JPH09250432A - Starter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain inclination of a pinion moving body with respect to an output shaft so as to prevent deterioration of advancing force which is exerted on the pinion moving body. SOLUTION: A pinion moving body, which is fitted around the outer periphery of an output shaft 3 via a helical spline 3a, comprises a pinion gear 26 to be meshed with a ring gear 25 and a cylindrical portion 27 formed integrally with the rear portion of the pinion gear 26, and can be moved on the output shaft 3 along the helical spline 3a. The pinion moving body is rotatably and slidably supported by a pressure receiving member 30, in which the cylindrical portion 27 is fixed at the upper outer peripheral surface thereof to a housing 15. A rotation restricting plate 4 is disposed immediately behind of the pressure receiving member 30 and on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 27. The rotation restricting plate 4 is driven by a magnet switch 6 via a cable 5 before the rotation of an armature 8 is transmitted to the output shaft 3, so as to press the lower outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 27, thus restricting the rotation of the pinion moving body.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a starter for starting an engine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional technique, the actual construction of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 57-3676
There is a starter disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3 publication. This starter has a pinion gear fitted to the rotating shaft of the starting motor via a helical spline. When the starting motor is started, the rotation of the pinion gear is restricted to cause a relative rotation difference with the rotating shaft. By the action of the helical spline, the pinion gear can move forward on the rotation shaft and mesh with the ring gear of the engine.

[0003]

However, the above starter restricts the rotation of the pinion gear by pressing the outer peripheral surface of the one-way clutch connected to the pinion gear from one side in the radial direction. Therefore, the one-way clutch tilts with respect to the rotating shaft, the frictional force generated between the rotating shaft and the one-way clutch, that is, the sliding resistance when the one-way clutch moves on the rotating shaft increases, and the pinion gear is increased. Since the forward force for meshing with the ring gear decreases, the meshing property between the pinion gear and the ring gear deteriorates. The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a starter in which the inclination of a pinion moving body with respect to an output shaft is reduced to prevent a decrease in forward force applied to the pinion moving body. Especially.

[0004]

According to the invention of claim 1, since the pinion rotation restricting member functions as a pinion retreat restricting means for restricting the retreat of the pinion moving body, the pinion rotation restricting member and the pressure receiving means are provided. Can be provided close to each other in the axial direction. As a result, when the outer peripheral surface of the pinion moving body is pressed in the radial direction by the pinion rotation restricting member, a pressing force can be received by the pressure receiving means at a position close to the pressing position in the axial direction or on the side opposite to the pressing position in the radial direction. it can. Therefore, even if the pinion moving body is pressed from the radial direction by the pinion rotation restricting member, the pinion moving body does not tilt (or the tilt can be reduced) with respect to the output shaft. Since it is possible to suppress an increase in sliding resistance that occurs in the above, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the forward force applied to the pinion moving body due to the action of the helical spline.

According to the second aspect of the invention, a bearing for axially supporting the pinion moving body can be used as the pressure receiving means. This can prevent an increase in the number of parts due to the pressure receiving means.

[0006]

Next, a starter according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a half sectional view of a starter. The starter 1 according to the present embodiment includes a starting motor 2 that generates a rotational force.
And an output shaft 3 that rotates by transmitting the rotational force of the starting motor 2, a planetary gear speed reducer (described later) that reduces the rotation speed of the starting motor 2, and an output shaft 3 interposed between the speed reducer and the output shaft 3. A one-way clutch (described later), a pinion moving body (described later) fitted to the outer periphery of the output shaft 3 via a helical spline 3a, and a rotation regulating plate 4 that regulates rotation of the pinion moving body when the starting motor 2 is started. (Pinion rotation restricting member of the present invention), a magnet switch 6 for driving the rotation restricting plate 4 via a cable 5, and the like.

The starting motor 2 has an armature 8 in which both ends of a shaft 7 are rotatably supported via bearings 7a (a bearing on the rear end side is not shown), and fixed magnetic poles arranged on the outer periphery of the armature 8. 9, a cylindrical yoke 10 for holding the fixed magnetic pole 9 on the inner peripheral surface thereof, a brush 12 slidably contacting a commutator 11 provided on the outer periphery of the rear end of the shaft 7, and the like, and an armature 8 through the brush 12. The field coil 9a of the fixed magnetic pole 9 is connected in series. The output shaft 3 has a shaft 7 in front of the armature 8.
The housing 1 is arranged coaxially with the housing 1 through a bearing 13 fitted to the outer circumference of the front end and a bearing 14 fitted to the outer circumference near the rear end.
5 and a center case 16 are rotatably supported.

The speed reducer comprises a sun gear 17 formed on the outer periphery of the tip of the shaft 7, a plurality of planet gears 18 meshing with the sun gear 17, and an internal gear 19 with which each planet gear 18 meshes. The sun gear 17 transmits the rotation of the shaft 7 to each planet gear 18 by rotating integrally with the shaft 7. Each planetary gear 18 is rotatably supported via a bearing 22 on the outer periphery of a pin 21 press-fitted into an outer 20 of a one-way clutch.
7 and the internal gear 19 are meshed with each other and revolve around the outer periphery of the sun gear 17 while rotating. Internal gear 19
Is formed on the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical wall portion 16 a of the center case 16.

The one-way clutch includes an outer 20 and an inner 2
3, a roller 24 and the like. Outer 2
In the case of 0, since the pin 21 that pivotally supports each planet gear 18 is press-fitted, when each planet gear 18 revolves around the outer circumference of the sun gear 17, the orbital force is received and the planet gears 18 rotate together. The inner 23 is provided with the rear end portion of the output shaft 3 enlarged in the radial direction and rotates integrally with the output shaft 3. The roller 24 connects the outer 20 and the inner 23 and transmits the rotation of the outer 20 to the inner 23 when the rotation of the starting motor 2 is transmitted to the outer 20 via the reduction gear. When the rotation speed of the output shaft 3 (that is, the inner 23) becomes higher than that of the outer 20, the outer 20 and the inner 23 are separated from each other to cut off the torque transmission from the inner 23 to the outer 20, thereby overrunning the armature 8. Prevent.

The pinion moving body comprises a pinion gear 26 for meshing with the ring gear 25 of the engine, and a cylindrical portion 27 integrally provided with the pinion gear 26 on the rear side of the pinion gear 26. The pinion gear 26 and the output shaft 3 are provided.
And each other's helical spline 3a (pinion gear 26
The helical splines on the side are fitted via (not shown). Further, the pinion moving body is urged by the spring 29 interposed between the stop collar 28 and the pinion gear 26 on the outer periphery of the output shaft 3 so that the rear end surface of the cylindrical portion 27 abuts on the front end surface of the center case 16. It stands still in the state (state shown in FIG. 1). Furthermore, this pinion moving body
An outer peripheral surface on the upper side in the radial direction of the cylindrical portion 27 is rotatably and slidably supported by a pressure receiving member 30 (pressure receiving means of the present invention) fixed to the housing 15. Stop collar 28
Is for restricting the forward movement of the pinion moving body, and the output shaft 3
It is fixed to the outer periphery of the output shaft 3 via a snap ring 31 that fits in a peripheral groove 3b formed on the outer periphery of the output shaft 3.

The rotation restricting plate 4 is formed in a substantially ring shape having a round hole having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 27 of the pinion moving body, and a gap is formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 27 immediately behind the pressure receiving member 30. It is fitted and held, and is provided so as to be movable only in the vertical direction. The rotation restricting plate 4 has holes 32 (holes at the upper end are not shown) formed at the upper end and the lower end thereof, respectively, and one end of the cable 5 is connected to the hole at the upper end to form the lower end. The center case 1 is in the hole 32 of
The tip end of the leaf spring 33 attached to 6 is engaged, and is normally pulled down in FIG. 1 by the initial elastic force of the leaf spring 33. However, in this state (pulled down state), the rotation restricting plate 4 does not contact the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 27, and the inner peripheral edge of the rotation restricting plate 4 and the cylindrical portion 27 over the entire circumference of the cylindrical portion 27. A certain gap is secured between the outer peripheral surface.

The rotation regulating plate 4 is provided with an armature 8
The operation of the magnet switch 6 is transmitted via the cable 5 before rotating, and is pulled upward in FIG. 1 against the elastic force of the leaf spring 33.
The inner peripheral edge of the lower side contacts the lower outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 27 in a state of being pressed to regulate the rotation of the pinion moving body. The rotation restricting plate 4 is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 27 when the rotation-restricted pinion moving body advances on the output shaft 3 along the helical spline 3a by a predetermined amount. It also functions as a pinion retreat restricting means for restricting the retreat of the pinion moving body by entering into. On the other hand, when the operation of the magnet switch 6 is stopped and the force for pulling up the rotation restricting plate 4 disappears, it is returned to the initial position (the position shown in FIG. 1) by the elastic force of the leaf spring 33.

The magnet switch 6 includes a suction coil 35 and a holding coil 36 wound around a bobbin 34, and a bobbin 34.
A plunger 38 slidably assembled in a sleeve 37 disposed on the inner periphery of the piston, a return spring 39 for urging the plunger 38 upward in FIG. 1, and a pair of insulators 41, 42 on a plunger rod 40. The movable frame 43, the contact spring 44 for applying a contact pressure to the movable contact 43, a set of fixed contacts 46 fixed to the insulator cover 45 facing the movable contact 43, and the like, and the end frame 47. On the rear side, the movement direction of the plunger 38 is arranged orthogonal to the shaft 7 of the starting motor 2. In addition, cable 5
Are inserted into holes (not shown) provided in the yoke 10 of the starting motor 2 and the end frame 47, and are fixed to the pin 48 fixed to the housing 15 and the switch cover 49 of the magnet switch 6. It is assembled so that it can slide smoothly around the pin 50 as a fulcrum.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. When a key switch (not shown) is turned on to energize each coil 35, 36 of the magnet switch 6, each coil 3
Plunger 38 is attracted by the combined magnetic force of 5, 36, and moves downward in FIG. 1 against the elasticity of return spring 39. Since the cable 5 is pulled toward the magnet switch 6 as the plunger 38 moves, the rotation regulating plate 4 is pulled upward in FIG. 1, and the lower inner peripheral edge of the rotation regulating plate 4 is located below the cylindrical portion 27. Abut on the outer peripheral surface while pressing. As a result, the rotation of the pinion moving body is restricted. At this time, the pressing force that the pinion moving body receives from the rotation restricting plate 4 is received by the pressure receiving member 30 that supports the cylindrical portion 27 on the side opposite to the pressing direction.

On the other hand, when the movable contact 43 contacts the set of fixed contacts 46 by the movement of the plunger 38 to close the current circuit of the starting motor 2, the starting motor 2 is energized and the armature 8 starts to rotate. The rotation of the armature 8 is transmitted to the output shaft 3 via the one-way clutch after being decelerated by the speed reducer. As a result, the output shaft 3 rotates, and the pinion moving body also tries to rotate. However, since the rotation of the pinion moving body is restricted by the rotation restricting plate 4, the pinion moving body moves by the action of the helical spline 3a. While pushing 29, it advances on the output shaft 3. As a result, the pinion gear 26 meshed with the ring gear 25 advances by the full stroke and the stop collar 28
When it comes into contact with, the rotation restricting plate 4 that has been engaged with the lower outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical part 27 comes off the cylindrical part 27 and enters the rear side of the cylindrical part 27, so that the rotation restriction of the pinion moving body is released. (See FIG. 2). Then, the rotation of the output shaft 3 is transmitted to the ring gear 25 via the pinion gear 26 and the ring gear 25 rotates, so that the engine is started.

Here, the pinion gear 26 is the ring gear 2.
When the pinion moving body moves forward by the full stroke by meshing with 5, the spring force of the spring 29 for urging the pinion gear 26 increases. Also, after the engine is started, the pinion gear 2
When 6 is rotated at a high speed by the engine via the ring gear 25, a retracting force is applied to the pinion moving body by the action of the helical spline 3a. The retracting force and the elastic force of the spring 29 cause the pinion moving body to retreat on the output shaft 3, but when the rotation regulating plate 4 that has entered the rear side of the cylindrical portion 27 contacts the rear end surface of the cylindrical portion 27, the pinion is moved. Prevent the moving body from retreating.

After that, when the key switch is turned off and the operation of the magnet switch 6 is stopped, the plunger 38 is pushed back by the reaction force of the return spring 39 and returns to the initial position, so that the movable contact 43 constitutes a set of fixed contacts. Open the current circuit away from 46. As a result, the power supply to the starting motor 2 is stopped and the rotation of the armature 8 is stopped. Further, when the plunger 38 returns to the initial position and the cable 5 loosens, the rotation restricting plate 4 that has been pulled upward through the cable 5 is returned to the initial position by the elastic force of the leaf spring 33, so that the rotation restricting plate 4 The restriction on the backward movement of the pinion moving body due to is released. As a result, the pinion moving body is pushed back to the initial position while rotating on the output shaft 3 along the helical spline 3a by the elastic force of the spring 29.

(Effect of this embodiment) Starter 1 of this embodiment
Since the rotation restricting plate 4 can also be used as the pinion retracting restricting means, it is not necessary to separately provide the pinion retracting restricting means between the rotation restricting plate 4 and the pressure receiving member 30. Accordingly, the rotation restricting plate 4 can be provided in the axial direction in proximity to the pressure receiving member 30,
When the rotation restricting plate 4 presses the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 27 from the radial direction, the pressure receiving member 3 is located near the pressing position in the axial direction.
A pressing force of 0 can be applied. As a result, even if the pinion moving body is pressed from the radial direction by the rotation restricting plate 4, the inclination with respect to the output shaft 3 can be made as small as possible, so that the sliding resistance that occurs between the pinion moving body and the output shaft 3 when it advances. Can be suppressed, and a decrease in the forward force applied to the pinion moving body due to the action of the helical spline 3a can be prevented.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 is a half sectional view of the peripheral portion of the pinion moving body. The present embodiment is applied to the overhang type starter 1 in which the front end of the output shaft 3 projects to the outside of the housing 15, and the cylindrical portion 2 of the pinion moving body is used.
7 is supported by the housing 15 via a plain bearing 51. In this case, by arranging the rotation restricting plate 4 near the axial direction of the plain bearing 51, the plain bearing 51 can be used as the pressure receiving means of the present invention. Also, the plain bearing 51
Since it is possible to support the entire peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 27, it is not necessary to specify the pressing direction of the rotation restricting plate 4 against the cylindrical portion 27.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a half sectional view of the peripheral portion of the pinion moving body. This embodiment is applied to an overhang type starter 1 similar to the second embodiment, in which the cylindrical portion 27 of the pinion moving body is supported by the housing 15 via a ball bearing 52. In this case, by arranging the rotation regulating plate 4 in the vicinity of the ball bearing 52 in the axial direction, the ball bearing 52 can be used as the pressure receiving means of the present invention. Further, similarly to the second embodiment, the cylindrical portion 27 is formed by the ball bearing 52.
Since it is possible to support the entire peripheral surface of the above, it is not necessary to specify the pressing direction of the rotation restricting plate 4 against the cylindrical portion 27.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the positional relationship between the pressure receiving member 30 and the rotation restricting plate 4. In the present embodiment, the axial length of the pressure receiving member 30 shown in the first embodiment is extended so that the pressure regulating member 30 extends to the inner peripheral side of the rotation regulating plate 4 as shown in FIG. According to this, the rotation restricting plate 4 can press the cylindrical portion 27 within the range of the axial length of the pressure receiving member 30, so that the inclination of the pinion moving body with respect to the output shaft 3 can be eliminated.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, serrations 27a (a plurality of vertical grooves extending in the axial direction) are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 27, and as shown in FIG. The concavo-convex portion 4b may be formed on the lower inner peripheral surface, and the concavo-convex portion 4b may be engaged with the serration 27a to restrict the rotation of the pinion moving body.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a half sectional view of a starter.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing a state in which a pinion gear meshes with a ring gear.

FIG. 3 is a half sectional view of a peripheral portion of a pinion moving body (second)
Example).

FIG. 4 is a half cross-sectional view of the periphery of the pinion moving body (third embodiment)
Example).

FIG. 5 is a half sectional view of a peripheral portion of a pinion moving body (fourth)
Example).

FIG. 6 is a half cross-sectional view of a peripheral portion of a pinion moving body (fourth)
Example).

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a rotation restricting plate (fourth embodiment).

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Starter 2 Starter motor 3 Output shaft 3a Helical spline 4 Rotation regulation plate (pinion rotation regulation member) 25 Ring gear 26 Pinion gear 27 Cylindrical part (pinion moving body) 30 Pressure receiving member (pressure receiving means) 51 Plain bearing (pressure receiving means) 52 Ball bearing (Pressure receiving means)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An output shaft rotatably driven by a starting motor, a pinion moving body fitted to the output shaft via a helical spline, and a pinion gear provided on the pinion moving body for meshing with an engine ring gear, Before the rotation of the starting motor is transmitted to the output shaft, a pinion rotation restricting member that presses the outer peripheral surface of the pinion moving body from the radial direction to restrict the rotation of the pinion moving body is provided. The member moves into the rear end side of the pinion moving body to retract the pinion moving body when the rotation-controlled pinion moving body moves along the helical spline along the output shaft to the ring gear side by a predetermined amount. A starter that also functions as a pinion retreat restricting means for restricting, wherein the pinion rotation restricting member is the pinion moving body. It has a pressure receiving means for rotatably and slidably supporting the outer peripheral surface of the pinion moving body on the side opposite to the pressing direction for pressing the outer peripheral surface, and the pinion rotation restricting member is close to the pressure receiving means in the axial direction. Starter characterized by being provided. 2. The starter according to claim 1, wherein the pressure receiving means is a bearing that axially supports the pinion moving body.