Variable rate impact and oscillation absorber in starter motors

1. A starter motor comprising:

a starter motor housing; an electric motor mounted within said starter motor housing;

a stationary gear base mounted onto said starter housing, said stationary gear base including portions defining a plurality of circumferentially spaced pockets having inner walls therein;

a stationary gear rotatably mounted within said stationary gear base, said stationary gear including a plurality of legs radially extending into said pockets;

a plurality of dampening members disposed within the plurality of pockets for providing dampening, wherein two respective dampening members are disposed in each respective pocket on each side of said respective leg, and at least one of said dampening members disposed within each respective pocket on either side of each respective leg is a variable rate dampening member;

said variable rate dampening members providing variable rate dampening such that when the starter motor experiences high frequency, low amplitude oscillations said dampening members provide a first spring rate and when the starter motor experiences a high amplitude impact for a short duration of time, said dampening members provide a second spring rate that is stronger than the first spring rate.

2. The starter motor of claim 1 wherein said pockets and said legs of said stationary gear are spaced symmetrically about said stationary gear base and said stationary gear, respectively.

3. The starter motor of claim 2 wherein said stationary gear base includes four of said pockets evenly spaced circumferentially about said stationary gear base, and said stationary gear includes four of said legs evenly spaced circumferentially about said stationary gear.

4. The starter motor of claim 1 further including an output shaft, said output shaft being interconnected with said stationary gear through a planetary gear set.

5. The starter motor of claim 4 wherein said output shaft includes a plurality of axially extending pins, said planetary gear set including a plurality of planet gears, one planet gear being mounted rotatably onto each of said axially extending pins, said planet gears meshing with said stationary gear, thereby interconnecting said stationary gear to said output shaft.

6. The starter motor of claim 5 further including a sun gear positioned centrally within said planet gears and meshing with each of said planet gears, said sun gear being attached to an armature shaft of said electric motor, thereby interconnecting said electric motor to said stationary gear such that oscillations and impacts experienced by said electric motor are absorbed by said dampening members.

7. The starter motor of claim 1 wherein said variable rate dampening members are variable rate coil springs.

8. The starter motor of claim 1 wherein said variable rate dampening members are variable rate clip springs.

9. The starter motor of claim 1 wherein a single variable rate dampening member is positioned within each of said pockets adjacent one side of each of said legs of said stationary gear thereby providing dampening in a single rotational direction.

10. The starter motor of claim 1 wherein a pair of variable rate dampening members are positioned within each of said pockets and on opposite sides of each of said legs of said stationary gear thereby providing dampening in both rotational directions.

11. The starter motor of claim 1 wherein a unitary variable rate dampening member is positioned with portions on opposite sides of each of said legs of said stationary gear thereby providing dampening in both rotational directions.

12. The starter motor of claim 1 wherein said variable rate dampening members are progressive in nature, whereby the spring rate of the variable rate dampening member changes correspondingly to the nature of the impact of oscillation being dampened.