DISTRIBUTOR ROTOR WITH IMPROVED CONTACT SECURING MEANS
United States Patent 3663771
A distributor rotor is disclosed as including a blade and spring assembly enabling precise adjustment of rotor sweep diameter and rotor blade position prior to final assembly. The blade defines an elongated adjustment opening and the rotor includes a molded rotor body defining an upstanding boss. The assembly further includes a spring for assembly between the blade and the rotor body, the spring defining a boss opening for encircling the boss and a downwardly directed tooth for fixing the position of the spring when embedded into the rotor body. The elongated adjustment opening defined by the blade also fits over the boss so that the insertion of a drive screw into a central opening defined by the boss fixes the assembly. The assembly is accomplished on automatic or semi-automatic assembly equipment.
US Patent References:
Distributor and method of making the same
Evans - December 1923 - 1478705
Ignition apparatus
Redick et al. - April 1957 - 2790020
Fastening device
Bedford, Jr. - October 1960 - 2955690
Distributer device for ignition apparatus
Conklin - March 1921 - 1372065
Distributor structure
Evans - May 1924 - 1494597
Distributor and method of making the same
Evans - December 1923 - 1478705
Ignition apparatus
Redick et al. - April 1957 - 2790020
Fastening device
Bedford, Jr. - October 1960 - 2955690
Distributer device for ignition apparatus
Conklin - March 1921 - 1372065
Distributor structure
Evans - May 1924 - 1494597
Inventors:
Macyczko, John (Union Springs, NY)
China, Endy (Union Springs, NY)
China, Endy (Union Springs, NY)
Application Number:
05/105820
Publication Date:
05/16/1972
Filing Date:
01/12/1971
View Patent Images:
Export Citation:
Assignee:
Gulf & Western Industries, Inc. (New York, NY)
Primary Class:
Other Classes:
411/394
International Classes:
F02P7/02; F02P7/00; H01H1/50; H01H11/06
Field of Search:
200/19R,19DR,19A 85/41
US Patent References:
| 2769047 | Distributor structure | October 1956 | Hartzell et al. |
Primary Examiner:
Scott J. R.
Claims:
WHAT IS CLAIMED IS
1. A distributor rotor having a rotor body and a blade-spring assembly for distributing current from an ignition coil to spark plugs in an internal combustion engine, said blade-spring assembly comprising a spring member, a blade member overlying said spring member and defining an elongated adjustment opening, said spring member defining a boss opening and including downwardly depending teeth for embedding into said rotor body and means for attaching said assembly to said rotor.
2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said means comprises a drive screw for insertion through said adjustment opening and said boss opening into a central opening.
3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein said drive screw includes a head having downwardly depending teeth for embedding into said blade member.
4. The combination with a distributor rotor including a body having upstanding shoulders and a boss defining a central, downwardly extending drive screw opening, of a blade-spring assembly mounted on said body for distributing current, said assembly comprising a blade member fabricated of an electrically conductive material, a spring member between said blade member and said rotor body, said spring member including downwardly depending teeth for embedding into said body and defining a boss opening for encircling said boss and said blade member defining an elongated adjustment opening for encircling said boss and for enabling adjustment of blade sweep radius prior to final assembly, and a drive screw for insertion through said adjustment opening and said boss opening into said drive screw opening and including a head, said head having downwardly depending teeth for embedding into said blade, said blade and spring members being sized to fit snuggly between said shoulders.
1. A distributor rotor having a rotor body and a blade-spring assembly for distributing current from an ignition coil to spark plugs in an internal combustion engine, said blade-spring assembly comprising a spring member, a blade member overlying said spring member and defining an elongated adjustment opening, said spring member defining a boss opening and including downwardly depending teeth for embedding into said rotor body and means for attaching said assembly to said rotor.
2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said means comprises a drive screw for insertion through said adjustment opening and said boss opening into a central opening.
3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein said drive screw includes a head having downwardly depending teeth for embedding into said blade member.
4. The combination with a distributor rotor including a body having upstanding shoulders and a boss defining a central, downwardly extending drive screw opening, of a blade-spring assembly mounted on said body for distributing current, said assembly comprising a blade member fabricated of an electrically conductive material, a spring member between said blade member and said rotor body, said spring member including downwardly depending teeth for embedding into said body and defining a boss opening for encircling said boss and said blade member defining an elongated adjustment opening for encircling said boss and for enabling adjustment of blade sweep radius prior to final assembly, and a drive screw for insertion through said adjustment opening and said boss opening into said drive screw opening and including a head, said head having downwardly depending teeth for embedding into said blade, said blade and spring members being sized to fit snuggly between said shoulders.
Description:
This invention relates generally to distributors for automotive or other uses and more particularly to rotor constructions for use in such distributors.
A distributor for automotive and other uses has as its function the distribution of high voltage, produced in an ignition coil, to the spark plugs in a desired sequence. A conventional electrical system for distributors produces voltage through an ignition coil from the battery, the current from the battery flowing through the coil to a switch and then to ground when the switch is closed. Opening of the ignition switch causes a current in the ignition coil which flows from there to the center electrode of the distributor in the distributor rotor. The center electrode of the distributor causes a spark gap to be successively formed between a spring-blade assembly and the contact points for the spark plugs in the motor being operated. Various other features of a conventional distributor system will not be described for the purposes of brevity but are presumed to be known by those skilled in the art.
Presently used constructions for enabling the contact between the rotor and spark plugs include a blade and spring with a rivet holding both parts in place to maintain the proper blade sweep radius and the electrical connection desired. It is necessary in such constructions to hold extremely tight tolerances during molding and assembly of the rotor or, as an alternative, the blade is deliberately made long so that excess material may be machined off to obtain the proper sweep radius. Such approaches to distributor rotor constructions are difficult to control thereby leading to increase manufacturing costs and inefficiency. Furthermore, it is unlikely that such constructions can lend themselves easily to automatic or semi-automatic assembly equipment.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a spring and blade assembly construction for a distributor rotor which provides a less expensive and more efficient structure.
A further and more particular object is to provide a spring and blade assembly construction for a distributor rotor which can be molded and assembled on automatic or semiautomatic molding and assembly equipment.
These and other objects are provided in a construction according to the present invention which features a distributor rotor body molded to provide an upstanding boss defining at its center a drive screw opening, a spring member defining a boss opening for encircling the boss of the rotor body and having downstanding first teeth for locking the spring in place with respect to the to rotor body, a blade member of electrically conductive material defining an elongated adjustment opening for overlying the spring member and encircling the boss and a drive screw for fixing the assembly of the rotor body, the spring member and the blade member by its insertion to the drive screw opening defined by the rotor boss. The drive screw further includes downwardly directed second teeth in its head which are embedded into the blade member to fix the final assembly after precise adjustment of the blade sweep diameter and the other parts of the assembly .
The above brief description as well as other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred,but nonetheless illustrative embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a top view of a distributor rotor body and blade-spring assembly according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side, partially sectional view of FIG. 1, taken along the line 2--2 thereof;
FIG. 3 is a parts view of the rotor body, spring, blade and drive screw of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a side-sectional exploded parts view of the elements of the present invention; and
FIG. 5 is a top assembly view of a distributor rotor according to the present invention with parts broken away for clarity of illustration.
Referring to the drawings and particularly FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, a distributor rotor is illustrated as having a body generally designated 10, the body defining a bottom shaft-receiving opening 12 for receiving the distributor shaft (not shown) centrally of its diameter. Approximately centrally of a radius of the rotor body, the rotor body defines an upstanding boss 14 having a central and downwardly extending drive screw opening 16. The boss functions as the pivot point for the blade-spring assembly, generally designated 13, of the distributor rotor which is illustrated as including a blade member 18 defining an elongated adjustment opening 18', a spring member 20 having a boss-encircling opening 20', and a drive screw member 22.
The blade-spring assembly 13 is anchored to the body 10 by the insertion of the drive screw into the drive screw opening 16. Additionally, first and second upstanding shoulders 24, 26 on the rotor body 10 function to snuggly hold the position of the blade-spring assembly 13 relative to its pivot point at the center of the drive screw 22.
Referring in addition to the other figures of the drawings, the drive screw 22 (FIGS. 3 and 4) includes a head 30 having downstanding teeth 32 which embed into the blade member 18 upon final assembly. The showing of teeth 32 in FIG. 4 is schematically abbreviated for the purposes of clarity. In other words, FIG. 3 shows a plurality of teeth 32 circumferentially depending from the bottom of head 30, whereas only two teeth 32 are shown in FIG. 4 so as not to obscure the other details of screw 22. Furthermore, the threads 34 of the drive screw are made slightly oversized relative to the opening 16 to insure a fixed relationship of the pivot point of the blade-spring assembly 13 relative to the blade-spring assembly itself.
Referring to FIG. 3, specifically, the blade member 18 defines an elongated adjustment opening 18' which has its shorter diameter approximately of the dimension as the outside diameter of the boss 14. On the other hand, the larger diameter of the opening 18' is greater than the diameter of the boss 14 so that longitudinal adjustment of the blade member 18 may be made before final assembly of the blade-spring assembly to the rotor body 10. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the spring member 20 is shown to include a body portion 20a for underlying the blade upon assembly therewith,downwardly depending teeth 20d and a spring portion 20b defining a contact protrusion 20c for making the desired electrical contact for the blade-spring assembly.
In order to provide a complete understanding of the present invention a typical assembly operation will now be described. Assembly of the blade-spring assembly 13 with the distributor rotor body 10 includes the steps of fitting the boss opening 20' of spring 20 to the boss 14 and the end of the spring body portion 20a between shoulders 24, 26 of the rotor body 10. The downwardly depending teeth 20d of the spring body 20a are then driven into the rotor body 10 by a mallet of the like. Next, the elongated blade adjustment opening 18' is placed over spring 20 so that the blade encircles the boss 14 and the blade is moved forward and backward longitudinally until the proper blade sweep radius is obtained. The drive screw 22 is then placed into the drive screw opening 16 and driven into the opening so that its teeth 32 embed into the blade 18 and fix the blade-spring assembly 13 relative to the rotor body 10.
In accordance with the foregoing description, a blade-spring assembly 13 is provided in combination with a distributor rotor body 10 having upstanding shoulders 24, 26 and an upstanding boss 14. The boss 14 defines a central, downwardly extending opening 16. The blade spring assembly 13 includes a spring member 20, a blade member 18, and a drive screw 22. The spring member 20 includes a body portion 20a underlying the blade member 18, a spring portion 20b and a contact protrusion 20c for providing the electrical contact for the assembly. The body portion 20a defines a boss opening 20' for encircling the boss 14 and includes downwardly extending teeth 20d for embedding into the molded plastic insulating rotor body 10 upon assembly. The blade member 18 defines an elongated adjustment opening 18' for encircling the boss 14 and for enabling final adjustment of the blade sweep radius prior to final assembly. The drive screw 22 includes threads 34 slightly oversized relative to the drive screw opening 16 and a head 30 providing downwardly extending second teeth 32 to fix the blade spring assembly relative to the rotor body 10. Such teeth embed into the blade member 18 when the head of the drive screw 22 is driven by a mallet or the like upon completion of the assembly.
A distributor for automotive and other uses has as its function the distribution of high voltage, produced in an ignition coil, to the spark plugs in a desired sequence. A conventional electrical system for distributors produces voltage through an ignition coil from the battery, the current from the battery flowing through the coil to a switch and then to ground when the switch is closed. Opening of the ignition switch causes a current in the ignition coil which flows from there to the center electrode of the distributor in the distributor rotor. The center electrode of the distributor causes a spark gap to be successively formed between a spring-blade assembly and the contact points for the spark plugs in the motor being operated. Various other features of a conventional distributor system will not be described for the purposes of brevity but are presumed to be known by those skilled in the art.
Presently used constructions for enabling the contact between the rotor and spark plugs include a blade and spring with a rivet holding both parts in place to maintain the proper blade sweep radius and the electrical connection desired. It is necessary in such constructions to hold extremely tight tolerances during molding and assembly of the rotor or, as an alternative, the blade is deliberately made long so that excess material may be machined off to obtain the proper sweep radius. Such approaches to distributor rotor constructions are difficult to control thereby leading to increase manufacturing costs and inefficiency. Furthermore, it is unlikely that such constructions can lend themselves easily to automatic or semi-automatic assembly equipment.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a spring and blade assembly construction for a distributor rotor which provides a less expensive and more efficient structure.
A further and more particular object is to provide a spring and blade assembly construction for a distributor rotor which can be molded and assembled on automatic or semiautomatic molding and assembly equipment.
These and other objects are provided in a construction according to the present invention which features a distributor rotor body molded to provide an upstanding boss defining at its center a drive screw opening, a spring member defining a boss opening for encircling the boss of the rotor body and having downstanding first teeth for locking the spring in place with respect to the to rotor body, a blade member of electrically conductive material defining an elongated adjustment opening for overlying the spring member and encircling the boss and a drive screw for fixing the assembly of the rotor body, the spring member and the blade member by its insertion to the drive screw opening defined by the rotor boss. The drive screw further includes downwardly directed second teeth in its head which are embedded into the blade member to fix the final assembly after precise adjustment of the blade sweep diameter and the other parts of the assembly .
The above brief description as well as other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred,but nonetheless illustrative embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a top view of a distributor rotor body and blade-spring assembly according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side, partially sectional view of FIG. 1, taken along the line 2--2 thereof;
FIG. 3 is a parts view of the rotor body, spring, blade and drive screw of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a side-sectional exploded parts view of the elements of the present invention; and
FIG. 5 is a top assembly view of a distributor rotor according to the present invention with parts broken away for clarity of illustration.
Referring to the drawings and particularly FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, a distributor rotor is illustrated as having a body generally designated 10, the body defining a bottom shaft-receiving opening 12 for receiving the distributor shaft (not shown) centrally of its diameter. Approximately centrally of a radius of the rotor body, the rotor body defines an upstanding boss 14 having a central and downwardly extending drive screw opening 16. The boss functions as the pivot point for the blade-spring assembly, generally designated 13, of the distributor rotor which is illustrated as including a blade member 18 defining an elongated adjustment opening 18', a spring member 20 having a boss-encircling opening 20', and a drive screw member 22.
The blade-spring assembly 13 is anchored to the body 10 by the insertion of the drive screw into the drive screw opening 16. Additionally, first and second upstanding shoulders 24, 26 on the rotor body 10 function to snuggly hold the position of the blade-spring assembly 13 relative to its pivot point at the center of the drive screw 22.
Referring in addition to the other figures of the drawings, the drive screw 22 (FIGS. 3 and 4) includes a head 30 having downstanding teeth 32 which embed into the blade member 18 upon final assembly. The showing of teeth 32 in FIG. 4 is schematically abbreviated for the purposes of clarity. In other words, FIG. 3 shows a plurality of teeth 32 circumferentially depending from the bottom of head 30, whereas only two teeth 32 are shown in FIG. 4 so as not to obscure the other details of screw 22. Furthermore, the threads 34 of the drive screw are made slightly oversized relative to the opening 16 to insure a fixed relationship of the pivot point of the blade-spring assembly 13 relative to the blade-spring assembly itself.
Referring to FIG. 3, specifically, the blade member 18 defines an elongated adjustment opening 18' which has its shorter diameter approximately of the dimension as the outside diameter of the boss 14. On the other hand, the larger diameter of the opening 18' is greater than the diameter of the boss 14 so that longitudinal adjustment of the blade member 18 may be made before final assembly of the blade-spring assembly to the rotor body 10. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the spring member 20 is shown to include a body portion 20a for underlying the blade upon assembly therewith,downwardly depending teeth 20d and a spring portion 20b defining a contact protrusion 20c for making the desired electrical contact for the blade-spring assembly.
In order to provide a complete understanding of the present invention a typical assembly operation will now be described. Assembly of the blade-spring assembly 13 with the distributor rotor body 10 includes the steps of fitting the boss opening 20' of spring 20 to the boss 14 and the end of the spring body portion 20a between shoulders 24, 26 of the rotor body 10. The downwardly depending teeth 20d of the spring body 20a are then driven into the rotor body 10 by a mallet of the like. Next, the elongated blade adjustment opening 18' is placed over spring 20 so that the blade encircles the boss 14 and the blade is moved forward and backward longitudinally until the proper blade sweep radius is obtained. The drive screw 22 is then placed into the drive screw opening 16 and driven into the opening so that its teeth 32 embed into the blade 18 and fix the blade-spring assembly 13 relative to the rotor body 10.
In accordance with the foregoing description, a blade-spring assembly 13 is provided in combination with a distributor rotor body 10 having upstanding shoulders 24, 26 and an upstanding boss 14. The boss 14 defines a central, downwardly extending opening 16. The blade spring assembly 13 includes a spring member 20, a blade member 18, and a drive screw 22. The spring member 20 includes a body portion 20a underlying the blade member 18, a spring portion 20b and a contact protrusion 20c for providing the electrical contact for the assembly. The body portion 20a defines a boss opening 20' for encircling the boss 14 and includes downwardly extending teeth 20d for embedding into the molded plastic insulating rotor body 10 upon assembly. The blade member 18 defines an elongated adjustment opening 18' for encircling the boss 14 and for enabling final adjustment of the blade sweep radius prior to final assembly. The drive screw 22 includes threads 34 slightly oversized relative to the drive screw opening 16 and a head 30 providing downwardly extending second teeth 32 to fix the blade spring assembly relative to the rotor body 10. Such teeth embed into the blade member 18 when the head of the drive screw 22 is driven by a mallet or the like upon completion of the assembly.