JP2005214345A - Power transmission chain, manufacturing method thereof and power transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent lowering of power transmission efficiency due to mutual frictional contact of two or more links of a power transmission chain. <P>SOLUTION: A chain 2 includes: plate-like links 2 arranged in two or more lines; a power transmission pin 3 connecting the corresponding links 2 to each other; and a strip 4 a little shorter than the transmission pin 3. The transmission pin 3 and the strip 4 are pressed in through holes 7 of a pair of link ends 5, 6 of each link 2 in some case, and loosely fitted thereto in some case. A clearance gap S is provided between the links 2 adjacent to each other in the width direction W of the chain. Thus, in driving the chain 1, the adjacent links 2 are prevented from coming to frictional contact with each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a power transmission chain, a manufacturing method thereof, and a power transmission device.

As endless power transmission chains used in power transmission devices such as continuously variable transmissions (CVT) for automobiles, a plurality of plate-like links arranged in the direction of chain travel are formed at both ends of the links. There are transmission pins that are inserted through the through-holes and connect the corresponding links to each other, and strips that are respectively inserted through the through-holes and that can be brought into rolling contact with the corresponding transmission pins (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4). reference).
Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-379351. Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-379882. Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-354678. JP-A-8-312725.

  The links are stacked in the chain width direction, and transmission pins are press-fitted into the through holes of the stacked links. The links adjacent in the chain width direction are pressed against each other during press-fitting and are in relatively strong pressing contact. As a result, when the power transmission chain bends, that is, when the link pivots around the pin and slides relative to the adjacent link in the chain width direction, a driving loss due to frictional resistance occurs, causing a decrease in transmission efficiency. It was.

  The present invention has been made under such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a power transmission chain that can improve transmission efficiency, a manufacturing method thereof, and a power transmission device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a power transmission chain in which a plurality of links having a pair of link ends arranged in the chain traveling direction and a plurality of links having through holes formed in each link end are connected to each other. A pin that is press-fitted into a through-hole at one link end of the other link and is loosely fitted into a through-hole at the other link end of the corresponding link to interconnect the corresponding links, and a through-hole at the one link end A strip that is loosely fitted and press-fitted into the through-hole of the other link end and can contact a corresponding pin adjacent in the chain traveling direction is provided, and a gap is provided between the links adjacent in the chain width direction. The power transmission chain characterized by this is provided.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the links adjacent to each other in the chain width direction from coming into contact with each other and to generate a frictional resistance. Therefore, it is possible to sufficiently reduce the driving loss and greatly improve the transmission efficiency.
In the present invention, a synthetic resin member may be interposed between links adjacent in the chain width direction. In this case, it is possible to reliably prevent the links adjacent in the chain width direction from coming into direct contact with each other, and the transmission efficiency can be more reliably improved.

The present invention also provides a first pulley and a second pulley each having a pair of conical sheave surfaces facing each other, and the power that is wound between these pulleys and transmits power by contacting the sheave surfaces. Provided is a power transmission device comprising a transmission chain.
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the power transmission device excellent in transmission efficiency is realizable. Further, for example, when a gap is provided between links adjacent in the chain width direction, the pin can move in the chain width direction. As a result, even if the relative positions of the first pulley and the second pulley are shifted and misalignment occurs, the pins can move (skew) in the chain width direction to allow this misalignment. As a result, the pins can be prevented from being abnormally worn by hitting the corresponding sheave surface, and the life can be significantly improved.

Further, the present invention is a method for manufacturing the above power transmission chain, wherein a plurality of layers are stacked with a space regulating member interposed therebetween and connected to each other by inserting pins and strips into corresponding through holes. There is provided a method of manufacturing a power transmission chain, comprising the steps of obtaining a link and removing a spacing regulating member.
According to the present invention, the gap can be easily formed only by removing the interval regulating member after the press-fitting operation. Moreover, the value of the said clearance gap can be easily adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the space | interval control member.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a main part of a power transmission chain (hereinafter simply referred to as a chain) for a chain type continuously variable transmission according to an embodiment of the power transmission chain of the present invention. . Referring to FIG. 1, chain 1 includes plate-like links 2 arranged in a plurality of rows, transmission pins 3 for connecting corresponding links 2 to each other, and strips 4 slightly shorter than transmission pins 3. Is provided.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the chain 1 shown in FIG. 1, and shows three sets of links 2 having the same position in the chain traveling direction X. Specifically, the first set 51, the second set 52, and the third set 53. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the link 2, the transmission pin 3 and the strip 4 of the chain 1.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each link 2 includes a pair of link ends 5 and 6 arranged in the chain traveling direction X, and through-holes 7 are formed in the link ends 5 and 6, respectively.

The through hole 7 of the link end 5 of the link 2 of the first group 51 and the through hole 7 of the link end 6 of the link 2 of the second group 52 are aligned in the chain width direction W and are inserted through the through hole 7. The link 2 of the 1st and 2nd group 51,52 is mutually connected by the transmission pin 3 to perform.
The transmission pin 3 is press-fitted into the through-hole 7 of the link 2 and the relative rotation with respect to the link 2 is restricted, and the transmission pin 3 is loosely fitted into the through-hole 7 with a small clearance to be relative to the link 2. It may be acceptable. For example, the transmission pin 3 is press-fitted into the through hole 7 of the link end 5 of each link 2 of the first group 51 to restrict relative rotation of the first group 51 with respect to each link 2, and the second It is loosely fitted in the through hole 7 of the link end 6 of each link 2 of the set 52, and relative rotation with respect to each link 2 of the second set 52 is allowed.

  Similarly, the through hole 7 of the link end 5 of the link 2 of the second set 52 is aligned with the through hole 7 of the link end 6 of the link 2 of the third set 53 in the chain width direction W, and these through holes 7 The links 2 of the second and third sets 52 and 53 are connected to each other by the transmission pin 3 that passes through. That is, the transmission pin 3 is press-fitted into the through hole 7 of the link end 5 of each link 2 of the second set 52 and is inserted into the through hole 7 of the link end 6 of each link 2 of the third set 53. It is loosely fitted.

Although not shown, next, the third and fourth sets of links 2 are connected to each other, and in this way, two sets of links 2 are connected in sequence so that the entire chain 1 is endless. .
Both ends of the transmission pin 3 protrude in the chain width direction W from the links 2 arranged at both ends in the chain width direction W. Power transmission surfaces 8 and 9 for contacting the sheave surface are provided on both end surfaces of the transmission pin 3. Is provided. Since the transmission pin 3 directly contributes to power transmission by the power transmission surfaces 8 and 9, it is made of a high-strength material such as bearing steel (for example, SUJ2).

On the other hand, the strip 4 is a rod-like body formed slightly shorter than the transmission pin 3 so as not to contact the sheave surface. The strip 4 is press-fitted into the through-hole 7 and the relative rotation with respect to the link 2 is restricted, and the strip 4 is loosely fitted into the through-hole 7 with a minute gap provided to allow relative rotation with respect to the link 2. There is a case.
The strip 4 is loosely fitted in, for example, the through hole 7 of the link end 5 of each link 2 of the first set 51, and relative rotation with respect to each link 2 of the first set 51 is allowed, and the second set The relative rotation of the second set 52 with respect to each link 2 is restricted by being press-fitted into the through hole 7 at the link end 6 of each link 2.

With the above configuration, the strip 4 can come into contact with a corresponding transmission pin 3 adjacent to the chain traveling direction X (rolling sliding contact: contact including at least one of rolling contact and sliding contact). As a result, the transmission pin 3 is hardly rotated relative to the sheave surface of the pulley, and the friction loss is reduced to ensure high transmission efficiency.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. Referring to FIG. 4, the feature of the present embodiment is that, with respect to the chain width direction W, the clearance S is provided between the adjacent links 2 so that the adjacent links 2 are in frictional contact with each other. Therefore, the transmission efficiency is prevented from lowering due to the driving of the chain 1.

Specifically, with respect to the chain width direction W, one side surface of the adjacent links 2 facing each other includes a pair of opposing surfaces 10, and a gap S is provided between the opposing surfaces 10. As a result, the transmission pin 3 can move (skew) in the chain width direction W by an amount corresponding to the gap S with respect to the transmission pin 3 (see FIG. 2) adjacent to the chain traveling direction X. Yes. The gap S is set so that the skew amount is, for example, 0.5 mm to 1 mm at the maximum. FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (c) are a part for explaining the method of manufacturing the chain 1. It is sectional drawing. For example, the chain 1 is laminated in the chain width direction W with the following two steps, that is, with the interval regulating member 11 interposed therebetween, and the chain 1 is mutually inserted by inserting the transmission pin 3 and the strip 4 into the corresponding through hole 7. It is manufactured through a step of obtaining a plurality of links 2 connected to each other and a step of removing the space regulating member 11 from between the corresponding links 2.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, the corresponding transmission pins 3 and strips 4 are sequentially inserted into the through holes 7 of the corresponding link ends 5 and 6 of the corresponding link 2. At this time, the space regulating members 11 are respectively interposed (interposed) between the facing surfaces 10 of the corresponding links 2 adjacent in the chain width direction W.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 5B, two sets of links 2 adjacent to each other in the chain traveling direction X (for example, the links 2 of the first and second sets 51 and 52) are connected via the spacing regulating member 11. Laminated in the chain width direction W.

The space regulating member 11 is for forming a gap S between the links 2 adjacent to each other in the chain width direction W, and is made of a soluble material such as paint, starch or cellulose, or a tensile material such as carbon steel or alloy steel. It is made of a material with excellent strength.
Next, the interval regulating member 11 is removed from between the corresponding links 2. Specifically, when the spacing regulating member 11 is formed of the above-described soluble material, the spacing regulating member 11 is dissolved by using a solvent such as water, an organic solvent, an inorganic solvent, etc., and the corresponding link 2 Remove from between. Moreover, when the space | interval control member 11 is formed with the material excellent in the said tensile strength, it removes from between the corresponding links 2 by pulling out the space | interval control member 11. FIG. Thereby, as shown in FIG.5 (c), the chain 1 with which the clearance gap S was provided between the links 2 adjacent to the chain width direction W is manufactured.

A plurality of links 2 are previously laminated in the chain width direction W via the spacing regulating member 11, and the transmission pins 3 and the strips 4 pass through the corresponding link ends 5 and 6 of the plurality of links 2. You may make it insert in the hole 7 collectively.
Depending on the above, according to the present embodiment, the clearance S is provided between the links 2 adjacent to each other in the chain width direction W, so that the links 2 adjacent to each other in the chain width direction W come into contact with each other during use. Therefore, it is possible to sufficiently reduce the drive loss and to significantly improve the transmission efficiency.

Further, when the chain 1 is manufactured, the gap S can be easily formed only by removing the spacing regulating member 11 after the press fitting operation of the transmission pin 3 and the strip 4. In addition, the value of the gap S can be easily adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the gap regulating member 11.
In the above embodiment, when the chain 1 is manufactured, a coating is formed on at least one of the pair of opposed surfaces 10 of the corresponding link 2 by a coating process, and after the press-fitting operation of the transmission pin 3 and the strip 4, The gap S may be formed by removing this film using a solvent such as an organic solvent or an inorganic solvent.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6, the clearance S is provided by setting the insertion amount (insertion stroke) of the transmission pin 3 and the strip 4 into the through-holes 7 of the corresponding link ends 5 and 6 of the corresponding link 2. Also good. In this case, the transmission pin 3 and the strip 4 are inserted into the through holes 7 of the corresponding link ends 5 and 6 so that the corresponding link 2 reaches a predetermined position (for example, the position P).

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the synthetic resin member 12 shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C may be interposed between the links 2 adjacent to each other in the chain width direction W. The synthetic resin member 12 is formed of a material such as phenol, nylon, or fluorine, and covers the facing surface 10 of each link 2. The synthetic resin member 12 may, for example, cover the entire surface of each link 2 as shown in FIG. 7 (a), or only on one of the opposing surfaces 10 of each link 2 as shown in FIG. 7 (b). It may be provided, or may be provided on both opposing surfaces 10 of each link 2 as shown in FIG.

In this case, the synthetic resin member 12 may be formed so that the corresponding gap S is completely filled, or only a part of the gap S is formed so as to allow the skew of the transmission pin 3. Also good.
Thereby, it can prevent reliably that the links 2 adjacent to the chain width direction W contact each other, and can improve transmission efficiency more reliably.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing a main configuration of a so-called chain type continuously variable transmission (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a continuously variable transmission) according to an embodiment of the power transmission device of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 8, the continuously variable transmission according to the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and a drive pulley 60 made of metal (such as structural steel) as a first pulley and a second pulley. And a driven pulley 70 made of a metal (such as structural steel) and an endless chain 1 wound between the pulleys 60 and 70. In addition, the chain 1 in FIG. 8 has shown a partial cross section for easy understanding.

  FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the drive pulley 60 (driven pulley 70) and the chain 1 of the chain type continuously variable transmission shown in FIG. Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, drive pulley 60 is attached to an input shaft 61 that is connected to a vehicle drive source so as to be able to transmit power, and includes a fixed sheave 62 and a movable sheave 63. The fixed sheave 62 and the movable sheave 63 have a pair of sheave surfaces 62a and 63a that face each other. The sheave surfaces 62a and 63a include conical inclined surfaces. A groove is defined between the sheave surfaces 62a and 63a, and the chain 1 is held with a strong pressure by the groove.

  Further, a hydraulic actuator (not shown) for changing the groove width is connected to the movable sheave 63, and the movable sheave 63 is moved in the axial direction of the input shaft 61 (left and right direction in FIG. 9) at the time of shifting. By changing the width of the groove, the chain 1 can be moved in the radial direction of the input shaft 61 (vertical direction in FIG. 9), and the winding radius (effective radius) of the chain 1 with respect to the input shaft 61 can be changed. It has become.

  On the other hand, the driven pulley 70 is attached to an output shaft 71 connected to a drive wheel (not shown) so as to be able to transmit power, and, like the drive pulley 60, forms a groove for sandwiching the chain 1 with a strong pressure. There are provided a fixed sheave 72 and a movable sheave 73 having sheave surfaces 72a and 73a, respectively. Further, a hydraulic actuator (not shown) is connected to the movable sheave 73 of the driven pulley 70 in the same manner as the movable sheave 63 of the drive pulley 60, and the groove width is changed by moving the movable sheave 73 during shifting. Thus, the chain 1 is moved so that the winding radius (effective radius) of the chain 1 with respect to the output shaft 71 can be changed.

  In the continuously variable transmission according to the present embodiment configured as described above, for example, a continuously variable transmission can be performed as follows. That is, when the rotation of the output shaft 71 is decelerated, the groove width of the drive pulley 60 is increased by the movement of the movable sheave 63, and the power transmission surfaces 8 and 9 at both ends of the transmission pin 3 of the chain 1 are conical. Sliding contact under the condition of 62a, 63a in the inner direction (boundary lubrication toward the lower side of FIG. 9 (a lubrication state where a part of the contact surface is in direct contact with the micro-projections and the remaining part is in contact with the lubricating oil film) However, the winding radius of the chain 1 around the input shaft 61 is reduced, while the driven pulley 70 reduces the groove width by the movement of the movable sheave 73 so that the power transmission surfaces 8 and 9 of the chain 1 are conical-shaped sheave surfaces. The winding radius of the chain 1 around the output shaft 71 is increased while making sliding contact under the boundary lubrication condition toward the outer side of 72a and 73a.

  On the contrary, when the rotation of the output shaft 71 is increased, the groove width of the drive pulley 60 is reduced by the movement of the movable sheave 63 so that the power transmission surfaces 8 and 9 of the chain 1 are conical-shaped sheave surfaces 62a, 62a, The winding radius of the chain 1 with respect to the input shaft 61 is increased while making sliding contact under boundary lubrication conditions toward the outer side of 63a (upward in FIG. 9). On the other hand, in the driven pulley 70, the groove width is increased by the movement of the movable sheave 73, and the power transmission surfaces 8 and 9 of the chain 1 are slid under boundary lubrication conditions toward the inner side of the conical sheave surfaces 72a and 73a. The winding radius of the output shaft 71 of the chain 1 is reduced while making contact.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, a power transmission device having excellent transmission efficiency can be realized. Further, when the gap S is provided between the links 2 adjacent to each other in the chain width direction W, the transmission pin 3 can move in the chain width direction W. As a result, even if the relative positions of the drive pulley 60 and the driven pulley 70 are shifted and misalignment occurs, that is, as shown in FIG. Misalignment A that causes a shift in the direction perpendicular to the transmission direction), or misalignment B that occurs when the drive pulley 60 and the driven pulley 70 are directed in different directions, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10 (c), even if a misalignment C caused by rotating the drive pulley 60 and the driven pulley 70 to be twisted or a misalignment combining them is generated, The pin 3 moves (skew) in the chain width direction W to allow this misalignment. . As a result, the transmission pin 3 can be prevented from being worn abnormally by hitting the corresponding sheave surfaces 62a, 63a, 72a, 73a, etc., and the life can be greatly improved.

  Note that the power transmission device of the present invention is not limited to a mode in which the groove widths of both the drive pulley 60 and the driven pulley 70 are changed, and only one of the groove widths is changed and the other is not changed. The aspect made into the width | variety may be sufficient. In the above description, the groove width is continuously (stepless) changed. However, the groove width may be changed stepwise or may be applied to other power transmission devices such as a fixed type (no shift). .

Although the power transmission surfaces 8 and 9 (end surfaces) of the transmission pin 3 contact the corresponding sheave surfaces 62a, 63a, 72a, and 73a to transmit power, the power is transmitted to the chain constituent members such as pins and links. You may use the type of chain provided with other power transmission members, such as a power transmission block which has a transmission surface.
The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a main part of a power transmission chain for a chain type continuously variable transmission according to an embodiment of a power transmission chain of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the principal part of the chain shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a chain link, transmission pin and strip. It is sectional drawing which follows the II-II line of FIG. It is a partial cross section figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of a chain. (A) shows how the pins and strips are inserted into the through-holes of the link, (b) shows the state before the spacing regulating member is removed, and (c) shows the spacing regulating member removed. The state after being done is shown. It is a partial cross section figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the power transmission chain of other embodiment of this invention. (A) is sectional drawing of the link of the power transmission chain of further another embodiment of this invention, (b) is sectional drawing of the link of the power transmission chain of further another embodiment of this invention. (C) is a sectional view of a link of a power transmission chain according to still another embodiment of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a main configuration of a chain type continuously variable transmission according to an embodiment of a power transmission device of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view of a drive pulley (driven pulley) and a chain of the chain type continuously variable transmission shown in FIG. 8. (A)-(c) is a typical side view of a drive pulley and a driven pulley for demonstrating misalignment, respectively.

Explanation of symbols

1 Chain (Power transmission chain)
2 link 3 transmission pin (pin)
4 Strip 5, 6 Link end 7 Through hole 8, 9 Power transmission surface 11 Spacing regulating member 12 Synthetic resin member 60 Drive pulley (first pulley)
62a, 63a Sheave surface 70 Driven pulley (second pulley)
72a, 73a Sheave surface S Clearance W Chain width direction X Chain traveling direction

Claims (4)

In the power transmission chain formed by mutually connecting a plurality of links having a pair of link ends arranged in the chain traveling direction and through holes formed in each link end,
A pin that is press-fitted into a through-hole at one link end of the corresponding link and is loosely fitted into a through-hole at the other link end of the corresponding link to interconnect the corresponding links;
A strip that is loosely fitted in the through-hole in the one link end and press-fitted into the through-hole in the other link end, and can contact a corresponding pin adjacent in the chain traveling direction;
A power transmission chain characterized in that a gap is provided between links adjacent in the chain width direction.   The power transmission chain according to claim 1, wherein a synthetic resin member is interposed between links adjacent in the chain width direction.   3. The power according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first and second pulleys each having a pair of conical sheave surfaces facing each other and the pulleys wound between the pulleys and contacting the sheave surfaces to transmit power. A power transmission device comprising a transmission chain. It is a manufacturing method of the power transmission chain according to claim 1,
Obtaining a plurality of links laminated by interposing a space regulating member between each other and interconnected by inserting pins and strips into corresponding through holes;
And a step of removing the spacing regulating member.

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