Briggs & Stratton Corporation

Other

John D Santi

Gary J Gracyalny

Robert K Mitchell

Richard A Dykstra

Paul A Tharman

Art Poehlman

Aaron Jerabek

John Feldner

Steven A Dethloff

Dick Seilenbinder

Charles Brown

Stanley Filipak

Stanely Filipak

David A Kratz

Elliot J Matel

Henry A Hawken

Edward A Boyd

A valve-operating lever comprising a valve arm including a first aperture defining a valve arm engagement portion. The lever also includes a connector member having an outside surface and a first stop. The connector member and the first stop cooperate to define a first engagement portion. A first portion of the connector member overlays a portion of the valve arm adjacent the first aperture, and the valve arm engagement portion engages the first engagement portion.

Valve-operating lever

An engine starting and stopping device for an internal combustion engine includes an energy storing mechanism having at least one elastic member such as a spring, an input element engageable with the elastic member and movable during engine coast down to load the elastic member, and an output element that is movable in response to the energy storing mechanism. The output element is movable in response to the energy storing mechanism as the elastic member unloads from the loaded state, to thereby move a rotatable member (i.e., a crankshaft and/or flywheel) of the engine during starting of the engine. An input control device is also provided for positioning the input element into engagement with the rotatable member of the engine such that rotation of the rotatable member moves the input element to load the elastic member during engine coast down and also to brake the engine.

Starting and stopping device for internal combustion engine

A starting and stopping device for an internal combustion engine includes an energy storing device including at least one elastic member. The elastic member is loaded in response to rotation of a main shaft, and the main shaft rotates in an unloading direction in response to unloading of the elastic member. A locking mechanism selectively prevents the elastic member from unloading from a loaded state by preventing the shaft from rotating in the unloading direction. A clutch mechanism is operatively disposed between the main shaft and the locking mechanism to permit rotation of the shaft in the unloading direction when a preselected torsional threshold between the shaft and the locking mechanism is reached.

Starting and stopping device for an internal combustion engine

An internal combustion engine includes an engine housing, a crankshaft supported within the engine housing for rotation with respect to the engine housing, and a flywheel fixedly mounted to the crankshaft and rotatable with the crankshaft in a starting direction to start the engine. A coil spring has an outer end fixedly interconnected with respect to the engine housing, and an inner end. A unidirectional clutch has a portion connected to the inner end of the spring. The unidirectional clutch is characterized by an interference condition in which the unidirectional clutch couples the inner end of the spring to the flywheel such that the flywheel and crankshaft may be rotated in the starting direction in response to unloading of the spring. The unidirectional clutch is also characterized by a non-interference condition in which the inner end of the spring is uncoupled from the flywheel. An input assembly is interconnected with the spring and selectively movable into contact with flywheel to load the spring in response to rotation of the flywheel. A locking mechanism selectively prevents the spring from unloading, and at least one manual actuator is actuable to disengage the locking mechanism from the spring to enable unloading of the spring.

An internal combustion engine includes an engine housing and a crankshaft supported for rotation within the engine housing and rotatable in a starting direction to start said engine. At least one cup is fixedly mounted to the crankshaft for rotation therewith. A starter shaft is supported by the engine housing for rotation. A spring housing includes a circumferential flange that defines an annular track with the at least one cup, and a spring is housed within the spring housing. The spring has a first end interconnected with the spring housing and a second end interconnected with the engine housing. A friction roller is movable into the annular track and into engagement with both of the circumferential flange and the at least one cup to cause rotation of the spring housing and loading of the spring in response to rotation of the crankshaft. A unidirectional clutch is interconnected between the spring housing and the starter shaft, the unidirectional clutch causing rotation of the starter shaft in a starting direction in response to unloading of the spring, but not causing rotation of the starter shaft in a direction opposite the starting direction. At least one dog is interconnected with the starter shaft to engage the at least one cup in response to rotation of the starter shaft in the starting direction to thereby causes rotation of the crankshaft in the starting direction.

An engine starting device for an internal combustion engine, includes an energy storing mechanism including at least one elastic member, an input element engageable with the elastic member and movable into contact with a rotatable engine member of an engine to load the elastic member, an output element that is movable in response to unloading of the elastic member, at least one manual actuator to enable unloading of the elastic member, a locking mechanism engageable with the energy storing mechanism to prevent the elastic member from unloading from a loaded state, a sliding member, a cam member mounted to the sliding member, a pivot link pivotably mounted to the sliding member, and a key device coupled to the pivot link. In operation, rotation of the key device in a locking direction causes the pivot link to move the sliding member, thereby causing the cam member to engage the locking mechanism when the locking mechanism is positioned in engagement with the energy storing mechanism. The key thus locks the locking member to resist disengagement of the locking mechanism from the energy storing mechanism.

A composite gear includes one or more metal stamped plates, and two thermoplastic layers disposed on opposite sides of the plates. Apertures are provided in the stamped metal plates so that the molten thermoplastic material may flow through the apertures and anchor the two thermoplastic layers to each other as well as to the metal plates. The composite gear has composite gear teeth which consist of one or more metal gear teeth portions sandwiched between two thermoplastic gear teeth portions. The thermoplastic gear teeth portions extend outwardly from the metal gear teeth portions so that the thermoplastic teeth portions absorb loads under normal operating conditions. Under abnormal conditions such as when an abrupt stop occurs, the thermoplastic portions of the gear teeth are compressed and the higher torque forces resulting from the abnormal condition are absorbed by the metal gear teeth portions. Unique tooling and manufacturing methods are also described to enable the composite gear to be made without overmolding the metal gear teeth portions.

Tool for making a composite gear

A method of manufacturing a tool used to make a composite gear, the method including forming a cavity in a plate, the cavity being partially defined by a surface in the plate. The surface has a plurality of tool teeth. The method further includes machining at least some of the tool teeth such that some tool teeth have opposed first and second side sections and a central section disposed between the first and second side sections. The central section is larger than the side sections in a circumferential direction. The method further includes creating at least one centering protrusion on the surface. Preferably, the cavity forming step includes forming an aperture in the plate and electric discharge machining the surface of the cavity using a current carrying wire. The machining step preferably includes orbiting an electrode in a first position of the cavity to create the first side section and orbiting the electrode in a second position of the cavity to create the second side section. The creating step preferably includes creating two centering protrusions on opposite sides of at least some of the tool teeth.

Method of making a composite gear

The centrifugally-responsive compression release apparatus of the present invention is a compact unit which can be simply snap-fit to a position on the cam shaft during assembly and will retain that position during engine operation. The compression release apparatus relieves compression in at least one chamber of an internal combustion engine by utilizing a lift member engageable with a valve operating device and centrifugally-responsive means for changing the position of the lift member in response to engine speeds. The apparatus includes a base member which can be injection molded to a shape of a segmented cylinder thereby substantially corresponding to the shape of the outer surface of the cam shaft. The base member also provides means for integrating and retaining the dynamic components of the apparatus to the base member. Furthermore, the compression release apparatus is adaptable to utilizing a single centrifugally-responsive means, such as a flyweight, to engage more than one valve operating device, thereby relieving pressure in more than one combustion chamber. Thus, the compression release apparatus is easy to manufacture and easy to install on the engine, and does not require any major modification to engine components.

Compression release for multi-cylinder engines

Composite gear and method of making same

Compressing release with snap-in components

A valve seat retainer is formed having a flange that extends over the valve seat and that applies both a radial and a longitudinal force to the valve seat. The flange extends an order of magnitude further than typical prior art valve seat retaining flanges. The flange is created by a rolling method with a roller having a unique surface profile. The roller surface has a pair of spaced ridges with a groove in between, and a curved convex surface adjacent to one of the ridges. When a downward force is applied to the roller, the curved surface on the roller causes the roller to move radially inward while at the same time material from the upper surface of the engine block is disposed in the groove and is moved to create the flange.

Growing community of inventors

West Allis, WI, United States of America

John D Santi