Patent ID: 7650868

Claim:
A recoil starter comprising: a case that is disposed on an engine and that includes a reel support shaft formed thereon; a rope reel rotatably disposed on the reel support shaft; a recoil rope wound on an outer peripheral portion of the rope reel to rotate the rope reel in an engine start direction; a recoil spring that rotationally energizes the rope reel in an opposite direction of the engine start direction to rewind the recoil rope; a cam engaged with a drive pulley connected to an engine through a clutch mechanism to transmit a rotation power of the rope reel to the drive pulley; a power storing spring interposed between the rope reel and the cam; and a ratchet mechanism interposed between the rope reel and the cam; wherein the ratchet mechanism separates the rope reel and the cam from each other when the rope reel is rotated in the engine start direction; wherein the ratchet mechanism connects together the rope reel and the cam when the rope reel is rotated in the opposite direction to the engine start direction; wherein the ratchet mechanism includes: a support shaft formed on a side surface of the rope reel, a ratchet member having: a base portion formed in one end portion thereof that is oscillatably and slidably supported through an elongated hole on the support shaft, the elongated hole being substantially aligned with a radius of the rope reel such that a radial line drawn from a center of the rope reel will extend substantially through a long axis of the elongated hole, wherein the base portion and the elongated hole are configured such that oscillation and sliding at the base portion through the elongated hole is effected primarily along the radial line, and wherein the base portion includes a corner portion and corner portion forming surfaces, and a ratchet pawl formed on the other end portion thereof and engageable with an engaging portion disposed on an outer peripheral portion of the cam, and an energizer that energizes the base portion so that the base portion is slidingly contacted with an inner peripheral surface of the case, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the case includes a plurality of concave recesses successively formed thereon at intervals, the energizer including a spring that energizes the base portion toward the inner peripheral surface, wherein when the ratchet member disengages from the cam, when the rope reel rotates in the engine start direction, the ratchet member is pulled away from the cam, and wherein when the ratchet member engages with the cam, when the rope reel rotates in the opposite direction to the engine start direction, the ratchet member is pulled away from the inner peripheral surface of the case.