Patent ID: 9273660
Filing Date: 2016-03-01
CPC Classification: F02N,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A starter for starting an engine, the starter comprising: a motor having a rotating shaft; an output shaft coaxially disposed with the rotating shaft of the motor, the output shaft having male splines formed on an outer surface thereof; a clutch configured to transmit torque generated by the motor to the output shaft; a pinion tube having a cylindrical bore formed therein, the pinion tube also having female splines formed on an inner surface of the cylindrical bore, the pinion tube being fitted on the output shaft with the female splines in mesh with the male splines of the output shaft; a pinion provided on a non-motor-side end portion of the pinion tube so as to rotate with the pinion tube; a shift lever that is configured to shift both the pinion tube and the pinion relative to the output shaft in a direction away from the motor and thereby bring the pinion into mesh with a ring gear of the engine; and an electromagnetic solenoid configured to drive the shift lever, wherein the clutch is a one-way clutch which includes an outer, an inner and a plurality of intermediate members, the outer is arranged so as to be rotated by the torque generated by the motor, the inner is disposed radially inside of the outer so as to be rotatable relative to the outer, the inner is integrally formed with a motor-side end portion of the output shaft so as to rotate with the output shaft, and the intermediate members are arranged between the outer and the inner so as to allow torque transmission from the outer to the inner and inhibit torque transmission from the inner to the outer, and the pinion is separately formed from the pinion tube and mounted on the pinion tube so as to be axially movable relative to the pinion tube.