US2318209A - Manually engaged engine starter - Google Patents

Description

y 1943- J. w. FITZ GERALD 2,318,209

MANUALLY ENGAGED ENGINE STARTER Fil ed June 25, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. w. Fl'i'z GERALD 2,318,209 MANUALLY ENGAGED ENGINE STARTER Filed June 25, 1941 2 Sheet s-Sh'eet '2 5 Mb I Q3:

Patented May 4, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to engine starters, and refers particularly to starters of the manually meshed type as distinguished from the automatic type wherein the inertia of the pinion or starter gear is utilized to efiect its engagement 7 with a ring gear of the engine flywheel.

It is an object of this invention to provide a starter of the manually meshed type which is considerably simpler than those heretofore in use and thus less expensive to produce. Inasmuch as the pinion teeth are apt to abut the teeth of the ring gear end to end, it is another object of this invention to provide a yielding connection betweenthe manually depressed starter lever and the pinion to compensate for such interference with proper meshing.

In this respect, it is a more specific object of this invention to provide a simple manner of connecting the pinion with the manually depressible starter lever whereby much of the mechanism heretofore found necessary in starters of this type is obviated.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view partially in side elevation and partially in section of a starter embodying this invention, said view showing the pinion in its normal retracted position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the pinion abutting the ring gear to illustrate erally by the numeral 1. This starter unit comprises a pinion 8 loosely mounted on the shaft 6 to move longitudinally and rotarily thereof and an overrunning clutch 9 through which the pinion is drivingly connected with the motor shaft and by which damage to the motor armature due to excessive speed is obviated.

One element H] of the clutch is fixed to the pinion and the other element I I thereof is slidably splined on the motor shaft as at l2. The clutch element In is substantially cup-shaped and has a disc-like portion of the element l I received therein. This disc-like portion of the element H, as best shown in Figure 4, has a plurality of notches I3 in its periphery in which balls or pins l 4 are received.

the manner in which such interference with The notches hav inclined bottoms to provide a driving connection in one direction only. A' nut member [5 threaded to the flange of the clutch element l0 holds the two clutch elements assembled. p

The starter unit 9 is slid along the shaft 6' to mesh its pinion 8 with a ring gear I6 upon depression of a spring held starter pedal 11. The pedal I! may be mounted in any suitable manner as by being pivoted on the housing of the motor as at I8, and any form of spring action may be used to hold it in its retracted position.

- Besides moving the pinion into and out of mesh with the ring gear, depression of the starter pedal also controls the connection of the starting motor with its source of energy and for this purpose a switch may be built into the motor housing and. provided with a depressible actuator 19 adapted to be engaged by the starter pedal during its final range of depression.

- The connection betweenthe pedal I1 and the starter unit comprises a, rod 20 slidable within the hollow drive shaft and protruding from the outer end thereof. This protruding end of the rod has a stop abutment 2| fixed thereto which bears against the adjacent end of a compression spring 22, the opposite end of which is supported by the hub of the clutch element ll.

Expansion of the spring 22 is limited by a barrel or shell 23 fitted over the spring and secured to the clutch element l I with its outer end fianged to engage the stop abutment 2|.

A motion transmitting connection yieldable in one direction is thus provided between the rod 20 and the starter unit so that a pull on the rod,

transmitted thereto by depression of the pedal,

advances the pinion toward the ring gear.

In the event of improper meshing, as indicated in Figure 2, the compression spring 22 yields to permit continued depression of the starter pedal to close the motor switch. The instant the switch is closed and the motor starts, the rotation imparted to the pinion dislodges the abutting relationship and enables thespring tosnap the pinion into proper engagementwith the ring gear.

The connection between the starter pedal and the rod comprises a yoke and spanner collar, as indicated at 24, and as will be readily apparent, after the engine has been started and the starter pedal is released, its return to normal retracted position by its biasing spring returns the starter unit to its normal position shown in Figure 1.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent that this invention provides an exceedingly simple engine starter of the manually meshed type and that through the, simple expedient of an actuating rod slidable within the hollow drive shaft much of the mechanism heretofore necessary for shifting the starter unit into and out of mesh with the ring gear is eliminated.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an engine starter of the character described: a hollow drive shaft; a pinion loosely mounted thereon; an overrunning clutch comprising complementary members, one of which is connected to the pinion; a splined driving connection between the shaft and the other clutch element; a rod slidable within the hollow drive shaft and protruding from the end thereof adjacent to the clutch and pinion; an abutment on the exposed end portion of the rod; a compression spring confined between said abutment and the adjacent end of the second designated clutch element so that a pull on the rod yieldingly imparts a push on the assembled clutch and pinion to move the pinion toward its operative driving position with a yielding force to compensate for interruptions with the advance of the pinion; and a shell carried by said second designated clutch element and enclosing the protruding end of the rod and said spring and engageable with the abutment on the rod to limit expansion of the spring and enable the application of endwise force on the clutch and pinion in the opposite direction by a push on said rod.

2. In an engine starter of the character described: a drive motor having a hollow armature shaft; a starter gear movable along the shaft to and from an operative driving position; a driving connection between the starter gear and the shaft; a rod slidable within the hollow armature shaft; a manually operableactuator connected with the rod to reciprocate the same and biased to a position urging the rod in one axial direction;

a connection between the rod and the starter gear through which the rod transmits a positive axial force to the starting gear to hold the same in an inoperative position on the shaft in response to the biasing force acting on the actuator; and another connection between the rod and the starter gear including a yieldable element through which the rod transmits a yielding axial force on the starter gear in a direction to advance the same to its operative position in response to operation of the actuator against its biasing force.

3. In an engine starter of the character described: a drive motor having a hollow armature shaft; a starter gear movable along the shaft to and from an operative driving position; a driving connection between the starter gear and the shaft; a rod slidable within the hollow armature shaft; biasing means acting on the rod to yieldingly hold the same in one axial position; a connection between the rod and the starter gear through which the rod transmits a positive axial force to the starter gear to hold the same in an inoperative position on the shaft in response to the biasing force acting on the rod; and another connection between the rod and the starter gear including a yieldable element through which the rod transmits a yielding axial force on the starter gear in a direction to advance the same to its operative position in response to sliding of the rod against its biasing force to another axial position.

4. In an engine starter of the character described, the combination of a hollow drive shaft; a starter gear movable both longitudinally and rotatarily with respect to the shaft; an overrunning clutch one element of which is connected to the starter gear; a splined driving connection between the other element of the overrunning clutch and the shaft; a rod slidable within the hollow drive shaft and projecting from one end thereof; and a connection between the rod and the second designated element of the overrunning clutch for shifting the starter gear longitudinally on the shaft including an abutment on the rod, a spring confined between said abutment and the second, designated element of the overrunning clutch so that a pull on the rod yieldingly imparts an endwise force on the overrunning clutch and starter gear to move the gear to an operative position, and means connected with the pinion for limiting the expansion of said spring to thereby enable the application of endwise force on the starter gear to move the same to an inoperative position upon motion of the rod in the opposite direction.

JOHN W. FITZ GERALD.

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