Abstract: In order to facilitate the assembly of the brush assembly and to improve the productivity, the brush device includes a positive side brush subassembly having a positive side brush for feeding a commutator, a positive side brush holder for holding the positive side brush, and a positive side plate to which the positive side brush holder is attached, and a negative side brush subassembly having a negative side brush for feeding the commutator, a negative side brush holder for holding the negative side brush, and a negative side plate to which the negative side brush holder is attached. The positive side brush subassembly and the negative side brush subassembly are combined with each other.

Abstract: A first brush holder is assembled to a core-side connection plate by inserting a slit insertion portion into a slit from an outer circumferential side of the core-side connection plate, and a radial outside position of the first brush holder to the core-side connection plate is regulated by both sides in a circumferential direction of a first slit being inserted into a pair of guiding grooves. A radial outside position of the brush holder is regulated by being fixed to a counter-core-side connection plate by press-fitting a convex portion provided on a counter-core-side of the first brush holder into a second slit of a counter-core-side connection plate. A second brush holder is assembled to the counter-core-side connection plate from an outer circumferential side of the counter-core-side connection plate, and a radial outside position is regulated by the core-side connection plate.

Abstract: A positive connection plate of a DC motor includes a fitting groove to enable assembling a specific brush holder thereto. The specific brush holder includes a convex part that fits in the fitting groove and a stepped surface having a step at a radially outer side of the convex part, and located at the opposite-core side of its armature from a core-side end surface of the convex part. A space existing in an axial stepped area which is located at the core side from the stepped surface and in which the step is formed is a stepped space. A drawing member is drawn from a position which circumferentially overlaps with the specific brush holder to the outside of a motor case, and is disposed so as to overlap with the stepped space in the axial direction.

Abstract: A starter for an internal combustion engine includes a rotating shaft formed with a helical spline on an outer periphery thereof and which rotates by a rotation of a motor, a pinion gear helically splined to the rotating shaft and movable in an axial direction of the rotating shaft along a tooth surface of the helical spline, a lever receiving member disposed opposing an end surface in an axial direction of the pinion gear, moved by receiving an axial pushing force by a pushing member, and causing the pinion gear to engage with a ring gear of the internal combustion engine by a movement thereof, and a buffer member for restricting a movement of the pinion gear in a rotational direction when the pinion gear moves along the teeth surface of the helical spline.

Abstract: A brush holder has a core side position regulator engaged with a first connection plate to regulate a relative position. The core side position regulator has a projection part projected toward an armature core in the axial direction, and a fitting groove portion defined on both sides of the projection part in a circumferential direction. The relative position in the circumferential direction is regulated by an engagement between the projection part and a slit of the first connection plate. The relative position in the axial direction is regulated by an engagement between sides of the slit and the fitting groove portion. A width of the projection part in the circumferential direction is larger than a width of a brush in the circumferential direction.

Abstract: A starter includes a coil spring disposed between a pinion gear and a motor and a buffer rubber disposed between the pinion gear and the coil spring. When the pinion gear is subjected to a reactive force from an engine, the buffer rubber absorbs the impact. Before the impact acts on the pinion gear, the coil spring is subjected to a given initial load. When the impact acts on the pinion gear, the coil spring absorbs it transmitted through the buffer rubber. The cover in which the coil spring is stored has a flange which is held from moving to the pinion gear in response to expansion of the coil spring, while it is permitted to move to the motor in response to contraction of the coil spring. This eliminates a risk that mechanical noise occurs when the pinion gear is advanced and then brought into mesh with the engine.

Abstract: A series-coupling component for a battery pack includes a circular plate-shaped bulkhead portion, a cylinder portion taking the bulkhead portion as a top surface and opening downward, an upper end side of the unit battery being inserted into the cylinder portion, and a wall surface portion erected upwardly along a peripheral edge of the bulkhead portion to hold a lower end side of the unit battery, separated by a cutout portion from an upper end of a cylindrical side surface up to a top surface of the bulkhead portion at a part of the cylindrical side surface that opens at the upper side taking the bulkhead portion as a bottom, the bulkhead portion has a hole that communicates in an up and down direction and a groove that has a rectangular cross-section on a top surface and opens at peripheral edges of the hole and the bulkhead portion.

Abstract: An engine starting apparatus is equipped with a starter which, when it is required to start an engine, moves a pinion to establish engagement with a ring gear coupled to the engine and energizes an electric motor to produce and transmit torque to the ring gear through the pinion for cranking the engine. When the rate of decrease in current flowing in the electric motor or the rate of rise in voltage appearing at a terminal of the starter or a power supply for the electric motor exceeds a given value after the engine starts being cranked, the engine starting apparatus works as a firing-up determiner to determine that the engine has been fully fired up.

Abstract: An engine starting apparatus is provided which is equipped with a starter, an inrush current reducer, and a starter mode switch. The inrush current reducer works to reduce an inrush current flowing through an electric motor installed in the starter when the electric motor is energized. The starter mode switch works to change a starter characteristic that is an output characteristic of the starter continuously or selectively at least between a low-torque/high-speed mode and a high-torque/low-speed mode. The starter mode switch places the starter in the high-torque/low-speed mode at least at a time when a piston of the engine is passing a top dead center, and the engine friction has been just maximized for the first time after the starter is actuated to crank the engine. This shortens a period of time required to start up the engine without sacrificing beneficial effects offered by the inrush current reducer.

Abstract: An apparatus for starting an engine, including an inertia-engagement-type starter. In the apparatus, a starter-characteristic switching mechanism is configured to switch an output characteristic of the starter between a plurality of output characteristics including at least a low-torque high-speed characteristic and a high-torque low-speed characteristic, where the output characteristic of the starter is hereinafter referred to a starter characteristic.

Abstract: An apparatus for starting an engine, capable of switching output characteristics of a starter without an electronic control unit (ECU) controlling field current flowing through field coils. The apparatus includes a starter including a wound-field-type brushed direct current (DC) motor, a bypass path electrically connected in parallel with at least part of field coils of the motor, and a switch provided along the bypass path and configured to render the bypass path conducting or non-conducting.

Abstract: A motor includes a stator that has pole cores and a stator coil comprised of unit coils each being concentratedly wound around a corresponding one of the pole cores. Each of the unit coils is comprised of first and second sub-coils that are stacked in two layers in a stacking direction. Each of the first and second sub-coils is spirally wound so that coil sides of the sub-coil overlap each other in an overlapping direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. Each of the unit coils also has, at a single place, a connecting portion that connects the first and second sub-coils of the unit coil. The connecting portion is provided in a coil end of the unit coil. For each of the first and second sub-coils of the unit coil, the connecting portion is located at an innermost periphery of the sub-coil in the overlapping direction of the sub-coil.

Abstract: A DC motor includes a cylindrical yoke constituting a magnetic path, pole cores fixed to an inner periphery of the yoke so as to be arranged at even intervals along a circumferential direction of the yoke, and a field conductor that generates a magnetic field to magnetize the pole cores when supplied with a current. The field conductor includes inter-core conductors each of which extends in an axial direction of the yoke so as to be disposed between circumferentially adjacent pole cores. Each of the inter-core conductors is formed by integrating a first conductor part that generates a magnetic field to be applied to one of the circumferentially adjacent pole cores and a second conductor part that generates a magnetic field to be applied to the other of the circumferentially adjacent pole cores.

Abstract: A positive connection plate of a DC motor includes a fitting groove to enable assembling a specific brush holder thereto. The specific brush holder includes a convex part that fits in the fitting groove and a stepped surface having a step at a radially outer side of the convex part, and located at the opposite-core side of its armature from a core-side end surface of the convex part. A space existing in an axial stepped area which is located at the core side from the stepped surface and in which the step is formed is a stepped space. A drawing member is drawn from a position which circumferentially overlaps with the specific brush holder to the outside of a motor case, and is disposed so as to overlap with the stepped space in the axial direction.

Abstract: An electromagnetic solenoid of a starter includes: a main solenoid forming an electromagnet to pull a plunger when being energized, a contact unit that controls the motor current ON and OFF. The contact unit includes a motor power switch including fixed contacts and a movable contact driven by the main solenoid; a regulation member disposed to be movable between a regulated position and a released position and a sub solenoid that drives the regulation member to the regulated position and releases the regulation member to the released position. The sub solenoid drives the regulation member to the regulated position before the motor power switch is closed to regulate movement of the movable contact and releases the regulation member to the released position when a predetermined time elapses after the plunger is pulled by the electromagnet to release the movable contact.

Abstract: A first brush holder is assembled to a core-side connection plate by inserting a slit insertion portion into a slit from an outer circumferential side of the core-side connection plate, and a radial outside position of the first brush holder to the core-side connection plate is regulated by both sides in a circumferential direction of a first slit being inserted into a pair of guiding grooves. A radial outside position of the brush holder is regulated by being fixed to a counter-core-side connection plate by press-fitting a convex portion provided on a counter-core-side of the first brush holder into a second slit of a counter-core-side connection plate. A second brush holder is assembled to the counter-core-side connection plate from an outer circumferential side of the counter-core-side connection plate, and a radial outside position is regulated by the core-side connection plate.

Abstract: A brush holder has a core side position regulator engaged with a first connection plate to regulate a relative position. The core side position regulator has a projection part projected toward an armature core in the axial direction, and a fitting groove portion defined on both sides of the projection part in a circumferential direction. The relative position in the circumferential direction is regulated by an engagement between the projection part and a slit of the first connection plate. The relative position in the axial direction is regulated by an engagement between sides of the slit and the fitting groove portion. A width of the projection part in the circumferential direction is larger than a width of a brush in the circumferential direction.

Abstract: An electromagnetic solenoid that controls a motor current of a starter includes: a first switch including a pair of first fixed contacts and a first movable contact, intermitting the motor current; a suppression resistor that suppresses the motor current; a second switch including a pair of second fixed contacts and a second movable contact, making a short circuit path to bypass the suppression resistor; a regulation member being driven by a sub solenoid, regulating the second switch being closed and releasing the second switch from being regulated after predetermined time elapses when a plunger is pulled by a main electromagnet. The regulation member is disposed between a regulated position and a released position to regulate the second switch.

Abstract: An electromagnetic solenoid that controls a motor current of a starter includes: a first switch including first fixed contacts and a first movable contact, intermitting the motor current; a suppression resistor that suppresses the motor current; a second switch including second fixed contacts and a second movable contact, making a short circuit path to bypass the suppression resistor; a first regulation member being driven by a first solenoid, regulating the first switch being closed and releasing the first switch from being regulated after predetermined time elapses; and a second regulation member being driven by a second solenoid, regulating the second switch being closed and releasing the second switch from being regulated after predetermined time elapses when the first switch is released from regulated state. The first and second regulation members are disposed between a regulated position and a released position to regulate the first and second switches.

Abstract: An engine starting apparatus is provided which is equipped with a starter, an inrush current reducer, and a starter mode switch. The inrush current reducer works to reduce an inrush current flowing through an electric motor installed in the starter when the electric motor is energized. The starter mode switch works to change a starter characteristic that is an output characteristic of the starter continuously or selectively at least between a low-torque/high-speed mode and a high-torque/low-speed mode. The starter mode switch places the starter in the high-torque/low-speed mode at least at a time when a piston of the engine is passing a top dead center, and the engine friction has been just maximized for the first time after the starter is actuated to crank the engine. This shortens a period of time required to start up the engine without sacrificing beneficial effects offered by the inrush current reducer.