US1960458A

US1960458A - Foot-actuated starter for automobiles

Info

Publication number: US1960458A
Application number: US373535A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clifton R Roche
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1929-06-25
Filing date: 1929-06-25
Publication date: 1934-05-29
Anticipated expiration: 1951-05-29

Description

May 29, 1934. c. R. ROCHE FOOT ACTUATED STARTER FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed June 25,

' INVENTOR.

67/770 F. Poe/7e I n I r Patented May 29, 1934 FOOT-ACTUATED STARTER FOR AUTOMOBILES 9 Claims.

This invention relates to starting mechanism for starting automobile engines, and the invention is particularly applicable to an automobile in which the engine is mounted in the usual po- 5 sition just forward of the dash, but turned around so that the cranking end of the motor is toward the drivers seat, which is quite common in frontwheel drive cars.

The general object of the invention is to provide simple foot-actuated mechanism for effecting a connection to the engine shaft and for rotating the same to start the engine. More specifically, the object of the invention is to provide a construction whereby when pressure is exerted upon the pedal, the initial pressure will effect the connection to the engine shaft and the further movement will cause rotation of the pedal on its axis of rotation which will rotate the engine shaft.

A further object of the invention is to construct the device so that it will be safe to operate as regards the possibility of the engine kicking back through the. pedal. In other words, one of the objects of the invention is to construct the device so that it will free itself automatically from the engine shaft in case the engine does kick back in being rotated or cranked by the foot pedal. 7

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combinations of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efficient foot-actuated starter for automobiles.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a longitudinal section taken through the forward portion of an automobile and showing certain parts broken away and illustrating the cranking end of the engine shaft with contiguous parts.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken about on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and further illustrating details of the construction.

In practicing the invention I provide the rear end of the engine shaft 1 with means for effecting a connection to it from a starting pedal. In the present instance I provide the rear end of the shaft with a clutch, the driven member 2 of which is rigidly secured to the shaft and the driving member 3 of which is operated by the foot pedal 4. In addition to this, I provide means whereby the initial movement of the pedal 4 will move the clutch member 3 forwardly to effect engagement with the driven clutch member 2. Any suitable clutch device can be used at this point. In the present instance I have illustrated the common form of one-way clutch having inclined teeth with abrupt shoulders 5 on their driving sides and inclined rear faces 6. This construction of clutch enables the engine shaft to free itself from the clutch when the engine starts up and rotates faster than the driving clutch member 3.

In order to enable the pressure on the pedal 4 'to close the clutch and rotate the engine shaft,

I prefer to mount the pedal l on a carriage 7, said carriage being in the form of a casing in two parts, including a forward part having a tubular neck 8 that is splined at 9 into a tubular housing 10 that projects out from the rear of the engine casing ll being formed integrally with a cover plate 12 that is bolted to the rear end of the engine casing.

The rear end of the tubular neck or sleeve 8 is formed into a disk or cover plate 13 that is bolted to the forward flange of a rearwardly disposed gear housing 14. The neck 8 carries the starting shaft 15, the forward end of which is rigidly secured to the driving clutch member 3. The rear end of this shaft 15 projects into the housing 14 and rigidly carries a bevel gear 16 which is adapted to be driven by a pinion 17 carried on the pedal shaft 18. The pedal shaft is mounted in a tubular housing 19 which operates as a bearing and provides means for carrying a coil spring 20, one end 21 of which is secured in the housing and the other end of which exerts its force against a stop arm 22 which is formed integrally with the pedal 4. This spring 20 normally holds the pedal 4 in its extreme rearward position on its axis of rotation and holds the stop arm 22 against a stop post 23 which may be an extension of the cover plate 12.

At this point an adjusting set screw 24 is provided with check nuts for holding the same in any adjusted position. On the tubular housing 10 a coil spring 25 is provided which thrusts against the disk or head 13 and holds the housing '7 in extreme rear position. When the driver of the car presses against the pedal 4, the initial effect of this pressure is to slide the housing '7 forwardly, thereby closing the clutch formed by the clutch members 2 and 3. The further movement of the pedal by the foot rotates the shaft 18 and this operates through the bevel gears 17 and 16 to rotate the starting shaft 15. In this way the engine is turned over and started.

In order to enable this mode of operation to take place, it is necessary to have the spring 25 relatively light and to have it so related to the spring 20 that the initial pressure on the pedal will readily compress this spring. Of course it is immaterial if a slight rotation of the pedal 4 should take place just as the clutch member 3 engages the driven clutch member 2.

In case the engine gives a back kick instead of starting, the backward rotation of the starting shaft 15 will rotate the pedal shaft 18 in a reverse direction and bring the stop arm 22 against the stop post 23 which will have the effect of pulling the casing rearwardly, thereby opening the clutch.

The presence of a driven clutch member 2 need not interfere with the use of the ordinary timing gear 26, which may be attached to the shaft just in advance of the clutch member 2.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is:

1. In a starting mechanism for starting an automobile engine, the combination of an engine shaft having its rear end face near the drivers position, a driven clutch-memberattached to the engine shaft adjacent said rear end face, a foot pedal, means for mounting the foot pedal to rock to and fro on an axis at right angles to the shaft, a spring for returning the pedal after its forward rocking movement, and a driving clutch member mounted for forward movement, located back of the engine-shaft and in longitudinal alignment with the same and movable into engagement with the driven clutch member by force exerted upon the pedal, and means driven by the pedal for rotating the driving clutch member thereafter.

2. In a starting mechanism for starting an automobile engine, the combination of an engineshaft having its rear end face near the drivers position, a driven clutch member attached to the engine shaft adjacent said rear end face, a foot pedal, means for mounting the foot pedal to rock to and fro on an axis at right angles to the shaft, a spring for returning the pedal after its forward rocking movement, a starter shaft having a driving clutch-member at its forward end, means for guiding the starter shaft for forward longitudinal movement back of said rear end face and in axial alignment with the engine shaft, means associated with the pedal and the starting shaft for enabling the forward movement of the pedal to move the starting shaft forward to engage the clutch members with each other and enabling the forward rocking of the pedal thereafter to turn the engine shaft.

3. In starting mechanism for an automobile, the combination of an engine having a shaft with its rear end forward of the drivers position, a clutch member carried by the rear end of the engine shaft, a foot pedal, a carriage carrying the pedal and guided to slide in a front and rear direction behind the rear end of the engine shaft, so that forward pressure on the pedal will slide the carriage toward the engine shaft, a clutch member carried by the carriage to co-operate with the clutch member on the engine shaft, and means actuated by the swinging movement of the pedal to rotate the driving clutch member.

4. In starting mechanism for an automobile,

the combination of a clutch member carried by the rear end of the engine shaft, a foot pedal, a carriage carrying the pedal and guided to slide in a front and rear direction behind the engine shaft, a clutch member carried by the carriage to cooperate with the clutch member on the engine shaft, means whereby the first movement of said pedal by ones foot operates to move the carriage forward to close the clutch, and means actuated so that a further movement of the pedal imparts rotary movement to the driving clutch member, said means including springs for returning the carriage to an extreme rear position, and for returning the pedal to its extreme rear position on its axis of rotation.

5. In starting mechanism for an automobile, the combination of a clutch member carried by the rear end of the engine shaft, a foot pedal, a carriage carrying the pedal and guided to slide in a front and rear direction behind the engine shaft, a clutch member carried by the carriage to cooperate with theclutch member on the engine shaft, means whereby the first movement of said pedal by ones foot operates to move the carriage forward to close the clutch, and means actuated by the swinging movement of the pedal to rotate the driving clutch member, a relatively light spring associated with the carriage and holding the same in an extreme rear position, and a spring associated with the pedal for holding 105 the same in its extreme rear position on its axis of rotation.

6. In starting mechanism for an automobile, the combination of a clutch member carried by the rear end of the engine shaft, a foot pedal a carriage carrying thepedal and guided to slide in a front and rear direction behind the engine shaft, a clutch member carried by the carriage to cooperate with the clutch member on g the engine shaft, a relatively weak spring for 115 holding the carriage in its extreme rear position and maintaining the clutch members out of contact, a relatively strong spring for holding the pedal in its extreme rear position on its axis of rotation, said parts cooperating to enable the initial pressure on the pedal to shift the carriage forwardly to engage the clutch members, and the later pressure on the pedal operating to rotate the clutch member on the carriage and thereby rotate the engine shaft.

7. In starting mechanism for starting an automobile engine, the combination of a motor having a shaft with its rear end located forward of the drivers seat, a foot pedal, means for mounting the pedal for rotation on an axis at right an- 130 gles to the shaft, and means associated with the pedal whereby pressing the foot pedal effects connection to the engine shaft without rotation of the pedal, and rotation of the pedal thereafter rotates the motor.

8. In starting mechanism for starting an automobile engine, the combination of an engine mounted with the cranking end of its shaft terminating forward of the drivers seat, a foot pedal, means for supporting the pedal for ro- 140 tation on an axis at right angles to the shaft and for sliding movement toward the shaft and enabling pressure upon the pedal to slide the pedal forwardly, means for effecting connection to the engine shaft when the pedal is slid 145 forwardly so that the rotation of the pedal thereafter will rotate the shaft, said pedal having an outwardly projecting arm rigid therewith, and a fixed part for engaging said arm if the engine kicks back and cooperating with the arm to 150 ioo the engine shaft to rotate the same, a pedal mounted for rotation on said carriage on an axis extending at right angles to the axis of the starting shaft, and gears driven by the rotation of the pedal on its shaft for rotating the starting shaft, said parts cooperating so that force when first exerted upon the pedal slides the carriage forward to connect the starting shaft to the engine shaft, and the rocking on the axis of the pedal thereafter rotates the engine shaft.

CLIFTON R. ROCHE.