USRE13675E - Engine-starter - Google Patents

Description

T. J. GRAY. ENGINE STARTER. APILIOATION FILED 13110.16. 1913.

Reissued Jan. 13, 1914.

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WTNESSES: NWN/70H a/aw. 32pm 1 @w M www www A NOR/VE VSj T. J. GRAY. ENGINE STARTER. APPLIGATION FILED DB0. 1e, 1913.

Reissued 1111.13, 1914.

YUNrriiD STATES PATENT: OFFICE.

J'. GRAY, 0Fl INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, 'BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 GRAY ENGINE STARTER COMPANY, A CORPORATION INDIANA.

ENGINE-STARTER.

Original application led 1913, Serial No. 787,225. 'Original led December 16, 1913. Seri/al No. 807,020. y

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, vTHOMAS J. GRAY, .i citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine-Starters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a division of my original application, Serial No. 7 56,7 02, led March 25, 1913.

This invention relates to means for'connecting a driving shaft, such as an armature shaft of an electric motor,`with a driven shaft, by means .of a speed-reducing gearing, and t0 means for'connecting the driven .shaft with the crank-shaft of an .internal combustion engine, and to means f orautomatically coupling and uncoupling the mechanism somewhere between the driving l shaft and the crank-shaft.

The object vof the invention is to release or uncouple the speed-reducing gearing from the crank-shaft, when the engine gets to racing as most internal combustion engines frequently do, and thus avoid injury on such occasions to the speed-reducing I accomplish the aboveobjects and other objects which will hereinafter appear, by the ,mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing portions of an electric motor, and of an internalcombustion en in e with my improved mechanism applied t ereto, the ma]or portion of the latter being shown in section Fig. 1 looking in the direction` of the arrow.

Fig. 3 is a section in the same plane looking.

u in the opposite direction from thatindicated by the arrow. Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the gear wheel .of my improved gravity clutch broken away in part and showing thel shaft on which itis loosely mounted in cross section on the line 4-4 of Figs. 1 and 6. Figk is a cross section on the line 5-5 of Fig.'6, and Fig. 6 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4, showing the centrifugal clutch mechanism.

Like characters o-f reference indicate like yparts lthroughout the several views of the drawings.

' but this cylindrical Specification of Reissued Letters Patent. Reissued Jan. 13, 1914.

March 25, 1913, Serial No. 756,702. Divided and application filed August 28, No. 1,081,268, dated December 9, 1913. Application for reissue 13 is the crank-shaft of an internal combustion engine of any usual and well known construction of which 14 are the cylinders and-` 15 the connecting rods.

16 is an electric motor having an armature 17 mounted on a shaft 18, and 4 is an extension of the shaft 18, normally separate therefrom and connected therewith by gearing hereinafter to be described. Loosely mounted on the shaft 4 is the female portion 5 of a clutch which provides a support to which the gear wheel 7 is rigidly fixed. The shaft 4 is continued beyond the clutch portion 5, but is reduced in diameter, as shown ir; Figs. 1 and 6, and upon this reduced por- 1tion of the shaft the male member 9 of the clutch is rigidly keyed fast, the female portion 5 providing a housing for inclosing the male member y9 of the clutch. The extreme outer end of the shaft 4 may be provided with a collar 8, if desired.

The male member 9 of the clutch is cylindrical' in general contour of its periphery, surface is broken by a seriesof equidistant notches 10, here shown as four in number. One side `of each notch is a'plane along a chord of the circle ofthe periphery and the other and much shorter side is a curve. This notched male member 9v of theclutch enters a suitable recess in the adjacent portion of the female clutch member 5, which recess as to its major middle portion is round in cross section and of a diameter to permit the male member 9 to rotate freely therein with a close movin fit.

Extending out from this round bore o the female clutch portion 5 area plurality of equidistant pockets 11, the outer ends of which. are semi-cylindrical and of sufficient depth to receive rollers 12 entirely outside of said round bore ofthe clutch when the rollers are seated in the said outer ends of the pockets. There is one roller 12 for each pocket 11 and the number of'pockets is greater than the number ofnotches 10 in the periphery of the male member 9 of the clutch; in the example here shown in the drawings there are six pockets and the same number of rollers, and four of the notches roll into one of the notches 10, when one of said notches comes into register with the mouth of a pocket 11 in vertical position above the axis of the shaft 4.

Under the conditions last mentioned the roller 12 will drop by gravity into the notch 10 and will then lock the niale clutch member 9 to the female clutch member 5 by the continued movement of the shaft 4. Because of the less number of the notches 1() in the male clutch member 9, and the above described shapeof the notches and pockets, only, one notch 10 can come into register with the mouth of a pocket 11 at a time, to permit the dropping of a roller 12 into locking position, and when the speed of thefemale clutch member 5 reaches approximately one hundred and twenty revolutions per minute,- centrifugal action will throw the rollers 12 all out into the outer ends of their respective pockets and retain them there while the speed continues, thus releasing the male clutch member 9 and the mechanism drivingly connected with it. The teeth of the spur-gear 7 are in constant mesh with those of the spur-gear 19 mounted on the crank-shaft. 13.

" 20 is the head ofthe electric motor, andsecured to it is a gear-housing 21, which supports suitable ball bearings for the shaft 4. The inner end of the-shaft 4 is provided with a fiange 22 to whicha ring 23, having internal cogs, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is bolted or riveted.

Mounted on the armature shaft 18 is an ecy centr-ic 24 which rotates with said shaft, and

- one time. .'41s

mounted on roller bearings 25 on the eccentric 24 is a gear wheel 26 with external teeth meshing with the teeth of the internal gear wheel 23. The wheel 26 is smaller in diameter than the gear wheel 23, as-shown in Figs. l and 2,'whereby only a portion of the teeth of the two wheels will be in engagement at 27 is a ioating plate between the head 20 of the electric motor and the external gear 26. Said'plate has two diametrically oppofsite' slots 28 to receive rollers von pins 29 mounted in the electric motor head 20, and it also has two ldiametrically opposite slots 30 in a line at right angles to that of the slots 28, to receive rollers onpins 31 carriedy by the spur-gear wheel 26. This constrainedv and floating movement of the plate or wheelV A27 allows the spur-gear wheel 26 to adjust itself or gyrate in keeping with the changes in position of the cam 24 on which it isV mounted, without permitting the rotation of said spur-gear. The difference in the number of teeth in the gear wheel 23 reduces the rate of travel between the motor shaft 18 and the extension 4.

In the operation of m invention the male member 9 of the clutch 's driven, at starting, in, the direction of the arrow, by the V'On the contrary,

electric motor, and one of the rollers 12 will y drop into a notch 10 in said male member, as shown in Fig. 4, and a lock will be formed between the-male and female members of the clutch. Motion will thereby be imparted through the gear wheels 7 and 19 tol the crank-shaft 13, and this will continue until ignition takes place inl the cylinders 14 of the engine. When that occurs the shaft 13, gear wheels 19 and 7 and the female member 5 of the clutch will acquire a greater velocity from the engine than they had. from the electric motor and when the velocity of the female member 5 of the clutch reaches one hundred and twenty revolutions per minute, or more, the rollers 12, by the racing of the engine, will be thrown into theirpockets by centrifugal force, contactl with the .male clutch, and will remain matically uncoupling the shaft 4 and speedreducing gear from the engine.

While I have described my invention with more or less minuteness as regards details of construction and arrangement and as being embodied in certain precise forms, I do not desire to be limited thereto unduly or any more than is pointed out in the claims. I contemplate all proper changes in form, construction and arrangement, the omission of immaterial elements and the substitution of equivalents, as circumstances may suggest or necessity render expedient.

I claim -1 1. The combination with an electric motor member 9 of the 'and an internal combustion engine of gear means transmitting power at a reduced speed from the motor'to the engine to start the engine comprising automatic means operated by the speed ofthe engine4 to release the engine the engine and motor when the latter vacts as the driving agent.

2. In an engine starter, an electric motor having a drivingpsh'aft, a driven shaft, speed reducing gearing drivingly connecting the two shafts, an internal combustion engine having a crank-shaft, means for automatically connectingthe driven shaft with the crankfs'haft, and for automatically disconnectingv them when the -engine is racing.

3. An electric motor having a driving shaft,adriven shaft, a crank-shaft, speed Areducing mechanism -trans1nitting motion from the driving shaft to the driven shaft, transmission means between the driven shaft and' the crank-shaft comprising automatic means for disconnecting the crank-shaft at a predetermined speed of the latter and for auand out jof bearing there inert, auto- IDO when the engine races and to connect tomatically connecting the crank-shaft when .the motor acts as the driver.

4. lAn electric motor having a driving shaft, a driven shaft, an internal combustion engine having a crank-shaft, speed reducing crank-shaft comprisin automatic means for y disconnecting the cran -shaft when its speed mechanism transmitting motion from the.

driving .shaft tothe driven shaft, transmission means between the driven shaft and has reached approximately one hundred and twenty revolutions a minute and for automatically connecting .the crank-shaft .when

. ing a wheel loosely mounted oif'said driven i' .notched shaft, a `female clutch member loosely mounted on the driven shaft and having a central bore to receive the peripherally ale clutch member and having a number of pockets located around and communicating with said central bore, a periph-V erally notched clutch member rigidl fixed to the driven shaft and working wit in the *central bore of the female clutch member,

the `number of pockets in the female clutch member being greater than the number lof notches in 'the periphery of themale member, and a roller loosely mounted on each of said pockets.

.6. The combinatiom'of an electric motor having a driving shaft, an eccentric rotating therewith, a driven shaft, an internal gear wheel secured to the driven shaft, a spurgear wheel mounted on the eccentric and having teeth engaging the teeth of the internal gear wheel, means to prevent rotation ofthe spur-gear wheel while permitting gy.- ration, an internalcombustion engine having a crank-shaft, and means connecting-said driven shaft with the crank-shaft coinprising-a clutch which remains locked when the motor acts as the driverV and automatically releases when the crank-shaft becomes the 7. The combination, of an electric motor having a driving shaft, an eccentric rotating therewith, a driven shaft, an internal gear wheel secured to the driven shaft, a spurgear wheel mounted on the eccentric and having teeth engaging with the teeth of the internal gear w eel, a plate having a ioating movement without rotation, means to lock the io-atingplate to the spur-gear to provide for a floating movement of the latter, an mternal` combustlon engme having a crank-shaft,` and means connecting said driven shaft -with the crank-shaft compris-4 ing a clutch which remains locked when the motor acts as the driver and automatically releases when ythe driver.

`8. The combination, of an electric motor having a driving shaft, an eccentric rotating therewith, a driven. shaft, an' internal gear wheel secured'to the driven shaft, a spurgear wheel mounted on the eccentric and having 'teeth engaging with the teeth of the internal gear wheel, a ioating plate adjust-r able in two directions at right angles to each other without rotation, means to'` lock the floating plate to the spur-gear to permit of 'a floating movement of the latter, an internal combustion engine having a crank-shaft,

crank shaft becomesl the and means connecting said driven shaft with the crank shaft comprising a gravity clutch the crank-shaft becomes the driver.

9. The combination, of an' electric motor having a driving shaft, an eccentric rotating therewith, a driven shaft, an internal gearL wheel secured to the driven shaft, a spurgear wheel mounted 0n the eccentric and aving teeth engaging with the teeth of the.

which unlocks by centrifugal action when internal gear wheel, means to revent rotation of the spur-gear wheel whi e permitting gyration, an internal combustion engine havin a crank-shaft, and means connecting said driven shaft with the crank-shaft comprising a wheel lioosely mounted on said driven shaft, a fema e clutch member loosely mountved on the driven shaft and having a central bore to receive the peripherally notched male clutch member and having a number of pockets located around and communicating vwith said central bore, a peripherally notched clutch member rigidly fixed to the driven shaft and working, within the central bore of the female clutch member, the number of pockets in the female clutch member being greater than the number of notches in the periphery of the male m'ember, and a lroller loosely mounted in each of said pockets.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 15th dred and thirteen.

THOMAS J. GRAY. Witnesses:

I. L. Larson,y J. A. MINTURN.

lday of December, one thousand 'nine hun-i

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