Patent ID: 7038564

Claim:
An electromagnetic starter switch for starting an internal combustion engine by means of a pinion gear driven by a motor intermeshing with a ring gear, said electromagnetic starter switch comprising: a solenoid case; switch covers constituted by a main switch cover and an auxiliary switch cover, joined to a single side of an aperture portion of said solenoid case; a fixed core fixed inside said solenoid case; a main rod disposed inside said solenoid case and inside said switch covers so as to be able to reciprocate in an axial direction; a plunger that is contactable and separable relative to said fixed core, disposed so as to be slidable relative to said main rod; a first main fixed contact electrically connected to said motor, and a second main fixed contact electrically connected to a power source; a main movable contact disposed on said main rod so as to be contactable and separable relative to said first main fixed contact and said second main fixed contact; an auxiliary rod disposed so as to be coaxial with said main rod and capable of relative displacement; a coil fixed radially outside said fixed core such that when said coil is excited said coil moves said plunger in such a direction as to contact said fixed core; a first auxiliary fixed contact electrically connected to said first main fixed contact, and a second auxiliary fixed contact electrically connected to said second main fixed contact; a resistor disposed in at least one position selected from a position between said first main fixed contact and said first auxiliary fixed contact and a position between said second main fixed contact and said second auxiliary fixed contact; and an auxiliary movable contact disposed on said auxiliary rod so as to be contactable and separable relative to said first auxiliary fixed contact and said second auxiliary fixed contact, a voltage from said power source being depressed by said resistor and applied to said motor by said auxiliary movable contact coming into contact with said first auxiliary fixed contact and said second auxiliary fixed contact before said pinion gear intermeshes with said ring gear, and said voltage from said power source being subsequently applied to said motor without modification by said main movable contact also coming into contact with said first main fixed contact and said second main fixed contact after said pinion gear intermeshes with said ring gear, wherein: said first main fixed contact, said second main fixed contact, said first auxiliary fixed contact, and said second auxiliary fixed contact are disposed on said main switch cover.