US681523A - Starting device for internal-combustion engines. - Google Patents

Description

No. 68l,523. A Patented Aug. 27, IBM. A. 0. VERY.

STARTING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL cmNBusTmN ENGINES.

(Application filed Jan. 25, 1901.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

ALPHA O. VERY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

STARTING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE-S.

SPEQIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,523, dated August 27, 1901.

Application filed January 25,1901. Serial No. 44.664. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALPHA O. VERY, aciti zen of the United States of America, residing at Spring-field, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Starting Devices for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to internal-explosion engines, and pertains particularly to starting devices for engines of this class. v

It is well known that in engines of this class to start them it is necessary to give to the crankshaft a few revolutions in order to draw in a charge of explosive mixture and to explode the same to set up the automatic movements of the machine. This is usually done by means of a crank fitted on the end of the crank-shaftandturnedbyhand. Whenthese engines are applied to motor-vehicles, this operation necessitates the starting of the motor before mounting the vehicle, or if the motor is stopped for any cause when the vehicle is moving then the operator must get out of the wagon and apply the crank, as stated, to start up again.

The object of this invention is to provide means for starting the motor when the operator is on the seat and therefore in position to control the vehicle; and it consists in the construction set forth in the following specification and clearly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification,Figure 1 is a side elevation of a motor-vehicle having myinvention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of aspring ratchet-drum secured to the crank-shaft of the motor. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the same, partlybroken away. Figs. 2 and 3 are shown of substantially the natural size of the parts.

In carrying out my invention I apply a spring ratchet-drum to the crank-shaft of the engine, and around this drum I applya chain, one end of which is attached to the drum and the free end of whichis secured to the wagonbody, and a lever extending up within reach of the operator has an engagement with this chain when the lever is operated,whereby by means of the latter said ratchet-drum may rotate the crank-shaft ofthe engine, the spring in the drum swinging the operatinglever back to normal position again when the lever is released. These various devices are constructed as follows:

The ratchet-drum is constructed by applying an annular cup-shaped piece a over the end of the crankshaft b of the motor, a portion of the latter being indicated by c. Said piece a is loose on the crank-shaft and is socured to the motor by screws, as shown, or otherwise. The ratchet member d is provided with a hub e, which extends into said piece a. This ratchet member is secured to the crank-shaft b bya set-screw or other suitable means. member there is mounted the sprocket-wheel f, whose hub likewise projects into said cupshaped piece a. This construction provides for an annular space inside of the member a for a coiled spring g, the outer end of which is made fast to the piece a and the other end of which is secured to the hub of the sprocketwheel, all as shown in Fig. 2. On the ratchet member d the teeth hare provided,which are shown clearlyin Fig. 3, these teeth lying under a flange e on the sprocket-wheel. The teeth are cut with rather long inclines,which, together with the flange 1 form tapering pocketsglin each of which is placed a steel roller 7c, co stituting a well-known form of clutch. A sprocket-chain I has one end thereof secured to a tooth of the wheel f, and said chain after encircling said sprocket has its free end secured to the wagon-body, as at m,Fig.1. This chain is of such length as to permit it to be looped over a small sprocket wheel a, as shown in Fig. 1, which is carried 011 the lower end of a lever 0, pivotally supported at any convenient point, as p, in the body of the wagon. Preferably the lever is so bent as to conform to the forward end of the body, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby when it is in its position of rest it will be out of the way. This lever, preferably, is located on that side of the wagon-body on which the chain is located, but not necessarily, for the said pivot-pin 19 may take the form of a rod, if desired, running transversely of the wagon-body, on one end of which rod the ehain engaging end of the lever 0 could be secured and on the'op- 011 the hub e of the ratchet IOC ' ver.

posite end thereof the handle end of said le- In practice instead of a sprocket-wheel f the chain maybe applied to a drum, whereby the chain may be given more than one turn spirally around the drum. Ordinarily, however, the sprocket construction shown herein may be made of such diameter as will impart the necessary rotation to the crankshaft of the motor.

In the end of the ratchet memberda notch q is provided, whereby the engine may be given the necessary rotative impulses by means of a crank applied to the crank-shaft and engaging by means of a suitable projection thereon said notch g. It will be observed that the rotations may be imparted ,to the crank-shaft manually by means of a crank, as described, or by means at the chain land lever 0 independently one of the other.

From the above description of the starting device it will be seen that very convenient means are afforded for imparting the initial rotation to an internal-combustion engine for starting the same and that by means of the spring-drum and an operating-lever engaging a loop of the chain, as shown, it gives a very powerful and elastic connection with the motor easily accessible to and easily operated by a person on the seat of the Vehicle.

While a specific form of spring ratchetdrum has been described herein, I do not confine myself to this particular construction, for it is obvious that other forms of ratchetdrums of this nature could readily be substituted therefor.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination with the crank-shaft of an explosion-engine, of a ratchet-drum on said shaft, a flexible member secured. by one end to the drum and passing therearound, and fixedly secured by its opposite end; a pivotally-supported lever engaging said flexible member between its ends, whereby the swinging of the lever will rotate said drum and crank-shaft, in one direction, substantially as described.

2. In a motor-vehicle provided with an explosion engine, the combination with the crank-shaft of the engine, of a pivotally-supported lever located in proximity to the seat of the vehicle, a spring ratchet-drum on said crank-shaft for rotating it-in one direction, a sprocket-chain encircling the drum and attached thereto by one end, and having its opposite end attached to the vehicle, a sprocket- Wheel on one end of said lever and engaging said chain, whereby the swinging of said 1ever will rotate said drum and crank-shaft, substantially as described.

ALPHA O. VERY.

Witnesses:

HELEN A. GRIFFIN, WM. H. UHAPIN.

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