JP2962173B2 - Starter - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a starter having a pinion gear which is slidably engaged with an output shaft by a helical spline.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional starter, there is known a pinion gear structure (hereinafter referred to as a structure in which a pinion gear and a one-way clutch are integrated to advance and retreat on a drive shaft) and a pinion advance and retreat method using a helical spline. As the rotation restricting means, there has been proposed a method of restricting the rotation of the pinion gear structure by engaging a frictional force or a gear.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 50-5807 discloses that
Utilizing the magnetic flux of the field coil, a friction plate disposed at the rear of the overrunning clutch (also called a one-way clutch) is attracted to obtain a frictional force and move forward to prevent return at a predetermined position. Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 57-37663 discloses a solenoid dedicated to friction engagement and a stopper, which presses the outer periphery of an overrunning clutch by using the biasing force of the solenoid to obtain a frictional force to move forward and prevent return at a predetermined position. I do.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 50-18915 discloses a method in which a pawl is disposed on an overrunning clutch, a lever is operated by a dedicated solenoid, the pinion gear is meshed with the pawl, and the pinion gear is advanced by rotation control and returned at a predetermined position. Perform prevention. JP-A-59-18263 discloses an arrangement in which an engagement groove is provided at the rear end of a pinion gear, a brake mechanism rod is operated by a dedicated electromagnetic mechanism to engage with the engagement groove, and the pinion gear structure is advanced by rotation control to a predetermined position. To prevent return.

[0005]

However, these methods of regulating the rotation of the pinion gear structure and moving the pinion gear structure forward still have the following disadvantages. First, the rotation control method using frictional force by a friction plate or the like has a problem in durability due to abrasion powder. The rotation control method by engagement of gears and the like requires a dedicated electromagnetic mechanism in addition to a current opening / closing device for the motor unit. However, the complicated structure and the increase in the number of parts have become serious problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its first object to provide a starter in which the structure of a pinion rotation restricting mechanism is simplified and manufacturing is facilitated. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a starter capable of reducing the problem that wear powder adheres to a sliding surface or the like and deteriorates durability.

[0007] Furthermore, there is a demand for downsizing and easy mounting of the starter, and in particular, a reduction in the area of the starter in the direction of the crankshaft of the engine, that is, in the axial direction of the drive shaft. This is for the purpose of reducing the ventilation resistance of the cooling air and facilitating the layout of the engine and accessories mounted on the vehicle body. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in achieving the above first or second object, it is an object of the present invention to suppress an increase in a starter area in the axial direction of a drive shaft of a starter motor. It has three purposes.

[0008]

The starter according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises:
A starter motor, a drive shaft including a helical spline and rotatably supported by a housing in front of the starter motor, and a rotation force of the starter motor interposed between the starter motor and the drive shaft. A one-way clutch that transmits to the drive shaft; a pinion gear that is fitted into a helical spline groove of the drive shaft and that advances and retreats in the axial direction independently of the one-way clutch due to a relative rotation difference with the drive shaft. The rotation of the pinion gear is restricted by engagement with the pinion gear to advance the pinion gear, and at the same time, the retraction of the pinion gear is restricted after the pinion gear and the ring gear mesh with each other, and the pinion gear can be retracted by releasing the engagement. Stopper and starter An electromagnetic switch that is disposed adjacent to the rear of the starter motor and controls the energization of the starter motor; and the engagement and engagement of the pinion gear with the stopper by driving the stopper by driving the electromagnetic switch. A stopper drive mechanism for releasing the electromagnetic switch.
The linear axis of the switch is perpendicular to the drive shaft.
And the stopper drive mechanism is provided for the starter motor.
A link extending the outer peripheral side of the rotor to the pinion gear side
It is characterized by comprising a mechanism or a string .

A starter according to a second invention is a starter motor
And a helical spline for the starter motor.
Drive system rotatably supported by the housing at the front
Shaft, the starter motor and the drive shaft
The rotation force of the starter motor is interposed between
A one-way clutch for transmitting to the drive shaft;
Before being fitted into the helical spline groove of the live shaft
Due to the relative rotation difference with the drive shaft, the one-way
A pinion gear that moves back and forth in the axial direction independently of the latch,
The pinion gear is engaged with the rotating pinion gear.
When the pinion gear is advanced by regulating the rotation of the gear
After the pinion gear and the ring gear mesh with each other,
Restriction of the reversal of the Nion gear
A stopper that allows the pinion gear to retract and a starter
The starter motor is disposed adjacent to and behind the motor.
An electromagnetic switch for controlling energization of the electromagnetic switch, and the electromagnetic switch
The stopper is driven to drive the stopper and
Engages and disengages with the pinion gear
A stopper driving mechanism, wherein the stopper driving mechanism is
The outer peripheral side of the rotor of the starter motor is the pinion gear.
That it consists of a link mechanism or a string
Features.

[0010] is a preferred state like the first or second invention
In the first aspect, the stopper comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pinion gear to restrict the rotation of the pinion gear.

[0011] is a preferred state like the first or second invention
Embodiment 2, Oite to the above aspect 1, wherein the stopper is for restricting rotation of the pinion gear fitted to the teeth of the pinion gear. Aspect 3 is a preferred <br/> state like the first or second invention, Oite to the above aspect 1 or 2, wherein the stopper restricts the retreat of the pinion abuts against the rear end surface of the pinion gear Is what you do. In an aspect 4, which is a preferred aspect of the first invention , the stopper abuts on an inner wall surface facing an annular groove formed on an outer periphery of the pinion gear to regulate the advance of the pinion gear.

[0012] A starter according to a third aspect of the present invention is a starter motor, a drive shaft having a helical spline and rotatably supported by a housing in front of the starter motor, and a drive shaft interposed between the starter motor and the drive shaft. A one-way clutch that is provided to transmit the rotational force of the starter motor to the drive shaft, and a pinion gear that is fitted into a helical spline groove of the drive shaft and advances and retreats in the axial direction due to a relative rotation difference from the drive shaft. The rotation of the pinion gear is restricted by the engagement with the rotating pinion gear to advance the pinion gear, and at the same time, the retraction of the pinion gear is restricted after the engagement of the pinion gear and the ring gear. A stopper that enables the An electromagnetic switch for controlling energization of the tarter motor; and a stopper drive mechanism driven by the electromagnetic switch to drive the stopper to cause the stopper to engage and disengage with the pinion gear. Is characterized in that a fulcrum is located behind the pinion gear and comprises a lever that swings on a swing surface including the axis of the drive shaft. A starter according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a starter motor, a drive shaft including a helical spline and rotatably supported by a housing in front of the starter motor, and interposed between the starter motor and the drive shaft. A one-way clutch that transmits the rotational force of the starter motor to the drive shaft, a pinion gear that is fitted into a helical spline groove of the drive shaft and that advances and retreats in the axial direction due to a relative rotation difference with the drive shaft; The rotation of the pinion gear is regulated by engagement with the pinion gear to advance the pinion gear, and at the same time, the pinion gear is restricted from retreating after the pinion gear and the ring gear mesh with each other, and the pinion gear can be retracted by releasing the engagement. A stopper,
An electromagnetic switch that controls the energization of the starter motor, and a stopper driving mechanism that is driven by the electromagnetic switch to drive the stopper to cause the stopper to engage and disengage with the pinion gear, The stopper has a plurality of tip protrusions that can contact the teeth of the pinion gear at approximately 1/2 pitch intervals of the pinion gear, and is fitted into a tooth groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the pinion gear to rotate the pinion gear. Is regulated. A starter according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a starter motor, a drive shaft including a helical spline and rotatably supported by a housing in front of the starter motor, and interposed between the starter motor and the drive shaft. A one-way clutch that transmits the rotational force of the starter motor to the drive shaft, a pinion gear that is fitted into a helical spline groove of the drive shaft and that advances and retreats in the axial direction due to a relative rotation difference with the drive shaft; The rotation of the pinion gear is regulated by engagement with the pinion gear to advance the pinion gear, and at the same time, the pinion gear is restricted from retreating after the pinion gear and the ring gear mesh with each other, and the pinion gear can be retracted by releasing the engagement. A stopper,
An electromagnetic switch that controls the energization of the starter motor, and a stopper driving mechanism that is driven by the electromagnetic switch to drive the stopper to cause the stopper to engage and disengage with the pinion gear, The stopper has elasticity that enables rotation of the pinion gear engaged with the stopper, and is fitted in a tooth groove formed on an outer peripheral surface of the pinion gear to regulate rotation of the pinion gear. A starter according to a sixth aspect of the invention includes a starter motor, a drive shaft including a helical spline and rotatably supported by a housing in front of the starter motor, and provided between the starter motor and the drive shaft. A one-way clutch that transmits the rotational force of the starter motor to the drive shaft, a pinion gear that is fitted into a helical spline groove of the drive shaft and that advances and retreats in the axial direction due to a relative rotation difference with the drive shaft; The rotation of the pinion gear is regulated by engagement with the pinion gear to advance the pinion gear, and at the same time, the pinion gear is restricted from retreating after the pinion gear and the ring gear mesh with each other, and the pinion gear can be retracted by releasing the engagement. A stopper,
An electromagnetic switch that controls the energization of the starter motor, and a stopper driving mechanism that is driven by the electromagnetic switch to drive the stopper to cause the stopper to engage and disengage with the pinion gear, The stopper is formed of a ring that is loosely fitted to the pinion gear and operates in the radial direction of the pinion gear, and abuts on an inner wall surface facing an annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the pinion gear to restrict the forward movement of the pinion gear. It is characterized by.

[0013]

In the first to sixth inventions described above, the starter motor drives the drive shaft via the one-way clutch,
The pinion gear is helically spline-fitted to the drive shaft as a single unit, that is, separated and independent from the one-way clutch. When the electromagnetic switch is energized, the electromagnetic switch drives the stopper through the stopper driving mechanism to engage it with the pinion gear, and starts the starter motor to rotate the drive shaft through the one-way clutch. Regardless of the rotation of the drive shaft, the rotation of the pinion gear is regulated by engagement with the stopper, so that the pinion gear advances along the helical spline groove and meshes with the ring gear. The stopper regulates the retraction of the pinion gear engaged with the ring gear.

When the power to the electromagnetic switch is cut off, the electromagnetic switch cuts off the power to the starter motor, and when the engagement between the stopper and the pinion gear is released through the stopper driving mechanism, the stopper returns to the original position, and the engine starts. As a result, if the ring gear is rotating at a high speed, the pinion gear retreats along the helical spline, and the engagement between the pinion gear and the ring gear is released.

[0015]

As described above, in the starter according to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, the stopper driven by the electromagnetic switch for controlling the power supply to the starter motor controls the rotation of the pinion gear unit independent of the one-way clutch and the rotation of the pinion gear with the ring gear. The following operation and effect can be obtained by adopting the configuration for restricting the backward movement after the engagement.

First, the stopper engages with the pinion gear unit separated from the one-way clutch by frictional force.
Considering the forward movement of the pinion gear, the frictional force between the drive shaft and the pinion gear is smaller than the frictional force between the conventional one-way clutch integrated pinion gear structure and the drive shaft. Even if the (engaging force) is small, the rotation of the pinion gear can be sufficiently restricted. Therefore, the stopper driving force may be small, the stopper driving mechanism is simplified, and the electromagnetic switch can be small and small power.

[0017] As a result, the frictional energy between the stopper and the pinion gear is also reduced, the generation of wear powder is reduced, and the problem that the wear powder adheres to the sliding surface or the like and deteriorates durability is reduced. be able to. Also the first invention
Then, the electromagnetic switch is located behind the starter motor.
The arrangement of the starter motor prevents an increase in the area of the starter as viewed in the axial direction of the drive shaft of the starter motor, reduces the ventilation resistance of the cooling air, and facilitates space saving with rotating equipment driven by the engine. Can be realized.

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the linear drive shaft of the electromagnetic switch is disposed at right angles to the drive shaft, and the stopper drive mechanism extends from the outer periphery of the rotor of the starter motor to the pinion gear side. Alternatively, since the starter motor is made of a string, the stopper in front of the starter motor can be easily driven by the electromagnetic switch behind the starter motor while suppressing an increase in the area of the starter viewed in the axial direction of the drive shaft of the starter motor.

According to a preferred embodiment 2 of the first and second inventions ,
The stopper fits into the teeth of the pinion gear to regulate rotation. Since the pinion gear has a tooth portion, a large rotation regulating force can be easily obtained even with a shape having large irregularities and a simple stopper.

According to a preferred aspect 3 of the first and second inventions ,
The stopper engages with the outer peripheral surface or the tooth portion of the pinion gear to regulate its rotation, and abuts on the rear end surface of the pinion gear to regulate the retraction of the pinion gear. With this configuration, the rotation restriction and the retraction restriction can be automatically and easily performed sequentially by the forward movement of the pinion gear, the operation and structure of the stopper can be simplified, and the electromagnetic switch can be reduced in size. .

According to a preferred aspect 4 of the first and second inventions ,
The stopper engages with the inner wall surface facing the annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the pinion gear to regulate the forward movement of the pinion gear.
This eliminates the need for a spring that presses the pinion so that it does not pop out due to engine vibration after the engine starts and the starter is stopped. Of course, the stopper can also engage with the inner wall surface facing the annular groove formed on the outer periphery of the pinion gear to regulate the rotation of the pinion gear.

That is, when the stopper is retracted, the inner wall surface facing the annular groove automatically comes into contact with and engages with the stopper, so that only by restricting the stopper from retreating at the meshing position between the pinion gear and the ring gear, the pinion gear can be moved. Retraction can be regulated, and the stopper does not need to be displaced in the axial direction of the drive shaft for the retraction regulation. Further, in the third invention, the stopper comprises a lever having a fulcrum located behind the pinion gear and swinging on a swing surface including the axis of the drive shaft. With this configuration, the rotation of the pinion gear, the restriction on retreat, and the disengagement can be implemented by the small swing of the stopper.

Further, in the fourth invention, the same function and effect as those of the above-mentioned preferred embodiment 3 of the first invention can be obtained, and a plurality of tip projections whose stoppers can abut on the teeth of the pinion gear are provided with a pinion gear. Is provided at an interval of approximately 1/2 of the pitch of the pinion gear, any one of these tip projections is easily engaged with the tooth portion of the pinion gear, and the rotation of the pinion gear can be always regulated without being affected by the tooth position of the pinion gear. The effect that there is is obtained. Further, in the fifth invention, the same operation and effect as those of the preferred aspect 3 of the first invention can be obtained, and the pinion gear has elasticity to enable rotation of the pinion gear with which the stopper is engaged. Even when the pinion gear cannot smoothly mesh with the ring gear, the pinion gear can be rotated slightly while elastically deforming the stopper against the rotation restriction of the stopper, and mesh with the ring gear. Further, in the sixth invention, the same function and effect as those of the fifth preferred embodiment of the first invention can be obtained, and the stopper is fitted to the pinion gear so as to be operable in the radial direction of the pinion gear. Because of the ring, the amount of movement of the stopper is small, and the mechanism is simple. That is, when the stopper is at the original position, the forward movement of the pinion gear is restricted, and the rotation of the pinion gear and the backward movement are restricted during operation.

[0024]

【Example】

(Embodiment 1) Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. (Configuration) The configuration and operation of the motor 167 and the electromagnetic switch (not shown) of this embodiment are the same as those of the later-described embodiment 2 (see FIG. 7) and embodiment 3 (see FIG. 10).
Since it is the same as a normal starter, detailed description is omitted.

The output shaft, the pinion, the overdrive, and the structure of the mechanism (stopper and stopper drive mechanism in the present invention) related to the pinion rotation regulation, the retraction regulation, and the regulation release, which are the characteristics of each embodiment, are excluded. The basic configuration and operation of a starter such as a running clutch and a planetary gear reduction mechanism are the same as those in each of the embodiments, and are described in some detail on behalf of the fourth embodiment, and are slightly simplified in the first to third embodiments. .

Hereinafter, the configuration of this embodiment will be described. A motor 167 is mounted on a rear end opening (not shown) of the housing 177, and an electromagnetic switch (not shown) is mounted on a rear end surface (not shown) of the motor 167. This electromagnetic switch is assembled so that the plunger slides by the suction coil and the holding coil to operate the cable 165 in the direction parallel to the output shaft 166. The plunger is pressed in a direction opposite to the sliding direction by a return spring (not shown) in the electromagnetic switch. The electromagnetic switch turns on and off the electric power supplied from the battery to the motor 167 when the movable contact provided on the plunger and the fixed contact provided on the switch cover come and go.

The motor 167 includes a yoke 168 and a rotor 170 supported by an end frame and a center plate 169 (not shown). The rotor 170 has a sun gear 171. The planetary gear 172 is supported by a pin 174 press-fitted into an outer 173 of the overrunning clutch.
76 together with the planetary reduction gear.

Housing 177 and center case 17
5 has an inner shaft 179 at its rear end, and the inner shaft 179 has an outer 173 and a roller pin 18.
0 constitutes an overrunning clutch. A helical spline that engages with the helical spline 178 of the output shaft 166 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the pinion 181, and the pinion 181 is pressed by the return spring 182 to form a stepped portion 201 at the rear end of the helical spline 178. The stop collar 185 is pressed and loosely fitted in the groove 183 by the ring 184, and the advance is regulated.

The coil portions 191 and 192 of the spring member 187 are rotatably mounted on the columnar projection 186 of the center case 175 which projects forward above the pinion 181. FIG. 6A is a front view of the spring member 187, and FIG. 6B is a side view of the spring member 187.
(B) is a side view in the X direction of (a).

A spring member (stopper in the present invention) 187
Is a hanging tip 195, an arm 193 extending substantially horizontally to the near side, a coil 191, an arm 190a extending substantially horizontally to the opposite side, a bent part 188a bent backward and then bent substantially upward, and rises substantially upward. A rising portion 189a, a central folded portion 189a that bends backward and then bends substantially downward, a falling portion 189b that falls substantially downward, a folded portion 188 that bends backward and then bends substantially horizontally toward the hand, and an arm that extends substantially horizontally toward the hand. A portion 190, a coil portion 192, an arm portion 194 extending substantially horizontally in the same direction as the arm portion 193, an arm portion 197 extending horizontally forward, and a hanging tip portion 196 are formed in this order.

When the coil portions 191 and 192 rotate around the protrusion 186, the tip portions 195 and 196 and the center folded portion 189 swing. Folded part 1 of spring member 187
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a cable (stopper driving mechanism according to the present invention) 165 is coupled to 88, and the center folded portion 189 of the spring member 187 slidably abuts the inner surface 190 of the housing 177. Have been. The inner surface 190 of the housing 177 has a substantially partial cylindrical surface shape coaxial with the axis of the output shaft 166. As shown in FIGS. 18
9 slides on the inner surface 190 of the housing 177.

The distal ends 195 and 196 of the spring member 187 are bent so that they can be hooked on the teeth 197 of the pinion 181. The interval between the tips 195 and 196, that is, the bending pitch A (see FIG. 6) is
81, and the arm 194 is axially bent toward the arm 193.
As shown in FIG. 6B, the distal ends 195 and 196 are close to each other. The cable 165 connected to the spring member 187 is connected to the plunger of the electromagnetic switch (not shown), passes through the communication hole of the yoke 167 and the end frame (not shown), and slides smoothly around the pin 198 fixed to the housing. It is assembled as follows. When the cable 165 is pulled, the spring member 187 swings clockwise as shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 96 moves in a direction in which it is engaged with the tooth portion 197 of the pinion 181. On the other hand, when the pull of the cable 165 is released,
Spring member 187 due to bending of center folded portion 189 and the like
The self-restoring force returns to the original position.

(Operation) When an electromagnetic switch (not shown) is energized, the plunger is sucked and the cable 165 is pulled in, and the folded portion 188 is pulled up by the cable 165. One of the parts 195 and 196 is the pinion tooth 2
Hold down 00. When the plunger of the electromagnetic switch is further sucked, the center folded portion 191 of the spring member 187 bends, the contact of the electromagnetic switch closes, and power is supplied from the battery to the motor 167, and the rotor 170 rotates.

At this time, the pinion 181 has a tip 195,
Since the rotation is restricted by one of the 196 and 196, the helical spline 178 advances on the output shaft 166 toward the ring gear 39. The pinion 181 is the ring gear 39
And further advance to the end point. At this time, since the folded portion 188 connected to the cable 165 has been pulled up, the distal ends 195 and 196 are not coiled.
Due to the reaction force of the pinions 181 and 192, the pinion 181 becomes lower than the tooth bottom, and can be brought into contact with the rear end face of the pinion 181, thereby restricting the pinion 181 from coming off (retreating) from the ring gear 39.

After the internal combustion engine is started, when the power to the electromagnetic switch is turned off, the plunger returns by the return spring in the electromagnetic switch, the tension of the cable 165 is released, and the restoring force of the center folded portion 191 of the spring member 187 causes the plunger to return. The spring member 187 rotates and returns from the start. As a result, the pinion 181 is returned to the original position by the return spring 182.

The operation will be further described. When the tooth end surfaces of the pinion 181 and the ring gear 39 are in contact with each other and cannot mesh with each other, the pinion 181 cannot advance, and the tooth portion 200 of the pinion 181 is pressed by the rotational force of the motor 167. The arm 193 of the spring member 187 is pushed up, and the pinion 181 rotates, so that the pinion 181 can mesh with the ring gear 39.

To further supplement, even if the pinion 181 elastically deforms one of the distal ends 195 and 196 upward and pushes up, the other of the distal ends 195 and 196 will rotate the tooth 200 after rotation. The rotation can be restricted so that the pinion 181 and the ring gear 39 can mesh with each other. In the starter of this embodiment described above, the electromagnetic switch is housed behind the motor 167 and the urging force is transmitted by the cable, so that the area seen in the direction of the arrow in the axial direction can be reduced, and the configuration is simple. There is an effect that it is small and lightweight and the number of parts is small.

The stopper is made of a spring member 187, and the tip portions 195 and 196 of the pinion 181
Are arranged in the circumferential direction of the pinion 181 at a pitch of about half of the tooth pitch of the pinion 181, so that the spring member 187 and the pinion 181 can be easily engaged in spite of a single spring member 187. (Embodiment 2) Another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Construction) A center case 138, a center plate 132, a yoke 130, and an end frame 131, which will be described later, are integrally fastened to the rear end opening of the housing 140 by through bolts (not shown). An electromagnetic switch 109 is mounted on the rear end face.

In the yoke 110 of the electromagnetic switch 109, a bobbin 113 around which a suction coil 111 and a holding coil 112 are wrapped,
16 is held. The rod 118 having the cable engaging portion 117 is held in the plunger 119 by a spring (not shown) so as to be movable in the axial direction. A plunger 119 having a movable contact 124 sandwiched between insulators 120 and 121 and pressed on a rod 123 by a contact spring 122 moves a sleeve 12 into a bobbin 113.
5 and is slidably assembled via a return spring 126. The fixed contact 127 is fixed to the insulator cover 128 so as to face the movable contact 124.

The outer shape of the insulator cover 128 and the switch cover 202 for housing the electromagnetic switch 109 is larger than the outer diameter of the motor 129 or the cylindrical portion at the rear of the engine mounting flange of the housing 140 described later. It is arranged so as to be accommodated within the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion (excluding the battery connection terminal portion). Motor 129
Includes a yoke 130, an end frame 131, and a rotor 133 pivotally supported by the end frame 131 and the center plate 132. The rotor 133 is a sun gear 134.
have. The planetary gear 135 is supported by a pin 137 press-fitted into an outer 136 of the overrunning clutch, and constitutes a planetary reduction gear together with an internal gear 139 formed on a center case 138.

Housing 140 and center case 13
8 has an inner shaft 144 and an inner shaft 144, on which the helical spline 142 is formed.
Reference numeral 44 forms an overrunning clutch together with the outer 136 and the roller pin 145. Pinion 14
6, a helical spline that engages with the helical spline 142 of the output shaft 143 is formed.
Stop collar 151 loosely fitted to the ring 150
Is regulated. An annular groove 161 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rear end of the pinion 146 adjacent to the rear end of the tooth portion of the pinion 146.
A thin cylindrical serration 158 extends rearward from the rear end of the pinion 146.
The front end of the serration 158 is adjacent to the annular groove 161, and a serration (a linear uneven surface extending in the axial direction) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the serration 158.

A ring-shaped plate (stopper in the present invention) 148 is fitted to the pinion 146 so as to be freely movable in the radial direction, and the plate 148 is located at both shoulders thereof as shown in FIG. It has a step 155. Step 1
The upper part and the remaining part (center part and lower part) of the upper and lower plates 148 of 55 extend vertically with a step 155 therebetween. The lower portion (remaining portion) of the step 155 of the plate 148 is fitted in a groove provided at right angles to the output axis on the inner wall of the housing 140 (not shown).
8 is restricted so that it can move freely only in the groove direction and the rotation direction with respect to the axis, and does not move back and forth in the axial direction. The tip of the cable 152 is fastened to the hole 157 provided at the top of the plate 148, and the base end is connected to the center case 13 at the hole 156 provided at the bottom of the plate 148.
A wire spring 147 fixed to the front end surface of the plate 8 is previously fitted at the time of assembly, and the plate 148 is normally pulled down by the initial elastic biasing force of the leaf spring 147 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the upper part 1 of the plate 148 is
60 normally rests in the groove 161.

The cable (stopper driving mechanism in the present invention) 152 is composed of the plunger rod 118 and the plate 1.
And the yoke 130 and the end frame 131.
And a pin 153 fixed to the housing 140 and a pin 15 fixed to the switch cover 202.
It is assembled so as to slide smoothly with the fulcrum 4 as a fulcrum.

A serration 159 is formed at the lower end of the inner peripheral surface of the plate 148 so as to mesh with the serration 158 of the pinion 146, and the rest of the plate 148 is disposed so as not to interfere with the serration 158 of the pinion 146. Have been. Pinion 146 is ring gear 3
9, the serration 159 of the plate 148 is relatively retracted rearward by the rear end surface 163 of the pinion 146, and the upper portion of the plate 148 is located above the serration 158 of the pinion 146.

(Operation) When the electromagnetic switch 109 is energized, the plunger 119 is sucked, the cable 152 is pulled in, the plate 148 is pulled up, and the plate 148 is moved to the serration portion 158 of the pinion 146. The serrations 159 mesh with each other, whereby the rotation of the pinion 146 is restricted.

At this time, the plunger 119 of the electromagnetic switch 109 is elastically connected to the rod by a spring (not shown) in the plunger 119 so that the plunger 119 can be further sucked downward even when the rod 118 is stationary.
Is further sucked, the contact 124 is closed, power is supplied from the battery to the motor 129, and the motor 129 is started. And. The rotation of the pinion 146 is restricted by the plate 148, and the pinion 146 advances on the output shaft 143 toward the ring gear 39 by the helical spline 142. At this time, the serration 158 moves forward while meshing with the serration 159.

When the pinion 146 bites into the ring gear 39, the plate 148 is pulled by the rod 118 urged by the spring (not shown) in the plunger, and is further raised, and the plate 148 is shown in FIG. As a result, the pinion serration portion 158 enters the rear end face 163, and as a result, the ring gear 39 of the pinion 146
(Retreat) is restricted by the rear end surface of the serration portion 158 of the pinion 146 abutting against the plate 148.

When the power supply to the electromagnetic switch 109 is turned off after the internal combustion engine is started, the plunger 119 is returned by the return spring 126, the tension of the cable 130 is eliminated, the plate 148 is lowered by the spring member 147, and the pinion 146 is lowered. The upper part 160 of the plate 148 rides on the serration part 158 of FIG. Ring gear 39
When the pinion gear 146 that meshes with the pinion 146 overruns, the pinion 146 is connected to the output shaft 143 and the pinion 14.
6 and is retracted by being strongly urged by the helical spline action. At this time, the upper portion 160 of the plate 148 is housed in the pinion step 161 to prevent it from jumping out.

The operation will be further described. Even when the serration 158 of the pinion 146 and the serration 159 of the plate 148 do not engage immediately, the contacts are turned on and the motor 129 rotates as described above. Can engage. When the end faces of the pinion 146 and the ring gear 39 contact each other, the pinion 1
46 is about to rotate. At this time, when the spring member 147 bends in the radial direction, the serration portion 1 of the plate 148 is formed.
The pinion 146 rotates and meshes with the ring gear 39 while the meshing of the pinion 146 with the pinion serration 158 is maintained.

In the starter of this embodiment described above, the electromagnetic switch 109 is housed behind the motor 129, and transmits the urging force by the cable 152 passing axially through the outer periphery of the rotor of the motor 129. Therefore, there is an effect that the area viewed in the direction of the arrow can be reduced, the configuration is simple, the size and weight are small, and the number of parts is small. In addition, the stopper is formed of a ring-shaped plate, which is simple.

(Embodiment 3) The starter of Embodiment 3 is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. (Configuration) A center case 89, a center plate 74, a yoke 72, and an end frame 73, which will be described later, are integrally fastened to the rear end opening of the housing 91 by through bolts (not shown). An electromagnetic switch 52 is mounted.

In a yoke 53 of the electromagnetic switch 52, a bobbin 56 around which a suction coil 54 and a holding coil 55 are wrapped is held by a plate 58 via a cushion 57. A rod 60 and a spring 61a are vertically slidably held in a concave portion of a lower end opening in the plunger 61 which is held by the bobbin 56 via a sleeve 67 so as to be vertically slidable. Is urged upward.

A movable contact 66 is vertically movably held between insulators 62 and 63 on a rod 65 erected on the upper end of the plunger 61. The movable contact 66 is urged upward by a contact spring 64. Have been. The plunger 61 is urged downward by a return spring 68. The fixed contact 69 is fixed to the insulator cover 70 so as to face the movable contact 66, and the contact 66, 69 is brought into contact with and separated from the plunger 61 up and down.

The motor 71 includes a yoke 72, an end frame 73, and a rotor 75. The rotor 75 is pivotally supported by the end frame 73 and the center plate 74.
A sun gear 76 is formed at the front end of the. The planetary gear 77 is supported by a pin 88 press-fitted into an outer 87 of the overrunning clutch, and forms a planetary reduction gear together with an internal gear 90 formed in a center case 89.

The output shaft 93, which is supported by the housing 91 and the center case 89 and has the helical spline 92, has an inner 94 at the rear end.
Constitutes an overrunning clutch together with the outer 87 and the roller pin 95. A helical spline that engages with the helical spline 92 of the output shaft 93 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the pinion 96. The pinion 96
The pinion 96 is normally urged rearward by a return spring 97 and is retracted. The stop collar 100 that locks the return spring 97 is loosely fitted in the groove 98 by the ring 99, and the pinion 96 is prevented from moving forward by the stop collar 100.

The link mechanism (stopper drive mechanism in the present invention) is composed of a hinge 101 pivotally supported by a rod 60 and a rod 102 pivotally supported by the hinge 101. The rod 102 is provided in a yoke 72 and an end frame 73. One end of a lever (stopper in the present invention) 105 is pivotally supported by a pin 106 through the communication hole. The other end of the lever 105 is connected to a flange 10 provided on the center case 89.
3 is rotatably mounted on the pin 104 as a fulcrum. A resin sleeve (not shown) for slidably holding the rod 102 is provided at a predetermined portion of the communication hole in the yoke 72 and the end frame 73.

(Operation) When power is supplied to the electromagnetic switch 52, the plunger 61 is sucked, and the plunger 61 urges the rod 60 upward through the spring 61a.
In the rod 60, the rod 102 moves rearward through the hinge 101, and accordingly, the lever 105 rotates counterclockwise to abut the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 107 of the pinion 96 (see FIG. 12).

Since the rod 60 is elastically connected to the plunger 61 by the spring 61a, even if the lever 105 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 107 of the plunger 61 and the rod 102 stops, the plunger 61 remains When the movable contact 66 and the fixed contact 69 are closed by the further upward movement of the plunger 61,
Electric power is supplied from the battery to the motor 71 so that the motor 7
1 starts.

At this time, the shape of the distal end portion 108 of the lever 105 is formed so as to obtain a wedge effect on the cylindrical portion 107 of the pinion 96. That is, the pinion 9
6 moves forward with respect to the output shaft 34 due to the relative rotation difference, the lever 105 further rotates due to friction with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 107 of the pinion 96, whereby the lever 1
A larger diameter portion of the tip 108 of the pin 05 comes into contact with the cylindrical portion 107 of the pinion 96, whereby the lever 105 exerts a stronger rotation regulating force.

The pinion 96 whose rotation is restricted as described above advances on the output shaft 93 toward the ring gear 39 by the helical spline 92. In response to the forward movement of the pinion 96, the lever 105 rotates counterclockwise, the rod 102 moves backward, and the rod 60 moves up in the plunger 61.
When the pinion 96 meshes with the ring gear 39, the lever-1
05 engages from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 107 of the pinion 96 to the outer periphery of the rear end surface of the cylindrical portion 107 (see FIG. 13).

When the pinion 96 tries to retreat, the pinion 96 is moved to the lever 105, the rod 102, the hinge 10
The spring 61a must be compressed through the rod 1 and the rod 60. As a result, the lever 105 is urged by the spring 61a to restrict the retraction of the pinion 96, thereby preventing the pinion 96 from coming off the ring gear 39. After the start of the internal combustion engine, when the energization of the electromagnetic switch 52 is turned off, the plunger 61 is lowered by the return spring 68, the lever 105 rotates clockwise and returns to the original position, and the pinion 96 is also returned by the return spring 97. Return to the original position.

When the tooth end surfaces of the pinion 96 and the ring gear 39 contact each other and cannot mesh with each other, the pinion 96
Cannot move forward, and the rotational force of the pinion 96 overcomes the pressing force of the lever 105, so that the pinion 96 rotates and can bite into the ring gear 39. In the starter of this embodiment described above, the electromagnetic switch 52 is housed behind the motor 71, and the urging force is transmitted by the link mechanisms 101 and 102 that penetrate the outer periphery of the rotor of the motor 71 in the axial direction. Therefore, there is an effect that the area viewed in the direction of the arrow can be reduced, the configuration is simple, the size and weight are small, and the number of parts is small.

The stopper comprises a lever 105,
It's easy. (Embodiment 4) FIGS. 14 to 18 show the starter of Embodiment 4.
This will be described with reference to FIG. (Construction) An electromagnetic switch 1 is mounted on an upper portion of a housing 32, and a yoke 2 fixed to the housing 32 is provided.
Has a bobbin 5 around which a suction coil 3 and a holding coil 4 are wrapped.
Is installed inside. A disk-shaped plate 7 that forms a static magnetic circuit with a gap together with the yoke is press-fitted into the rear opening of the yoke 7, and the bobbin 5 is held by a washer-shaped cushion 6 while being urged toward the plate.

A plunger 15 is held on the bobbin 5 via a sleeve 16 so as to be freely slidable in the front-rear direction. A rod 9 having a lever engagement hole 8 is fixed to the front end of the plunger 15. . The rear end of the rod 13 fixed to the rear end of the plunger 15 has an insulator 1
A movable contact 14, which is sandwiched between 0 and 11 and urged rearward by a contact spring 12, is held slidably in the axial direction on a rod 13, and the plunger 15 is urged forward by a return spring 17. ing. 19a is a circlip for stopping the movable contact 14. Further, the insulator cover 19 having the fixed contact 18 is provided on the cushion 2.
It is caulked and fixed to the yoke 2 with 0 interposed.

The motor 21 is mounted on the lower part of the housing 32. The motor 21 has an end frame 23 that closes a rear end opening of the yoke 22, and a rotor 25 that is supported by a center plate 24 of the yoke 22. A sun gear 26 is formed at the front end of a rotation shaft 25 a of a rotor 25 projecting forward from the center plate 24, and the sun gear 26 meshes with a planetary gear 27. The planetary gear 27 is supported by a pin 29 press-fitted into an outer 28 of the overrunning clutch, and forms a planetary reduction gear together with an internal gear 31 formed on the center case 30.

Center case 30, center plate 2
4. The yoke 22 and the end frame 23 are fastened to the housing in this order by through bolts 101. Both ends of the output shaft 34 are located in front of the motor 21 and are supported by the housing 32 and the center case 30. A helical spline 33 is formed at the center of the output shaft 34, and a large inner 35 is formed at the right end of the output shaft 34. Roller pin 3 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of inner 35.
The outer member 28 is rotatably fitted through the inner member 35, the roller pin 36, and the outer member 28.
Constitutes an overrunning clutch (also called a one-way clutch). The outer 28 has a shallow cylindrical shape with a front end opening provided between the front end of the rotating shaft 25a and the rear end of the output shaft (also referred to as a drive shaft) 34, and its peripheral wall functions as the outer. .

The clutch roller 36 and a spring (not shown) are prevented from deviating by a wheel plate fixed to the front end of the outer peripheral wall. A helical spline that engages with the helical spline 33 of the output shaft 34 is formed on an inner peripheral surface of a pinion (also referred to as a pinion gear) 37 that is rotatably fitted to the output shaft 34. Pinion gear 3
7 is a return spring 38 wound around the output shaft 34.
As a result, it is urged in the retreating direction and moves forward so as to mesh with the ring gear 39, and the forward movement is restricted by the stop collar 42 loosely fitted in the groove 40 by the ring 41.

The first lever 43 is a leaf spring member,
One end is engaged with the engagement hole 8 and the other end is provided with the second lever 44.
And a hole 43a that engages with The first lever 43
The collar 46 is swingably mounted on the groove 45 of the housing 32 with the collar 46 as a fulcrum. The second lever 44 is made of a coil spring material, and is swingably mounted on a flange 47 provided on the center case 30 with a pin 48 as a fulcrum.

(Explanation of Operation) When the electromagnetic switch 1 is energized, the plunger 15 is sucked backward, and the first lever 43 rotates clockwise. Accordingly, the second lever 44 pivots counterclockwise, and the tip 49 of the second lever portion 44 falls into the tooth space 50 of the pinion.

Subsequently, the plunger 1 of the electromagnetic switch 1
When 5 is sucked, the first lever 43 bends from the fulcrum 46 to the switch side to close the contact 14, power is supplied from the battery to the motor 21, and the motor 21 is started. At this time, since the rotation of the pinion 37 is restricted by the second lever 44 as described above, the helical spline 3
3 advances on the output shaft 34 in the direction of the ring gear 39. When the pinion 37 bites into the ring gear 39, the second lever 44 further rotates counterclockwise due to the deflection of the first lever 43 and falls behind the pinion 37,
The tip of the lever 44 abuts the rear end face 51 of the pinion 37 to prevent the pinion 37 from coming off the ring gear 39 (see FIG. 16).

When the power to the electromagnetic switch 1 is turned off after the start of the internal combustion engine, the plunger 15 returns forward by the return spring 17 and the first and second levers 4 are moved.
3, 44 return to the original position, and the pinion 37 also returns to the original position by the return spring 38. Note that FIG.
As shown in the figure, when the tip 49 of the second lever 44 rides on the tip 52 of the pinion 37, the first lever 4
When the contact 14 closes while the contact 3 is bent, and the motor 1 rotates, the output shaft 34 rotates, and the pinion 37 rotates to cancel the running.

Further, even when the tooth end surfaces of the pinion 37 and the ring gear 39 are in contact with each other and cannot mesh with each other, the second lever 44 having the elasticity in the rotation direction of the pinion 37 can be used.
There is an excellent operational effect that the pinion 37 bends in the rotation direction of the pinion 37 according to the rotation force of the motor 1 and the pinion 37 can bite into the ring gear 39. According to the starters of the embodiments described above, since the stopper acts only on the pinion alone, the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, and the number of components can be greatly reduced as compared with the conventional invention. The opening / closing switch can also be miniaturized.

In each of the embodiments described above, the stopper is driven by the electromagnetic switch through the stopper driving mechanism. However, the stopper can be driven directly by the electromagnetic switch. In this case, it can be considered that the stopper also functions as the stopper driving mechanism.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the first embodiment after engagement.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the pinion before the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a view showing the operation of the spring member during the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the operation of the spring member after the engagement of the first embodiment is completed.

FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a spring member according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the state of pinion engagement of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plate shape diagram of the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows a pre-press when the pinion of the second embodiment is engaged.
FIG.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a third embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a state where a pinion abuts upon lever operation of the third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state where the pinion is engaged in the third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a lever operation diagram of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment at the time of pinion engagement.

FIG. 17 is a deflection operation diagram of a first lever of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a deflection diagram of the second lever in the rotation direction in the fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

(In the first embodiment) 167 is a motor, 177 is a housing, 166 is an output shaft (drive shaft), 178 is a helical spline groove of the drive shaft, 181 is a pinion (pinion gear), 187 is a spring member (stopper), and 165 is a cable (Stopper drive mechanism). (In the third embodiment) 52 is an electromagnetic switch, 71 is a motor, 91 is a housing, 93 is an output shaft (drive shaft), 92 is a helical spline groove of the drive shaft, 96 is a pinion (pinion gear), and 105 is a lever (stopper). , 101 are hinges (stopper driving mechanism),
102 is a rod (stopper drive mechanism). (In the second embodiment) 109 is an electromagnetic switch, 129 is a motor, 140 is a housing, 143 is an output shaft (drive shaft), 142 is a helical spline groove of the drive shaft, 146 is a pinion (pinion gear), 14
8 is a plate (stopper) and 152 is a cable (stopper drive mechanism). (In Embodiment 4) 1 is an electromagnetic switch, 21 is a motor, 32 is a housing, 34 is an output shaft (drive shaft), 33 is a helical spline groove of the drive shaft, 37 is a pinion (pinion gear), and 44 is a second lever ( Stoppers) and 43 are first levers (stopper driving mechanisms).

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Masami Niimi 1-1-1, Showa-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi Japan Inside Denso Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasuyuki Yoshida 1-1-1, Showa-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi Japan Japan Denso Stock In-company (56) References JP-A-58-206873 (JP, A) JP-A-50-18915 (JP, A) JP-A-47-35705 (JP, A) JP-A-1-92573 (JP, A) JP-A-2-275063 (JP, A) JP-A-57-36763 (JP, U) Patent 147516 (JP, C2) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) F02N 11/00 F02N 11/08 F02N 15/02

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] A starter motor, a drive shaft having a helical spline and rotatably supported by a housing in front of the starter motor, and a starter motor interposed between the starter motor and the drive shaft. A one-way clutch for transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the drive shaft; and a one-way clutch fitted into a helical spline groove of the drive shaft and reciprocating in the axial direction independently of the one-way clutch due to a relative rotation difference with the drive shaft. The rotation of the pinion gear is restricted by engagement of the pinion gear and the rotating pinion gear to advance the pinion gear, and at the same time, the pinion gear is restricted from retreating after the pinion gear and the ring gear mesh with each other. Stopper that allows retraction of An electromagnetic switch disposed adjacent to the rear of the starter motor to control energization of the starter motor; and being driven by the electromagnetic switch to drive the stopper to engage the pinion gear with the stopper. and Bei example a stopper drive mechanism for causing the disengagement, the electromagnetic
The linear motion axis of the switch is perpendicular to the drive shaft.
And the stopper driving mechanism is provided for the rotor of the starter motor.
There is a link mechanism extending an outer peripheral side to the pinion gear side.
Or a starter characterized by a string-like body . 2. A starter motor, comprising a helical spline and a front of said starter motor.
Drive shaft that is rotatably supported by the housing at
Between the starter motor and the drive shaft.
And the rotational force of the starter motor is
A one-way clutch transmitting to the shaft and a helical spline groove of the drive shaft.
Is the by the relative rotation difference between the driveshaft shifted by one
Pinion gear that reciprocates in the axial direction independently of the directional clutch
And the pinion is rotated by engagement with the rotating pinion gear.
When the pinion gear is advanced by regulating the rotation of the gear,
In both cases, after the pinion gear and the ring gear mesh,
The retraction of the pinion gear is restricted, and the
A stopper that allows the pinion gear to retreat, and a starter motor that is disposed adjacent to the rear of the starter motor.
An electromagnetic switch for controlling energization of the motor, and the stopper being driven by the electromagnetic switch to drive the stopper.
The engagement and engagement of the stopper with the pinion gear
A stopper drive mechanism for performing release.
The hopper drive mechanism is provided on the outer peripheral side of the rotor of the starter motor.
Link mechanism or cord extending to the pinion gear side
A starter characterized by being composed of a body . Wherein the stopper is a starter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pinion gear is to restrict the rotation of the pinion gear. 4. The starter according to claim 3, wherein the stopper fits into a tooth portion of the pinion gear and regulates rotation of the pinion gear. 5. The starter according to claim 3, wherein said stopper abuts on a rear end face of said pinion gear to regulate retreat of said pinion gear. Wherein said stopper is a starter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inner wall surface facing the annular groove formed in the outer periphery of the pinion gear in which contact with restricting the advancement of the pinion gear. 7. A starter motor, a drive shaft having a helical spline and rotatably supported by a housing in front of the starter motor, and a starter motor interposed between the starter motor and the drive shaft. A one-way clutch for transmitting a rotational force of a motor to the drive shaft, a pinion gear fitted into a helical spline groove of the drive shaft and axially moving back and forth by a relative rotation difference with the drive shaft; and the rotating pinion gear. A stopper that regulates the rotation of the pinion gear to advance the pinion gear by engagement of the pinion gear, regulates the retraction of the pinion gear after the pinion gear and the ring gear mesh with each other, and allows the pinion gear to retract by releasing the engagement. To the starter motor And a stopper drive mechanism driven by the electromagnetic switch to drive the stopper to cause the stopper to engage and disengage with the pinion gear, wherein the stopper has a fulcrum. And a lever which is located behind the pinion gear and swings on a swing surface including the axis of the drive shaft. 8. A starter motor, a drive shaft having a helical spline and rotatably supported by a housing in front of the starter motor, and a starter motor interposed between the starter motor and the drive shaft. A one-way clutch for transmitting a rotational force of a motor to the drive shaft, a pinion gear fitted into a helical spline groove of the drive shaft and axially moving back and forth by a relative rotation difference with the drive shaft; and the rotating pinion gear. A stopper that regulates the rotation of the pinion gear to advance the pinion gear by engagement of the pinion gear, regulates the retraction of the pinion gear after the pinion gear and the ring gear mesh with each other, and allows the pinion gear to retract by releasing the engagement. To the starter motor And a stopper drive mechanism driven by the electromagnetic switch to drive the stopper to cause the stopper to engage and disengage with the pinion gear. A plurality of tip projections that can be brought into contact with the tooth portions of the pinion gear are provided at approximately 1/2 pitch intervals of the pinion gear, and are fitted into tooth grooves formed on the outer peripheral surface of the pinion gear to regulate the rotation of the pinion gear. Starter that features. 9. A starter motor, a drive shaft having a helical spline and rotatably supported by a housing in front of the starter motor, and a starter motor interposed between the starter motor and the drive shaft. A one-way clutch for transmitting a rotational force of a motor to the drive shaft, a pinion gear fitted into a helical spline groove of the drive shaft and axially moving back and forth by a relative rotation difference with the drive shaft; and the rotating pinion gear. A stopper that regulates the rotation of the pinion gear to advance the pinion gear by engagement of the pinion gear, regulates the retraction of the pinion gear after the pinion gear and the ring gear mesh with each other, and allows the pinion gear to retract by releasing the engagement. To the starter motor And a stopper drive mechanism driven by the electromagnetic switch to drive the stopper to cause the stopper to engage and disengage with the pinion gear. A starter, which has elasticity to enable rotation of the pinion gear, and fits into a tooth groove formed on an outer peripheral surface of the pinion gear to restrict rotation of the pinion gear. 10. A starter motor, a drive shaft having a helical spline and rotatably supported by a housing in front of the starter motor, and a starter motor interposed between the starter motor and the drive shaft. A one-way clutch for transmitting a rotational force of a motor to the drive shaft, a pinion gear fitted into a helical spline groove of the drive shaft and axially moving back and forth by a relative rotation difference with the drive shaft; and the rotating pinion gear. A stopper that regulates the rotation of the pinion gear to advance the pinion gear by engagement of the pinion gear, regulates the retraction of the pinion gear after the pinion gear and the ring gear mesh with each other, and allows the pinion gear to retract by releasing the engagement. To the starter motor An electromagnetic switch for controlling energization; and a stopper driving mechanism driven by the electromagnetic switch to drive the stopper to cause the stopper to engage and disengage with the pinion gear. A starter comprising a ring loosely fitted to a pinion gear and operating in a radial direction of the pinion gear, and abutting against an inner wall surface facing an annular groove formed on an outer periphery of the pinion gear to restrict advance of the pinion gear. .