CN113931989A

CN113931989A - Torque converter, power train, and vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN113931989A
Application number: CN202010609048.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李茂辉; 李璐; 殷英
Original assignee: Faroeco Torque Converter Nanjing Co ltd
Current assignee: Faroeco Torque Converter Nanjing Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-06-29
Filing date: 2020-06-29
Publication date: 2022-01-14
Also published as: WO2022001877A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a torque converter. The torque converter has a central axis and includes, disposed about the central axis: a housing for receiving an input torque; a pump wheel fixedly connected to the housing; a turbine wheel capable of being driven to rotate by the pump wheel; an output hub fixed to the turbine and for outputting torque; and a lock-up clutch plate engageable to the housing to rotate together with the housing and disengageable from the housing, wherein an elastic damping member is provided on the lock-up clutch plate, and a plurality of transmission plates are provided on a turbine housing of the turbine and engaged with the respective elastic damping members, and wherein one of the turbine housing and the transmission plates has a protrusion and the other has a recess that fits the protrusion. The disclosure also relates to a powertrain comprising a hydrodynamic torque converter and a vehicle comprising a powertrain.

Description

Torque converter, power train, and vehicle

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a hydrodynamic torque converter, to a powertrain comprising the hydrodynamic torque converter, and to a vehicle comprising the powertrain.

Background

In general, a torque converter is provided between an engine and a transmission of an automatically shifting vehicle. The torque converter transfers power of the engine to the transmission through a fluid (usually oil). The torque converter may include a housing that receives torque from the engine, an impeller fixedly coupled to the housing so as to be rotatable therewith, a turbine driven by the impeller, a stationary stator, and a lock-up clutch that locks the impeller and the turbine together. When fluid circulates between the impeller and the turbine, the fluid flowing out of the impeller impacts the blades of the turbine to drive the turbine to rotate, and the fluid flowing out of the vortex impacts the blades of the stator and is redirected back to the impeller to continue to participate in the fluid circulation. The torque output by the turbine is therefore different from the torque input by the pump impeller, and the torque conversion function of the hydraulic torque converter is realized. When the vehicle runs at high speed, the lock-up clutch is connected to the shell and drives the turbine to rotate together with the shell. In this case, a drive plate having sufficient strength is required to transmit the power of the engine to the turbine.

In one known solution, the drive plate is fixed to the radial extension of the turbine housing by rivets. The radial extension is the portion extending radially from the body of the turbine housing that is not used to mount the blades of the turbine nor constitutes a housing portion that contains the fluid. In this case, the turbine housing is large in volume and weight, resulting in a large installation space for the torque converter and high cost.

In another known solution, the drive plate is fixed to the turbine housing by means of brazing, which requires a large welding area. In this case, the turbine housing is bulky and costly, and brazing does not provide sufficient joint strength for transmitting torque.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a torque converter that does not require an additional installation space and has high engagement strength to solve the above-described problems.

This object is achieved by a hydrodynamic torque converter according to the present disclosure. The torque converter has a central axis and includes, disposed about the central axis: a housing for receiving an input torque; a pump wheel fixedly connected to the housing; a turbine wheel capable of being driven to rotate by the pump wheel; an output hub fixed to the turbine and for outputting torque; and a lock-up clutch plate engageable to the housing to rotate together with the housing and disengageable from the housing, wherein an elastic damping member is provided on the lock-up clutch plate, a plurality of drive plates are provided on a turbine housing of the turbine, and the plurality of drive plates are engaged with the respective elastic damping members, and wherein one of the turbine housing and the drive plates has a protrusion and the other has a recess that fits with the protrusion.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the drive plate includes a body, the protrusion extending from the body, and a drive portion extending from the body, the drive portion being engaged with the respective elastomeric damping member.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the drive plate includes a body, the recess disposed on the body, and a drive portion extending from the body, the drive portion engaging with a respective elastomeric damping member.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the body extends along an outer surface of the turbine housing.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the recesses comprise a first set of recesses and a second set of recesses, wherein the first set of recesses is outside the second set of recesses in the radial direction.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the protrusion and the recess are joined together by a press-fit engagement.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the protrusion and the recess are joined together by brazing.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the brazing is located between an inner surface of the body and an outer surface of the turbine housing.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the protrusion and the recess are joined together by electric welding.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the spot welding is located at a contact position of the protrusion and the recess.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the main body is provided with a riveting hole, and the turbine housing is provided with a corresponding riveting hole.

The present disclosure also relates to a powertrain comprising a hydrodynamic torque converter as described above.

The present disclosure further relates to a vehicle comprising the aforementioned powertrain.

Drawings

Advantages and objects of the present disclosure may be better understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the relationship of the various components. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a partially schematic cross-sectional view, taken along a center axis, of a torque converter of a power train of a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, for schematically illustrating a basic structure of the torque converter;

FIG. 2 is a partial schematic view of a torque converter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, schematically illustrating a turbine housing and a drive plate;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the drive plate of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the turbine housing of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial schematic view of a torque converter according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, schematically illustrating portions of a turbine housing and a drive plate;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the drive plate of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the turbine housing of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a partial schematic view of a torque converter according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, for schematically illustrating a turbine housing and a drive plate; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial schematic view of FIG. 8 showing additional bonding of the turbine housing and drive plate by rivets.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Unless otherwise defined, technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The use of the terms "a" and "an" or "the" and similar referents in the description and claims of the present disclosure also do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one. The word "comprising" or "comprises", and the like, means that the element or item preceding the word covers the element or item listed after the word and its equivalents, but does not exclude other elements or items. The "radial" or the like direction is defined relative to the rotational axis of the torque converter.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a torque converter having a center axis a of a power train of an embodiment of the present disclosure to explain a basic structure of the torque converter. The torque converter may be used in a vehicle, such as a motor vehicle. The cross section shown in fig. 1 is a cross section taken along the central axis a, i.e., the central axis a is located in the cross section, and fig. 1 shows only a portion of the cross section where the torque converter is located on the side of the central axis a.

The torque converter shown in fig. 1 includes a housing 1, a pump impeller 2, a turbine runner 3, an output hub 4, and a lock-up clutch plate 5, which are disposed around the center axis a, and are rotationally symmetrical around the center axis a. The housing 1 is used to receive input torque, for example from the engine of a vehicle. The pump wheel 2 is fixedly connected to the housing 1 and can rotate together with the housing about the centre axis a. The turbine 3 is in fluid communication with the pump impeller 2 and is able to rotate under the impact of fluid (e.g. oil) flowing out of the pump impeller 2, that is to say the turbine 3 is able to be driven in rotation by the pump impeller 2. The output hub 4 is fixed to the turbine 3 and is used for outputting torque.

The lock-up clutch plate 5 is engageable to the housing 1 to rotate together with the housing 1 and is disengageable from the housing 1. For example, the lock-up clutch plate 5 is joined to the case 1 by a friction material capable of maintaining adsorption and good adhesion to the joining surface. The lock-up clutch plate 5 is fixed to the output hub 4 together with the turbine 3, and the lock-up clutch plate 5 is movable in a direction parallel to the central axis a (e.g., left and right in fig. 1) by, for example, oil pressure on both sides thereof (left and right in fig. 1) to effect engagement or disengagement with the housing 1. Under certain conditions, such as when the vehicle is traveling at high speeds, the lock-up clutch plates 5 may be engaged to the housing 1, the lock-up clutch plates 5 rotate together with the housing 1, and the power input from the engine is directly transmitted from the housing 1, the lock-up clutch plates 5, and the turbine 3 to the output hub 4, thereby forming a direct transmission with a transmission efficiency of 100%. Under certain conditions, for example, when the vehicle is running at low speed, the lock-up clutch plate 5 can be disengaged from the housing 1, and the power input from the engine is transmitted to the output hub 4 from the housing 1, the pump impeller 2, the fluid in the torque converter, and the turbine runner 3, whereby the function of torque conversion can be achieved.

As shown in fig. 1, the lock-up clutch plate 5 is provided with an elastic damping member 6, which may be an arc-shaped spring.

As shown in fig. 2, a turbine housing 7 of the turbine 3 is provided with a plurality of drive plates 8. Referring again to fig. 1, the plurality of drive plates 8 are engaged with the respective elastomeric damper members 6 to transmit power from the engine to the turbine. One of the turbine housing 7 and the drive plate 8 has

protrusions

9, 10, and the other has

recesses

11, 12 that mate with the protrusions.

The specific structure of the turbine housing 7 and the drive plate 8 will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 2 to 6.

In the example shown in fig. 2 to 4, the drive plate 8 has a projection 9 and the turbine housing 7 has a recess 12 matching the projection 9.

As shown in fig. 2, for example, three drive plates 8 are provided on the turbine housing 7, which are uniformly provided on the body of the turbine housing 7 around the center axis a. By "body" is meant here a casing part of the turbine for mounting blades, which in a radial direction perpendicular to the centre axis a does not have any extensions for other purposes. In other examples, the turbine housing 7 may be provided with other numbers of transmission plates 8, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

As shown in fig. 3, the transmission plate 8 includes a main body 13, a protrusion 9 extending from the main body 13, and a transmission portion 14 extending from the main body 13. As shown in fig. 2, the main body 13 extends along the outer surface of the turbine housing 7, for example, as a segment that is curved about the central axis a. As shown in fig. 3, the protrusions 9 are four bosses protruding from the main body 13 in one direction (for example, in a direction substantially opposite to the extending direction of the transmission portion 14). As shown in fig. 1, the transmission portion 14 extends approximately perpendicularly to the main body 13 and engages with the corresponding elastic damping member 6. Accordingly, the turbine housing 7 has a recess 12 that matches the protrusion 9, and the recess 12 is, for example, a through hole on the body of the turbine housing 7, which has a shape (e.g., rectangular) that matches the protrusion 9, and whose position is offset from the position for mounting the blade. The through hole is formed in the turbine housing 7 by, for example, punching. As shown in fig. 4, the recesses 12 comprise a first set of recesses 12 'and a second set of recesses 12 ", wherein the first set of recesses 12' are outside the second set of recesses 12" in the radial direction (the direction perpendicular to the central axis, in fig. 4 the direction of the radius of the turbine housing 7). For example, the first set of recesses 12' has two through holes, the second set of recesses 12 "also has two through holes, and the through holes in each set are equidistant from the central axis a, but the disclosure is not so limited and the through holes may be at different distances from the central axis a. The protrusions 9 may also comprise a first set of protrusions 9 'and a second set of protrusions 9 ", corresponding to the first set of recesses 12' and the second set of recesses 12". The first set of protrusions 9' has two bosses at the two ends of the body 13 respectively, and the second set of protrusions 9 "has a similar structure. In other examples, the first and second sets of protrusions 9', 9 "may be one boss extending along the edge of the body 13 of the drive plate 8, or three bosses, four bosses, etc. The present disclosure does not limit the number of protrusions and recesses.

In the example shown in fig. 5 to 7, the turbine housing 7 has a protrusion 10, and the drive plate 8 has a recess 11 that mates with the protrusion 10.

For example, the turbine housing 7 may be provided with three drive plates as shown in fig. 5, and as shown in fig. 2, these drive plates 8 are arranged uniformly on the body of the turbine housing 7 around the central axis a. In other examples, other numbers of drive plates 8 may be provided on the turbine housing 7 of fig. 5.

As shown in fig. 6, the transmission plate 8 includes a main body 13, a recess 11 provided on the main body 13, and a transmission portion 14 extending from the main body 13. As shown in fig. 5, the protrusion 10 is a boss extending outward from the turbine housing 7 approximately perpendicularly to the outer surface thereof, and is formed from the turbine housing 7 by, for example, punching. As shown in fig. 7, the protrusions 10 include a first set of protrusions 10 'and a second set of protrusions 10 ", wherein the first set of protrusions 10' is outside the second set of protrusions 10" in the radial direction (the direction perpendicular to the central axis a, the direction in which the radius of the turbine housing 7 is located). For example, the first set of projections 10' have two bosses, the second set of projections 10 "also have two bosses, and the bosses in each set are equidistant from the central axis a, but the disclosure is not so limited and the bosses may be at different distances from the central axis a. The recesses 11 comprise a first set of recesses 11 'and a second set of recesses 11 ", corresponding to the first set of protrusions 10' and the second set of protrusions 10". When the drive plate 8 is mounted on the turbine housing 7, the first set of recesses 11' is outside the second set of recesses 11 "in the radial direction. The recess 11 is, for example, a through hole in the transmission plate 8, which has a shape matching the protrusion 10, for example, a rectangular shape.

In the above-described embodiment, the protrusion 9 and the recess 12 and the protrusion 10 and the recess 11 are joined together by press-fitting, so that it is possible to provide a sufficiently high joining strength for torque transmission without requiring other joining means. As such, the torque converter of the present disclosure does not require an additional welding process when assembled, thus saving costs.

The present disclosure also provides other ways to bond the drive plate 8 to the turbine housing 7 to provide additional connection strength.

For example, the

protrusions

9, 10 may be joined to the

recesses

12, 11 by brazing. The location of the braze is between the inner surface of the body 13 and the outer surface of the turbine housing 7. The inner surface of the main body 13 refers to a surface of the main body 13 of the drive plate 8 that contacts the turbine housing 7. The outer surface of the turbine housing 7 refers to a surface of the turbine housing 7 on which the drive plate is mounted. Brazing is achieved, for example, by infiltrating a brazing material between the inner surface of the body 13 and the outer surface of the turbine housing.

For example, the

protrusions

9, 10 may be joined to the

recesses

12, 11 by electric welding. For example, electric welding may be performed at the contact position of the protrusion 9 and the recess 12 or the protrusion 10 and the recess 11. For example, at the line of contact of the protrusion with the recess, the protrusion may be joined with the recess by spot welding on the protrusion.

For example, as shown in fig. 8 and 9, the drive plate 8 may also be joined to the turbine housing 7 by riveting. The body 13 of the drive plate 8 is provided with a staking hole 15 and the turbine housing 7 is provided with a corresponding staking hole (not shown for simplicity). The staking hole 15 is, for example, a single hole located at the center of the main body 13, but may have other numbers. As shown in fig. 9, rivets may be provided in the staking holes in the main body 13 and the corresponding staking holes in the turbine housing 7 to make the connection.

By providing the protrusions or recesses on the body of the turbine housing and the recesses or protrusions on the drive plate that mate therewith, the torque converter of the present disclosure not only has a smaller volume, lower cost, but also provides higher mechanical strength for torque transmission.

It is to be understood that the structures described above and shown in the drawings are merely examples of the present disclosure, which can be substituted with other structures exhibiting the same or similar function for achieving the desired end result. Furthermore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings are to be regarded as merely constituting non-limiting examples of the present disclosure and that it can be modified in a number of ways within the scope of the patent claims.

Claims

1. A torque converter having a central axis (a) and comprising, disposed about the central axis (a):

a housing (1) for receiving an input torque;

a pump wheel (2) fixedly connected to the housing (1);

a turbine (3) which can be driven to rotate by the pump impeller (2);

an output hub (4) fixed to the turbine (3) and for outputting a torque; and

a lock-up clutch plate (5) engageable to the housing (1) to rotate together with the housing (1) and disengageable from the housing (1),

wherein the locking clutch plate (5) is provided with an elastic damping member (6), the turbine housing (7) of the turbine (3) is provided with a plurality of transmission plates (8), and the plurality of transmission plates (8) are engaged with the corresponding elastic damping member (6),

and wherein one of the turbine housing (7) and the drive plate (8) has a protrusion (9, 10) and the other has a recess (11, 12) that mates with the protrusion.

2. A hydrodynamic torque converter according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of drive plates (8) are arranged uniformly on the body of the turbine housing (7) around the central axis (a).

3. A hydrodynamic torque converter according to claim 1, wherein the driving plate (8) comprises a main body (13), the protrusions (9) extending from the main body, and driving portions (14) extending from the main body (13), the driving portions (14) being engaged with the respective elastic damping members (6).

4. A hydrodynamic torque converter according to claim 1, wherein the driving plate (8) comprises a body (13), the recess (11) provided on the body (13), and a driving portion (14) extending from the body (13), the driving portion (14) being engaged with the respective elastic damping member (6).

5. A hydrodynamic torque converter according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the main body (13) extends along an outer surface of the turbine housing (7).

6. A hydrodynamic torque converter according to claim 1, wherein the recesses (11, 12) comprise a first set of recesses (11 ', 12') and a second set of recesses (11 ", 12"), wherein the first set of recesses (11 ', 12') is outside the second set of recesses (11 ", 12") in the radial direction.

7. A torque converter according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions (9, 10) and the recesses (11, 12) are joined together by press-fit engagement.

8. A torque converter according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the protrusions (9, 10) and the recesses (11, 12) are joined together by brazing.

9. A hydrodynamic torque converter according to claim 8, wherein the position of the brazing is between the inner surface of the body (13) and the outer surface of the turbine housing (7).

10. A torque converter according to claim 1, wherein the projecting portions (9, 10) and the recessed portions (11, 12) are joined together by electric welding.

11. A torque converter as claimed in claim 10, wherein said electric welding is located at the contact position of said protrusions (9, 10) with said recesses (11, 12).

12. A hydrodynamic torque converter according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the body (13) is provided with a riveting hole (15) and the turbine housing (7) is provided with a corresponding riveting hole.

13. A powertrain comprising a torque converter as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A vehicle comprising a powertrain as claimed in claim 13.