Briggs & Stratton, LLC

Stanely Filipak

Gary J Gracyalny

John D Santi

Robert K Mitchell

Richard A Dykstra

Paul A Tharman

Art Poehlman

Steven A Dethloff

Aaron Jerabek

John Feldner

Dick Seilenbinder

Charles Brown

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.

Starting and stopping device for internal combustion engine

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.

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.

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Dousman, WI, United States of America

Stanely Filipak