JP2010216498A - Fluid coupling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid coupling device capable of narrowing an axial space, having a built-in lockup clutch. <P>SOLUTION: The fluid coupling device 1 includes a pump impeller 6 formed in a rear cover 4 and a turbine runner 12 connected to a turbine hub 9 connected to an output shaft 8. Between the turbine runner 12 and a front cover 3, a lockup clutch 13 is arranged on the inner diameter side, and a lockup damper mechanism 22 is arranged on the outer diameter side. A support member 14 to support a clutch plate 16 of the lockup clutch 13 is secured by the turbine runner 12 in the axial direction, and the clutch plate 16 is supported by the turbine runner 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid coupling device used in an automatic transmission such as a vehicle.

  In an automatic transmission such as a vehicle, a torque converter is provided as a fluid coupling device to transmit power from an engine, and a working fluid such as oil is used to smoothly transmit power. Generally, the torque converter includes a pump impeller coupled to an engine crankshaft, a turbine runner coupled to an output shaft, and a stator disposed between the two. The pump impeller, the turbine runner, and the stator are each provided with a plurality of blades at the same interval in the circumferential direction, and the blades are inclined at a predetermined angle so that the working fluid between the blades is pushed away in a predetermined direction by the rotating operation. Is set. When the pump impeller is rotated by the engine, the working fluid is pushed toward the turbine runner by the rotation of the blades of the pump impeller and collides with the blades of the turbine runner, and the turbine runner is also rotated by the impact force. Become. The working fluid that has flowed into the turbine runner is guided toward the stator, collides with the blades of the stator, and flows toward the pump impeller. At that time, the flow direction of the working fluid colliding with the stator blades is controlled so as to follow the blade inclination angle so as not to prevent the rotation of the pump impeller blades. Thus, the working fluid circulates between the pump impeller, turbine runner, and stator blades, so that power is smoothly transmitted from the pump impeller to the turbine runner, and the output shaft is rotated in accordance with the rotational drive of the engine. become.

  In the torque converter configured as described above, the working fluid is not pushed away unless there is a difference in rotation between the pump impeller and the turbine runner, and therefore, the same rotation as the engine cannot be transmitted to the output shaft, resulting in loss. It is inevitable. Therefore, a lock-up clutch is provided that transmits the rotation of the pump impeller as it is to the turbine runner.

  As a fluid coupling device including such a lock-up clutch, for example, in Patent Document 1, a plurality of clutch plates and clutch disks are alternately arranged, and the piston members are hydraulically operated to join the clutch plates and the clutch disks. A fluid coupling device with such a lock-up clutch is described.

JP 2000-283188 A

  As described in the above-mentioned patent document, when the lock-up clutch is disposed inside the fluid coupling device, a space for that is required, and the size of the entire device must be increased.

  However, for example, in the case of automobiles, with the recent development of technology for improving fuel efficiency, the speed change mechanism has become multi-stage, and the space required for the speed change mechanism has increased, and the installation space for the engine mechanism has also increased. However, the installation space of the fluid coupling device disposed between the two is becoming smaller.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a fluid coupling device width that can incorporate a lock-up clutch and can narrow an axial space.

  A fluid coupling device according to the present invention includes an integrated case connected to a rotational drive shaft of an engine, a turbine hub connected to an output shaft, a pump impeller provided in the integrated case, and a turbine provided in the turbine hub. A fluid coupling comprising a runner and transmitting rotation from the integral case to the turbine hub; and a lock-up clutch that presses a clutch plate and a clutch disc with a piston member to connect and rotate the integral case and the turbine hub. In the fluid coupling device, the lock-up clutch is configured such that a support member that supports the clutch plate is fixed to a predetermined radial position of the turbine runner along the axial direction, and the clutch plate is held by the turbine runner. It is characterized by being. Further, the piston member is attached to the turbine hub so as to be slidable in the axial direction, and extends in the radial direction along the turbine runner.

  In the present invention, the turbine runner provided in the turbine hub can be used as a part of the drum for accommodating the clutch plate of the lockup clutch and the clutch disk by having the above-described configuration. Therefore, when the drum and the turbine runner are separately provided as in the prior art, a space corresponding to the plate thickness of the two members is required in the axial direction. However, in the present invention, the axial space is the plate thickness of the turbine runner. As a result, the axial space can be reduced.

  Further, when the turbine runner is extended to the inner peripheral surface of the integral case, the support member that supports the clutch plate can be appropriately laid out on the outer diameter portion or inner diameter portion of the turbine runner, It is possible to increase the degree of freedom of component layout.

It is sectional drawing regarding the embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing regarding the modification of embodiment shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing regarding a comparative example.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail. The embodiments described below are preferable specific examples for carrying out the present invention, and thus various technical limitations are made. However, the present invention is particularly limited in the following description. Unless otherwise specified, the present invention is not limited to these forms.

    FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view relating to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, since the structure of the fluid coupling device 1 is line symmetric about the central axis T, only the upper half cross-sectional structure is drawn.

  The fluid coupling device 1 is accommodated in a coupling housing 2 that is an integral case, and an internal combustion engine is disposed on the front side (right side in the drawing), and a multistage transmission mechanism is disposed on the rear side (left side in the drawing). Are connected to each other.

  The fluid coupling device 1 includes a front cover 3 and a rear cover 4 constituting an integrated case, and both are integrated by welding. A center piece 5 projects from the center of the front cover 3, and an engine crankshaft (not shown) is fitted to the center piece 5 and connected to the front cover 3. A bulge is formed at the center of the front cover 3 so as to accommodate a lock-up clutch described later.

  The outer periphery of the rear cover 4 is curved outward so as to form the outline of the pump impeller 6, and a cover boss 7 is fixed to the inner peripheral end thereof by welding. An output shaft 8 that is an output shaft is accommodated in the cover boss 7, and a turbine hub 9 is connected to the outer periphery of the front end portion of the output shaft 8.

  A front side surface of the turbine hub 9 is connected to a holding member 31 rotatably provided on an inner surface of the front cover 3 via a thrust bearing 10, and a rear side surface is connected to an inner surface of the cover boss 7 via a thrust bearing 11. The turbine hub 9 is rotatably supported in the coupling housing 2.

  A turbine runner 12 having substantially the same shape as that of the pump impeller 6 is disposed on the inner side of the pump impeller 6, and a side surface portion 12 a extending to the inner diameter side of the turbine runner 12 is a rear end outer peripheral portion of the turbine hub 9. Connected and fixed. A mounting portion 12b is curvedly formed on the outer diameter side of the side surface portion 12a so as to protrude in a rectangular shape toward the front side.

  A lock-up clutch 13 is provided on the front side of the side surface portion 12a. The lock-up clutch 13 is fixed to the mounting portion 12b and protrudes forward along the axial direction. The lock-up clutch 13 is connected to an output side plate described later and extends rearward along the axial direction. The hub member 15 that is opposed to the inside of the support member 14, the five clutch plates 16 that engage the splines 14a of the support member 14 on the outer diameter side, and the inner diameter side that engages the splines 15a of the hub member 15 on both sides. Four clutch disks 17 to which friction materials such as paper and asbestos are bonded are provided. The clutch plates 16 and the clutch discs 17 are arranged so as to overlap each other, and are prevented from coming off by a snap ring 18 attached to the front end side of the support member 14.

  A piston member 19 is disposed between the lockup clutch 13 and the side surface portion 12 a of the turbine runner 12. A clutch pressing portion 19a is formed on the outer diameter side of the piston member 19 so as to be opposed to the clutch plate 16. The inner diameter side is supported by the outer peripheral portion of the turbine hub 9 and is stepped along the side surface portion 12a. The piston part 19b formed in this is formed. The piston portion 19b is provided with an O-ring 20 between the outer peripheral surface of the turbine hub 9 and a seal member 21 between the mounting portion 12b of the turbine runner 12 and a predetermined amount between the side surface portion 12a. The gap is formed.

  The integral case 2 is filled with hydraulic oil introduced from between the output shaft 8 and the turbine hub 9, and the hydraulic oil flows in from an oil passage formed in the thrust bearing 11, and the pump impeller 6, The turbine runner 12, the lockup clutch 13, and the lockup damper mechanism 22 are filled, and the turbine runner 12, which flows out of the oil passage formed in the thrust bearing 10, is constantly circulated.

  Further, another hydraulic oil is supplied to the inside of the output shaft 8 through a communication passage 8 a formed along the axial direction and a communication hole 8 b formed from the communication passage 8 a toward the turbine hub 9. A supply path 9a is formed in the turbine hub 9 along the radial direction, and the supply path 9a is connected to the communication hole 8b. The supply passage 9a communicates with the working space between the support portion 9a of the turbine hub 9 and the piston portion 19b of the piston member 19, and the working oil supplied through the communication passage 8a fills the working space. It has come to be. The working space is a sealed space by the O-ring 20 and the seal member 21. When the working oil is filled, the piston member 19 is moved toward the lock-up clutch 13 by hydraulic pressure, and the clutch plate 16 is moved by the clutch pressing portion 19a. Will come to press. Therefore, the lock-up operation of the lock-up clutch 13 can be controlled by the supply control of the working oil to the working space.

  A lockup damper mechanism 22 is disposed on the outer diameter side of the lockup clutch 13 on the front side of the turbine runner 12. The lock-up damper mechanism 22 includes a ring-shaped input side plate 23 whose outer diameter side end is fixed to the front cover 3 via a support member 30, and a ring-shaped output side plate on the front side of the input side plate 23. 24, a ring-shaped support plate 25 on the rear surface side of the input side plate 23, and a ring-shaped intermediate plate 26 disposed on the inner diameter side of the input side plate 23.

  The output side plate 24 and the support plate 25 are fixed so as to overlap each other along the outer periphery of the input side plate 23 on the outer diameter side, and the input plate side 23 can rotate between the two. As shown in FIG. The input side plate 23 is disposed so as to surround the intermediate plate 26, and a notch for accommodating the rivet 27 is formed on the inner diameter side.

  A support portion projects from the inner diameter side of the input side plate 23, and a support portion projects from the outer diameter side of the intermediate plate 26. A pair of coil springs 28 is provided between the support portions of both plates. And 29 are mounted twice. Further, the output side plate 24 and the support plate 25 are formed with elongated hole portions 24a and 25a for accommodating the coil springs 28 and 29, and the groove portions 24a and 25a are outwardly formed in a bowl shape. The coil springs 28 and 29 are curved so as not to be detached from the support portions of the input side plate 23 and the intermediate plate 26.

  The inner diameter side of the output side plate 24 is formed so as to be bent rearward, and the hub member 15 of the lockup clutch 13 is continuously provided. A holding member 31 is rotatably held on the inner diameter side of the front cover 3, and an output side plate 24 is fixed to the outer diameter side of the holding member 31 by a rivet 32.

  Next, the operation of the above-described fluid coupling device will be described. When the rotation of the engine is transmitted to the coupling housing 2, the pump impeller 6 formed on the rear cover 4 rotates, and the turbine runner 12 rotates accordingly. Therefore, the rotation of the turbine runner 12 is transmitted to the output shaft 8 via the turbine hub 9 to rotate.

  In a state where rotation is transmitted to the output shaft 8, when the piston member 19 is operated and the clutch plate 16 and the clutch disc 17 are joined to set the lock-up state, the lock-up damper mechanism 22 is connected to the front cover 3 side. The coil springs 28 and 29 are compressed and deformed by the rotational speed difference generated between the input side plate 23 and the output side plate 24 connected to the lockup clutch 13 side, and the impact due to the rotational speed difference is alleviated. As the torque of the input side plate 23 increases, the coil springs 28 and 29 are further compressed and deformed, and the input side plate 23 and the output side plate 24 are directly connected via the intermediate plate 26, and the front cover 3 is Directly connected to the turbine runner 12 through the lockup damper mechanism 22 and the lockup clutch 13, the output shaft 8 rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the engine.

  In this example, the lock-up clutch 13 is provided along the axial direction with a mounting member 12b formed on the outer diameter side of the side surface part 12a extending the support member 14 supporting the clutch plate 16 on the inner diameter side of the turbine runner 12. The clutch plate 16 is held by the turbine runner 12. Therefore, the clutch plate 16, the clutch disc 17, and the piston member 19 are arranged in an internal space surrounded by the turbine hub 9, the side surface portion 12 a of the turbine runner 12, and the support member 14.

  In the conventional lockup clutch, a member other than the turbine runner 12 such as a drum member is used. However, by using such a member as the side surface portion 12a of the turbine runner 12, the thickness of the two members is one member. Therefore, the axial space of the fluid coupling device can be narrowed accordingly.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view regarding a modification of the above-described embodiment. In this example, in this example, each component is accommodated in the integrated case 2 with a layout different from that of the apparatus shown in FIG. Between the front cover 3 and the turbine runner 12, a lockup clutch 13 is disposed on the outer diameter side, and a lockup damper mechanism 22 is disposed on the inner diameter side.

  In the lockup clutch 13, the support member 14 is fixed to a mounting portion 12 b provided at the outer peripheral end of the turbine runner 12, and the hub member 15 is integrally formed with the output side plate 24 ′ of the lockup damper mechanism 22. .

  In the lockup damper mechanism 22, the input side plate 23 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged on the outer diameter side to become an output side plate 24 ′, the intermediate plate 26 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged on the inner diameter side to become an intermediate plate 26 ′, An output side plate 24 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged on the inner diameter side to form an input side plate 23 ′. A configuration in which the outer diameter side and the inner diameter side of the configuration shown in FIG. 1 are reversed is provided. The inner diameter side end of the input side plate 23 ′ is fixed to the front cover 3.

  Also in this example, the lock-up clutch 13 fixes the support member 14 that supports the clutch plate 16 to the mounting portion 12b formed at the outer peripheral end of the turbine runner 12 along the axial direction, and the clutch plate 16 is fixed to the turbine runner. 12 to hold. Therefore, the clutch plate 16, the clutch disk 17, and the piston member 19 are arranged in an internal space surrounded by the turbine hub 9, the turbine runner 12, and the support member 14.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a comparative example relating to a conventional fluid coupling device. In this example, the lockup clutch 13 includes a drum member 14 ′ whose inner peripheral end is connected and fixed to the turbine hub 9, and a turbine runner 12 ′ is provided on the rear surface side of the drum member 14 ′ by a rivet 12c. It is attached.

  Compared with the fluid coupling device shown in FIG. 2, since the two members of the turbine runner 12 ′ and the drum member 14 ′ are connected by the rivet 12 c, the two members overlap each other, and the space in the axial direction is accordingly increased. It has come to increase. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, when the lockup clutch 13 is arranged on the inner diameter side, the attachment position of the rivet 12 c is set to a position facing the working space of the piston member 19. In that case, the hydraulic oil filled in the working space may leak from the through hole of the rivet 12c, which is not preferable. Therefore, in the comparative example shown in FIG. 3, the layout position of the lockup clutch 13 in the apparatus is limited. However, in the present invention, the turbine runner 12 is connected to the turbine hub and the support member of the lockup clutch 13 is used as the turbine. Since it is fixed to the runner 12, the degree of freedom of the layout position of the lock-up clutch 13 is large, and the axial space can be narrowed.

T center shaft 1 fluid coupling device 2 integral case 3 front cover 4 rear cover 5 center piece 6 pump impeller 7 cover boss 8 output shaft 9 turbine hub
10 Thrust bearing
11 Thrust bearing
12 Turbine runner
13 Lock-up clutch
14 Support member
15 Hub member
16 Clutch plate
17 Clutch disc
18 Snap ring
19 Piston member
20 O-ring
21 Seal material
22 Lock-up damper mechanism
23 Input side plate
24 Output side plate
25 Support plate
26 Intermediate plate
27 Rivet
28 Coil spring
29 Coil spring
30 Support member
31 Holding member
32 rivets

Claims (2)

An integrated case connected to the rotational drive shaft of the engine, a turbine hub connected to the output shaft, a pump impeller provided in the integrated case, and a turbine runner provided in the turbine hub, and from the integrated case to the A fluid coupling device comprising: a fluid coupling that transmits rotation to a turbine hub; and a lock-up clutch that presses a clutch plate and a clutch disk with a piston member to connect and rotate the integrated case and the turbine hub.
In the lockup clutch, a support member that supports the clutch plate is fixed to a predetermined position in the radial direction of the turbine runner along the axial direction, and the clutch plate is held by the turbine runner. Fluid coupling device.   2. The fluid coupling according to claim 1, wherein the piston member is attached to the turbine hub so as to be slidable in an axial direction and extends in a radial direction along the turbine runner. apparatus.

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