JP2010054003A - Gyroscope precession movement automatic transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gear type automatic transmission operating with a speed ratio which naturally changes with a change of a load without gear shifting, the speed ratio being kept to be the ratio of output torque to input torque. <P>SOLUTION: The automatic transmission comprises a planetary gear unit having an input shaft 1, an input gear 2, a key planetary gear 3, an output gear 4, an output shaft 5, a bearing planetary gear 6, a rotary frame 7, and a rotor 8 in combination. A planetary shaft is the rotor 8 having specified inertial moment, and its rotation is equivalent to the precession movement of a gyroscope by external force. The external force generated by the precession movement is a load on the output shaft 5. The rotating speed of the rotor 8 is changed with a change of an output load and the rotating speed of the output shaft 5 is also changed with the change of the output load, and so the speed ratio is naturally changed with the change of the output load. Thus, the automatic transmission is operated at a speed ratio which is naturally changed with a change of a load without the need for any control operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic transmission that needs to change its speed in accordance with a change in load, and more particularly to an automatic transmission that includes a planetary gear unit having a gyroscope.

Automatic transmissions are particularly well known in the manufacture of motor vehicles.
Hydraulic automatic transmissions are the main types of automatic transmissions in motor vehicles to facilitate the driving of motor vehicles, facilitate driving, maintain good power characteristics, and also ensure the safety of motor vehicles. Make up machine. However, the use of a hydraulic drive deteriorates the transmission efficiency of the automatic transmission and increases the cost.

  The electromechanical automatic transmission simply uses a gear drive, and thus is highly efficient and inexpensive. However, the electromechanical automatic transmission has problems associated with the combination of gear change and power transmission, and the flexible element of the electromechanical automatic transmission has some errors. Therefore, it cannot be said that the electromechanical automatic transmission is suitable for obtaining good running.

  A continuously variable automatic transmission or a continuously variable transmission has been considered good from the beginning, but is now in its infancy. While continuously variable automatic transmissions or continuously variable transmissions use electronic control systems to solve problems such as torque capacity, noise and reliability, cost issues remain unresolved.

  Two paths or planetary drive paths such as the example disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,416,437, US 2003/0176955 and WO 242658 and the Toyota hybrid system (THS) In the case of a double-path hybrid automatic transmission comprising a generator-motor drive path, planetary drive has high efficiency because power is directly transmitted by the gears in the double-path hybrid automatic transmission. The motor-motor drive is less efficient because power is transmitted through several energy conversions, and the drive process is complicated, so the construction of the transmission is becoming more and more complicated, As a result, the total cost is high.

  In 6-speed or 7-speed automatic transmissions, the speed ratio range of each stage is narrow, and the speed ratio range between the highest and lowest stages is wide, so electronic control is used to achieve a quicker shift. be able to. Therefore, since the fuel consumption is low and the response is high, the mobility and acceleration of the motor vehicle are improved. However, this transmission is more complex to build and requires a sophisticated control system, which increases the cost. Also, it can be said that the loss of power transmission is never small, and the use of a hydraulic converter that can never be said to have a constant control action creates many inflection points in the characteristic curve of the transmission. . Therefore, these transmissions are not mechanically perfect transmissions.

Therefore, the problems of the automatic transmission according to the prior art include a shift process, reliability, cost, control, responsiveness and efficiency.
US Pat. No. 6,416,437 US Patent Publication No. 2003/0176955 International Publication WO242658

  The object of the present invention is to completely satisfy the mechanically necessary and sufficient conditions for the specific application, without changing the gear according to the change of the load (changing the gear can also be a gear mesh combination To provide the public with a geared automatic transmission that operates at a naturally changing speed ratio (without changing the gear ratio), the speed ratio being maintained at the ratio of the output torque to the input torque. It is.

  One aspect of the disclosed invention is an automatic transmission comprising a planetary gear unit, preferably a bevel gear assembly having one planetary shaft. The planetary axis is a rotor having a given moment of inertia, and the rotation axis of the planetary axis is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the planetary axis. In an alternative embodiment, the planetary gear unit has a plurality of planetary shafts that are rotors having a given moment of inertia.

  Since the planetary shaft is a rotor having a given moment of inertia, it functions as a gyroscope, and its rotation is equivalent to precession of the gyroscope. The external force that causes precession is a load applied to the output shaft. Therefore, the rotational speed of the planetary shaft changes according to the change in the output load, and the rotational speed of the output shaft also changes according to the change in the output load. Therefore, the transmission can be operated at a speed ratio that naturally changes according to the change in the output load without requiring any control operation for changing the speed.

  Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is an automatic transmission consisting of a planetary gear unit, preferably a bevel gear assembly. The planetary gear unit preferably comprises three planetary shafts mounted inwardly on a rotating frame arranged between the input gear and the output gear. These planetary shafts are attached so that the planetary shaft is at right angles to an axis extending between the input shaft and the output shaft. The planetary gear unit further comprises three rotors having a given moment of inertia, arranged outwardly between the planetary axes on the rotating frame and between the planetary axes. In an alternative embodiment, the planetary gear unit is an annular-cylindrical gear assembly or two cylindrical gear assemblies.

  Each of the rotors has a rotor gear adapted to rotate the rotor relative to the rotating frame via an auxiliary gear attached to the input shaft. When the input shaft rotates at a specific speed, the rotor rotates due to the use of the auxiliary gear, and thus the rotating frame continues to rotate due to the gyro moment. Therefore, power is delivered to the output gear via the input gear and the planetary gear. When a load that can be applied to the output gear acts on the rotating frame via the planetary shaft, the rotating frame rotates, thereby causing the rotor to precess. Therefore, the rotational speed of the rotating frame changes according to the change in the output load, and the transmission operates at a speed ratio that naturally changes according to the change in the output load.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
The transmission preferably consists of a planetary gear unit having four bevel gears and one planetary shaft that is a rotor with a given moment of inertia. In an alternative transmission, the planetary gear unit has a plurality of planetary shafts that are rotors with a given moment of inertia (FIGS. 3 and 4).

  Referring to FIG. 1, the input gear 2 attached to the input shaft 1 is disposed on the opposite side of the output gear 4 attached to the output shaft 5 along the same axis. In between, the rotor 8 which functions as a planetary axis is arranged at right angles to the same axis. The rotor 8 has a key planetary gear 3 and a bearing planetary gear 6, both ends of which are preferably supported in the rotating frame 7 by bearings such as a gyroscope attached to a universal joint shaft. The key planetary gear 3 is fixed to the rotor 8 by a key so as not to move, and performs two functions of transmitting power from the input gear 2 to the output gear 4 and rotating the rotor 8. . The bearing planetary gear 6 is movably fixed to the rotor 8 by a bearing and simply performs a function of transmitting power from the input gear 2 to the output gear 4.

  In the precession, the center of the precession of the rotor 8 is located at the center along the rotation axis of the rotor 8 so that a pair of rotational axial forces (centrifugal force generated by the precession) are balanced with each other. (Point 0 in FIG. 1). When the input shaft 1 rotates at a specific speed while the output shaft 5 is unloaded, the rotor 8 rotates without turning around the center along the axis of the rotor 8. When a load is applied to the output shaft 5 while the input shaft 1 continues to rotate, the rotor 8 rotates, and when the load gradually increases, the rotational speed increases accordingly. This means that the rotor 8 rotates at a specific speed by an external force and enters a precession. In other words, the rotation of the rotor 8 is a precession of the rotor 8 itself as a gyroscope generated by an external force, that is, an output load applied to the rotor 8 rotating at a specific speed.

  Precession velocity (rotational angular velocity) is the formula

Can be expressed as Where
ω _re − Rotor angular velocity ω _pre − Rotor precession angular velocity ω _ro − Rotor intrinsic angular velocity (rotational angular velocity)
J - Moment of inertia of the rotor F _out - force imposed on the rotor by the output load R - vertical distance from the point of the load torque to the center of precession M _out - load torque equation acts on the output shaft (1) Therefore, in the transmission, it can be said that the rotation of the rotor 8 is a precession of the rotor 8 itself depending on the output load. FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an input gear, an output gear, and a planetary gear, which are shown on a single plane for convenience. At point 0 ′ in FIG.
ω _re・ b = ω _{pla, ro}・ (r−b)
0 ′ is the instantaneous rotation center of the planetary gear.

  If we rewrite this relationship,

Is obtained.
Referring to Equation (2), the position of the instantaneous rotation center of the planetary gear changes according to the change in the rotation speed of the planetary shaft. In the transmission, as shown in FIG. 2, the moment with respect to the instantaneous rotation center of the planetary gear due to the input torque and the moment with respect to the instantaneous rotation center of the planetary gear due to the output torque are always balanced.

F _in · a = F _out · b (3)
Multiplying both sides of equation (3) by ω _{pla, ab} (absolute angular velocity of the planetary gear)
F _in · a · ω _{pla, ab} = F _out · b · ω _{pla, ab}
Is obtained.

At the meshing points A and B of the gear, there is no slip with respect to each other,
a · ω _{pla, ab} = υ _in , b · ω _{pla, ab} = υ _out
It is.

Therefore, the expression F _in · υ _in = F _out · υ _out
Is obtained. In the above equation, υ _in = R · ω _in and m υ _out = R · ω _out .

Therefore, equation (3) is
M _in · ω _in = M _out · ω _out (4)
become.

  From equation (4)

Is obtained.
Therefore, the speed ratio is

It is.
As explained above, the transmission has a characteristic that the speed ratio continuously changes according to the change of the output load during operation, and the speed ratio is always equal to the ratio of the output torque to the input torque. equal. Since the precession axis of the rotor 8 is perpendicular to the natural rotation axis of the rotor 8, the precession of the rotor 8 generates a pair of centrifugal forces whose origin is the center of the precession.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the center of the precession of the rotor 8 is located at the center along the rotation axis of the rotor 8. A pair of centrifugal forces are generated in a single straight line, and thus are balanced with each other, and a gyro moment is generated that tilts the natural rotation axis of the rotor 8 toward the precession axis of the rotor 8. Therefore, for the precession, it is necessary to support the rotor 8 against the gyro moment, and therefore the rotor 8 is supported by the rotating frame 7 as shown in FIG. In an alternative embodiment, the rotor is preferably slidably supported by bearings (see FIG. 4) and is preferably precessed by guide rollers 9, support globes 10 and support rollers 11 (see FIG. 3). Is supported so as to be able to roll against the centrifugal force and the gyro moment generated by.

  The rotor 8 is exposed to a gyro moment during precession, whereby the natural axis of rotation of the rotor 8 tilts toward the precession axis of the rotor 8, both in a direction perpendicular to the precession axis. A pair of centrifugal forces are set up along the natural axis of rotation. Thus, no work is performed during precession, so there is no loss of energy, and the precession process is, at best, a precession process of the potential change of the force field to transmit power. In that sense, the power transmission in this specification is the same as the power transmission in the conventional gear drive from the viewpoint of efficiency. Also, precession is non-inertial and is therefore accurately synchronized with load changes, thus improving transmission responsiveness and providing the vehicle with the best mobility and acceleration.

FIG. 5 shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention.
The transmission preferably comprises a bevel gear, preferably an input gear 2 and an output gear 5, preferably comprising three planetary gears 3, and further comprising three rotors 12 having a given moment of inertia. Consists of a planetary gear unit. In an alternative transmission, the planetary gear unit is an annular-cylindrical gear assembly or two cylindrical gear assemblies (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

  The input gear 2 is coaxially opposed to the output gear 5. The three planet shafts are mounted on a rotating frame 9 arranged between the input gear 2 and the output gear 5, preferably at the same circumferential interval. These planetary shafts are attached so that the planetary shafts are perpendicular to the axis extending between the input shaft 1 and the output shaft 6. On the rotating frame 9, preferably three rotors 12 are arranged outwardly at the same circumferential interval between the planetary shafts. Each of the rotors 12 has a rotor gear 8 adapted to rotate the rotor 12 relative to the rotating frame 9 via an auxiliary gear 7 attached to the input shaft 1. When the input shaft 1 rotates at a given speed, the rotor 12 is rotated by the auxiliary gear 7, and therefore the rotating frame 9 continues to rotate due to the gyro moment. Therefore, power is delivered to the output gear 5 via the input gear 2 and the planetary gear 3. When a load that can be applied to the output gear 5 is applied to the rotating frame 9 via the planetary shaft, the rotating frame 9 rotates, whereby the rotor 12 enters precession. Therefore, the rotational speed of the rotating frame 9 changes according to the change in the load, and this embodiment also operates at a speed ratio that naturally changes according to the change in the load. Also, since the center O of the precession of the rotor 12 is arranged as shown in FIG. 5, the rotor 12 is exposed to centrifugal force during the precession, and the rotor 12 is preferably driven by the rotor thrust bearing 11. It is supported against these centrifugal forces. The rotor 12 is also exposed to gyro moments during precession, and the rotor 12 is preferably supported against these gyro moments by a rotating frame thrust bearing 10.

  FIG. 8 shows the characteristics of the transmission according to the present invention. Curve A is a graph comparing torque and load. Curve B is a graph showing the torque of the engine, and curve C is a graph showing the torque of the transmission at a given speed of the engine. Curve D is a graph showing the load torque applied to a given speed engine. The coordinate is the torque axis, and the abscissa is the axis of engine speed.

FIG. 9 shows a gyro precession automatic transmission for a motor vehicle.
Part I is a combination of a power shaft 1, a direct spline shaft 2, an annular gear 3, an input ratchet clutch 4, a direction changing planetary gear 5, a planetary gear rotating frame 6, a direction changing machine 7, a direction changing sun gear 8 and an input shaft 9. Is a forward / reverse / neutral conversion part.

Part II is a speed change part including a combination of the input gear 10, the planetary gear 11, the rotor 12, the rotating frame 13, the internal rotating frame 14, the output gear 15, and the output shaft 16.
Part III is a direct connection part including a combination of the output ratchet clutch 17, the connection spring 18, the critical torque automatic clutch 19, the screw combiner 20, and the drive shaft 21.

  In the portion I, power from the power shaft 1 is transmitted to the input shaft 9 via the direct connection spline shaft 2 and the input ratchet clutch 4. The direction changer 7 can change the direction to forward / backward / neutral. The number of revolutions in part I is greater than the number of revolutions in part II.

In part II, power is transmitted to the output gear 15 via the input gear 10 and the speed changes in response to changes in the load.
In part III, when the rotational speed of the output shaft 16 becomes lower than the rotational speed of the engine, power is transmitted to the drive shaft 21 via the output ratchet clutch 17, and when the rotational speed of the output shaft 16 becomes faster than the rotational speed of the engine, The engagement of the input ratchet clutch 4 and the output ratchet clutch 17 is released by the screw combiner 20, and power is directly transmitted to the drive shaft 21 via the direct connection spline shaft 2. When the load torque exceeds a specified limit, the critical torque automatic clutch 19 is activated and the input ratchet clutch 4 and the output ratchet clutch 17 are engaged, so that the power passes through the portion II.

  In the case of an automobile equipped with a gyro precession automatic transmission, the driver's intention can be realized only by the gas pedal and the brake pedal.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the operation and structure of an automatic transmission according to the present invention, in which the planetary gear unit is a bevel gear assembly, and the bevel gear assembly has one planetary shaft that is a rotor. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the balance of the planetary gear between the moment with respect to the instantaneous rotation center due to the input torque and the moment with respect to the instantaneous rotation center due to the output torque. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the operation and structure of an automatic transmission according to the present invention, in which the planetary gear unit is a bevel gear assembly, and the bevel gear assembly has a plurality of planetary shafts that are slidably supported rotors. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the operation and structure of an automatic transmission according to the present invention, in which the planetary gear unit is a bevel gear assembly, and the bevel gear assembly has a plurality of planetary shafts that are rotors supported in a rollable manner. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the operation and structure of an automatic transmission according to the present invention, in which the planetary gear unit is a bevel gear assembly, the bevel gear assembly having a plurality of planetary shafts and a plurality of rotors each fixed to a rotating frame. Operation and structure of an automatic transmission according to the invention, wherein the planetary gear unit is an annular-cylindrical gear assembly, the annular-cylindrical gear assembly having a plurality of planetary shafts and a plurality of rotors each fixed to a rotating frame. FIG. Operation and structure of an automatic transmission according to the invention, wherein the planetary gear unit is two cylindrical gear assemblies, the two cylindrical gear assemblies each having a plurality of planetary shafts and a plurality of rotors fixed to a rotating frame. FIG. It is a graph which shows the characteristic of this invention. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an automatic transmission for an automobile according to the present invention in an assembled state.

Explanation of symbols

1 Input shaft 2 Input gear 3 Key planetary gear 4 Output gear 5 Output shaft 6 Bearing planetary gear 7 Rotating frame 8 Rotor

Claims (11)

  A gyro-precession automatic transmission comprising a planetary gear unit, in which a planetary shaft functions as a gyroscope by applying a specific moment of inertia, whereby power is transmitted, and rotation of the planetary shaft is caused by an output load. A gyro-precession automatic transmission in which the planetary shaft itself precesses and thereby the speed naturally changes in accordance with a change in the output load.   The planetary gear unit is a bevel gear assembly with one planetary shaft, and the center of precession of the planetary shaft is located in the center along the axis of the planetary shaft during operation. Item 2. The gyro precession automatic transmission according to Item 1.   The planetary gear unit is a bevel gear assembly with a plurality of planetary shafts, and in operation, the center of precession of the planetary shaft is a single along an axis extending between the input shaft and the output shaft. The gyro precession automatic transmission according to claim 1, wherein the gyro precession transmission is concentrated on the points.   4. The automatic gyro precession movement transmission according to claim 3, wherein the planetary shaft is slidably supported by a thrust bearing and a radial bearing against a centrifugal force and a gyro moment.   4. The automatic gyroscopic precession transmission according to claim 3, wherein the planetary shaft is supported (rotatable) by a supporting glove and a supporting roller so as to be able to roll (rotatably) against a centrifugal force and a gyro moment.   A gyro-precession automatic transmission comprising a planetary gear unit having a plurality of planetary shafts and a plurality of rotors each having a predetermined moment of inertia and mounted on a rotating frame, wherein the rotor rotates the rotation Can rotate with respect to the frame, and therefore when rotating, the rotating frame maintains rotation and functions as a gyroscope, thereby transmitting power and rotating the rotating frame with an output load, the rotor precesses. A gyro precession automatic transmission characterized in that the speed naturally changes in response to the change in the output load.   7. The automatic gyro precession transmission according to claim 6, wherein the planetary gear unit is a bevel gear assembly.   The automatic gyroscopic precession transmission according to claim 6, wherein the planetary gear unit is an annular-cylindrical gear assembly.   The automatic gyroscopic precession transmission according to claim 6, wherein the planetary gear unit comprises two cylindrical gear assemblies.   When an automatic critical torque clutch is provided and the output load is less than a specified limit, the front and rear shafts of the transmission are connected, and thus the transmission as a whole is a single shaft and a direct drive is constructed. When the output load exceeds a specified limit, the connected shaft is released, so that the rotor enters precession, and the speed ratio naturally changes in response to the change in the output load. The automatic gyroscopic precession transmission according to any one of claims 3 to 9.   Precession of a gyroscope using a planetary gear unit designed based on the specifications of the prime motor provided and the required transmission mechanism and having a given moment of inertia calculated based on the planetary gear unit To achieve power transmission and natural speed changes in response to changes in load.

Images