An Improved Car Starter.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 17th May, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Car Starter.
1, JOHN HENRY PALMER, of Rockaway, and State of New Jersey, United States of
America, Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, and accompanying drawings:-
My invention relates to car-starters in general; and it consists of certain improve-
ments, which are fully set forth in the following specification, and shown in the
accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.
More specifically, my inventoin relates to car-starters for vehicles propelled by
steam, electricity, or other motive power. Ordinarily in starting such a car it is
necessary in order to overcome the inertia of the car and put it in motion, to employ
a much larger initial motive power than is required for ordinary running. This will
necessarily exert an excessive strain upon the engine or motor, which will in time
weaken it, or require a motor of greater power to be employed than would otherwise
be necessary for the mere propulsion of the car. It is to overcome this fault that my
invention is intended, so that no greater power is required from the motor to start
the car than to propel it afterward.
The principle upon which my invention operates is imparting from the motor
through the starting mechanism a gradually accelerated speed to the car-wheels until
they reach the desired running speed and the car is fully started, when the car-starter
is cut out of operation by lever mechanism operated by the driver, or automatically,
and the motor is brought into connection with the axles by proper gearing to continue
the propulsion of the car.
In carrying out my invention I secure my car-starter to a frame under the body of
the vehicle and couple it with the axle or axles of the car by suitable gearing. The
starting mechanism consists of two loose drums mounted on shafts, one of which is
connected by gearing with the motor and the other with the car-axles. These drums
are connected by a band, chain, or rope, which may be wound from the one to the
other upon rotation of the drums. The drums are connected to their shafts when the
car-starter is operated by clutch mechanism controlled by a lever in the hands of
the driver, and the winding of the band from one drum to the other imparts an
accelerated speed to the shaft of that drum from which the band is unwound and
through that shaft to the car-wheels. When the proper speed is obtained, the car-
starting mechanism, by shifting the lever, is cut out of connection with the motor,
which is simultaneously geared with the axles to continue the propulsion of the car.
By automatic mechanisin the band is wound back to its former position for operation
again to start the car. Thus it will be seen that in starting the car the motor is
connected with the axle in such a manner as to impart an increasing speed to the car
axles and wheels until they attain the desired rate, when the starting mechanism is
cut out of connection with the motor, the latter being instantly geared with the
axles, so as to continue the propulsion of the car without any further change in the
relative speeds of the motor and car-axles.
In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved car-starter. Fig. 2 is a
sectional view of the same through the line of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view
of the lever-operating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a view in detail of the clutch-actuating
wheel, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modified form of speed-increasing gearing.
A is a frame, which may be secured to the bottom of the car and supports the car-
starting mechanism in any suitable position. I prefer, however, to arrange it
horizontally, as shown in the drawings.
B is one of the axles, and C are the car-wheels.

page_text: D is the motor-shaft carrying a gear-wheel E, which gears with the large power
gear-wheel F of the car-starter. This gear-wheel F is secured to the shaft, upon
which is loosely journaled the drum G, which is preferably provided with disks
between which the band, rope, or chain of the car-starter is wound upon the drum, as
is hereinafter explained.
H is a clutch keyed upon the shaft f and adapted to engage with the drum G to
secure it to the shaft f. A spring h normally forces the clutch H over to engage with
the drum G.
I is a transmitting gear-wheel loosely journaled upon the shaft i, and connected by
a collar to the pivoted hand-lever J, whereby it may be shifted on the shaft i.
G' is a drum similar to the drum G, loosely journaled on the shaft i.
H' is a clutch keyed upon the shaft i and adapted to engage with the drum G¹ to
secure it to the shaft i. A spring h¹ normally forces the clutch H¹ over to engage
with the drum G'.
K is a gear-wheel carried by the clutch H'.
L is a band or chain secured at its ends to the drums G and G' and adapted to be
wound from one to the other. The length of this band depends upon the acceleration
of velocity desired, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.
M is a link between the clutches H and H', resting against collars m thereon.
Nis a catch pivoted to the frame, adapted to hold the link M, and with it the
clutches Hand H¹, out of connection with the drums G and G. This catch is
provided with a pin or projection n.
Secured to the lover J, is a bar j which is adapted to slide in guides on the frame.
When the lever is drawn over, the end of this bar strikes the projection n and
unlatches the catch N, thus freeing the link M, and allowing the clutches H and H¹ to
be pushed forward by the springs h and h', to engage with the drums G and G¹, and
connect them, respectively, with the shafts and i.
O is a gear-wheel carried by the drum G¹.
P is a gear-wheel upon a shaft secured to the frame, the teeth of which mesh with
those of the wheel O.
is a lug upon the face of the wheel P, adapted to strike a lug or projection
upon the link M to push back this link and allow it to be clutched and held back by
the catch N disconnecting the clutches from the druins. The number of teeth in the
gear-wheel P is such that it will perform almost one complete revolution while the
drums G G are rotated sufficiently to unwind the band or chain L from drum G¹
upon the drum G.
At this moment the lug p pushes back the link M and releases
the drums from the clutches.
R is a spring about the shaft of the wheel P, which is wound up while the wheel P
is rotated by the gear-wheel O on the druin G', and operates to rotate the wheel P in
the opposite direction when the drum is released from the clutch, thereby rotating the
wheel and drum G₁, and rewinding the band upon the latter again into operative
position for starting the car after again stopping.
SS are gear-wheels, preferably upon a counter-shaft s, gearing with the wheels K
and I.
S¹ is a gear-wheel upon the counter-shafts, gearing with the wheel B' upon the
axlė B, to rotate the car-wheels.
It is evident that the counter-shafts might be dispensed with, and the wheels S
might be carried upon the axle B, operated by the gear-wheels K and I. In that case
the axle B would simply be substituted for the shaft s.
When the car is running, the wheel I geared with the wheel F, transmitting
power from the motor-wheel E to the car-wheels C. After the car has been brought
to a stand-still by stopping the rotation of the motor-wheel, and it is desired to start up
and operate the starting mechanism for that purpose, the lever J is shifted, drawing the
wheel I out of gear with the wheel F. This gear-wheel I is made of a sufficient breadth
to gear always with the wheel S on the counter-shaft, whether gearing with the
wheel For not. The shifting of the lever J forces over the bar j¹, the end of which
strikes the projection n of the catch N, lifting it from the link M and allowing the

page_text: clutches Hand H to be connected with the drums G and G¹, respectively. The
drum G, being thus connected with the shaft f, will rotate, winding up the band L
from the drum G¹. As the band is unwound, the diameter of the drum G' decreases,
while that of the drum G increases, thus accelerating the speed of rotation of the
drum G, and this accelerated motion is transmitted by the gear-wheel K to the
wheels S on the counter-shaft, and thence to the car-wheels C, starting the vehicle
slowly, and gradually bringing it to its full speed. As the wheel I is geared to one
of the wheels S, it is apparent that to this wheel also will be imparted an accelerated
motion. When it has reached the proper gearing speed to gear with the wheel F,
the lever J is shifted, making the connection between the wheels F and I to continue
the propulsion of the car. Simultaneously with the shifting of the lever J to make
this connection the drums G and G¹ are disconnected from the clutches Hand H¹ by
the operation of the lug p, which strikes the lug Q upon the link M, forcing it back
until it is caught by the catch N, (see Figs. 1 and 4 ;) but while the wheel P,
carrying this lug p, has been rotating the spring R has been wound up, and the
moment the clutches H and H¹ are disconnected the spring will operate to rotate
the drums G and G¹ in the opposite direction to bring the band L back upon the
drum G for operation to start the car again. The shifting of the lever J to make
the connection between the gear-wheels F and I may be done by the hand, an
expert driver being able to tell by the touch when the proper gearing speed is
obtained. To assist in this operation, a spring T may be employed to force the lever
over, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. I prefer, however, to make this shifting of
the lever automatic by the mechanism shown in Fig. 3, as is more fully explained
hereinafter. The lever J may broadly be considered as a shifter, which is not limited
to the lever type, various forms of shifters being known in the arts.
The number of teeth in the wheel F relative to the number in the wheel I depends
upon the variation of the diameters of the drums G and G' caused by the winding of
the band L, or, in other words, upon the length of the band L, so that the acceleration
imparted thereby to the wheel I will bring it into proper gearing speed with the
wheel F, and at that moment these two wheels are geared together by the shifting of
the lever J. In practice, however, it may sometimes be expedient to accelerate the
speed of the wheel 1 slightly beyond the proper gearing speed, so that the interval
required for shifting it will allow it to slow down to the proper gearing speed after
the clutches H and H' are disconnected. The ends of the band L must be so secured
to the drums that a rotation of the drum G in one direction will cause the drum G¹
to rotate in the opposite direction, since the wheels F and I must rotate in opposite
directions.
In practice I prefer that the wheel P, carrying the lug p, shall not make a complete
revolution before reversing, and thus it will never pass the projection or lug on the
link M, but merely press against it sufficiently to force the link back to be caught
by the latch N. In Fig. 1 this lug is shown in its extreme position before the car-
starting mechanism is operated, and in Fig. 4 it is shown at the nioment of discon-
necting the clutches.
The shifting of the lever and gear-wheel I when the car-starting mechanism
is cut out of operation may he accomplished automatically by the mechanism shown
in Fig. 3.
T is a spring secured to the upper portion of the lever J, tending to shift it.
U is a lever pivoted to the frame at u, provided with a projection or pin W to hold
the lever against the action of the spring T. The end of this lever is beveled
at U
V is a sliding bar or bolt on guides on the frame, having one end beveled at V¹ in
contact with the beveled end of the lever U.
V2 is a short arm or hook on the end of the bar or bolt V, adapted to be struck by
a pin Q on the lug p, carried by the wheel P. As the wheel P rotates and the
lug p operates the clutches in the manner heretofore describe i, the pin Q' strikes the
adjusting-screw Y in the arm of the bolt V. drawing its beveled end VI against
the beveled end U' of the lever U. This will raise one end of the lever U, lowering

page_text: the other and releasing the lever J, allowing it to be shifted by the spring T.
Springs U2 and u bring the lever U and bolt V back to position.
1 find it convenient to secure the adjusting-screw Y to the arm or hook V2, which
may be adjusted to more exactly operate the bolt V at the proper time and compensate
for any wearing away of the parts.
In place of the superimposed bands or chains on the drums G G for producing
the accelerated speed, 1 may use two cone-drums and chain or bands, as shown in
Fig. 5.
It is manifest that the mere details of construction here shown are capable of
variation without departing from the principles of my invention, and therefore I do
not limit my invention thereto.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :
1. A vehicle having axles and wheels, in combination with a motor to propel the
vehicle and speed-increasing power-transmitting mechanism, substantially as set out,
between the motor-shaft and axle for automatically accelerating the speed of the axle
with a given rotation or speed of the inotor.
2. A vehicle having axles and wheels, in combination with a motor to propel the
vehicle and speed-increasing power-transmitting mechanism, substantially as set out,
between the motor-shaft and axle for automatically accelerating the speel of the axle
with a given rotation or speed of the motor, fixed speed-transmitting gear between
the motor-shaft and axle for imparting a definite rotation of the axle to a given speed
of the motor-shaft, and clutch mechanism for putting either the accelerating trans-
mitting mechanism or fixed speed-transmitting gear into connection between the
motor-shaft and axle.
3. A self-propelling vehicle, in combination with a motor to propel it, a variable
or accelerating power-transmitting mechanism between the motor-shaft and axle,
clutch mechanism for connecting or disconnecting said accelerating power-trans-
mitting mechanism into or out of action, gearing between the motor-shaft and axle
for imparting a fixed speed to the axle with a given speed of the motor-shaft, and
means for connecting or disconnecting said gearing.
4. A self-propelling vehicle, in combination with a motor to propel it, a variable or
accelerating power-transmitting mechanism between the motor shaft and axle, clutch
mechanism for connecting or disconnecting said accelerating power-transmitting
mechanism into or out of action, gearing between the motor-shaft and axle for
imparting a fixed speed to the axle with a given speed of the motor-shaft, means
for connecting or disconnecting said gearing, and connecting mechanism between the
clutch mechanism and the means for connecting or disconnecting the fixed speed-
gearing, whereby said accelerating power-transmitting mechanism and fixed speed-
gearing are alternately put in or out of action.
5. A self-propelling vehicle, in combination with a motor to propel it, a shaft
rotated by the motor, a second shaft connected with the axle by a power-trans-
mitting device, and a speed-accelerating power-transmitting mechanism between the
two shafts.
6. A self-propelling vehicle, in combination with a motor to propel it, a shaft rotated
by the motor, a second shaft connected with the axle by a power-transmitting
device, and a speed-accelerating power-transmitting mechanism between the two
shafts, consisting of two drums and a connecting band, chain, or rope, substantially
as set out.
7. A self-propelling vehicle, in combination with a motor to propel it, a shaf
rotated by the motor, a second shaft connected with the axle by a power-transmitting
device, a speed-accelerating power-transmitting mechanism between the two shafts
consisting of two drums, a connecting band, chain, or rope, substantially as set out
and mechanism to unwind said connecting-band back into operative position afte
said drums have been operated.

page_text: 8. A self-propelling vehicle, in combination with a motor to propel it, a shaft
rotated by the motor, a second shaft connected with the axle by a power-transmitting
device, a speed-accelerating power-transmitting mechanism between the two shafts,
consisting of two drums, a connecting band, chain, or rope, substantially as set out,
and mechanism to unwind said connecting-band back into operative position after said
drums have been operated, consisting of gear-wheels O and P and spring R.
9. In a car-starter for a motor-car, the combination of a main power gear-wheel
operated by the motor, a transmitting gear-wheel adapted to gear with said main
power gear-wheel, mechanism, substantially as described, operated by the power
gear-wheel to accelerate the rotation of said transmitting gear-wheel, a shifter to
connect said transmitting gear-wheel and power-wheel when the former has been
accelerated to a proper gearing speed, and gearing between said transmitting gear-
wheel and the car-axle.
10. In a car-starter for a motor-car, the combination of a main power gear-wheel
operated by the motor, a transmitting gear-wheel adapted to gear with said main
power gear-wheel, mechanism, substantially as described, operated by the power gear-
wheel to accelerate the rotation of said transmitting gear-wheel, a shifter, and
automatic devices to shift said shifter and to connect said transmitting gear-wheel
and power-wheel when the former has been aecelerated to a proper gearing speed, and
gearing between said transmitting gear-wheel and the car-axle.
11. In a car-starter for a motor-car, the combination of a main power gear-wheel
operated by the motor, a transmitting gear-wheel adapted to gear with said main
power gear-wheel, mechanism, substantially as described, operated by the power
gear-wheel to accelerate the rotation of said transmitting gear-wheel, a shifter to
connect said transmitting gear-wheel and power-wheel when the former has been
accelerated to a proper gearing speed, a clutch actuated by the shifter to bring said
accelerating mechanism into operation, and gearing between said transmitting gear-
wheel and the car-axle.
12. In a car-starter for a motor-car, the combination of a main power gear-
wheel operated by the motor, a transmitting gear-wheel adapted to gear with said
main power gear-wheel, mechanism, substantially as described, operated by the
power gear-wheel to accelerate the rotation of said transmitting gear-wheel, a shifter
to connect said transmitting gear-wheel and power-wheel when the former has been
accelerated to a proper gearing speed, a clutch actuated by the shifter to bring
said accelerating mechanism into operation, means, substantially as described, to
disconnect said clutch when the proper acceleration is obtained, and gearing between
said transmitting gear-wheel and the car-axle.
13. In a car-starter, the combination of a power gear-wheel and its shaft with a
transmitting gear-wheel adapted to gear therewith, loosely journaled on its shaft,
drums loosely journaled on each of said shafts, a shifter to shift said transmitting
gear-wheel to connect and disconnect it with said power gear-wheel, a band or
flexible connection between said drums, clutches operated by the shifter when
shifted to disconnect said gear-wheels and to secure said drums to their shafts, and
gearing between said gear-wheel and the car-axle.
14. In a car-starter, the combination of a power gear-wheel and its shaft with a
transmitting gear-wheel adapted to gear therewith, loosely journaled on its shaft,
drums loosely journaled on each of said shafts, a shifter to shift said transmitting
gear-wheel to connect and disconnect it with said power gear-wheel, a band or
flexible connection between said drums, spring-clutches secured to said shafts,
adapted to engage with said drums and secure them to the shaft, a lock to hold
said clutches out of connection, operated by the shifter when shifted to disconnect said
gear-wheels to release said clutches, and gearing between said gear-wheel and the
car-axle.
15. In a car-starter, the combination of a power gear-wheel and its shaft with a
transmitting gear-wheel adapted to gear therewith, loosely journaled on its shaft,
drums loosely journaled on each of said shafts, a shifter to shift said transmitting
gear-wheel to connect and disconnect it with said power gear-wheel, band or flexible

page_text: connection between said drums, spring-clutches secured to said shafts, adapted to
engage with said drums and secure them to the shaft, a gear-wheel carried by one of
said clutches, a lock to hold said clutches out of connection, operated by the shifter
when shifted to disconnect said gear-wheels to release said clutches, and gearing
between said gear-wheel on the clutch and the car-axle.
1000
DUTTON & FULTON,
,1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.