US1736765A - Starter for engines - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 19,1929. M. B. JACKSON 3 STARTER FOR ENGINES File d Nov. '7, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEI'NT UR.

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Nov. 19, 1929. M. B. JACKSON 1,736,765

STARTER FOR ENGINES Filed Nov. 7, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l atentell Nov. 19, 1929 MAUNSELL B. JACKSON, TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA STARTER FOR ENGINES Application filed November 7, 1925. Serial No. 67,577.

This invention relates to starters for in ternal combustion engines of the type in which the starter pinion is manually moved into meshing engagement with the engine 3 gear, and the object of the present invention is to provide simple means whereby a con-. tinuous movement of the operating means is resolved into an axial movement or a rotary movement of the starter pinion as may be necessary to aline it with the engine gear and move it into mesh therewith. Other objects I have in mind will hereinafter appear. 7

I attain my object by means of the constructions briefly described as follows. On a manually operated arm is pivoted a finger which swings in a plane located at one side of the axis of the starter pinion and engages the latter to axially move it towards the engine gear. If the pinion teeth are in aline 20 ment with the spaces between the engine gear teeth when the pinion and gear come together, the finger will move the pinion directly into meshing engagement with the gear. Should the pinion teeth meet end to end with the gear teeth the axial movement of the pinion will be stopped and the manual movement imparted to the finger will cause the latter to rotate the pinion until its teeth clear the gear teeth. This manual movement will then cause the finger to again axially move the pinion into meshing engagement with the gear. The constructions are here inafter described more fully and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in section, of my starter showing the parts in their inoperative positions;

Fig. 2 an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the position of the parts in their operative positions, the switch being closed andthe starter pinion fully meshed with the engine gear;

Fig. 4 a view similar to Flg. 3 showing the position of the parts when the starter pinion has been de-meshed from the engine gear before the switch is opened; and

Fig. 5 a diagrammatic View of my starter.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

1 is an electric motor provided with an extended armature shaft 2 having long pitched threads 3 formed thereon. A pinion 4t threaded on the shaft 2 is adapted to be man ually moved, both axially and rotarily, into mesh with a gear 5 connected with the crankshaft of an engine (not shown), the common practice being to secure this gear to the engine flywheel. A bell crank 6 is secured to a rotatably mounted shaft 7 adapted to be oscillated by any suitable, manually operated mechanism such as the foot pedal or plunger 8 diagrammatically shown in Fig. 5. On'an arm 6 oi the bell crank is pivoted a finger 9 which is provided with an arm 9 connected by a spring 10 with the said bell crank arm. The finger is provided with a sharp edge 9 adapted to engage a peripheral flange P on the outer end of the pinion at. The spring 10 tends to maintain the finger in an operative position. 7

From this description it is obvious that by depressing the foot device 8 the finger 9 will axially move the pinion towards the gear 5 and into meshing engagement therewith if the pinion teeth are in alinement with the space between the engine gear teeth when the pinion and gear come together.

It the teeth of the pinion and gear meet end to end, when the pinion is being axially moved by the finger 9 into mesh with the gear, the axial movement of the pinion towards the gear will be stopped which will result in the finger rotating the pinion sufficiently to cause its teeth to clear the teeth of the gear. This is due to the finger swinging in a plane located at one side of the axis of the pinion and the finger being at an angle to a plane intersecting the said axis at right angles to the plane aforesaid. When the finger has r0- tated the pinion teeth past the contacting gear teeth it again moves the pinion axially of the shaft and into meshing engagement with the gear teeth. In other words, the movement imparted to the manually operated device 8 is adapted to cause the fingerto move the pinion axially towards the gear, then, it necessary, rotate it to clear the gear teeth and then move it axially again to mesh it with the gear.

The other arm 6 of the bell crank 6 is adapted to engage the spring pressed contact 11 of an ordinary plunger type switch and move it into electrical contact with the fixed terminals 12 thereof. These terminals are connected in a circuit 13 in which the motor 1 is also connected. With this arrangement the motor is energized when the pinion teeth are in meshing engagement with the gear teeth. The shaft2 is thus rotated to thread the pinion, which is held from rotation by the gear, along the shaft and fully into mesh with the gear. When the pinion engages a collar 14 formed on or secured to the shaft its axial movement is stopped and it rotates with the shaft to drive the gear. (See Fig. 3). The pinion is automatically returned to its inoperative position, when the engine is started, in the following manner. The speed of the flywheel gear 5 when operated by the starter motor is less than its speed when the engine is started so that the instant the engine starts, the speed of the starter pinion, relative to the starter shaft, is increased. This causes the pinion to be threaded along the shaft to move it out of mesh with the gear. Ifthe motor switch is closed when the engine starts, the pinion when moving from its operative position shown in Fig. 3 to its inoperative position shown in Fig. 4 will engage the finger 9 and swing it backwardly against the tension of the spring 10. The finger is provided with a projection 9 adapted to be engaged by the pinion, on its return movement, to prevent the knife edge being worn or damaged. It will be noted that this movement of the finger does not impart any movement to the manually operable bell crank 6.

The axial return movement of the pinion is limited by an abutment formed as a. washer 15 disposed on the turned down end of the shaft 2 and held in place thereon by means of a nut 20 threaded on the said end. The spring 10 and finger 9 also serve as a brake for reducing the speed of the pinion when moving towards its inoperative or normal position whereby the shock of the pinion against the abutment 15 is reduced which decreases the rebound of the pinion. To releasably retain the pinion out of mesh with the gear, I provide a spring pressed ball 16 carried in the shaft 2 and adapted to frictionally engage a recess or indentation 17 formed at the inner end of the pinion. The ball 16 is also adapted to prevent the spring 10 from axially moving the pinion into mesh with the gear when the parts are positioned as shown in Fig. 4 and to prevent the pinion from accidentally sliding along the shaft, due to road jars or when travelling down inclines, and meshing with or contacting against the side oft-he engine gear 5.

To prevent a small sudden impulse or slight kick of the engine from de-meshing the pinion, I form an indentation 18 on the pinion at the outer end thereof. The spring pressed ball 16 is adapted to engage this indentation to frictionally and releasably retain the pinion in its fully meshed position.

The face of the peripheral flange 4 which is engaged by the finger 9 may be roughened, knurled or serrated in any suitable manner whereby the finger may be provided with a comparatively dull or a rounded end instead ofthe knife edge 9 A spring 19 is adapted to return the foot device 8, shaft 7 and bell crank 6 to their normal positions as shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

In cases where the engine makes a false start (fires once or twice only) and the operator tries to mesh the pinion with the gear while the latter is rocking or revolving either in its normal or its reverse direction of rotation, the spring connection 10 is adapted to permit the finger to be rocked by the pinion without damaging any of the parts.

vVhat I claim is:

1. An engine starter including a shaft con nected with the starter motor and having a starter pinion threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to meshwith a gear of the engine to be started; manual means for shifting said pinion into meshing engagement with said gear, said means including provisions for rotating said pinion, while pressing said pinion against said gear and during the same movement of the manual means, in case the pinion collides with the gear before going into mesh; and means operable by the manual means for energizing the starter motor when the pinion is in meshing engagement with the gear whereby the thread will move the pinion axially into full mesh with the gear and away from the said shifting means and said provisions whereby the pinion will be entirely free of and out of contact with the said shifting means and said provisions until after the starting of the engine.

2. An engine starter including a shaft connected with the starter motor and having a starter pinion threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to mesh with a gear of the engine to be started; manual means for shifting said pinion into meshing engagement with said gear, said means including a toothed member for engaging the end of the pinion to rotate it, while pressing it against said gear and during the same movement of the manual means, in case the pinion collides with the gear before going into mesh; and means operable by the manual means for energizing the starter motor when the pinion is in meshing engagement with the gear whereby the thread will move the pinion ax ially into full mesh with the gear and away from the shifting means and toothed member so that the pinion will be entirely free of and out of contact with the shifting means and toothed member until after the starting of the engine.

3. An engine starter drive including a shaft connected with the starter motor, the shaft being fixed against longitudinal movement and provided with a helical spline; a starter pinion movable endwise along said splined portion and rotatable with said shaft; manual means for shifting said pinion into meshing engagement with a gear of the engine to be started, said means including provisions for rotating said pinion, while pressing said pinion against the gear, in case the pinion collides with the gear, the manual means and provisions including a connection between them adapted to admit both an overrunning rotation and a return axial movement of the pinion before the said means and said provisions are returned to their normal inoperative positions whereby the spline will automatically de-mesh the inion when the engine starts regardless of t e status of said means and said provisions.

4;. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft; a starter pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to mesh with a gear of the engine to be started; a pivoted finger adapted to engage the pinion eccentric to its axis; and means for actuating the finger to cause such longitudinal movement of the starter pinion and to cause a rotary movement thereof if the teeth on the pinion meet end to end with the teeth on the gear.

5. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft; a starter pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal. movement thereof to mesh with a gear of the engine to be started; a pivoted arm; a finger pivoted on the arm; means tending to retain the finger in its operative position, the finger being adapted to engage the pinion eccentric to its axis; and means for actuating the arm to cause such longitudinal movement of the starter pinion and to cause a rotary movement thereof if the teeth on the pinion meet end to end with the teeth on the gear.

6. In a starter for use with an internal combustion engine having a gear adapted to rotate the crankshaft thereof, the combination of starter mechanism including a motor and a shaft; a starter pinion threaded on the shaft; a pivoted arm; afinger pivoted on the arm; means tending to retain the finger in its operative position, the finger being adapted to engage the pinion eccentric to its axis; and means for actuating the arm to axially move the pinion into meshing engagement with the gear, the said finger being adapted to rotate the pinion if the teeth on the latter meet end to end with the teeth on the gear; a motor circuit; and a switch in the motor circuit adapted. to be closed by the arm when the pinion is meshed with the gear, the pinion being adapted to swing the finger to an inoperative position if the pinion is demeshed before the switch is opened.

7. In a starter for use with an internal combustion engine having a gear adapted to rotate the crankshaft thereof, the combination of starter mechanism including a motor and a shaft; a starter pinion threaded on the shaft; a pivoted arm; a sharp edged finger pivoted on the arm and provided with a projection; means tending to retain the finger in its operative position, the finger being adapted to engage the pinion eccentric to its axis; and means for actuating the arm to axially move the pinion into meshing engagement with the gear, the said finger being adapted to rotate the pinion if the teeth on the latter meet end to end with the teeth on the gear; a motor circuit; and a switch in the motor circuit adapted to be closed by the arm when the pinion is meshed with the gear, the pinion being adapted to swing the finger and engage the projection to hold the finger in an inoperative position if the pinion is demeshed before the switch is opened. 1

S. An engine starter drive including a rotatable shaft; a starter pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof to mesh with a gear of the engine to be started, the pinion being provided with a peripheral flange; a sharp edged pivoted finger adapted to engage the flange; and means for actuating the finger to cause such longitudinal movement of the starter pinion and to cause a rotary movement thereof if the teeth on the pinion meet end to end with the teeth on the gear.

9. In a starter for use with an internal combustion engine having a gear adapted to rotate the crankshaft thereof, the combination of starter mechanism including a motor and a shaft; a starter pinion threaded on the shaft; a bell crank; a finger pivoted on an arm of the bell crank and provided with an arm; a spring connecting the said arms for normally retaining the finger in its operative position, the finger being adapted to engage the pinion eccentric to its axis; means for actuating the arm to axially move the pinion into meshing engagement with the gear, the finger being adapted to rotate the pinion if the teeth on the latter meet end to end with the teeth on the gear; a motor circuit; and a switch in the motor circuit adapted to be closed by the other arm of the bell crank when the pinion is meshed with the gear, the pinion being adapted to swing the finger to an inoperative position if the pinion is demeshed before the switch is opened.

Signed at Toronto, Canada, this 4th day of November, 1925.

MAUNSELL B. JACKSON.

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