US1328815A - Cooling-system control - Google Patents

Description

B. W. BROCKETT.

Patented J an. 27, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

B. w. BROCKETT.

COOLING SYSTEM QONTROL APPLICATION FILED MAR. a. 1911. 1,328,815, Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Ni? "p GENERATOR 1222/5 zzzazi BLUFORD W. BROCKETT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

COOLING- SYSTEM CON TROL,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, BLUFORD W. BROOK- ETT, citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in, the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cooling-System- Controls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cooling s stems for internal combustion engines, an more particulafly to such engines when used on motor vehicles.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved system of this kind which can be applied to any automobile engine at low cost, which is capable of delicate regulation, and which preferably employs electrical eneipgy for producing variation in the cooling e ect upon the engine. A further ob ect of the invention is to provide a system of this kind including a thermostat or heat responsive device whose energy is utilized to make and break an electrical circuit for producing a variation in the cooling effect, and Whlc thermostat may include, as. one of its members, the water manifold commonly employed for conducting heated water'from the engine to the radiator. A further object of the invention is to utilize for the production of electric energy a circuit which is closed only while the engine is running, whereby, upon stopping of the engine, said circuit is broken, with the inevitable result of promptly closing a shutter to restrict the circulation of air through the radiator and thereby protect said radiator.

Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

The invention comprises the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, which represent one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken out and in section, illustrating the invention applied to an internal combustion engine; F 1g. 2 is a detail longitudinal section, illustratin a portion of the thermostat and the electrical contact devices controlled thereby; Fig. 3

is a detailed section of the electrical motor means for actuatingthe' shutter; Fig. 4 is a detail elevation, on a larger scale, of a portion of the thermostat; and Fig. 5 is a dia rammatic view of the electrical circuits.

eferring to the drawings, ,'1 indicates a Specification ofletters Patent.

Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

Application filed March a, 1917. Serial No. 153,449.

suitable internal combustion engine, which may be of any type or construction, and as illustrated is a six cylinder engine of common form. Said engine is provided with the usual water jacket, the cavities or spaces in which communicate through branch pipes 2 with a water manifold 4, referably made of copper, brass, or some -ot er material expansible by heat, and which manifold conducts the water heated by the engine to the upper portion of the radiator 5, from which the cool water returns to the engine water jacket by way of pipe 6 as is usual.

Suitable means is provided for varying the cooling effect upon the circulating water by the radiator, so as to substantially maintain the water or other liquid in the engine acket at uniform temperature. This result may be secured b by-passing a portion of the water aroun the radiator when the temperature of the water is low, or otherwise varying the water circulation, as is Well known and common in the art, thevariation in the water circulation being controlled by a valve. Preferably, however, the variation in the cooling effect is produced by the provision of means for more or less interru ting the flow of air through'or past the radiator. The -means shown comprises a shutter or screen, similar to a hot air furnace radiator, and comprising a series of vanes or win 7 pivoted at 8 to a stationary frame and iii ing arms 9 pivotally connected 'to a verticallymoving rod or bar 10. As said bar or rod is elevated or depressed the vanes open or close. When the shutter is closed the circulation of air through the radiator is cut off so that there is practically no cooling efl'ect, but as saidshutter opens the cooling effect is more or less increased to a maximum.

Said shutter is'actuated by electric motor means, which may be of any suitable form net or solenoid 11, whose coils are in a circuit to be described. Said'solenoid, when energized, attracts the core 12 attached to a rod 13 connected by a link 14 to, one arm of a lever 15 pivoted at 16 to the frame,

and whose other arm 17 is connected to the rod or bar 10. A tension spring 18 connected to lever arm 15 and to a fixed point normally tends to close the shutter. The movement of the solenoid core is preferabl steadied or regulated b suitable dash plt for which purpose sai core is connected by a rod 19 to a doubled faced piston 20 traveling in a cylinder 21. The chambers on opposite faces of the piston communicate by a by-pass channel 22, which may be more or less restricted to vary the dash pit effect by. a re lating valve 23.-

i As will appear hereinafter, the circuit to the coils of solenoid 11 is always broken when the engine is in-a state of rest. Consequently when the engine is not running the position of the parts is as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, the core 12 being held away from the solenoid by the tension of spring 18, which spring a result of which the radiator is always 15 protected when the engine is in a state of rest.

Fig. 5 illustrates the electric circuit for controlling the su ply of current to the solenoid coil'll. s is usual, the circuits are .all grounded upon the metal body of the automobile. 24 indicates the generator, which, as usual, is coupled to be driven by the engine. Said generator is in a circuit 25 passing through the point 26 to the combination switch 27, thence throu h wire 28 and ammeter 29 to the storage. attery 30,

for charging said battery, The movable member of the combination switch 27 is pulled out when the engine is started, and not only connects the shutter to the storage battery, but also completes a circuit to the.

wire 31 leading to the i ition coil. The circuit for the coil 11 of t e solenoid is connected to the point 26 of the battery charging circuit, and passes from said coil through the switch contacts 32 and 33 to the ground. The making and breakin of the solenoid circuit is controlled by a t ermostat which actuates or controls the con- It will be apparent that no current can flow through the solenoid 11, either from the enerator or from the storage battery, 'un ess the switch 27 is'closed. This switch is always closed by the driver before starting the engine and is opened whenever the enine is stopped to avoid loss of current 511011 h the lgnition system. Consequently the so enoid coil is always deener ized when 601 118 engine is stopped, thereby al owing the spring 18 to promptly close the shutter.

Any suitab e thermostat may be provided for controlling the electrical contacts 32, 33. Said thermostat may be sensitive to variations in the temperature of the cooling water, by exposing the expansible member of 'the thermostat to the cooling water, or may be made sensitive to variations in the temperature of the engine itself, or of the air within the engine hood or casing. The drawings illustrate one suitable construction for this purpose. As illustrated the thermostat comprises two members, one of which is the water manifold 4 which is made of '6 material expansible by heat and therefore also closes the shutter, as

the engine warms u tacts 32 and 33, in a manner to be described.

member coti perates with an expansible member, shown as a pencil or rod 34, which may be made of carbon or any other inexpansible material. Saidrod at one end engages an abutment 35 fixed to the engine manifold and at its other end abuts one end of a rod 36 passing through an openin in a bridgewall 37 of a casing 38 screwe to a boss 39 i 5 carried by the engine manifold. The carbon pencil may be protected against injury by a suitable jacket 40. Rod 36, on one side i of the wall 37, is provided with a collar 41 forming an abutment for the compression spring 42 held in place by a casing cap 43. The length of said rod may be regulated by turning the milled head 33, which has threaded-connection with a portion of said rod. This head forms one of the contacts 35 of the solenoid controlling switch before referred to, and bylits contact with other metallic parts of the apparatus provides connection of said switch to ground. It 00- operates with the spring contact 32- attached 0 to a bindin post 44 to which the lead wire from the so enoid coil may be connected.

I With the arrangement described, when the temperature of the cooling water 'or the space within the hood 45 is low the engine manifold-4contracts and pushes the carbon pencil 34 tov the right in Fig. 2, against the pressure of spring 42, consequently breaking the electrical connections between the con- v tacts 32 and 33. The circuit to the solenoid is therefore broken and the shutter is held closed by a spring 18. This isalways the condition when the engine is. cold. When and the temperature of the cooling water rises to or sli htly above a critical temperature, the mani old 4 expands longitudinally, allowing the spring contacts 32, 33, and energizing said solenoid,

which moves over the core 12 and opens the shutter. A cooling efiectwill therefore be produced b a flow of air through the radiator, said e ect continuing until the tempera- 15' ture of-the cooling water has fallen below the critical point, when the manifold 4 will have contracted and again broken the circuit.

One particular advantage of this construction is the prompt closing of the shutter whenever the engine is stopped, due to the fact that the switch 27 is then opened. Consequently, irrespective of whether the solenoid circuit is closed or open through contacts 32, 33, the flow of energy to the solenoid 11'.ceases, and the spring 18 closes the shutter. It will, of course, be understood that the. inventionis not limited to the particular construction illustrated, but is capable of considerable modification within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. The combination of an internal combustion motor, a cooling system therefor including a radiator, means for interrupting the flow of air to said radiator, a source of electrical energy connected to a circuit when the motor is running, motor means under the control of said circuit for operating said interrupting means, and a device responsive to heat conditions of the motor for controlling said circuit. 7 a

2. The combination of an internal combustion motor, a cooling system therefor in-- cluding a radiator, means for interrupting the flow of air to said radiator, a source of electric energy connected to a circuit only when the engine is running, motor means under the control of said circuit for operating said interrupting means, and a device responsive to the heat condition of the en-. gine for opening and closing said circuit.

3. The combination of an internal combustion motor, a cooling system therefor in-' cluding a radiator, means for interrupting the flow of air to said radiator, a source of electric energy connected to a circuit only when the engine is running, means normally tending to operate the interrupting means to [prevent the flow of air to the radiator, motor means under the control of said circuit for operating said interrupting means, and av device responsive to the heat condition of the motor for controllingv said circuit.

4. The combination of an internal combustion motor, a cooling system therefor including a radiator, a shutter for interrupting the flow of air to said radiator, means normally tending to close said shutter, electrically operated motor means for opening said shutter, a circuit connected with a source of electric energy only when the engine is running, said circuit being connected to the electrical motor means for actuating the shutter, and means responsive to heat condition for controlling said circuit.

5. The combination of an internal combustion motor, a coolin system therefor including a radiator, a utter for interrupt ing the flow of air to said radiator, means normally tending to close said shutter, electrically operated 'motor means for opening said shutter, a circuit connected with a source of electric energy only when the engine is running, said circuit being connected to the electrical motor means for actuating the shutter, and a thermally controlled contact device for controlling said circuit.

6, The combination of an internal combustion motor, a cooling system therefor in- .Cluding a radiator, a shutter for interrupting the flow of air tov said radiator, and a thermostatic dev ce for controlling said shutter and com' rising a Water manifold for said motor hii'ing movement responsive to heat conditions of the motor, and another element outside of the water manifold adapted to. be affected thereby for producing movement to control the operation of said shutter.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

BLUFORD W. BROOKETT.

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