UNITED. STATES: Patent Orrice, NIKOLA ‘TESLA; OF NEW-YORK,'N. ¥. ELECTRIGAL IGNITER FOR GAS-ENGINES. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letiara Patent No. 609,250, dated August 16,1808, Application fied Rebroszy 17,1897, Renowsd Juxt 18,1808, Becial Wo, 689,524, (fo model) To all whom it may concern: Boitknown that I, Nrkous TEsLa, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have in- § Vented certain new and usefal Improvements jn Electrical Ipniters for Gaa-Engines and Analogous Purposes, of which the following is a specifleation, réference being had to the drawing accompanying and forminga part of to the samo. In certain kinds of apparatus it.is neces- sary for the operation of the machine itself. or for effooting the object for which it is.usod to produce an electric spark or any othoraimi- 15 lar local effoot at a given’ instant of time or atpredotermined intervals, Forexamplo, in certain gas or explosive engines # fisine or spark is necossary for tho ignition of an ex- plosive mixture of air'and gas under the pis- 20 ton, and the anost effective way of igniting the gaseous mixture has been found to be the produotion in the cylinder at the proper mo- |-charge tents of an electric’ spark, ‘Tlie only: prac- ticablo device by which this has been aecom- 35 plished her re is an Induction-coil com- prising a primary and secondary cirouit with & buzzer or rapidly-acting antomatie eirouit- bre in the primary and a circuit-control- Jen, ench as a switch or commutator, located 30 ¢ primaty or battery cironlt and op- erated by some moving orton oF the appa- ratus rovemporarily lose such cireuit at the proper ‘and thofeby set in operation the . Eatomatio clrenit besten which causes be- 35 tween secondary terminals ‘inthe cylinder the discharge which is necessary for the proper ignition of the explosive mixture. Instead of thus temporarily closing the primary cir- ‘euit the automatic cireult-breaker might be 40 permitted to operate continuously, and the Secondary, olrenit normally broken, might be closed at the propor time to eauso the spark: to pass at any point. In oither case the om- ployment of s qnick-acting circuit-breaker is 45 necessary, for unless the induction-coil be of | *” large elza and source of current of ‘con- siderable power a slow or gradual make aud break of the primary of a’simplo transformer, such 28 wold ordinarily be effected by o 50 switch or commutator, would not effeat a dis- charge of the charactor necessary for ‘the Proper ignition of the gas. ‘ere is, however, no form of vibrating or quick-acting cirenit-breaker of which I am aware that can be depended upon to operate 55 with certainty to produce. snch'a spark or which will continue to operate for any length of time without detérioration, and henee not only in the case of engines of the kind de- scribed, butin other formsofagparatus which 60 involve the use’of a high-tension. induction- ooil with i qnick-acting circuit-breaker, tho _ operation of the machine is contingent upon - the proper operation of & comparatively in- significant but essontial part. » 65 ‘Tho object of my invention is to provide a more certain and satisfactory moans for use with and control by such machines or Spa ratus as I have mentioned for’ producing Sparks or discharge f the desired character, 70 and to this end simply the following ar- rangement: Any auftable moving portion of . the apparatus is caused to mechanically con- trol the charging ofa condenser and its dis- through a ciredit in inductive relation 75, to a secondary circuit leading to tho’ termi- nals betwoen which the di 4g to occur, so that at the desired intervals theéondensor may be discharged through its cireuitand in- duce in the other cireuita current of high po- 80 tontial which préduces the desired spark or Ono practical mesns cf seoomplishing this is to employ any proper iteli form of switch or commutator operated directly-or through 85 suitable intermediate devices by a movin; part of the apparatus and which is, cat to complete an electric circuit which has beon previously broken or interrupted for an ay previsblo time when the ooaurrence of the 9o ‘k or discharge isnecossary. Thecirenit ”. ius closed includes » condenser, which by this operation of thé switch is permitted to discharge, through the'primary of a trans. former, energy which it had previously ro- 95 ceived during the interruption of said circuit. ~ from a battery or discharge of a self-induo- Hon oll in Goris with 6 battery in tho The -ends of the secon cirenit of the 100 transformer above mentioned are connected with the points or terminals inthe machine between which the spark is to pass, and fol- lowing tha short-circuiting of the condenser by the closing of the awitch a strong second- 105 ary discharge induced by the dischargo of the2 809,250 condenser through the primary will occur. It is possible by this means not only to pro- ued 9 strong discharge of high tension, as in the form of a spark well adapted for the 3 ignition of gas or other purposes for which aparks are employed, but.to socare such re- sult by apparatus very much less complicated and oxponsive (han that heretofore employed for the purposo and which will be capable -to'of certain and effoctive operation for an in- definite period of time. Thave illustrated the principle of my im- provement-and the manuer in which the samo ig ormay be carried out in the drawing hereto 3g annoxed. The invention is shown as used for effecting the operation of the piston of » gas-engine, the figure being s diagram, A designates the cylinder of a gas-engine, B the piston, and C the piston-rod. Other 20 parts of the engine are omitted from the illns- ion as unnecessary to an understanding of the invention. On tho piston-rod Cis n commutator or cir- euit-controller upon which bear the terminals 25 cbofancloctric cirenit D. This commuta- tor compriaes a continuous ring c anda split ring d sido by alde, so that when the tormi- nals are on tho latter the circuit is inter- rupted, but when on the former it is closed. 30, The to-and-fro movement of the piston, there- fore, operates to altornately make and break the circuit, the position of tho commutator _ being such that the make occum at the mo- ment desired for tho ignition of the explosive 3§ chatge under tho piston. In the circuit D of enrront E and the primary F of a trans- former. Across the two conductors of the circuit, between the battery and the primary go ¥, is acondonser G, which ie oharped. by the battery when cironit D is interrupted at the commutator aud which discharges through the primary when such elreuit is closed. In order that the condensor may receive a 45 charge of high tension, a gelf-induction coil H is introduced in the circuit between itsclf and tho battory, which coil stores up tha en- ergy of the battery whon the circuit D is closed at the commutator and discharges it 59 into the condenser when the cirevitis broken. The primary F is combined with a seoond- ary K, the conductors from which lead, re- spectively, to an insulated terminal L within the eylinder A and to any othor condusting- 55 body in the vieinity of such point as to the cylinder itself. In consequence of this at- . ,rangemont, when the piston reachos the proper point the cirouit D is closed, the on- orgy of the condenser is discharged through 60 the primary with a sudden rash, and a strong and effootive spark or flash is produced be- tween the point Land the cylindor or piston which ignites the charge of explosive gas. Tt will be undorstood from tho preceding 65 doseription that I do not limit myself to the Specific conatruotion or arrangement of the devieos employed in carrying out my im- 8 battery or other source, provement and that thoso may be varied within wide limits. What Iclaim is— 1, Tn an apparatus which depends for its operation or effect upon the production of a sudden electric discharge at a given instant, or at predetermined intervals of time, the combination with a moving part of said ap- 75 ratus of a switch or commutator, # con- lenser, & charging -citouit for the same, 8 rimary clrouit through which tho condenser charges, and a secondary cirenit in in- uctive relation to tho sald primary oirenit 80 and connected with the terminals at the point in the apparatus where the discharge is re; quired, the awitch or commutator being op- erated by the ssid moving part to effect the discharge of the coudenser st the proper in- 85 tervals, as set forth. 2. In an apparatus which depends for its operation or offect upon the production of a sodden electric discharge at a given instant, or st predetermined intervals of time, the go combination with a moving Dart of said ap- paratus of a elrenit and a cireuit-controller adapted to close said circuit at the time when the occurrence of said discharge is desired, a source of current in said cireuit, acondenser 95 adapted to be charged by said source while the circuit is interrupted, and « transformer through tho primary of which the condonser discharges when the circuit is closed, the seo- ondary of the transformer. boing coanected with the terminals at the point in the appa- ratus where the discharge is required, as act forth. 8. In an apparatus which depends for its . - operation or effect upon the production of an electric discharge, at a given instant, or at predetermined intervals of time, the combi- nation with a moving part of said apparatus of a cirouit and a cirenit-contralior adapted to close said circuit atthe time when the occut- renee of the spark is desired, a source of current in said circuit, a self-induction coil which stores the energy of tho source while the cirenit is closed, » condenser into which said coil discharges wien the cirenitis broken, and a transformer through the which the condenser discharges, ary of said transformer being connected with separated terminals at the point whero tho dischargo is required. 4. Ine gas or explosive enginoof the kind described, the combination with a moving part of suid ongineof circnit-closer or switeh controlling the charging and discharging of a condenser, separated terminals in the eylin- der or axplosive-chambor, and a transformer through the primary of which the condenser discharges, the secondary being connected with the terminals in the cylinder, asset forth. NIKOLA TESLA. 70 109 ay ‘Witnesses: M. Lawson Dyen, Epwry B. Torximson,No. 609,250. * : Patented Aug. 16, 1898. ; KO TESLA, .. + ELECTRICAL IGMITER FOR GAS ENGIKES. (Applieation fing Fin, 17, 1807, Meniwed Fens 18, thon) ° We Modal.) "Yh ctr Mitola Waster, Ievenior. Sotwrint 3, Hephiame ay arn Leia beens