Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Denso Corporation

Yasuhiro Nagao

Tsutomu Shiga

Masanori Ohmi

Nobuyuki Hayashi

Masami Niimi

Mitsuhiro Murata

Nobuhiko Uryu

Takeshi Araki

Yuuji Hashiba

Youichi Hasegawa

Sadayoshi Kajino

Masahiro Katoh

Keiichi Matsushima

Toshitaka Tanahashi

Yoshito Takagi

Kazuo Hirama

Hiroaki Tamemoto

Ryuji Asaoka

Kazunori Katoh

Takahiro Ohgi

In a vehicle power steering device, a motor is turned on to rotate in one direction whether a steering wheel is turned clockwise or counterclockwise. A switching mechanism is interposed between a motor armature shaft and an output shaft to change directions of the output shaft rotation relative to the armature shaft rotation in response to turning direction of the steering. The switching mechanism may include electrically controlled coupling/releasing members or mechanically controlled rotation reversing and coupling mechanisms.

Electrically driven power assisting device

In a starter with a planetary gear speed reduction mechanism, a first output shaft retaining member (retaining member 10, washer 20) and a second output shaft retaining member (pinion retaining ring 250) are mounted on an output shaft 220 in such a manner as to sandwich from axially front and rear directions a bearing support portion of a housing 400 which supports one end of the output shaft 220, so that a thrust load in the frontward and rearward directions of the output shaft 220 is received at the front and rear end faces of the bearing support portion of the housing 400. Therefore, the axially rearward movement of the output shaft 220 is regulated assuredly without regulating it by the rear end face of the center bracket 360 and the mortor partition wall 800, thereby preventing deformation of the center bracket.

Starter with planetary gear speed reduction mechanism

In a vehicle power steering device, a motor is turned on to rotate in one direction whether a steering wheel is turned clockwise or counterclockwise. A switching mechanism is interposed between a motor armature shaft and an output shaft to change directions of the output shaft rotation relative to the armature shaft rotation in response to turning direction of the steering wheel. The switching mechanism may include electrically controlled coupling/releasing members or mechanically controlled rotation reversing and coupling mechanisms.

Motor for power steering and power steering device using the same

In a starter having a planetary gear reduction mechanism and a shock absorbing device, a first friction plate of the shock absorbing device is engaged with an internal gear of the reduction mechanism to restrict the internal gear from rotating. A space is provided radially between the internal gear and a housing to allow rotation of the internal gear upon application of an impact shock. A cylindrical member which is harder than the housing is disposed between the space relatively movably against the housing and the internal gear so that the internal gear is restricted from directly contacting the housing.

Starter with shock absorbing device

In a starter, a planetary gear reduction mechanism has pins supporting planetary gears and directly fitted into an outer member of a one-way clutch. The outer member rotates with the revolution of the planetary gear. An internal gear engaged with the planetary gears is connected with a rotary disk of a shock absorbing device disposed on the outer periphery of the one-way clutch through a connecting member and an elastic member. The connecting member has engaging projections engaged with the elastic member within the connecting recess of the internal gear. The engagement projections are housed within the connecting recess with some clearance provided in the radial direction. The internal gear is thus held radially movably with respect to the rotary disk via the connecting member.

A starter dynamo having a pinion engageable with a ring gear and an armature for rotating the pinion is supplied at engine starting with an electric storage power from an electric double layered capacitor used exclusively for the starter dynamo. With this storage power, the armature rotates and, with this armature rotation, the pinion rotates. An engine ring gear is driven through the pinion to start the engine. After the engine starting, the ring gear rotation is transmitted to the armature through the pinion and the starter dynamo charges the electric double-layered capacitor. Thus, an electric storage power required for the next engine starting is charged in a short period of time.

Starting and charging apparatus

A rotor 2 has a rotary shaft 20. A drive shaft 7 is provided around an outer periphery of rotary shaft 20 and is rotatably supported on a housing. Drive shaft 7 has the same axial center as rotary shaft 20, and has a pinion gear 7b meshing with a ring gear 8 of an engine. A speed-reduction mechanism 4 includes a sun gear 2b provided on rotary shaft 20, a planetary gear 4b meshing with sun gear 2b, and an internal gear 4a meshing with planetary gear 4b. A reduction shaft 5 receives a rotational torque transmitted from rotor 2 through speed-reduction mechanism 4. A first one-way clutch 6b is interposed between reduction shaft 5 and drive shaft 7 for connecting reduction shaft 5 to drive shaft 7 only when any rotational torque is transmitted from reduction shaft 5 to drive shaft 7. A second one-way clutch 6a is interposed between drive shaft 7 and rotary shaft 20 for connecting drive shaft 7 to rotary shaft 20 only when any rotational torque is transmitted, from drive shaft 7 to rotary shaft 20. In a start-up operation of the engine, rotation of rotor 2 is reduced through speed-reduction mechanism 4 and is transmitted through reduction shaft 5, first one-way clutch 6b and drive shaft 7 to ring gear 8 to drive the engine. After succeeding the start-up operation, rotation of ring gear 8 is transmitted through drive shaft 7 and second one-way clutch 6a to rotary shaft 20 of rotor 2 to generate electric power.

Combined starter and generator apparatus

A plurality of rollers is accommodated in respective roller-accommodating grooves formed on an inner peripheral face of a clutch outer member integral with a planet carrier connected with an output shaft. The rollers contact a peripheral face (roller-contact face) of a clutch inner member integral with a stationary member. Roller-engaging grooves are formed on an outer peripheral face of the clutch inner member.

Starter with planetary reduction gear mechanism

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. This allows the strength of the tubular portions to be reduced, and the weight to be lightened. As the torque is not conveyed with frictional force, the wear is also reduced.

Overrunning clutch for starters

Disclosed is a starter which is simplified in the structure of its pinion rotation regulating mechanism and is down-sized in its entire structure. A pinion regulating member abuts with a pinion and moves the pinion towards a ring gear by the rotation of an output shaft, while preventing rotation of the pinion. When the pinion abuts with the ring gear, the pinion regulating member bends and gradually rotates the pinion to mesh with the ring gear. By this arrangement and operation, generation of abrasion powder is reduced with reduced number of component parts.

Starter for engine having a ring gear

Disclosed is a commutator type rotary electric machine which is designed to simplify the structure through reduction of number of component parts and allows to significantly enhance heat radiation from a brush. Both end bracket supports a rotary shaft and cylindrical brush holder are made of metal. The cylindrical brush holder is secured to the end bracket. The surface of internal periphery of brush holder is covered by an electrical insulator. Since it is sufficient for the electrical insulator to have a thickness effective to electrically insulate the brush from the cylindrical brush holder, heat generating from brush is effectively conducted to the end bracket and radiated from it. Since the end cylindrical brush holder is made of metals, it is strong, cheap and can be machined easily and both the cylindrical brush holder and the end bracket can be combined and secured easily and, since they can be molded as an integral component, the rigidity can be enhanced, manufacturing processes can be simplified and number of component parts can be reduced.

Commutator type rotary electric machine

A starter equipped with a planetary gear reduction mechanism, which allows a significant reduction in the inertial mass of the planetary gear shaft supporting member is disclosed. The invention includes a planetary gear shafts that are formed integral with the planetary gear shaft supporting member, which is inserted and secured on a drive shaft. Such a structure allows for the weight of the planetary gear shaft supporting member to be reduced significantly, and reduction in the inertial mass of the drive shaft is likewise achieved. Further, breakage of teeth of the pinion gear or the ring gear at repeated engagements of the rotating pinion gear is prevented. In addition, the planetary gear shaft supporting member and the planetary gear shafts are made by forming a metal plate and the planetary gear shafts can be manufactured easily by bending the plate or burring.

Starter equipped with planetary gear reduction mechanism

A starting apparatus which is capable of preventing damages to the starter unit even if a starting current passed to the starter unit fails to be interrupted due to switch troubles, etc. is provided. A main storage device is charged by a power generating device and feeds electricity to electric loads in a vehicle and a subsidiary storage device. A starting switch passes the charging current from the main storage device to the subsidiary storage device during non-starting time, by which the subsidiary storage device specially designed to drive the starter unit stores the power which is smaller than that which may cause damages such as burning to the starter unit even if the current is discharged continuously to the starter unit, but larger than that required for each starting under normal conditions. The starting switch discharges the power stored in the subsidiary storage unit to a coil of a magnet switch of the starter unit to close the magnet switch, whereby the starting power is fed from the main storage unit to the starter motor of the starter unit.

Starting apparatus for vehicles using a subsidiary storage device

A starter having a highly reliable overrunning clutch which has grooves on both a clutch member inner and a clutch outer member. Rollers are sandwiched from the front and rear torque conveyance direction by the roller contact surface of each groove, so a large stress such as with the roller-type overrunning clutch using the wedge-effect is not applied on each contact surface and roller contact surface. This reduces the inertia of the clutch, and suppresses the impact force generated when a pinion engages an engine ring gear.

Starter

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.

Growing community of inventors

Okazaki, Japan

Yasuhiro Nagao