Automotive Components Holdings, LLC

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Wei Xue

Ravi Atluru

Eric Twigg

Marty Jastrzembowski

George W Lewis

Martin Jastrzembowski

Bruce Thayer

A system and method for absorbing rock-back and oscillation in a drive assembly of an engine start-stop device. The drive assembly has a pinion with at least two slots that receive axially extending protrusions of a barrel element. Damping elements in the slots and a spring element absorb rock-back and impact oscillations.

Starter with rock back and oscillation abosrbers

A starter motor is provided having a starter motor housing with an electric motor mounted therein. A stationary gear base mounted onto the starter motor housing and includes a plurality of pockets formed therein and spaced thereabout. A stationary gear is rotatably mounted within the stationary gear base for limited rotational movement and includes a plurality of legs that extend into the pockets. One or more variable rate dampening members are positioned within the pockets, circumferentially between the legs of the stationary gear and inner walls of the pockets. The variable rate dampening members provide variable rate dampening such that when the starter motor experiences high frequency, low amplitude oscillations the dampening members provide a first spring rate and when the starter motor experiences a high amplitude impact for a short duration of time, the dampening members provide a second spring rate that is stronger than the first spring rate.

Variable rate impact and oscillation absorber in starter motors

A starter motor for an internal combustion engine having an integral one-way roller clutch and epicycle gear train unit is provided. The integrated unit includes an integrated gear support/clutch barrel which, on one side, houses the roller and spring elements of the clutch and, on the other side, supports the planetary gears of the epicycle gear assembly. The invention is of simple construction and provides reduced overall starter motor dimension while demonstrating improved noise, vibration and harshness characteristics.

Integral one-way overrun clutch with epcicycle gear system

Growing community of inventors

Northville, MI, United States of America

Wei Xue