A device for operatively connecting an engine starter to an engine where the engine includes an engine crankshaft and the engine starter has a starter shaft with a length and a worm, or worm screw, of a worm drive spaced radially from the starter adapter shaft and within the length of the shaft is described herein. The device compromises a worm gear assembly as operatively attached to the starter adapter shaft. The a worm gear assembly includes a worm gear, or worm wheel, positioned to engage the worm and an overrunning clutch positioned radially between the worm gear and the starter adapter shaft and operatively engaging the starter adapter shaft.

An automatic two-mode high reduction power transmission system. A power transmission system includes a first device that delivers a first input and receives a second output. A second device delivers a second input and receives a first output. A power transmission has two planetary gear sets and operates in a first mode at a first speed ratio, where the first input is received from the first device and in response, the first output is delivered to the second device. The power transmission operates in a second mode at a second speed ratio that is different than the first speed ratio, where the second input is received from the second device and in response, the second output is delivered to the first device. A pair of freewheel mechanisms automatically couple one of the first or second ii devices with the power transmission to provide the two modes.

A starter includes a coil spring disposed between a pinion gear and a motor and a buffer rubber disposed between the pinion gear and the coil spring. When the pinion gear is subjected to a reactive force from an engine, the buffer rubber absorbs the impact. Before the impact acts on the pinion gear, the coil spring is subjected to a given initial load. When the impact acts on the pinion gear, the coil spring absorbs it transmitted through the buffer rubber. The cover in which the coil spring is stored has a flange which is held from moving to the pinion gear in response to expansion of the coil spring, while it is permitted to move to the motor in response to contraction of the coil spring. This eliminates a risk that mechanical noise occurs when the pinion gear is advanced and then brought into mesh with the engine.

There is provided an internal-combustion-engine starting apparatus that eliminates the restriction that the portion of the output axle at the axial-direction anti-motor side needs to be narrower than the inner diameter of an inner ring portion and that eliminates the requirement that a member for restricting the output axle from traveling toward the axial-direction anti-motor side is added as an extra component. An internal-combustion-engine starting apparatus (1) is characterized in that the outer helical spline (11) includes an outer ridge portion (12), in that an inner helical spline (20) includes a both-side opened recess groove portion (21) and a one-side opened recess groove portion (22), in that the outer ridge portion (12) engages with the one-side opened recess groove portion (22), in that the outer diameter of an inner small-diameter portion (24) of an output axle (4) is smaller than the inner diameter of the tooth crest of the outer helical spline 11, in that the outer diameter of an inner large-diameter portion (33) of the output axle (4) is larger than the inner diameter of the tooth crest of the outer helical spline (11), and in that the axial-direction length of the inner small-diameter portion (24) is the same as or larger than the axial-direction length of the outer ridge portion (12).

Disclosed is a freewheel (4) comprising a first race (38), a second race (40), a clamping gap (46) designed between the first and second race (38, 40), at least one clamping element (48) in the clamping gap (46), and biasing feature (64) for biasing the clamping element (48) into a clamping position within the clamping gap (46), wherein the biasing feature (64) have an accordion spring (66), which is supported directly or indirectly on the first race (38) and which comprises corrugation peaks (70) lying radially outward, corrugation troughs (72) lying radially inward, and a support leg (76) for direct or indirect support on the clamping element (48). In addition, disclosed is a freewheel arrangement (2) comprising such a freewheel (4).

An internal combustion engine includes an engine block, an electric motor, a worm coupled to and rotated by the electric motor, a worm gear coupled to and configured to be rotated by the worm, a crankshaft configured to rotate about a crankshaft axis, a flywheel including a flywheel cup having flywheel protrusions, a clutch driven by the worm gear and configured to engage the one or more flywheel protrusions such that the crankshaft is rotated, and an energy storage device electrically coupled to the electric motor. The clutch is configured to disengage from the flywheel protrusions when the rotational speed of the crankshaft exceeds the rotational speed of the worm gear. When the electric motor is activated, the electric motor rotates the worm rotating the worm gear, which causes the clutch to engage the flywheel protrusions, transferring worm gear rotation to the flywheel and the crankshaft to rotate the engine for starting.

A device for operatively connecting an engine starter to an engine where the engine includes an engine crankshaft and the engine starter has a starter shaft with a length and a worm, or worm screw, of a worm drive spaced radially from the starter adapter shaft and within the length of the shaft is described herein. The device compromises a worm gear assembly as operatively attached to the starter adapter shaft. The a worm gear assembly includes a worm gear, or worm wheel, positioned to engage the worm and an overrunning clutch positioned radially between the worm gear and the starter adapter shaft and operatively engaging the starter adapter shaft.

An air turbine starter for starting an engine, comprising a housing defining an inlet, an outlet, and a flow path extending between the inlet and the outlet for communicating a flow of gas there through. A turbine member is journaled within the housing and disposed within the flow path for rotatably extracting mechanical power from the flow of gas. A secondary supply port is fluidly coupled to the flow of the pressurized gas in the housing.

Since a pinion gear unit which rotates according to the rotation of an output rotation shaft driven by the motor unit, a pushing mechanism which moves the pinion gear unit towards an engagement location of the pinion gear and an engine starting gear, and a bracket which includes a bracket main body unit which supports the motor unit and the pushing mechanism and a nose unit which extends from the bracket main body unit to a side opposite to the motor unit and rotatably bears a tip portion of the output rotation shaft on a side opposite to the motor unit, and which is attached to an engine side are included, a first stopper unit which restricts the movement of the rotation member to the direction of the engine starting gear is provided on the output rotation shaft, a second stopper unit which restricts the movement of the pinion gears to the direction of the engine starting gear by pushing and biasing of the elastic member is provided on the rotation member, and positioning the first stopper unit is positioned on a side opposite to the engine starting gear with respect to the second stopper unit, it is possible to shorten the shaft length of the rotation member and to shorten the entire length of the engine starting device.

An apparatus for starting an engine, including a motor, an output shaft driven by the motor, a pinion provided along the output shaft, and an electro-magnetic solenoid device. The electro-magnetic solenoid device is configured to push the pinion axially toward a ring gear of the engine to mesh the pinion with the ring gear and transfer a rotational force, which is referred to as a motor torque, generated by energization of the motor from the pinion to the ring gear, thereby starting the engine. The apparatus is configured such that, at starting of the engine in its warmed-up state, the motor torque can continue to be applied from the pinion to the ring gear until at least the second compression stroke even when an engine speed varies.