Abstract: In an engine starter comprising: a DC electric motor; an output shaft; a pinion unit; a reduction gear unit for transmitting an output of the electric motor to the pinion unit through the output shaft; a solenoid device for axially moving the pinion unit into mesh with a ring gear of the engine; a cover member for surrounding at least the pinion and the reduction gear unit, the cover member having an opening facing the electric motor; a substantially cylindrical member for surrounding the electric motor so as to serve as a yoke for the electric motor; a disk-shaped plate for covering an end of the electric motor facing away from the pinion unit; and an annular separator disposed between the reduction gear unit and the electric motor so as to separate them from each other, the disk-shaped plate is provided with at least one axial protrusions for engaging an inner surface of one end portion of the substantially cylindrical member so as to align the disk-shaped plate and the substantially cylindrical member with

Abstract: In an engine starter, to facilitate the assembling of a solenoid assembly, an annular outer peripheral wall is formed in the casing for receiving the energization solenoid assembly and to secure the solenoid assembly by crimping a free end of the annular outer peripheral wall onto an axial end of the solenoid assembly, and the energization solenoid assembly is fitted into the bore defined by the annular outer peripheral wall by engaging the outer periphery of the solenoid assembly with three fingers of an assembly tool. A plurality of crimping portions are defined by a plurality of recesses provided along the circumferential direction of the free end of the annular outer peripheral wall so that the fingers of an assembling tool when inserting the solenoid assembly are not interfered by the annular outer peripheral wall.

Abstract: In an engine starter according to the present invention, an annular stopper disposed between the pinion unit and the solenoid device so as to determine the rest position of the pinion unit is formed with a tongue projecting radially outwardly from its outer periphery, and a shoulder surface defined in the gear cover so as to abut an end surface of the solenoid device and thereby determine the axial position of the solenoid device is formed with a recess for receiving the tongue of the annular stopper, with the tongue and the recess being dimensioned with respect to each other so as to allow the tongue to be resiliently interposed between the recessed part of the shoulder surface and the end surface of the solenoid device and to define a space which accommodates a corresponding deformation of the tongue.

Abstract: In an engine starter including a solenoid device for actuating a switch for the electric motor and to drive the pinion into mesh with the ring gear of an internal combustion engine, the solenoid device includes an armature outer member which moves in the direction to push out the pinion against the spring force of a first return spring in the energized state of the solenoid device, and an armature inner member which is resiliently urged by a second return spring, and is telescopically disposed with respect to the armature outer member with a coil spring interposed coaxially between them. An annular spring retainer is press fitted into the inner bore of the armature outer member to receive a corresponding coil end of the coil spring.

Abstract: In a starter for an internal combustion engine, comprising: a pinion; shift mechanism for moving the pinion into mesh with a ring gear of the engine; a housing for accommodating the pinion and the shift mechanism; an electric motor for rotating the pinion; a substantially cylindrical motor casing for accommodating the electric motor; a contact unit for selectively providing electric power to the electric motor; a brush holder stay disposed between the housing and the motor casing, the brush holder stay having a cavity opened toward the motor casing and the contact unit being mounted in the cavity; and a cover for covering the cavity of the brush holder stay, the cover is made of a flexible member so that the cover is naturally curved, and the cover is disposed between the brush holder stay and the motor casing with its concave surface facing the brush holder stay so that the cover is pushed toward the brush holder stay by an axial end of the motor casing.

Abstract: In an electric motor comprising a plurality of permanent magnets (46) surrounding a motor armature (52) for supplying field flux to the armature, a cylindrical magnet cover (47) is fitted into an inner circumferential surface defined by the permanent magnets to protect the permanent magnets against chipping and other damages. The magnet cover is further provided with a radial flange (47b) having guide holes (47c) formed therein so that set bolts (48) passed axially inside the motor casings may be favorably guided as they are inserted from one axial end of the motor casing to the other. Preferably, to better guide the bolts, the guide holes may be each provided with a cylindrical guide boss (50, 51) which may be formed either by burring or cutting and lifting a part of the material of the flange.

Abstract: In a distributed computer system including a plurality of computers connected to each other via a communication path in which each computer executes processing by use of resources of the other, there is generated schedule information defining a schedule of transferring a status of each computer from one status to another status so as to achieve automatic operation of the computer according to the generated schedule information. One of the computers is used to gather, for each of the computers for which schedule information is to be generated, information of dependence including description of dependence to be held between the computer and other computers at the status transition. According to the collected information of dependence, there is created a dependent graph representing dependence between the computers for the whole system. Generated from the dependent graph is schedule information for each computer.

Abstract: In a starter (1) for an internal combustion engine including a planetary gear type reduction gear unit (2) and a housing (17) for accommodating at least the reduction gear unit (2), a recess (51) is formed at a lower part (17a) of the housing (17) in an installed state of the starter (1) in a manner that the recess (51) is formed in an inner periphery of the housing (17) so as to define a drain passage (51) extending substantially axially, and a part (52) of an outer periphery of a first annular member (12), which constitutes a part of the reduction gear unit (2), protrudes into the recess (51). Thus, the protruding part (52) of the outer periphery of the first annular member (12) forms a labyrinth structure in the drain passage (51) defined by the recess (51) formed in the inner periphery of the housing (17), to thereby effectively prevent water from entering the housing (17) through the drain passage (51) without substantially impeding the passage of water from the housing (17) to the outside.

Abstract: A service utilization information collection apparatus in a system including a plurality of computers interconnected through a network acquires names of computers which utilize services provided by a server machine and service utilization status from any one of the computers in the system, and includes a user command which may be executed in any one of the computers, and a service monitor and a local service monitor. A service to be monitored and a name of the server which provides the service are inputted to the user command which is sent to the service monitor. The service monitor issues a service utilization information collection request to the local service monitor operating on each of the computers. The service utilization information collected by the local service monitor is sent to the user through the service monitor and the user command.

Abstract: Disclosed is a connector mounted to the surface of a printed circuit board including a housing having terminal receiving recesses and a plurality of terminals stamped from a surface plated metal sheet. The terminals have an intermediate section with a vertical axis, a lower section extending from the intermediate section with a transition section located out of the vertical axis and being generally C-shaped and a generally horizontal foot extending from the transition section and aligned with the vertical axis.