Briggs & Stratton Corporation

Abstract:

An internal
combustion engine includes an engine block including a cylinder, a piston
positioned within the cylinder, a crankshaft configured to be driven by the
piston, a fuel system for supplying an air-fuel mixture to the cylinder, a
starter motor, and a lithium-ion battery mounted on the engine, the lithium-ion
battery configured to power the starter motor to start the engine, wherein the
piston is configured to reciprocate in the cylinder along a cylinder axis,
wherein the lithium-ion battery includes at least one lithium-ion cell having a
longitudinal cell axis, and wherein the cylinder axis and the longitudinal cell
axis are not parallel to one another.

Claim 1:

Abstract:

An
engine including an automatic choke that includes a choke valve movable between
a fully closed position and a fully open position, a temperature sensor coupled
to the engine and operable to provide a temperature signal indicative of a
temperature of the engine, and a motor connected to the choke valve and
operable to move the choke valve in response to a motor control signal. A
controller is electrically connected to the motor and to the temperature
sensor. The controller includes an electronic circuit having a memory. A table
includes engine specific choke position data stored in memory, wherein the
controller determines a choke initial position based on the temperature of the
engine and the choke position data, and wherein the motor moves the choke valve
toward that position in response to an attempt to start the engine.

Claim 1: 

1. An engine having an ignition system that generates an ignition signal, a piston, a rotating shaft that rotates in response to movement of the piston, and an automatic choke, the automatic choke comprising:

a choke valve movable between a fully closed position and a fully open position;

a motor connected to the choke valve and operable to move the choke valve in response to a motor control signal;

a temperature sensor coupled to the engine and operable to provide a temperature signal indicative of a temperature of the engine; and

a controller electrically connected to the motor and to the temperature sensor, the controller operable to control the choke valve for providing choke relief to the engine in at least two phases during a starting operation of the engine, wherein a first relief phase duration is based on a passage of a predetermined length of time and the duration of a second relief phase is based on a passage of a predetermined number of revolutions of the engine.

Abstract

A method for cooling a generator. The method includes drawing air into a first
zone of a housing through a first air intake, drawing air through a controller
air intake adjacent a generator controller, directing air from the first zone
into a second zone past a separator, drawing air into the second zone from both
the first zone and the controller air intake, and exhausting air from the
second zone to the exterior of the generator.

Claim 1:

1. A cooling system for a generator, the cooling system comprising:

a housing having a first zone and a second zone at least partially divided by a
separator, the first zone comprising:

an engine;

a first fan rotatable by a crankshaft;

a first air intake; and

wherein substantially all air from the first zone is directed to the second zone;

the second zone comprising:

an alternator;

a second fan;

a second air intake; and

wherein substantially all air from the second zone is directed to the exterior of the
generator;

a controller; and

an exhaust duct adjacent a muffler.