GB261032A - Improvements in starters for engines - Google Patents

Abstract

261,032. Jackson, M. B. Nov. 7, 1925, [Convention date]. Turning-gear.-In an electric starter comprising a pinion 4 movable axially on the screwthreaded shaft 3 of the starting motor into engagement with an engine gear 5, the first part of the axial movement is effected by means of a finger 9 pivoted on a pedal-actuated bell-crank lever 6. The finger' 9 engages a flange 4a on the pinion 4, and the arm 9a of the finger is connected to the lever 6 by a spring 10, so that, if the teeth of the pinion 4 clash with those of the gear 5, the finger will rotate the pinion sufficiently to cause meshing of the two gears. The end 9b of the finger 9 may have a sharp edge for engagement with the flange 4a, a projection 9c on the finger being engaged by the flange, on the return of the pinion, in order to prevent damage to the sharp edge. The axial movement of the pinion 4 is limited by a collar 14 and by a washer 15 secured by a nut 20. An arm 6b on the lever 6 switches on the starting motor when the pinion comes into engagement with the gear, the axial movement then being completed automatically by the screw-thread 3, which also effects disengagement when the engine starts. If the engine fails to start or turns backwards, damage is prevented by the spring 10. The pinion is normally retained in the disengaged position by a spring-pressed ball 16 in the shaft 3. When the pinion is in the fully meshed position, the ball 16 serves to prevent its disengagement by a slight sudden impulse from the engine.