US2084813A - Engine starting mechanism - Google Patents

Description

June 22, 1937. R. P. LANSING 2,084,813

ENGINE STARTING MECHANISM Original Filed Aug. 6, 1931 INVENTOR.

gay/77000;? ans/by 1%? TTOR Patented June 22, 1937 ENGINE STARTING MECHANISM Raymond P. Lansing, Montclair, N. 3., assignor to Eclipse Aviation Corporation, East Orange, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Original application August 6, 1931, Serial No. 555,633. Divided and this application August 17, 1936,. serial No. 96,494

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a starter for an engine such as an internal combustion engine, and pertains more particularly to the means for connecting the starting motor or other source of power to a memberNor part of the engine to be started and thereafter transmittin power thereto to start the engine.

Ansobject of the invention is to provide a novel starter of the type embodying a drive which is characterized by the employment of .a rotatable driving member, or prime mover, such as an electric motor, and a driven member, such asa pinion, mounted on the armature shaft of the motor for longitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewith, and adapted to be drivably connected with the engine member.

Another object is to provide in a starter having the foregoing characteristics, novel means for effecting automatic movement of the driven memher into mesh with the engine member in response to energization of the prime mover, and prior to any rotary movement of the driven member.

A further object is to provide automatic meshing means of the foregoing character adapted to 25 be actuated by novel resilient transmitting means capable of exerting an axial thrust upon the driven member in response to rotary movement of the driving member.

30 A further object is to provide novel means for causing the gradual establishment of a driving connection between the prime mover and driven member subsequent to the attainment of the meshed condition. In this connection, a feature 35 of the invention is the employment of novel impact absorbing means in the dual capacity of yieldably actuating the driven member in its These and other objects and advantages to be derived from the use of the invention disclosed herein will become evident on an inspection of the following description when read with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating one embodiment of the invention. It is to'be' relative large diameter with which the pinion i5 expressly understood, however, that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration only, and. is not to be construed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claim. 5

In the drawing, which is a view in elevation of a starter embodying the invention, reference character 3 designates an electric motor having an extended armature shaft t to which is rigidly secured, by suitable means, such as a key 5 and a set screw 6, a sleeve or collar 1, having an outer cylindrical rim 8 rigidly connected, as by means of rivets 9, for example, to a pair of complemental clutch members it and II, constituting part of the novel means for converting the rotation of the shaft l into, first, a meshing, and then a rotary movement of the engine-engaging member to be described hereafter.

The novel means for producing automatic meshing action between the starter and the engine to be started in response to energization of the prime mover 3 preferably comprises an engine-engaging member M which in the embodiment now being described is-constituted by an elongated sleeve, loosely fitting on the shaft 4 and provided at its inner end with an enlarged portion constituting a pinion adapted to drive the engine member l6, which may be the engine flywheel, on which is provided a. spur gear ll, of

is caused to mesh on longitudinal movement along the shaft 4.

Mounted on the threaded portion H of the engine-engaging member is a correspondingly threaded nut 18 having a splined or equivalent connection, as indicated at l3 and I9, with the clutch member ID, and preferably nut l8 carries means for normally holding the member ll in. the position indicated with a yieldable force. As shown, such means takes the form of a spring pressed member I! provided in a recess in the nut i8, and exerting the desired amount of frictional pressure on the surface of member ll. With this construction it is evident that upon energization of the motor} by suitable means (not shown) the resulting initial rotation of shaft 6, communicated to the nut l8 through the collar 1, barrel I0, and splines l9, produces a screw action on the sleeve l4 causing the latter to move to the left as shown in broken line position in Fig. 1 overcoming the light frictional restraining effect of the spring pressed member I 2 and establishing meshed relation between the pinion l5 and the gear I1.

The novel means for controlling the application of torque to the pinion l5 and gear I! after these two members have become meshed comprises in conjunction with the clutch members l and II, a cylindrical resilient member 20 of compressible material, preferably rubber, having its opposite ends abutting the nut l8 and the member II, respectively. The effect of this construction is that upon continued rotation of the shaft 4 following establishment of meshed relation, and 1 due to the prevention of any further longitudinal movement of thesleeve I 4 by virtue of the contact of stop 2| thereon with the inwardly turned end 22 of the clutch member H, the nut I8 is caused to travel to the right as viewed in Fig. 1, thereby compressing the cylindrical buffer 210 and gradually building up therein, 'a resistance which. when it has reached the required point, will be effective to cause the transmission of driving torque to the sleeve l4 throughthe member I 8 and thus cause rotation of the engine member Hi. .When the engine has been started by the means just described, and the motor 3 de-energ'ized, the resulting deceleration of the member l8, in conjunction with the acceleration of the sleeve I4 (which is now driven by the engine member l6) causes the return ofthe nut l8 to the position shown in-Fig. 1, in which position the stress; previously built up in the member 20 is eliminated. At the same time these forces act to return the sleeve M to the position shown in Fig. 1 thereby demeshing the pinion.

In the event that the teeth of pinion l5 fail to register with those of the gear I! on first contact therewith, the resistance thus offered to further longitudinal movement of the sleeve I 4 will cause the nut l8 to compress the buffer 20 and thereby produce rotation of the members l3 ,5 and M to a sufiicient extent to cause proper meshing of the pinion with the gear, whereupon the elasticity of the buffer 20 is effective to exert a thrust through the nut It, on the sleeve I I, to cause the pinion to move forward into full meshing position. It is thus apparent that the buffer 20 may act not only as the torque transmitting means, but also as the means for insuring full mesh of the pinion with the gear 11 in the event of abutting of the teeth of these two members.

This application is a division of my prior case, Serial No. 555,633, filed Aug. 6, 1931.

What is claimed is:-

In a device of the class described, a driving shaft, a driven gear, a member connected with 20 said shaft to rotate therewith, a nut splined to said member for rotary movement therewith and limited movement axially thereof, a sleeve freely mounted on said shaft and threadedly engaging said nut, a plurality of teeth on said sleeve engageable with the teeth of said gear on movement of said sleeve along said shaft, and compressible means interposed between said rotatable member and said nut for absorbing the shock incident to the application of torque to said pinion and gear 30 through said nut.

. RAYMOND P. LANSING.

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