US1511492A - Flywheel dynamo-electric machine for internal-combustion engines - Google Patents

Description

R. L. ASPDEN FLYWHEEL DYNAMO ELECTRIC MACHINE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Dec. 19 1923 3 WWW &Z7@ S Patented Oct. 14, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FLYWHEEL DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed December 19, 1923. Serial No. 681,649.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I. RALPH LEONARD AsPnEN, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland. and residing at i Southport Road, Chorley, in the county of Lancaster. England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Flywheel Dynamo-Electric Machines for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

Theinvention relates to fly-wheel dynamoelectric machines for use as starters and particularly to those of the kind invented by the present applicant and described in the specifications of British Patents Nos. 153,721 and 187,665.

The primary object of the present invention is to simplify mechanisms of the kind indicated and render them more compact.

With such an object The invention consists in a fly-wheel dynamo-electric machine of the kind indicated having an engine shaft, transmission shaft and rotary member of a dynamoelectric machine mounted as independently rotatable parts and a member of a threepiece clutch in rigid relation to one of said parts and adapted to be forced into operative enga ement. with a second of said parts by the t ird part, operation of said third part acting both to clutch and declutch the three parts simultaneously.

The invention also consists in a device of the kind indicated in which the fly-wheel comprises two coaxial clutch-carrying parts, one of which is attached to the engine shaft and the other to a rotary member of the dynamo-electric machine, the latt r part being capable of axial movement.

he invention also consists in a device of the kind indicated in which the independentl rotatable engine shaft. transmission sha t and rotary member of the dynamoelectric machine, by axial movement of such rotary member, can be simultaneously clutched together the clutching operation being effected by a single instrumentality, such as a pedal.

The invention further consists in a device as indicatedin which a part, preferably acting as a fiy-wheel and secured to the essential rotaryfijelement of the dynamo-electric machine, acts as a presser for the clutch operation referred to in the preceding paragraph.

The invention still further consists in a device of the kind indicated in which one element of a three-piece clutch attached to the transmission shaft is interposed between co-acting clutch members mounted respec tively on the engine shaft and on a part connected to the rotary element of the dynamoelectric machine.

The invention finally consists'in the improved fiy-wheel dynamo-electric machines hereinafter described.

The accompanying drawing shows as regards its upper half sectional elevation and as regards its lower half an outside elevation of one form of the invention, by way of example.

According to this form of the invention, applied as a starter for an internal combustion motor driving, for example, a road vehicle, a disc, a, with a substantial rim, 6, acting as a fly-wheel, is mounted on the engine shaft, 0, one side, 03, of this rim being faced up to act as a clutch surface. In juxtaposition to the clutch surface, d, in question a plate, 6, is arranged which is mounted on the transmission shaft, 7, i. e., the shaft leading to the gear-box; while one operative face, It, of the plate member, e. is in juxtaposition to the clutch face, (1, on the rim as above described, the'other 0perative face, 2', of the plate member is in similar juxtaposition with a face, is, formed on part of a sleeve member, m, acting as a fly-wheel, m, and secured to the armature, a, of the dynamo-electric machine, the field magnets, 0, being secured to any suitable stationary part, such as the casing The armature n, is free to rotate on the sleeve, 8, by virtue of the ball bearings, 2,,but is prevented from moving axially in relation to the sleeve, 8, by the collar, to. The armature. a, and fly-wheel, m, as a whole are carried on the transmission shaft, 7, on which they can slide bodily in an axial direction. It will thus be seen that the engine shaft, transmission shaft and armature are rotatable independently in relation to one another. A helical spring, 4), surrounding the transmission shaft acts normally by way of the Z-ring, w, ball thrust bearings,-w, and flange, n, to press the armature, n, and connected fly-wheel against the late, 6, attached to the transmission sha t, 7", but by means of a flanged sleeve, 2, slidable on the latter and operated from a single instrumentality such as the usual clutch pedal, 2, by Way of a lever or fork, 3, and pin, a, the armature may be moved longitudinally a short distance against the action of the spring to free the clutch surfaces, the thrust in this case being taken by the ball bearings, 5.

Th action of the device described is as follows Assuming the clutch pedal, 2, operated to move the armature. 11, against the action of the spring, a, it is then free to rotate and on switching in the battery quickly achieves a high rate of revolution, thereby storing considerable energy in the fiy-wheel attachment, m. Upon releasing the pedal, the helical spring acts to force the armature and flywheel to the left as seen in the drawing, thereby gripping the plate, 6, attached to the transmission shaft between the clutch the fly-wheel, m, attached to the armature andthe fly-wheel rim, 0?, attached to theengine shaft. I

this operation it will be seen that the engine is simultaneously clutched both to the transmission shaft and to the dynamo. 'lhe change-speed gear being in the neutral position. the parts indicated rotate as one and the motor is thus started.

In a similar manner the motor is simultaneously declutched from the dynamo and the transmission shaft.

In some cases, if desired, the rotary part of; the armature may be constituted by the field magnets, the armature being stationary.

Although the preferred form of the pres ent invention has been described above in which a single plate clutch. is used, nevertheless in some cases a multiple plate clutch or any other form of clutch suitable for the purposes in question may be used, the scope of the invention being wide enough to inelude other alterations in the form and general arrangement of the parts so long as no departure is made from the principles of operation set forth in an earlier part of this specification.

Having now described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Lette'rs Patent is l. A device of the kind indicated having an engine shaft and a co-axial transmission shaft and rotary member of a dynamo-elecping said force-transmitting means mounted on said transmission shaft between said force-transmitting means mounted on said engine shaft and rotary member, as set forth.

, 3. A device of the kind indicated having an engine shaft, transmission shaft and r0- tary member of a dynamo-electric machine mounted as independently rotatable parts, said engine shaft and rotary member each having a clutch face and said transmission shaft having a, pair of clutch faces to coact respectively with said other clutch faces, together with means for axially movin said rotary member to clutch and declutc said three rotatable parts simultaneously, as set forth. I

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said rotary member is freely rotatable on and movable axially in relation to said transmission shaft, as set forth.

A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said transmission shaft carries a disc on which is mounted the force-transmitting means proper, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed name to this specification.

iR-ALPH LEONARD ASPDEN.

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