JP3019834B2 - Engine starter - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an engine starting device for starting an engine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional engine starting device includes a motor for generating a rotational force, and an electromagnetic switch for controlling the energization of the motor and for generating a force for pushing out a pinion. A well-known arrangement of a parallel-axis starter and a series-axis starter in which an electromagnetic switch is arranged behind the rotating shaft of the motor are well known.

A serial shaft type starter is disclosed in, for example,
As shown in JP-A-90665, an output shaft is passed through a hollow motor rotation shaft, and the rear end of the output shaft is pressed by using the magnetic force of an electromagnetic switch to advance the output shaft. Thus, there has been proposed a starter that meshes with a pinion provided at the tip of an output shaft and a ring gear.

[0004]

However, in the starter disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-90665, it is necessary to form a motor rotation shaft in a hollow shape and pass an output shaft coaxially inside the rotation shaft. For this reason, the structure is complicated and manufacturing is extremely difficult. In addition, since the electromagnetic switch is disposed behind the rotation axis of the motor, the position of the electromagnetic switch is farther from the mounting position on the engine. This is disadvantageous in vibration resistance since the engine vibration has a large effect as it moves away from the mounting position of the device.

The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an engine starting device which eliminates protrusion to the side of an electric motor and has excellent vibration resistance.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an electric motor which generates a rotational force by being energized, and an output shaft which rotates by receiving a rotational force of the electric motor. A pinion that is movable in the axial direction of the output shaft and that transmits a rotational force to the ring gear by meshing with a ring gear of an engine; a direct-acting cylinder provided on an outer periphery of the output shaft; And an excitation coil arranged to move the linear motion cylinder toward the pinion, and the pinion is disengaged from the ring gear after the pinion is engaged with the ring gear. In this case, technical means for preventing the above-mentioned operation from being performed by the linear motion cylinder is adopted.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the engine starter according to the first aspect, the pinion is fitted with a helical spline on an outer periphery of the output shaft.

[0008]

(Function and Effect of the Invention) (Engine starting device according to the first aspect of the present invention) The direct-acting cylinder and the exciting coil are arranged on the outer periphery of the output shaft. It is not necessary to adopt a complicated structure in which the rotating shaft of the electric motor is formed in a hollow shape and the output shaft is coaxially passed inside. Further, the pinion meshed with the ring gear is prevented from being detached from the ring gear while being pressed by the linear motion cylinder. Therefore, the excitation coil only needs to have a holding force (attraction force) enough to hold the linear motion cylinder while pressing the pinion. For this reason, the number of turns of the exciting coil is reduced,
The size of the exciting coil can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the pinion is helically splined on the outer periphery of the output shaft, the linear motion cylinder is attracted by the magnetic force of the exciting coil to push the pinion forward. , The pinion can move forward while receiving the rotational force due to the action of the helical spline together with the rotational force due to the rotation of the output shaft itself. Thereby, the meshing between the pinion and the ring gear can be further improved.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of the engine starter according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the engine starting device. The engine starting device 1 of the present embodiment includes an electric motor 2 that generates a rotational force, a rotational force transmitting unit (described later) that transmits the rotational force of the electric motor 2, and an output that receives the rotational force from the rotational force transmitting unit and rotates. A shaft 3, a pinion 4 mounted on the outer periphery of the distal end of the output shaft 3, a pinion pushing means (described later) for pushing the pinion 4 forward with respect to the output shaft 3,
It comprises a contact device (described later) for opening and closing a motor circuit (not shown) of the electric motor 2 and the like.

(Description of Electric Motor 2) The electric motor 2 has a yoke 5 provided in a cylindrical shape, a permanent magnet 6 for a field fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the yoke 5, and a rotation around the inner periphery of the permanent magnet 6. The armature 7 includes a freely arranged armature 7, a brush 8 for flowing a current through the armature 7, and the like. The armature 7 is configured such that a shaft 9 forming a rotating shaft is disposed coaxially with the output shaft 3 behind the output shaft 3, and a tip end of the shaft 9 is mounted on an inner peripheral surface of a concave portion formed on a rear end surface of the output shaft 3. 10
, And the rear end of the shaft 9 is rotatably supported by an end cover 11 that covers the rear of the electric motor 2 via a bearing 12. The shaft 1 has a bearing 1
A sun gear 9a constituting a planetary gear reduction mechanism (described below) is formed on the outer periphery on the rear end side from the front end portion supported by O. Further, a commutator 13 is press-fitted and fixed on the outer periphery on the rear end side from the sun gear 9a.

The brush 8 is housed in a brush holder 14 formed of a thermosetting resin (for example, phenol resin), and is provided with a spring 15 disposed on the rear end side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the commutator 13. It is pressed against the outer peripheral surface. The brush holder 14 is sandwiched between the yoke 5 and the intermediate case 16 that covers the outer circumference of the torque transmitting means.

(Description of Torque Transmission Means) The rotation force transmission means includes a one-way clutch (described below) for transmitting torque only from the armature 7 side to the output shaft 3 side, and an armature via the one-way clutch. And a planetary gear reduction mechanism (described below) for reducing the rotation of the rotation of the planetary gear 7. The planetary gear reduction mechanism includes the sun gear 9a, the planetary gear 17 meshing with the sun gear 9a, and the intermediate gear 18 meshing with the planetary gear 17, and the sun gear 9a is rotated by the rotation of the shaft 9, so that the sun gear The planetary gear 17 meshing with the intermediate gear 9a and the intermediate gear 18 rotates (the sun gear 9a
While revolving in the same direction as the sun gear 9a.

The planetary gear 17 has a bearing 1
It is rotatably inserted through 7a. Pin 19
The output shaft 3 is press-fitted and fixed to a flange wall 3a provided integrally with the rear end. Therefore, while the planetary gear 17 meshes with the sun gear 9a and the intermediate gear 18, the sun gear 9a
The orbital force is transmitted to the output shaft 3 via the pin 19 by revolving around the outer periphery of the shaft.

The intermediate gear 18 is disposed on the inner periphery of the inner case 20 fixed to the inner periphery of the intermediate case 16 and is provided rotatably with respect to the intermediate case 16. In addition, the intermediate gear 18 forms an outer part 18 a of a one-way clutch integrally with a gear part that meshes with the planetary gear 17. The inner case 20 is made of metal and has a hollow cylindrical portion 20.
a and an inner 20b which forms a roller chamber (not shown) between the inner roller 20a and the outer 18a. In addition,
One or more longitudinal grooves (not shown) are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 20a along the axial direction.

The one-way clutch comprises an inner 20b provided in the inner case 20, an outer 18a of the intermediate gear 18, the rollers 21 housed in the aforementioned roller chamber, and the like. This one-way clutch allows the outer 18a (intermediate gear 18) to rotate only in the same rotational direction as the armature 7 with respect to the inner 20b (rotation is impossible), and restricts the rotation in the reverse rotational direction with respect to the armature 7. Accordingly, when the sun gear 9a is rotated by the rotation of the armature 7, the intermediate gear 18 is transmitted through the planetary gear 17 meshing with the sun gear 9a.
Tries to rotate in the reverse rotation direction with respect to the sun gear 9a, but the rotation of the intermediate gear 18 is restricted.
, A revolving force is generated, and the revolving force is transmitted to the output shaft 3 via the pin 19.

On the other hand, when the engine is started and the pinion 4 is rotated by a ring gear (not shown) on the engine side, the torque of the output shaft 3 is transmitted through the pin 19 to the planetary gear 17.
Therefore, the revolving speed of the planetary gear 17 is higher than the rotation speed of the armature 7 (sun gear 9a).
Here, since the intermediate gear 18 is allowed to rotate in the same rotation direction as the sun gear 9a, the planetary gear 17 can revolve faster than the rotation speed of the sun gear 9a while rotating in the same rotation direction as the sun gear 9a. As a result, the planetary gear 17 revolves around the sun gear 9a while idling around the sun gear 9a, and the revolving force of the planetary gear 17 is not transmitted to the armature 7 via the sun gear 9a.

(Description of Output Shaft 3) The output shaft 3 is disposed coaxially with the cylindrical portion 20a through the hollow interior of the cylindrical portion 20a provided in the inner case 20, and a bearing 22 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 20a. , 23 so as to be rotatable. (Explanation of the pinion 4) The pinion 4 is fitted with a helical spline on the outer periphery of the tip of the output shaft 3, and is rearwardly moved by a spring 25 disposed between the collar 24 attached to the tip of the output shaft 3 and the pinion 4. Has been energized. Color 2
4 is locked by a snap ring 26 which fits into a circumferential groove (not shown) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tip end of the output shaft 3.

(Explanation of Pinion Pushing Means) The pinion pushing means is provided with an exciting coil 27 which generates a magnetic force when energized.
And a linear motion cylinder 28 which is attracted by the magnetic force of the excitation coil 27 and pushes out the pinion 4 forward. The excitation coil 27 is arranged around the output shaft 3 at the outer periphery of the pinion 4 at a rest position (the position shown in FIG. 1), and is held inside a front cover 29 that covers the front end side of the device. The excitation coil 27 is energized by turning on a start switch (ignition switch) not shown.

The direct-acting cylinder 28 has a cylindrical portion 2 of the inner case 20.
The outer circumference of the excitation coil 27 is slidably (non-rotatable) on the inner circumference side of the exciting coil 27 in the axial direction. Linear motion cylinder 28
The inner case 20 has a protrusion 28 a (one or more) extending in the axial direction on the inner circumferential surface of the linear motion cylinder 28, and is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 20 a of the inner case 20. The linear motion cylinder 28 is provided movably in the axial direction with respect to the inner case 20 by fitting into the formed vertical groove.

At the tip of the linear motion cylinder 28, when the linear motion cylinder 28 is attracted by the magnetic force of the exciting coil 27, the pinion 4
A pressing portion 28b for pressing the rear end surface is provided, and a contact support wall 28c for supporting a contact device described later is provided at a rear end portion of the direct acting cylinder 28 so as to extend radially outward. The linear motion cylinder 28 is urged backward by a spring 30 disposed between the linear motion cylinder 28 and the contact coil provided at the rear end of the linear motion cylinder 28 when the excitation coil 27 is not energized. The support wall 28c is stationary in a state where the support wall 28c contacts the wall surface of the inner case 20 (the state shown in FIG. 1). In this stationary state, a pressing portion 28 provided at the tip of the linear motion cylinder 28 is provided.
A slight gap is secured between b and the rear end face of the pinion 4.

(Description of Contact Device) FIG. 2 shows the structure of the contact device. As shown in FIG. 2, the contact device includes a terminal bolt 31 (external terminal of the present invention) connected to a positive electrode of a battery (not shown) by a power supply line (not shown), and is fixed to a head 31a of the terminal bolt 31. Fixed contact 32, main movable contact 34 connected to lead wire 33 of positive electrode brush 8,
It is composed of a sub movable contact 36 connected to the main movable contact 34 via a starting resistor 35.

The terminal bolt 31 is attached to a resin case 37 sandwiched between the front cover 29 and the intermediate case 16 and is fixed by a caulking washer 38. The fixed contact 32 is fixed to the head 31 a of the terminal bolt 31 by welding or the like inside the resin case 37. The main movable contact 34 is disposed opposite to the fixed contact 32, and a pin 39 press-fitted and fixed to the contact support wall 28 c of the linear motion cylinder 28.
Is slidably fitted to the tip of the pin 39 and urged toward the tip of the pin 39 by the contact pressure spring 40. However, the forward movement of the main movable contact 34 is restricted by the retaining ring 41 locked at the tip of the pin 39 against the urging force of the contact pressure spring 40.

The starting resistor 35 is made of, for example, nickel, is wound in a coil shape and has a spring action, and has one end fixed to the main movable contact 34 and the other end fixed to the sub movable contact 36.
It is fixed by swaging. The sub movable contact 36 is disposed so as to face the head 31 a of the terminal bolt 31, and
7 is not energized, it is brought into contact with the wall surface of the inner case 20 by the spring action of the starting resistor 35 (the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2), and is in an electrically conductive state.

In this contact device, the main movable contact 34 and the sub movable contact 36 move forward in conjunction with the linear moving cylinder 28 attracted by the magnetic force of the exciting coil 27, so that the main movable contact 34 becomes a fixed contact. 32, and the sub movable contact 36
Abuts against the head 31a of the terminal bolt 31. However, the auxiliary movable contact 36 is smaller than the distance between the main movable contact 34 and the fixed contact 32.
The distance between the terminal 31 and the head 31a of the terminal bolt 31 is set smaller so that the sub movable contact 36 contacts the head 31a of the terminal bolt 31 before the main movable contact 34 contacts the fixed terminal. ing. Specifically, the sub movable contact 36 abuts on the head 31a of the terminal bolt 31 until the pinion 4 is pushed out by the direct-acting cylinder 28 attracted by the magnetic force of the excitation coil 27 and meshes with the ring gear, Thereafter, the main movable contact 34 is provided so as to contact the fixed contact 32 when the pinion 4 meshes with the ring gear.

The engine starting device 1 having the above configuration is
The through bolt 42 from the end cover 11 to the front cover 29 is fastened and fixed. The attachment to the engine is fixed with the end surface (left side surface in FIG. 1) of the flange portion 29a provided on the outer periphery of the front cover 29 in contact with the engine wall surface. Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When the start switch is turned on and the exciting coil 27 is energized, the direct acting cylinder 28 receives the magnetic force of the exciting coil 27 and is attracted. Thereby, the linear motion cylinder 28 moves forward against the urging force of the spring 25 and the spring 30 after the pressing portion 28b provided at the tip abuts against the rear end face of the pinion 4, and the pinion 4 is moved to the helical spline. Along the output shaft 3.

On the other hand, as the linear motion cylinder 28 advances, the sub movable contact 36 comes into contact with the head 31a of the terminal bolt 31, and the starting resistor 35, the main movable contact 34, the lead wire 33, the positive brush 8
Is supplied to the armature 7. However, since the voltage applied to the armature 7 is stepped down by the starting resistor 35, the armature 7 rotates at a low speed. The rotation of the armature 7 is reduced by the planetary gear reduction mechanism and transmitted to the output shaft 3 so that the output shaft 3 is connected to the armature 7.
It will rotate at a lower speed than the rotation of.

As the output shaft 3 rotates, the pinion 4 also advances while rotating at a low speed, so that the pinion 4 can mesh with the ring gear of the engine. Pinion 4
Engages with the ring gear, the main movable contact 34 comes into contact with the fixed contact 32, so that the starting resistor 35 is short-circuited and the rated voltage is applied to the electric motor 2. As a result, the armature 7 rotates at a high speed, and its rotational force is transmitted to the pinion 4, whereby the ring gear meshing with the pinion 4 rotates and the engine starts.

Since the pinion 4 is constantly pressed forward by the non-rotatable linear moving cylinder 28, relative rotation occurs between the linear moving cylinder 28 and the pinion 4. The rotation is not restricted by the cylinder 28, and the pinion 4
, The rotation of the pinion 4 is allowed.

When the pinion 4 moves forward and meshes with the ring gear, the spring 25 compresses and the urging force for urging the pinion 4 rearward increases. Further, when the pinion 4 is rotated by the ring gear by starting the engine, the rotational force of the engine acts in a direction to retract the pinion 4 by the action of the helical spline. On the other hand, the pinion 4 provides the holding force of the exciting coil 27 (the linear motion cylinder 2).
The engagement state with the ring gear is maintained without being separated from the ring gear by the suction force (suction force for sucking the ring gear 8).

When the pinion 4 is rotated by the ring gear, the output shaft 3 on which the pinion 4 is mounted also rotates at high speed. However, the one-way clutch causes the intermediate gear 18 and the planetary gear 17 to idle. Accordingly, the rotational force of the engine is not transmitted to the armature 7, and centrifugal destruction of the commutator 13 due to excessive rotation of the armature 7 is prevented.

When the start switch is turned off after the start of the engine, the magnetic force of the exciting coil 27 disappears, and the direct acting cylinder 28 returns to the rest position by the urging force of the spring 30. Further, the pinion 4 is separated from the ring gear by the urging force of the spring 25 when the holding force of the exciting coil 27 disappears, and retreats on the output shaft 3 along the helical spline to the stationary position. Note that the stationary position of the pinion 4 is determined by the cut-up portion of the helical teeth formed on the output shaft 3.

When the linear motion cylinder 28 returns, the main movable contact 3
4 moves away from the fixed contact 32, and then the auxiliary movable contact 36
Is separated from the head 31a of the terminal bolt 31,
The energization of the electric motor 2 is stopped. Further, when the linear motion cylinder 28 returns to the rest position, the sub movable contact 36 is activated by the starting resistance 3.
5, the positive electrode brush 8 is electrically grounded (grounded) through the starting resistor 35 by contacting the annular wall of the inner case 20 by the spring action of the inner case 20, so that the voltage generated by the inertial rotation of the armature 7 is reduced by the braking resistor. As a result, the rotation of the armature 7 stops rapidly.

(Effects of the present embodiment) In the engine starting device 1 of the present embodiment, the exciting coil 27 is disposed on the outer periphery of the pinion 4 with the output shaft 3 as the center, so that the exciting coil 27 Does not protrude. The exciting coil 27 only needs to have a holding force (attraction force) enough to hold the linear motion cylinder 28 with the pinion 4 meshing with the ring gear. Therefore, a small-sized (especially small outer diameter) excitation coil 27 having a reduced number of turns can be employed. As a result, by reducing the size of the engine starter 1, the mountability on the engine can be greatly improved.

Further, with the arrangement of the excitation coil 27 on the outer periphery of the pinion 4, the contact device of the electric motor 2 can be arranged in the vicinity of the portion to be attached to the engine. As a result, it is possible to provide a structure excellent in vibration resistance that is not easily affected by engine vibration. Furthermore, by rotating the armature 7 at low speed until the pinion 4 meshes with the ring gear (until the meshing of the pinion 4 with the ring gear is completed), when the tooth traces of the pinion 4 and the ring gear do not match at the time of meshing. However, the pinion 4 can be easily meshed with the ring gear as the output shaft 3 rotates.

In this embodiment, since the pinion 4 is pushed out by the direct-acting cylinder 28, even if the pinion 4 returns poorly after the engine is started, the start switch is turned off and the excitation coil 27 is energized. Is stopped, only the direct acting cylinder 28 can be returned to the rest position by the urging force of the spring 30 with the disappearance of the magnetic force.
As a result, the main movable contact 34 interlocked with the linear motion cylinder 28 is separated from the fixed contact 32, and subsequently, the sub movable contact 36 is separated from the head 31a of the terminal bolt 31, so that the motor circuit of the electric motor 2 can be opened. As a result, continuous energization of the armature 7 due to the poor return of the pinion 4 can be prevented, and adverse effects on the armature 7 can be prevented.

By employing a planetary gear reduction mechanism as a speed reduction means for reducing the rotational force of the armature 7, the shaft 9 of the armature 7 and the output shaft 3 can be arranged in a straight line. Lateral protrusions can be eliminated in the overall shape of the device. Further, when the pinion 4 and the ring gear mesh with each other, the rotation of the armature 7 is reduced and transmitted to the output shaft 3, so that the teeth of the pinion 4 and the ring gear are chipped or abnormally worn due to the rapid rotation of the armature 7. Can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an engine starting device.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of the contact device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Engine starting device 2 Electric motor 3 Output shaft 4 Pinion 9a Sun gear (planetary gear reduction mechanism) 17 Planetary gear (planetary gear reduction mechanism) 18 Intermediate gear (planetary gear reduction mechanism) 18a Outer (one-way clutch) 20b Inner (one-way clutch) 21) Roller (one-way clutch) 27 Exciting coil 28 Linear motion cylinder 31 Terminal bolt (external terminal) 31a Terminal bolt head (fixed contact) 32 Fixed contact 33 Lead wire 34 Main movable contact 35 Starting resistance (resistance) 36 Secondary Movable contact

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI F02N 15/06 F02N 15/06 H

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An electric motor that generates a torque when energized, an output shaft that rotates when the motor is rotated, and is movable in the axial direction of the output shaft and meshes with a ring gear of the engine. A pinion for transmitting a rotational force to the ring gear, a linear motion cylinder provided on the outer periphery of the output shaft, and a pinion disposed on the outer circumference of the output shaft and centered on the output shaft. An exciting coil for moving the pinion to the side, and after the pinion meshes with the ring gear, the pinion is prevented from being detached from the ring gear by the linear motion cylinder. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said pinion is helically splined on the outer periphery of said output shaft.
An engine starting device according to claim 1.