Improvements in Apparatus for Facilitating the Starting of Motors.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Apr., 1898
1000
1000
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Facilitating the Starting of Motors.
I, VICTOR ETIENNE PRETOT, of Avenue Philippe Auguste, Paris, in the Republic
of France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to gas, oil and similar motors and it has for its object
to provide a device by which such motors may be started by hand, without the
slightest danger being incurred by the operator, irrespective of anything unusual
that may occur at the starting of the said motor.
This device may be applied to any stationary or travelling motor requiring
external force or assistance for starting or setting the same in motion, but it is
especially designed for use in automotive vehicles, the direct action upon the
fly wheel, frequently applied to stationary motors and which by the way is a
source of danger and inconvenience, being in this case rendered impossible for the.
greater part of the time.
When, in a motor of this kind, the first driving action takes place (the precise
moment of which can by no means be foreseen), the starting mechanism is sub-
ject to reactions of two different kinds:
1. When the motor starts working in the normal direction, in which case the
speed at which the motor works is much greater than that of the hand, the
latter, on acting upon a part connected to the motor, will sustain a violent shock
or blow by being carried along at a speed, which is instantaneously accelerated.
2. But it also happens, in case of a premature explosion, (owing to the ignition
being excessively advanced or owing to a too heavy compression or to an insuffi-
cient speed imparted to the hand) that the motor starts in the inverse direction:
In this case the abrupt movement is so much the more intense and dangerous, as
it takes place in a direction opposite to the initial movement, and if it be for
example, a crank upon which the hand is acting, as in the majority of cases, the
hand receives a violent blow.
The former of these two dangers is generally obviated by means of a ratchet
or stop device which automatically disengages the part operated by the hand,
when the motor starts. This is not, however, the case, when the starting takes
place in a rearward direction in which case the use of a ratchet or stop device
is no longer possible, seeing that it can only act in a direction inverse to the pre-
ceding so that, if such a device were used to avoid this danger, the impulse
imparted by the hand would not be transmitted to the motor.
Serious accidents are thus always to be feared, especially in the case of motors
of considerable power.
By means of my invention, this danger is completely avoided, while the first
mentioned inconvenience is likewise overcome; in fact, this device admits of the
motor being actuated by hand in the proper direction for starting the same, while
at the same time the motor is absolutely prevented from reacting upon the part
operated by the hand either in one direction or the other.
No accident of any

page_text: kind need therefore be feared, and the safety thus felt by the operator influences
in no small degree the confidence and energy, with which he executes this opera-
tion, the result of which is, that the starting is effected in a more rapid and reliable
manner.
According to one construction of my invention I employ a device comprising a
shaft, connected to the motor shaft either by a claw or other coupling, or a per-
manent rotary connection; or through gearing such as bevel or cylindrical-
pinions. This shaft is capable of sliding in a longitudinal direction and is pro-
vided with a spring tending constantly to force the same back in such a direction
as to disengage the aforesaid clutch or gear, that is to say, to separate the shaft
from the motor. This position in which the shaft and the motor are separated.
is the position occupied when this starting device is at rest.
The shaft carries at its extremity opposite to the said clutch or gear a socket
rigidly connected to said shaft which socket bears against another socket that is
rigidly connected to another shaft in line with the first shaft. A screw stud in the
second socket engages in an annular groove formed in the first shaft, this screw
connects the two shafts by means of the second socket in so far as longitudinal
movement is concerned, whilst as regards rotary motion, it leaves them entirely
independent.
To this screw and consequently to the second socket, the end of a spiral spring
is fastened, which spring is wound under friction around the two sockets whilst
its other end is fastened to a ratchet-wheel loosely mounted upon the first socket.
This ratchet wheel is prevented by a pawl from yielding to any movement inverse
to the normal movement.
Lastly the second shaft has its outer extremity traversed by a pin, projecting
at each side and adapted to engage with an operating crank by means of two
curved or helicoidal slots arranged in the boss of the latter; this crank is more-
over so maintained in a support or bearing as to be prevented from longitudinal
displacement.
The first shaft traverses a support or bearing, which may have an arm serving
to carry the before mentioned pawl and its controlling spring.
It is evident from the preceding, that, when the aforesaid pin engages with the
curved slots in the hub of the crank and when this crank is turned in a direction
to maintain this engagement, the second shaft is rotated in the same direction;
whereas, when the said shaft recoils for any reason in a longitudinal direction,
the pin is thrown out of engagement with the boss of the crank, the result being
that the said crank becomes independent of the shaft. Owing to the two shafts
being connected in longitudinal direction by the aforesaid screw the coupling or
other device is either in or out of engagement, while at the same time the second
shaft is either coupled or not to the crank.
The working is as follows:
Supposing the two shafts are pushed longitudinally in the direction to engage
the said coupling or gear and the pin in the second shaft engages with the curved
slots in the crank; if we then turn the said crank in the direction to maintain
this engagement the following will happen: The second shaft alone will at first
be actuated, whilst the first shaft, on the one hand, and the ratchet wheel, on the
other hand, will not at once yield to this movement. But in proportion to the
resistance offered by the said ratchet wheel solely due to the pawl, the spring
connected to this ratchet wheel, which spring already exerts a certain amount of
friction upon the first socket, will tend to wind itself and exert a pressure upon this
socket (which is, as before stated, rigidly connected with the first shaft), sufficient
to cause it to participate in the rotary movement of the second shaft. The motion
of the crank will thus be transmitted to the motor shaft through the coupling or
gearing. Let us now see, what happens in one or the other of the cases above con-
sidered, that is to say, the normal starting of the motor or its accidental starting
in the inverse direction.
If things happen under normal conditions, wherein the motor tends to impart

page_text: to the two shafts a speed higher than that, at which the hand is moved, the pin,
moving more rapidly than the crank, becomes automatically disengaged from the
curved slots of the latter, the result being that this increasing speed is not felt by
the hand, while, at the same time the two shafts being impelled longitudinally by
the spring for this purpose will throw the coupling or gearing out of engagement.
In point of fact these two shafts will stop almost instantaneously, as soon as the
motor turns under its own impulse.
If, on the contrary, an explosion takes place prematurely and a reverse impulse
is given, when the first shaft tends to turn in an inverse direction to that given by
the hand, the ratchet wheel is instantly stopped or blocked by the pawl, and the
end of the spring connected to such ratchet wheel is likewise stopped whilst the
other end, fastened to the screw, continues for a moment this inverse movement.
The result is, that the said spring tends to become contracted in length and conse-
quently to increase in diameter, the effect of which is, that its binding action upon
the first socket is destroyed, which binding was the only cause to which the
temporarily rigid connection between the shafts was due. Accordingly, the second
shaft which, during this inverse movement, would carry along with it the crank,
transmits to it this movement only to a negligible extent, and as this movement
does not exceed an angle corresponding to one tooth of the ratchet wheel no
accident whatever can occur.
It is thus evident, that an explosion-motor can, by the aid of this starting
device be started, without the possibility of the operator receiving a violent or
injurious blow, so that he is efficiently protected from any danger and can, owing
to the safety thus ensured, act with very great energy.
Although my invention has been more especially designed with a view to
starting explosion engines employed in connection with automotive vehicles, I
wish it to be understood that I reserve the right of applying the same to all kinds
of mechanisms even to such as are operated by other means than by hand, in which
the increased speed as well as any reaction in the reverse direction of one of two
combined moving parts must not be felt by the other. I thus reserve the right
of applying thereto all such minor modifications as may result from these various
applications.
Dated this 2nd day of Auril 1808
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Facilitating the Starting of Motors.
I, VICTOR ETIENNE PRÉTOT, of Avenue Philippe Auguste, Paris, in the Republic
of France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to gas, oil, and similar motors and it has for its object
to provide a device by which such motors may be started by hand, without the
slightest danger being incurred by the operator, irrespective of anything unusual
that may occur at the starting of the said motor.
This device may be applied to any stationary or travelling motor requiring
external force or assistance for starting or setting the same in motion; but it is
especially designed for use in automotive vehicles, the direct action upon the
fly wheel, frequently applied to stationary motors and which by the way, is a

page_text: source of danger and inconvenience, being in this case rendered impossible for the
greater part of the time.
When, in a motor of this kind, the first driving action takes place (the precise
moment of which can by no means be foreseen), the starting mechanism is sub-
ject to reactions of two different kinds:
1. When the motor starts working in the normal direction, in which case the
speed at which the motor works is much greater than that of the hand, the
latter, on acting upon a part connected to the motor, will sustain a violent shock
or blow by being carried along at a speed, which is instantaneously accelerated.
2. But it also happens in case of a premature explosion, (owing to the ignition
being excessively advanced or owing to a too heavy compression or to an insuffi-
cient speed imparted to the hand) that the motor starts in the inverse direction.
In this case the abrupt movement is so much the more intense and dangerous, as
it takes place in a direction opposite to the initial movement, and if it be, for
example, a crank upon which the hand is acting, as in the majority of cases, the
hand receives a violent blow.
The former of these two dangers is generally obviated by means of a ratchet
or stop device which automatically disengages the part operated by the hand
when the motor starts. This is not, however, the case, when the starting takes
place in a rearward direction, in which case the use of a ratchet or stop device
is no longer possible, seeing that it can only act in a direction inverse to the pre-
ceding, so that, if such a device were used to avoid this danger the impulse
imparted by the hand would not be transmitted to the motor.
Serious accidents are thus always to be feared; especially in the case of motors
of considerable power.
By means of my invention, this danger is completely avoided, while the first
mentioned inconvenience is likewise overcome; in fact, this device admits of the
motor being actuated by hand in the proper direction for starting the same, while
at the same time the motor is absolutely prevented from reacting upon the part
operated by the hand either in one direction or the other. No accident of any
kind need therefore be feared, and the safety thus felt by the operator influences
in no small degree the confidence and energy, with which he executes this opera-
tion, the result of which is, that the starting is effected in a more rapid and reliable
manner.
In order that my invention may be thoroughly understood, I will now describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation partly in section of the starting device,
adapted to be connected to the driving shaft of any motor by means of a clutch
coupling;
Figure 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a plan of this device so constructed that the connection with the
driving shaft is obtained by means of gearing.
In carrying my invention into practice I employ a device comprising a shaft B,
connected to the motor shaft X either by a claw or other coupling A A¹ Figure 1
or a permanent rotary connection; or through gearing such as bevel or cylindrical
pinions A A¹ (Figure 3). The shaft B, is capable of sliding in a longitudinal
direction and is provided with a spring a bending constantly to force the same
back in the direction of the arrow to disengage the part A from the part A', of
the aforesaid clutch that is to say, to separate the shaft B from the motor. In
Figure 1 the parts A and A¹ are shown engaged, whilst in Figure 3, the said parts
are shown separated from each other. This position in which the shaft and the
motor are separated is the position occupied when this starting device is at rest.
The shaft B carries at its other extremity a socket B₁ rigidly connected to said
shaft for instance by means of a pin g which socket bears against another
socket C¹, also rigidly connected for instance by a pin g¹, to another shaft C, in
line with the first shaft B. A screw stud b, in the second socket C¹, engages an
annular groove c formed in the shaft B; this screw connects the two shafts 13

page_text: and C by means of the socket C¹ in so far as longitudinal movement is concerned,
whilst, as regards rotary motion, it leaves them entirely independent.
To this screw band consequently to the socket C¹ rigid with the shaft C, the end
of a spiral spring D) is fastened, which spring is wound under friction around the
two sockets C¹ and B¹, whilst its other end is fastened to a ratchet-wheel E loosely
mounted upon the socket 11. This ratchet wheel E is prevented by a pawl E¹
from yielding to any movement inverse to the normal movement.
Lastly the shaft C has its outer extremity traversed by a pin d, projecting at
each side and adapted to engage with an operating crank by means of two curved
or helicoidal slots e arranged in the boss or hub of the latter; this crank is more-
aver so maintained in a support or bearing, S by means of a ring f as to be pre-
vented from longitudinal displacement.
The first shaft B traverses a support or bearing S¹, which may have an arm or
brackets serving to carry the before mentioned pawl E' and its controlling spring r.
It is evident from the preceding, that, when the aforesaid pin d engages with
the curved slots e in the hub of the crank F, and when this crank is turned in the
direction of the arrow y (Figure 1), the shaft C is rotated in the same direction;
whereas, when the said shaft C recoils for any reason in the direction of the
arrow (Figure 1), the pin d is thrown out of engagement with the boss or hub
of the crank F (Figure 3), the result being that the said crank becomes indepen-
dent of the shaft C. Owing to the shafts B and C being connected in longitudinal
direction by the aforesaid screw b, the part A of the coupling or other device is
either in or out of engagement with its corresponding part A', while at the same
time the shaft C is either coupled or not to the crank F.
The operation is as follows:
Supposing the two shafts B and C are pushed longitudinally in the direction
opposite to that indicated by the arrow and the pin d in the shaft C engages
with the curved slots e in the crank; F (Figure 1), we then turn the said crank
in the direction of the arrow y, the following will take place: The shaft C alone
will at first be actuated, whilst the shaft B, on the one hand, and the ratchet
wheel E, on the other hand, will not at once yield to this movement. But in pro-
portion to the resistance offered by the said ratchet wheel E solely due to the
pawl E, the spring D connected to this ratchet wheel, which spring already exerts
a certain amount of friction upon the socket B₁, will tend to wind itself to a
greater extent around and exert a pressure upon this socket B¹ (which is, as before
stated, rigidly connected with the shaft B), sufficient to cause it to participate in
the rotary movement of the shaft C. The motion of the crank F will thus be
transmitted to the motor shaft X through the coupling or gearing A A¹. Let us
now see, what happens in one or the other of the cases above considered, that is to
say, the normal starting of the motor or its accidental starting in the inverse
direction.
If things happen under normal conditions, when the motor tends to impart to
the two shafts BC a speed higher than that, at which the hand is moved, the pin' d,
moving more rapidly than the crank F, becomes automatically disengaged from
the curved slot e of the latter, the result being that this increasing speed is not
felt by the hand, while at the same time, the two shafts B C, being impelled
longitudinally by the spring a, for this purpose will throw the part. A of the
coupling or gear out of engagement with the part A¹ rigidly connected to the
motor. In point of fact these two shafts BC will stop almost instantaneously, as
soon as the motor turns under its own impulse.
If, on the contrary, an explosion takes place prematurely and a reverse impulse
is given, when the shaft B tends to turn in an inverse direction to that given
by the hand, the ratchet wheel E is instantly stopped or blocked by the pawl E¹ and
the end of the spring D fastened to the ratchet wheel E is likewise stopped whilst
the other end fastened to the screw b, continues for a moment this inverse move-
ment. The result is that the said spring D tends to become contracted and conse-
quently to increase in diameter, the effect of which is, that its binding action upon

page_text: the socket B¹ is destroyed, which binding was the only cause to which the tem-
porarily rigid connection between the shafts B and C was due. Accordingly, the
shaft C, which, during this inverse movement, would carry along with it the
crank F, transmits to it this movement only to a negligible extent, and as this
movement does not exceed an angle corresponding to one tooth of the ratchet
wheel no accident whatever can occur.
It is thus evident, that an explosion-motor can, by the aid of this starting
device be started without the possibility of the operator receiving a violent or
injurious blow so that he is efficiently protected from any danger and can, owing
to the safety thus ensured act with very great energy.
Although my invention has been more especially designed with a view to
starting explosion engines employed in connection with automotive vehicles, I
wish it to be understood that I may apply the same to all kinds of mechanism
(even to such as are operated by other means than by hand) in which the increased
speed as well as any reaction in the reverse direction, of one of two combined
moving parts must not be felt by the other. I thus reserve the right of applying
thereto all such minor modifications as may result from these various applications.
I may moreover vary the forms and dimensions of the several parts indicated by
way of example in the accompanying drawing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A device for starting thermic motors, mainly characterized by a shaft consisting
of two parts, independent as far as the rotation is concerned; one of these parts
being provided with one constituent element of any appropriate device for
effecting the coupling to the driving shaft, which latter is provided with the
counter-part, and the other being adapted to engage with an operating or driving
medium such as a crank, hand wheel or the like, so arranged as to impart to it the
rotary movement but in one direction only, the said parts of this shaft being more-
over, surrounded by a helicoidal spring, the ends of which are respectively fixed
to the said parts in such a manner that, when the operating medium is turned in
one direction, the spring is so tightened upon the two parts of the shaft, as to
rigidly connect them and to transmit to the driving shaft the movement necessary
for starting the motor, whereas when the motor for any reason is caused to start
in the reverse direction, the said spring is loosened and thus breaks the connection
between the two parts of the shaft in such a manner that the operating or impel-
ling medium is protected against this abrupt inverse movement, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
2. The combination of the starting shaft, consisting of two independent parts
and forming the subject of the first claim with a spring a having the constant
tendency to displace the said shaft away from its engaging position with the
driving shaft, and with an operating or impelling medium such as a crank, hand-
wheel or the like the hub of which is provided with helicoidal slots or inclined
openings, with which a pin d, on the starting shaft, is adapted to so engage, that,
when the, motor normally started attains a higher speed than that imparted to
the operating medium, the said shaft is automatically disengaged by a longitudinal
displacement of the said operating medium, and that, at the same time, its engage-
ment with the driving shaft is interrupted, so that, under these conditions, the
operator is protected from the effects due to the speed attained by the motor;
substantially as specified.
3. The arrangement of the starting shaft, consisting of two parts independent
as far as the rotary movement is concerned, and forming the subject of the first
claim; in combination with a helicoidal spring wound around the said parts and
connected, on the one hand, to one of the parts of the shaft and, on the other hand
to a ratchet-wheel E, engaging with a pawl E', serving as a point of support for
the said wheel and serving further to permit of the spring being unwound, when

page_text: the motor starts moving in a direction inverse to that imparted to the operating
medium, the effect being to break the connection between the two parts of the shaft
and to thus protect the operator from the action of this inverse movement; sub-
stantially as specified.
4. The device for starting thermic motors, substantially as herein described with
reference to the accompanying drawing.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.