The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 02, 1999
Filed:
Mar. 06, 1997
Kenji Ogishima, Nagova, JP;
Keiichi Matsushima, Toyota, JP;
Masanori Ohmi, Anjou, JP;
Takahisa Inagaki, Anjou, JP;
Yoshito Takagi, Toyohashi, JP;
Denso Corporation, , JP;
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. Furthermore, the rest of water is blocked by small gaps between the pinion gear and the cover. When the pinion gear is disengaged from the ring gear, the shutter closes most of the opening portion. Therefore, most of water carried by the rotating gear is blocked by the shutter. Even if water enters inside of the housing through a small gap between the opening portion and the shutter, water is blocked by small gaps between the pinion gear and the cover.