Patent ID: 7010992

Claim:
A starter for transmitting a rotation force to an internal combustion engine, the starter comprising: a motor that generates the rotation force; and an epicycle reduction gear that reduces a rotation speed of the motor and transmits the rotation speed to the internal combustion engine, the epicycle reduction gear including: a sun gear that is rotated by the motor; an internal gear that is coaxially arranged with the sun gear; a rotation-restricting unit that includes a cushion member made of an elastic material, and restricts rotation of the internal gear via the cushion member; and a planetary gear that engages with the sun gear and the internal gear, wherein: when an excessive torque larger than a predetermined torque works on the internal gear, the cushion member is elastically compressed to permit a rotation of the internal gear; and the rotation-restricting unit further includes a stopper which restricts a rotating degree of the internal gear within a predetermined range when the excessive torque works on the internal gear.