Engine Starters Patents (Class 74/6)
  • Patent number: 7980150
    Abstract: A starter includes a motor, a pinion, a pinion carrier carrying the pinion, a ring member provided on the pinion carrier, a shifting member, and a lubricant blocking member. The ring member is rotatable relative to the pinion carrier and restricted in axial movement toward the pinion. The shifting member has a ring portion that is arranged on the pinion carrier with the ring member interposed between the ring portion and the pinion. The ring portion has an axial end face that has a recess for receiving lubricant and is covered by the ring member. The shifting member is configured to shift, by pushing the ring member with the ring portion, the pinion in the axial direction, thereby bringing the pinion into mesh with a ring gear of an engine. The lubricant blocking member blocks the lubricant from being scattered due to rotation of the pinion carrier with the pinion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Youichi Hasegawa, Tomoya Imanishi
  • Publication number: 20110094323
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method and a device for starting an engine, in which the amount of compressed air consumed by air motors can be reduced and increase in the sizes of a compressed air tank and an air compressor can be suppressed. The method for starting an engine (1) with use of a plurality of air motors (2, 3) is characterized in that the numbers of the air motors (2, 3) to be driven during starting of the engine is reduced before the engine (1) increases the rotational speed by itself: Namely, while the rotational speed of the engine (1) is raised during stoning of the engine, the numbers of the air motors (2, 3) to be driven is reduced, for example, from two to one.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2009
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigenori Tsuji, Hiroo Kanaya, Yasuo Sarai
  • Publication number: 20110083522
    Abstract: A slide locking kick arm includes a shaft connectable to an engine kick starter and a foot pedal which fits over the free end of the shaft for stowage and slides to the free end of the shaft where it can be pivoted outboard away from the engine to deploy. The shaft includes an offset as necessary to avoid interference by engine-mounted or vehicle mounted parts. A spring-loaded locking pin with one or more alignment plates may be incorporated to provide positive engagement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Inventor: JOHN GRANT
  • Patent number: 7859150
    Abstract: A starter which may employed in starting an engine is provided. The starter includes an electromagnetic actuator and a pinion carrier. The pinion carrier includes a pinion and a holder. The holder retains a shift lever and transmits movement of the shift lever, as achieved by a magnetic attraction produced by the electromagnetic actuator, to the pinion, thereby shifting the pinion into engagement with a ring gear joined to, for example, an engine. The holder is made of material smaller in specific gravity than the pinion. Specifically, the holder is lower in mass or weight than the pinion, thereby permitting the magnetic attraction required to shift the pinion carrier through the shift lever to be decreased. This permits the electromagnetic actuator to be decreased in size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Yamato Utsunomiya, Kazuhiro Andoh, Tadahiro Kurasawa
  • Publication number: 20100257951
    Abstract: A starter device (10) for a combustion engine (1), particularly of a motor vehicle. The device includes a rotary electrical machine (11) comprising a drive member (12) and a tensioner. A belt (13) collaborates with the drive member of the rotary electrical machine and with the combustion engine in order that the latter can be started using the belt rotationally driven by the electrical machine in a first direction (A). A tensioner (15) presses against a length (16) of the belt that runs between the electrical machine and the combustion engine. As the rotary electrical machine rotates in a second direction (B) the opposite of the first, it is possible for the tensioner to be brought from a stopped position into a position for beginning to start the combustion engine. The movement from the stopped position to the position for beginning to start being accompanied by a lengthening of said length of belt and/or by an increase in the tension in this length of belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2008
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Inventors: Julien Quincerot, Karine Stofleth, Jean-Marc Dubus, Arnaud Devries, Michaƫl Chemin
  • Patent number: 7806011
    Abstract: An engine starter includes a motor housing having an inlet and an outlet for a motive fluid, a fluid-driven motor within the motor housing, the motor including a rotor and a stator, the stator directing a flow of fluid over the rotor, thereby inducing rotation of the rotor about an axis and exerting an axial force on the rotor and an output shaft operably coupled to the rotor such that rotation of the rotor drives rotation of the shaft about the axis. A front and a rear ball bearing assembly support the rotor. A front biasing member is pre-loaded to exert a first biasing load on the front ball bearing assembly and a rear biasing member is pre-loaded to exert a second biasing load on the rear ball bearing assembly in opposition of the axial force exerted on the rotor. The biasing members distribute the axial force between the two ball bearing assemblies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Ingersoll Rand Company
    Inventors: David Eichenberger, Jeremy Odell, Spencer Zeedyk, Darin Thorp
  • Patent number: 7770554
    Abstract: A recoil starter includes a base plate that has a bearing portion formed therein and a rotary shaft that is supported by the bearing portion so as to pass through the base plate. A rope reel is rotatably supported at one side of the base plate, and a recoil rope is wound around the rope reel. A recoil spiral spring urges the rope reel to rewind the recoil rope. A damper spring has one end connected to the rotary shaft and the other end connected to the rope reel, and a clutch mechanism is disposed on an end of the rotary shaft at the other side of the base plate. The clutch mechanism transfers a rotational force to an engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Starting Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigemitsu Chigira, Tetsuya Kasamatsu, Kenta Shofuda, Hiroaki Saito, Yuki Hoshi
  • Patent number: 7748360
    Abstract: An apparatus for starting an internal combustion engine having a manual recoil starter and starter rope comprises a casing that houses a motor, a source of power, a gear reducer assembly and a spool assembly. The spool assembly includes a spool that adapted to receive the handgrip of the starter rope and allow the starter rope to be wound around the spool during the starting operation. The motor via the gear reducer rotates the spool once the handgrip and cord are properly positioned and the motor is activated to pull the starter rope and start the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Inventor: Gene Thompson
  • Patent number: 7721613
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of mounting a retaining ring (21) on a rotating electric armature shaft. The inventive method consists in first mounting the retaining ring (21) on an axial shaft segment (27) which is located in an accessible mounting area between the groove (23) and the splines (15) of the starter drive assembly (10) and, subsequently, moving the starter drive assembly (10) axially towards the rest position such as to move the retaining ring (21) along the aforementioned shaft segment (27) as far as the positioning groove (23) comprising a service area with no radial access.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Valeo Equipements Electriques Moteur
    Inventors: Philippe Halbin, Thierry Paltrie
  • Patent number: 7712388
    Abstract: A starter includes a drive shaft having an outer periphery formed with shaft splines through which a drive power is transmitted from a starter motor, an overrunning clutch, having an inner periphery formed with barrel splines engageable with the shaft splines, which is axially moveable with respect to the drive shaft and plays a role as one-way clutch, and a pinion gear integrally disposed on the overrunning clutch to be movable into or out of meshing engagement with a ring gear of an internal combustion engine. A radial clearance between a tooth top of each shaft spline and a tooth bottom of each barrel spline is set to be less than a backlash between each shaft spline and each barrel spline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Andoh
  • Patent number: 7677123
    Abstract: An impact absorbing device has fixed discs and rotary discs alternately and coaxially disposed. Each disc has two surfaces, and two surfaces of each pair of fixed and rotary discs face each other through a lubricant. Each surface has dimples, respectively, surrounded by concave portions. A position of each dimple in the rotary discs is differentiated from a position of any dimple of the fixed discs in a radial direction of the discs. In response to an impact given to the rotary discs, the rotary discs are rotated on the fixed discs against a frictional force between the discs to absorb the impact. During this rotation, each dimple of the rotary discs is moved along a circumferential direction of the discs, and no concave portions of the rotary discs are placed just on the concave portions of the fixed discs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Yukio Nawa
  • Patent number: 7661330
    Abstract: A rotational torque of an electric motor of a starter is transmitted to an output shaft having a pinion gear engaging with a ring gear of an internal combustion engine via a one-way clutch. A tube forming a clutch-inner and the output shaft are spline-coupled to allow the output shaft to reciprocally move in the axial direction while transmitting the rotational torque of the tube to the output shaft. The output shaft is slidably supported by a supporting portion formed at a front end of the tube. To establish air communication between an inside space of the tube and an outside space, an air passage is formed either in the supporting portion or on the output shaft. Pressure changes in the inner space due to reciprocal movement of the output shaft are suppressed by air communication through the air passage, and lubricant in the tube is well retained therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Youichi Hasegawa, Kazuaki Murase, Sadayoshi Kajino
  • Patent number: 7661404
    Abstract: An angle-adjustable engine starter structure for remote-control toy car is disclosed to include an engine, a driven gear coupled to an one-way axle bearing at the output shaft of the engine, a drive gear meshed with the driven gear and rotatable by an electric starter, a side cover covering the drive gear and the driven gear and having outside radial teeth, and an outer cover detachably fastened to the engine with screws and having radial teeth meshed with the radial teeth of the side cover to hold the side cover and the drive gear in position and for allowing adjustment of the angular position of the side cover and the drive gear relative to the driven gear after disconnection of the outer cover from the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Inventor: Ke-Way Lu
  • Patent number: 7661329
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for transferring torque from one rotatable element to another rotatable element using at least one pawl. The apparatus comprises a first rotatable element having at least one recess, a second rotatable element and at least one pawl coupled from the second rotatable element to the at least one recess. The method comprises coupling a first rotatable element, wherein the first rotatable element comprises at least one pawl to a second rotatable element, wherein the second rotatable element comprises at least one recess; rotating the first rotatable element; engaging the first rotatable element with the second rotatable element by adapting the at least one pawl to couple with the at least one recess; and transferring torque from the first rotatable element to the second rotatable element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Conntechnical Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Connard Cali, Carlos Ferreira
  • Publication number: 20090320785
    Abstract: A single-cylinder or in-line multi-cylinder engine is provided. The engine includes a crankshaft, a piston, a cylinder body, a cylinder head, and a gear change mechanism. The piston is connected to the crankshaft. A cylinder is formed in the cylinder body. The piston is housed in the cylinder. The cylinder head is attached to an end of the cylinder body. The gear change mechanism is disposed to the rear of the crankshaft. An axis of the cylinder extends upward obliquely to the rear from the crankshaft side. The axis of the cylinder passes in front of an axis of the crankshaft when viewed from a direction in which the crankshaft extends.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masato Yokoi, Shidehiko Miyashiro
  • Publication number: 20090308198
    Abstract: A torque transfer system for cranking an engine includes a starter motor, an engine crankshaft, a pinion, a ring gear engaged with the pinion and driveably connected to the crankshaft, and a one-way clutch for alternately opening and closing a drive connection between the pinion and the starter motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2008
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Inventors: Martin Jastrzembowski, Wei Xue, Ravi Atluru
  • Patent number: 7628131
    Abstract: An engine for a vehicle includes a crankcase and a starting system having a starting motor arranged above a top wall of the crankcase and a starting gear train. The crankcase is divided into left and right crankcase members. For example the left crankcase member has a first motor mounting portion protruded upward from a top wall thereof, and having a motor mounting hole. The right crankcase member has a second motor mounting portion on a top wall thereof. One end of the starting motor is fitted in the first motor mounting hole and other end of the starting motor is fastened on the second mounting portion by bolts. The starting gear train includes two or more starting idle shafts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyohito Takano, Yasutaka Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 7584676
    Abstract: A starter includes: a gear housing mounted near an engine to be started; a speed reducing gear assembly within the gear housing; an output member aligned with a movable portion of the engine and rotatable under the influence of the gear assembly to move the movable portion to initiate operation of the engine; a motor housing mounted to the gear housing; and a fluid-driven motor within the motor housing and including a motor shaft rotating at a first speed to drive rotation of the speed reducing gear assembly, such that the output member is driven at a second speed lower than the first speed. The motor housing and motor are serviceable without changing the alignment of the output member relative to the movable portion of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Ingersoll Rand Company
    Inventors: David Eichenberger, Darin Thorp, Spencer Zeedyk, Steve Diacumakos, Bill Piekarski, Jeremy Odell
  • Patent number: 7571659
    Abstract: A starting apparatus of a small-sized engine includes: a cylindrical cam; a drive gear connected to the cylindrical cam coaxially, wherein: whereas the drive gear is made to be connected to a rope reel by ratchet claws, the drive gear is made to be connected to a cell motor by at least two pieces of reduction gears; and a reduction gear in the reduction gears brought in mesh with the drive gear is divided into a small diameter gear portion and a large diameter gear portion to be arranged coaxially, side faces of the small and the large diameter gear portion opposed to each other are formed with engaging claws engaged with each other only in one direction, and the small and the large diameter gear portion are urged as the two side faces are brought into contact with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: Starting Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshinori Horikoshi
  • Publication number: 20090178500
    Abstract: A transmission system for a vehicle is proposed, which is coupled through a start-up element to a drive engine, an adjustable crank mechanism being provided as the start-up element and an input shaft of the crank mechanism being coupled on the drive side with a drive shaft of the drive engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2008
    Publication date: July 16, 2009
    Applicant: LUK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG
    Inventor: Bernhard Walter
  • Patent number: 7559303
    Abstract: A torque transmitting mechanism, including a ring gear; a crankshaft side member which rotates in conjunction with a crankshaft; a one-way clutch arranged between the ring gear and the crankshaft; a bearing arranged between the crankshaft or the crankshaft side member and a surface of the ring gear that faces in the opposite direction from the side of the ring gear on which the one-way clutch is arranged; a first oil seal member arranged together with the bearing between the crankshaft or the crankshaft side member and the surface of the ring gear that faces in the opposite direction from the side of the ring gear on which the one-way clutch is arranged, and is arranged on the opposite side of the bearing from the internal combustion engine main body; and a second oil seal arranged between the ring gear and the internal combustion engine main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhito Sakai, Toshiaki Asada, Makoto Ishikawa, Tomoaki Suzuki, Toshimitsu Shiba
  • Patent number: 7552656
    Abstract: An intermediate geared starter is provided, which has a pinion shaft, a pinion gear, an intermediate shaft, an intermediate gear, and a housing. The pinion shaft is rotatable upon receipt of a rotational force from a motor and the pinion gear is supported on the pinion shaft. The intermediate shaft is disposed in parallel to the pinion shaft and the intermediate gear is carried by the intermediate shaft and held in meshing engagement with the pinion gear at all times. Further, the housing has a through-bore, to which the intermediate shaft is inserted, which supports one end of the intermediate shaft inserted to the through-bore. The housing has a seal member adapted to block a sliding clearance, which is created between the through-bore and an axial distal end of the intermediate shaft, from the outside of the starter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Shinya Miyake
  • Patent number: 7554233
    Abstract: An alternator (AC generator), which is to be attached to an engine mounted to a vehicle, comprises an output terminal to which one end of a cable for supplying a battery with power generated by the alternator is coupled. The battery is mounted on the vehicle. The alternator further comprises an insulator, a guide, and a direction setting member. The insulator, made from an electric insulative material, is for protecting the output terminal. The guide guides the cable along a desired direction from the output terminal. The direction setting member enables the guide to selectively set a direction among a plurality of predetermined directions along which the cable is allowed to be guided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Yuuji Itou
  • Publication number: 20090145250
    Abstract: A starter is disclosed as having a housing carrying thereon a motor, and a pinion moving body including a pinion gear, operative to mesh with a ring gear of an engine to transfer a rotational force of the motor thereto, and a pinion shielding member connected to the pinion gear at a front end thereof. The pinion shielding member has an outer circular periphery, having an outer diameter greater than the diameter of the addendum circle of the pinion gear, and a bottomed cylindrical configuration formed with a hollow portion having a front opened end and a closed rear end. Further, a clearance between an inner circumferential periphery of the nose portion and the outer circular periphery of the pinion shielding member is minimized to avoid interference between the nose portion of the housing and the pinion shielding member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Publication date: June 11, 2009
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kensuke Hirai, Kazuhiro Andoh, Tadahiro Kurasawa
  • Publication number: 20090133516
    Abstract: A starter motor is disclosed which includes: 1) a hollow yoke having an open end; 2) a magnetic field system provided on an inner periphery of the yoke; 3) an armature surrounded by the magnetic field system with a predetermined gap therebetween, the armature having an armature shaft; 4) an end frame that closes the open end of the yoke and has a bearing box formed therein, the bearing box being recessed inward of the yoke from an end face of the end frame and having an open end on the end face of the end frame, the bearing box also having a bearing disposed therein to rotatably support an end portion of the armature shaft; and 5) a flexible seal plate that is attached on the end face of the end frame to hermetically seal the open end of the bearing box formed in the end frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Publication date: May 28, 2009
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshige Kako, Kazuhiro Andoh
  • Patent number: 7525404
    Abstract: A vent assembly is provided for allowing internal contaminants to exit a solenoid. The vent assembly includes a vent membrane interposed between a gasket and a support. The support may have a variable diameter. The vent assembly attaches to the solenoid via a mating cover of the solenoid, which includes a vent opening that aligns with an opening in the gasket and includes a counter bore that captures the gasket. The vent assembly allows contaminants to exit the solenoid through a vent membrane. It also prevents contaminants from entering the solenoid around the vent membrane without the use of injection molding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Remy Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Larimore, James Gillett, Dong Ju Park
  • Publication number: 20090064806
    Abstract: A starter has a clutch coaxially disposed on an output shaft of a motor. The clutch has a clutch outer, an inner member having a clutch inner disposed on an inner side of the outer and a shaft portion disposed on a front side of the inner, a roller disposed between the outer and inner, a clutch cover attached to an outer surface of the outer and extending toward the shaft portion, and a clutch washer disposed on a front surface of the inner between the cover and inner. The distance between the cover and the rotation axis of the clutch is smaller than the distance between the outer end of the inner and the rotation axis. The rotation force of the motor is received in the outer and is transmitted to an engine through the roller and inner member to crank the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2008
    Publication date: March 12, 2009
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takashi Hirabayashi
  • Patent number: 7478617
    Abstract: A power generator includes a supporting frame, a generator supported by the supporting frame, and an engine mechanism including an engine driving the generator and a recoil starter for starting the engine via starter cable. The power generator further includes a hand-free starter arrangement which includes a foot pedal movably supported by the supporting frame and a transmission unit coupling a pulling end of the starter cable with the foot pedal to transmit the downward stepping force of the foot pedal to a pulling force of the starter cable. A downward displacement of the foot pedal is corresponding to an operation length of the starter cable to start the engine such that when the foot pedal is depressed, the starter cable is pulled with the operation length to start the engine in a hand-free manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Inventor: Li Wang
  • Publication number: 20080315041
    Abstract: A manual starter for an engine includes a main housing, an output shaft, a spring housing, a spring, and an attachment unit. The output shaft is disposed at least partially inside the main housing, and is configured to supply a starting torque to the engine. The spring housing is disposed in the main housing. This spring is disposed in the spring housing, and is configured to receive an initial force from a starter cord and to supply the starting torque to the output shaft. The attachment unit is configured to selectively couple the spring to the output shaft before the engine has started and decouple the spring from the output shaft after the engine has started.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2007
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Applicant: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Joey N. Chavez, Paul J. Cruz
  • Publication number: 20080282820
    Abstract: An engine starter includes a motor housing having an inlet and an outlet for a motive fluid, a fluid-driven motor within the motor housing, the motor including a rotor and a stator, the stator directing a flow of fluid over the rotor, thereby inducing rotation of the rotor about an axis and exerting an axial force on the rotor and an output shaft operably coupled to the rotor such that rotation of the rotor drives rotation of the shaft about the axis. A front and a rear ball bearing assembly support the rotor. A front biasing member is pre-loaded to exert a first biasing load on the front ball bearing assembly and a rear biasing member is pre-loaded to exert a second biasing load on the rear ball bearing assembly in opposition of the axial force exerted on the rotor. The biasing members distribute the axial force between the two ball bearing assemblies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2007
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Applicant: INGERSOLL RAND COMPANY
    Inventors: David Eichenberger, Jeremy Odell, Spencer Zeedyk, Darin Thorp
  • Publication number: 20080276733
    Abstract: In order to create a starter device (100) for starting an internal combustion engine, in particular for hand-held tools, chainsaws, lawnmowers, strimmers and the like, with a rotatable pulling medium roller (2) which can be brought into functional connection with the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine in order to bring about a rotation of the crankshaft, which starter device has a simply configured functional connection between the crankshaft and the pulling medium roller and effectively reduces the force peaks reaching the pulling medium roller, it is proposed that a deformation body (3) with an elastic deformation behaviour is arranged in the functional connection between the pulling medium roller (2) and the crankshaft, in which deformation body a leading or lagging of the crankshaft with respect to the pulling medium roller (2) can be compensated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2008
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Applicant: DOLMAR GMBH
    Inventors: Christian Kellermann, Klemens Krahn
  • Publication number: 20080257077
    Abstract: A helical spline section 61 is formed on a drive shaft 32 rotated by a motor 11 via a planetary gear mechanism 12, and an axially movable overrunning clutch 13 is mounted to the helical spline section 61. A pinion 14 engaging with an idle gear 15 is formed integrally with a clutch inner 57 of the overrunning clutch 13. At the distal end of the pinion 14, there is formed a transport flange 72 engaging with the idle gear 15 and disengaging the idle gear 15 from a ring gear 16 together with the axial movement of the pinion 14. The root outer diameter of a gear section 71 of the pinion 14 is smaller than the outer diameter of the clutch inner 57, and the pinion 14 is formed integrally with the transport flange 72 and the clutch inner 57 by cold forging. Thereby, there is provided a simple, cheap and reliable electric starter motor capable of engaging and disengaging the idle gear and ring gear with each other and from each other without increasing the number of parts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2005
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicant: MITSUBA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ono, Michio Okada, Shigeyuki Enkaku, Shinya Saito, Chihiro Horikoshi
  • Patent number: 7434406
    Abstract: A drivetrain for a multi-spool counter rotating gas turbine engine may include a lay shaft for connecting a power turbine shaft of the engine with a gas generator shaft of the engine when the drivetrain is in engine start mode. In normal operation mode, an actuator disengages the lay shaft, thereby allowing free and independent rotation of the power turbine shaft and the gas generator shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher J. Herlihy, John R. Barrett
  • Patent number: 7432608
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electric generator for achieving the cost reduction of the electric generator itself from the view point of the structure of the electric generator, and the cost reduction of the generation of electricity from the view point of the performance of the electric generator, and a power supply equipment for use in this electric generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Shinko Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Okubo, Kazumichi Kato, Yuzo Takakado, Hirosuke Imabayashi, Toshio Miki, Masami Morita, Hideki Tamura, Katsuyoshi Nakano, Yushi Sato, Tomoyuki Matsunaga, Tetsuyuki Kimura, Nobuhiro Saito, Tetsunari Kobayakawa, Kenji Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20080190222
    Abstract: A starter assembly has a starter motor with a center casing. A front housing is attached to the center casing and the front housing is adapted to attach the starter assembly to the vehicle. The center casing includes a pilot ring which mates with a groove in the front housing to define a serpentine path between the inside and outside of the starter assembly. The pilot ring is formed at the inside diameter of the center housing to define a dam which prohibits contaminants from entering the center housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2007
    Publication date: August 14, 2008
    Applicant: DENSO INTERNATIONAL AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Richard Kraepel
  • Publication number: 20080168861
    Abstract: Disclosed is an improved starter motor with multiple shift lever pivot positions. The improved starter motor includes a solenoid, a drive assembly located at least partially within a housing, and a shift lever linking the drive assembly to the solenoid and is in operable communication with a pivot pin. The improved starter motor includes a shift lever plug that is receptive of the pivot pin and is engageable with the housing. The shift lever plug includes one or more slot features providing a plurality of pivot points for the shift lever.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2007
    Publication date: July 17, 2008
    Inventors: Daniel B. Teixeira, Aaron N. Dearinger
  • Publication number: 20080146406
    Abstract: The invention essentially concerns a device (1.1) for a motor vehicle power transmission. Said device (1.1) comprises a traction chain consisting of a heat engine (2), a clutch (3) including first and second clutch disks (8, 9), an electrical machine (4), and wheels (6). The shaft (10) of the machine (4) is further connected to a shaft (12) of the wheels (6). The invention is characterized in that said transmission device (1.1) comprises a starter system (7) mechanically independent of the electrical machine (4). Said starter system (7) is connected to the heat engine (2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2006
    Publication date: June 19, 2008
    Applicant: PEUGEOT CITROEN AUTOMOBILES SA
    Inventors: Christophe Cottard, Yvan Le Neindre, Gaetan Rocq
  • Patent number: 7370623
    Abstract: A tool with an engine, a shaft, and a recoil starter pulley coupled to the shaft for rotation about an axis. A starter pull rope for winding and unwinding around the recoil starter pulley. An air chamber shroud extending about at least a portion of the pulley, the rope extending from the pulley through the shroud. A tube enclosing a portion of the rope and extending from a location adjacent to and aligned with the pulley to a location at an exterior of the shroud that is axially offset from the pulley. The tube may have flared ends to reduce gradual wear of the rope. The tube alters a trajectory of the pull rope to be substantially offset from the plane of the starter pulley so as to avoid interfering with neighboring structures inside the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: Husqvarna Outdoor Products Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew L. Solinski, Thomas G. Glore, Justin K. Murnan, Wayne M. Vanlandingham, Robert L. Bilimek, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20080087118
    Abstract: An angle-adjustable engine starter structure for remote-control toy car is disclosed to include an engine, a driven gear coupled to an one-way axle bearing at the output shaft of the engine, a drive gear meshed with the driven gear and rotatable by an electric starter, a side cover covering the drive gear and the driven gear and having outside radial teeth, and an outer cover detachably fastened to the engine with screws and having radial teeth meshed with the radial teeth of the side cover to hold the side cover and the drive gear in position and for allowing adjustment of the angular position of the side cover and the drive gear relative to the driven gear after disconnection of the outer cover from the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Publication date: April 17, 2008
    Inventor: Ke-Way Lu
  • Publication number: 20080066707
    Abstract: A starter system for a reciprocating internal combustion engine includes an input gear journaled for rotation upon a crankshaft in the engine, and a starter motor which applies a starting torque to an outer periphery of the input gear. A speed-sensitive clutch is interposed between the crankshaft and the input gear. The clutch selectively transmits torque between the input gear and the crankshaft by means of a series of pawls which are responsive to centrifugal force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2006
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventor: Alvin H. Berger
  • Publication number: 20080053390
    Abstract: An engine starting system that regulates a position of a pinion gear of a starter motor between an engaged position and a disengaged position includes a solenoid pinion armature (SPA) that is coupled to the pinion gear and that is movable between a first position and a second position to move the pinion gear between the disengaged position and the engaged position. A damper dampens a velocity of the SPA during movement of the SPA to the second position to inhibit noise generation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2006
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Inventors: Dimitrios Rizoulis, Craig D. Marriott, Kenneth J. Buslepp, Douglas R. Verner, William C. Albertson
  • Patent number: 7337687
    Abstract: A starter for cranking an internal combustion engine is composed of an electric motor, an output shaft driven by the electric motor, a pinion gear unit helical-spline-coupled to the output shaft, and a magnetic switch for supplying electric power to the electric motor in an ON-and-OFF fashion and for engaging or disengaging the pinion gear unit with a ring gear of the engine. The pinion gear unit is made by fixedly connecting a pinion gear, a rotation-restricting ring and a bearing member together. These components are separately formed from one another and then assembled to a unitary body of the pinion gear unit. Therefore, they can be forged with simple dies, or may be manufactured by other methods such as machining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Kazushige Okumoto, Masami Niimi, Tsutomu Shiga
  • Publication number: 20080022791
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a starter motor clutch. The clutch includes, a shell, a wedgable component support member operably positioned adjacent the shell, and at least one wedgable component positioned between the shell and the wedgable component support member. The at least one wedgable component is displaceable into engagement with the shell to lock the shell into synchronous movement with the wedgable component support member upon initial rotational movement of the wedgable component support member in either direction relative to the shell while allowing asynchronous movement of the shell relative to the wedgable component support member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2007
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Applicant: REMY INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Balazs Palfai, David L. Durant, Joel M. Gray, Peter K. Farrar, Wojciech M. Golab, Gus Sumcad
  • Publication number: 20080006104
    Abstract: A rotational power transfer device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The rotational power transfer device includes a first rotary member and a second rotary member. The first rotary member has an inner periphery formed with a solid lubricating layer composed of a chemical film and molybdenum disulfide. The second rotary member has an outer cylindrical periphery applied with a layer of grease including a mixture of oil with a higher frictional coefficient than that of lubricating oil and molybdenum disulfide. The second rotary member is press fitted to the first rotary member to allow the outer cylindrical periphery thereof to be placed in face-to-face relation to the inner cylindrical periphery of the first rotary member, enabling a rotational power in excess to be stably absorbed without causing any increase in the rotational power at which the slippage occurs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2007
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukio Nawa, Mitsukazu Hattori, Yoshinori Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20070295118
    Abstract: The present invention is structured from a driving portion and a driven portion. The driving portion includes a case and a hollow shaft sleeve that is located on a circumference thereof. A shaft penetrates the shaft sleeve, and a top end of the shaft is provided with a sleeve joint portion. A driving bevel gear is configured to a bottom end of the shaft, and a spring is installed on a bottom end of the sleeve joint portion to positionally fix the driving bevel gear in the case. A through hole is defined in a cover body of the driven portion, and a central shaft penetrates the through hole. A driven bevel gear is configured to one end of the central shaft, and another end of the central shaft is connected to remote control car engine. The driving bevel gear and the driven bevel gear assume a normally disengaged state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2006
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Inventor: Daimler Chu
  • Patent number: 7302869
    Abstract: A pinion includes: a first pinion flange portion disposed so as to protrude radially at a front end of a pinion boss portion; and a second pinion flange portion disposed so as to protrude radially facing the first pinion flange portion from an opposite side of the pinion boss portion. A movement linking body includes: first and second engaging recess portions fitting together with the pinion boss portion and an intermediate gear boss portion; a first sliding surface coming into contact with the first pinion flange portion, the first sliding surface restricting rearward movement of the pinion; a second sliding surface coming into contact with a front-end end surface of the second pinion flange portion, the second sliding surface restricting forward movement of the pinion; and a third sliding surface coming into contact with the clutch cover, the third sliding surface restricting forward movement of the pinion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichiro Kamei, Yoshiyuki Okada
  • Patent number: 7296489
    Abstract: A starting apparatus includes a drive motor and a reduction gear having a planetary gear for starting an engine by the drive motor via the reduction gear. An internal gear of the reduction gear includes a locking projection projecting in an axial direction. A rotation restricting member is formed with a guide groove in which the locking projection is loosely received and guided in a circumferential direction. A shock absorbing member is held in the guide groove in a state of being elastically in close contact with the locking projection in the circumferential direction. Thus, shock load to the internal gear is alleviated from the start.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Oomura, Kazuo Hirama, Mitsuhiro Murata, Tatsuya Saitou, Hiroshi Kaneda, Shinji Usami
  • Patent number: 7275509
    Abstract: A method is provided for engaging a starter pinion of a starter with a starter ring gear of an internal combustion engine during the running-down of the internal combustion engine, which internal combustion engine has an arrangement for determining rotational speed and rotational direction of a crankshaft. The starter pinion is engaged with the starter ring gear when the following conditions are satisfied: a) the speed of the internal combustion engine is below a maximum speed and above a minimum speed; and b) the rotational direction corresponds to the forward rotational direction of the crank shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Uwe Kassner
  • Patent number: 7267021
    Abstract: A starter for cranking an internal combustion engine includes an electric motor for driving a pinion gear of the starter. The rear end of the electric motor is covered with a rear end frame having a bearing holder formed thereon. To protect the bearing holder from external force applied to the rear end frame, a rear end cover having an upper plate is connected to the rear end frame. The upper plate of the rear end cover is positioned to form a certain space between the rear end frame and the upper plate. The rear end cover may be connected to the rear end frame by utilizing bolt heads of a pair of through-bolts fastening the electric motor to a front housing and the rear end frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Takahisa Inagaki
  • Publication number: 20070163381
    Abstract: The starter includes a housing housing a solenoid and fixed to an engine, a center case held between a motor thereof and the housing, a clutch housed in the center case, and a pinion shaft movable in its axial direction and spline-connected to an inner periphery of an inner tube of the clutch, which is rotatably supported by a bearing. The housing has a tubular wall section through which the pinion shaft extends and to which the center case is coupled in the axial direction. The tubular wall section is formed with a through hole. The center case has a bearing holding section holding the bearing and a cylindrical projecting section projecting in the axial direction towards the housing at a position radially outwardly of the bearing holding section inside the tubular wall section. The outer periphery of the projecting section faces the through hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji Usami, Youichi Hasegawa, Tomoya Imanishi