Facet Enterprises, Inc.

Purolator Products Company

Purolator Products Na, LLC

Facet Enterprises, Inc. Motor Components Division

Paul F Giometti

Donald L Miller

Walter N Losey

An engine starter gearing for starting an engine having a starter gear includes a power shaft and a housing affixed on the power shaft. The housing retains an axially displaceable driven clutch member. An internal groove is provided within an open end of the housing. The driven clutch member has an enlarged external diameter portion that fits within the housing. The driven clutch member is held in position by a compressed spring retained within the housing. An installation groove is formed in the driven clutch member spaced away from the enlarged diameter portion. A lock ring is positioned within the housing by first inserting it in the installation groove. The driven clutch member is axially depressed inwardly within the housing, compressing the spring until the locking ring snaps in position in the housing internal groove. The locking ring has an internal diameter that closely fits the external diameter of the driven clutch member forming a grease seal so that as the driven clutch member is axially displaced relative to the housing during starting operations, the escape of grease from the housing is reduced.

Engine starter gearing having improved grease retention

Centrifugally disengageable engine starter gearing for selectively starting an engine having a starting gear. The engine starter gearing includes a power shaft, a sleeve slidably secured to the power shaft, a pinion gear slidably mounted to the power shaft and movable into engagement with the starting gear, a driven clutch member secured to the pinion gear and having a circular recess therein, a driving clutch member mounted to the sleeve, and mutually engageable clutch teeth on the driving and driven clutch members. A housing having an open end and a closed end is fitted over the driving and driven clutch members. An abutment confines the driving and driven clutch members within the housing. A radially inwardly extending shoulder is located on the driving clutch member adjacent the circular recess. An annular thrust washer having an inner conical surface abuts a loose washer which abuts the radially inwardly extending shoulder. A plurality of centrifugal flyweight members are annularly arranged and supported within the circular recess. Each centrifugal flyweight member has an inclined surface abutting the conical surface of the thrust washer and is operative to displace the thrust washer toward the driving clutch member in response to a centrifugal force. A resilient member and a plurality of cushion washers are compressibly retained between the closed end of the housing and a radial shoulder on the sleeve. The cushion washers act to reduce the measurable torque over unit time within the engine starter gearing, and thus improve the ability of the resilient member to more fully absorb the peak torque loads imposed by the engine during start-up and misfire.

Engine starter gearing with laminated cushion washers

A centrifugally disengageable engine starter gear of the positive shift type that has a clutch to provide for driving and indexing of the starter gear, an internal mechanism keeps the clutch teeth in engagement during the indexing function, and a centrifugal separator separates the clutch teeth in an overrunning condition. The separator includes a plurality of flyweight members disposed in a like plurality of flyweight recesses provided in a driven member of the clutch. Radial displacement of the plurality of flyweight members axially displaces a thrust washer to separate the clutch teeth. A projection extending longitudinally from each web which separates the flyweight recesses prevents the flyweight members from disengaging from the flyweight recesses during an overrunning mode.

Engine starter gearing

A starter drive for an internal combustion engine having a clutch to provide rotary torque from a starter motor to a pinion gear connectable to a gear associated with an engine. The clutch has means for indexing the pinion gear to engage the gear associated with the engine, means for maintaining the teeth of the clutch engaged during the indexing function, means for automatically separating the clutch teeth when the engine starts and for maintaining separation of the teeth as long as the rotational speed of the pinion gear is greater than a predetermined speed. The starter drive includes two serially arranged resilient members between a driven clutch member and the sleeve on which the starter drive is slidably mounted. The housing is resiliently suspended between the two resilient members.

Dual shock absorber starter drive

An annular thrust ring for use in a mechanism that causes the confronting teeth of two clutch members to automatically separate when the driven clutch member has sufficient speed to overtake the drive clutch member. The annular thrust ring has a V-shaped cross-section formed by progressive dies to facilitate lower production cost.

Thrust ring for a starter clutch

Centrifugally disengageable engine starter gearing selectively starting an engine having a starting gear. The engine starter gearing includes a power shaft, a sleeve slidably secured to the power shaft, a pinion gear slidably mounted to the power shaft and movable into engagement with the starting gear, a driven clutch member secured to the pinion gear and having an annular or circular recess with an inclined or conical surface therein, a driving clutch member mounted to the sleeve, mutually engageable clutch teeth on the driving and driven clutch members, a barrel housing having an open end and being at least partly fitted over the driving and driven clutch members, an abutment confining the driving and driven clutch members within the housing, a resilient member biasing the driving and driven clutch members into mutual engagement, and a radially inwardly extending shoulder on the driving clutch member adjacent the circular recess. A plurality of centrifugal flyweight members are annularly arranged in the circular recess. Each centrifugal flyweight member has an inclined surface abutting the conical surface of the driven clutch member and operative to displace the driving clutch member in the first axial direction in response to centrifugal force. An elongated hole is provided in each centrifugal flyweight member. A guide pin is provided for each centrifugal flyweight member, which inserts at one end into a hole of the driven clutch member and extends into the elongated hole at the other end for preventing circumferential movement of the plurality of centrifugal flyweight members while permitting radial and axial movement thereof.

A centrifugally disengageable engine starter gear of the positive shift type that has a clutch to provide for driving and indexing of the starter gear, an internal mechanism keeps the clutch teeth in engagement during the indexing function, and a centrifugal separator separates the clutch teeth in an overrunning condition. The separator includes radially movable centrifugal flyweight members circumferentially spaced in a circular recess that contains individually formed flyweight guides that cooperate therewith to prevent excessive circumferential displacement of the flyweights during their radial movement. The method of forming flyweight guides from the clutch housing is also disclosed.

Engine starter device

Centrifugally disengageable engine starter gearing selectively starting an engine having a starting gear. The engine starter gearing includes a power shaft, a sleeve slidably secured to the power shaft, a pinion gear slidably mounted to the power shaft and movable into engagement with the starting gear, a driven clutch member secured to the pinion gear and having a circular recess with an inclined or conical surface therein, a driving clutch member mounted to the sleeve, mutually engageable clutch teeth on the driving and driven clutch members, a barrel housing having an open end and being at least partly fitted over the driving and driven clutch members, an abutment confining the driving and driven clutch members within the housing, a resilient member biasing the driving and driven clutch members into mutual engagement, a radially inwardly extending shoulder on the driving clutch member adjacent the circular recess. A plurality of centrifugal flyweight members are annularly arranged in the circular recess. Each centrifugal flyweight member has an inclined surface abutting the conical surface of the driven clutch member and operative to displace the driving clutch member in the first axial direction in response to centrifugal force. A plurality of cavities are formed in the driven clutch member. The plurality of cavities extend from the circular recess and cooperate with at least a portion of the centrifugal flyweight members to prevent circumferetial movement of the plurality of centrifugal flyweight members while permitting radial movement thereof.

Centrifugally disengageable engine starter gearing selectively starting an engine having a starting gear. The engine starter gearing includes a power shaft, a sleeve slidably secured to the power shaft, a pinion gear slidably mounted to the power shaft and movable into engagement with the starting gear, a driven clutch member secured to the pinion gear and having a generally circular recess therein, a molded plastic sleeve contained in the generally circular recess, a driving clutch member mounted to the sleeve, mutually engageable clutch teeth on the driving and driven clutch members, a barrel housing having an open end and being fitted over the driving and driven clutch members, an abutment confining the driving and driven clutch members within the housing, a resilient member biasing the driving and driven clutch members into mutual engagement, a radially inwardly extending shoulder on the driving clutch member adjacent the circular recess, and an annular thrust ring with an inner conical surface disposed in the circular recess, the annular thrust ring being adapted to abut the radially inwardly extending shoulder of the driving clutch member when displaced in a first axial direction. A plurality of centrifugal flyweight members are annularly arranged in cavities in the molded plastic sleeve. Each centrifugal flyweight member has an inclined surface abutting the conical surface of the thrust ring and operative to displace the thrust ring in the first axial direction in respose to centrifugal force. The cavities in the molded plastic sleeve extend radially outwardly and cooperate with at least a portion of the centrifugal flyweight members to prevent circumferential movement of the plurality of centrifugal flyweight members while permitting radial movement thereof.

Centrifugally disengageable engine starter gearing selectively starting an engine having a starting gear. The engine starter gearing includes a power shaft, a sleeve slidably secured to the power shaft, a pinion gear slidably mounted to the power shaft and movable into engagement with the starting gear, a driven clutch member secured to the pinion gear and having a circular recess therein, a driving clutch member mounted to the sleeve, mutually engageable clutch teeth on the driving and driven clutch members, a barrel housing having an open end and being fitted over the driving and driven clutch members, an abutment confining the driving and driven clutch members within the housing, a resilient member biasing the driving and driven clutch members into mutual engagement, a radially inwardly extending shoulder on the driving clutch member adjacent the circular recess, and an annular thrust ring with an inner conical surface disposed in the circular recess, the annular thrust ring being adapted to abut the radially inwardly extending shoulder of the driving clutch member when displaced in a first axial direction. A plurality of centrifugal flyweight members are annularly arranged in the circular recess. Each centrifugal flyweight member has an inclined surface abutting the conical surface of the thrust ring and operative to displace the thrust ring in the first axial direction in response to centrifugal force. A plurality of cavities are formed in the clutch members. The plurality of cavities extend from the circular recess and cooperate with at least a portion of the centrifugal flyweight members to prevent axial movement of the plurality of centrifugal flyweight members while permitting radial movement thereof.

An engine starter drive adapted to engage an engine ring gear having a tooth driving clutch member which cooperates with a tooth driven clutch member. The driven clutch member further comprises a helical screw shaft with two circular grooves. A control nut threadably mounted on the screw shaft has a spring loaded detent which engages the circular grooves. The control nut is connected to the pinion gear by means of a retaining cup. Rotating the screw shaft causes the control nut to move along the screw shaft to traverse the pinion into mesh with the engine ring gears and crank the engine. When the engine fires, the acceleration of the pinion causes the control nut to move back on the screw shaft until the detent engages the first circular groove. After the engine starts and the pinion rotates to a predetermined speed, the detent withdraws from the first groove in the screw shaft and the control nut withdraws the pinion gear from engaging the engine ring gear. The detent then engages a second groove in the screw shaft to prevent undesired meshing of the pinion to the ring gear. If, during the engine cranking mode, the excessive torque is transmitted to the pinion gear by the ring gear, the driven clutches move away from the ring gear to compress a spring and resilient member to permit movement of the clutch members along splines coupling the driving clutch member to the power shaft and thereby absorb this torque by the resilient member. Indexing means also is provided to rotate the pinion gear to clear any abutment with the engine ring gear and causes the pinion gear to mesh with it.

The invention is an engine starting mechanism comprising first and second frictional gripping members carried by a sleeve member mounted to the shaft of a starting motor. The first and second frictional gripping members are adapted to engage an engine flywheel disc which is beveled to provide angular disposed opposed faces. Upon initiation of rotation of the starter shaft by the starter motor, the first frictional gripping member is adapted to move along an axial spline between the sleeve member and the frictional member thereby engaging one face of the beveled engine flywheel disc. The second frictional gripping member is caused to move axially with respect to the first member by the same helical spline on the sleeve member, thereby gripping the opposite face of the engine flywheel disc and causing the rotary movement of the starter motor shaft to be imparted to the flywheel disc.

Engine starting mechanism

An electromagnetic clutch has a driving member and a driven member with rollers positioned between opposing non-parallel surfaces on the members. An armature operated by an electromagnet has fingers for moving the rollers into frictional engagement with the surfaces when the electromagnet is energized to engage the clutch and for moving the rollers out of engagement with at least one opposing surface when the electromagnet is deenergized to disengage the clutch.

Electromagnetic roller clutch

An electromagnetic clutch device for transmitting torque from an input means to an output means. The clutch actuating means includes an electromagnetic winding, a driving plate, an armature coaxially disposed with the input means and threadedly connected to a driving friction ring member, said armature responsive to said electromagnetic winding and said friction ring member being allowed to advance on said armature for driving the ouput means. The relative rotational motion between the armature and the driving friction ring member causes the friction ring member to advance on the thread until full engagement with the drive output means is attained. The relative position between the armature and the driving friction ring member is maintained by a retarder disposed between the armature and the driving plate. The retarder permits relative rotational motion between the driving friction ring member and the armature in one direction and prevents relative motion between said armature and ring member in the other opposite direction.

Growing community of inventors

Horseheads, NY, United States of America

Paul F Giometti