JP2003166562A - Roller clutch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a roller clutch which is easily assembled and has long stability of spring force used for pressing rollers. <P>SOLUTION: Cam surfaces 7 forming a wedge-shaped space between other circumferential surface are arranged on either peripheral surface among an inner peripheral surface of an outer ring 1 and an outer peripheral surface of an inner ring 2 at a plurality of locations of a circumferential direction. Rollers 3 arranged in the wedge-shaped space, and a retainer 4 maintaining each roller 3 in each pocket 8 is arranged. A spring piece 5 extending to a widthwise direction and sticking out to the roller 3 side and urging the roller 3 to a narrowing-down side of the wedge-shaped space is integrally arranged on the retainer 4. The spring piece 5 is connected with the retainer 4 at both ends of the retainer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a roller clutch such as a one-way clutch or a two-way clutch used in various machines such as office machines, medical equipment, fishing gears and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a roller clutch type one-way clutch shown in FIG. 11 has been used. In this clutch, a cam surface 57 that forms a wedge space with the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 52 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the outer ring 51, and the roller 53 is interposed in the gap.
The roller 53 is configured to be pressed against the cam surface 57 by the spring 55 mounted on the column portion 54a of the retainer 54. By pressing the roller 53 against the cam surface 57 with the spring 55 in this manner, the lock responsiveness is ensured. This spring 55
If there is no spring, or if the pressing force of the spring 55 is weak, a delay angle is generated during locking. On the other hand, the spring 55
If the pressing force of is too strong, the idling torque will increase.

In the above-described one-way clutch, the spring 55 is made of a plate spring such as a steel plate, and has a mounting portion 55a to be mounted on the column portion of the retainer 54, and a pair of tongue pieces 55b projecting bifurcated from the mounting portion 55a. Have and. The spring 55 is repeatedly stressed when the lock is turned on and off or when it is idling. In this case, since the spring 55 is made of a steel plate or the like, it is strong against repeated stress.

However, when the spring 55 made of a steel plate is used, a step of mounting the spring 55 on the column portion 54a of the retainer 54 is required, the assembly is complicated, and the degree of freedom in designing the spring 55 is small. There is.

As an alternative to such a configuration, FIG.
2 and FIG. 13, the spring 6 is attached to the resin cage 64.
An integral molding of 5 is also used. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the spring 65 includes a pair of tongue pieces 6 that project in a bifurcated shape from the central portion of the pillar portion 64 a between the pockets 68 of the retainer 64.
5a, and both ends of the roller 63 are pressed by both tongue pieces 65a. In the example of FIG. 13, the spring 65A
Is composed of a piece of tongue protruding from one side of the pillar 64 a of the retainer 64 toward the other side. This spring 65A
Is used when the clutch width is narrow and there is no space to install a bifurcated spring.

As described above, the spring 6 is attached to the resin cage 64.
When the 5, 65A are integrally formed, the step of assembling the springs 65, 65A to the retainer 64 is unnecessary, and the springs 65, 6A are
The 5A has a large degree of freedom in design and has an advantage that it is suitable for mass production. However, it has a problem that it is weak against repeated stress and the usable temperature range is limited. Particularly, when the stress is repeatedly applied by the movement of the roller 63, the spring 6 of FIG.
In No. 5, fatigue gradually progresses at the base end portion A of the tongue piece 65a and also at the base end portion B of the tongue piece 65A of FIG. 13, the elasticity decreases.

An object of the present invention is to provide a roller clutch which is easy to assemble and which can obtain long-term stability of a spring force for pressing a roller.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A roller clutch according to the present invention is a cam surface that forms a wedge space between one of the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring and the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring and the other peripheral surface. Is provided at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction, rollers are arranged in these wedge spaces, and a retainer for retaining each of these rollers in a pocket is provided. The retainer extends in the width direction and protrudes toward the roller. A spring piece for urging the roller toward the narrow side of the wedge space is integrally provided, and the spring piece is connected to the cage at both ends. According to this structure, the spring piece is connected to the cage at both ends, so that even if stress is repeatedly applied by the movement of the roller, it is possible to avoid concentration of fatigue at the base end of the spring piece and deterioration of elasticity. be able to. for that reason,
Long-term stability of the spring force of the spring piece is obtained, and reliability is also improved. Further, since the spring piece is provided integrally with the holder, the step of attaching the spring piece to the holder is unnecessary, and the assembly is easy.

In the roller clutch according to the present invention, the spring piece is in contact with the spring piece in a state in which the spring piece is pressed by the roller and bent at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the spring piece in the pillar portion between the pockets of the cage. You may provide the spring receiving convex part which suppresses the bending of a lever spring piece. With this configuration,
Excessive bending of the spring piece is suppressed by the spring receiving convex part,
The elastic fatigue of the spring piece can be alleviated, and further long-term stability of the spring force of the spring piece can be obtained. In the roller clutch of the present invention, the spring piece may have a waveform having a plurality of wave peaks protruding toward the roller at a plurality of positions in the width direction of the cage. According to this structure, the pressing force of the spring piece is applied to the roller in a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction, and the pressing of the roller by the spring piece can be stably performed.

In the roller clutch of the present invention, the spring pieces may be provided at a plurality of positions in the width direction of the cage for each roller. Also in the case of such a configuration, the pressing force of the spring piece is applied to a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction of the roller, and the pressing of the roller by the spring piece can be stably performed.

In the roller clutch of the present invention, the roller clutch may be a one-way clutch, and the wedge spaces may face in the same circumferential direction. With this structure, the one-way clutch can be easily assembled and has excellent durability of the spring piece for pressing the roller.

In the roller clutch of the present invention, the roller clutch may be a two-way clutch, and each pair of the above-mentioned wedge spaces may be provided so that their spreading sides are connected to each other, and one roller may be arranged in each pair of the wedge spaces. . In this case, the two-way clutch can be easily assembled and has excellent durability of the roller pressing spring piece.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This roller clutch is a one-way clutch in which a plurality of rollers 3 are interposed between an outer ring 1 and an inner ring 2 and these rollers 3 are held by a cage 4. The inner ring 2 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface, and the outer ring 1 is
Cam surfaces 7 that form wedge spaces with the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 2 are formed at a plurality of positions on the inner peripheral surface in the circumferential direction. The wedge spaces are oriented in the same circumferential direction. The outer ring 1 has a collar in the illustrated example, but may have no collar. The roller 3 is arranged in each of the wedge spaces. The cage 4 is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a plurality of pockets 8 into which the rollers 3 are inserted, and a column portion 4a is formed between adjacent pockets 8 and 8.

The cage 4 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin, and a spring piece 5 is integrally formed on the pillar portion 4a as shown in FIG. The spring piece 5 extends in the width direction and projects toward the roller 3 side, and urges the roller 3 toward the narrow side of the wedge space. The spring piece 5 is connected to the retainer 4 at both ends and is curved in an arc shape. The spring piece 5 is
As shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction has a narrow width that gradually narrows as compared with the other portions, and elastic deformation near the center of the spring piece 5 is likely to occur. The spring piece 5 may have a constant width over the entire length in the longitudinal direction.

The cage 4 is made of polyamide resin mixed with glass fiber as a reinforcing material, but is not limited to other resin materials, resin material without reinforcing material, or synthetic resin. Hard rubber such as synthetic rubber may be used.

The operation of this roller clutch will be described. In the state of FIG. 1 (A), the roller 3 is pressed against the cam surface 7 of the outer ring 1 by the spring piece 5 and frictionally engaged, and is in a locked state. When the inner ring 2 is rotated in the idling direction (clockwise in the figure) a with respect to the outer ring 1 from this locked state, the roller 3
Also, the cage 4 rotates and moves together with the inner ring 2 due to friction. That is, the roller 3 moves in the direction in which the wedge space is expanded by the cam surface 7. The roller 3 is movable until it hits the end 7a of the cam surface 7, and in the state where it hits the end 7a of the cam surface, the roller 3 slips with respect to the inner ring 2 and the inner ring 2 can freely rotate, The clutch is unlocked. That is, clockwise rotation of the inner ring 2 is allowed. From this unlocked state, when the inner ring 2 is rotated in the locking direction (counterclockwise in the figure) b, the roller 3 and the cage 4 are rotated together with the inner ring 2, and the roller 3 is wedged by the cam surface 7 of the outer ring 1. It is pressed against the back of the space again, and the rotation is locked. Therefore, the counterclockwise rotation of the inner ring 2 is prevented. Thus, only rotation in one direction a is freely allowed.

According to this embodiment, since the spring piece 5 is connected to the retainer 4 at both ends, it is possible to avoid the concentration of fatigue at the base end portion of the spring piece 5 and the reduction in elasticity. , Long-term stability of spring force can be obtained. Further, since the spring piece 5 is provided integrally with the retainer 4, the step of attaching the spring piece 5 to the retainer 4 is unnecessary, and the assembly is easy.
In this embodiment, the cam surface 7 is provided on the outer ring 1. However, when the roller clutch including a one-way clutch is used as in this embodiment, the cam surface 7 is provided on the inner ring 2 and the inner surface of the outer ring 2 is formed. May be a cylindrical surface.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, in the roller clutch of the first embodiment, the spring piece 5 provided integrally with the cage 4 has a plurality of (here, two) wave peaks 5a protruding toward the roller 3 side in the width direction of the cage 4. The shape is lined up with. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In the case of this embodiment, the pressing force of the spring piece 5 is applied to a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction of the roller 3, so that the pressing of the roller 3 by the spring piece 5 can be stably performed.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, in the roller clutch of the first embodiment, a circular arc-shaped spring piece 5 provided integrally with the cage 4 is provided.
Are provided at a plurality of positions (here, two positions) in the width direction of the cage 4 for each roller 3. Other configurations are first
Is the same as the embodiment of.

Also in the case of this embodiment, the pressing force of the spring piece 5 is applied to the roller 3 at a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction, so that the roller 3 can be pressed by the spring piece 5 in a stable manner.

FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, in the roller clutch of the first embodiment, a spring receiving convex portion 9 is provided on the pillar portion 4a between the pockets 8 of the cage 4. The spring receiving convex portion 9
The spring piece 5 is pressed by the roller 3 and is in contact with the spring piece 5 in a bent state to suppress further bending of the spring piece 5, and the spring piece 5 is placed at a position corresponding to an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the spring piece 5. It is arranged. The spring receiving convex portion 9 may be integrally formed with the retainer 4 or may be separately formed and attached. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In the case of this embodiment, excessive bending of the spring piece 5 is suppressed by the spring receiving convex portion 9. Therefore, the spring piece 5
It is possible to more reliably prevent the elastic fatigue of and to obtain further long-term stability of the spring force.

FIG. 7 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, in the roller clutch (FIG. 4) of the second embodiment in which the spring piece 5 has a shape in which a plurality of wave crests 5a are arranged in the width direction of the cage, the pillar portion 4a between the pockets 8 of the cage 4 is formed. The spring receiving convex portion 9 similar to that of the fourth embodiment (FIG. 6) is provided at a position corresponding to the intermediate portion of the spring piece 5 in the longitudinal direction. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

Also in this embodiment, as in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, excessive bending of the spring piece 5 is suppressed by the spring receiving convex portion 9, so that elastic fatigue of the spring piece 5 can be prevented. As a result, further long-term stability of the spring force of the spring piece 5 can be obtained.

FIG. 8 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, in the roller clutch (FIG. 5) of the third embodiment in which a plurality of spring pieces 5 are arranged side by side in the cage width direction for each roller 3, between the pockets 8 and 8 of the cage 4. The same spring receiving convex portion 9 as that of the fourth embodiment (FIG. 6) is provided at a position of the column portion 4a corresponding to an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of each spring piece 5. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

A seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. This roller clutch is an example of a two-way clutch, and a plurality of rollers 3 are interposed between the outer ring 1 and the inner ring 2, and the rollers 3 are attached to the cage 4.
Holding in. The outer ring 1 has an inner peripheral surface formed into a cylindrical surface. The inner ring 2 is provided on the outer circumferential surface at a plurality of circumferential positions on the outer ring 1.
A cam surface 17 that forms a wedge space is formed between the cam surface 17 and the inner peripheral surface of the. The cam surface 17 is provided with a forward rotation lock cam surface 17a and a reverse rotation lock cam surface 17b adjacent to each other. That is, each pair of wedge spaces is provided so that their respective sides are spread and connected to each other. In this embodiment, the cam surfaces 17a and 17b are formed as a continuous continuous plane, and the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 2 is formed in a polygonal shape. The rollers 3 are arranged in the above-mentioned wedge spaces, the cage 4 is made of synthetic resin and formed into a cylindrical shape, and a plurality of pockets 8 into which the rollers 3 are formed are formed. Pillar 4 is between the matching pockets 8.
The fact that it is a is the same as in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, the pillar portion 4a of the cage 4 has a pair of spring plates 5A facing the inside of the pocket 8.
However, they are integrally formed so as to face each other so as to sandwich one roller 3 placed in the pocket 8. Spring plate 5A
Is arc-shaped, and both ends thereof are connected to the cage 4, as in the first embodiment. In addition, the roller clutch composed of this two-way clutch moves the retainer 4 to the neutral position of the rotation phase with respect to the inner ring 2, which is the bearing ring on the side where the cam surface 17 is formed, and the position where the rotation lock is performed in each direction. There is provided a retainer phase switching means (not shown) which is switchably fixed.

The operation of this roller clutch will be described. In the operating state of the cage phase switching means in which the pocket 8 of the cage 4 is at the neutral position of the cam surface 17 as shown in FIG. 9, the roller 3 is pressed against the pair of spring pieces 5A, 5A, and the pair of cam surfaces 5A and 5A. It is in an unlocked state in which neither 17a nor 17b is frictionally engaged. Therefore, the outer ring 1 is rotatable with respect to the inner ring 2 in both forward and reverse directions. From this unlocked state, when the cage 4 is fixed to the inner ring 2 in the clockwise direction a in the figure, the roller 3 moves in the depth direction of the wedge space by the cam surface 17a. Therefore, when the outer ring 3 tries to rotate in the clockwise direction a, the roller 3 moves to the inner side of the wedge space, and the rotation lock state is established. The rotation of the outer ring 3 in the counterclockwise direction b can be freely rotated because the roller 3 moves in the direction in which the wedge space expands. Contrary to the above, when the cage 4 is fixed to the inner ring 2 while being rotated in the counterclockwise direction b in the figure, the roller 3 moves in the depth direction of the wedge space by the cam surface 17b. Therefore, when the outer ring 3 tries to rotate in the counterclockwise direction b,
The roller 3 will move to the inner side of the wedge space,
The rotation is locked. Rotation of the outer ring 3 in the clockwise direction a can freely rotate because the roller 3 moves in the direction in which the wedge space expands. As described above, the roller clutch including the two-way clutch can be switched between a state in which it can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions and a state in which it can only rotate in one forward and reverse directions.

Also in this embodiment, a pair of spring pieces 5A arranged so as to sandwich each roller 3 is integrally provided in the cage 4, and each spring piece 5A is connected to the cage 4 at both ends. It is possible to avoid the concentration of fatigue on the base end portion of the spring piece 5A and the reduction in elasticity, and long-term stability of the spring force can be obtained.

Although the spring plate 5A has an arc shape in this embodiment, it may have a shape having a plurality of wave peaks arranged in the width direction of the cage 4 as in the second embodiment (FIG. 4). A plurality of spring plates 5A may be arranged side by side in the width direction of the cage 4 as in the third embodiment (FIG. 5), and as in the fourth to sixth embodiments (FIGS. 6 to 8). Cage 4
The column portion 4a may be provided with the spring receiving convex portion 9 for suppressing the bending of the spring plate 5A.

In this embodiment, the cam surface 17 is provided on the inner ring 2. However, when a roller clutch consisting of a two-way clutch is used as in this embodiment, the cam surface 17 is provided on the outer ring 1 and the inner ring 2 is used. The outer diameter surface may be a cylindrical surface.

[0033]

According to the roller clutch of the present invention, a cam surface that forms a wedge space between one of the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring and the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring and the other peripheral surface is formed. Direction, the rollers are arranged in these wedge spaces, and a retainer for retaining each of these rollers in the pocket is provided. The retainer extends in the width direction and the rollers extend toward the narrow side of the wedge space. Since a spring piece for urging is integrally provided and this spring piece is connected to the retainer at both ends, it is possible to avoid the concentration of fatigue at the base end portion of the spring piece and decrease in elasticity. Long-term stability of spring force can be obtained. Further, since the step of mounting the spring piece on the cage is unnecessary, the assembly is easy. When the retainer is provided with the spring receiving convex portion, excessive bending of the spring piece is suppressed by the spring receiving convex portion, so that elastic fatigue of the spring piece can be more reliably prevented and the spring force can be further improved. The long-term stability of can be obtained. When the spring piece has a corrugated shape having a plurality of wave peaks protruding toward the roller at a plurality of positions in the width direction of the cage, and the spring pieces are provided at a plurality of positions in the width direction of the cage for each roller. In each case, the pressing of the roller by the spring piece can be performed stably. Whether the roller clutch is a one-way clutch or a two-way clutch, the roller clutch can be easily assembled and excellent in long-term stability of the spring force for pressing the roller.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A is a partially cutaway front view of a roller clutch according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a partially cutaway side view thereof.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a developed state showing a relationship between a retainer of the roller clutch, a roller, and a spring piece.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a modified example of a spring piece in the roller clutch.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a roller clutch according to a second embodiment of the present invention in a developed state showing a relationship between a retainer, a roller, and a spring piece.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a roller clutch according to a third embodiment of the present invention in a developed state showing a relationship between a retainer, a roller, and a spring piece.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a roller clutch according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention in a developed state showing a relationship between a retainer, a roller, and a spring piece.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a roller clutch according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention in a developed state showing a relationship between a retainer, a roller, and a spring piece.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a roller clutch according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention in a developed state showing a relationship between a cage, rollers, and spring pieces.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway front view of a roller clutch according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the roller clutch in a developed state showing the relationship between the cage, rollers, and spring pieces.

11A is a partially cutaway front view of a conventional roller clutch, and FIG. 11B is a partially cutaway side view of the same.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of another conventional example in a developed state.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of still another conventional example in a developed state.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Outer ring 2 ... Inner ring 3 ... Laura 4 ... Cage 4a ... Pillar 5,5A ... Spring pieces 5a ... Hayama 7 ... Cam surface 8 ... Pocket 9 ... Spring receiving protrusion 17, 17a, 17b ... Cam surface

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Ayumu Yamamoto             Entier, 1578 Higashi-Kaizuka, Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture             Nu Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A cam surface, which forms a wedge space between the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring and the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring, forms a wedge space between the inner peripheral surface and the other peripheral surface at a plurality of circumferential positions. Rollers are arranged in these wedge spaces, and a retainer is provided for retaining each of these rollers in a pocket. The retainer extends in the width direction and projects toward the rollers, and urges the rollers toward the narrow side of the wedge spaces. A roller clutch that integrally includes a spring piece that is connected to the retainer at both ends. 2. The spring piece is brought into contact with the spring piece in a state where the spring piece is pressed by a roller and bent at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the spring piece in the pillar portion between the pockets of the cage. The roller clutch according to claim 1, wherein a spring receiving convex portion that suppresses bending is provided. 3. The roller clutch according to claim 1, wherein the spring piece has a corrugated shape having a plurality of wave peaks protruding toward the roller at a plurality of positions in the width direction of the cage. 4. The roller clutch according to claim 1, wherein the spring pieces are provided at a plurality of positions in the width direction of the cage with respect to each roller. 5. The roller clutch according to claim 1, wherein the roller clutch is a one-way clutch, and the wedge spaces face in the same circumferential direction. 6. A two-way clutch, wherein each of the wedge spaces is provided so that a pair of the wedge spaces are connected to each other with their expanding sides connected to each other, and one roller is disposed in each of the pair of wedge spaces. Roller clutch.