EP0425158A1 - Starter motor for an internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Starter motor for an internal combustion engine Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0425158A1
EP0425158A1 EP90311288A EP90311288A EP0425158A1 EP 0425158 A1 EP0425158 A1 EP 0425158A1 EP 90311288 A EP90311288 A EP 90311288A EP 90311288 A EP90311288 A EP 90311288A EP 0425158 A1 EP0425158 A1 EP 0425158A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
assembly
abutments
resilient element
solenoid
starter motor
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP90311288A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Donald Allen Young
Christopher Peter Squires
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Magneti Marelli Electrical Ltd
Original Assignee
Magneti Marelli Electrical Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Magneti Marelli Electrical Ltd filed Critical Magneti Marelli Electrical Ltd
Publication of EP0425158A1 publication Critical patent/EP0425158A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02N—STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F02N15/00—Other power-operated starting apparatus; Component parts, details, or accessories, not provided for in, or of interest apart from groups F02N5/00 - F02N13/00
    • F02N15/02—Gearing between starting-engines and started engines; Engagement or disengagement thereof
    • F02N15/04—Gearing between starting-engines and started engines; Engagement or disengagement thereof the gearing including disengaging toothed gears
    • F02N15/06—Gearing between starting-engines and started engines; Engagement or disengagement thereof the gearing including disengaging toothed gears the toothed gears being moved by axial displacement
    • F02N15/067—Gearing between starting-engines and started engines; Engagement or disengagement thereof the gearing including disengaging toothed gears the toothed gears being moved by axial displacement the starter comprising an electro-magnetically actuated lever

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a starter motor for an internal combustion engine, and to a lever assembly for transmitting movement from the solenoid to the pinion assembly of such a starter motor.
  • a "pre-engaged" starter motor the axially moveable pinion assembly of the starter motor is moved along its driving shaft from a rest position to a position in which the pinion gear wheel of the assembly can mesh with the ring gear of the engine to be started, by movement of the axially movable armature of a solenoid.
  • the solenoid armature is coupled to the pinion assembly by a lever arrangement and within the coupling between the solenoid armature and the pinion assembly it is necessary to provide for "lost-motion" so that in the event that the pinion gear wheel meets the engine ring gear in tooth-to-­tooth abutment, the solenoid armature can still move to close the starter motor energizing switch contacts even though the pinion assembly is held against further movement. It has previously been proposed to provide the "lost-motion" by flexure of the lever arrangement which couples the solenoid armature to the pinion assembly.
  • French Patent Specification 1424804 shows, in Figure 5, an arrangement wherein the solenoid armature is coupled to the starter motor pinion assembly by means of a composite lever, that it to say a lever incorporating more than one element.
  • the lever of Figure 5 of French Specification 1424804 has its individual elements secured together by means of a rivet at their midpoint. Such an construction is inherently disadvantageous since the operation of producing a hole, and introducing a rivet, inevitability weakens the lever construction and produces a region at which the lever may fracture in use. Nevertheless the concept shown in Figure 5 of French Specification 1424804 is interesting since it would be possible, by judicious construction of the individual elements of the lever, to permit a pre-loading to be built into the lever during its construction.
  • a starter motor for use with an internal combustion engine, comprising an electric motor, an axially movable pinion assembly rotatable by said motor, a solenoid spaced from the pinion assembly axis and including an armature moveable from a rest position towards an operative position by energization of an electromagnet winding of the solenoid, and, a lever assembly mounted for pivotal movement about an axis passing between the axes of said solenoid and said pinion assembly, said lever assembly linking the armature of said solenoid and said pinion assembly such that movement of the armature is transmitted to the pinion assembly to move the pinion assembly axially from a rest position towards an operative position, said lever assembly comprising a rigid element supported for pivotal movement about said axis, and a resilient element carried by said rigid element and coupled at one end to said armature, the end of the lever assembly remote from said solenoid cooperating with said pinion assembly for moving said pinion assembly axially,
  • said third abutment is defined by a transversely extending pin whereby the lever assembly is mounted for pivotal movement about said axis.
  • the position of at least one of said first and second abutments in relation to the position of the other abutments is adjustable.
  • the end of the lever assembly remote from said solenoid cooperates with said pinion assembly by way of the other end of said resilient element.
  • the rigid element is a sheet metal pressing.
  • the starter motor is, with the exception of the lever assembly, of a generally conventional form comprising a housing 11 containing a d.c., permanent magnet field, electric motor 12, the rotor shaft 13 of which carries a pinion assembly 14.
  • the pinion assembly 14 comprises a pinion gear wheel 15 which is mounted on the shaft 13 for both rotational and axial movement relative to the shaft 13, and a unidirectional roller clutch 16 the input member of which is axially moveable on the shaft 13 by way of a splined connection.
  • the pinion gear wheel 15 is coupled to the output member of the clutch 16 and thus rotation of the shaft 13 in one direction is transmitted to the pinion gear wheel 15 by the clutch 16.
  • the pinion assembly 14 is moveable axially on the shaft 13 from a rest position (as shown in Figure 1) to an operative position in which, in use, the pinion gear wheel 15 meshes with the ring gear of an engine to be started.
  • a solenoid 17 is provided for moving the pinion assembly 14 from its rest position to its operative position, the solenoid 17 including an axially moveable armature 18 and a fixed electromagnet winding 19 which, when energized, causes retraction of the armature 18 against the action of a return spring 21.
  • the axis of the solenoid 17 is parallel to and spaced from the axis of the shaft 13, the solenoid 17 being secured to the housing 11.
  • a lever assembly 22 is coupled at one end to the armature 18 and coupled at its opposite end to the pinion assembly 14. Intermediate its ends the lever assembly 22 is pivotally mounted on the housing 11 for pivotal movement about an axis passing between, and lying at right angles to, the axes of the solenoid 17 and the shaft 13.
  • the lever assembly 22 comprises a rigid element 23, a resilient element 24, and a pivot pin 25.
  • the rigid element 23 is formed as a pressing from mild steel sheet and is generally in the form of an inverted Y.
  • the element 23 includes a planar leg portion 23 a having upstanding parallel sidewalls 27 such that the leg portion 23 a is of channel-shaped cross-­section.
  • the sidewalls 27 are continued as a pair of oppositely curved limbs 23 b terminating in parallel regions 28 the marginal edges of which are turned inwardly such that the regions 28 are of channel-shaped cross-section.
  • the regions 28 are each closed at their free end by an upturned tag 28 a .
  • the sidewalls 27 Adjacent the junction of the limbs 23 b and the sidewalls 27 the sidewalls 27 are drilled to receive the pivot pin 25 which is in the form of a length or steel bar of circular cross-section.
  • the spacing between the regions 28 of the limbs 23 b is such that the limbs 28 can be positioned on opposite sides respectively of the input member of the roller clutch 16 of the pinion assembly 14.
  • the resilient element 24 of the lever assembly is formed from a planar piece of spring steel or similar resilient material and comprises a leg portion 24 a having a longitudinally extending integral tongue 29 at one end and a pair of integral divergent limbs 31 at its opposite end. The free ends of the limbs 31 terminate in inturned portions 32.
  • the resilient element 24 is introduced into the rigid element 23 such that the free end regions of the limbs 31 are received within the channel-section portions 28 and the leg portion 24 is received between the upstanding sidewalls 27.
  • the tongue 29 seats against the upstanding abutment 26.
  • the projecting tongue 28 of the lever assembly is engaged in a stirrup projecting from the end of the armature 18, the laterally projecting ends of the pivot pin 25 are received in appropriate recesses of the housing 11, and the inwardly projecting portions 32 of the element 24 are received between appropriately positioned pairs of abutments on the roller clutch input member of the pinion gear wheel assembly 14.
  • the solenoid 17 is energized the magnetic field generated by the energized winding 19 causes retraction of the armature 18, and provided that the pinion gear wheel 15 of the pinion assembly 14 can make meshing engagement with the ring gear of the engine then the lever assembly 22 acts as a rigid lever to transmit movement of the armature 18 to the pinion assembly 14 to move the pinion assembly 14 to its operative position.
  • Full retraction of the armature 18 causes closure of an electrical switch which in turn controls energization of the electric motor 12.
  • the motor 12 is energized to rotate the pinion gear wheel 15, and with it the ring gear of the engine to be started.
  • axial movement of the pinion assembly 14 is prevented at a point before the armature 18 will have been fully retracted.
  • the armature 18 continues to retract thereby flexing the element 24 of the lever in a direction to move the tongue 29 away from the abutment 26.
  • the pre-stressing of the resilient element 24 of the lever provides an initial pre-loading of the element in relation to the flexure which is caused in the tooth-to-tooth abutment condition.
  • the pre-stressing of the element 24 permits a lower rate spring to be employed in the construction of the lever assembly 22 thereby affording greater control over the axial loading applied to the pinion in the tooth-to-tooth abutment condition, optimisation of solenoid electromagnet winding size, and avoiding an increase in overall starter motor length, as compared with a lever assembly design which does not embody pre-stressing, it being understood that in a lever design without pre-­stressing then a much higher rate resilient element would be needed in order to ensure that no deflection of the resilient element occurs during normal operation of the starter motor.
  • the lever assembly 22 acts as a rigid lever in the event that there is no tooth-to-tooth abutment and thus when used in, for example, a starter motor for a high powered diesel engine, where pinion "pumping" can be a problem, the axial reciprocation of the pinion is limited in one direction by an end stop on the pinion shaft and in the other direction by the lever assembly.
  • the reciprocation does not include "float” arising from flexure in the lever assembly 22 as could arise if the resilient element 24 of the lever assembly were not pre-stressed.
  • Figures 7 to 10 illustrate modification in which the pinion assembly of the starter motor is carried on an axially moveable lay-shaft rather than upon the rotor shaft of the electric motor.
  • the starter motor includes a housing 11 containing an electric motor 12 the output shaft 13 of which drives a pinion assembly 14 through a reduction gearing 31.
  • the reduction gearing 31 includes a gear wheel 32 on the shaft 13 and gear teeth 33 formed in the exterior of the large diameter outer member of the roller clutch 16.
  • the pinion gear wheel 15 of the pinion assembly 14 is carried by an axially moveable lay-shaft 34 moveable from a rest position (as shown in Figure 7) to an operative position in which the pinion gear wheel 15 meshes with the engine ring gear, by operation of a solenoid 17.
  • the structural arrangement of the solenoid 17 differs from the solenoid illustrated in Figure 1, although the differences are not of significance to the present invention.
  • the solenoid 17 still includes an armature 18 which is retracted upon energization of an electromagnet winding 19 and a lever assembly 42 pivotally supported by the housing 11 intermediate the axes of the solenoid 17 and the shaft 34, transmits movement of the armature 18 to the shaft 34.
  • the lever assembly 42 bears against an end of the lay-­shaft 34, and thus there is no necessity for one end of the lever assembly to be bifurcated as is the case in the arrangement of Figure 1.
  • the lever assembly 42 comprises a rigid element 43, a resilient element 44 and a pivot pin 45.
  • the rigid element 44 is a pressing or stamping formed from mild steel sheet and comprises a planar base 43 a having integral, parallel, upstanding sidewalls 47 such that the element 43 is of channel-­shaped cross-section throughout its length. At one end the channel is closed by an upturned end wall 48 a and at its opposite end the channel is partially closed by a pair of inturned tags 49 formed at the ends of the sidewalls 47.
  • the base 43 a is formed with a circular aperture 51.
  • the base 43 a is cut to define first and second integral tangs 52, 53 which are bent upwardly to project into the channel section of the element 43.
  • the resilient element 44 is a strip of spring steel having an integral, longitudinally extending tongue 44 a at one end thereof.
  • the element 44 is introduced into the element 43 so as to rest on the free ends of the tangs 52, 53.
  • One end of the element 44 is adjacent the end wall 48 a of the element 43 and the tongue 44 a at the opposite end of the element 44 projects from the element 43 between the inturned tags 49.
  • the element 44 partially obstructs the apertures destined to receive the pivot pin 45, and thus before the pivot pin 45 can be introduced the element 44 must be flexed, between the tangs 52, 53, to depress the element 44 towards the base 43 a . Thereafter the pivot pin 45 can be introduced and will retain the element 44 in the pre-stressed condition.
  • one, or both of the abutments constituted by the tangs 52, 53 can be bent to adjust the pre-stressing of the element 44.
  • the projecting tongue 44 a of the element 44 engages in a stirrup of the armature 18, the projecting ends of the pivot pin 45 are received in corresponding recesses of the housing 11 to pivotally mount the lever, and a bearing member provided at one end of the lay-shaft 34 extends through the aperture 51 to abut the end of the element 44 remote from the tongue 44 a during retraction of the armature 18.
  • the pre-stressing of the element 44 ensures that the element 44 acts as a rigid lever in transmitting the movement of the armature 18 to the shaft 34 and thus the pinion assembly 14.
  • the element 44 flexes so permitting the armature 18 to continue to move even though the pinion assembly has been arrested.
  • the restoration of the resilient element 44 drives the shaft 34 and thus the pinion gear wheel 15 to its operative position.
  • both the lever assembly 22 and the lever assembly 42 can be pre-assembled provided that the projecting ends of the pivot pin 25 or 45 can be appropriately received by the housing 11. It would of course be possible to construct the lever assemblies in situ although it is preferable to pre-assemble them. Moreover, adjustment of the pre-stressing of the resilient elements of the levers is again preferably preformed prior to introduction of the lever assembly into the starter motor, but can, if desired, be performed by appropriate bending of the abutment 26 or one or more of the tangs 52, 53 in situ.
  • Figure 1 and Figure 7 appear to show the resilient elements of the lever assemblies as a two layer configuration. The intention in each view is to show the median plane of each resilient element, but it is to be understood that if desired each resilient element could comprise a pair of resilient strips in facial contact.
  • the rigid elements 23, 43 of the lever assemblies could be moulded in a synthetic resin material, for example a glass filled nylon material but it will be understood that there must be other provision for adjustment of the resilient element pre-load since the resilient element abutments would not be bendable as is the case with a metal element 23 or 43.
  • the elements 24, 44 could be formed from a suitable synthetic resin material.
  • the invention resides not only in a starter motor utilising such lever assembles, but also in the lever assembles themselves.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Connection Of Motors, Electrical Generators, Mechanical Devices, And The Like (AREA)
EP90311288A 1989-10-21 1990-10-16 Starter motor for an internal combustion engine Withdrawn EP0425158A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8923764 1989-10-21
GB898923764A GB8923764D0 (en) 1989-10-21 1989-10-21 Starter motor for an internal combustion engine

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0425158A1 true EP0425158A1 (en) 1991-05-02

Family

ID=10664968

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP90311288A Withdrawn EP0425158A1 (en) 1989-10-21 1990-10-16 Starter motor for an internal combustion engine

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0425158A1 (https=)
BR (1) BR9005340A (https=)
GB (1) GB8923764D0 (https=)
IN (1) IN179422B (https=)
ZA (1) ZA908353B (https=)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1116880A3 (en) * 2000-01-17 2003-04-23 Denso Corporation Starter having resilient shift lever for driving pinion gear

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1424804A (fr) * 1965-02-16 1966-01-14 Bosch Gmbh Robert Moteur électrique de démarrage pour moteurs à combustion interne
US3283595A (en) * 1964-08-11 1966-11-08 Nippon Denso Co Engine starter
EP0349281A1 (en) * 1988-06-28 1990-01-03 Magneti Marelli Electrical Limited Starter motor for an internal combustion engine

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3283595A (en) * 1964-08-11 1966-11-08 Nippon Denso Co Engine starter
FR1424804A (fr) * 1965-02-16 1966-01-14 Bosch Gmbh Robert Moteur électrique de démarrage pour moteurs à combustion interne
EP0349281A1 (en) * 1988-06-28 1990-01-03 Magneti Marelli Electrical Limited Starter motor for an internal combustion engine

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 8, no. 244 (M-337)(1681) 09 November 1984, & JP-A-59 122778 (NIPPON DENSO K.K.) 16 July 1984, *

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1116880A3 (en) * 2000-01-17 2003-04-23 Denso Corporation Starter having resilient shift lever for driving pinion gear
US6658949B2 (en) 2000-01-17 2003-12-09 Denso Corporation Starter having resilient shift lever for driving pinion gear
US6959619B2 (en) 2000-01-17 2005-11-01 Denso Corporation Starter having resilient shift lever for driving pinion gear

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB8923764D0 (en) 1989-12-06
IN179422B (https=) 1997-10-04
BR9005340A (pt) 1991-09-17
ZA908353B (en) 1991-08-28

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