Internal combustion engine starting system in a hydraulic power transmission system

Claim 1

For use with a vehicle having wheels which are driven in order to propel the vehicle, an internal combustion engine, variable displacement pump means having a drive shaft operatively connected to said engine to be driven thereby and having a swash plate which in a neutral position is perpendicular to said drive shaft, a servomechanism operatively connected with said swash plate for determining the inclination thereof, hydraulic motor means for driving the wheels of the vehicle to propel the latter, said hydraulic motor means being operatively connected to said pump means to be driven thereby, adjusting pump means for adjusting the inclination of said swash plate independently of said servomechanism, and drive means independent of said internal combustion engine for driving said adjusting pump means to incline said swash plate to an inclination different from its neutral position in order to start the internal combustion engine by moving the vehicle to drive said hydraulic motor means from the wheels of the vehicle and thus drive said variable displacement pump means from said hydraulic motor means to drive the internal combustion engine by said variable displacement pump means to start the engine when its own starting system fails, said adjusting pump means including a driving piston driven by said drive means and a driven piston operatively connected with said swash plate for adjusting the inclination thereof, and valve means for controlling communication between said driving and driven pistons of said adjusting pump means, said drive means including a rotary shaft operatively connected through a lost motion with said driving piston of said adjusting pump means and with said valve means for first operating the latter valve means and then said driving piston.