US1217244A - Automatic starter and lighter for automobiles. - Google Patents

Description

w. A. TURBAYNE/ AUTOMATIC STARTER AND LIGHTER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2. I912.

- 1,217,244. Patented Feb.27,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

mafia a. 74Z775ay/z6 W. A. TURBAYNE. AUTOMATIC STARTER AND LIGHTER 50R AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2, I9l2.

Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

a SHEETSSHEET 2 W. A. TURBAYNE.

AUTOMATIC STARTER AND LIGHTER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED 050. 2. I912.

,2]. 7,244; Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. TURBAYNE, 0F NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO U. S. LIGHT & HEAT CORPORATION, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEW

YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

Application filed December 2, 1912. Serial No. 734,516.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it'known' that I,'W1LLIAM A. TUR- BAYNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at vNiagara Falls, in the county .of Niagara and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Starters and Lighters for Automobiles, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an automatic starter and lighter for automobiles.

More particularly the invention relates to an automobile starter in which energy may be stored in a rapidly rotating body and which may be utilized to crank the engine.

An object of the invention is to provide an automatic starter in which an electric motor of comparatively small horsepower may be employed.

Another object is to provide a starter having improved means by which the torque of the starting means may be gradually and smoothly applied to'the engine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a starter having improved means by which the rapidly rotating element may be magnetically coupled to the engine in startmg.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means to regulate the speed at which the starting motor may be driven as a generator by the engine.

Another object of the invention is to pr0- vide an electric starter having the advantages enumerated above which is simple in construction and which has a minimum num- 'ber of electric circuits.

drive the field member or as a generator driven by said field member.

clutch member 5, and keyed to the engine shaft 6 in any preferred manner. The fly wheel rim carries a laminated ring 7, preferably of iron or steel. Bars 8, of copper or other suitable material, are-threaded through numerous holes near the inner surface of the ring and are insulated from the ring as by insulation 9. The respective extremities of the bars 8. are connectedby conducting rings 10, preferably of copper.

Thevrotatable field member 2 is arranged within the ring 7 and is freely rotatable on the engine shaft as by being mounted on ball bearings 11 between the hub 12 of the member 2 and a sleeve 13 keyed to the engine shaft. The member 2 carries a field yoke or frame 14, preferably of iron, provided with any suitable number of pole pieces 15 provided with polar faces 16 and magnetic windings 17. The hub 12 carries an insulated slip ring 18 and a sprocket wheel 19.

Brushes 20 of any preferred construction are carried by, but insulated from, the engine casing E and bear on the slip ring 18.

The dynamo electric machine 3 comprises a shunt and series wound machine of small horse power carrying on its armature shaft a sprocket wheel 21 connected to the sprocket wheel 19 by driving chain 22.

The electrical circuits are illustrated in Fig. 3. The dynamo electric machine is-provided with an armature 23, shunt field 24 and series field 25. A storage battery 26 and lamps, or other devices, 27 are arranged in parallel branches across the main supply leads 28-29. An automatic switch of any preferred construction is provided with a closing shunt coil 30 connected across the main leads and a holding series coil 31 connected in the lead 29 upon closure of the switch contacts 32. A starting switch 33 may be manually operated and bridges the automatic switch contacts for operating the dynamo electric machine as a motor driven by the battery current.

The field coils 17 have one terminal grounded as by being connected at 34 to the field member 2 in electrical connection with the engine frame while the other terminals are connected to slip ring 18. x To operate the starter the manual switch 5 33 is closed. Current will now flow from the positive side of the battery, through the conductor 35, switch contacts 36, conductor 37. main lead 29, series field 25, armature 23 and lead 28 to the negative side of the m battery. Current will also flow from conductor 29. through shunt field 2% to conductor 28. The shunt and series fields will thus be energized accumulatively to operate the dynamo electric machine as a motor with a high torque. This motor, acting against the comparatively small load furnished by the rotatable field member 2, will rotate the same at a high speed and store up considerable energytherein. After a predetermined speed has been obtained theswitch 38 is a closed which controls the ignition circuit of the engine and also the energizing of the field magnets through conduct-or 39, brush 1; 20, slip ring 18, coils 17, connection 34 and the engine frame to conductor 40, switch 38 and conductor 41 to main lead :28. The energy stored in the rapidly rotating field member will now act together with the torque exerted by-the motor 3 to rotate the fly wheel and crank the engine.

-ll'hen the engine operates under its own power it will rapidly rotate the fly wheel and. the field winding being still energized, will rotate the field structure :2 and drive the dynamo electric machine as a generator. Upon suflicient voltage being attained the automatic switch will close and current will flow from the generator, through series field 25 in the reverse direction, conductor :29,

switch series coil 31, contacts 32, conductor 42, through the battery and lamps in parallel and by the conductor :28 back to the generator. The series field winding 25 will now oppose the shunt winding 2% and regulate the generator output.

To insure closer regulation of the generator additional regulating means may be provided which automatically regulates the speed at which the engine may drive the dynamo electric machine as a generator;

This automatic regulation isobtained by means of a variable resistance 43, here shown as of the compressible rheostat type, interposed in the circuit 39 which supplies the coils 17. A series coil tlconnected in the generator lead 29 between the conductor 39 and the automatic switch controls this resistance by means of a bell crank lever 4:5.

A dashpot 16 may be attached to the core 47 of the coil H to steady the action thereof.

Should the generator output tend to exceed a predetermined limit the core 44 will become sufiiciently energized to operate the bell crank lever to decrease the pressure on 35 the rheostat l3 and thereby increase theresistance in circuit with the field coils 17.

This increase in resistance, resulting in weakening of the coils 17, will permit the rotating field member 2- to slip with relation to the engine fly wheel. creases the speed of the generator and restores the output thereof to normal. A decrease in current through coil l-t correspondingly decreases the resistance of rheostat 4:3 and increases the generator speed. It is apparent that as long as the automatic switch is opened thecoil 44 is deenergized so that upon starting the resistance of rheostat 43 is a minimum, thus insuring a maximum starting torque. 30

It is apparent that any other form of variable resistance may be employed and that the operating coil thereof may be connected in various wavs. Thus the regulator could be arranged to maintain constant voltage 5 from the generator by connecting the coil 44 across the generator leads or a mixed regulation could be obtained froma combined shunt and series winding of the coil.

It will be seen that, on starting, the motor 3 will have the characteristics of a series motor and as the load is light, due only to.the inertia of the field structure, a rapid acceleration will result. During the rapid acceleration the current drawn from the battery will rapidly fall off. As soon as field 17 is excited. however, the load due to the resistance offered by the engine, will greatly increasethereby decreasing the speed of the motor, increasing the current drawn from the battery and consequently increasing the torque exerted-by the motor, which, acting with the stored energy in the rotatable field structure will be sufficient to crank the engine. 7

'hat 1 claim as new and desire to-secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination, an internal combustion engine having an engine shaft, a member freely rotatable with respect to said shaft, means for rapidly rotating said member. and means for simultaneously placing said engine incondition for operation and coupling said rotatable member to said shaft.

- 2. A self starter for automobiles comprising a. 'fly wheel for the automobile engine, a freely rotatable member adjacent thereto, means for rapidly rotating said member, and

independentlycontrolled means whereby said rapidly rotating member may be coupled to the fly wheel. l

' 3. A self starter for automobiles comprising a fly wheel for the automobile engine, a freely rotatable member, a dynamo electric machine mechanically connected thereto to rapidly rotate the same, and independently controlled means whereby said rapidly rotating member may be coupled to the fly Wheel.

4. A self starter for automobiles compris- This in turn de- 70 ing a-fly wheel for the automobile engine, a freely rotatable member adjacent thereto, a dynamo electric machine mechanicallyconnected thereto for rapidly rotating the same, and independently controlled electrical means for coupling the rapidly rotating freely rotatable member provided with windings, means for rapidly rotating the same, and means operable at will whereby the windings on said rapidly rotating member may be energized to couple said member to the member fast on the engine shaft.

7. In an automobile self starter, a freely rotatable member, means for rapidly rotating said member, denergized windings carried by said member, a magnetic member provided with short-circuited conductors surrounding said rotatable member, and means for energizing the windings carri by said rapidly rotating member wherebythe momentum thereof may be impartedito said magnetic member. I

8. In an automobile self starter, iiiyc'o H ,1. bination with the engine shaft, a magnetic member fixedto the engine shaft and-provided with shortcircuited conductors, a member provided with denergized windings freely rotatable on said. shaft, means for rapidly rotating means whereby said windings'may be energized, thereby causing said rapidly rotat-. ing member 1 to impart its momentum to saidmagnetic member.

9. In combination with the fly wheel of an engine, short-circuited conductors carried thereby, a freely rotatable member provided with deenergized windings adjacent thereto, means for rapidly rotating said member, and means for energizing said windings whereby the momentum of said member may be imparted to said fly wheel.

l 10. In combination with the fly wheel of an engine, short-circuited conductors ca-rried thereby, a freely rotatable member provided with deenergized windings adjacent thereto, a dynamo electric machine for rapidly rotating said member, and means for energizing said windings whereby the momentum of said member may be imparted to said fly wheel.

11. In an automobile self starter, a freely rotatable member, a member adjacent thereto fixed to the engine'shaft, a dynamo electric machine for rapidly accelerating said rotatable member, and means for coupling said rapidly rotating member to said said member, andmember fixed to the engine shaft, said dynamo electric machine having the characteristics of a series motor whereby its torque will increase with increase in load as the members are coupled together.

" 12. .111 an automatic self starter and lighter forautomobiles, a member fixed to ltheeiig ine.shagft,'ta member freely rotatable with respect thereto, electrical means independently' operable for coupling said members together, and a dynamo electric machine adapted to drive said rotatable member or to be driven thereby.

13. In combination with an internal combustion engine, adynamo electric machine, means for connecting said dynamo electric machine to the engine to start the engine, and automatic means operating only after the engine has started for regulating the speed at whichthe dynamo electric machine may be driven as a generator by the engine.

14. In combination with an internal combustion engine, a dynamo electric machine, magnetic meansfor connecting the dynamo electric machine to the engine'tostart the engine, and automaticmeans automatically brought into operation only for regulating the speed at which the dynamo electric machine may be driven as a generator by the jengine.

15. In combination with an internal combustion engine, a dynamo electric machine,

magnetic means for connecting the dynamo electric machine to the engine to start the engine, and automatic means controlling said magnetic means operating only after the engine has started for regulating the speed at which the dynamo electric machine may be driven as a generator by-the engine.

16. In combination, an internal combustion engine, a freely rotatable member adjacent the shaft thereof,,means for rapidly rotating said member, and a common means for placing said engine in condition for operating and coupling said member to the engine shaft.

17. In combination, an internal combustion engine, a freely rotatable member adjacent the shaft thereof, means for rapidly rotating said member, electrical means for coupling said member to said shaft, and a single means for controlling said electrical means and the ignition means for said engine.

18. In combination, an internal combustion engine, a freely rotatable member adjacent the shaft thereof, a dynamo-electric machine for rapidly rotating said member,

electrical means operable at will for coupling said rotatable member to said shaft, and additional means brou ht into operation upon the attainment 0 predetermined electrical conditions in the system for controlling said electrical coupling means, whereby the speed at which said engine may drive sa-id dynamo-electric machine through said coupling means is regulated.

19. In combination with an internal combustion engine, a member fixed to the engine shaft, a member provided with windings freely rotatable adjacent said member member, a circuit including a variable resistance for energizing the windings on said rotatable member, an additional circuit between said dynamo electric machine and said battery, said circuit includingan automatic switch, and a winding in series in said additional circuit controlling said Variable resistance.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two wit- 25 nesses.

WVILLIAM A. TURBAYNE. Witnesses:

THOS. ZIMMERMAN,

E. MACVITTIE.

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