JP5204874B2 - Starter pinion transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pinion transfer device for a starter in which a pinion is engaged with or released from a ring gear by a seesaw rotation of a shift lever.

  Conventionally, as shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-161724 (Patent Document 1), the shift lever is rotated in accordance with the reciprocating movement of the plunger of the electromagnetic switch, and the pinion meshes with the ring gear. Starters to be released are known. In the case of the starter disclosed in Patent Document 1, the straddle formed on the shift lever straddles the overrunning clutch. A shift piece provided rotatably at both ends of the straddling portion is engaged with a groove formed in the outer circumferential surface of the clutch housing along the circumferential direction, and the shift lever is shifted as the seesaw rotates. The pinion is engaged with or released from the ring gear by moving the overrunning clutch through the piece.

  Further, grease is applied to these surfaces in order to suppress wear generated on the contact surfaces of the shift piece and the overrunning clutch.

  On the other hand, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-115725 (Patent Document 2), a clutch is provided on the motor side of the former starter to push the output shaft to the engine side without moving the clutch. In the starter, the contact surface of the output shaft with the shift piece always rotates at the same rotational speed as the pinion. In this case, when the pinion is rotated by the ring gear of the engine, the number of rotations of the contact surface with the shift piece is several times larger than that of the former starter, so that the friction of the shift piece also increases.

  For this reason, in the starter disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is possible to prevent grease from being depleted from the contact surface between the output shaft and the shift piece by providing a grease groove or a grease scattering prevention wall on the circular ring-shaped shift piece. , Suppresses friction. Further, the shift piece is formed in a circular ring shape to increase the area in contact with the output shaft, and the wear is suppressed by reducing the surface pressure.

  On the other hand, as shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho 63-129165 (Patent Document 3), the shape of the shift piece is substantially C-shaped with an opening enough to allow the output shaft to pass through, and the assemblability is improved. Some have secured the area in contact with the output shaft without sacrificing.

JP 2006-161724 A JP 2008-115725 A JP 63-129165 A

As disclosed in Patent Document 3 above, a substantially C-shaped shift piece is rotatably engaged with both ends of the straddle portion of the shift lever, and output through the shift piece as the shift lever is rotated. In the starter pinion transfer device that moves the shaft, the grease applied between the shift piece and the output shaft is spun from the opening of the shift piece and the gap between the shift piece and the flange of the output shaft as the output shaft rotates at high speed. There is a problem of scattering by force. In addition, when the shift piece and the output shaft generate heat due to friction, the temperature of the grease increases, the viscosity decreases, and the grease flows out in the ground direction. When grease is depleted due to these problems, it becomes impossible to sufficiently suppress the wear of the shift piece and the output shaft.

  On the other hand, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, when the shift piece is formed in a circular ring shape, since there is no opening, it is possible to suppress the scattering of grease as compared with the substantially C-shaped shift piece. However, the point that the grease scatters from the gap between the shift piece and the flange portion of the output shaft and the point that the grease whose viscosity is lowered due to the temperature rise are not changed. In addition, the circular ring-shaped shift piece needs to be fitted into the output shaft prior to assembling the washer serving as the flange portion of the output shaft, and may not be employed in the starter due to this assembly problem.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and it is possible to prevent the grease from scattering from the opening of the substantially C-shaped shift piece and to maintain the grease for a long period of time. Also, it is intended to obtain a starter pinion moving device that suppresses wear of the shift piece and the output shaft by continuously supplying the retained grease to the contact surface between the shift piece and the output shaft. is there.

A pinion transfer device for a starter according to the present invention includes an output shaft having a pinion gear that transmits a rotational force to a ring gear that starts an internal combustion engine, an electromagnetic switch that generates a thrust that meshes the ring gear and the pinion gear, and the electromagnetic switch And a shift lever that moves the output shaft in the axial direction by transmitting the thrust of the shift shaft to the output shaft. In a starter pinion transfer device that is axially restricted by inserting a combined substantially C-shaped shift piece between two flanges formed on the output shaft, an opening of the shift piece engages the cover, to form a ring surrounding said output shaft by the shift piece and the cover, the cover is grease on the output shaft side surface In which depressions are provided store.

According to the starter pinion transfer device according to the present invention, the scattering of grease is suppressed to the same level as when a circular ring-shaped shift piece is used while using a substantially C-shaped shift piece having excellent assemblability with the above configuration. As a result, wear of the shift piece and the output shaft can be suppressed , and further, grease can be filled in the recesses in advance and can be held.

It is a general view which shows a part of starter concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention in a section. It is a principal part enlarged view of the pinion transfer apparatus shown in FIG. It is the figure which looked at the pinion transfer device shown in FIG. 2 from the ring gear side. It is the figure which looked at the pinion transfer device concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention from the ring gear side. It is a figure explaining the pinion transfer apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the pinion transfer apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the pinion transfer apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention.

  Preferred embodiments of a starter pinion transfer device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and includes various design changes.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 is an overall view showing, in section, a part of a starter according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the upper direction is the celestial direction, and the lower direction is the ground direction. In the following description, there is a ring gear (not shown) for starting the internal combustion engine on the right side of the drawing, which is called the ring gear side, and the left side is called the motor side. Further, the upper side of the center line of the output shaft 1 shows when the starter 100 is not operating, and the lower side shows when the starter 100 is operating and the pinion 1a is engaged with the ring gear. 2 is an enlarged view of the pinion transfer device of the starter 100, and FIG. 3 is a view of the pinion transfer device shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the ring gear side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a starter 100 includes an output shaft 1 having a pinion 1a for transmitting a rotational force to a ring gear for starting an internal combustion engine, and an electromagnetic switch 2 for generating a thrust force for engaging the pinion 1a with the ring gear. And the shift lever 3 that transmits the thrust of the electromagnetic switch 2 to the output shaft 1 and moves the output shaft 1 in the axial direction, the motor unit 4 that generates the rotational force that rotates the ring gear, and the motor unit 4. A reduction mechanism 5 that decelerates the rotational force and an overrunning clutch 6 that transmits only one direction of the rotational force from the reduction mechanism 5 to the output shaft 1 are provided.

  The motor unit 4 side of the output shaft 1 is helically connected to the overrunning clutch 6, and the ring gear side is slidably supported by a bearing 7 a provided on the front bracket 7. The output shaft 1 side of the shift lever 3 is formed in a bifurcated shape as shown in FIGS. A substantially C-shaped shift piece 8 formed of a resin that is rotatably connected is attached to the distal end portion 3 a of the shift lever 3, and is rotatably fitted between two flanges provided on the output shaft 1. Yes. Of the two flanges, the ring gear side is constituted by a ring gear side lever washer 9 whose movement in the axial direction is restricted by a flange portion 1 b provided on the output shaft 1, and the other is a groove portion 1 c provided on the output shaft 1. The motor side lever washer 11 is controlled to move in the axial direction by a substantially C-shaped retaining ring 10 fitted into the motor.

  Further, the cover 12 is fixed to the shift piece 8 at the opening of the shift piece 8 with a cover fixing screw 13. The abutment surfaces of the shift piece 8 and the cover 12 are provided with a guide 8a and a guide groove 12a, respectively, which function as a guide when the cover 12 is inserted into the shift piece 8, and when the cover fixing screw 13 is tightened. The assemblability is improved by preventing the cover 12 from rotating together with the screw 13.

  According to the starter pinion transfer device according to the first embodiment configured as described above, the ring that surrounds the output shaft 1 is formed by the shift piece 8 and the cover 12, so that the amount of grease scattered is shifted in a circular ring shape. It becomes possible to suppress to the same level as when a piece is used.

  Further, by aligning the height of the end face on the ring gear side of the cover 12 and the shift piece 8, it is possible to increase the contact area between the ring formed by both of them and the lever washer 9 on the ring gear side to reduce the surface pressure. is there. The same applies to the end face on the motor unit 4 side and the lever washer 11 on the motor unit 4 side.

  On the other hand, with respect to the assemblability, the shift piece 8 is attached to the output shaft 1 after the lever washer 11 on the motor unit 4 side and the substantially C-shaped retaining ring 10 are assembled to the output shaft 1 like the substantially C-shaped shift piece. It is possible to be fitted in, and there is no restriction of the assembly order as in the case of the circular ring-shaped shift piece. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the scattering of grease to the same level as when a circular ring-shaped shift piece is used while using a substantially C-shaped shift piece that is excellent in assemblability.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, a pinion transfer device for a starter according to Embodiment 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view for explaining the starter pinion transfer device according to the second embodiment. The difference from the starter pinion transfer device shown in FIG. 3 is that a snap fit is used as means for engaging the cover 12 with the shift piece 8. The cover 12 is provided with a hook-shaped protrusion 12 b, and the cover 12 is engaged with the shift piece 8 by being pushed into the groove 8 b of the shift piece 8. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the illustration and description are omitted.

  As a result, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and a part for engaging the cover 12 with the shift piece 8 such as the cover fixing screw 13 becomes unnecessary. In addition, the ease of assembling is improved because the cover 12 can be inserted into and engaged with the shift piece 8 at a time.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
Next, a pinion transfer device for a starter according to Embodiment 3 will be described. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view for explaining the starter pinion transfer device according to the third embodiment. The difference from the starter pinion transfer device shown in FIG. 4 described above is that a plurality of grease grooves 12c are provided on the side surface of the cover 12 on the output shaft 1 side, and other configurations are the same as in the second embodiment. Therefore, the illustration explanation is omitted.

  As a result, the same effects as those of the second embodiment can be obtained, and more grease can be attached to and retained on the surface by increasing the area of the side surface of the cover 12 on the output shaft 1 side. .

Embodiment 4 FIG.
Next, a pinion transfer device for a starter according to Embodiment 4 will be described. FIG. 6 is an overall view of the cover 12 of the starter pinion transfer device according to the fourth embodiment, and the left side of the center line is a cross-sectional view. The difference from the starter pinion transfer device shown in FIG. 4 is that a recess 12d is provided on the side surface of the cover 12 on the output shaft 1 side, and other configurations are the same as in the second embodiment. The illustration is omitted.

  As a result, the same effect as in the second embodiment can be obtained, and a large amount of grease can be prefilled in the recess 12d and held. The grease held in the recess 12d leaks little by little to the surface of the ring gear side lever washer 9 and the motor side lever washer 11 due to the impact of the rotation of the shift lever 3, thereby lubricating the lever washer and the shift piece 8. Reduce wear.

  In addition, by providing the cover 12 in the ground direction, even when the viscosity of the grease decreases due to heat, the grease accumulated in the recess 12d remains without flowing out, so that the shift piece 8 is heated by friction or high temperature. It can prevent grease depletion in the environment.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
Next, a pinion transfer device for a starter according to Embodiment 5 will be described. FIG. 7 is an overall view of the cover 12 of the starter pinion transfer device according to the fifth embodiment. The difference from the starter pinion transfer device shown in FIG. 6 is that a grease leakage amount adjusting groove 12e leading from the recess 12d of the cover 12 to the ring gear side end surface is provided. 4 and is not shown in the figure.

  Accordingly, it is possible to increase the amount of grease that leaks from the recess 12d of the cover 12 to the surface of the lever washer 9 on the ring gear side due to the impact of the rotation of the shift lever 3. By setting the presence / absence of the grease leakage amount adjusting groove 12e and the size thereof on the ring gear side and the motor unit 4 side, the amount of grease leakage can be arbitrarily adjusted.

  In the first to fifth embodiments, the cover 12 is formed of resin, and various elements such as the guide groove 12a and the hook-shaped protrusion 12b can be formed simultaneously with the forming. Is easy to mold.

1 output shaft 1a pinion 1b flange 1c groove 2 electromagnetic switch 3 shift lever 3a tip 4 motor 5 speed reduction mechanism 6 overrunning clutch 7 front bracket 7a bearing 8 shift piece 8a guide 8b groove 9 lever washer 10 on the ring gear side Wheel 11 Motor part side lever washer 12 Cover 12a Guide groove 12b Gutter-like protrusion 12c Grease groove 12d Recess 12e Grease leakage adjustment groove 13 Cover fixing screw 100 Starter

Claims (4)

An output shaft comprising a pinion gear for transmitting rotational force to a ring gear for starting an internal combustion engine;
An electromagnetic switch for generating a thrust for meshing the ring gear and the pinion gear;
A shift lever that transmits the thrust of the electromagnetic switch to the output shaft and moves the output shaft in the axial direction;
The output shaft side of the shift lever is formed in a bifurcated shape, and a substantially C-shaped shift piece that is rotatably engaged at both ends of the shift lever is inserted between two flanges formed on the output shaft. In the starter pinion transfer device that is axially restricted in a freely rotatable manner,
A cover is engaged with the opening of the shift piece to form a ring surrounding the output shaft by the cover and the shift piece, and the cover is provided with a recess for collecting grease on the side surface of the output shaft. pinion transfer device of the starter, characterized in that there.   The starter pinion transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the shift piece and the cover are engaged by a snap fit. The cover, pinion transfer device of the starter according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a groove communicating with at least one pinion-side side or motor side surface of the cover is provided from the recess. The starter pinion transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cover is formed of a resin .

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