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US 4,308,462 AGranted
Engine starter system with improved structure for maintaining engine engagement
AssigneeAMBAC Industries, Incorporated
InventorBobby E. McMillen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electric starter assembly and, more specifically, an improved drive assembly that is responsive to inertia encountered during the fast acceleration of the starter armature and that also is responsive to the inertia encountered as a result of providing for a braking or rapid deceleration of the starter armature. The assembly also provides a positive engagement between the drive assembly of the starter motor and the engine member to be rotated during the cranking cycle. Engagement is maintained so long as the motor is energized, even if the engine is running.
Claims17
An engine starter system comprising:
- a starter motor having a housing magnetic field producing means;
- an armature rotatably supported in said motor housing and having a shaft extending from the motor housing, said shaft having a helically threaded portion;
- an axially movable member having a threaded portion that meshes with the helically threaded portion of the shaft to be axially movable relative to the shaft when relative rotatable movement occurs between them and otherwise to be rotatable with the shaft;
- an axially movable member on said shaft including an engine-engaging member which engages and acts to rotate an engine in a selected axial position and means connecting the engine-engaging member to the shaft through thread mating with the threads on the shaft, the threads being oriented such that when the motor is energized the inertia axially movable member will cause it to react against the threads and move along the shaft to engine-engaging position;
- stop means on the shaft limiting movement of the axially movable member whereby in one stop-engaging position said engine-engaging member engages the engine and in the other stop-engaging position it is disengaged;
- resilient means acting between the shaft and the axially movable member to urge said member against the stop when the engine-engaging member is disengaged and yielding to forces generated by rotation to allow movement of the axially movable member to the position of engine engagement;
- generally radially oriented movable pin means slidably supported on the axially movable member to move outward under centrifugal force when the axially movable member is rotated;
- pin stop means coaxially supported on the shaft having a shoulder with a radial component such that in engine engaging position the pin means engage the discontinuity whereby the extended pin means are deterred by centrifugal force from passing back over the discontinuity to permit engine disengagement.
5 more elements
The engine starter system comprising:
- an electric starter having a rotating shaft extending therefrom;
- an engine-engaging member threadably connected to the shaft so that relative movement between the shaft and engine-engaging member will result in axial displacement between the shaft and the engine-engaging member;
- a centrifugally actuated locking means to hold the engine-engaging member in contact with an engine member that is rotated during starting;
- a switch means to selectively supply electrical current from a source to the engine starter;
- a braking means to provide increased negative acceleration of the starter armature when the switch interrupts current flow to the starter.
2 more elements
An engine starter drive assembly comprising:
- a tubular member having internal threads that are adaptable to mesh with a threaded portion of an engine starter shaft;
- a cover member extending over and encompassing a portion of the tubular member;
- a resilient member contained within the cover member and positioned between one end of the tubular member and a facing wall of the housing member;
- a unidirectional clutch member having two faces, one of which is connected to the housing member;
- a toothed engine-engaging member connected to the other one of said two faces of the clutch member;
- a spring means to provide a force in a direction opposite to the direction required to cause engagement of the engine-engaging member with the engine means to be rotated during starting;
- a collar member that is connected to the tubular member so as to rotate therewith;
- a radially movable member contained within a recess in the collar member and that is adapted to be actuated by centrifugal force in a radially outward direction with respect to the axis of rotation of the collar member;
- and
- a retainer housing member which has a step shaped wall which extends over the radially movable members and limits the movement thereof.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.