Abstract: In a pulley apparatus, belt supporting portions of belt support pieces, which support a belt from a radially inside thereof, are arranged along a circumferential direction of a power shaft and each have a predetermined circumferential length. In a pulley driven mode, the belt support pieces rotate about corresponding first supporting members in a direction making the belt supporting portions become closer to the power shaft with second supporting members being relatively moved in corresponding elongated holes toward radially outer ends thereof, causing the belt supporting portions to be reduced in radius. In a pulley driving mode, the belt support pieces rotate about the corresponding first supporting members in a direction making the belt supporting portions become further from the power shaft with the second supporting members being relatively moved in the corresponding elongated holes toward radially inner ends thereof, causing the belt supporting portions to be increased in radius.

Abstract: In a pulley apparatus, belt supporting portions of belt support pieces, which support a belt from a radially inside thereof, are arranged along a circumferential direction of a power shaft and each have a predetermined circumferential length. In a pulley driven mode, the belt support pieces rotate about corresponding first supporting members in a direction making the belt supporting portions become closer to the power shaft with second supporting members being relatively moved in corresponding elongated holes toward radially outer ends thereof, causing the belt supporting portions to be reduced in radius. In a pulley driving mode, the belt support pieces rotate about the corresponding first supporting members in a direction making the belt supporting portions become further from the power shaft with the second supporting members being relatively moved in the corresponding elongated holes toward radially inner ends thereof, causing the belt supporting portions to be increased in radius.

Abstract: A starter for an engine is provided which includes an electromagnetic brake device and a pinion thrust mechanism. The electromagnetic brake device holds a planetary carrier from rotating. The pinion thrust mechanism converts rotational motion of an internal gear into linear motion of a pinion when the rotation of the planetary carrier is locked. The pinion thrust mechanism includes a cylindrical cam cylinder, a starter housing, a thrust collar rotatable relative to the pinion, and an engaging pin. The cam cylinder is joined to the internal gear and has a circumferential extending cam groove. The starter housing has a straight groove traversing the cam groove. The engaging pin engages both the cam groove and the straight groove and is moved linearly with rotation of the cam cylinder. This enables the linear movement of the pinion regardless of a helix angle of the spline mounted on the output shaft.

Abstract: A resilient restricting member of a rotation restricting member which restricts a pinion moving body from rotating is accommodated in a frame of a restricting member holder under a flexed and loaded state so that the rotation restricting member has a sufficient rotation-restricting function as long as the rotary force of the pinion moving body does not exceed the load acting thereon at the time of engagement and restriction of rotation. When a pinion gear abuts the end face of a ring gear and the pinion moving body is restricted from moving forward, the entire rotary force of an output shaft acts on the pinion moving body. The resilient restricting member flexes further in the restricting member holder to allow rotation of the pinion moving body, thus enabling the pinion gear to mesh the ring gear. Thus, the rotary force of the output shaft is converted to the advancing force of the pinion moving body surely even when the spiraling of the helical spline is not so large.

Abstract: A starter for an engine includes a housing. A starter motor in said housing includes a field apparatus including a tubular yoke being provided to form a part of the housing. An annular ventilation passage is provided in the starter defined along an inner periphery of the yoke and being hermetically sealed from an inside of the yoke. A first ventilation hole is defined proximate a bottom portion of the housing for interconnecting an inside of the passage to an outside of the housing. A second ventilation hole is defined proximate a top portion of the ventilation passage for interconnecting the inside of the passage to an inside of the starter motor.

Abstract: An electric rotating machine has an armature coil comprising outer and inner coil trunks disposed in slots of an armature core as well as outer and inner coil arms disposed along an axial side surface of the armature core. The outer coil arms are arranged to operate as a commutator and in slidable contact with brushes. The diameters of the radially outermost parts of the outer coil arms and the brushes are larger than that of the radially outermost surface of the outer conductor. This arrangement assures a larger commutator-brush contact area that reduces current density as well as heat generation in the commutator-brush contact area. As the radially outwardly extending parts of the outer coil arms are exposed to the surrounding air, the outer coil trunk, the outer coil arm and the brushes as well as the radially outwardly extending part are cooled effectively during rotation of the armature core.

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: An overrunning clutch that can absorb the impact torque, and accurately and easily conveys the maximum torque. A clutch outer tubular portion and inner tubular portion are separately fixed on an internal gear and a center case of an epicycle gear reduction mechanism. A wedge-shaped groove is formed on one of an inner circumference of the outer tubular portion and an outer circumference of the inner tubular portion to accomodate a rolling element. A fitting concave portion to fit the rolling element is formed on the other one of the inner circumference of the outer tubular portion and the outer circumference of the inner tubular portion. With this, the torque value generated when the rolling element leaves the fitting concave portion can be accurately set just by setting the depth of the fitting concave portion. The radial force that acts on the opposite direction of the tubular portions holding the rolling element can be reduced.

Abstract: A brush holding device of an "easy-to-assemble" type disposed between a yoke and an end frame of a motor. The device has a brush holder formed in one body from an electrically insulating material to include an annular-type field winding fixing frame, a brush holding stay having a plurality of brush chambers thereon, each of the brush chambers having at least an opening on the side of the end frame, integral connecting portions annularly connecting the spaced brush chambers therebetween, an insulating plate member having relatively rigid body portions to cover the openings of the brush chambers and relatively flexible portions connecting the body portions therebetween, and means for fixing the insulation to the brush holders by deforming the flexible portions of the insulator toward the brush holders. The aforementioned annular fixing frame has a plurality of flanges radially outwardly extending from the outer periphery thereof by which the annular frame is circumferentially axially aligned with the yoke.