JP2003278878A - Torque converter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a torque converter in which a radial needle bearing to be interposed between an inner cylinder and an input shaft can be prevented from being mutually interfered with a radial needle bearing between the outside end of a stator shaft and the input shaft. <P>SOLUTION: In the torque converter in which a couple of radial needle bearings 8, 8' freely rotatably supporting both ends of the stator shaft 7 are interposed between the stator shaft 7 and an input shaft 1 passing through the stator shaft 7 and in which a free wheel 23 is interposed between an outer cylinder 19 formed in the outside end of the stator shaft 7 and the inner cylinder 20 relatively rotatably supported by the input shaft 1 and unrotatably supported by a fixed structural body 21, a radial needle bearing 24 neighboring the radial needle bearing 8' at the outer end of the stator shaft 7 and having a larger diameter of a needle roller than the bearing 8' has is interposed between the input shaft 1 and the inner cylinder 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pump impeller connected to an input shaft, a turbine impeller connected to the pump impeller and connected to a turbine shaft, and a pump impeller and a turbine impeller. A circulation circuit for working oil is defined by the stator impeller arranged between the inner peripheral parts, and a stator shaft connected between the stator impeller and the input shaft passing through the stator shaft is connected to the stator shaft. A pair of radial needle bearings that rotatably support both ends are interposed, and an outer cylinder formed at the outer end of the stator shaft and a relatively rotatable support for the input shaft and a fixed structure. The present invention relates to an improvement in a torque converter in which a freewheel is interposed between an inner cylinder which is non-rotatably supported and is concentrically arranged in the outer cylinder.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Such a torque converter is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
It is already known as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-241530.

[0003]

In such a conventional torque converter, a radial needle bearing is interposed between the input shaft and the stator shaft, and a plain bearing is provided between the inner cylinder of the free wheel and the input shaft. It is installed. By the way, since the inner cylinder is non-rotatably supported by the fixed structure, the relative rotational speed between the inner cylinder and the input shaft is always very high, and therefore the bearing is required to have high durability.

Therefore, when the same radial needle bearing as the radial needle bearing between the outer end portion of the stator shaft and the input shaft is interposed between the inner cylinder and the input shaft, the rotation of the stator shaft and the inner cylinder is increased. It was revealed that due to the difference in the number, one of the two adjacent radial needle bearings penetrates into the other bearing housing, interferes with the other radial needle bearing, and impairs the mutual durability.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and when a radial needle bearing is interposed between the inner cylinder and the input shaft, the bearing, the outer end portion of the stator shaft, and the input shaft are It is an object of the present invention to provide a torque converter that can improve the durability of the radial needle bearing between the inner cylinder and the input shaft by preventing interference between the radial needle bearing and the radial needle bearing.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pump impeller connected to an input shaft, and a turbine impeller connected to the pump impeller and connected to a turbine shaft. , A stator impeller arranged between inner peripheral portions of the pump impeller and the turbine impeller defines a circulation circuit of working oil, and a stator shaft connected to the stator impeller and an input penetrating the stator shaft. A pair of radial needle bearings, which rotatably support both ends of the stator shaft, are interposed between the shaft and the shaft. The outer cylinder formed at the outer end of the stator shaft and the input shaft are rotated relative to each other. In a torque converter in which a free wheel is interposed between an inner cylinder that is rotatably supported, is non-rotatably supported by a fixed structure, and is concentrically arranged in the outer cylinder, and between the input shaft and the inner cylinder. Before Adjacent to the outer end of the radial needle bearing of the stator shaft, and the needle rollers than the bearing to the first, characterized in that interposed the large diameter of the radial needle bearing.

The input shaft corresponds to the crankshaft 1 in the embodiment of the present invention described later.

According to this first feature, the radial needle bearing on the inner cylinder side and the radial needle bearing on the outer end side of the stator shaft may intrude into each other's bearing housing due to the difference in needle roller diameter. Therefore, it is possible to prevent deterioration of durability due to mutual interference. Moreover, since the needle roller of the radial needle bearing on the inner cylinder side has a larger diameter than that of the radial needle bearing on the outer end side of the stator shaft, the durability of the radial needle bearing on the inner cylinder side can be further improved. Therefore, high relative rotation between the input shaft and the inner cylinder can be sufficiently endured.

In addition to the first feature, the present invention has a second feature that a flat washer is interposed between the radial needle bearings adjacent to each other.

According to the second feature, the mutual interference between the adjacent radial needle bearings can be more surely prevented by the flat washer.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on an embodiment of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a torque converter according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part 2 in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part 3 in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 shows a part of the seal ring in FIG. A broken perspective view, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is 6 of FIG.
8 is an enlarged view of the part, FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of the manufacturing process of the pump impeller, FIG.
1 is an enlarged view of part 8 of FIG. 1, FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a manufacturing process of a turbine impeller, FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 1, FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 12-1 in FIG.
FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG.

First, in FIG. 1, a torque converter T as a hydraulic power transmission device mounted on a small vehicle such as a motorcycle or a buggy vehicle comprises a crankshaft 1 of an engine as an input shaft and a driven gear of a multistage auxiliary transmission. Intervention with 17. The torque converter T includes a pump impeller 2 and
A turbine impeller 3 having an outer peripheral portion opposed to the outer peripheral portion,
A stator impeller 4 is provided between the inner peripheral portions of the three impellers, and a circulation circuit C for transmitting power by working oil is defined between the three impellers 2, 3 and 4. A side cover 5 that covers the outer surface of the turbine impeller 3 is integrally connected to the pump impeller 2 by welding. Pump impeller 2
The hub 2h is spline-fitted to the crankshaft 1, and is sandwiched by an annular shoulder portion 1a on the outer periphery of the crankshaft 1 and a nut 15 screwed to the crankshaft 1. In this way, the pump impeller 2 is fixed to the crankshaft 1.

The stator impeller 4 is made of a light alloy such as an Al alloy, and its hub 4h has a small-diameter inner peripheral surface 35a and a large-diameter inner peripheral surface 35b sandwiching a central partition wall 34. A steel sleeve 36 press-fitted into the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 35a is spline-coupled to the inner end of the hollow stator shaft 7 (steel).

By making the stator impeller 4 of a light alloy, the weight of the impeller 4 can be reduced and
By connecting the stator shaft 7 to the steel press-fitting sleeve 36 by spline connection, the durability of the connecting portion between the stator impeller 4 and the stator shaft 7 can be increased, that is, the weight reduction and durability of the stator impeller 4 can be improved. Both can be satisfied.

By the way, the steel sleeve 36 can be cast into the hub 4h when the stator impeller 4 is cast, but as described above, it is press-fitted into the inner peripheral surface of the hub 4h of the stator impeller 4. By adopting, it is possible to freely perform heat treatment on the sleeve 36 in a single state before press-fitting into the hub 4h, and the desired durability of the sleeve 36 can be easily achieved regardless of casting of the stator impeller. Can be given to.

The inner and outer ends of the hollow stator shaft 7 are connected to the crankshaft 1 by a pair of left and right radial needle bearings 8,
It is supported via 8 '. Further, a part of the hub 2h of the pump impeller 2 is arranged in the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 35b, and the thrust bearing 9 with a thrust plate is interposed between the hub 2h and the partition wall 34. The thrust bearing 9 with the thrust plate will be described later in detail.

The turbine impeller 3 is fitted and welded to the inner end of a turbine shaft 6 surrounding the stator shaft 7, and the turbine shaft 6 is provided with a radial ball bearing 10 and a radial needle bearing 11 on the outer periphery of the stator shaft 7. It is rotatably supported via. At that time, the radial ball bearing 10 is arranged on the inner end side of the turbine shaft 6, and the radial needle bearing 11 is arranged on the outer end side thereof.

The steel sleeve 36 press-fitted into the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 35a of the hub 4h of the stator impeller 4 has its outer end surface projected from the hub 4h, and the radial ball bearing 10 has its inner race 10a. Is arranged so as to abut the outer end surface of the sleeve 36, and the hub 4h of the stator impeller 4 has the turbine shaft 6 and the pump impeller 2 via the radial ball bearing 10 and the thrust bearing 9 with the thrust plate. It is sandwiched by the hub 2h and its axial position is regulated.

Here, the inner race 10a of the radial ball bearing 10 is formed thicker than the outer race 10b in order to increase the contact area between the inner race 10a and the sleeve 36.

Thus, the thrust load generated in the stator impeller 4 is supported by the radial ball bearing 10 via the steel sleeve 36 and the thrust bearing 9 with the thrust plate via the partition wall 34. The durability of the light alloy hub 4h against a thrust load can be increased. Particularly, in the radial ball bearing 10, the inner race 10a is formed to be thicker than the outer race 10b, so that the diameter of the bearing 10 is suppressed as much as possible and the contact area of the inner race 10a and the sleeve 36 is enlarged. It is possible to reduce the surface pressure of them and further improve the durability against thrust load.

The outer end surface of the sleeve 36 that abuts the inner race 10a of the radial ball bearing 10 projects from the hub 4h of the stator impeller 4 so that the hub 4h
Between h and the outer race 10b of the bearing 10, an annular oil sump that allows outflow of the working oil from the circulation circuit C can be defined.

Thrust bearing 9 with thrust plate
At the same time, a part of the hub 2h of the pump impeller 2 is arranged inside the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 35b of the hub 4h of the stator impeller 4, so that the outward protrusion amount of the hub 2h of the pump impeller 2 is reduced. , Can contribute to the compactification of the torque converter T.

A hub 5h surrounding the turbine shaft 6 is welded to the side cover 5. During the welding, the inner peripheral surface of the side cover 5 is fitted to the stepped portion of the stepped flange 85 formed at the base end portion of the hub 5h. An annular groove 86 having a trapezoidal or V-shaped cross section with the fitting surface as the groove bottom is formed on the outer surface of the side cover 5 and the flange 85, and the annular groove 86 forms the side cover 5 and the flange 85. They are TIG or MIG welded to each other. The weld is indicated by reference numeral 87. When the welding is performed in this manner, the welded portion 87 extends over the side cover 5 and the flange 85 over a wide range, and the welding strength can be increased.

A one-way clutch 13 and a radial ball bearing 14 are provided between the inner peripheral surface of the hub 5h of the side cover 5 and the outer peripheral surface of the turbine shaft 6 in the axial direction with the former 13 on the stator impeller 4 side. Is located adjacent to. The hub 16h of the output gear 16 for driving the driven gear 17 is connected to the outside of the radial ball bearing 14 and the hub 16h is rotatable relative to the inner peripheral surface of the hub 5h of the side cover 5. The first sealing means 48 is provided between the fitting surfaces. These structures will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG.

The hub 5h of the side cover 5 has its tip extending axially outward from the base end welded to the side cover 5, and its inner peripheral surface is a large-diameter inner peripheral surface 37a on the base end side. The large-diameter inner peripheral surface 37a is stepped with a small-diameter inner peripheral surface 37b that is connected to the outer end of the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 37a via an annular step portion 37c. The small-diameter inner peripheral surface 37b has a large axial length. Inner surface 37
It is set as small as half or less of the axial length of a. The stepped inner peripheral surface is machined at once from the base end side of the hub 5h. The large-diameter inner peripheral surface 37a is provided with a deep annular locking groove 40 in the center and a shallow annular locking groove 41 near the base end.

The outer peripheral surface of the hub 5h is composed of a large-diameter portion 38a on the base end side and a small-diameter portion 38b connected to the large-diameter portion 38a via a tapered portion 38c.

On the other hand, the turbine shaft 6 disposed inside the hub 5h of the side cover 5 has its tip protruding outward of the hub 5h, and the outer peripheral surface of the turbine shaft 6 is
It is composed of a large-diameter portion 39a on the base end side and a small-diameter portion 39b on the tip side that is continuous with the large-diameter portion 39a via an annular step 39c. It is arranged at a position substantially corresponding to the stop groove 40. Further, a tapered surface 49 is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the annular step portion 39c.

The outer race 14a of the radial ball bearing 14 is fitted to the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 37a of the hub 5h of the side cover 5, and is also locked to the annular step portion 37c and the deep annular locking groove 40. The inner race 14b is axially sandwiched by the retaining ring 18, and the small diameter portion 39b of the turbine shaft 6 is fitted to the inner race 14b thereof. The small diameter portion 39c of the turbine shaft 6 is fitted to the outer end portion of the small diameter portion 39b. The inner race 14b is axially sandwiched by the hub 16h of the output gear 16.

Annular retainer 13 of one-way clutch 13
a is a shallow annular locking groove 41 of the hub 5h of the side cover 5.
The large number of sprags 13b, 13b, ... Locked on the retainer 13a are retained on the large diameter inner peripheral surface 37 of the hub 5h.
It is interposed between a and the large diameter portion 39a of the turbine shaft 6. When the large-diameter portion 39a is fitted into the one-way clutch 13, the tapered surface 49 of the annular step portion 39c guides the fitting, so that the one-way clutch 13 can be easily attached regardless of the presence of the annular step portion 39c. Can be done. The one-way clutch 13 is configured to be in an on state so as to directly connect the turbine shaft 6 and the hub 5h of the side cover 5 when a reverse load is applied to the turbine shaft 6.

Referring again to FIG. 1, an outer cylinder 19 adjacent to the outer surface of the output gear 16 is integrally formed on the stator shaft 7, and an inner cylinder 20 concentrically arranged in the outer cylinder 19 is attached to the crankshaft 1. A radial needle bearing 24 is used to rotatably fit each other, and a freewheel 23 is interposed between the inner and outer cylinders 20 and 19. The inner cylinder 20 has a flange 20a at one end thereof, and the flange 20a is locked to a fixing pin 22 provided on a fixed structure 21 such as a crankcase, and also protrudes from the fixed structure 21. The outer end surface is supported by the positioning stopper 21a. The end face of the outer cylinder 19 is supported by the flange 20a via a thrust bearing 25 with a thrust plate.

The radial needle bearing 24 on the inner cylinder 20 side has a larger diameter than the needle roller of the radial needle bearing 8'on the outer end side of the stator shaft 7 in consideration of the load of the inner cylinder 20. It And these two adjacent radial needle bearings 8 ', 24
A flat washer 33 is interposed between them.

As described above, since the radial needle bearing 8'on the inner cylinder 20 side and the radial needle bearing 8'on the outer end side of the stator shaft 7 have different needle roller diameters, the radial bearings 8'on the opposite bearing housings are different from each other. It is possible to prevent deterioration of durability due to mutual interference without intruding, and also to prevent both radial needle bearings 8 ',
Flat washers 33 between 24 will prevent their mutual interference more effectively. Moreover, since the needle roller of the radial needle bearing 24 on the inner cylinder 20 side has a larger diameter than that of the radial needle bearing 8'on the outer end side of the stator shaft 7, its durability can be particularly enhanced, and the crank It can sufficiently withstand a high relative rotation between the shaft 1 and the inner cylinder 20.

The rotation of the crankshaft 1 is transmitted to the pump impeller 2 by the operation of the engine, and when it is rotated, the oil filling the circulation circuit C in the torque converter T is as shown in FIG. Pump impeller 2 as indicated by the arrow
Rotating torque of the pump impeller 2 is transmitted to the turbine impeller 3 while circulating the turbine impeller 3 → stator impeller 4 → pump impeller 2 to drive the output gear 16 from the turbine shaft 6. At this time, if the torque amplifying action is generated between the pump impeller 2 and the turbine impeller 3, the reaction force accompanying it is borne by the stator impeller 4 and the stator impeller 4
Is locked by the locking action of the freewheel 23.
Supported by 2.

When the torque amplifying action is finished, the stator impeller 4 is rotated in the same direction as the pump impeller 2 and the turbine impeller 3 while idling the free wheel 23 by reversing the torque direction received by the stator impeller 4.

When a reverse load is transmitted from the drive gear 16 to the turbine shaft 6 during deceleration of the vehicle, the one-way clutch 13 is turned on and the turbine shaft 6 and the side cover 5 are directly connected. The transmission directly from the turbine shaft 6 to the side cover 5, and then from the pump impeller 2 to the crankshaft 1. Therefore, a good engine braking effect can be obtained without causing slippage between the turbine impeller 3 and the pump impeller 2.

Moreover, the radial ball bearing 14 adjacent to the one-way clutch 13 is interposed between the turbine shaft 6 and the hub 5h of the side cover 5 to ensure the concentricity of the both 6 and the hub 5h. A large number of sprags 13b of the one-way clutch 13 between the both 6 and the hub 5h,
The loads received by 13b ... Are equalized, and the durability of the clutch 13 can be improved. The radial ball bearing 14 axially connects the turbine shaft 6 and the hub 5h of the side cover 5 in cooperation with the output gear 16 fixed to the turbine shaft 6, so that the crankshaft 1 has a simple structure. The assembly of the torque converter T can be configured before mounting to the crankshaft 1. Therefore, when mounting to the crankshaft 1, the hub 2h of the pump impeller 2 is slap-line fitted to the crankshaft 1 and fixed by the nut 15. By simply performing the above, positioning of the entire torque converter T in the axial direction can be performed.

Further, referring to FIG. 2, the coupling structure of the turbine shaft 6 and the output gear 16 will be described in detail.

The output gear 16 includes a hub 16h, an arm 16a extending radially from the outer end of the hub 16h,
A rim 16r with teeth extending axially from the outer peripheral end of the arm 16a so as to overhang to the side cover 5 side.
And a turbine shaft 6 on the inner peripheral surface of the hub 16h.
The small diameter portion 39b is lightly press-fitted, and the fitting surfaces of the hub 16h and the outer end surface of the turbine shaft 6 are welded to each other by a laser beam. Reference numeral 42 indicates the laser beam welded portion. The press-fitting depth of the turbine shaft 6 into the inner peripheral surface of the hub 16h is easily and accurately defined by the hub 16h contacting the annular step 39c via the inner race 14b of the radial ball bearing 14. Thus, the output gear 16 is connected to the turbine shaft 6,
Inner race 1 of radial ball bearing 14 at the same time
4b is axially held by the annular step 39c and the hub 16h, which simplifies the holding structure.

By the way, since the press-fitting of the turbine shaft 6 into the hub 16h of the output gear 16 is a light press-fitting, a relatively small press-fitting load is sufficient. Therefore, the distortion of the turbine shaft 6 due to press fitting can be suppressed as much as possible even if the hollow turbine shaft 6 does not have a special thick wall. Moreover, since the light press-fitting portion is firmly joined to the entire circumference by the laser beam welded portion 42, it is possible to sufficiently compensate for the insufficient coupling strength of the turbine shaft 6 and the output gear 16 due to the light press-fitting.
The light press-fitting portion can be surely sealed. Also, since laser beam welding has relatively little heat input, there is no concern about thermal strain in each part.

In the output gear 16, between the hub 16h and the rim 16r, an annular recess 43 having a diameter substantially the same as that of the large diameter portion 38a of the hub 5h of the side cover 5 is defined, and the annular recess 43 on the rim 16r side. Is rounded at the corner 43a. The small diameter portion 38b of the hub 5h of the side cover 5 is inside the annular recess 43, and the hub 5h is outside the annular recess 43.
The large-diameter portions 38a of h are arranged respectively. By doing so, the width of the rim 16r of the output gear 16, that is, the tooth width can be sufficiently secured, and the torque converter T can be made compact in the axial direction. Also, the rim 1 of the annular recess 43
The radius of curvature of the rounded corner 43a on the 6r side can be set sufficiently large without being interfered with by the large-diameter portion 38a of the hub 5h of the side cover 5, so that the corner 43a It is possible to improve the durability of the output gear 16 by avoiding the stress concentration.

Next, the oil supply and lubrication system for the torque converter T and the seal structure thereof will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, in FIG. 1, the crankshaft 1 is provided with a supply oil passage 31 passing through the axial center thereof, and an inlet hole 26 and an outlet hole 27 extending from the supply oil passage 31 in the radial direction. The oil passage 31 has an inlet hole 26 and an outlet hole 27.
An orifice 32 is formed which intervenes in between.

The supply oil passage 31 has one end connected to the discharge port of the oil pump 30 driven by the crankshaft 1, and the other end connected to a lubricating portion (not shown) of the engine. The inlet hole 26 is provided with the radial needle bearing 8, the radial oil groove 44 of the partition wall 34 of the hub 4h of the stator impeller 4, and the axial oil groove 45 of the large diameter inner peripheral surface 35b.
(See FIGS. 11 and 13) to communicate with the circulation circuit C.

An annular oil sump 29 and the annular oil sump 29 are axially sandwiched between the opposed peripheral surfaces of the crankshaft 1 and the turbine shaft 6 between the radial needle bearings 8 and 8'arranged in the axial direction. And a pair of annular throttle portions 90, 90 'arranged at
The annular oil reservoir 29, the lateral hole 28 formed in the stator shaft 7, and the radial ball bearing 10 communicate with the circulation circuit C. The lateral hole 28 also communicates with the inner end of the radial needle bearing 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hub 1 of the output gear 16
The outer peripheral surface of 6h is relatively rotatably fitted to the small diameter inner peripheral surface 37b of the hub 5h of the side cover 5. At that time, a seal ring 47 that is elastically brought into close contact with the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 37b is attached to an annular seal groove 46 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the hub 16h of the output gear 16. The seal groove 46 and the seal ring 47 constitute the first sealing means 48,
The oil that lubricates the radial ball bearing 14 is prevented from leaking to the outside.

The seal ring 47, as shown in FIG.
In addition to having one abutment 47a, the hub 5 is in a free state.
It is composed of an elastic ring body provided with a radial tension having a diameter larger than that of the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 37b of h, and its end face facing the abutment 47a is inclined with respect to the axis or the radial line of the ring 47. . When mounting the seal ring 47 in the seal groove 46, the abutment 47a is opened widely, the hub 16h of the output gear 16 is inserted into the seal ring 47, and the opening force to the ring 47 is released.
7 can be mounted in the seal groove 46 by its own restoring force.

Second sealing means 52 is provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the stator shaft 7 and the turbine shaft 6 facing each other outside the radial needle bearing 11. The second sealing means 52, like the first sealing means 48, has an annular seal groove 50 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the stator shaft 7.
And a seal ring 51 that is mounted in the seal groove 50 and elastically comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the stator shaft 7,
The oil that lubricates the radial needle bearing 11 is prevented from leaking to the outside.

Since the crankshaft 1 drives the oil pump 30 during its rotation, the oil pump 30 continues to pump oil to the oil supply passage 31. A part of the oil passes through the orifice 32, and the rest flows into the circulation circuit C in the torque converter T while lubricating the radial needle bearing 8 and the thrust bearing 9 with a thrust plate through the inlet hole 26. At that time, since the annular throttle portion 90 is provided between the radial needle bearing 8 and the annular oil sump 29, a part of the working oil that lubricates the radial needle bearing 8 is appropriately passed through the first annular throttle portion 90. It can be supplied to the reservoir 29.

The working oil that has passed through the radial needle bearing 10 and flowed into the circulation circuit C fills the inside thereof, then lubricates the radial ball bearing 10 and the radial needle bearing 11, and the lateral hole 28, the annular oil sump 29, and After sequentially passing through the outlet holes 27, the oil flows out to the downstream side of the supply oil passage 31, joins with the oil passing through the orifice 32, and heads for a lubricating portion of an engine (not shown).

Further, a part of the oil in the circulation circuit C moves to the side cover 5 side from the facing gap of the outer peripheral portions of the pump impeller 2 and the turbine impeller 3, and lubricates the one-way clutch 13 and the radial ball bearing 14. Be used for. A part of the oil that has entered the annular oil sump 29 is appropriately supplied to the radial needle bearings 8 ′, 24 and the free wheel 23 via the first annular throttle portion 90 between the crankshaft 1 and the stator shaft 7, These can be lubricated.

By the way, the oil that lubricates the one-way clutch 13 and the radial ball bearing 14 is blocked by the light press-fitting portion between the turbine shaft 6 and the hub 16h of the output gear 16 and the annular laser beam welded portion 42. It is prevented from leaking to the outside by being blocked by the first sealing means 48 between the hubs 5h and 16h of the cover 5 and the output gear 16.

In particular, the first sealing means 48 is the output gear 1
An annular seal groove 46 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the hub 16h of No. 6
And a seal ring 47 which is mounted in the seal groove 46 and elastically comes into close contact with the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 37b of the hub 5h of the side cover 5, the seal ring 47 is
The centrifugal force generated by rotating together with the side cover 5 tends to increase the diameter due to the action, thereby increasing the close contact force with respect to the small diameter inner peripheral surface 37b. Further, the hydraulic pressure in the torque converter T presses the inner surface of the seal ring 47 to bring the ring 47 into close contact with the outer inner surface of the seal groove 46. As a result, when the torque converter T rotates at high speed, it is possible to effectively prevent the leak of the internal hydraulic pressure that rises.

Further, the seal ring 47 is a single joint 47.
Since it is composed of an elastic ring body having a and outward tension in the radial direction, the seal groove 4 of the hub 16h of the output gear 16 is expanded by expanding the abutment 47a.
6 can be easily mounted, and the close contact force of the seal ring 47 with respect to the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 37b can be reliably increased according to the increase in the rotation speed of the hub 5h of the side cover 5 and the output gear 16. You can

Furthermore, by inclining the end face of the seal ring 47 facing the joint 47a with respect to the axis or the radial line of the ring 47, the leakage of the working oil from the joint 47a can be suppressed as much as possible.

The inner peripheral surface of the hub 5h of the side cover 5 has a large-diameter inner peripheral surface 37a on the base end side for mounting the radial ball bearing 14 and the one-way clutch 13 and a small-diameter inner peripheral surface on the tip side. Since 37b and step are configured,
This makes it possible to machine the entire stepped inner peripheral surface from one end side at once, reducing man-hours and contributing to cost reduction.

Moreover, since the annular step portion 37c between the large diameter inner peripheral surface 37a and the small diameter inner peripheral surface 37b is used for axially retaining the outer race 14a of the radial ball bearing 14, the retaining structure is simple. The cost can be further reduced.

Moreover, since the first sealing means 48 is provided between the small-diameter inner peripheral surface 37b and the hub 16h of the output gear 16 which is rotatably fitted thereto, the small-diameter of the first sealing means 48 is provided. The first sealing means 48
The load on the can be reduced and its durability can be increased.

The second sealing means 52 interposed between the crankshaft 1 and the turbine shaft 6 also exerts a sealing function similar to that of the first sealing means 48, and the oil that lubricates the radial needle bearing 11 is exposed to the outside. Leaks can be effectively prevented.

Thus, the radial ball bearing 1
4 and the radial needle bearing 11 have been lubricated, the working oil is prevented from leaking to the outside by the first and second sealing means 48, 52, so that the capacity of the oil pump for supplying the working oil to the circulation circuit C is increased. The torque converter T can exhibit desired transmission performance without causing a shortage of working oil in the circulation circuit C without special increase.

Further, the hub 5h of the side cover 5 composed of the large diameter portion 38a on the base end side and the small diameter portion 38b on the tip end side is
Since it has a reasonable wall thickness corresponding to the load, both weight reduction and strength can be satisfied.

Next, the pump impeller 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5 to 7.

The pump impeller 2 has a bowl-shaped and annular shell 2s, a large number of blades 2b, 2b ..., which are brazed at fixed positions on the inner surface of the shell 2s, and is brazed on the inner surface of the shell 2s. The blades 2b, 2b ... Retainer plate 2r for pressing the inner ends in the radial direction, the core 2c for connecting the intermediate portions of all the blades 2b, 2b ..., and the hub 2h welded to the inner peripheral edge of the shell 2s. It A large number of positioning recesses 55, 55, which are arranged in the circumferential direction, are formed in the shell 2s.
6 is engaged.

On the other hand, the retainer plate 2r is arranged so as to press the positioning protrusions 56 of all the blades 2b, 2b ... Further, the retainer plate 2r is provided with positioning notches 57, 57 ... For engagement with the blades 2b.

A positioning protrusion 58 is formed on each blade 2b at the edge facing the core 2c, and a positioning hole 59 with which the positioning protrusion 58 engages is formed in the core 2c.

When brazing the shell 2s, the blades 2b, 2b ... and the retainer plate 2r to the shell 2s, first, as shown in FIG. 7 (A), the blades 2b, 2b ... And retainer plate 2
After setting r, an annular or annular array of protrusions 60 raised on one side near the inner peripheral edge of the retainer plate 2r is resistance welded to the inner side of the shell 2s to temporarily fix the retainer plate 2r to the shell 2s. Then, braze in this state. By doing so, the brazing work can be performed easily and accurately.

After brazing, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), the inner peripheral end of the retainer plate 2r up to the vicinity of the welded portion of the protrusion 60 is cut together with the inner surface of the shell 2s to form the retainer plate 2r. In addition, an escape hole 61 having a larger diameter than the inner peripheral surface of the shell 2s is formed.

On the other hand, a large diameter portion 62 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the hub 2h.
And a small diameter fitting portion 64 connected to the outer end of the large diameter portion 62 via an annular step portion 63. While the small diameter fitting tubular portion 64 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the shell 2s, , The large diameter portion 62 is inserted into the escape hole 61, and the annular step portion 63
The inner surface of the shell 2s is pressed against. On the outer surface of the shell 2s and the hub 2h, an annular groove 65 having a trapezoidal cross section or a V-shape with the fitting portion of the shell 2s and the hub 2h formed is formed. TIG or MIG welding is performed on the entire circumference. The welded portion 66 formed at this time fills the annular groove 65, and the shell 2
The inner side surface of s reaches the annular stepped portion 63 of the hub 2h with which it abuts.

In the illustrated example, the annular groove 65 has a trapezoidal cross section whose bottom surface extends from the fitting surface of the hub 2h and the shell 2s to the shell 2s side. In this way, the groove bottom of the annular groove 65 will come close to the inner side surface of the shell 2s in a relatively wide range, and at the time of welding in the annular groove 65, the welded portion 66 is connected to the hub 2h with a relatively small heat input. Annular step 63
Can be reached reliably.

Then, the shell 2 is formed by cutting after brazing.
Since the brazing material 67 is surely removed from the exposed inner side surface of s, the hub 2h and the shell 2s are subsequently welded to each other so that the welded portion 66 makes the welded portion 66 contact the inner side surface of the shell 2s.
Even when reaching the annular stepped portion 63 of h, the situation in which the brazing material is not eluted and mixed into the welding portion 66 does not occur, the defective rate of welding is drastically reduced, and the brazing work is easy. It is possible to improve the manufacturing efficiency.

Moreover, the welded portion 66 of the hub 2h and the shell 2s fills the annular groove 65 and reaches the annular stepped portion 63 of the hub 2h with which the inner side surface of the shell 2s abuts, so that the inner peripheral end of the shell 2s is reached. Since the entire portion is welded to the hub 2h, the welding strength can be greatly increased.

Next, the turbine impeller 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 8 and 9.

Similar to the pump impeller 3, the turbine impeller 3 has a bowl-shaped and annular shell 3s, the shell 3s, and a large number of blades 3b, 3b brazed to fixed positions on the inner surface of the shell 3s. The retainer plate 3r, which is brazed to the inner surface of the shell 3s and presses the inner ends of the blades 3b, 3b in the radial direction, all the blades 3b, 3
The core 3c for connecting the intermediate parts of b ..., the reinforcing plate 70 brazed to the back surface of the retainer plate 3r, and the turbine shaft 6 welded to the reinforcing plate 70, the welding heat of which is the shell 3s and the retainer. The thickness of the reinforcing plate 70 is set to be larger than that of the retainer plate 3r so as not to affect the melting of the brazing material 67 between the plate 3r and the reinforcing plate 70.

The structures of the shell 3s, the retainer plate 3r, and the core 3c are basically the same as those of the pump impeller 2, and the description thereof will be omitted.

When brazing the shell 3s, the blades 3b, 3b, ..., The retainer plate 3r and the reinforcing plate 70 to each other, first, as shown in FIG. 9 (A), the blade 3b, 3b ... Group and the retainer plate 3r are arranged, and the reinforcing plate 70 is superposed on the back surface of the retainer plate 3r. At the same time, the protrusions 71 and 72 of an annular or annular arrangement formed on both side surfaces of the retainer plate 3r near the inner peripheral end are resistance-welded to the side surfaces of the shell 3s and the reinforcing plate 70 to form the retainer plate 3r and the reinforcing plate 70. Temporarily fix to the shell 3s, and braze in this state.

After the brazing, as shown in FIG. 9B, the shell 3s, the retainer plate 3r and the reinforcing plate 70 are formed.
The inner peripheral edge portion of is cut to the vicinity of the welded portion of the protrusions 71 and 72, and the fitting inner peripheral surface 73 is formed there. Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the reinforcing plate 70, a tapered surface 70 a having a smaller diameter toward the inside of the turbine impeller 3 is formed.

On the other hand, at the inner end portion of the turbine shaft 6, as shown in FIG. 8, a connecting cylindrical portion 74 surrounding the radial ball bearing 10 and a radial direction outward from the root of the connecting cylindrical portion 74. The positioning flange 75 is formed, the connecting cylindrical portion 74 is fitted to the fitting inner peripheral surface 73, and the shell 3s is pressed against the positioning flange 75. In this state, the shell 3s is reinforced with the outer peripheral surface of the connecting cylindrical portion 74. Board 7
The connecting cylindrical portion 74 and the reinforcing plate 70 are TIG or MIG welded over the entire circumference at the inner corner with the outer surface of 0, and as a result, a fillet 76 is formed at the inner corner by welding.

The heat generated during the welding is absorbed by the reinforcing plate 70, which is thicker than the retainer plate 3r and has a large heat capacity, and melts the brazing material 67 between the shell 3s, the retainer plate 3r and the reinforcing plate 70. Therefore, the connecting cylindrical portion 74 and the reinforcing plate 70 of the eluted brazing material are not reached.
Good welds can be obtained by avoiding invasion into the welds in between.

Thus, during operation of the torque converter T, the shell 3s of the turbine impeller 3 and the turbine shaft 6 receive an axially outward load due to the internal pressure thereof. Since the movement outward in the axial direction is restricted, the load of the shell 3s is supported by the positioning flange 75 of the turbine shaft 6. Moreover, since the inner peripheral edge of the shell 3s supported by the positioning flange 75 is strongly reinforced by the retainer plate 3r and the reinforcing plate 70 brazed to the inner surface thereof, the space between the reinforcing plate 70 and the connecting cylindrical portion 74 is increased. It is possible to significantly reduce the load burden on the welded part.

Further, the taper surface 70a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the thick reinforcing plate 70 and having a smaller diameter toward the inside of the turbine impeller 3 and the fillet 76 act within the turbine impeller 3. Since the oil is lined up along the flow of oil, it is possible to secure the rectification of the working oil and contribute to the improvement of fluid transmission efficiency.

Next, referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the thrust bearing 9 with the thrust plate, which is interposed between the hubs 2h and 4h of the pump impeller 2 and the stator impeller 4, will be described in detail.

Thrust bearing 9 with this thrust plate
Is a large number of needle rollers 78, 78 ... Arranged in an annular shape with their axes oriented radially, and these needle rollers 7
An annular retainer 79 having a large number of windows 79a, 79a for holding 8, 78 ... And needle rollers 78, 78 ...
It consists of an annular thrust plate 80 made of a steel plate that supports one side surface of the group. The thrust plate 80 has a retainer 7
A cylindrical portion 80a that is rotatably fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the retainer 9 is integrally formed. The tip edge portion of the cylindrical portion 80a is caulked outward in the radial direction, and a plurality of retainer 79 facing the outer surface is formed. The retaining claw 80b is formed. In this way, the thrust plate 80 is integrally incorporated as one element in the thrust bearing 9 with the thrust plate. On the outer periphery of the thrust plate 80, one or a plurality of rotation stopping pieces 80c are integrally provided so as to project.

Thrust bearing 9 with this thrust plate
Both hubs 2 of the pump impeller 2 and the stator impeller 4
When mounting between the h and 4h, first, the thrust plate 80 is placed in the large-diameter inner peripheral surface 35b of the hub 4h of the stator impeller 4.
The thrust bearing 9 with the thrust plate is inserted into the axial oil groove 45, and the thrust plate 80 is brought into contact with the partition wall 34 of the hub 4h. Next, the small-diameter short shaft portion 2ha formed at the inner end of the hub 2h of the pump impeller 2 is loosely fitted into the cylindrical portion 80a of the bearing 9 to bring the needle rollers 78, 78 ... Group to the inner end surface of the hub 2h. Contact.

The thrust bearing 9 with the thrust plate once inserted into the hub 24 of the stator impeller 4 as described above.
Can be accurately inserted between the hubs 2h and 4h of the pump impeller 2 and the stator impeller 4 without dropping the retainer 79, and the assembling property is extremely good.
It is also possible to prevent forgetting to attach the thrust plate 80.
Moreover, since the retainer 79 and the thrust plate 80 are held concentrically by the cylindrical portion 80a of the thrust plate 80,
The thrust plate 80 and the retainer 79 can be positioned concentrically with respect to the hub 2h by simply fitting the cylindrical portion 80a into the small diameter short shaft portion 2ha of the hub 2h of the pump impeller 2. It can be simplified.

When the pump impeller 2 and the stator impeller 4 rotate relative to each other, the thrust plate 80 rotates integrally with the hub 4h of the stator impeller 4 while the needle roller 7 is rotated.
It is possible to directly receive the thrust load from 8, 78 ... and prevent the wear of the light alloy hub 4h. Further, the axial oil groove 45 also functions as a rotation preventing groove corresponding to the rotation preventing piece 80c.

Next, referring to FIGS. 1, 12 and 13, the thrust plate interposed between the end surface of the outer cylinder 19 on the outer circumference of the free wheel 23 and the flange 20a of the inner cylinder 20 on the inner circumference of the free wheel 23. The attached thrust bearing 25 will be described in detail.

Thrust bearing 2 with this thrust plate
Similarly to the thrust bearing 9 with a thrust plate, 5 also has a large number of needle rollers 81, 81 ... Arranged in an annular shape with their axes oriented radially, and these needle rollers 8
An annular retainer 82 having a large number of windows 82a, 82a for holding 1, 81, ..., And needle rollers 81, 81.
It consists of a steel plate and an annular thrust plate 83 which supports one side surface of the group. The retainer 8 is attached to the thrust plate 83.
A cylindrical portion 83a is formed integrally with the outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical member 83a so that the cylindrical portion 83a is rotatable relative to the outer peripheral surface of the retainer 82. The retaining claws 83b are formed. In this way, the thrust plate 83 is integrally incorporated into the thrust bearing 25 with the thrust plate as one element thereof.

The thrust plate 83 is formed so that its inner diameter is smaller than that of the retainer 82, whereby a step portion 25a is formed in an annular shape between the retainer 82 and the thrust plate 83, and the thrust plate 83 is formed in the inner cylinder 20. It is designed to fit loosely around the outer circumference. On the other hand, the flange 20a of the inner cylinder 20
An annular erroneous mounting prevention protrusion 20b that is received by the step portion 25a is formed on the side surface facing the thrust bearing 25 with the thrust plate.

In order to properly install the thrust bearing 25 with the thrust plate, first, the needle roller 8
It is sufficient to fit the thrust plate 83 to the outer circumference of the inner cylinder 20 in a posture in which 1, 81 ... Are directed toward the flange 20a, and then fit the retainer 82 to the outer circumference of the erroneous mounting prevention protrusion 20b of the flange 20a. The stepped portion 25a between the thrust plates 83 can receive the erroneous mounting prevention projection 20b, and the needle rollers 81, 81 ... Group can be brought into contact with the fixed position of the flange 20a. Therefore, if the thrust bearing with a thrust plate 25 is installed in the opposite direction from the normal direction, the thrust plate 83 interferes with the mis-installation prevention protrusion 20b, so that the thrust bearing with a thrust plate 25 has a flange 20a. Floating from the
As a result, it is possible to easily determine that the attachment is incorrect.

After the thrust bearing 25 with the thrust plate is correctly attached to the inner cylinder 20, the thrust plate 83
By thrusting the end face of the outer cylinder 19 against the outer face of the thrust plate 25,
And the outer cylinder 19 are interposed. When the outer cylinder 19 and the inner cylinder 20 are relatively rotated, the thrust plate 83 directly receives the thrust load from the needle rollers 81, 81, ... It is possible to prevent the wear of the end face of the area.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the resistance welding of each part may be spot welding that does not use a protrusion, instead of projection welding that uses a protrusion as shown in the figure.

[0092]

As described above, according to the first feature of the present invention, the pump impeller connected to the input shaft, the turbine impeller connected to the pump impeller and connected to the turbine shaft, A circulation circuit of working oil is defined by the stator impeller arranged between the inner peripheral portions of the pump impeller and the turbine impeller, and a stator shaft connected to the stator impeller and an input shaft penetrating the stator shaft. And a pair of radial needle bearings that rotatably support both ends of the stator shaft, and are rotatable relative to the outer cylinder formed at the outer end of the stator shaft and the input shaft. In a torque converter in which a free wheel is interposed between an inner cylinder that is supported by a fixed structure and is non-rotatably supported by a fixed structure, and is concentrically arranged in the outer cylinder, between the input shaft and the inner cylinder. Is the stator Of adjacent radial needle bearing of the outer end side, and since the needle roller than said bearing is interposed the large diameter of the radial needle bearing,
The radial needle bearing on the inner cylinder side and the radial needle bearing on the outer end side of the stator shaft do not intrude into each other's bearing housings due to the difference in needle roller diameter, and prevent deterioration of durability due to mutual interference. You can Moreover, since the needle roller of the radial needle bearing on the inner cylinder side has a larger diameter than that of the radial needle bearing on the outer end side of the stator shaft, the durability of the radial needle bearing on the inner cylinder side can be further improved. Therefore, high relative rotation between the input shaft and the inner cylinder can be sufficiently endured.

According to the second feature of the present invention, in addition to the first feature, since a flat washer is interposed between the adjacent radial needle bearings, the adjacent radial needle bearings are mutually connected. Interference can be prevented more reliably with a flat washer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a torque converter according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part 2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part 3 in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view in which a part of the seal ring in FIG. 3 is cut away.

5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG.

6 is an enlarged view of part 6 of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of the manufacturing process of the pump impeller.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of part 8 in FIG.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of the manufacturing process of the turbine impeller.

10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG.

11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG.

12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG.

13 is a sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

T ... Torque converter 1 ... Input shaft (crank shaft) 2 ... Pump impeller 3 ... Turbine impeller 6 ... Turbine shaft 7 ... Stator shaft 8 ... Radial needle bearing 8 '・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Radial needle bearing 19 ... Outer cylinder 20: Inner cylinder 21: Fixed structure 23 ... Freewheel 24 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Radial needle bearing 33 ... Flat washer

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A pump impeller (2) connected to an input shaft (1), and a turbine impeller (3) opposed to the pump impeller (2) and connected to a turbine shaft (6). The pump impeller (2) and the stator impeller (4) arranged between the inner peripheral portions of the turbine impeller (3) define a working oil circulation circuit (C), and the stator impeller (4) )
A pair of radial needle bearings (8, 8 ') that rotatably support both ends of the stator shaft (7) between the stator shaft (7) connected to the stator shaft and the input shaft (1) passing through the stator shaft (7). ), And an outer cylinder (19) formed at the outer end of the stator shaft (7) and the input shaft (1) are rotatably supported and fixed to a fixed structure (21). In a torque converter in which a freewheel (23) is interposed between an inner cylinder (20) which is non-rotatably supported and is concentrically arranged in the outer cylinder (19), the input shaft (1)
Between the inner cylinder (20) and the radial needle bearing (8 ') on the outer end side of the stator shaft (7), and the diameter of the needle roller is larger than that of the bearing (8'). A torque converter having (24) interposed. 2. The torque converter according to claim 1, wherein a flat washer (33) is interposed between the radial needle bearings (8 ′, 24) adjacent to each other.