or a pair of knife edges, but instead of a straight scale beam, it has a
beam composed of two arms, at right angles to each other, and the support of the
knife edge turns on a vertical axis passing through the centre of the horizontal
arm.
Equilibrium exists, if the centrifugal force of the mass attached to the upper
end of the vertical arm balances the weight of the mass fixed to the free end of the
horizontal arm; but this equilibrium would be unstable without the aid of a spring
or other force which counteracts the increase of centrifugal force of the mass on the
vertical arm, when the latter recedes from the axis of rotation of the governor, by
the operation of the latter.
For minute displacements of the governor, the increase of centrifugal force is
approximately proportional to the angle of deflection of the balance, and the
tension of the spring should therefore also be proportional to that angle.
The said spring may be fixed with one end to a sleeve mounted on the horizontal
balance arm, and abut with the other end against a ring fixed to the stand or frame
of the instrument, so that in proportion as the horizontal arm rises, the other
extremity of the spring presses against the underside of the said ring, and opposes a
resistance to the further up-motion of the balance-arm.
The machine, of which the speed is to be controlled, causes the support of the
balance arms, that is to say the bearing or bearings of the knife edge, to revolve on
a vertical pivot, the axis of which intersects the horizontal balance arm, as
mentioned above, and the deflection of the balance arm in its vertical plane is
utilized by any suitable means for controlling the speed of the engine, with which
the governor is connected.
If it is sufficient, to introduce friction, when the speed tends to accelerate, the
spring mentioned above, may attain this object by sliding with its extremity on the
horizontal circular ring, which serves as abutment.
Dated this 1st day of October 1890.
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
433, Strand, London, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: °
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Engine Governors or Rotary Speed Regulators.
I, FRANÇOIS VAN RYSSELBERGHE, Electrical Engineer, of 37, Rue Philippe-
le-Bon, Brussels, Belgium, 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 an isochronous speed regulator, which
answers all practical requirements. It is well known, that theoretically isochronism
will be realised, if for a given speed, the dynamic equilibrium of the governor is
independent of the position of its elements. In practice, however, it is also
necessary, that the passive resistances in the governor, such as the resistance
produced by the friction in the joints, should be as small as possible, otherwise the
mechanism will lack precision, even if it theoretically satisfies the conditions of
isochronism.
My regulator is constructed like a balance, inasmuch as the only joint in it is a
knife edge, but instead of. a straight scale beam, it has a beam composed of two
arms at right angles to each other, and the support of the knife edge turns on a
vertical axis passing through the centre of the horizontal arm.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 is a vertical section and Fig. 2 a plan of a governor embodying my
invention.
Equilibrium exists, if the centrifugal force of the mass Q attached to the upper
end of the vertical arm A Q balances the weight of the mass P fixed to the free
end of the horizontal arm A-P; but this equilibrium would be unstable without
the aid of a light spring R S or other force, which counteracts the increase of
centrifugal force of the mass Q, when the latter recedes from the axis of rotation of
the governor, by the operation of the same.
For minute displacements of the governor, the increase of centrifugal force is
approximately proportional to the angle of deflection of the balance, and the
tension of the spring R S should therefore also be proportional to that angle.
The said spring may be fixed with one end to a sleeve mounted on the
horizontal balance arm, as shown by the drawing, and abut with the other end
against a ring F fixed to the stand or frame of the instrument, so that in proportion
as the horizontal arm rises, the other extremity of the spring presses against the
underside of the said ring, and opposes a resistance to the further up-motion of the
said balance arm.
The machine, of which the speed is to be controlled, causes the support of the
balance arms, that is to say the bearing or bearings of the knife edge, to revolve on
a vertical pivot, the axis of which intersects the horizontal balance arm, as
mentioned above, and the deflection of the scale beam or balance arm in its vertical
plane is utilized by any suitable means, for controlling the speed of the machine
with which the governor is connected.
If it is sufficient, to introduce friction when the speed tends to accelerate, the
spring mentioned above may attain this object by sliding with its extremity on the
horizontal circular ring F, which serves as an abutment.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;
1. A rotary speed regulator constructed as a balance supported by a knife edge
and having arms at right angles to each other, substantially as described.
2. In a speed regulator of the type described, the combination of a constant
weight, with a relatively light spring having a tension variable in such a manner,
that the sum of their efforts is always equal to the centrifugal force of a given
mass, substantially as described.

page_text: 3. In isochronous speed regulators of the type described, a spring adapted to
maintain the condition of isochronism and at the same time to act as a regulating
organ, substantially as described.
F. VAN RYSSELBERGHE,
By Fairfax & Wetter,
433, Strand, London, Agents.
F. VAN RYSSELBERGHE,
By Fairfax & Wetter,
433, Strand, London, Agents.