Starter/blower motor
AssigneeFord Motor Company
InventorJohn E. Bradley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A Stirling engine is disclosed having an auxiliary drive system employing only one independent motor for providing both initial air compressor operation during engine warm-up and engine cranking. The auxiliary drive system has an electromagnetic clutch and a phased gear coupling actuated in sequence to promote drive for cranking the engine only after the engine has reached a certain operating temperature through use of an air compressor driven by said motor.
Claims4
A drive system for a Stirling engine having an external heating circuit with a compressor for injecting air thereinto, and a thermodynamic cycling system for converting energy derived from said heating circuit into mechanical motion and for extracting work energy by way of a driven output means, said drive system comprising:
- a. a motor driven independently of said engine and having a driven shaft,
- b. means drivingly connecting said driven shaft to the compressor for a period of time during which the engine is started from a cold condition,
- c. means selectively connecting said driven shaft to said driven output means for driving the latter during only an intermediate portion of said period during which the engine is started from a cold condition, said selectively connecting means having intermeshable gear elements relatively movable for interrupting the selectively connecting means, said selectively collecting means having a gradually engagable friction coupling for interrupting drive through said selectively connecting means, and said selectively connecting means further having an actuator effective to sequentially first establish intermeshing of said gear elements and secondly establish drive engagement through said friction coupling.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.