Abstract: In a starter having a planetary gear reduction mechanism and a shock absorbing device, a first friction plate of the shock absorbing device is engaged with an internal gear of the reduction mechanism to restrict the internal gear from rotating. A space is provided radially between the internal gear and a housing to allow rotation of the internal gear upon application of an impact shock. A cylindrical member which is harder than the housing is disposed between the space relatively movably against the housing and the internal gear so that the internal gear is restricted from directly contacting the housing.

Abstract: In a one way clutch of a starter having an outer member, inner member and rollers, a planet carrier is formed integrally with the outer member and through holes are formed avoiding cam chambers for rollers so as not to interfere with cam chambers formed in the inner circumferential surface of outer member. At one end portion of outer member, limiting portion for limiting the axial shifting of rollers is integrally formed, and at the other end surface, a limiting plate for limiting the axial shifting of rollers is provided and press-fitted into pins. The limiting portion may be replaced by another limiting plate. Through holes for the through holes are formed at locations where the outer member is radially thick, e.g., between circumferentially adjacent two of the cam chambers.

Abstract: An electric rotating machine and manufacturing method of the same is provided that can securely press-fit magnetic poles against an inner circumference of a yoke with a cylindrical body. By directly contacting a first and second end portions of the cylindrical body and moving the same relatively, the diameter of the cylindrical body widens in the outer radial direction to press-fit the magnetic poles against the inner circumference of the yoke. Thus, the variation of the inner diameter of the magnetic poles that occurs due to the dimensional error in permanent magnet thickness and inner diameter of the yoke is absorbed by the relative movement of the first and second end portions. This stabilizes the fixing force of the magnet, and allows the magnet to be securely fixed to the yoke without excessive stress on the cylindrical body. Furthermore, the displacement of the magnetic poles can be restricted by bending axial ends of the cylindrical body radially outwardly.

Abstract: A starter for an engine, having a ring gear includes an output shaft for slidably holding a pinion gear engageable with the ring gear, a housing having an opening portion that enables the pinion gear to engage with the ring gear when the pinion gear advances, a cover having a shutter, a front wall and a side wall for sliding together with the pinion gear. The shutter opens the opening portion when the pinion gear advances and shuts the most part of the opening portion when the pinion gear retracts. The front wall is provided to cover at least half of a front portion, which faces to the ring gear, of the pinion gear. The side wall is extended from the front wall in a direction parallel to an axis of the output shaft to cover at least half of the gear tooth periphery in a circumferential direction of the pinion gear. When water carried by the rotating ring gear comes to the opening portion when the pinion gear rotates with the ring gear, most of such water is blocked by the gear tooth.

Abstract: To reduce the size of a starter for installing it in a smaller engine compartment, the rotational speed of the starter motor has to be high and it is reduced to a certain speed through a reduction device to obtain a higher torque. To realize a high reduction ratio in a small planetary gear reduction device, an impact force imposed on the device at an instant a starter pinion engages with a engine ring gear and repeating impacts during a cranking period must be reduced. As a coupling between an internal gear and a housing of the reduction device, a flexible or a resilient coupling is disclosed herein. The flexible or resilient coupling relieves an excessive impact force at the engagement by permitting rotation of the internal gear relative to the housing, and reduces noise caused by the cranking impacts by permitting a small vibrating move of the internal gear. The flexible coupling is realized by a combination of a bumpy surface and projections coupled thereto.

Abstract: A starter for cranking an engine is mounted within a heat conductive casing which surrounds a ring gear and a torque converter in such a manner that the starter is disposed radially inside the casing and directly contacts the inside surface of the casing. The casing insulates operational sound of the starter to enhance the quietness in a vehicle compartment. An air flow generated by the torque converter in the casing dissipates the heat from the starter to prevent excessive temperature rise of the starter. The heat generated in the starter is transferred outside through the direct contact between the starter and the casing, enhancing the heat-resisting characteristics of the starter.

Abstract: In a starter having a pinion gear on an output shaft driven by a starter motor, a magnet switch, and a shift lever pivotally connecting the pinion and the magnet switch, the shift lever is formed at one end thereof with an annular arm body for engagement with the pinion gear. The annular arm body is engaged with the pinion gear to receive the pinion returning force evenly thereby to prevent damage on the shift lever. Preferably the annular arm body is engaged with the pinion gear through a plate and a bearing.

Abstract: In a one-way clutch used in a starter for engines, a locking concave for locking a roller thereto is formed on a roller-moving surface of one clutch member having a peripheral surface facing a peripheral surface of the other clutch member having a wedge-shaped groove for accommodating the roller. A resilient member for disengaging the roller from the locking concave at the time of overrunning is accommodated in an annular groove, thus urging the roller radially outwardly. The roller is prevented from colliding with the locking concave at the time of overrunning so that vibrations and noise are not generated.

Abstract: A brush holder is held between a yoke of a starter motor and an end frame made of resin. The brush holder has an engaging guide portion projecting axially therefrom and engaging the yoke and the end frame and a projected peripheral portion projecting outside from peripheral surfaces of the yoke and that of the end frame. The brush holder contacts the yoke and the end frame at cylindrical surfaces thereof and surfaces perpendicular to the cylindrical surfaces. This construction allows the brush holder to be prevented from loosening, thus improving the vibration proof and durability of the brush holder. Further, the brush holder contacts the yoke and the end frame at the cylindrical surfaces thereof and the surfaces perpendicular to the cylindrical surfaces, thus dissipating the heat of a brush through the brush holder and the yoke more efficiently.

Abstract: A starter which reduces the number of parts for a pinion rotation regulation and provides an accurate magnet switch operation. A concave portion is formed on the bottom side of a plunger to store a spherical body set on the rear end of a cord-shaped member, e.g., wire. A male screw and a fixing are used so that the length of the cord-shaped member is adjusted thereby. The length of the string-shaped member is adjusted so that the claw of the pinion rotation regulating member fits into the notch on the outer circumference of a pinion gear. Furthermore, the claw is fit into the notch via the wire when the plunger moves. The cord-shaped member may be replaced by a rod member disposed radially inside or outside the yoke.

Abstract: Rotation of a pinion is regulated by a pinion regulating claw when a starter is actuated. After the pinion engages a ring gear, the regulating claw positioned rearward the pinion regulates the return of the pinion from the ring gear. A thrust bearing including a rolling bearing positioned on the rear face of the pinion absorbs the difference between the rotational speed of the pinion and that of the regulating claw. Such a construction allows only the pinion to move axially and a magnet switch to be made compact and light.

Abstract: A starter is provided that includes a starter motor having an armature core with an armature coil wound therearound and an armature shaft for rotatably holding the armature core. A drive shaft is further provided having a pinion that meshes with a ring gear of an engine. A reduction gear mechanism is interposed between the drive shaft and the armature shaft for reducing the rotation relative to the armature shaft to transmit the reduction rotation to the drive shaft. The reduction gear mechanism has a speed reduction ratio of 6:1 to 10:1.

Abstract: In a small starter motor which has a substantially closed space therein, it is necessary to blow out brush dust particles therefrom. On a coil end surface or both coil end surfaces of an armature, a fan generating an air circulation is formed utilizing gaps formed between individual coil ends on the surface without adding any other parts. Also, a side wall is disposed next to the coil end surface in parallel thereto which closes an axial end of a yoke in which the armature is coaxially disposed. In the space formed between the side wall and the coil end surface, an air circulation is generated when the armature rotates. The side wall has an air inlet hole and the yoke has an air outlet hole. Air coming into the space from the air inlet hole is blown out from the air outlet hole by the circulation generated by the fan made on the coil end surface. The brush dust particles are blown out by the circulated air, and the coil ends are cooled off at the same time.

Abstract: Around the outer circumference of an armature core 520, there are arranged a stator core 558 and a stator coil 559 wound on the stator core 558, forming a fixed magnetic field device. The stator coil 559 has its one end portion arranged in the space at the outer circumference of a planetary gear speed reduction mechanism 300, i.e., at the outer circumference of a center bracket 360. A motor partition 800 is formed with a stepped portion 810 so as to accommodate the aforementioned one end portion. On the other hand, the other end of the stator coil 559 is arranged in the space at the outer circumference of a brush 910. In short, the planetary gear speed reduction mechanism 300 has its external diameter made smaller than the inner circumferential diameter of the stator coil 559.

Abstract: An attracting coil is directly wound on a non-magnetic heat-conductive sleeve and a plunger contacts the sleeve in a starter. An influence of heat generated through current flow to a motor and heat generated at the attracting coil through current flow to the attracting coil itself are transmitted and released from the attracting coil directly to the plunger. Therefore, decline of the attracting force of the attracting coil is prevented. A magnet switch is provided in the vicinity of the opposite end of a pinion of the motor. Thus, when the starter is mounted on an engine, the starter does not interfere with the engine and the mounting work is facilitated.

Abstract: In a starter motor for a starter, a plurality of permanent magnets are arranged circumferentially inside a cylindrical yoke and outside an armature. A cylindrical sleeve is fitted with the permanent magnets to radially outwardly fix the permanent magnets to the yoke. A discharge hole for discharging a cooling air from the inside to the outside of the motor is formed on the bottom of the yoke at a position between the adjacent two of the permanent magnets. The sleeve restricts the splash water from entering directly inside the motor through the discharge hole.

Abstract: An electric rotating machine and manufacturing method of the same is provided that can securely press-fit magnetic poles against an inner circumference of a yoke with a cylindrical body. By directly contacting a first and second end portions of the cylindrical body and moving the same relatively, the diameter of the cylindrical body widens in the outer radial direction to press-fit the magnetic poles against the inner circumference of the yoke. Thus, the variation of the inner diameter of the magnetic poles that occurs due to the dimensional error in permanent magnet thickness and inner diameter of the yoke is absorbed by the relative movement of the first and second end portions. This stabilizes the fixing force of the magnet, and allows the magnet to be securely fixed to the yoke without excessive stress on the cylindrical body. Furthermore, the displacement of the magnetic poles can be restricted by bending axial ends of the cylindrical body radially outwardly.

Abstract: An electric rotating machine which withstands mechanical and thermal loads applied thereto is provided. Coil arms and coil trunks are provided in roughly parallel orientation to the end faces of an armature core only through insulating rings and insulating spacers. Metal brush is disposed on coil arms constituting a commutator, whereby the overall length of the armature can be remarkably shortened. The coil arms are strongly pressed against and fixed to the side of armature core by a collar, so that the resistance to the centrifugal force can be remarkably improved. A cylindrical ring is circumferentially fitted on the upper coil trunks to prevent radially outward movement of the coil arms due to the centrifugal force. The coil arms disposed in a non-commutator side are made radially shorter than those disposed in the commutator side. Thus, electric resistance of an armature coil is reduced and radial movement caused by the centrifugal force is reduced.

Abstract: A starter having a speed reduction mechanism that can reduce the mechanical and thermal loads that harm a starter motor. By setting the upper and lower coil ends and of upper and lower armature coils approximately parallel to the end side of the armature core, and by connecting the upper coil end and lower coil end, the upper and lower coil ends can be stored in an axially projecting small space adjacent the armature core. As a result, the anti-centrifugal force of the armature can be increased, and the mechanical load applied to the starter motor can be drastically reduced. As the upper and lower coil ends are near the armature core, the heat generated by the upper and lower coil ends is easily dissipated to the armature core, and the thermal load applied to the starter motor can be reduced.

Abstract: A starter which reduces the number of parts for a pinion rotation regulation and provides an accurate magnet switch operation. A concave portion is formed on the bottom side of a plunger to store a spherical body set on the rear end of a cord-shaped member, e.g., wire. A male screw is formed on the inner wall of the concave portion, and a fixing screw that fixes the spherical body is screwed into this male screw so that the length of the cord-shaped member is adjusted. The length of the string-shaped member is adjusted so that when a plunger shaft moves upward and a lower movable contact contacts a terminal bolt, the claw of the pinion rotation regulating member fits into the notch on the outer circumference of a pinion gear. Furthermore, the claw is is fit into the notch via the wire when the plunger moves.