JPH0147624B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to an inertial sliding starting device.

In this type of device, when the engine is started, the starter motor is driven to ensure that the pinion moves forward by inertia and meshes with the engine's ring gear, and if the engine's rotation fluctuates rapidly due to irregular ignition during startup, the pinion moves forward into the ring gear. It is necessary to prevent the engine from disengaging further and to continue cranking the engine without interruption.

Therefore, when the engine starts, the brake mechanism is activated to prevent the rotation of the pinion to ensure its forward movement, and during engine startup, the early separation prevention mechanism is activated to prevent the pinion from separating from the ring gear. A starting device in which the disengagement prevention mechanism is activated and released by a common electromagnetic actuation mechanism is already known (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 47-35705).
However, in the known mechanism, the early release prevention mechanism is composed of a rotating member that moves integrally with the pinion, and a lever that is pivotally supported by the housing, and the lever is connected to the rotating member. By holding the member and the pinion at the forward limit by applying it to the side, the pinion is prevented from separating from the ring gear, so while the early separation prevention mechanism is in operation, the lever and the rotating member are Since the sliding cylinders constantly rotate relative to each other over a relatively wide contact surface, there is a problem in that the contact surface is prone to wear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an inertial sliding starter device that can solve the above-mentioned problems and also allows the early release prevention mechanism to be easily operated to reduce the load on the electromagnetic actuating mechanism.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention rotatably supports a drive shaft that is rotationally driven by a starter motor in a housing, and rotates a sliding tube that is screwed onto the drive shaft via a helical spline. and a starter device which is slidably supported and is provided with a pinion that can mesh with a ring gear of the engine at the tip of the sliding tube, wherein the housing is provided with a pinion for applying a braking force to the sliding tube only in the rotational direction. and an early separation prevention mechanism for holding the sliding cylinder at the forward limit and preventing the pinion from early separation from the ring gear, and both mechanisms are provided with the brake mechanism. A common electromagnetic actuating mechanism is attached, which operates at least until the pinion starts the engagement, and operates the early disengagement prevention mechanism when the engagement is completed, the early disengagement prevention mechanism:
a ball insertion hole bored in an inner wall of the housing adjacent to the outer periphery of the sliding tube in a substantially radial direction of the sliding tube;
A ball inserted into the insertion hole, an annular locking groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the sliding tube so as to face the ball at the forward limit of the sliding tube, and a cam surface that engages with the ball. a lock member supported by the inner wall so as to be movable between an operating position for pushing the ball into the lock groove and a non-operating position for allowing the ball to come out of the lock groove; It is characterized by comprising interlocking means for interlocking the member with the electromagnetic actuating mechanism to drive the member between the actuation position and the non-operation position.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.H is a housing that houses various mechanical parts, which include a motor housing part 2 located on the left side in FIG. 1, and a reducer housing part 3 located in the middle. ,
It consists of an early release prevention mechanism housing section 4 located on the right side. A rotary shaft 6 of the starting motor 1 housed in the motor housing 2 is rotatably supported on the partition wall 5 between the motor housing 2 and the reducer housing 3 via a bearing 7. The pinion 8 meshes with an internal gear 9 housed in the reducer housing 3. A drive shaft 13 consisting of a large diameter portion 10, a medium diameter portion 11, and a small diameter portion 12 is integrally provided on the end wall of the internal gear 9, and the drive shaft 13 passes through the early release prevention mechanism housing portion 4. do. The large diameter portion 10 of the drive shaft 13 is rotatably supported by a partition wall 14 between the reducer accommodating portion 3 and the early disengagement prevention mechanism accommodating portion 4 via a bearing 15.
On the other hand, the tip of the small diameter portion 12 of the drive shaft 13 is exposed to the outside through the outer wall 16 of the early detachment prevention mechanism accommodating portion 4.

Inside the drive shaft 13, the small diameter portions 11 and 12 are the sliding tube 1.
The base end side of the sliding tube 17 is screwed to the medium diameter portion 11 via helical splines s ₁ and s ₂ , and the bearing portion 18 protruding from the inner circumferential surface of the intermediate portion is It is slidably supported by the small diameter portion 12 via a bearing 19 . Further, the sliding tube 17 is rotatably and slidably supported by the outer wall 16 of the early detachment prevention mechanism accommodating portion 4 via a bearing 20. A pinion 22 that can mesh with a ring gear 21 of the engine is formed integrally with the outer circumferential surface of the tip of the sliding tube 17.

A brake mechanism 23 is provided on the base end side of the sliding tube 17 to apply a constant braking torque only in the rotational direction in order to advance the sliding tube 17 to the right in FIG. 1 after the drive shaft 13 starts rotating. . The brake mechanism 23 includes a plurality of engagement grooves 24 formed at equal intervals on the circumference on the outer peripheral surface of the base end of the sliding tube 17, and the engagement grooves 24 formed at equal intervals on the circumference.
It has an engaging claw 25 that can engage with any one of 4,
A swinging arm 27 is swingably supported at one end by a pin 26 on the partition wall 14, and the swinging arm 27 swings by an electromagnetic actuation mechanism 28 to engage the engaging claw 2.
5 can be engaged with and disengaged from the engagement groove 24.

As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the electromagnetic actuating mechanism 28 includes a casing 29 attached to the early detachment prevention mechanism accommodating section 4, and a coil 30 fixed inside the casing 29.
, an iron core 31 fitted into one end of the center hole of the coil 30, a plunger 32 slidably fitted into the other end of the center hole, and a return spring 33 of the plunger 32.

Two flange portions 34 and 35 are provided at the tip of the plunger 32, and a return spring 33 is compressed between the flange portion 35 located inside the flange portion 34 and the coil cover 36. When the coil 30 is not energized, the elastic force of the return spring 33 causes the tip of the plunger 32 to abut against the inner surface of the end wall of the casing 29, thereby preventing the plunger 32 from coming out of the center hole of the coil 30. There is.

An engagement pin 37 bent into a hook shape is protruded from the free end side of the swing arm 27, and the engagement pin 37 is inserted between the two flanges 34 and 35 of the plunger 32. be done. As a result, when the coil 30 is energized, the iron core 31 is magnetized and the plunger 32 is attracted to the right in FIG. 2, so the swinging arm 27 swings clockwise in FIG. It engages with any one of the 17 engagement grooves 24.
On the other hand, when the power to the coil 30 is cut off, the plunger 3
2 slides to the left in FIG. 2 by the elastic force of the return spring 33, so that the engagement pawl 25 disengages from the engagement groove 24.

The braking torque by the electromagnetic actuating mechanism 28 is such that when the sliding tube 17 collides with the ring gear 21 and is prevented from moving forward, the engaging groove 24 is disengaged from the engaging pawl 25 and the sliding tube 17 can rotate. is set to Furthermore, the length of the engaging claw 25 is the same as that between the pinion 22 and the ring gear 2.
The engaging claw 25 and the engaging groove 2 until the engagement of the engaging groove 2 is substantially completed.
It is determined that the engagement of No. 4 can continue.

An early detachment prevention mechanism 38 as described below is provided between the sliding tube 17 and the outer wall 16.

That is, a cylindrical portion 39 serving as an inner wall of the housing into which the sliding tube 17 is loosely inserted is protruded from the inner surface of the outer wall 16, and a pair of ball insertion holes 40 are formed on the peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion 39 with a phase difference of 180 degrees. are drilled in the radial direction. Each ball insertion hole 40 has a lock ball 41 having a diameter larger than the thickness of the peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion 39.
is loosely fitted. A locking groove 42 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the proximal side of the sliding tube 17 adjacent to the engagement groove 24.
A portion of each lock ball 41 is connected to the sliding tube 17.
While in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 39, the lock balls 41 are exposed to the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 39, while when each lock ball 41 falls into the lock groove 42, a portion thereof is sunk below the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 39. A lock ring 43 is rotatably disposed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 39, and a portion of each lock ball 41 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the lock ring 43.
When exposed from the outer peripheral surface, a pair of groove-shaped cam surfaces 44 are formed which engage with the outer circumferential surface, and the lock ring 43 constitutes the lock member of the present invention. An engaging pin 45 as an interlocking means is bent into a hook shape and protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the lock ring 43, and the engaging pin 45 is located between the two flanges 34 and 35 of the plunger 32. inserted. As a result, when the electromagnetic actuating mechanism 28 is operated, as the sliding cylinder 17 moves forward, the braking of the brake mechanism 23 is released, that is, from the engaging claw 25 of the swinging arm 27 to the engaging groove of the sliding cylinder 17. 24 is removed and each lock ball 41 falls into the lock groove 42, the lock ring 43
rotates clockwise in FIG. 2 to close the opening of the ball insertion hole 40 and lock groove 4 of each lock ball 41.
It is prevented from coming off from 2. 48 is lock groove 4
This is the No. 3 retaining ring.

A return spring 47 of the sliding tube 17 is compressed between the bearing portion 18 of the sliding tube 17 and a retainer 46 held at the tip of the small diameter portion 12 of the drive shaft 13 so as not to come off.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

Figures 1 and 2 show the state before starting the engine,
The sliding tube 17 is held in a retracted position in which the proximal end surface is brought into contact with the stepped portion between the large diameter portion 10 and the medium diameter portion 11 of the drive shaft 13 by the extension force of the return spring 47. Furthermore, since the electromagnetic actuating mechanism 28 is inoperative, the plunger 32 abuts against the inner surface of the end wall of the casing 29 due to the extension force of the return spring 33, and as a result, the swinging arm 27 swings counterclockwise in FIG. The engaging claw 25 is disengaged from the engaging groove 24 of the sliding tube 17, and each lock ball 41 comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the sliding tube 17, and each lock ball 41 is exposed from the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 39.
A part of the lock ring 43 is engaged with each escape groove 44 of the lock ring 43.

When starting the engine, the starting switch is turned on and the starting motor 1 is driven to rotate the drive shaft 13 via the pinion 8 of the rotating shaft 6 and the internal gear 9. At the same time, the electromagnetic actuation mechanism 28 is activated to attract the plunger 32 to the right in FIG. 2, and the swinging arm 27 is swung clockwise in FIG.
by engaging one of the engagement grooves 24 of the sliding tube 1.
Apply braking torque to 7 only in the rotational direction.

Due to the subsequent rotation of the drive shaft 13, the sliding tube 17
While compressing the return spring 47 due to the inertia caused by the brake mechanism 23, the vehicle starts moving forward to the right in FIG. When the teeth of the pinion 22 collide with the teeth of the ring gear 21, the sliding tube 17 is prevented from moving forward, so the sliding tube 17 overcomes the braking torque, that is, the engagement force of the engagement pawl 25, and rotates. by pinion 2
2 and the ring gear 21 start meshing. After this engagement starts, the sliding tube 17 moves forward again, and the engaging groove 24 of the sliding tube 17 moves from the engaging claw 25 of the swinging arm 27 to the engaging groove 24 of the sliding tube 17.
After disengagement, the sliding tube 17 continues to move forward due to the inertia of the ring gear 21 until the pinion 22 and the ring gear 21 complete meshing.

When the pinion 22 and ring gear 21 have completed their engagement, the sliding tube 17 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
Each lock ball 41 falls into the lock groove 42, and a portion of each lock ball 41 is submerged from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 39. At this point, the sliding tube 17 has come off the swing arm 27, so the plunger 32 of the electromagnetic actuating mechanism 28 is further attracted to the right in FIG. 2 and collides with the iron core 31 as shown in FIG. As a result, the lock ring 43 rotates clockwise in FIG. 2, and the opening of each ball insertion hole 40 is closed by the lock ring 43 as shown in FIG.

As a result, the forward movement and retraction of the sliding cylinder 17 is locked by the operation of the early release prevention mechanism 38, so the rotational force of the drive shaft 13 is transmitted to the sliding cylinder 17 and rotates the ring gear 21 via the pinion 22. Crank the engine.

In this case, the engine causes severe rotational fluctuations due to irregular ignition, causing the ring gear 21 to shift from the pinion 22 to the ring gear 21.
Even if a momentary backward force acts on the sliding cylinder 17, the early separation prevention mechanism 38 prevents the sliding cylinder 17 from moving backward, so the pinion 22 will not separate from the ring gear 21, thus preventing engine cranking. This can be continued and started reliably.

After the engine starts, the sliding tube 17 is rotated at high speed by the ring gear 21, and the return spring 47
Since the sliding cylinder 17 is receiving an elastic force, a thrust force is applied to the sliding cylinder 17 in the direction of retreating it to the left in FIG. Then, when the starting switch is turned off, the power to the starting motor 1 is cut off, so that the driving of the drive shaft 13 is stopped. At the same time, the power to the electromagnetic actuating mechanism 28 is cut off, so the plunger 32 slides to the left in FIG. The lock ring 43 pivots counterclockwise to a position where it does not engage with the engagement groove 24 of the movable barrel 17, and the lock ring 43 similarly pivots counterclockwise to close its relief grooves 44.
The lock balls 41 are aligned with each other, and each lock ball 41 is removed from the lock groove 42. That is, since the early detachment prevention mechanism 38 is released, the proximal end surface of the sliding tube 17 abuts against the step between the large diameter section 10 and the medium diameter section 11 via the helical splines s ₁ and s ₂ . During this time, the pinion 22 separates from the ring gear 21.

As described above, according to the present invention, the housing includes a brake mechanism for applying a braking force only in the rotational direction to a sliding tube provided with a pinion, and a brake mechanism that holds the sliding tube at the forward limit and controls the pinion. An early separation prevention mechanism for preventing early separation from the ring gear is provided independently from each other, and both mechanisms are provided with a brake mechanism that is operated at least until the pinion starts meshing with the ring gear. An early disengagement prevention mechanism is activated when the engagement is completed. A common electromagnetic actuation mechanism is provided, and the early release prevention mechanism includes a ball insertion hole bored in an inner wall of the housing adjacent to the outer periphery of the sliding cylinder in a substantially radial direction of the sliding cylinder, and this insertion hole. It has a ball inserted therein, an annular lock groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the sliding tube so as to face the ball at the forward limit of the sliding tube, and a cam surface that engages with the ball. a lock member supported by the inner wall so as to be movable between an operating position for pushing the ball into the lock groove and a non-operating position for allowing the ball to leave the lock groove; and an interlocking means for interlocking the member with the electromagnetic actuating mechanism to drive the member between an actuated position and a non-actuated position, so that the early disengagement prevention mechanism, in its locked state,
The ball engages with the annular lock groove on the outer periphery of the sliding tube to reliably prevent the sliding tube from retreating, and furthermore, the ball does not lock in the lock groove due to relative rotation between the ball and the sliding tube. The ball can move relatively freely, and wear on the ball itself and the inner surface of the lock groove can be minimized, which can contribute to improving the durability of the early release prevention mechanism. Furthermore, since the ball can move relatively easily within the ball insertion hole when it is engaged with the lock groove, it is possible to engage and disengage the ball with the lock groove, that is, to bring the lock member into the operating position. Movement between non-operating positions can be performed with a relatively small operating force, and the load on the electromagnetic actuating mechanism can be reduced accordingly.

Furthermore, since the early disengagement prevention mechanism and the brake mechanism are operated by a single common electromagnetic actuation mechanism,
The structure of the operating mechanism is simplified to that extent, which can contribute to cost reduction. Moreover, since the early withdrawal prevention mechanism and the brake mechanism are independent of each other, except for the fact that the electromagnetic actuation mechanism is shared, the brake mechanism and the early withdrawal prevention mechanism can be designed separately, and the design The degree of freedom is relatively large, and the structure of the brake mechanism can be selected relatively freely, for example, even if the early disengagement prevention mechanism is of the lock ball type as described above.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view before operation, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line of FIG. is a sectional view taken along the line in FIG. H...housing, _s1 , _s2 ...helical spline, 1...starting motor, 13...drive shaft, 17
... Sliding tube, 21 ... Ring gear, 22 ... Pinion, 23 ... Brake mechanism, 28 ... Electromagnetic actuation mechanism, 38 ... Early separation prevention mechanism, 39 ... Cylinder part as inner wall, 40 ... Ball Insertion hole, 41...
Ball, 42... Lock groove, 43... Lock ring as a lock member, 44... Cam surface, 45... Engagement pin as interlocking means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 The housing H rotatably supports a drive shaft 13 that is rotationally driven by the starting motor 1, and the drive shaft 13 is provided with helical splines s ₁ , s _{2 .}
In the starter device, the housing H rotatably and slidably supports a sliding cylinder 17 that is screwed together through the housing H, and a pinion 22 that can mesh with the ring gear 21 of the engine is provided at the tip of the sliding cylinder 17. includes a brake mechanism 23 for applying braking force to the sliding tube 17 only in the rotational direction;
and an early separation prevention mechanism 38 for holding the pinion 22 at the forward limit and preventing the pinion 22 from early separation from the ring gear 21.
Both mechanisms 23 and 38 are configured to operate the brake mechanism 23 at least until the pinion 22 starts meshing, and to operate the early release prevention mechanism 38.
A single electromagnetic actuating mechanism 28 is provided in common, which operates when the engagement is completed, and the early detachment prevention mechanism 38 is attached to an inner wall 39 of the housing H adjacent to the outer periphery of the sliding tube 17. A ball insertion hole 40 bored approximately in the radial direction of the ball insertion hole 40;
a ball 41 inserted therein; an annular locking groove 42 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the sliding tube 17 so as to face the ball 41 at the forward limit of the sliding tube 17;
having a cam surface 44 that engages the ball 41;
a locking member 43 supported by the inner wall 39 so as to be movable between an operating position in which the ball 41 is pushed into the locking groove 42 and a non-operating position in which the ball 41 is allowed to leave the locking groove 42; An inertial sliding type starting device comprising interlocking means 45 for interlocking the locking member 43 with the electromagnetic actuating mechanism 28 to drive the locking member 43 between the operating position and the non-operating position.