JP2003343691A - Torque converter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive torque converter with an excellent cooling property ensuring a high quality. <P>SOLUTION: The torque converter is provided with: a clutch plate 3 having a spline-like tooth part 2 on a peripheral edge; and a cover 4 accommodating this clutch plate 3. A groove part 5 engaged with the spline-like tooth part 2 of the clutch plate 3 is formed on the cover 4. A cooling flow passage for making a cooling oil flow from one surface 3A side of the clutch plate 3 to the other surface 3B side is provided in the cover 4. An excessive groove 5b positioned between adjacent grooves 5a, 5a at the groove part 5 of the cover 4 and communicating the one surface 3A side of the clutch plate 3 with the other surface 3B side is made to be a cooling flow passage. <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 torque converter mounted on an automatic transmission of a vehicle, and more particularly to a torque converter having a lockup clutch structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a torque converter having the above-mentioned lock-up clutch structure, for example, a clutch plate having a spline-shaped tooth portion at its peripheral portion and a cover for accommodating the clutch plate are provided, and the cover of the clutch plate has There is a torque converter in which a groove portion that engages with a spline-shaped tooth portion is formed to reduce the number of parts and the cost associated therewith.

[0003]

However, in the above torque converter, in order to cool the clutch plate, a pipe is provided outside the cover, and cooling oil is passed through the pipe from one surface side of the clutch plate to the other. If you try to make it flow to the surface side, the cost will increase as much as you need parts such as piping and sealing members.
Due to the fact that the pipe is connected to the cover, there is a problem that it is difficult to say that it is easy to maintain high quality because it is not possible to completely eliminate the concern that oil leakage will occur from the connection point. The solution has been a conventional problem.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and provides a torque converter which is low in cost and excellent in cooling property and which can secure high quality. It is an object.

[0005]

As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, a groove is formed in the cover so as to engage with the spline-shaped teeth of the clutch plate, and a cooling channel is provided inside the cover. As a result, they have found that the above objects can be achieved, and have completed the present invention.

That is, the present invention relates to a torque converter including a clutch plate having spline teeth on the peripheral edge thereof and a cover for housing the clutch plate,
A groove is formed in the cover so as to engage with the spline-shaped teeth of the clutch plate, and a cooling flow path for flowing cooling oil from one surface side of the clutch plate to the other surface side is provided inside the cover.

[0007]

According to the torque converter of the present invention,
With the above-described configuration, it is possible to ensure excellent cooling performance while realizing cost reduction, and in addition, to flow cooling oil from one surface side of the clutch plate to the other surface side through the cooling flow path. Therefore, it has a very excellent effect that it is possible to maintain high quality.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a torque converter according to the present invention.

As partially shown in FIG. 1 (a), the torque converter 1 is provided with a clutch plate 3 having a spline-shaped tooth portion 2 on a peripheral portion thereof, and a cover 4 for accommodating the clutch plate 3. A groove 5 that engages with the spline-shaped teeth 2 of the clutch plate 3 is formed in the cover 4, and a central boss that supports a piston 6 for operating the clutch plate so that it cannot rotate but can move in the axial direction. 7 is attached.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 1B, the number of the grooves 5a in the groove 5 of the cover 4 is set larger than the number of the teeth 2a in the spline tooth 2 of the clutch plate 3, A surplus groove (a groove that does not mesh with the tooth 2a of the spline-shaped tooth portion 2) 5 located between the adjacent grooves 5a of the groove portion 5 that meshes with the tooth 2a of the spline-shaped tooth portion 2
By using b as a cooling groove as a cooling flow path that connects the one surface 3A side and the other surface 3B side of the clutch plate 3, cooling oil is supplied to the clutch plate 3 as indicated by an arrow in FIG. The flow can be made from one surface 3A side to the other surface 3B side.

The torque converter 1 described above has the following effects. Since the groove portion 5 that engages with the spline-shaped tooth portion 2 of the clutch plate 3 is formed in the cover 4, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced because the lock-up clutch drum is unnecessary. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 1A, the cooling oil is passed from one surface 3A side of the clutch plate 3 to the other surface through the surplus groove 5b located between the adjacent grooves 5a in the groove portion 5 of the cover 4. Since it can be poured to the 3B side,
Coolability of the clutch plate 3 can be ensured. Since the excess groove 5b located between the adjacent grooves 5a and 5a of the groove portion 5 that meshes with the tooth 2a of the spline-shaped tooth portion 2 is used as the cooling groove as the cooling flow path, the cooling oil is provided outside the cover as in the conventional case. It is no longer necessary to install the pipe, that is, there is no place where oil leakage can occur, and high quality can be maintained. Since the number of the grooves 5a in the groove portion 5 of the cover 4 is set to be larger than the number of the teeth 2a in the spline tooth portion 2 of the clutch plate 3, the excess groove 5b as the cooling flow passage is formed. Since the surplus groove 5b can be formed at the same time when the groove portion 5 is formed in the cover 4, another step for forming the surplus groove 5b can be omitted.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the torque converter according to the present invention.

As partially shown in FIG. 2B, the torque converter 21 is different from the torque converter 1 in the previous embodiment in that the groove 25 of the cover 24 is pressed between the adjacent grooves 25a, 25a. The plastic deformation groove 25b formed by plastic working such as working is used as a cooling groove as a cooling flow path, and other configurations are the same as those of the torque converter 1 in the previous embodiment.

The torque converter 21 described above has the following effects. Since the groove portion 25 that engages with the spline-like tooth portion 2 of the clutch plate 3 is formed in the cover 24, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced by the amount that the lock-up clutch drum is unnecessary. Adjacent grooves 25a in the groove portion 25 of the cover 24,
2A through the plastic deformation groove 25b located between 25a.
As indicated by the arrow in (a), the cooling oil can flow from the one surface 3A side of the clutch plate 3 to the other surface 3B side, so that the cooling performance of the clutch plate 3 can be ensured. Adjacent grooves 25a in the groove portion 25 of the cover 24,
Since the plastic deformation groove 25b located between 25a is used as a cooling groove as a cooling flow path, it is not necessary to install a cooling oil pipe outside the cover as in the conventional case, that is, a place where oil leakage may occur. It becomes possible to maintain high quality by eliminating the problem.

FIG. 3 shows still another embodiment of the torque converter according to the present invention.

As shown partially in FIG. 3 (b), the torque converter 31 differs from the torque converter 1 in the previous embodiment in that it penetrates the clutch plate 33 and the one surface 33A side and the other surface 33A side. A cooling hole 33a as a cooling flow path communicating with the surface 33B side is provided in each of the plurality of teeth 32a of the spline-shaped tooth portion 32, and the other configuration is the same as that of the torque converter 1 in the previous embodiment.

The torque converter 31 described above has the following effects. Since the groove portion 5 that engages with the spline-shaped tooth portion 32 of the clutch plate 33 is formed in the cover 4, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced because the lock-up clutch drum is unnecessary. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 3 (a), cooling oil is supplied to one surface of the clutch plate 33 through cooling holes 33 a as cooling flow paths provided in the plurality of teeth 32 a in the spline-shaped tooth portion 32 of the clutch plate 33. 33
Since it is possible to flow from the A side to the other surface 33B side, the cooling performance of the clutch plate 33 can be ensured. The cooling holes 33a provided in the plurality of teeth 32a of the spline-shaped tooth portion 32 of the clutch plate 33 are used as the cooling flow paths, so that it is not necessary to install a pipe for cooling oil outside the cover as in the conventional case. That is, there is no place where oil leakage can occur, and high quality can be maintained.

The detailed structure of the torque converter according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view (a) seen from a direction orthogonal to a central axis and a partial cross-sectional explanatory view (b) seen from a direction along a central axis, showing an embodiment of a torque converter according to the present invention. .

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view (a) seen from a direction orthogonal to the central axis and a partial cross-sectional explanatory view (b) seen from a direction along the central axis, showing another embodiment of the torque converter according to the present invention. is there.

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional explanatory view (a) seen from a direction orthogonal to a central axis and a partial sectional explanatory view (b) seen from a direction along the central axis, showing still another embodiment of the torque converter according to the present invention. Is.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,21,31 Torque converter 2,32 spline teeth 2a, 32a Spline tooth teeth 3,33 Clutch plate 3A, 33A One side of clutch plate 3B, 33B The other side of the clutch plate 4,24 cover 5,25 groove 5a, 25a Groove of groove 5b Surplus groove (cooling groove: cooling channel) 25b Plastic deformation groove (cooling groove: cooling flow path) 33a Cooling hole (cooling channel)

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A clutch plate having a spline-shaped tooth portion on a peripheral edge portion thereof, and a cover for accommodating the clutch plate, wherein a groove portion engaging with the spline-shaped tooth portion of the clutch plate is formed in the cover and cooling oil is provided. A torque converter characterized in that a cooling flow path for flowing from one surface side of the clutch plate to the other surface side is provided inside the cover. 2. The torque converter according to claim 1, wherein a cooling groove is provided between the adjacent grooves in the groove portion of the cover and which connects the one surface side and the other surface side of the clutch plate to each other as a cooling passage. 3. The number of grooves in the groove portion of the cover is set to be larger than the number of teeth of the spline tooth portion of the clutch plate, and the excess groove that does not mesh with the teeth of the spline tooth portion in the groove portion of the cover is used as the cooling groove. The torque converter described in 2. 4. The torque converter according to claim 2, wherein a plastically deformed groove formed by plastic working such as press working is used as a cooling groove between adjacent grooves in the groove portion of the cover. 5. A torque converter according to claim 1, wherein a cooling hole is formed by a cooling hole which penetrates the clutch plate and communicates one surface side and the other surface side. 6. The torque converter according to claim 5, wherein the cooling holes are provided at or near the teeth of the spline-shaped tooth portion.