US2464041A - Electrical breaker - Google Patents

Description

March 8, 1949 c. L. Hu slcKER' ELECTRICAL BREAKER Filed July 12, 1946 4 F IE: .E

'INVENTOR C /gd Lhunsickzr- BY ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL BREAKER Clyde L. Hunsicker, San Francisco, Calif. Application July 12, 1946, Serial No. 683,021

Claims. 1

This invention relates generally to the construction of electrical circuit breakers of the type applicable to internal combustion engines. In general such breakers perform the function of making and breaking the battery or low tension circuit incorporated in the ignition system of the engine.

It is well known that the breaker assemblies used in conjunction with gasoline and other types of internal combustion engines require frequent ajustments between the contacts, if the electrical ignition system of the engine is to be kept operating at optimum efliciency. One of the principal causes which contributes to misadjustment between the contacts is wear between the rocker arm carrying the movable breaker contact, and its associated operating ca m.

It is an object of the present invention to provide breaker means of the above character having provision for automatically adjusting or compensating for wear between the rocker arm and its associated operating cam, thus eliminating or minimizing the necessity of making manual adjustments of the contacts.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide breaker means of the above character having the main rocker arm carried by a supplemental compensating arm, with the latter arm being arranged and serving to compensate for wear between the main rocker arm and its associated cam.

Additional objects of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiment has been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a breaker incorporating the present invention, and intended in practice to be used with additional parts of an electrical distributor.

Figure 2 is a side elevation in cross section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail in section illustrating the rubbing blocks of the two arms and the members with which they engage.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 consists of a shaft I0 which extends through a suitable support I I. In a conventional installation the shaft I0 is driven through suitable gearing from the crank shaft of the internal combustion engine. Supporting means I I is a part of the housing of the electrical distributor, and is customarily made of suitable molded insulating material, such as a phenolic condensate product. The shaft [0 carries a cam member I2 having a cam surface depending upon the type of engine with which the device is to be used. In a typical instance where the device is used with a six cylinder gasoline engine, the periphery of cam member I2 is hexagonal as illustrated. Mounted upon the shaft immediately below the cam member I2 there is a second member I3 which is cylindrical shaped, and which is for a purpose to be presently described.

The electrical contact i4 is mounted upon one end of the manually adjustable screw it, which in turn is carried by the supporting standard I1. Contact I8 which cooperates with contact I4 is carried upon one end of the rocker arm [9. Intermediate its ends rocker arm [9 has rubbing engagement with the surface of cam member I2, and for this purpose the arm is provided with a suitable rubbing block 2|, which can be formed of suitable material such as hard fiber or composition.

Below the rocker arm I9 there is a second compensating arm 22. One end of arm 22 has a pivotal connection 23 to the fixed support II. The axis of this pivotal connection is preferably in the proximity of the contacts I4 and I8, as illustrated in Figure 1. Intermediate its ends arm 22 is likewise provided with a rubbing block 24, which engages the cylindrically shaped member I3. The other end of arm 22 has a pivotal connection 26 with the corresponding end of the rocker arm I9. A suitable insert rib 21 is shown carried by the support II for the purpose of underlying and supporting the arm 22 as illustrated.

Both of the arms I8 and 22 are urged toward the members I2 and I3 by the tension spring 28. One end of this spring is attached to an ear 29 formed on the rocker arm I9, and the other end is attached to an anchoring stud 3|, which in turn is carried by the support I I.

In accordance with conventional practice the upper end of shaft I0 is shown provided with a slotted portion 32 which receives the conventional high tension distributor arm.

The device described above is intended to be connected in the ignition circuit of an internal combustion engine, as for example an automotive gasoline engine, whereby the breaker contacts M and I8 make and break the battery or low potential circuit of a high tension ignition coil. The distributor customarily associated with my device distributes high potential from the coil secondary to the spark plugs or like ignition devices of the engine.

Operation of the breaker means described above is as follows: During normal operation of the engine, shaft i is rotating at a proper speed determined by the speed of the crank shaft of the engine, whereby cam I2 operates the rocker arm If) to make and break the contacts l4 and i8. Rocking movement of arm 19 is accommodated by pivotal movement about the connection 26. Spring 28 not only urges the rocker arm 19 toward the cam member I2, but also urges the compensating arm 22 toward the cylindrical shaped member 13. Members l2 and iii are made comparable as to diameter and circumferential extent, and their surfaces are made of comparable materials and finish whereby the rates of wear between these members and the rubbing blocks 2| and 24 are comparable. It will be evident that any wear between the block 2! and cam member l2 tends to cause misadjustment between the contacts l4 and I 8, assuming that the axis of connection 26 remains stationary. However with comparable wear taking place between the block 24 and member I3 as wear proceeds the axis of pivotal connection 2'6 is gradually shifted on the arc of a circle having pivotal connection 23 as its center. Such movement of the pivotal connection 26 therefore compensates for wear between block 2| and cam member l2, and tends to maintain the adjustment between the contacts 34 and I8 substantially the same irrespective of wear. As a result the requirements for manual adjustment of the stationary contact M, by turning screw I 6 manually, are greatly reduced or eliminated entirely. This in turn makes for max imum performance and efficiency of the engine, because misadjustment of the contacts necessarily interferes with timing of the engine and makes for loss of efiiciency.

I claim:

1. In electrical breaker means for application to the ignition system of an internal combustion engine, a shaft adapted to rotate, a stationary support through which the shaft extends, a cam member formed on the shaft, cooperating movable and stationary electrical contacts, means for mounting the stationary contact on the support, a rocker arm having one portion of the same in rubbing engagement with the cam member, the movable contact being mounted on one end of the arm, and means interposed between the support and said arm serving to automatically and substantially completely compensate for wear between the arm and said cam member.

2. In electrical breaker means for application to the ignition system of an internal combustion engine, a shaft adapted to rotate, a stationary support through which the shaft extends, a cam member formed on the shaft, cooperating movable and stationary electrical breaker contacts, means for mounting one of the contacts on the support, a rocker arm having one portion of the same in rubbing engagement with the cam member, the movable contact being mounted on one end of the arm, and Wear compensating means pivotally connecting the other end of said rocker arm to said support, said wear compensating means serving to automatically shift said point of pivotal connection of the rocker arm during usage of the device.

3. In electrical breaker means for application to the ignition system of an internal combustion engine, a shaft adapted to rotate, a stationary support through which the shaft extends, a cam member formed on the shaft, cooperating movable and stationary electrical breaker contacts, means forming a mounting for the stationary contact, a rocker arm having a portion of the same intermediate its ends in rubbing engagement with the cam member, the movable contact being mounted on one end of the arm, a supplemental circularly contoured rubbing surface formed on the shaft adjacent the cam member, a second compensating arm disposed adjacent the rocker arm, said second arm having a portion of the same intermediate its ends in contact with said rubbing surface, a pivotal connection between the other end of the rocker arm and one end of the last named arm, and a pivotal connection between the other end of the last named arm and said support, said last named pivotal connection t being in the proximity of said breaker contacts,

and spring acting between the support and said rocker arm serving to urge both said arms into rubbing engagement with said cam member and said rubbing surface.

4. In electrical breaker means for application to the ignition system of an internal combustion engine, a shaft adapted to rotate, a stationary support through which the shaft extends, a cam member formed on the shaft, a circularly contoured member formed on the shaft adjacent said cam member, said members having surfaces of comparable circumferential length and wearing characteristics, cooperating movable and stationary electrical breaker contacts, means for mounting the stationary contact on the support, a rocker arm having a rubbing block intermediate its ends, the other of said contacts being mounted upon one end of said arm, said rubbing block having rubbing engagement with said cam member, a second compensating arm, said compensating arm having a second rubbing block intermediate its ends and having rubbing engagement with the periphery of said circularly contoured member, both said blocks affording substantially equal contact areas on said cam and circular members, means forming a pivotal connection between one end of said compensating arm and said support, the axis of said pivotal connection being located adjacent said breaker contacts, means forming a floating pivotal connection between the other end of the rocker arm and the other end of said compensating arm, and spring means serving to urge said rubbing blocks with equal forces into engagement with the surface of said cam member and the periphery of said circularly contoured member.

5. In electrical breaker means for application to the ignition system of an internal combustion engine, a shaft adapted to rotate, a stationary support through which the shaft extends, a cam member formed on the shaft, a circularly con toured member formed on the shaft adjacent said cam member, said members having surfaces of comparable circumferential length and wearing characteristics, cooperating movable and stationary electrical breaker contacts, means for mounting the stationary contact on the support, a rocker arm having a rubbing block intermediate its ends, the other of said contacts being mounted upon one end of said arm, said rubbing block having rubbing engagement with said cam memher, a second compensating arm substantially coextensive with the first arm, said compensating arm having a second rubbing block intermediate its ends and having rubbing engagement with the periphery of said circularly contoured member, both said blocks affording substantially equal contact areas on said cam and circular members, means forming a pivotal connection between one end of said compensating arm and said support,

the axis of said pivotal connection being located REFERENCES CITED adjacent said breaker contacts, means forming a floating pivotal connection between the other end The following references are of record in the of the rocker arm and the other end of said comfile Of this p nt pensating arm, and a single spring connected to 5 v UNITED STATES PATENT the first named arm at a point between the rubs bing block of the same and said floating pivotal Number Name Date connection and also connected to the support, 9 9 Irgens P 1933 said spring serving to urge both said blocks with equal forces against the surfaces of the cam and 1 circular members and serving to urge the movable contact toward the stationary contact.

CLYDE L HUNSICKER.

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