US1497843A - Drive mechanism for circuit controllers - Google Patents

Description

June 17 1924. 1,497,843

F. F. DORSEY DRIVE MECHANISM FOR CIRCUIT CONTROLLERS Filed Sept. 24. 1923 T% Fiigollo i 5' 20 i I I /6 I Z /3 Ffigo 2 c I F3 0 30 c I g E :i

Patented June 17, E324.

UNITED STATES 1,497,843 PATENT OFFICE.

FARNU-M F. DORSEY. OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR TO NORTH EAST ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

DRIVE MECHANISM FOR CIRCUIT CONTROLLERS.

Application filed Scptember 24, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FARNUM F. DonsnY, a citizen of the l nitcd States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drive Mechanism for Circuit Controllers; and I do hereby declare the. following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, suchas will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In electric ignition apparatus, for an internal-combustion engine, the primary or secondary circuits, or both, are usually controlled by a rotary circuit-controller or distributor which is driven, through gearing, at a definite time-relation with the movement of the engine. For this purpose it is common to use a timer-shaft connected by helical gears with some convenient rotary member, such as a pump-shaft or a generator-shaft. It is also usual to provide some means for advancing or retarding the position of the circuit-controller, relatively to that of the engine-mechanism to change the time of ignition in the cycle of operation of the engine.

The present invention relates to gearing or drive-mechanism for the purpose aforesaid, and particularly to t e means for changing the time of ignition. The object of the invention is to provide simple and inexpensive mechanism by which the time of ignition may be controlled without the necessity of moving the normally stationary parts of the circuit-controller.

To the foregoing end the invention consists in simple and compact means for moving one of the helical gears axially with relation to the other gear.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a side-elevation, partly in section, of a mechanism embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan-view of the mechanism, with parts broken away; and Fig. 3 is a detail-view of the thrust-collar.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in ignition-apparatus in which a vertical timer-shaft 5 is driven by geared connection with the horizontal armature-shaft 6 of an electric generator 7. The latter shaft has splines 8 fitting corresponding splines in a helical drive-gear 9, and this gear meshes with a pinion 10 fixed on the timer-shaft.

Serial No. 664,457.

The gearing is enclosed in a housing 1]., which is shown as fixed to the end of the generator.

The change in timing is accomplished by moving the gear 9 axially on the shaft 6. For this purpose the housing is bored, coaxially with the'shaft 6, to admit a sliderod 12. This rod has a reduced portion 13 which is embraced by a collar 14, and the collar is fixed in the extended hub of the pinion 9 at a. point beyond the end of the shaft 6. To permit assembling of the parts. the collar may be divided centrally, as shown'in Fig. 3, being fixed in place by spinning over the edge 15 of the hub of the. pinion.

The )osition of the slide-rod 12 is controlled a lever 16. This lever is mounted in a vertical slot in a lug 17 projecting from the housing, and it is supported by a' pivot-pin 18 fixed in the lug. The slide-rod is slotted to receive the forked low'cr end of the lever, and the. lever and rod are connected by a in 19. The pin 19 is retained in place by tlie walls of the lug 17, so that it may be otherwise loose.

The lever 16 may be controlled by any suitable manually-operable means, and it will be apparent that its position determines the position of the pinion 9 on the splined shaft. It will also be apparent that any movement of the pinion along the shaft causes a corresponding partial rotation of the gear 10 and shaft 5 which is independent of rotation caused by rotation of the pinion.

To support the lever 16 and limit its pivotal movement, a stop-plate 20 is fixed to the housing, this plate being slotted to receive the upper-end of the lever.

The inventor is aware that it has previously been proposed to change the timing of ignition-apparatus by axial movement of one of a pair of helical gears, and the present invention resides only in the simple and compact mechanism for producing and controlling such movement.

The splined connection between the pinion and the drive-shaft is used to cause rotation to be transmitted from one of these members to the other while they are free for relative axial movement. For convenience of definition these members are defined, in the following claims, as having a splined connection, but it will be understood that the term, as so used, is not intended to be exclusive of any well known or equivalent form of connection for securing the same result, whether or not strictly described b' this term.

Since t e load imposed on the pinion 9 b the gear 10 results in an axial thrust whic is always in the same direction, in any given apparatus, ositive engagement between the thrust-mem ers in one direction only is sufficient, as they will be maintained always in engagement 'by force-closure. Positive thrust-engagement in both directions has the advantage, however, that it adapts the same structure, without any changejfor operation in either direction of motion which may be required by the engine in connection cooperating with said thrust-bearing and Jocatedin line with the shaft; and means for moving the thrust-member towards and from the shaft to change-the position of the gear on the shaft.

I pinion upon the shaft.

- inion' of a housin 2. Drive-mechanism, as defined in claim 1, inwhich said thrust-bearing extends inwardly toward the axis of the pinion so as to overhang the end of the shaft and. provide a bearing-surface of relatively small area and radius of movement.

3. Drive-mechanism, as defined in claim 1, in which said thrust-bearing and thrustmember are formed to have positive engage ment in both directions of movement of the 4. In drive-mechanism for a circuit-controller, the combination, with a helical gear, a helical pinion meshing therewith, and a shaft having a splined connection with the enclosing the pinion and the gear and aving a bore coaxial with the shaft; a lever pivotedon the outside of the housing; a rod articulated with the lever and slidable .in said bore; and. a

thrust-bearing connecting the rod and the pinion and located beyond the end of the shaft.

i 5. Mechanism, as defined in claim 4, further characterized by the fact that the innerend of said rod is. grooved, and that said thrust-bearing comprises a collar loosely engaging the oove in the rod and fixed to the 'end of t e pinion.

. FARNU'M F; 'noii'snv.

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