GB597125A - Improvements in and relating to inertia starters for engines - Google Patents

Abstract

597,125. Inertia starters. AIR-EQUIPEMENT. Aug. 10, 1945, No. 20573. Convention date, Feb. 10, 1944. [Class 7 (v)] An inertia starter for engines of the kind in which a pinion 22 is slidable into mesh with an engine gear 23 has the inertia flywheel 1 arranged to drive a gear ring connected through a resilient torque limiting coupling 14 with an axially fixed sleeve 17 provided with clutch teeth 19 coacting with a clutch member 20 on the pinion shaft 21. A torque limiting clutch 25 and free wheel 24 connect shaft 21 to the pinion. The flywheel is driven through step-up gearing 2-9 from a crank-receiving shaft 10. After speeding up the flywheel the shaft 21 is moved by a lever 28 against a spring 27 thus first engaging the pinion with the gear teeth and then engaging the clutch parts 19-20 to impart rotation. When the engine starts, the free-wheel allows the pinion to overrun. In a modification, Fig. 2, a spring 37 is arranged between the sleeve 27 and clutch part 20 and a friction washer is located at 39 so that a small frictional torque is imparted to the pinion shaft 21, thus facilitating engagement of the pinion 22 with the engine gear. In a further modification the clutch part 20 is splined on its shaft and is held back against spring pressure by a pawl until the pinion is fully engaged. At this point the part 20 is released and snaps into engagement with the other clutch part 19.