Engine starting device

Details Engine starting device Engine starting device

2000-08-07

2002-04-23

Mohanty, Bibhu (Department: 3747)

Internal-combustion engines

Starting device

Having specific mounting or drive connection for electric...

C123S179240

Reexamination Certificate

active

06374791

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an engine starting device including a self-starter mechanism for starting an engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some of engines used in agricultural machinery or snowplows include an engine starting device equipped with a two-way or dual starting system having a self-starter mechanism and a recoil starter mechanism.
The self-starter mechanism includes a self-starting motor adapted to be driven by a starter button and is constructed to transmit rotation of the self-starting motor to a crankshaft of the engine for rotating the crankshaft until the engine fires and continues to run on its own power. The self-starter mechanism is easy to handle because the engine can be driven or started by merely depressing the starter button.
Since the agricultural machinery and snowplows are seasonal equipment used in a particular season of the years it occurs likely that the self-starting motor cannot start the engine due to a battery having being discharged during a non-use period of the equipment.
The recoil starter mechanism includes a starting rope adapted to be pulled by the operator to rotate a pulley and is constructed to transmit rotation of the pulley to the crankshaft for starting the engine. The recoil starter mechanism arranged to manually rotate the crankshaft is advantageous in that the engine can be started even when the battery is dead.
One example of the engine starting devices having such two-way starting system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. HEI-2-108854.
The disclosed engine starting device is re-illustrated here in FIG.
19
A. As shown, the engine starting device generally denoted by
150
is activated to start an engine
168
by using a self-starter mechanism.
A self-starting motor
151
of the engine starting device
150
is driven to rotate an output shaft
152
whereupon rotation of the output shaft
152
is transmitted through a first gear
153
and a second gear
154
to a first intermediate shaft
155
. Subsequently, rotation of the first intermediate shaft
155
is transmitted through a third gear
156
and a fourth gear
157
to a second intermediate shaft
158
. Then, rotation of the second intermediate shaft
158
is transmitted through a first one-way clutch
160
and a fifth gear
163
to a sixth gear
164
. Rotation of the sixth gear
164
is transmitted via a third one-way clutch
165
to a crankshaft
166
of the engine
168
whereby the crankshaft
166
is rotated until the engine
168
fires and continue to run on its own power. In this instance, a second one-way clutch
170
is in the disengaged or released position so that rotation of the sixth gear
164
is not transmitted to a pulley
171
.
As diagrammatically shown in
FIG. 19B
, the first one-way clutch
160
is of the type generally known in the art and includes an inner race
160
a
mounted to the second intermediate shaft
158
, an outer race
160
b
concentric to the inner race
160
a
, a plurality of substantially triangular or wedge-like recesses
160
c
formed in an outer circumferential surface of the inner race
160
a
such that respective wedge-shaped portions of the recesses
160
c
are directed in the same circumferential direction of the inner race
160
a
, a plurality of balls
160
d
each received in one of the wedge-like recesses
160
c
, and a plurality of springs
160
e
each disposed in one of the wedge-like recesses
160
c
and urging the associated ball
160
d
toward the wedge-shaped portion of each recess
160
c.
When the second intermediate shaft
158
rotates clockwise as indicated by the arrow x shown in
FIG. 19B
, the inner race
160
a
rotates in unison with the second intermediate shaft
158
. Rotation of the inner race
160
a
in the direction of the arrow x wedges balls
160
d
between an inner circumferential surface of the outer race
160
b
and the recessed outer circumferential surface of the inner race
160
a
, whereby the inner race
160
a
and the outer race
160
b
are connected together (that is, the one-way clutch
160
is engaged). Thus, rotation of the second intermediate shaft
158
is transmitted to the outer race
160
b
to thereby rotate the fifth gear
163
in the direction of the arrow x. By thus rotating the fifth gear
163
, the crankshaft
166
is rotated to start the engine
168
, as described above with reference to FIG.
19
A.
When the engine
168
is to be started by using the recoil starter mechanism, the operator while gripping a grip
174
pulls a starting rope
175
as indicated by the arrow shown in
FIG. 20A
to thereby rotate a pulley
171
. Rotation of the pulley
171
is transmitted through the second one-way clutch
170
and the third one-way clutch
165
to the crankshaft
166
whereby the crankshaft
166
is rotated to start the engine
168
.
In this instance, the fifth gear
163
is rotated in the direction of the arrow x, and rotation of the fifth gear
163
is transmitted to the first one-way clutch
160
.
Rotation of the fifth gear
163
in the direction of the arrow x causes the outer race
160
b
of the one-way clutch
160
to rotate in the same direction x as the fifth gear
163
. Sine the second intermediate shaft
158
and the inner race
160
a
are held stationary, rotation of the outer race
160
b
in the direction of the arrow x releases the balls
160
d
from wedging engagement between the inner circumferential surface of the outer race
160
b
and the recessed outer circumferential surface of the inner race
160
a
, as shown in FIG.
20
B. Thus, the inner race
160
a
and the outer race
160
b
are disengaged from each other (i.e., the one-way clutch
160
is released). As a result, rotation of the fifth gear
163
is not transmitted to the self-starting motor
151
.
However, it may occur that when the engine
168
is about to stop, a piston (not shown) of the engine
168
cannot move past the upper dead center, causing the crankshaft
166
to rotate in the reverse direction, as indicated by the arrow shown in FIG.
21
A. Reverse rotation of the crankshaft
166
is transmitted to the first one-way clutch
160
successively through the third one-way clutch
165
, sixth gear
164
and fifth gear
163
.
As the fifth gear
163
is thus rotated in the direction of the arrow y, the outer race
160
b
of the first one-way clutch
160
rotates in the direction of the arrow y, as shown in FIG.
21
B. Rotation of the outer race
160
b
in the direction of the arrow y wedges the balls
160
d
between the inner circumferential surface of the outer race
160
b
and the recessed outer circumferential surface of the inner race
160
a
, whereby the inner race
160
a
and the outer race
160
b
are connected together (i.e., the one-way clutch
160
is engaged). As a result, the inner race
160
a
rotates in unison with the outer race
160
b
in the direction of the arrow y.
This will cause that rotation of the inner race
160
a
and second intermediate shaft
155
is transmitted to the output shaft
152
successively through the fourth gear
157
, third gear
156
, first intermediate shaft
155
, second gear
154
and first gear
153
. This means that the self-starting motor
161
is rotated in the reverse direction. To deal with this problem, the self-starting motor
161
requires strengthening or reinforcement of structural components which will induce additional cost and labor.
In the case where the engine is installed in a snowplow, it may occur that the self-starting motor
161
is driven before a lot of snow deposited on a snowplow attachment is removed, resulting in a failure to rotate the crankshaft against a heavy load exerted on the snowplow attachment. In this instance, the self-starting motor
161
is overloaded. To deal with this problem, the self-starting motor components require extensive strengthening.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an engine starting device which is capable of preventing a self-starting motor from being rotated in the rever

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