US982133A - Starting mechanism for gas-engines. - Google Patents

Description

1 F. H. GLAHN.

STARTING MECHANISM FOR GAS ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6,1910. v

Patented J an. 17, 1911.

' FRANCIS H. GLAHN, OF SOUTH OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

STARTING MECHANISM FOR GAS-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters IPatent.

Patented Jan. 1'7, 1911..

Application filed May a, 1910. Serial No. 559,789.

citizen of the United States, residing at South Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Starting 'Mephanism for Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to starting mecha nism for gas engines, and more particu larly for use in connection with automobiles; and has for its object, broadly, the provision of means for the storage of a force communicated by a movement of the driving shaft while the engine is in motion, and means for thereafter utilizing this force for the purpose of starting the engine, thereby dispensing with the usual practice of manually cranking the engine when starting it.

In starting an automobile it'is generally necessary to perform the operation of turning the engine or, in other words, to cause to move through the aspiring and compression strokes to the point of ignition; and he operation of manually rotating the cranking shaft is quite inconvenient, and when turning the crank of the cranking shaft at the front of the car the operation is frequently attended with danger. I

The invention has reference to a structure of few and simple parts, the same to be reliable and automatic in operation, and which may be under convenient control; another object is to provide a starting mechanism' which'may occupy a limited space within the car.

I VVith these objects .in view, the invention discloses a novel combination and arrangement of parts as herein described and claimed, and as illustrated in the drawing, it being understood that changes in form, size, proportion or other minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit-of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

In the accompanying drawing forming a .part of the apphcation, Figure 1 is a plan recessed'disk or barrel and the spiral spring view of a part of an automobile, with the starting mechanism mounted thereon, the

being in section; Fig. 2 is a vertical end view of the barrel, the pinion ofthe driving shaft also-being shown. Fig. 3 1s a View of the end of the barrel,'being the end opposite to that shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an en-f plates .1 and 2.

larged plan view, partly in section, to clearly illustrate the principal parts shown in Fig.

1. Fig. 5 is a detail relating to Fig. 1, being a side view of the slidable supporting-frame. Referring now to the drawing for a more particular description, numerals 1 and 2 indicate the respective side plates, and 3 the front end plate of an automobile, these being parts of the car frame.

The driving or crank-shaft is indicated at 4, said shaft having pinion 5 mounted upon its front terminal.

At 6 is indicated a cross bar, the same being a part ofthe car frame; it is suitably mounted upon and extends between side At 7 is shown a slidable supporting-frame, the same being mounted upon cross bar 6, said frame being provided with oppositely disposed, longitudinal engaging plates 8 adapted to have seatings inclosingly upon upon and midway between K the ends of frame 7, its front end'extending in a direction of theforward part of the car.

At 10 is indicated a rotatable, verticallydisposed disk or barrel, the same being keyed upon shaft 9 and provided with the internal gear 11 formed in its rear end, its front end having formed therein the endless groove or trackway 13, best shown in Fig. 3,. said trackway being arcuate in form and comprising the outer and inner portions respectively indicated at 14 and 15.

At 16, best shown in Fig. 2, is indicated a toothed cylinder preferably formed integral with the barrel and disposed at the middle of the rear end thereof, and at 17 intermediate this toothed cylinder and the internal gear 11 is provided the .concaved gear portion 17 which forms a connection between gears 11 and 16.

At 30 is indicated a concaved portion dis.- posed opposite to portion 17, the degree of curyature thereof being the same as the curvature of concaved portion 17 it is provi'ded with teeth the same as portion 17 the barrel; and junctionlt) of the groove is disposed similarlyv with reference to' concaved'portion 30.. A recess' QO is forme'd at junction 19-, said recess communicating with grooves 14: and 15. 'While this recess is 'upon an end of the 'disk opposite to the blank portion .31, it may be said to be adj acent to said blank' portion and it forms a pocket or depression extending in a direction opposed to sa-id blank portion, and it I isvdisposed between said grooves. a

At 21- is indicated a roller having -'a stem mounted upon plate 3 adjacent to and at the front of the disk, and said roller is adapted to have a seating at all times either'in rebeing mounted upon arm 25 of'frame- 7.

cess 20101 in'one of the. trackways 14 or 15.

At 22 is indicated a spiral spring, it's innerend 23 being mounted upon the periphery of the barrel, its outer'end 24 Pinion 5 of the crank shaft has a diameter less than the distance between the internal gear and the gear of cylindrical portion 16 of the barrel, and said pinion is normally disposed adjacent to and between 'these gears and out of engagement therewith. The crank shaft, rotates'in-the direction indicated by, the small arrow in Fig. 3. Since the barrel is 1nounted' ,upon the slidable supporting-frame 7 it may have 'a movement transversely of the car. For the purpose of moving frame? transversely'of the car any suitable means ma be employed, the'means herein shown eing the strand26 having its inner end mounted at 27 uponone of the ends of said frame, the

-in the N engage .by any of, the gears of the disk;

strand being supported by pulley 28.

. It has been stated that roller 21 is normally disposed within recess-20. .At this time, as will-be seen, the spring is completely 'coiled orJvound. It will be understood that atflthis time pinion 5 is disposed osition-shown in Fig. 2, and is not Since mally 'inion 5'of the crank shaft is nordisposed adjacent to the toothed parts of concave portion 30, a limited movement enga ement of said pinion 5 with the cylinofthe's'lidable' s'upportingframe in a direction of side plate 1 of the car will cause drica gear 16., The parts are so arranged that while roller 21 is seated in the inner curved roove v15, pinion 5 will .engage cylindrica gear16, and when the roller is the pinion.

disposed in the outer groove lathe; pinion will engage the internal gear 11.

Fromthe description, the operationfof. starting the car and the Winding, of the,

spring will be readily understood.- To start the engine, frame'7 is moved a limited distance in a direction-of side plate '1 by use of strand. 26;. thismovement will change the seating of roller 21-fro1n recess 20 to the inner groove'15; the spring thereupon :will be released and will cause .the d isk to .armw

rotate in the direction ofthe lar in 'Fig. 2;v pinion 5 thereupon wi I be t lngaged' by the cylindrical gear 16-.and said pinion will be rotated in a normal direction by force of the spring; in other words, the

release of the spring will cause a rotatable movement of the disk in the direction of; the

arrow last mentioned and willcause gear;

16 to actuate said pinion. When pinion 5 is engaged by cylindrical gear 16 as last described,.the crankshaft will be moved substantially a single revo i lution but this is sufficient for the'purpose of starting "the engine and car, since it causes the engine to' pass the ignition point, and a continued rotatable movement of the crank shaft will follow in the usual manner.

The operation of winding the spring is automatic. It becomes wound immediately after the first revolution of the crankshaft, by reason of the reverse movement of the disk, as will be explained.

The slidable frame has two movements; its first movement has already been mentioned in connection with the starting of the engine. p 3 r The disk has two revoluble movement-s. It is moved substantially one revolution by force of the spring as already described- At the time its revolution has been completed' roller 21 will be seated atjunction 18 of grooves 14 and 15, and at that time concaved gear portion 17 will be in engagement'with At this time the pinion 5 of crank shaft 4, being'thusactuated' by the engine, will cause a reverse rotatable movement of the disk, for the reason that said: pinion is then in engagement with gear-11, roller 21 being disposed within groove 14;

and the reverse rotatable movement of the disk will continue until the roller 21 reaches recess 20 at junction 19 of the grooyes, at which time said roller becomes seated 1n Stud.

recess and-pinion 5 is free from engagement with the gears. -During the reversely rotatable movement of the disk, the slid'able supporting frame will be moved in a direction of side plate 2' of the car to its normal position. The second or reversely rotatable mo 'eme'nt of the disk, referred to, immediately follows its first rotatable movement and the spring becomes wound immediately after it has spent its energy. The first revoluble movement of the disk is caused-by the spring and its second move-i ment is caused by the engine; and the spring remains wound at all 'times except when temporarily released to start the engine and car.

While I have shown and describeda' disk having an arcuate recess in one of its ends the walls of the recess being formed as a gear, the opposlte side being formed withthe arcuate grooves mentioned, it is obvious that other members or structures could be provided, the same having adjacent rack bars as a' substitute for the arcuate recesses with toothedwalls, means being provided for guiding the movements of such member so that it will present one of these rack bars contactingly with the teeth of thepinion to actuate the latter in one direction, the member'being-moved in an opposite direction by action of the pinion when in engage- .ment with the opposite rack bar, and I do not limit myself to the use of the disk or v 'elaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent barrelsince the elements mentioned would be identical in operation.

Having described my lnvention, what I 1S,' l. A starting mechanism for gas engines, comprising, in. comblnation with a driving shaft havlng a p1n1on thereon, a springactuated disk-member suitably mounted for tion provided with a substantially cylindrical gear and formed near its periphery with an arcuate geared portion; aspiral spring carried by said disk; means to cause engagement of the gear of the cylindrical portion with the pinion, said pinion being thereby rotated in one direction by operation of said spring; and means to subsequently cause engagement of the gear of the an cuate portion with said pinion, thereby causinga rotation of the disk in a reverse direction and causing actuation of the spring;

and means .to dispose the disk with its geared portions in disengagement with said pinion.

3. In starting mechanism for gas engines,

the combination of a frame having a sup-,

portwmovably mounted thereon, a driving shaft provided with a pinion, a disk pivotally mounted upon the movable support and having an arcuate recess formed in one of its ends, the wailsof said recess being provided 'with agear and a blank portion, the opposite end of said disk being formed'with a connected outer and inner arcuate groove provided with a' recess disposed adjacentto the blank portion of said ,arcuaterecess, a

roller mounted upon the frame and normallyseated in the recws of said groove;

resilient meanstoE'cause a revoluble'move ment of the disk in .one direction for actuating said driving shaft, the roller being disposed within. the inner groove and causing engagement of the p nion wlth one portion of said gear during such revoluble move ment, the'disk being rotatedin the opposite directionby actuatlon of the driving shaft said roller being then disposedwithinthe outer groove to cause engagement "of the pinion with another portionof said gear.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses. i I FRANCIS H. GLAHN.

Witnesses I HIRAir A. SrUReEs,

ELIZABETH MURRY.

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