US 5,508,566 A · Starter for starting an engine

Abstract

A starter for starting an engine with a ring gear includes a starter motor having a plurality of field poles disposed around an inner periphery thereof, an output shaft for transmitting rotation of the starter motor, a pinion mounted on the output shaft for meshing with the ring gear, and a magnet switch including a fixed contact and a plunger with a movable contact, which abuts the fixed contact. By moving the plunger and causing the movable contact, to abut the fixed contact electrical current is passed to the starter motor. The magnet switch is disposed in an end of the starter opposite an end where the pinion is disposed, with the plunger being disposed orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the starter motor. The starter disclosed herein reduces the axial and diametral lengths and overall volume of the starter.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A starter for starting an engine including a ring gear, said starter comprising:

a starter motor having a plurality of field poles disposed around an inner periphery thereof and an armature rotatably disposed in an inner periphery of said field poles;
an output shaft driven by rotation of said armature of said starter motor;
a pinion mounted on said output shaft for meshing with said ring gear;
and
a magnet switch including a fixed contact and a plunger with a movable contact, which selectively abuts said fixed contact, actuation of said magnet switch moving said plunger and causing said movable contact to abut said fixed contact for passing electrical current to said armature of said starter motor, and said magnet switch being disposed in an end of said starter motor opposite an end where said pinion is disposed, with said plunger being disposed orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of said armature of said starter motor, said plunger being disposed movably within the confines of an outer periphery of said starter motor.

2 more elements

A starter for starting an engine having a ring gear, said starter comprising:

a starter motor having a cylindrical yoke, a plurality of magnetic poles disposed around an inner periphery of said yoke and an armature rotatably disposed in an inner periphery of said magnetic poles;
an output shaft operatively coupled to so as to be rotated by said armature of said starter motor;
a pinion disposed on said output shaft at one axial side of said armature for engagement with said ring gear of said engine;
and
a magnet switch having an attraction coil, a plunger disposed movably in an inner periphery of said attraction coil and orthogonally to a rotary axis of said armature of said starter motor at the other axial side of said armature which is opposite to said pinion, a movable contact coupled with said plunger, a fixed contact connectable to a battery, and an end frame supporting said fixed contact thereon to be contacted by said movable contact and encasing said attraction coil, plunger and movable contact therein,
wherein said end frame is fixed to close an axial open end of said yoke at a position adjacent to the other axial side end of said yoke, and wherein said plunger moves said movable contact to contact said fixed contact so that said armature is energized by said battery through said movable and fixed contacts.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Starter for starting an engine

Life of this patent

Starter for starting an engine

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18