JP2011157836A - Internal combustion engine starter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten time required for engine start by a simple configuration. <P>SOLUTION: An internal combustion engine starter includes: a disk-shaped ring plate 2 connected to a crankshaft 1; a starter motor rotating in the same rotation direction Ra as a rotation direction Rc of the crankshaft 1; and a disk-shaped starter roller 5 connected to a motor output shaft 4. The internal combustion engine further includes: a disk-shaped idle roller 6 rotatably provided; and a support mechanism which supports the idle roller 6 such that the idle roller 6 freely oscillates around a central axis (A) of the motor output shaft 4, while bringing an outer peripheral surface of the idle roller 6 into contact with an outer peripheral surface of the starter roller 5. The idle roller 6 abuts on an outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2 with rotation of the starter roller 5 to transmit a torque of the starter roller 5 to the ring plate 2 through rotation of the idle roller itself, while the idle roller 6 separates from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2 with rotation of the ring plate 2 under the condition that rotation of the starter motor stops. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine starting device for starting an engine by transmitting a rotational force of a starter motor to an output shaft of the internal combustion engine.

  Generally, in an internal combustion engine starter, the internal combustion engine is started by transmitting the rotational force of a starter motor to a crankshaft via a ring gear connected to the crankshaft. Specifically, when starting the engine, a pinion gear connected to the output shaft of the starter motor is engaged with the ring gear, and in this state, the starter motor is energized, whereby the rotational force of the starter motor is transmitted via the pinion gear and the ring gear. Is transmitted to. Here, for example, the pinion gear is engaged with the ring gear by displacing the pinion gear in the axial direction by an actuator such as a solenoid.

JP 2007-126999 A

  However, in such a conventional internal combustion engine starting device, each time the engine is started, it is necessary to displace the pinion gear by an actuator so that the pinion gear meshes with the ring gear. For this reason, there arises a problem that it takes much time to start the engine by the time from when the engine start is started until the pinion gear meshes with the ring gear. These problems are particularly noticeable in a starting device applied to an internal combustion engine having an automatic stop / automatic starting function in which the engine is frequently started.

  In order to solve such a problem, for example, as in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the pinion gear and the ring gear are always meshed, and transmission of the rotational force from the pinion gear to the ring gear is allowed between the ring gear and the crankshaft. On the other hand, there is one that employs a configuration in which a one-way clutch that prevents transmission of rotational force from the ring gear to the pinion gear is provided. According to such a configuration, the time required for starting the engine can be reduced. However, in this case, with the adoption of a configuration in which a one-way clutch is provided between the ring gear and the crankshaft, bearings for rotatably supporting the ring gear with respect to the crankshaft, and these one-way clutches and bearings, etc. On the other hand, an oil supply mechanism for supplying oil for lubrication and a seal member for preventing leakage of the lubricating oil must be provided, and the configuration as an internal combustion engine starting device becomes complicated. Problems arise.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an internal combustion engine starter capable of shortening the time required for engine start with a simple configuration.

Hereinafter, means for solving the above-described problems and the effects thereof will be described.
(1) The invention described in claim 1 is a disk-shaped ring plate connected to an output shaft of an internal combustion engine, a starter motor that rotates in the same rotational direction as the rotational direction of the output shaft of the internal combustion engine, and the starter A disc-shaped starter roller connected to the output shaft of the motor, a disc-shaped idle roller rotatably provided between the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate and the outer peripheral surface of the starter roller, and the outer periphery of the starter roller A support mechanism that swingably supports the idler roller about the axis of the output shaft of the starter motor while abutting the outer peripheral surface of the idler roller on the surface, the idler roller comprising: The rotation of the starter roller is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate with the rotation, and the rotation force of the idle roller is applied to the ring plate While being configured so as to reach, and that the rotation of the starter motor is configured so as to be separated from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate in accordance with the rotation of the ring plate at is stopped as its gist.

  According to this configuration, when the starter motor is energized and the start of the internal combustion engine is started, the idle roller swings around the axis of the output shaft of the starter motor as the starter roller rotates, so that the ring It comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the plate. As a result, the rotational force of the starter roller is transmitted to the ring plate through the rotation of the idle roller, so that the output shaft of the internal combustion engine is rotationally driven. Thus, the transmission of the rotational force from the starter motor to the output shaft of the internal combustion engine is in a state where the outer peripheral surface of the starter roller, the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller, and the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate are in contact with each other. This is done by utilizing the resistance force when rotating. Therefore, like a conventional internal combustion engine starter, the pinion gear connected to the output shaft of the starter motor is displaced in the axial direction by the actuator, and the pinion gear is engaged with the ring gear connected to the output shaft of the internal combustion engine. Unlike the configuration, the time required for starting the engine can be shortened by the time required for the displacement of the pinion gear and the time required for the gears to completely engage with each other.

  On the other hand, when the rotation speed of the output shaft of the internal combustion engine is increased and the energization of the starter motor is stopped, the rotation force of the starter roller disappears, and the idle roller abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate. The power to make it disappear. For this reason, the idle roller is pushed out by the rotation of the ring plate and is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate. In such a state, the rotational force of the ring plate is not transmitted to the idle roller, so the rotational force of the ring plate is not transmitted to the starter motor. In this manner, the transmission of the rotational force from the output shaft of the internal combustion engine to the output shaft of the starter motor is interrupted by the rotational force of the ring plate and the swinging member that supports the idle roller so as to swing. Therefore, unlike the conventional internal combustion engine starting device, the internal combustion engine starting device is different from a configuration in which a one-way clutch, a bearing, and the like are provided to prevent the rotational force of the internal combustion engine from being transmitted to the output shaft of the starter motor. Can be realized with a simple configuration.

Therefore, the time required for starting the engine can be shortened with a simple configuration.
(2) The invention according to claim 2 is the internal combustion engine starter according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing member that biases the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller in a direction away from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate. That is the gist.

  By stopping energization of the starter motor, there is no force to bring the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate, so that the idle roller moves from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate as the ring plate rotates. It comes to be temporarily separated. However, depending on the configuration of the internal combustion engine starting device, the idle roller may come into contact with the ring plate again, and there may be a problem that abnormal noise is generated due to the contact. In this respect, according to the above configuration, the energization of the starter motor is stopped because the urging member urges the idle roller in a direction in which the outer circumferential surface of the idle roller is separated from the outer circumferential surface of the ring plate. Later, the idle roller is prevented from coming into contact with the ring plate again. It is necessary to set the biasing force by the biasing member to an appropriate magnitude so that the idle roller can be swung around the axis of the output shaft of the starter motor as the starter roller rotates.

  (3) The internal combustion engine starting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, according to the invention according to claim 3, when the idle roller abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate, the center of the ring plate The idle roller with respect to a straight line connecting the center axis of the ring plate and the center axis of the starter roller on a plane perpendicular to all of the axis, the center axis of the starter roller, and the center axis of the idle roller The central axis of the ring plate can be embodied in such a manner that it is configured to be positioned in front of the ring plate in the rotational direction and in the rotational direction of the starter roller.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of an internal combustion engine starter according to the present invention. XX sectional drawing of FIG. It is sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 2, Comprising: Sectional drawing which shows each positional relationship when an idle roller exists in a contact position, and when it exists in a separation position.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an internal combustion engine starter according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the internal combustion engine starting device of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the XX cross-sectional structure of FIG. 1 and 2 show a configuration when an idle roller 6 described later is in a position where it abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2 (hereinafter referred to as a contact position).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the internal combustion engine starting device generally includes a ring plate 2, a starter motor 3, a starter roller 5, an idle roller 6, a support mechanism 7, and a spring (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ring plate 2 has a disk shape and is connected to a crankshaft 1 that is an output shaft of the internal combustion engine. The center axis of the crankshaft 1 and the ring plate 2 is indicated by “C”.

  The starter motor 3 is a motor that is rotationally driven by power supplied from a battery, and a disc-shaped starter roller 5 is connected to the tip of an output shaft (hereinafter referred to as a motor output shaft) 4. The central axis of the motor output shaft 4 and the starter roller 5 is indicated by “A”.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a housing 31 is attached to the starter motor 3 so as to cover a part of the motor output shaft 4. A cylindrical cover 71 is attached to the tip of the housing 31 in the direction of the central axis A. A cylindrical rocking member 72 is provided inside the cover 71. Specifically, a ball bearing 73 is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the cover 71 and the outer peripheral surface of the swing member 72. Further, the swing member 72 is formed with a swing piece 74 projecting radially outward at an end portion on the front end side of the motor output shaft 4 (end portion on the left side in FIG. 1). An idle shaft 61 is connected to the swing piece 74. In addition, the idle shaft 61 is provided with a disc-shaped idle roller 6 at the end portion on the front end side of the motor output shaft 4 (end portion on the left side in FIG. 1). Here, the idle roller 6 is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the idle shaft 61. As a result, the swing member 72, the swing piece 74, the idle shaft 61, and the idle roller 6 can swing around the central axis A of the motor output shaft 4. The support mechanism 7 is constituted by the cover 71, the swing member 72, the ball bearing 73, the swing piece 74, and the idle shaft 61. The central axis of the idle shaft 61 and the idle roller 6 is indicated by “B”.

  As is clear from FIGS. 1 and 2, the central axis C of the crankshaft 1 and the ring plate 2, the central axis A of the motor output shaft 4 and the starter roller 5, and the central axes B of the idle shaft 61 and the idle roller 6 Are parallel to each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotation direction Ra of the motor output shaft 4 and the rotation direction Rc of the crankshaft 1 are configured to be the same.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support mechanism 7 can swing the idle roller 6 around the central axis A of the motor output shaft 4 while bringing the outer peripheral surface of the idler roller 6 into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the starter roller 5. To support. In FIG. 2, the swinging orbit E of the central axis B of the idle roller 6 and the idle shaft 61 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. Actually, the idle roller 6 and the idle shaft 61 swing a part of the circular track E.

  In addition, a spring (not shown) is attached to the cover 71 for biasing the idle roller 6 in the direction Rs away from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2 on the circular track E.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the idle roller 6 is in the contact position, on a plane perpendicular to all of the central axes A, B, C, a straight line L1 connecting the central axis C and the central axis A Thus, the central axis B is configured to be positioned in front of the rotation direction Rc of the ring plate 2. Further, the center axis B of the idle roller 6 is configured to be located behind the rotation direction Ra of the starter roller 5 with respect to the straight line L1. On the plane, a distance L1 between the center axis C and the center axis A, a distance L2 between the center axis C and the center axis B, and a distance L3 between the center axis A and the center axis B In the meantime, the following relational expression (1) holds.

L1 <L2 + L3 (1)

That is, the relationship that the distance L1 is smaller than the added value of the distance L2 and the distance L3 is established.

  Next, the operation mode of the internal combustion engine starting device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2, and is a position where the idle roller 6 is in the contact position and a position where the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller 6 is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2 (hereinafter referred to as a separate position). Each positional relationship is shown in FIG. In the figure, the idle roller 6 in the separated position is indicated by a solid line, and the idle roller 6 in the contact position is indicated by a one-dot chain line.

  As indicated by the solid line in the figure, when the internal combustion engine is stopped, the starter motor 3 is not energized, and the motor output shaft 4 and the starter roller 5 are stopped. At this time, the idle roller 6 is urged in the direction of the arrow Rs by the spring and held at the separated position.

  When the starter motor 3 is energized and the start of the internal combustion engine is started in the state where the idle roller 6 is in the separated position as described above, the starter roller 5 rotates and accordingly the idle roller 6 is By swinging along the circular orbit E, the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller 6 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2 (contact position), as indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG.

  As described above, when the idle roller 6 is in the contact position, when the starter roller 5 rotates in the arrow Ra direction, the idle roller 6 rotates in the arrow Rb direction opposite to the arrow Ra direction. As a result, the ring plate 2 rotates in the direction of the arrow Rc. In this way, the rotational force of the starter roller 5 is transmitted to the ring plate 2 through the rotation of the idle roller 6, so that the crankshaft 1 is rotationally driven.

  On the other hand, when the energization of the starter motor 3 is stopped due to the increase in the engine rotational speed, the rotational force of the starter roller 5 is lost, and the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller 6 is thereby made to be less than the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2. The contact force is lost. For this reason, as the ring plate 2 rotates, the idle roller 6 is pushed out and separated from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2 (separation position). In such a state, since the rotational force of the ring plate 2 is not transmitted to the idle roller 6, the rotational force of the ring plate 2 is not transmitted to the starter motor.

  Here, depending on the configuration of the internal combustion engine starting device, after the energization of the starter motor 3 is stopped, the idle roller 6 comes into contact with the ring plate 2 again, which causes a problem that abnormal noise is generated due to the contact. There is a fear. However, in the present embodiment, the idle roller 6 is biased in the direction of the arrow Rs by the spring, that is, the idle roller 6 is attached in the direction in which the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller 6 is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2. Therefore, the idle roller 6 is prevented from coming into contact with the ring plate 2 again after the energization of the starter motor 3 is stopped. Further, the biasing force of such a spring is set to an appropriate magnitude so that the idle roller 6 can be swung around the central axis A of the motor output shaft 4 as the starter roller 5 rotates.

  Incidentally, as the maximum value dmax of the distance between the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller 6 and the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2 when the idle roller 6 is in the separated position is set smaller, the idle roller 6 is displaced from the separated position to the contact position. The time required for starting the engine can be shortened, and the time required for starting the engine can be shortened. Therefore, it is desirable to set the maximum value dmax as small as possible.

According to the internal combustion engine starter according to the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The internal combustion engine starter is connected to a disc-shaped ring plate 2 connected to the crankshaft 1, a starter motor 3 that rotates in the same rotational direction as the crankshaft 1, and a motor output shaft 4. And a disc-shaped starter roller 5. Further, a disc-shaped idle roller 6 provided rotatably between the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2 and the outer peripheral surface of the starter roller 5, and the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller 6 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the starter roller 5. On the other hand, a support mechanism 7 that supports the idle roller 6 so as to be swingable about the central axis A of the motor output shaft 4 is provided. The idle roller 6 is configured to contact the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2 as the starter roller 5 rotates, and transmit the rotational force of the starter roller 5 to the ring plate 2 through the rotation of the idle roller 6. In the state where the rotation of the starter motor 3 is stopped, it is configured to be separated from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2 as the ring plate 2 rotates. As described above, the transmission of the rotational force from the starter motor 3 to the crankshaft 1 brings the outer peripheral surface of the starter roller 5, the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller 6, and the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2 into contact with each other. This is done by utilizing the resistance force when they rotate in the state. For this reason, as in a conventional internal combustion engine starting device, the configuration is such that the pinion gear connected to the output shaft of the starter motor is displaced in the axial direction by the actuator and the pinion gear is engaged with the ring gear connected to the crankshaft. In contrast, the time required for starting the internal combustion engine can be shortened by the time required for the displacement of the pinion gear and the time required for the gears to completely engage with each other. Further, the transmission of the rotational force from the crankshaft 1 to the motor output shaft 4 is interrupted by the rotational force of the ring plate 2 and the support mechanism 7 that supports the idle roller 6 in a swingable manner. Therefore, unlike a conventional internal combustion engine starter, the internal combustion engine starter is different from a configuration in which a one-way clutch, a bearing, or the like is provided to prevent the rotational force of the crankshaft from being transmitted to the output shaft of the starter motor. Can be realized with a simple configuration. Therefore, the time required for starting the engine can be shortened with a simple configuration.

  (2) The internal combustion engine starting device includes a spring that urges the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller 6 in a direction away from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2. In this way, the idle roller 6 is urged by the spring in the direction in which the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller 6 is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2, so that the idle roller 6 is stopped after the energization to the starter motor 3 is stopped. Is prevented from coming into contact with the ring plate 2 again.

The internal combustion engine starting device according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration exemplified in the above embodiment, and can be implemented as, for example, the following form that is appropriately changed.
In the above embodiment, the spring is attached to the cover 71, but it may be attached to another member such as an internal combustion engine body.

  The urging member according to the present invention is not limited to a spring, and it can be replaced with any configuration as long as it urges the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller 6 in a direction away from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate 2. can do.

  -The structure of a support mechanism is not restricted to the support mechanism 7 illustrated in FIG. Any structure can be used as long as the idler roller 6 is swingably supported around the central axis A of the motor output shaft 4 while the outer peripheral surface of the idler roller 6 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the starter roller 5. You may make it replace.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Crankshaft, 2 ... Ring plate, 3 ... Starter motor, 31 ... Motor housing, 4 ... Motor output shaft, 5 ... Starter roller, 6 ... Idle roller, 61 ... Idle shaft, 7 ... Support mechanism, 71 ... Cover, 72 ... swing member, 73 ... ball bearing, 74 ... swing piece.

Claims (3)

A disc-shaped ring plate connected to the output shaft of the internal combustion engine;
A starter motor that rotates in the same rotational direction as the rotational direction of the output shaft of the internal combustion engine;
A disc-shaped starter roller connected to the output shaft of the starter motor;
A disc-shaped idle roller rotatably provided between the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate and the outer peripheral surface of the starter roller;
A support mechanism that swingably supports the idler roller around the axis of the output shaft of the starter motor while bringing the outer peripheral surface of the idler roller into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the starter roller;
The idle roller is configured to contact the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate as the starter roller rotates, and transmit the rotational force of the starter roller to the ring plate through the rotation of the idle roller. An internal combustion engine starter configured to be separated from an outer peripheral surface of the ring plate with the rotation of the ring plate in a state where the rotation of the motor is stopped. The internal combustion engine starter according to claim 1,
An internal combustion engine starter comprising: a biasing member that biases the outer peripheral surface of the idle roller in a direction away from the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate.   When the idle roller abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the ring plate, the ring plate is on a plane perpendicular to all of the center axis of the ring plate, the center axis of the starter roller, and the center axis of the idle roller. The center axis of the idle roller is positioned in front of the ring plate in the rotation direction and behind the starter roller in the rotation direction with respect to a straight line connecting the center axis of the starter roller and the center axis of the starter roller. The internal combustion engine starting device according to claim 1 or 2.

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