US710486A - Starting mechanism for prime movers. - Google Patents

Description

Patented Oct. 7, |902.

C. M. MANLY.

STARTING MECHANISM FOB PRIME MUVEhRS.

(Application 1011 Nov.'28, 1901.)

UNT@ STaTns PATENT Erica,

CHARLES M. MANLY, OF VASIIINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

STARTlNG iVlF- CHANSM FOR PRIME NIOVERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 710,486, dated October 7, 1902.

Application iilcti November 23,1901. Serial No. 83,465. (No modela To @ZZ whom, it 71mg/ concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES MATTHEWS MANLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at VashingtomDistrict ofColumbia,l1ave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Starting Mechanisms for Prime Movers, of which the 'following is a specilication.

My invention relates to starting mechanisms for prime movers in which the prime mover is caused to store up energy by forcing a iluid under pressure by means of a pump into a reservoir, which stored energy is later used for starting the prime mover by allowing the fluid under pressure to 'l'low back into and operate the pump, thus operating the prime mover to which the pump is connected.

My object is to provide simple and effective means in such mechanisms as that designated for permitting the prime mover to store up energy at any convenient time, so that without any exertion on the part of the operator or attendant beyond the simple opening of a valve the primo mover maybe started at will at any future time and which shall be especially adapted for use in connection with various internal-comhnstion engines, such as are used on motor-vehicles and other structures where the necessity for starting the prime mover Occurs very frequently and where it is especially desirable that it should not be necessary for the operator or attendant to start the prime mover by physical exertion.

Vith these objects in view my invention consists of a starting mechanism embodying a pump driven by a suitable connection with a prime mover, a reservoir containing a compressible fluid and connected to the pump by a fluid-circuit, means for causing the pump at some time while it is driven by the prime mover to store up energy in the reservoir in the form of fluids under pressure, and means for causinr said fluids so stored up to pass back into the pump at will and drive it in either direction, and thereby drive the said prime mover until the prime mover either commences to operate under its own power or said energy so stored is exhausted; and my invention further consists in the novel construction and details thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed ont in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view through the center of my speedgear on the line 1 l, Fig. 2, looking in the direction ol' the arrow. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 2 2, Fig. l, and looking in the direction of the arrow, the pistons, rods, and pipes being shown in elevation; and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the linc 3 3, Fig. l.

In the drawings I have shown my new starting mechanism as combined with a variablespeed gear such as described and claimed in my application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 79,582, tiled October 22, 1901, as this combination of Variable-speed gear and starting mechanism is especially adapted for use on motor vehicles and other like structures, though it is to be understood that I do not confine my present invention to a use in combination with a variable-speed gear, such a combination being adoptedherein mainly for the purpose of more clearly illustrating an important and valuable relation in which my starting mechanism may be used, or to any specific form of variable-speed gear.

Referring now to the drawings, in which the same reference characters relate to the same or corresponding parts in all the views, I will iirst sniiiciently describe the essential parts of the variable-speed gear to enable any one skilled in the art to clearly understand the relation ol my starting,` mechanism to such a speed-gear or any other speed-gear or mechanism of a similar kind.

The pump structure is on the left of the stationary valve E and the motor structure on the right in Fig. l, and as the construction of both is similar a detailed description ol? the pump will be sufiicient to clearly set forth the manner in which both are to be made.

The rotary-cylinder structure of the pump is provided with a plurality of cylindrical chambers A A' A2 A3 Al A5, constituting the pump-cylinders, which cylinders are radially disposed around the axial line of the structure, such axial line passing centrally through the valve structure and the trunnionbearings of the pump and motor structures. The cylinders A A A2, rbc., are provided with suitable ports p p, duc., adapted to register successively with the ports P and I ot the valve E during the rotation of the pump ICO zo connections with a prime mover-as, for example, by means of a sprocket S, fixed to the cylinder structure and driven by suitable connections with said prime mover.

The crank-pin C is eccentrically disposed 1'; with reference to the central axial line and is carried by a shaft N, mounted in the eccentric bore of a bush M, the outer or peripheral surface of which is concentric with respect to the trunnion-bearing L of the cylzo inder structure K, in which trunnion said bush is rotatably mounted. The bush M is fixed by means of a suitable key or other fastening means to a worm-gear Q, and the shaft N is similarly fixed to a spur-gear T,

operating as an inner gear, meshing with internal teeth R on the worm-gear O, rotatably mounted upon the exterior surface of the bush M. The crank-pin C may be adjusted toward and from the axial line of the 3o device by the rotation of the bush M and the shaft N in opposite directions by means of two worm-screws W and Y, meshing with their respective worm-wheels O and Q, said wormwheels being connected together through two meshing spur-wheels 0 and q, mounted upon their respective worm-shafts and rotated by any suitable means.

The portsp p@ dan., of the cylinders A A', zc., are adapted to register successively with 4o the ports P and P in the valve structure, as

hereinbefore indicated, so that when the cylinder structure is rotated, for example, in a direction as indicated by the arrow, Fig. 2, the upper cylinder A being at its upperdeadcenter, the lower cylinder Al being at its lower dead-center, the ports of the cylinders A4, A5, and A will first register with the port P in the valve, and as the pistons are making the inward stroke said port P will act as 5o an inlet-port to supply the said cylinders with fluid as the pistons respectively perform their suction-strokes, the cylinders A2, A3, and A following in succession. On the other hand,

.-fwthe ports of the cylinders A3, A2, and A will first register with the port P of the valve structure, and as the pistons during that part of the rotation of the cylinder structure are making their outstrokes or delivery-strokes the iiuid contained in the cylinders will be forced outwardly through their ports into the port P of the valve structure, the cylinders A4, A5, and A following in succession. To prevent intercommunication between the pressure and suction ports of the valve E as the cylinder-ports pass the bridges,the bridges Gand G', which divide the ports P and P', are made equal in width to the width of the cylinder-ports p p', te. The rotation, therefore, of the rotary cylinder structure on the left side of the valve structure causes the several pistons to operate as a hydraulic pump, fluid being drawn into one half' of the cylinders while fluid is being forced out by the other half through the receiving and distributing ports of the said valve, and in order to cause said iiuid to be circulated in a closed circuit and constitute a fluid or liquid connection between the driving element of a power-transmitting device connected to a prime mover and the driven element thereof the delivery from the pump operates a motor independently movable with respect to the pump structure and connected to the driven part or device, such a motor comprising a plurality of cylinders A1A2 A3 A4, (be. mounted on a cylinder structure K1, here shown as similar in all respects to the cylinder-pump structure and having trunnion-bearings journaled at the outer end in a sleeve L, secured in the frame I, and at the inner end in the bush or sleeve L1, mounted in the valve structure E. Each cylinder has a corresponding reciprocating piston Bl B2 B3, tite., connected by corresponding piston-rods D1 D2, dac., to a crank-pin C1, carried by a shaft N1, mounted in an eccentric bore of the bush M,. The crank-pin C1 of the motor structure is relatively lixed, but adjustable, and is here shown as located at a point below the axial line and one hundred and eighty degrees from the crank-pin C, and the cylinders are provided with ports p1 p2, tbc., adapted to successively register with the ports P and P/ in the valve structure E, and said valve structure is so disposed that as one-half of the pump-cylinders is delivering Huid thereto one-half of the motor-cylinders is receiving the fluid so delivered, thereby giving the corresponding pistons in said motor cylinders their inward stroke, andas the crank-pin Cl is relatively fixed the pressure between the respective pistons and the heads of the motor-cylinders will cause said motor-cylinder structure to rotate in the same direction as the pump-cylinder structure, and while the other half of the pump-cylinders is drawing in fluid from the distributing-port P of the valve structure the other half of the motorcylinder structure is exhausting uid into said port, and thus a closed circuit of iuid may be maintained between the pump and the motor structures. The relatively fixed crank-pin C1 is similarly located with respect to its shaft N1, and the eccenfricity of the bore of the bush M1 is likewise similarly disposed with reference to the eccentricity ofthe crank-pin 0 as in the pump structure, while the worm-wheels Q, and O1 and the inner gear T, are all similarly connected to their respective parts, so that the crank-pin C1 may be adjusted in a radial line with respect to the face of the valve structure E in exactly the same way as the crank-pin C of the pump structure.

IOO

vienes It will be seen from the foregoing description that the crank-pin C may be adjusted by the rotation of the bush M and the shaft N in opposite directions from a maximum predetermined positive value through zero to a maximum predetermined negative value, the passage of the said crank-pin C through the central axial line of the structure, or Zero, to the opposite side of the said line on which the crank-pin C is shown causing the ports P and P to change functions-thatis, by such change in the position of the crank-pin C from above to below said axial line the port P will become the suction-port and the port P' the pressure-port. It is readily seen that by having the crank-pins of both the motor and pump structures adjustable either may be used as a motor or pump. It is also apparent that by the adjustment of the motor crank-pin Cl to the central axial line the said motor is rendered inoperative, as in such position all the cylinder-heads are equidistant from the crank-pin, and consequently the introduction of pressure between the pistons and the cylinder-heads from the fluid-circuit under the influence of the pump will have no effect tending to impart movement to the rotary-cylinder structure.

The interior space of the valve structure and the cylinder structures and the passages between the rotary-cylinder pump structure and the rotary-cylinder motor structure are intended to be supplied with fluid, preferably oil or Water, in order to provide the closed fluid-circuit heretofore referred to.

A relief-chamber d is mounted on the exterior of the valve structure E, said reliefchamber d being connected to the ports P and P', respectively, through the passages t and said passages t and t', respectively, opening into the relief-chamber d through the ports s and s'. This relief-chamber is bored to receive a piston-valve V, composed of a stem connecting two pistons 7L and 7i' and adapted to move back and forth in the bore of said relief-chamber, but which is limited in its extent of motion by the stops 'a uf, formed on the inner ends of the plugs r 7", closing the bore of said relief-chamber CZ. On that side of the relief-chamber d next to the valve structure E are formed channels c and e, while the relief-chamber is also connected through the port f to a passage g in the bridge G' of the valve-structure E, said passage g continuing from the bridge Gr down through the web of the valve structure E to the central space of the rotary-cylinder structures. To accomplish the relief of any excess of iluid in the suction-port of the valve E and at the same time to retain the pressure in the pressure-port of the valve structure E, the distance between the two piston-heads 7L and h and the length ot' the stops u and tt' on the plugs 9 and r are such that when one head-say h-of the valve V covers the inner end of the channel c the other head h of the valve V Will rest in the position shown, thus i allowing any excess of fluid which might be in the port P to pass out through the port s', the channel e', the portf, and the passage g into the central space of the rotary-cylinder structures, while the fluid which is under pressure in the port P of the valve E will pass into the other end of the relief-chamber d, but striking against the head 7L of the pistonvalve V will keep said piston-valve forced against the projection u' of the plug r', which in turn will cause the head 7L to close the inner end of the channel c, which, as is readily seen, will prevent any direct communication between the pressure-port of the valve E and the interior of the drum except in the proper way. It will thus be seen that the pistonvalve V normally closes the pressure or delivery port of the valve E from the central space and normally opens the suction-port thereof to said central space. The interior of the cylinder structures, including the central space, and all the passages having been supplied with oil or water the pump-cylinder structure is rotated through the medium ofthe sprocket S, driven from a prime mover, by which operation the pistons are caused to reciprocate in the pump-cylinders as the said pistons are carried around the crank-pin C, thus acting upon the fluid in the cylinders to force the same through the respective cylinder-ports p p, dac., into thevport P in one half of Ithe valve and to suck fluid from the port P' in the other half of the valve and 'from the interior space of the cylinder structure. If the direction of rotation of the pump-cylinders is fixed, the radial position of the crank-pin C will determine the function of the ports P and P as delivery or pressure port and inlet or suction port, since these ports change functions as the crank-pin C in its adjustments is passed through the central axial line.

From the foregoing description it is obvious that as one half of the pump delivers fluid to one half of the motor-cylinders the other half of said motor-cylinders exhausts fluid into the passages and ports leading to the other half of the pump-cylinders and by adjustment of the crank-pin C or C1, or both, the relative speed of rotation of the motorcylinder structure with respect to the pumpcylinder structure may be varied.

I do not claim in this application any of tho features of the speed-gear per Se, as hereinbefore described, for they are claimed in my prior application, heretofore referred to, my present invention being limited to the starting mechanism, which I will now describe.

ln order to apply my starting mechanism to a speed-gear of the type thus briefly described, I provide a tank or reservoir 2, suitable for containing fluids under pressure, which reservoir is preferably connected with and outside of the Huid-circuit of the speedgear by means of two pipes or conduits 7 and t5, communicating with the said fluid-circuit through the relief-chamber d, said connect- IIS ing pipes or conduits '7 and 8 connecting with the relief-chamber in such a manner as to establish a fluid communication between the reservoir and opposite sides ot' the fluid-circuit. In order to provide means for preventing at will the passage of the uid through either of said pipes 7 and 8, I interpose at some point in the said pipes the globe-valves 9 and l0, respectively, and in order to provide means for automatically preventing an excess of pressure in the reservoir above any predetermined point I connect the two pipes 7 and S together at some point between the globe-valves and the chamber cl by branch pipes or conduits, in which are located two spring-closed relief-valves l2 and 14, confined within their respective valve-casings l1 and 13. One of these relief or safety valves l2 is adapted to automatically open and connect the pipe 8 to the pipe 7 when the pressure in said pipe S rises above a predetermined point,

and the other of said valves 14 is adapted toy connect the pipe 7 to the pipe 8 when the pressure in said pipe 7 rises above a predetermined point. In order that the operator or attendant may see at any time what pressure exists in theireservoir, a pressure-gage 6, placed at any convenient point, is connected to the reservoir 2 by means of a pipe 5. By means of the two pipes 7 and 8 and their respective globe-valves 9 and l0 it is possible to cause the liuid under pressure in the reservoir to pass to either side of the fluidcircuit, and consequently to run the pump in either direction as a motor, and therefore to drive the prime mover at will in eitherdirection.

In the operation of the variable-speed gear it is advantageous to use a practically noncompressible fluid, such as oil or water, for the fluid-circuit, and it is also advantageous in the operation of the starting mechanism to have a similar fluid for the fluid-circuit which passes to and fro in the pipes 7 and 8, while for the storage of the power in the reservoir 2 it is advantageous to have a quantity of a lighter fluid, such as air or gas, in the said reservoir 2, so that said lighter fluid may be compressed to a greater extent, and consequently allow the storage of more energy in the same capacity of reservoir, and I have therefore indicated in the upper part of the reservoir a space Il, filled with a lighter fluid, such as air or gas, which normally occupies a considerable portion or all of the space in the reservoir, but which is here shown as compressed into the upper portion of the reservoir by the heavier fluid 3, which has been allowed to pass into it from the pressure side of the fluid-circuit of the variable-speed gear. It will be further understood that by combining the starting mechanism with a variable-speed gear energy may be stored in the reservoir which is not directly furnished by the prime mover and which would otherwise be practically wasted, since if thedevice or combination of devices is used in connection with a motor-vehicle or similar structure said energy may be stored by allowing the motor of the variable-speed gear to force fluid into the reservoir when the vehicle is going down hill or when it is desired to reduce its inertia, in either of which cases the pumping of the fluid into the reservoir by the motor of the speed-gear would cause the speed-gear to act as abrake,and thus tend to slowdown thevehicle. The addition of the reservoir and its connections to a variable-speed gear will also materially contribute to the steadiness of operation of the driven device to which the speedgear is connected if the fluid from the pump side of the speed-gear is allowed to have access to the reservoir, since the pressure in the reservoir will be then at all times practically the same as that in the pressure side of the fluid-circuit of the speed-gear, and the compressible fluid in the reservoir will tend to make the delivery of fluid to the motor of the speed-gear more uniform, and thus tend to reduce any fluctuations in the speed of said motor, and consequently of said driven device to which said motor is connected.

The operation of the device is as follows: Suppose the various parts of the variablespeed gear in the position shown in the drawings and that the pump-cylinder structure of the variable-speed gear is rotated by the prime mover in such a direction as to cause fluid to be forced into that side of the relief-chamber d which is connected to the pipe 7, and that the globe-valve 9, situated in this pipe circuit or conduit, is open, and the valve l0, situated in the pipe 8, connecting the opposite side of the relief-chamber d to the reservoir, is closed, and that the reservoir 2 is full of a compressible fluid, such as air or gas, at atmospheric pressure, a portion of the fluid from the fluid-circuit of the speed-gear can then pass through the pipe 7, the globe-valve 9, and into the reservoir 2, and since said [luid cannot pass out of the reservoir through the pipe 8,because the globe-valve 10 is closed, said fluid being forced into said reservoir under pressure will cause the air or gas in the reservoir 2 to be raised in pressure until either the pressure in the reservoir 2 equals y that in the pressure side of the fluid-circuit of the speed-gearor until the safety-valve 14 opens and allows the excess of pressure to pass through its case ll and into the suction side of the fluid-circuit of the speed-gear through the pipe S, which latter would result if the predetermined pressure at which the safety-valve lat is set to open were equal to the pressure then existing in the pressure side of the fluid-circuit. Vhile the iiuid is still under pressure in the reservoir 2, the valve 9 may be closed, thus shutting off all communication between the reservoir and the {luid-circuit of the speed-gear, and this energy in the form of fluids under pressure may be retained in the reservoir until any time at which it is desired to utilize it. Suppose n ow that the prime mover is at a standstill and ICO IIO

that the various parts of the pump structure of the speed-gear are in the positions shown and that the motor structure of the speedgear is prevented from revolving either by adjusting its crank-pin C1 so as to coincide with the axis of rotation of the motor structure or by the application of a brake to the driven device to which the motor is connected or by any such, suitable means, and suppose that itis desired to cause the pump strncture, and consequently the prime mover, to revolve under the pressure previously stored in the reservoir, it will be seen that by opening the valve l0 the fluid under pressurel in the reservoir 2will pass through the pipe S into the relief-chain ber d, immediately causing the relief-valve V to cut off communication between that side of the relief-chamber and the interior ofthe speed-gear structures, and thus permitting the vfluid to pass only into those cylinders which are in communication with Athe port P' of the receiving and distributing valve E, which port is connected by ports and passages with that side of the relief-chamber d which is connected to the pipe 8, and since the motor-cylinder structure K1 is prevented from turning, as previously explained, the fluid under pressure will act between the heads of the cylinders A4 and A5 of the pump structure and the heads of their respective pistons BL and B5, thereby causing the pump cylinder structure, and consequently the prime mover to which it is conneet-ed, to revolve in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 2,and which,we will suppose, is in the same direction as that in which the prime mover should be turned in order to start it, since itis the same direction in which we supposed the pump structure to revolve when it forced the fiuid under pressure into the reservoir 2. The pump-cylinder structure being thus caused to rotate and in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 2, the cylinders A, A2, A3, and A will successively pass under the port P' of the valve E and receive pressure from it until the pressure has been exhausted in the reservoir 2 or until communication between the fluid-circuit of the speed-gear and the reservoir has been cut off by closing the valve lO, while each cylinder will discharge into the port P, and thereby into the interior of the speed-gear structures, the fluid so received from the reservoir 2. It the prime mover should start with the valve 9 still closed and the motor structure of the speed-gear unable to revolve, owing to its being blocked, as previously eX- plained, the fluid whichis forced into the port P of the valve E will escape into the interior of the speed-gear structures by passing into the pipe 7, then into the valve-case ll, where, if its pressure be great enough, it may raise the spring-closed valve l-l and then pass into the pipe 8 and thence through the reliefchamber d and into the interior of the speedgear structures. If the valve lO in the pipe S is open when the iiuid under pressure passes through the valve-case ll and into the pipe S, by raising the valve l-L a portion of it will pass into the reservoir 2 until the pressure in said reservoirbecomes equal to thatin the pipe 8. If the cranlepin of the pump structure is adjusted to its extreme position diametrically opposite. to that shown in the drawings and it is desired to start the prime mover by the fluid under pressure in the reservoir2, it will then be necessary to open the valve 9 in the pipe 7, allowing the fluid to passinto the port P of the valve E, if the prime mover, and consequently the pump structure ot' the speed-gear, are to be driven in the same direction as that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, and from this it will be readily seen that where a rotary pump whose stroke may be varied from a positive maximum to a negative maximum is used both the storage of the fluid under pressure from the pump and the later utilization of such fluid under pressure for driving the pump in either direction maybe accomplished by means of only one conduit or pipe connecting the fluid-circuit of the pump to the reservoir, for it is apparent that the fluid may be stored in the reservoir nnder pressure by opening the connection between thc reservoir and the pressure side of the pump while the latter is operating, thus permitting some of the fluid from said pressu re side of the'pnm p to pass into the reservoir, such connection being closed when the desired pressure in the reservoir is attained. lfVhen it is desired to utilize this pressure from the reservoir for the purpose designated, the Stroke of the pump may be changed from its positive position-as, for example, by the shifting ofthe crank-pin C to the opposite side ofthe axial line-to its negative position, thus making it possible to admit the'fluid-pressure through the same connection to that side ot the pump which has by such change now become the suction side. lf the pump structure is being revolved by the prime mover, with the crank-pin C of the pump adjusted to this position diametrieally opposite to that shown in the drawings, the port P' of the valve E will then be the pressure side of the duid-circuit and communication between the reservoir and pressure side of the fluid-circuit will be obtained by opening the valve lO in place of the valve Si, as in the previous description. lf it is desired to allow the motor of the speed-gear to pump fluid into the reservoir 2 when said motor is being revolved by some external power, and it Awe suppose the crank-pin of the mot-or to be in the position shownin Fig. l and that the direction of rotation of the motor structure is the same as that attributed to the pump structure in the above description, it will be readily seen that the motor will deliver fluid to the port P' of the valve E, and this iinid so pumped bythe motor into the port P' may be permitted to pass into the reservoir 2 by opening the valve l0, and it will also be readily seen that such pressure in the port P and in the reservoir 2, if

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the valve l be open and the valve 9 closed, will thus act on the pump to drive it in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 2, which is the same direction that we supposed the prime mover to drive the pump, and therefore such driving of the pump by the motor will drive the prime mover in its proper direction, which, if it is desired, will enable the operator` or attendant to shut off the power from the prime mover until the pump ceases to be driven by the duid-pressure from the motor or until it is desired to cause the pump to revolve underpowerfurnished bythe prime mover.

As previously stated, my present invention is not limited to its combination with my variable-speed gear or to any specific duid-pressure variable-speed gear, for it is evident that the combination of a prime mover with a pump which is adapted to force fluid under pressure into a reservoir in which such pressure may be stored and which is in turn adapted to be driven by such duid-pressure stored in the reservoir would fall within the scope of my invention, and so, also, would any other specific form of hydraulic speed-gear adapted to cooperate with a reservoir for the storage ot uid under pressure derived from the fluid-circuit of the speed-gear in such a way as to permit the fluid under pressure in the reservoir to drive the prime mover or driving device through the medium of the said speed-gear.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination with a variable-speed gear comprising a pump adapted to be connected to a prime mover and having a variable stroke, means for varying the stroke of the pump, a motor adapted to be driven ,by said pump, and a closed fluid-circuit between the pump and motor, of a reservoir outside of said fluid-circuit adapted to contain Huid under pressure, a connection adapted to establish fluid communication between said reservoir and said fluid-circuit, means for controlling said uid communication between said duid-circuit and said reservoir, whereby fluid under pressure maybe stored under pressure in said reservoir and said fluid so stored may be at will permitted to return to drive said pump and cause it to operate as a starting device for the prime mover, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a variable-speed gear, comprising a pump adapted to be connected to a prime mover, a motor adapted to be driven by said pump, and a closed Huidcircuit between the pump and motor, of a reservoir outside of said fluid-circuit adapted to contain fluid under pressure, a connection adapted to establish a iuid communication between said reservoir and said fiuid-circuit, means for controlling said uid communication between said fluid-circuit and said reservoir, whereby fluid from the pressure side of said Huid-circuit may be stored under pressure in said reservoir and said uid so stored may be at will permitted to return to drive reservoir, and means for controlling said fluidl communication, whereby fluid from the pressure side of the said fluid-circuit may be stored under pressure in said reservoir and said fluid so stored may be permitted at will to return to drive said pump and cause it to operate as a starting device for the prime mover, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a variable-speed gear comprising a rotary-cylinder pump structure adapted to be driven by a prime mover, a rotary-cylinder motor structure adapted to be driven by the pump, and a closed iiuidcircuit connecting the pump and motor structures, a valve between said pump and motor having ports therein through which a fluid may pass to and from said pump and motor, of a reservoir outside of said fluid-circuit adapted to contain fluid under pressure, a connection adapted to establish iiuid communication between the said fluid circuit and reservoir, and means for controlling said iiuid communication, whereby fiuid from the pressure side of the said fluid circuit may be stored under pressure in said reservoir and said fluid so stored may be permitted at will to return to drive said pump and cause it to operate as a starting device for the prime mover, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a variable-speed gear comprising a pump adapted to be connected with a prime mover, a motor adapted to be driven by the said pump, and a closed fluid-circuit between the pump and motor, of a reservoir adapted to contain fluid under pressure, conduits connecting the reservoir with the said closed duid-circuit, valves in said conduits controlling the passage of Huid from said circuit on the pressure side of the pump to the reservoir, and from the reservoir to the suction side thereof, whereby the pump may be driven by fluid previously stored under pressure in the reservoir, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a variable-speed gear, comprising a pump adapted to be driven by a prime mover, a motor adapted to be driven by the pump, and a closed fluid-circuit between the pump and motor, of a starting mechanism, consisting of a reservoir outside of said fluid-circuit containing a compressible fiuid connected with the closed Huidcircuit on the pressure and suction sides of IOO IIO

the pump, and means for causing the pump to force fluid from the closed circuit into the reservoir, thereby compressing the fluid therein and storing it under pressure in said reservoir, and means for admitting at will, the stored liquid tothe suction side of the pump, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a variable-speed gear, comprising a rotary cylinder pump structure adapted to be driven by a prime mover, a rotary cylinder motor structure adapted to be driven by the pump, a closed fluid-circuit connecting the pump and motor structures, and a valve-chamber having a reliefvalve therein interposed between the pressure and suction sides of the pump and adapted to relieve excess fluid in the fluidcircuit, of a reservoir adapted tocontain fluid under pressure, conduits connecting the reservoir with the relief -valve chamber and adapted to connect the pressure and suction sides of the fluid-circuit with said reservoir through the relief-valve chamber, whereby fluid in the `Huid-circuit under pressure from the pump may pass into the reservoir, and valves in said conduits, whereby fluid under pressure may be stored in the reservoir and utilized to operate the pump as a starting device, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a pump adapted to be driven by a prime mover, of a reservoir adapted to contain fluid under pressure, conduits connecting Ithe reservoir with the pressure and suction sides ofthe pump, valves in said conduits for controlling the passage of fluid from the pressure side of the pump to the reservoir, and from the reservoir to the suction side of the pump, and means interposed between the two conduits for automatically permitting fluid to pass from one to the other when a predetermined pressure is attained therein, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a variable-speed gear, comprising a rotary-cylinder pump structure adapted to be driven by a prime mover, a rotary-cylinder motor structure, a closed Huid-circuit connecting the pump and -motor structures, mechanism for adjusting the motor so as to render the same inoperative while the pump structure rotates, a valvechamber communicating` with the pressure and suction sides of the pump, and a reliefvalve operating in said chamber to relieve eX- cess of fluid in the suction side ofthe pump,of a reservoir adapted to contain fluid under pressure, conduits connecting said reservoir with the relief-valve chamber ou opposite sides of the valve, and valves in said conduits for controlling the flow of fluid under pressure between the reservoir and the relief-valve chamber, substantially as described.

l0. The combination with a variable-speed gear, comprising a rotary-cylinder pump structure adapted to be driven by a prime mover, a rotary-cylinder motor structure, a closed fluid-circuit connecting` the pump and motor structures, mechanism for adjusting the motor so as to render the same inoperati ve while the pump structure rotates, a valvechamber communicatingr with the pressure and suction sides of the pump, and a reliefvalve operating in said chamber to relieve excess ot' fluid in the suction side of thepump, of a reservoir adapted to contain iiuid under pressu re, conduits connecting said reservoir with the relief-valve cham ber on opposite sides of the valve, valves in said conduits for con trolling the (low ot' i'luid under pressure between the reservoir and the relief-valve chamber, and automatic meansinterposed between the two conduits for permitting the passage of fluid from one to the other when the pressure in either attains a predetermined point, substantially as described.

l1. rllhe combination with a variable-speed gear, comprising a rotary cylinder pump structure adapted to be driven by a prime mover, a rotary-cylinder motor structure, a closed fluid-circuit connecting the pump and motor structures, mechanism for adjusting` the motor so as to render the same inoperative while the pump structure rotates, a valvechamber communicating with the pressure and suction sides of the pump, and a reliefvalve operating in said chamber to relieve excess of fluid in the suction side-of the pump, of a reservoir adapted to contain ltluid under pressure, conduits connecting said reservoir with the relief-valve chamber on opposite sides of the valve,valves in said conduits forcontrolling the flow of fluid under pressure between the reservoir and the relief-valve chamber, relief-valves interposed between the two conduits adapted to automatically open communication between the conduits when the pressure in one conduit open to the reservoir reaches a predetermined point, substantially as described.

l2. The combination with a variable-speed gear, comprising a pump adapted to be connected with a prime mover, a motor adapted to be driven by said pump, and a closed fluidcircuit between the pump and motor, of a reservoir adapted to contain fluid under pressure, conduits connecting said reservoir with said closed fluid-circuit, means interposed between the two conduits for automatically permitting tuid to pass from one to the other when a predetermined pressure in either is attained, and valves in said conduits for controlling the passage of iuid between said closed fluid-circuit and said reservoir, substantially as described.

13. The combination with a variable-speed gear, consisting of the rotary-cylinder pump structure K, adapted to be driven by a prime mover, the rotary-cylinder motor structure K, connected with the pump structure by a closed fluid-circuit, the relief-valve chamber d communicating with the pressure and suction sides of the pump, the relief-valve V operating in said chamber, of a reservoir 2 containing a compressible Iluid, pipes 7 and 8 connecting said reservoir with the fluid-circuit IIO meeting said reservoir with the Huid-circuit on the opposite sides of the valve V, stopvalves 9 and lO in said pipes, and reliefvalves l2 and 14 interposed between said pipes 7 and 8, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofl I have signed my naine to this specification in the presence of zo two subscribing Witnesses.

l CHARLES M. MANLY.

Witnesses:

CHAPMAN W. FOWLER, R. T. FRAZIER.

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