US1220802A - Starter system and apparatus for combustion-engines. - Google Patents

Description

R. VARLEY. STARTER SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR COMBUSTTON ENGlNES.

APPUCAUON FILED AUG-9,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

INVENTOR A, Tmw

R. VARLEY. I STARTER SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLicA iow HLED AUG-9. $916.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR I (wil 33;

R. VARLEY. STARTER SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR comsusnow ENGINES.

APPLICATKON FILED AUG-9. 1916.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

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RICHARD VARLEY, 0F ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

STARTER SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR COMBUSTION-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

Application filed August 9, 1916. Serial No. 113,896.

To all whom it may concern:

ie it known that I, RICHARD VARLEY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at .Englewood, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Starter Systems and Apparatus for Combustion-Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

The usual engine starting system forming part of the power equipment of autovehicles, comprises essentially an electric motor and gear connections intermediate the motor shaft and engine whereby the motor may be connected to the engine and its torque multiplied for turning over of the engine crank shaft. In first attempts it is not unusual for the motor to fail to start the engine because of poor or cold gas mixtures or for other causes. Under such circumstances, the operator releases the usual starter button or lever, with resultant disengagement of the starter gears or disconnection of the motor and engine, but the motor armature being perfectly balanced and free of the engine load, attains considerable speed and sometimes continues to run for an extended period of time so that if another attempt is made to connect the starting motor with the engine at such time, there is great liability of injury to the gear teeth.

I provide means for safeguarding the establishment of the driving connection between the engine and the motor, so that it shall be impossible to make such connections or to bring one gear into engagement with another while the motor armature is moving.

Another object of my invention is to provide a system in which it shall be impossible to effect connection of the starter apparatus and engine or engagement of the starter connecting mechanism either while the engine shaft is moving or the motor armature is moving.

I will now describe my invention so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may understand and construct the same, it being premised, however, that changes may be made without departing from my invention.

Figure l is an elevational View partly broken away and partly in diagram indicating a system involving my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view showing somewhat more in detail the starter lock mechanism; Fig. 3 IS a transverse vertical sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a transverse horizontal sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing the lock device in condition permissive of starter connection between the motor and engine; Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the lock device in the condition it assumes to prevent engagement of the starter apparatus and engine; Fig. 6 is a view corresponding with Fig. 3 with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is an end view (on the line 77 of Fig. l) of the clutch mechanism connecting the engine with the motor shaft for driving of the motor as a generator; and Fig. 8 is a section, on the line 88 of Fig. 7, of said clutch.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, I have indicated a type of electric unit comprising a motor-generator 2, the armature 3 of which is journaled in a suitable frame or casing 4 and connects at one end through its shaft 5 and an irreversible or one direction clutch 6 with a shaft 7 which is driven by the internal combustion engine (not shown); the connection between the shaft 7 and the shaft of the engine being effected by means of gearing, as will be understood, so that when the engine is operating or the engine shaft moving the armature 3 will be driven for operation of the unit as a generator. The one way clutch for effecting this driving connection between the engine and armature may be of the usual construction, comprising, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, a head portion 8 fixed to the armature shaft 5 and a head 9 keyed to the shaft 7, between which heads are interposed spring pressed friction rollers 10 disposed in suitable pcripheral recesses 10 in the head S).

The opposite end of the armature shaft 5 is provided with a pinion 11 adapted to be brought into mesh with which is a gear 12 which connects by a sleeve portion 12 with a starter pinion 15 that is adapted to mesh with the gear teeth 16 formed on the fly wheel 17 of the engine; the sleeve 12 with its gears 12 and 15 being slidably shiftably mounted on a shaft 13 mounted in the frame member 14. The sleeve 12 is provided with a shift collar 18 (as clearly shown in Fig. 2) which receives the yoke fingers 18 of a shift head 19 mounted to slide on a rod or shaft 20. Means for reciprocating the head 19 to bring the starting pinion 15 into and out of engagement witlrthe. engine gear 16, may comprise a pivotal lever 21 which may be operated by a foot pedal or foot pedal extension 22 as will be clearly understood. A contractile spring connecting the end of the lever 21 and leading to a suitable point in the frame of the motor generator, serves to hold the starter pinion 15 in inoperative position.

The armature 3 or its shaft 5 is also pro vided with a gear 24 meshing with which is a gear 25 carried by a shaft 26 journaled in the frame 14. Extending from the upper part of this frame 14, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, is a fixed sleeve or ournal 27. Fixed to rotate with the shaft 26 is a vertically movable flanged-like head 28 on the lower face of which is a friction pad or ring 29 which may be formed of fiber or other suitable material. Disposed between the friction pad 29 and a thrust bearing 30 and pivotally freely surrounding or journaled on the sleeve 2T is a disk member or friction plate 31 that has a radially extending finger 32 longitudinally slotted, as shown in Figs. 3 to 6, at 33, to receive a stop finger or blade 34 of an arm 35 supported by means of a pivotal shaft 36 in a casing 37 which substantially incloses the mechanism just described. This casing also forms a mounting for a clip spring 38, the ends of which, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, are symmetrically positioned by means of stops or lugs 39 of the casing 37, at opposite sides of the finger 32 of the friction disk 31, so as to normally hold said finger in position for alinement of the slot 33 in the finger and the pivotal blade 34. Also pivotally supported by a member 40 in the casing 37 is a thrust spring or yieldable finger 41 that rests against a stud 28 extending through the casing from the head 28.

The pad 29 of the flanged head 28 is normally held out of frictional engagement with the disk or plate 31 by means of a coiled spring 42 interposed between the head 28 and the end of the shaft 26. When the arm 35 is forced downwardly so as to cause the finger or blade 34 to move toward the slotted finger 32, a nose or lug 43 of said arm 35 will engage a similar lug or nose 44 on the member 40, which, by reason of the relative disposition of said lugs 43 and 44 will place the spring 41 under such tension against the stud 28 as to overcome the tension of the spring 42, thus urging the friction pad 29 into engagement with the disk or plate 31. Forming part of or arranged to move in unison with the starting lever 21 is a rocker arm or finger 45 adapted to depress the arm 35 when the starter pinion .15 is shifted toward the engine gear 16. Should the shaft 26 be rotating, engagement of the pad 29 with the disk 31 (on said depression of the head 28) will set up rotatory shifting of the disk or plate With the result that the finger 32, as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, will shift (in either direction according to the direction of rotation of the armature 3 and the shaft 26) against the tension of the spring 38 to a position Where the finger 32 will block continued movement of the arm 35 and therefore of the starting lever 21, by reason of engagement of the blade or stop finger 34 with the end of the finger 32; any suitable means serving to limit the shifting movement of the lock finger 32, as the size of the opening 37 in the casing 37, through which the finger 32 projects, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Should the motor armature 3 be stationary, the stop finger or blade 34 will pass into the slot 33 of the finger 32 (the normal position of which is shown in Figs. 3 and 4) so as to permit of continued movement of the arm 35 and starting lever 21. The slot 33 in the finger 32 is preferably just the width of the stop blade or finger 34 so that the end of the finger 32 will, at either side of the slot, present an effective abutment to the blade 34 even though the finger 32 shift to a position of very slight angular degree.

The relative positions of the arm 35, rocker 45 and starter lever 21 are such that any attempt to bring the gear 12 into mesh with the motor pinion 11 and therefore the gear 15 into engagement or mesh with the engine gear 16, will set up movementof the arm35 so that should the motor armature 3 be rotating, resultant movement of the vertical shaft 26 will cause the finger 32 to block the action of the arm 35, as above described.

As clearly shown in Fig. 1, after the engine becomes propulsive, or during movement of the engine shaft, resultant driving of the motor generator armature 3 through the coupling or irreversible clutch 7, effects driving of the upright shaft 26, so that it is impossible to bring the starting gears into engagement with one another during such movement.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a starter system for combustion engines, the combination with the engine, of a starting device comprising a motor having a movable armature and means for connecting the motor with the engine for starting of the latter, and means for preventing said connection of the motor and engine during movement of the armature.

2. In a starter system for combustion engines, the combination with the engine, of a starting device comprising a motor having a movable armature and means for connecting the motor with the engine for starting of the latter, including a plurality. of gears adapted to be brought into and out of engagement with one another, and means for preventing said engagement during movement of the armature.

3. In a starter system for combustion engines, the combination with the engine, of a starting device comprising a motor having a movable armature, an engine gear, a gear driven by the motor armature, means for bringing one of the gears into and out of engagement with the other, and means for 1 preventing said engagement during movement of the armature.

i. In a starter system for combustion engines, the combination with an internal combustion engine, having a fly wheel provided with gear teeth, of a starting device comprising a motor having a movable armature and means for connecting the armature with the fly Wheel of the engine, including a gear driven by the armature and adapted to mesh with the gear teeth of the fly wheel, and means for preventing engagement of the gear with the teeth on the fly wheel during movement of the armature.

5. In a starter system for combustion engines, the combination with the engine, of a starting device comprising an electric element having a movable armature, means whereby the armature may be connected with the engine, for starting of the latter, means whereby the engine may drive the armature, and means for preventing starting connecmeans whereby tion of the armature and engine during movement of the armature.

6. In a starter system for combustion engines, the combination with the engine, of a shaft driven thereby, a starting device comprising an electric element having a movable armature, means whereby the shaft may actuate the armature, means whereby the armature may be connected with the engine for starting of the latter, and means for preventing starting connection of the armature and engine during movement of the armature.

7. In a starter system for combustion engines, the combination with the engine, of a motor generator having a revoluble armature, means, including a shaft and a one direction coupling, for driving the armature by the engine, means, comprising two members adapted to be brought into engagement with one another, for starting of the engine by the motor generator, and means for reventing said engagement of said mem ers during movement of the armature.

8. The combination with an internal combustion engine having a shaft, of a motorgenerator having a revoluble armature, the engine shaft may drive the armature, means for coupling the motorgenerator to the engine for starting of the latter, including a shiftable connecting memher, and means for preventing shifting of the member during movement of the armature.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RICHARD VARLEY.

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