Title of Invention

ENGINE STARTING SYSTEM

Abstract

To enable downsinzinf and weight-saving of the engine in an engine starting syatem for applying a starting power to the crankshaft. A bowl-shaped rotating member 61 constituting a part of the power transkission system 73 for transmitting a power from the crankshaft 45 to the driven member is coaxially secured to the crankshaft 45, a plurality of magnets 62 are secured on the inner periphery of the rotating member 61, and a coil 65 that can apply a rotational power to the rotating membr 61 cooperation with the magnet 62 is fixedly disposed in the rotating member 61.

Full Text

FORM 2 THE PATENTS ACT 1970 [39 OF 1970] COMPLETE SPECIFICATION [See Section 10] "ENGINE STARTING SYSTEM" HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, a corporation of Japan, having a place of business at 1-1, Minamiaoyama 2-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, The following specification particularly describes the nature of the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:- [Detailed Description of the Inventail [0001] [Technical Field to which the Invention Belongs] The present invention relates to an improvement of an engine starting system for applying a starting power to a crankshaft. [0002] [Prior Art] Hitherto, the construction disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 145731/1982 is such that a ring gear is provided on the outer periphery of the flywheel fixed on one end of a crankshaft so as to constitute a part of a generator to be driven by the crankshaft, a pinion engaging the ring gear is rotated by a starting motor different from the generator, and a power from the crankshaft is output from a gear fixed on the other end of the crankshaft. [0003] [Problems that the Invention to Solve] Accordingly, in the conventional construction described above, the starting system of the engine is provided in addition to a power transmission system, and the dimensions and weight of the engine is inevitably increased correspondingly. [0004] With such a circumstance in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide an engine starting system in which the engine can be downsized and weight-saved. [0005] [Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the object of the invention, the invention according to Claim 1 is an engine starting system for applying a starting power to the crankshaft characterized in that a bowl shaped rotating member constituting a part of the power transmission system that transmit a power from the crankshaft to the driven member is coaxially fixed to the crankshaft, that a plurality of magnets are fixed on the inner periphery of the rotating member, and that a coil being capable of applying a rotating power to the rotating member in cooperation with the magnet is fixedly disposed in the rotating member. [0006] In this construction, a starting system for applying a staring power to the crankshaft is stored in the rotating member that constitutes a part of the power transmission system, and thus the engine may be downsized and weight-saved in comparison with those in the related art. [0007] In addition to the construction stated in Claim 1, the invention according to Claim 2 is characterized in that a rotating electric appliance comprising the magnet, the rotating member, and the coil is constructed so as to be capable of being switched between a state in which it serves as a starting motor that can apply a starting power to the crankshaft and a state in which it serves as a generator for generating electric power according to the rotation of the crankshaft. In this construction, the engine can further be downsized and weight-saved even when the generator to be driven by the crankshaft is included. [Brief Description of the Drawings] [Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a side view of the motorcycle with pedals. [Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional side view of a principal portion in Fig. 1. [Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. [Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a principal portion in Fig. 3. [Fig. 5} Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in Fig. 4. [Fig. 6] Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 6-6 in Fig. 4. [0008] [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention] The embodiment of the present invention will be illustrated based on an embodiment of the present invention shown in the attached drawings. [0009] Figs. 1 to 6 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to the motorcycle with pedals. Fig. 1 is a side view of the motorcycle with pedals; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional side view of a principal portion in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a principal portion in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 6-6 in Fig. 4. [0010] In Fig. 1, a vehicle body frame 11 of a motorcycle with pedals comprises a main frame 13 provided with a head pipe 12 at the front end thereof and inclining downward toward the rear, and a seat post 14 extending upward from the rear portion of the main frame 13. [0011] The head pipe 12 rotatably supports a front fork 15 so as to be capable of steering, a front wheel WF is rotatably supported at the lower end of the front fork 15, and a bar-shaped steering handle 16 is provided at the upper end of the front fork 15. [0012] A supporting pipe 18 provided with a saddle-shaped seat 17 on which the driver sits at the upper end thereof is inserted into a seat post 14 from above, and the supporting pipe 18 is fixed to the seat post 14 so that the vertical position thereof can be adjusted. [0013] A pedal pressure generated by the rider sitting on the seat 17 by pressing a pair of the left and right crank pedals 30 ... may be transmitted to the rear wheel WR, and the output of the engine 31 mounted on the vehicle body frame 11 may also be transmitted. [0014] Referring now Figs. 2 to 5 together, the engine 31 is a side-valve four-cycle engine and the engine body 33 of this engine 31 comprises a cylinder block 34, an engine case 35 to be linked to the lower portion of the cylinder block 34, and a cylinder head 36 to be linked to the upper portion of the cylinder block 34. [0015] The cylinder block 34 is integrally provided with a cylinder section 34a on which the cylinder bore 37 is mounted, and the engine body 33 is rigidly fixed on the vehicle body frame 11 in such a manner that the cylinder section 34a disposed rearward of the seat post 14 is placed between the seat post 14 and the rear wheel WR along the seat post 14 with its rear portion inclined upward. [0016] The engine case 35 comprises a first and a second case members 38, 39 defining a crank chamber 26 therebetween and being connected with each other, a third case member 4 0 secured at the front end to the rear portion of the first case member 38 and extending to the left side of the rear wheel WR, a fourth case member 41 secured at the front end to the rear portion of the second case member 39 extending to the right side of the rear wheel RW, a fifth case member 42 not only secured at the front end to the front portion of the first case member 38 and extending to the left side of the rear wheel WR but also secured to the third case member 40, and a sixth case member 43 not only secured at the front end to the front portion of the second case member 39 and extending to the right side of the rear wheel WR but also secured to the fourth case member 41. [0017] The fifth case member 42 is formed so as to cover the first and the third case members 38, 40 from the outside, and a first operation chamber 27 is formed between the first and third case members 38, 4 0 and the fifth case member 42, which is to be disposed on the left side of the crank chamber 26. The sixth case member 43 is formed so as to cover the second and the fourth case members 39, 41 from the outside, and a second operating chamber 28 is formed between the second and fourth case members 39, 41 and the sixth case member 43, which is to be disposed on the right side of the crank chamber 26. [0018] In this way, the engine case 35 is formed into an elongated shape in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body frame 11, and the front end of the engine case 35 is connected to the vehicle body frame 11. [0019] The parting surface of the first and the second case members 38, 39 is defined on a plane including an axis C of the cylinder bore 37, and the first and the second case members 38, 39 are secured to the cylinder block 34 so as to interpose a part of the cylinder section 34a therebetween. [0020] The crank chamber 26 accommodates a substantial portion of the crankshaft 45 having an axis along the width of the motorcycle, and a piston 46 that is slidably fitted into the cylinder bore 37 is connected to the crankshaft 45 via a con"rod 47. The crankshaft 45 has a pair of crank weights 45a, 45a, and the crankshaft 45 is rotatably supported by a holder 50 constructed of a pair of holding plates 48, 49 interposing both of the crank weights 45a, 45a therebetween and stored in the crank chamber 26, and secured to the first and the second case member 38, 39 of the engine case 35. [0021] A plurality of cylindrical spacers 51 ... are interposed between both of the holding plates 48, 49 and the holder 50 is constructed by connecting both of the holding plates 48, 49 with rivets 52 ... inserted through those spacers 51 ... . The holder 50 is secured to the first and the second case members 38, 39 of the engine case 35, and secured to the cylinder section 34a of the cylinder block 34. [0022] Outer rings of ^ pair of ball bearings 53, 53 are press-fitted to both of the holding plates 48, 49 of the holder 50 coaxially, and the crankshaft 45 is rotatably supported by the holder 50 via thoss ball bearings 53, 53. [0023] A pair of balancers 54, 54 having an axis of revolutions on an extension of a diameter of the crankshaft 45 and to be stored in the crank chamber 26 are disposed on both sides of the crankshaft 45 when viewed in the direction along the axis C of the cylinder bore 37, and the balance weights 54a, 54a provided respectively on the balancers 54, 54 are disposed between the crank weights 45a, 45a so as to overlap partly on both of the crank weights 45a, 45a of the crankshaft 45 when viewed in the direction parallel with the axis of the crankshaft 45. [0024] Both of the balancers 54, 54 are rotatably supported by the holder 50 via two pairs of ball bearings 55 ..., and the outer rings of the respective ball bearings 55 ... are press fitted into both of the holding plates 48, 49 of the holder 50. [0025] A drive gear 56 is fixedly provided on the crankshaft 45 between the holding plate 49 of the holder 50 and one of the crank weights 45a of the crankshaft 45, and both of the balancers 54, 54 are fixedly provided respectively with driven gears 57, 57 to be engaged with the drive gear 56. Therefore, both of the balancers 54, 54 rotates in the reverse directions with each other about the axes parallel with the crankshaft 45 in conjunction with the rotation of the crankshaft 45. [0026] A pedal shaft 58 having an axis on a downward extension of the seat post 14 provided on the vehicle body frame 11 is disposed with its axis lied in parallel with the crankshaft 45 forwardly of the crankshaft 45 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle frame 11. The pedal shaft 58 is rotatably supported by the fifth case member 42 of the engine case 35 via a ball bearing 59, and by the second case member 3 9 of the engine case 35 via a ball bearing 60, and is provided with crank pedals 30 ... respectively on both ends of the pedal shaft 58 outside of the engine case 35. [0027] The crankshaft 45 and the pedal shaft 58 are disposed in parallel at the position where the axis C of the cylinder bore 37 intersect askew with the straight line L connecting the axes of the shafts 45, 58. [0028] Referring now to Fig. 6 as well, a flywheel 61 as a bowl-shaped rotating member is coaxially secured to one end of the crankshaft 45 in the first operating chamber 27, and a plurality of magnets 62 ... are secured on the inner periphery of the flywheel 61. In this way, the flywheel 61 and the magnets 62 ... constitutes a rotor 63, and the stator 66 provided with the coil 65 is secured to the first case member 38 so as to be disposed in the flywheel 61. [0029] The rotor 63 and the stator 66 construct a rotary electric appliance 64 cooperating with each other, and when the coil 65 is energized in the rotary electric appliance 64, the coil 65 generates an electromagnetic force for attracting the magnets 62 ... and thus the flywheel 61 rotates with the crankshaft 45, therefore, the rotary electric appliance 64 serves as a staring motor for applying a starting power to the crankshaft 45. The rotary electric appliance 64 can serve as a generator that obtains electrical power from the coil 65 according to the rotation of the flywheel 61 in association with the rotation of the crankshaft 45, and is constructed so that it can be switched between a state in which it serves as a starting motor and a state in which it serves as a generator. [0030] The flywheel 61 constitutes a part of the power transmission system 73 for transmitting a power from the crankshaft 45 to the rear wheel WR as a driven member. [0031] The power transmitting system 73 comprises a teethed drive pulley 67 formed integrally with the outer periphery of the flywheel 61, a driven pulley 68 being rotatable about the axis identical with that of the pedal shaft 58, an endless cog belt 69 wound around the drive pulley 67 and the driven pulley 68, a belt-type stepless change gear 70 that changes a power to rotate the driven pulley 68 in a stepless manner, a deceleration gear train 71 that is capable of decelerating the output of the belt-type stepless change gear 70 and transmitting it to the rear wheel WR, and a starting clutch 72 provided between the belt-type stepless change gear 70 and the deceleration gear train 71. [0032] Between the drive pulley 67 and the driven pulley 68, the cog belt 69 is wound around the idle pulley 74 for preventing the cog belt 69 from slackening, and the idle pulley 74 is rotatably supported by the first case member 38. [0033] The belt-type stepless change gear 70 comprises a drive pulley 7 6 having a centrifugal weight 75 and varying the effective radius by the action of the centrifugal weight 75, a driven pulley 77 for varying the effective radius according to the effective radius of the drive pulley 76, and an endless belt 78 to be wound around the drive pulley 76 and the driven pulley 77. [0034] The drive pulley 76 is disposed so as to surround the pedal shaft 58 coaxially, and rotatably supported by the fifth case member 42 via a ball bearing 79, and by the second case member 3 9 via a ball bearing 80. In addition, the driven pulley 68 working with the rotation of the crankshaft 45 is rotatably supported by the drive pulley 76, and linked to the drive pulley 76. [0035] A transmission case 81 accommodating a driven pulley 77, a starting clutch 72, and a deceleration gear train 71 is disposed on the left side of the rear wheel WR when viewed in the direction of advancement of the motorcycle. The transmission case 81 is formed between the rear portions of the third and the fifth case members 40, 42 that constitute a part of the engine case 35, and the left end portion of the axle 82 of the rear wheel WR is rotatably supported by the rear portion of the third case member 40. [0036] In the belt-type stepless change gear 70, the effective radius of the drive pulley 76 increases by the action of the centrifugal weight 75 in association with the increase in the number of revolution of the crankshaft 45, and accordingly, the effective radius of the driven pulley 77 decreases. Therefore, the change gear ratio varies from the low side to the top side steplessly and a power force of the engine 31 changed by the belt-type stepless change gear 70 is further decelerated by the decelerating gear train 71 and transmitted to the axle 82. [0037] The endless belt 78 of the belt-type stepless change gear 70 is disposed outside the rotary electric appliance 64 so as to be capable of traveling, and the belt-type" stepless change gear 70 and the rotary electric appliance 64 disposed in a small space can be covered in common by the fifth case member 42, thereby contributing to downsizing of the motorcycle with pedals. [0038] The cooling fan 85 is stored in a fan case 86 provided in the engine case 35, and the fan case 86 is formed into a spiral opening at the upper end for taking cooled air from above the engine case 35 according to the rotation of the cooling fan 85. [0039] A backboard 88 of the drum brake 87 is placed on the right side of the rear wheel WR when viewed in the direction of advancement of the motorcycle. The backboard 88 is integrally formed at the rear portion of the fourth case member 41 constituting a part of the engine case 35, and the right end of the axle 82 of the rear wheel WR is rotatably supported by the backboard 88. [0040] A driven sprocket 89 is secured to the axle 82 at the position outside the backboard 88, and an endless chain 91 is wound around the drive sprocket 90 secured on the pedal shaft 58 and the driven sprocket 89. Therefore, when the pedal shaft 58 is rotated by pressing the crank pedal 30 ..., the rotational power according to the pedal pressure is transmitted to the axle 82 of the rear wheel WR. Therefore, the drive sprocket 90, the chain 91, and the driven sprocket 89 are stored in the second operating chamber 28. [0041] A combustion chamber 95 exposing a part of the top portion of the piston 46 is formed between the cylinder block 34 and the cylinder head 36 of the engine 31 as a side-valve 4-cycle engine in such a manner that the center thereof is disposed at the position shifted forward from the axis C of the cylinder bore 37. The cylinder head 36 is provided with an ignition plug 96 with the inner end faced exposed into the combustion chamber 95. [0042] The cylinder block 34 is provided with an intake port (not shown in the figure) that can be brought into communication with the combustion chamber 95 so as to face forward, and with a exhaust port that can be brought into communication with the combustion chamber 95 in such a manner that it is positioned on the left side when viewed in the direction of advancement of the motorcycle. The intake valve for changing over the intake port and the combustion chamber 95 between the state of being in communication with each other and the state of being blocked from each other and the exhaust valve 97 for changing over the exhaust port and the combustion chamber 95 between the state of being communication with each other and the state of being blocked from each other are rotatably supported by the cylinder block 34 so as to be capable of opening and closing operation and concurrently urged by a spring in the direction to close the valve. [0043] The intake valve and the exhaust valve 97 are opened and closed by the valve operating mechanism 98, and the valve operating mechanism 98 comprises a timing drive gear 99 fixed on one of balancers 54, 54, a timing driven gear 101 engaging the timing drive gear 99 and being rotatably supported by the holder 50, an inlet and an exhaust cams 102, 103 integrally formed with the timing driven gear 101, an intake rocker arm (not shown) rotatably supported by the holder 50 so as to swing in association with the intake cam 102 and engaged with/linked to the intake valve, and an exhaust rocker arm 104 rotatably supported by the holder 50 so as to swing in association with the exhaust cam 103 and engaged with/linked to the exhaust valve 97. [0044] The downstream end of the inlet pipe 108 is connected to the front portion of the cylinder section 34a of the cylinder block 34 so as to be brought into communication with the intake port, and the upstream end of the inlet pipe 108 is connected to the downstream end of the carburetor 105 disposed above the engine 31. [0045] A storage case 109 supported by the seat post 14 of the vehicle body frame 11 is disposed rearward of the carburetor 105, and a fuel tank 110 is stored in the storage case 109. The upper portion of the storage case 109 is provided with a lid 112 that can be opened and closed at the position corresponding to a fueling port cap 111 detachably attached on the fuel tank 110. [0046] The storage case 109 also serves as a cleaner case of the air cleaner 113, and the air cleaner 113 comprises a pipe 114 stored in the storage case 109 below the fuel tank 110 and closed at one end and connected to the upstream end of the carburetor 105 at the other end, and a cleaner element 115 wound on the outer periphery of the pipe 114 in the storage case 109, and a pipe 114 is formed with a communication hole 116 at the position on which the cleaner element 115 is wound. In other words, an unpurified chamber 117 is formed in the portion of the storage case 109 other than the fuel tank 110 and the pipe 114, and air flown from outside the storage case 109 into the unpurified chamber 117 is purified by flowing through the cleaner element 115 and the communication hole 116 into the pipe 114, and then the purified air is led from the pipe 114 to the carburetor 105. [0047] The upstream end of the exhaust pipe 118 that guides exhaust gas from engine 31 is connected to the cylinder section 34a of the cylinder block 34 so as to be in communication with the exhaust port. The exhaust pipe 118 extends between the engine 31 and the rear wheel WR downward so as to lie along the rear wheel WR, and supported by the sixth case member 43 constituting a part of the engine case 35 and connected to the muffler 119 disposed on the right side of the rear wheel WR at the downstream end thereof. [0048] As described above, the exhaust pipe 118 is disposed between the engine 31 and the rear wheel WR so as to lie along the rear wheel WR, and thus the third and fourth case members 40, 41 that constitute a part of the engine case 35 and rotatably support the axle 82 of the rear wheel WR are disposed on the left and right of the exhaust pipe 118. [0049] The operation of this embodiment will now be described. The cylinder section 34a of the engine 31 supported by the vehicle body frame 11 with the crankshaft 45 disposed rearward of the pedal shaft 58 is arranged between the seat post 14 of the vehicle body frame 11 and the rear wheel WR so as to be inclined upward toward the rear, and the exhaust pipe 118 for leading exhaust gas from the engine 31 is disposed between the engine 31 and the rear wheel WR so as to extends downward along the rear wheel WR and connected to the muffler 119. Therefore, the exhaust pipe 118 is provided separately from the vehicle body frame 11 and disposed at the position away from the pedal shaft 58, and thus a sufficient length of the exhaust pipe is provided, thereby enhancing the performance of the engine 31. [0050] in addition, the third and fourth case members 40, 41 constituting a part of the engine case 35 and rotatably supporting the axle 82 of the rear wheel WR are disposed on the left and the right sides of the exhaust pipe 118, and thus the exhaust pipe 118 is surrounded on its front, rear, left and right sides thereof by the seat post 14, the rear wheel WR, the third and the fourth case members 40, 41. As a consequent, a special protector or the like for covering the exhaust pipe 118 is not necessary and thus the number of components may be reduced. [0051] Furthermore, the engine case 35, which rotatably supports the crankshaft 45 and the pedal shaft 58 in common and is elongated in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body frame 11, is linked to the vehicle body frame 11 at the front end thereof, and the axle 82 of the rear wheel WR is rotatably supported by the rear portion of the engine case 35. Therefore, the engine case 35 that rotatably supports the crankshaft 45 also supports the pedal shaft 58 rotatably, and the engine case 35 supports the rear wheel WR, thereby further decreasing the number of the components. [0052] The engine body 33 including the engine case 35, which rotatably supports the crankshaft 45 including a pair of crank weights 45a, 45a, and rotatably supports the pedal shaft 58, is rigidly secured to the vehicle body frame 11, and a pair of balancers 54, 54 are stored in the engine case 35 so as to be capable of rotating about the axis being in parallel with the crankshaft 45 in association with the rotation of the crankshaft 45. [0053] Therefore, the vibrations of the engine 3 1 can be restrained by the balancers 54, 54, and thus the vibrations of the vehicle body frame 11 caused by the vibrations of the engine can be reduced even when the engine body 33 is rigidly secured to the vehicle body frame 11. Furthermore, since the engine body 33 is rigidly secured to the vehicle body frame 11, when the crank pedals 30 ... on both ends of the pedal shaft 58 rotatably supported by the engine case 35 of the engine body 33 is depressed, the feeling of rigidity can be maintained. In addition, since the vibration-proof structure is not necessary, the structure for supporting the engine body 33 on the vehicle body frame 11 can be downsized. [0054] Since both of the balancers 54, 54 each comprises a balance weight 54a disposed between both of the crank weights 45a, 45a so as to overlap partly on both of the crank weighs 45a, 45a when viewed in the direction parallel with the axis of the crankshaft 45, the width of the engine case 35 in the direction along the axis of the crankshaft 45 may be reduced regardless of the existence of the balancers 54, 54, thereby preventing upsizing of the engine 31. [0055] Since the balancers 54, 54 are disposed on both sides of the crankshaft 45 when viewed in the direction along the axis C of the cylinder bore 37 provided on the engine body 33 so as to have an axis of revolution on an extension of a diameter of the crankshaft 45, a pair of balancers 54, 54 that can suppress the torque about the crankshaft 45 can be arranged in a small space between a pair of crank weights 45a, 45a. [0056] In addition, since the crankshaft 45 and the pedal shaft 58 are arranged in parallel at the position where the axis C of the cylinder bore 37 intersects askew with the line L that connects the axes of these shafts 45, 58, the crankshaft 45 and the pedal shaft 58 can be disposed as close as possible even though the pair of balancers 54, 54 are disposed on both sides of the crankshaft 45 when viewed in the direction of the axis of the cylinder bore 37, thereby enabling downsizing of the engine case 35. [0057] While the pedal shaft 58 is rotatably supported by the engine case 35 via the ball bearings 59, 60, the crankshaft 45 and the balancer 54, 54 are rotatably supported by the holder 50 mounted on the engine case 35 via the ball bearings 53 ..., 55 ..., respectively. In other words, by rotatably supporting the crankshaft 45 and the balancers 54, 54 by the holder 50 provided separately from the engine case 35, the mass of the balancer may be concentrated and the rigidity of the holder 50 may easily be enhanced, thereby increasing the vibration-proof effect of the balancers 54, 54 and suppressing transfer of vibrations to the engine case 35. As a consequent, transfer of vibrations to the vehicle body frame 11 and the pedal shaft 58 may further be reduced, and the weight of the engine case 35 may be reduced by ensuring rigidity thereof by the holder 50. [0058] Since the engine 31 is a side-valve 4-cycle engine, and thus the inlet pipe 108 and the exhaust pipe 118 may be connected to the cylinder section 34a of the engine 31, the total height of the engine 31 may be reduced even though it is 4-cycle engine that can purify exhaust gas, thereby ensuring the height of the lower portion of the engine 31 and the space above the engine 31 for arranging accessories. [0059] The axis of the pedal shaft 58 is disposed on the virtual downward extension of the seat post 14, and the cylinder section 34a of the engine 31 supported by the vehicle body frame 11 is disposed rearward of the seat post 14 along the seat post 14 in such a manner that the crankshaft 45 is disposed rearward of the pedal shaft 58. Therefore, the intake system and the exhaust system of the engine 31 may be disposed while avoiding the space that is required for rotating the crank pedals 30 ... on both ends of the pedal shaft 58. [0060] The bowl-shaped flywheel 61 providing integrally with a drive pulley 67 on the outer periphery thereof for constituting a part of the power transmission system 73for transmitting a power from the crankshaft 45 to the rear wheel WR is coaxially secured to the crankshaft 45, and a plurality of magnets 62 ... are secured on the inner periphery of the flywheel 61. In addition, a coil 65 that can apply a rotational power to the flywheel 61 and thus to the crankshaft 45 in cooperation with the magnets 62 ... is fixedly disposed in the flywheel 61. [0061] Therefore, a starting system for applying a starting power to the crankshaft 45 is stored in the flywheel 61 that constitutes a part of the power transmission system 73, and thus the engine 31 may be downsized and weight-saved in comparison with the related art in which the pinion that can engage the ring gear provided on the outer periphery of the flywheel to be secured on the crankshaft is rotated by the staring motor. [0062] In addition, the flywheel 61, magnets 62 ..., and coil 65 are a part of the components of the rotary electric appliance 64, and the rotary electric appliance 64 can be switched between a state in which it serves as a starting motor that can apply a starting power to the crankshaft 45 and a state in which it serves as a generator for generating electric power according to the rotation of the crankshaft 45, the engine 31 may further be downsized and weight-saved even with a generator to be driven by the crankshaft 45. [0063] Though the embodiment of the present invention has been described thus far, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modification in design may be made without departing from the invention stated in appended claims. [0064] [Advantage of the Invention] As is described thus far, according to the invention stated in Claim 1, a staring system for applying a starting power to the crankshaft is stored in the rotating member that constitutes a part of the power transmissions system, so that We claim: 1. An engine starting system for applying a starting power to the crankshaft (45); characterized in that a bowl-shaped rotating member (61) constituting a part of the power transmission system (73) that transmit a power from the crankshaft (45) to the driven member (WR) is coaxially fixed to the crankshaft (45); in that a plurality of magnets (62) are fixed on the inner periphery of the rotating member (61); and in that a coil (65) being capable of applying a rotating power to the rotating member (61) in cooperation with the magnet (62) is fixedly disposed in the rotating member (61). 2. An engine starting system according to Claim 1, characterized in that a rotary electric appliance (64) comprising the magnet (62), the rotating member (61), and the coil (65) is constructed so as to be capable of being switched between a state in which it serves as a starting motor that can apply a starting power the crankshaft 45) and a state in which it serves as a generator for generating electric power according to the rotation of the crankshaft (45). 3. An engine starting system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 28th day of January, 2002. [JAYANTA PAL] OF REMFRY &/JBAGAR ATTORNEY FOR THE APPLICANTS

Documents:

77-mum-2002-cancelled pages(14-02-2007).pdf

77-mum-2002-claims(granted)-(14-02-2007).doc

77-mum-2002-claims(granted)-(14-02-2007).pdf

77-mum-2002-correspondence(03-04-2007).pdf

77-mum-2002-correspondence(ipo)-(15-03-2007).pdf

77-mum-2002-drawing(14-02-2007).pdf

77-mum-2002-form 1(28-01-2002).pdf

77-mum-2002-form 18(13-01-2006).pdf

77-mum-2002-form 2(granted)-(14-02-2007).doc

77-mum-2002-form 2(granted)-(14-02-2007).pdf

77-mum-2002-form 3(02-04-2006).pdf

77-mum-2002-form 3(14-02-2007).pdf

77-mum-2002-form 3(28-01-2002).pdf

77-mum-2002-form 5(14-02-2007).pdf

77-mum-2002-form 5(28-01-2002).pdf

77-mum-2002-petition under rule 137(04-04-2007).pdf

77-mum-2002-petition under rule 138(14-02-2007).pdf

77-mum-2002-power of authority(09-04-2002).pdf

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