US2909065A - Portable electric starter for internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 20, 1959 w, w eems 2,909,065

PORTABLE ELECTRIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Feb. 7, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l I I T Fig. 3 4

52 30 24 42 28 WM 52 E5 g r o o f 22 3 v I T I n :5

44 Fig. 2

36 William H. Wiggins INVENTOR.

9 BY uzdWwayfiMg Oct. 20, 1959 w .w. H. WIGGINS 2,909,065

PORTABLE ELECTRIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Feb. 7, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W ll/am H. W/ ins F/g 4 I I V ENTOR.

BY w %w United States Patent PORTABLE ELECTRIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE William H. Wiggins, Benton, 111. Application February 7, 1957, Serial No. 638,878 6 Claims. (Cl. 74-8) torque is required for starting these engines in the Wide extremes of weather to which they are exposed. In order for a starter to be satisfactory for oil field use, it must be portable in nature whereby it may be readily transmitted to a desired engine for starting the same; must have a very high torque; must be of relatively light Weight in order that the same may be readily portable; and must have some provision for operatively connecting the starter to the crankshaft of the engine and for anchoring or retaining the starter during its operation.

It is therefore the primary purpose of this invention to provide a portable electric starter specifically adapted to meet the above mentioned requirements.

A further object of the invention is to provide a portable electric starter which shall be capable of operation from a convenient source of power such as a 24 volt storage battery unit carried by a pick up truck or the like.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a portable electric starter wherein the frame of the starter provides a convenient means for carrying and transporting the same, and yet will effectively brace and anchor the starter during operation of the same.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view showing a conventional form of oil field internal combustion engine operatively associated with an oil well pump jack and to which the portable starter of this invention has been applied;

Figure 2 is an elevational view taken on an enlarged scale of the portable starter of Figure 1, the same being shown mounted in .operativesposition upon the crank shaft of an engine for starting the same;

Figure 3 is a top plantview of the starter of Figure 2; and v Figures 4 and 5 are vertical sectional views taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 44 of Figure 2, and upon a somewhat enlarged scale, and showing respectively the clutch mechanism of the starter in operative driving engagement for starting an engine and in an overrunning released position after the engine has started.

Reference is made first to Figure 1 wherein the numeral 10 designates generally any suitable form of internal combustion engine adapted for oil fields, such as for ex- 2,909,065. Patented Oct. 20,1959

ample, the well-known Fairbanks-Morse one cylinder engine, the same being shown operatively connected as by belt 12 with a pump jack assembly designated generally by the numeral 14. In the example illustrated in the drawings, the engine is mounted upon a suitable supporting base or platform 16, it being provided with a flywheel 18 secured to a crankshaft 20, see Figure 2, to which the portable electric starter designated generally by the numeral 22 has been operatively connected.

Referring now primarily to Figures 2 and 3, it will be observed that the portable electric starter 22 consists of a conventional electric starting motor 24. Conveniently, this may comprise a well-known type of aircraft starter motor, being of a724-volt type and producing a starting torque of about 280 lbs. A supporting frame is secured to an electric starter for rendering the same portable and for anchoring the starter when the same has been operatively connected to a crankshaft of an engine for starting the latter. This supporting frame may conveniently comprise a handle 26 which is secured to the housing of the starter 24 as by brackets 28 and 30. The bracket 30 forms one fork of a bifurcated member 32 whose other fork comprises a bracket or plate 34 parallel to the bracket 30. The brackets 30 and 34 are adapted to be suitably secured to the opposite end of the starter casing from the bracket 28 and serve to firmly support the same.

The member 32' has secured thereto and depending therefrom an arm or lever 36 for a purpose to be subsequently set forth.

Secured to the bracket 30 and/or to the starter housing is a supporting plate 38 upon which is mounted a switch 40 of any desired character. Electric conductors 42 connect the switch with the windings of the starter, and with a cable 44 by means of which current is supplied to the switch and starter. The cable 44 in turn may be connected to any suitable source of electric current, as for example a 24-volt storage battery assembly which may be mounted in a pick up truck or the like in an interest of mobility of the device.

'As' heretofore described, it will be apparent that when the starter has been operatively connected to the crankshaft 20 of an engine, as set forth hereinafter, and electric cable 44 has been connected to a source of power, it is merely necessary to operate the switch 40, whereupon the starter may be energized and will impart rotation to the crankshaft 20 of the engine.

The starter motor has applied to the power output end of its armature a bushing or sleeve 46 comprising a coupling for operatively connecting the starter to the crankshaft, and with which is associated an overrunning or overload release clutch member.

Referring now specifically to Figures 4 and 5, it will be noted that the engine crankshaft 20 has therein a recess or keyway 48. I Use is made of this keyway for operative engagement of the overrunnnig clutch to be now described.

The open-ended sleeve or bushing 46 is adapted to Y loosely receive therein the crankshaft 20 and there is provided a circumferentially extending slot 50 in the bushing,

while a pair of apertured lugs or ears 52 rise from the opposite sides of this slot. A clutch lever 54 is pivoted intermediate its ends between thev ears 52 as by a pivot pin 56 and has a clutch dog 58 adapted for pivotal movement through the slot 50 and into and out of engagement with the keyway or recess 48 as will be apparent from Figures 4 and 5.

The operation of this starter is as follows:

When it is desired to start an engine, such as the engine shown in Figure l, the pick up truck is moved into close proximity to the same and the power lead 44 is connected to the battery carried by the truck. Thereupon the sleeve for imparting rotation to the latter. isoperating, the increased rotation of the crankshaft 20 3 46 of the starter is engaged upon the end of the crankshaft 20, with the handle 36 of the starter being rested upon the supporting platform 16 to thus provide an anchor or reaction member to apply the torque of the starter motor. Upon operating the switch 40, the starter then applies torque to the crankshaft, rotating the same a clockwise direction, as shown by the arrows 60 in Figure 4, the crankshaft rotating in the direction indicated by the arrows 62 in Figures 1, 4 and 5. Since the starter armature, and the coupling sleeve 46 rotate in a clockwise direction, the reaction of the same upon the arm 36 tends to rotate the sleeve in a counterclockwise direction, and the abutment of the end of this lever upon the platform 16 serves to resist such rotation.

ln some instances, where the engine is so mounted that the lever 36 is not of sufficient length to reach an abutting surface, an extension may readily be placed upon the end of the same as by positioning the socketed sleeve or the like upon the end of the lever 36, in order to increase the length of the lever as desired.

-Upon rotation of the sleeve 46 in a clockwise direction, the nose of the clutch dog 54 will engage in the recess 48 and thus lock the sleeve of the starter to the crankshaft When the engine with respect to the sleeve will cause the recess 48 to lift the nose 58 of the clutch dog 54 as shown in Figure 5, whereby driving engagement of the starter with the crankshaft will cease.

In some instances it may be desired to provide a spring means to yieldingly urge the clutch dog 54 and its nose 58 into an operative engagement with the recess 48. For this purpose, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, there is provided a helical wire coil 64 which may be looped about .the pivot pin 56 and which has its resilient extremities 66 and 68 respectively engaging the sleeve 46 and the clutch dog 54 to yieldingly urge the latter into its operative engagement.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope ofthe invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows: I 1. A portable electric starter for internal combustion engines comprising an electric starter motor'including a housing, a sleeve driven by said starter motor and adapted to embrace the crankshaft of an engine to the starter, a supporting frame secured to the housing of the starter motor, said frame including a handle for carrying the starter and a solid elongated body comprising an arm projecting therefrom and of sufiicientlength for abutment against a surface for anchoring the starter thereto against rotation, brackets secured to opposite ends of the motor housing and projecting laterally from one side thereof, said handle being secured to said brackets and being disposed in parallel spaced relation to said housing, and a control switch for said starter motor supported upon one of said brackets and upon said housing.

7 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said sleeve includes a circumferentially extending slot therein, a clutch dog pivoted on the outside of said sleeve and movable through said slot for operatively engaging a keyway on the crankshaft of an engine.

3 The combination of claim 1 wherein said sleeve includes a circumferentially extending slot therein, a clutch dog pivoted on the outside of said sleeve and movable through said slot for operatively engaging a keyway on the crankshaft of an engine, said clutch dog having a nose adapted to engage said keyway upon operation of the starter for rotationally locking the sleeve to said crankshaft and adapted to be overrun and released when the engine has been started and the crankshaft is rotating faster than said sleeve.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said sleeve includes a circumferentially extending slot therein, a clutch dog pivoted on said sleeve and movable through said slot for operatively engaging a keyway on the crankshaft of an engine, a pair of apertured ears provided on the outside of said sleeve at opposite sides of said slot, a pivot pin in said ears journaling said clutch dog.

5. The combination of claim '1 wherein said sleeve inan engine, a pair of apertured ears provided on the outside of said sleeve at opposite sides of said slot, a pivot pin in said ears journaling said clutch dog, a spring operatively engaging said dog and sleeve and urging the dog into engagement with said keyway.

6. A portable electric starter for internal combustion engines having a crankshaft provided with a keyway, said starter comprising an electric motor including a substantially cylindrical housing, a tubular sleeve driven by said motor and disposed coaxially at one end of said housing, said sleeve being adapted to rotatably receive an end portion of an engine crankshaft therein and being provided with a circumferentially"extending slot, a pair of apertured ears secured tosaid sleeve at opposite sides of said slot and projecting radially outwardly from the sleeve, a pivot pin-mounted in the apertures of said ears parallel to the axis'of said sleeve and motor, a clutch dog pivotally mounted on said pin and projecting into said-slot whereby to operatively engage a keyway of the stated crankshaft and impartrotation of said sleeve to the latter in one direction only, resilient means for urging said clutch dog'inwardly in said slot into operative engagement with the stated keyway, a pair of brackets secured to opposite ends of said housing and projecting laterally therefrom, a rod-shaped handle extending between and secured to said brackets at one side of the housing in spaced parallel relation to the latter, and a lever secured at one-end thereof to one of said brackets and extending radially outwardly substantially to the relatively-opposite side of-the housing, said lever having a free end adapted to abut-a stationary support whereby to prevent saidhousing from rotating relative to said crankshaft in a direction opposite to crankshaft rotation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS France- Mar. 23, 1 926 France Sept. 19, 1930

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