JP2006250046A - Starter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a starter capable of preventing overlapping of two washer forming members 17a upon assembling half split washers 17. <P>SOLUTION: The half split washer 17 is provided with an overlapping prevention means between itself and a clutch outer 14 so that the two washer forming members 17a do not overlap with each other upon being assembled onto the clutch 6. The overlapping prevention means is structured by recessed parts 17b formed on fitting parts of the two washer forming members 17a and protrusion parts 14a protrudingly provided on an end face in the axial direction of the clutch outer 14 opposing the recessed parts 17b. Overlapping of the two washer forming members 17a is prevented by the fitting of the recessed parts and the protruded parts of the recessed parts 17b and the protrusion parts 14a. Thereby, upon assembling of the half split washers 17, overlapping of the two washer forming members 17a can be prevented, so that a coming off prevention function of a pinion gear 5 does not deteriorate due to the half split washers 17, and the pinion gear 5 is positively prevented from coming off the clutch 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a starter in which a pinion gear is provided so as to be movable on an output shaft integrally with a clutch.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a starter in which a pinion gear moves integrally with a clutch on an output shaft and meshes with an engine ring gear (see Patent Document 1). For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, the clutch used in this starter has a clutch inner 130 provided by extending the boss 120 of the pinion gear 110 in the right direction in the figure. The pinion gear 110 is inserted by the inner diameter side of the outer 140 and is prevented from being detached by the half washer 150 so that the pinion gear 110 is not detached from the clutch 100.

The half washer 150 is formed by two washer forming members 151 and 152 (see FIG. 6A) divided into two in the radial direction, and the two washer forming members 151 and 152 are formed on the boss portion 120. It is inserted and attached to a circumferential groove 160 formed on the outer periphery. Further, a flat washer 190 is disposed on the side of the half washer 150 on the side opposite to the pinion gear to prevent the roller 170 and spring 180 disposed on the inner periphery of the clutch outer 140 from jumping out, and the half washer 150 (2 The washer forming members 151 and 152) are fixed by the clutch cover 200.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-229096

  However, when the half washer 150 is assembled, the clutch 100 may be fixed by the clutch cover 200 while the two washer forming members 151 and 152 are overlapped. That is, when the two washer forming members 151 and 152 are inserted into the circumferential groove 160 so as to face each other in the radial direction, for example, either one of the washer forming members 151 is axially disposed inside the circumferential groove 160 (FIG. 6B). ), The end faces facing each other in the radial direction are displaced in the axial direction, so that the two washer forming members 151 and 152 easily overlap each other.

  When the half washer 150 is fixed to the clutch cover 200 in the above state (the two washer forming members 151 and 152 are overlapped), the one washer forming member 151 floats without coming into contact with the circumferential groove 160. Therefore, the area of the pinion gear 110 that receives a thrust load is reduced. As a result, the function of preventing the pinion gear 110 from being detached by the half washer 150 is lowered, and the pinion gear 110 may be detached from the clutch 100.

  In addition, when the two washer forming members 151 and 152 are overlapped, the half washer 150 is not sufficiently fixed by the clutch cover 200, and when the half washer 150 is rotated by repeated operation, the outer circumference of the half washer 150 is increased. Since the edge portion rubs against the inner peripheral surface of the clutch cover 200, the clutch cover 200 is damaged, and the half washer 150 may drop off together with the clutch cover 200.

  The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and its object is to prevent the pinion gears from overlapping when the half washer used for preventing the pinion gears from coming off is assembled. An object of the present invention is to provide a starter that can reliably prevent the clutch from coming off the clutch.

(Invention of Claim 1)
The starter of the present invention includes a clutch provided so as to be movable integrally with the pinion gear on the output shaft. This clutch has a clutch outer to which rotational force is transmitted from the output shaft, and a clutch inner that extends in one direction from the boss portion of the pinion gear and is inserted into the inner diameter side of the clutch outer, and is divided into two in the radial direction. The half washer consisting of two washer forming members is inserted into the circumferential groove formed on the outer periphery of the boss, and the half washer is fixed by the clutch cover to prevent the clutch inner from coming off the clutch outer. When the half washer is inserted into the circumferential groove and assembled, the two washer forming members are positioned with respect to the clutch outer to prevent the two washer forming members from overlapping. A prevention means is provided.

  According to the above configuration, when assembling the half washer (two washer forming members), the overlap preventing means can prevent the two washer forming members from overlapping each other, so that the half washer can be assembled properly. it can. This prevents the two washer forming members from being fixed to the clutch cover in an overlapped state, so that the pinion gear retaining function by the half washer is not lowered, and the pinion gear is surely detached from the clutch. Can be prevented.

(Invention of Claim 2)
The starter according to claim 1, wherein the overlap preventing means includes a concave portion formed in the two washer forming members and a convex portion protruding from the axial end surface of the clutch outer so as to face the concave portion. Further, the two washer forming members are prevented from overlapping by the concave-convex fitting between the concave portion and the convex portion.
According to the above configuration, the two washer forming members overlap each other by fitting the concave portions formed in the two washer forming members and the convex portions protruding from the axial end surface of the clutch outer. Since the rotation of the half washer can be prevented, the inner peripheral surface of the clutch cover is not rubbed by the rotation of the half washer, and the clutch cover can be prevented from being damaged.

(Invention of Claim 3)
The starter described in claim 2 is characterized in that the half washer has recesses formed in the mating portions of the two washer forming members.
Since the two washer forming members forming the half washer are respectively in a half ring shape or a half donut shape, when the two washer forming members are abutted in the radial direction, two matching portions are generated. By forming recesses in these two mating portions and engaging the projections provided on the clutch outer with projections and depressions, the two washer forming members will not be displaced in the circumferential direction, and the two will be reliably overlapped. Can be prevented.

(Invention of Claim 4)
2. The starter according to claim 1, wherein the overlap preventing means includes a convex portion formed on the two washer forming members and a concave portion formed in the axial end surface of the clutch outer so as to face the convex portion. The two washer-forming members are prevented from overlapping due to the concave-convex fitting between the concave portion and the convex portion.
According to the above configuration, the two washer forming members overlap each other by fitting the convex portions formed on the two washer forming members and the concave portion formed in the axial end surface of the clutch outer. Since the rotation of the half washer can be prevented, the inner peripheral surface of the clutch cover is not rubbed by the rotation of the half washer, and the clutch cover can be prevented from being damaged.

(Invention of Claim 5)
The starter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the clutch has a recessed space formed on an inner periphery of the clutch outer, and the recessed spaces are provided at a plurality of locations in a circumferential direction of the clutch outer. A roller that is a torque transmission member and a spring that urges the roller are disposed in the concave space, and the half washer abuts on the axial end surface of the clutch outer and opens on the axial end surface of the clutch outer. The roller and the spring are prevented from popping out from the concave space by closing the side surface of the concave space.

  According to the above configuration, the pinion gear can be prevented from coming off and the roller and spring can be held (preventing popping out of the concave space) by the same half washer. Therefore, in order to prevent the roller and spring from popping out, There is no need to use a dedicated flat washer separately from the split washer, and the number of parts can be reduced by eliminating the flat washer.

(Invention of Claim 6)
6. The starter according to claim 5, wherein the half washer is positioned by the overlap preventing means so that the mating portion of the two washer forming members is disposed between the concave spaces adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the clutch outer. It is characterized by being.
As described in the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the roller and the spring are held by the half washer, when a step is generated in the joining portion of the two washer forming members, the roller or the spring is caught by the step and the clutch is operated. May cause trouble. On the other hand, if the mating portion of the two washer forming members is out of the concave space for accommodating the roller and the spring, even if a step occurs in the mating portion of the two washer forming members, the roller or spring Is not caught on the step, and stable clutch operation can be secured.

(Invention of Claim 7)
The starter described in claim 5 or 6 is characterized in that the concave space is composed of a wedge-shaped cam chamber in which a roller is disposed and a spring chamber in which a spring is disposed.
In this case, the mating portion of the two washer forming members does not engage the cam chamber and the spring chamber, and is set at a position away from the cam chamber and the spring chamber. Even when a step is generated, the roller or the spring is not caught by the step, and a stable clutch operation can be ensured.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail by the following examples.

1A is a front view in the axial direction of the clutch 6, FIG. 1B is a half sectional view of the pinion gear 5 and the clutch 6, and FIG. 4 is a side view including a partial cross section of the starter 1.
As shown in FIG. 4, the starter 1 according to the first embodiment includes a motor 2 that generates a rotational force, an electromagnetic switch 3 that turns on / off the energization current of the motor 2, and an output shaft 4 that is driven by the motor 2. And a pinion gear 5 disposed on the output shaft 4, a clutch 6 for transmitting the rotation of the output shaft 4 to the pinion gear 5, a shift lever 7 for transmitting the operation of the electromagnetic switch 3 to the clutch 6, and the like.

The motor 2 is a known DC motor having a field and an armature, for example. When the main contact (not shown) is closed by the electromagnetic switch 3, the armature is energized from an in-vehicle battery (not shown). As a result, a rotational force is generated in the armature.
The electromagnetic switch 3 includes an exciting coil 8 that is energized by a closing operation of a start switch (not shown), a plunger 9 that is moved by receiving a magnetic force generated in the exciting coil 8, and the like. Open and close the main contact.

The output shaft 4 has a front end portion (left end portion in FIG. 4) rotatably supported by the front housing 11 via a bearing 10, and a rear end portion a rotation shaft of the motor 2 via a speed reducer (not shown). It is connected to (armature shaft). A male helical spline 4 a is formed on the output shaft 4. In addition, the structure which directly connected the armature shaft and the output shaft 4 without having a reduction gear may be used.
The pinion gear 5 is provided so as to be movable on the output shaft 4 integrally with the clutch 6, moves in the counter-motor direction (left direction in the drawing) when the engine is started, meshes with the ring gear 12 of the engine, and transmits the rotational force to the ring gear 12. To do.

As shown in FIG. 1, the clutch 6 includes a clutch barrel 13 having a female helical spline 13 a formed on the inner periphery thereof, a clutch outer 14 provided integrally with the clutch barrel 13, and a relative rotation with the clutch outer 14. Are provided with a clutch inner 15, a roller 16 for intermittently transmitting torque between the clutch outer 14 and the clutch inner 15, a half washer 17 for preventing the pinion gear 5 from coming off, and the like.
As shown in FIG. 4, the clutch 6 is disposed on the output shaft 4 such that a female helical spline 13 a formed on the clutch barrel 13 is engaged with the male helical spline 4 a of the output shaft 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, the clutch outer 14 has a concave space that forms a cam chamber 18 and a spring chamber 19, and the concave space has a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the clutch outer 14 (in FIG. 3, 6 places) are formed.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the clutch inner 15 is provided by extending the boss portion 20 of the pinion gear 5 in the right direction in the figure, and is inserted on the inner diameter side of the clutch outer 14. In addition, a circumferential groove 21 for assembling the half washer 17 is formed on the outer periphery of the boss portion 20.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the roller 16 is disposed in the cam chamber 18 of the clutch outer 14, and is urged in the narrowing direction of the cam chamber 18 by a spring 22 disposed in the spring chamber 19. When the clutch outer 14 rotates in one direction (the arrow direction in FIG. 3), the roller 16 moves in the narrow direction of the cam chamber 18 (the direction biased by the spring 22), and the outer surface of the clutch inner 15 The rotation of the clutch outer 14 is transmitted to the clutch inner 15 by being locked with the inner peripheral surface of the cam chamber 18. On the other hand, when the rotational speed of the clutch inner 15 exceeds the rotational speed of the clutch outer 14 due to the start of the engine, the roller 16 opposes the urging force of the spring 22 and the roller 16 moves in the wide direction of the cam chamber 18 (the direction in which the spring 22 is compressed) ), The clutch outer 14 and the clutch inner 15 become free, and torque transmission from the clutch inner 15 to the clutch outer 14 is interrupted.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the half washer 17 is composed of two washer forming members 17a each having a half ring shape or a half donut shape that is divided into two in the radial direction. It is used in a state where the end faces are butted against each other in the radial direction. In the half washer 17, the clutch inner 15 is inserted into the inner diameter side of the clutch outer 14, and then two washer forming members 17a are inserted into the circumferential grooves 21 of the boss portion 20 so that the boss portion 20 is inserted from both radial sides. The clutch cover 23 is fixed in a state where it is assembled so as to be sandwiched and is in contact with the axial end surface of the clutch outer 14. The half washer 17 has an outer diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the clutch outer 14 and an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the clutch inner 15.

Further, the half washer 17 is provided with an overlap preventing means between the clutch outer 14 so that the two washer forming members 17a do not overlap each other when assembled to the clutch 6.
The overlapping preventing means is provided at two concave portions 17b (see FIG. 2) formed at the mating portion of the two washer forming members 17a and projecting from the axial end surface of the clutch outer 14 so as to face the concave portion 17b. It is composed of two convex portions 14a (see FIG. 3), and the two washer forming members 17a are prevented from overlapping by the concave-convex fitting between the concave portions 17b and the convex portions 14a. Moreover, the convex part 14a of the clutch outer 14 is provided between the concave spaces adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the clutch outer 14, as shown in FIG. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 1A, the half washer 17 does not engage the cam chamber 18 and the spring chamber 19 of the clutch outer 14 with the mating portion of the two washer forming members 17a. Further, the position is set to be out of the spring chamber 19.

Next, the operation of the starter 1 will be described.
When the exciting coil 8 of the electromagnetic switch 3 is energized by closing the start switch, the plunger 9 is attracted by the magnetic force generated in the exciting coil 8 and moves to the right in FIG. When the movement of the plunger 9 is transmitted to the clutch 6 via the shift lever 7, the clutch 6 is pushed together with the pinion gear 5 on the output shaft 4 in the counter-motor direction by the action of the helical splines 4a and 13a. The end face of 5 comes into contact with the end face of the ring gear 12 and stops.

  On the other hand, when the main contact is closed by the movement of the plunger 9, the armature of the motor 2 is energized from the in-vehicle battery, a rotational force is generated in the armature, and the rotation of the armature is applied to the output shaft 4 via the reduction device. Communicated. When the rotation of the output shaft 4 is transmitted to the pinion gear 5 via the clutch 6, when the pinion gear 5 rotates to a position where it can mesh with the ring gear 12, the pinion gear 5 is moved as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. By meshing with the ring gear 12, the rotational force is transmitted from the pinion gear 5 to the ring gear 12, and the engine is cranked.

After the engine is started, when the start switch is opened and the magnetic force of the exciting coil 8 disappears, the plunger 9 that has been attracted until then is pushed back by the return spring 24 (see FIG. 4), thereby opening the main contact. The energization of the motor 2 is stopped.
When the plunger 9 is pushed back, the clutch 6 is pulled back via the shift lever 7, so that the pinion gear 5 is disengaged from the ring gear 12, and is integrated with the clutch 6 to the original position (position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 4). Return. The pinion gear 5 tries to stay by inertia of its own mass when the clutch 6 is pulled back. However, since the pinion gear 5 is prevented from coming off from the clutch 6 by the half washer 17, it can return to the clutch 6 integrally.

(Effect of Example 1)
In the starter 1, when the half washer 17 is assembled to the clutch 6, the assembling position of the two washer forming members 17 a with respect to the clutch outer 14 is restricted by the overlap preventing means, and the two washer forming members 17 a Since overlapping can be prevented, the half washer 17 can be assembled appropriately. That is, the two washer forming members 17a can be assembled in a state in which the end faces of each other are abutted in the radial direction. As a result, it is possible to prevent the two washer forming members 17a from being fixed to the clutch cover 23 in an overlapped state, so that the function of preventing the pinion gear 5 from being detached by the half washer 17 does not deteriorate, and the pinion gear 5 It can be reliably prevented from coming out of 6.

  Further, the overlap preventing means described in the first embodiment includes a concave portion 17b formed in the two washer forming members 17a, and a convex portion 14a projecting on the axial end surface of the clutch outer 14 so as to face the concave portion 17b. And the two washer forming members 17a are prevented from overlapping by the concave and convex fitting between the concave portion 17b and the convex portion 14a, so that not only the two washer forming members 17a can be prevented from overlapping, It is possible to prevent the half washer 17 from rotating. As a result, the inner peripheral surface of the clutch cover 23 is not rubbed by the rotation of the half washer 17 and the clutch cover 23 can be prevented from being damaged, so that the half washer 17 together with the clutch cover 23 can be prevented from falling off.

  Further, the half washer 17 can prevent the roller 16 and the spring 22 from jumping out of the concave space by closing the side surface of the concave space opened in the axial end surface of the clutch outer 14. The holding of the spring 16 and the spring 22 (preventing popping out of the concave space) can be achieved by the same half washer 17. As a result, it is not necessary to use a dedicated flat washer separately from the half washer 17 in order to prevent the roller 16 and the spring 22 from popping out, and the number of parts can be reduced by eliminating the flat washer.

  Further, the convex portion 14 a protruding from the axial end surface of the clutch outer 14 is provided between the concave spaces adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the clutch outer 14. Therefore, the half washer 17 is set at a position where the mating portion of the two washer forming members 17 a is not engaged with the cam chamber 18 and the spring chamber 19 of the clutch outer 14 and is separated from the cam chamber 18 and the spring chamber 19. Is done. As a result, even when a step occurs at the joining portion of the two washer forming members 17a, the roller 16 or the spring 22 is not caught by the step, and a stable clutch operation can be ensured.

5A is a front view in the axial direction of the clutch 6, and FIG. 5B is a half sectional view of the pinion gear 5 and the clutch 6.
The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration of the overlap preventing means, and as shown in FIG. 5, a convex portion 17c formed on two washer forming members 17a forming a half washer 17, and this The concave portion 14b is formed in the end surface in the axial direction of the clutch outer 14 so as to face the convex portion 17c, and the two washer forming members 17a are prevented from overlapping by the concave-convex fitting between the concave portion 14b and the convex portion 17c. To do.
Also in the above configuration, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

(A) An axial front view of a clutch, (b) A half sectional view of a pinion gear and a clutch (Example 1). (A) The top view of a half washer, (b) It is a side view of a washer formation member (Example 1). It is an axial front view of a clutch (a state where a half washer is removed). It is a side view including a partial cross section of a starter. (A) An axial front view of a clutch, (b) A half sectional view of a pinion gear and a clutch (Example 2). (A) Axial front view of clutch, (b) Half sectional view of pinion gear and clutch (prior art).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Starter 4 Output shaft 5 Pinion gear 6 Clutch 14 Clutch outer 14a Convex part of clutch outer (overlapping prevention means: Example 1)
14b Recessed portion of clutch outer (overlap preventing means: embodiment 2)
15 Clutch inner 16 Roller 17 Half washer 17a Washer forming member 17b Recessed portion of washer forming member (overlapping prevention means: Example 1)
17c Convex part of washer forming member (overlapping prevention means: Example 2)
18 Cam chamber (concave space)
19 Spring chamber (concave space)
20 Pinion gear boss 21 Circumferential groove 22 Spring 23 Clutch cover

Claims (7)

It has a clutch that can move together with the pinion gear on the output shaft,
This clutch
A clutch outer to which a rotational force is transmitted from the output shaft;
A clutch inner inserted into the inner diameter side of the clutch outer by extending the boss portion of the pinion gear in one direction;
A circumferential groove is formed on the outer periphery of the boss portion between the pinion gear and the clutch inner, and a half washer composed of two washer forming members divided in the radial direction is inserted into the circumferential groove. The half washer is fixed by a clutch cover, whereby the clutch inner is prevented from coming off from the clutch outer,
When the half washer is inserted into the circumferential groove and assembled, the two washer forming members are positioned with respect to the clutch outer to prevent the two washer forming members from overlapping each other. A starter characterized by providing means. The starter according to claim 1,
The overlapping preventing means includes a recess formed in the two washer forming members, and a protrusion protruding from the axial end surface of the clutch outer so as to face the recess, and the recess and the protrusion A starter characterized in that the two washer forming members are prevented from overlapping due to concave-convex fitting with a portion. The starter according to claim 2,
The starter characterized in that the halved washers have the recesses formed at the mating portions of the two washer forming members. The starter according to claim 1,
The overlap preventing means includes a convex portion formed on the two washer forming members, and a concave portion formed in the axial end surface of the clutch outer so as to face the convex portion. A starter characterized in that the two washer forming members are prevented from overlapping due to a concave-convex fitting with a convex part. In any starter as described in Claims 1-4,
The clutch has a concave space formed on the inner periphery of the clutch outer, and a plurality of concave spaces are provided in the circumferential direction of the clutch outer, and a roller that is a torque transmission member in each of the concave spaces; And a spring for urging the roller,
The half washer abuts against the axial end surface of the clutch outer and closes the side surface of the concave space that opens to the axial end surface of the clutch outer, thereby projecting the roller and the spring out of the concave space. Starter characterized by prevention. The starter according to claim 5, wherein
The half washer is positioned by the overlap preventing means so that a mating portion of the two washer forming members is disposed between the concave spaces adjacent in the circumferential direction of the clutch outer. Starter characterized by. The starter according to claim 5 or 6,
2. The starter according to claim 1, wherein the concave space includes a wedge-shaped cam chamber in which the roller is disposed and a spring chamber in which the spring is disposed.

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