EXERCISING CONTROL ON ENGINE GOVERNORS.
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A Résumé of Recently Published Patent Specifications.
EIREDERICK H. ROYCE, in specifi
cation No. 241,646, deals with a form of governor control. The object of the invention and the difference between the arrangement and what had been done before in this direction are not made very clear. The sloping rod on the right is apparently situated near to the steer.= column and has a lever at its upper end, which can be controlled by the driver so as to alter the tension of the spring which acts against the pull of the governor due to centrifugal force. By this means the driver is enabled to alter the pull of the spring, and by so doing make his governor come into operation at wherever predetermined speed he chooses. The action of the pedal in opening the throttle is independent of the governor.
An Improved Sparking Device.
ANEW form of sparking plug and means for firing are described in the specification of R. J. Koster, No. 241,740. According to this specification the sparking plug is formed in much the usual manner, but its electrode is extended so that it comes near to some .art of the actual cylinder, which acts as the opposite pole to which the spark jumps at the point marked (A) in both views. A screw adjustment is provided to enable the width of the spark gap to be adjusted. A cap of nonconducting material is shown, which can be placed on the knob of the adjusting screw so that it can be regulated while the engine is running. The inventor claims that sparking to part of the cylinder will ensure the surfaces being maintained in cleaner condition and more free
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from carbon than with the ordinary arrangement, although he gives no reason for this being so.
A Zenith Improvement in Carburetters.
THE Societe du Carburateur Zenith,
of Lyons, France, describe an improved construction of carburetter in their specification No. 231,838. So many minor improvements, or variations of construction in carburetters, appear among the list of new patents that little importance is often attached to them. In the present case, however, the name connected with the patent suggests that the improvement is one of real importance. A choke tube (3) is situated above a Venturi (b) through which is a passage for air (a).
The Venturi is formed with two chambers surrounding it ; . the lower one is fed with petrol by means of the tube (7), whilst the upper one is fed with hot air which is allowed to escape through the narrow opening at (6), the petrol being introduced to the inrushing air by means of the small ducts .(8). The object of the invention
appears to be the prevention of the extreme cold which is produced near the jet through the vaporization of the fuel.
Several variations of the invention are shown, in one of-which hot water is allowed to circulate in one of the chambers, but is not allowed to escape. In another form, an electric wire supplies the heat, whilst in another variation the centre passage (a) is connected by a pipe to a muff on the exhaust pipe, so that hot air is drawn through the centre passage..
A Gravity Motor.
CARLOS ONDRUY. an Austrian, in specification No. 241,616, claims to have invented a motor which works entirely by the action of weight," without consuming any other kind of energy.' Such wording as this is a polite and upto-date way of saying that one has discovered "perpetual motion." But this somewhat coarse and vulgar way of expressing it is usually avoided by modern inventors.
It is indeed good news to hear that we may expect soon to have our motors driven by " gravity " alone, as there is a plentiful supply of gravity at hand in all parts of the world. We may run short of petrol, coal or other means of obtaining power, but gravity will never fail us. The specification is a long and complicated one that is not easily..
grasped by ordinary minds, and does not make it clear how the weight, which produces thc force of gravity, is raised again when once it has expended its force. We again offer the suggestion that the British Patent Office might insist on inventors of this class of mechanism showing a working model before granting such patent.
An Improved Fixing Mr Caps of Tanks.
A VERY neat and simple fixing for the caps of such tanks as those for petrol,
oil, etc., is shown in the specification of Ewarts, Ltd., No. 241,730. A spring, bent to ne shape shown in the various views, is attached to the underside of the cap. A plunger, provided with a knob . at the top and an enlargement at the bottom, passes through the centre of the cap, and has the effect of opening out the spring, as shown in the lower righthand view, so that it holds the cap firmly. The act of pulling up the plunger releases the spring and permitsthe cap to be removed. The mere putting of the. cap in place by means of the Plunger and continuing the pressure causes the cap to become fixed. This appears to be a most efficient device.
Improvements in Brakes for Steering Wheels.
TEE Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd., in their specification No, 241,790, describe a method of actuating the brakes of steering wheels by means of a plunger which passim through the centre of the hollow steering head pin. So far as this goes there is nothing novel in the arrangement, as pins of the kind have been used before. The point claimed as novel, however, is that the plunger is capable of pulling and pushing, and is not dependent on the reaction of a spring in the wheel to release the brake. A .strong spring can be provided at any part of the system to produce the desired reaction for the release of the brake.