JP2013504722A - Method for manufacturing transverse element designed as part of push belt for continuously variable transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

In the process of forming a transverse element (10) designed as part of a continuously variable transmission push belt, the transverse element (10) is punched from a strip-shaped piece of substrate (30) having a rectangular perimeter. In this step, the part (32) of the peripheral surface (31) of the piece of the substrate (30) is used to constitute the part of the peripheral surface (13) of the transverse element (10) without being cut. This minimizes punching operations and minimizes substrate waste and punching tool requirements.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a transverse element designed as part of a push belt for a continuously variable transmission. The transverse element has two body surfaces and a peripheral surface extending between the body surfaces, and a strip-like piece of substrate having a rectangular perimeter is provided, the substrate also comprising two body surfaces and the body And a transverse surface extending between the surfaces, the transverse element being punched from a piece of the substrate.

  A push belt for a continuously variable transmission is generally known. Such push belts typically have two endless ribbon carriers formed like a closed loop carrying a relatively large number of transverse elements. The transverse elements are arranged along the entire circumference of the carrier and can transmit forces related to the movement of the push belt.

  The transverse element has a recess on two sides for receiving the carrier of the push belt. The transverse element also has a transport surface for supporting the carrier. Furthermore, because of the contact between the transverse element and the sheave of the continuously variable transmission pulley, the transverse element has a sheave contact surface on two sides so that they diverge with respect to each other in the direction of approaching the conveying surface. Is provided. The terms “up” and “down” described below relate to the direction of divergence defined as the direction from bottom to top.

  From bottom to top, the transverse element has a base, a neck and a top in succession, and the dimensions of the neck are relatively small. The base is provided with a transport surface and a sheave contact surface. Usually, in the bush belt, the base is located on the inner peripheral side of the push belt, and the upper part is located on the outer peripheral side of the push belt.

  The transverse element has two body surfaces that extend substantially parallel to each other. The correct position of the transverse element in the push belt is such that the body surface is approximately perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the push belt. At least a portion of the first body surface of the transverse element is designed to abut at least a portion of the second body surface of the adjacent transverse element in the push belt. Also, at least a part of the second body surface of the transverse element is designed to abut at least a part of the first body surface of another transverse element adjacent in the push belt.

  A peripheral surface, partly including a transport surface and a sheave contact surface, extends between the two body surfaces. Furthermore, the upper part has two holding surfaces that are also part of the peripheral surface, facing the conveying surface. When the transverse element is housed in the push belt, the carrier surface is located on one side and the holding surface is located on the other side, thereby positioning the carrier in the radial direction of the push belt. The other surface of the upper part that constitutes a part of the peripheral surface is the two upper surfaces, which connect to each other and each connect to the holding surface at the ends.

  A protrusion is provided on the surface of one body of the transverse element, and a recess, hereinafter also referred to as a recess, is provided on the other body surface of the transverse element. The positions of the protrusion and the depression correspond to each other, and the protrusion and the depression are usually arranged at the upper part. In the push belt, the protrusion of each transverse element is located at least partially in the recess of the adjacent transverse element, thereby preventing the mutual displacement of the transverse elements in a plane perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the push belt. .

  A transverse element is produced from a piece of substrate by punching a transverse member from the piece of substrate. As with the transverse element, the piece of substrate has two body surfaces and a peripheral surface, and the body surface of the transverse element is obtained based on the body surface of the piece of substrate. In other words, when the punching operation is performed and the transverse element is cut off from the rest of the substrate, the body surface of the transverse element becomes the stamped portion of the body surface of the piece of substrate. The circumferential surface of the transverse element is the surface that is actually separated from the piece of substrate as a result of the punching operation.

  Typically, the punching operation is performed through a punching process in which a punching die is used, and the punching die is pushed through a piece of substrate to punch the transverse element. It is also possible to produce transverse elements using a so-called fine blanking process, which uses both a punching die and an element for supporting the stamped part of a piece of substrate. In each of these cases, the piece of substrate is held by clamping the substrate in the appropriate structure, the punching die is moved through the piece of substrate, and the punching edge of the punching die causes the substrate to A portion of the piece is separated from the remainder of the substrate piece. Thus, the perforated portion, ie the periphery of the transverse element, is substantially the same as the punching edge of the punching die.

  In addition to the punching edge, the punching die is provided with a surface that contacts one of the body surfaces of the transverse element that is punched during the blanking process. This surface shape is suitable to achieve the desired shape of the body surface of the transverse element under the influence of the pressure applied during the blanking process. For example, the punching die has means such as protrusions or recesses to form protrusions and depressions. In this regard, usually the body surface of the piece of substrate has a flat appearance. Despite this fact, one of the body surfaces may have a step, thereby forming a step on one of the body surfaces of the transverse element.

  Waste from the punching process of the transverse element, such waste is required to contain as little as possible, including the remainder of the substrate piece. Furthermore, the means used for punching are relatively expensive because they are difficult to manufacture and must be highly accurate, so that wear and tear of these means is required to be as low as possible.

  In view of the above-described requirements, the present invention proposes a method for manufacturing a transverse element, in which a portion of the peripheral surface of a piece of base material is included in a transverse element that is punched out as a portion of the peripheral surface of the transverse element. Therefore, when the present invention is applied, the circumferential surface of the transverse element is not obtained by punching out the entire circumferential shape of the transverse element in the piece of base material, but by punching out only a part of the circumference of the piece of base material. The circumferential surface of the transverse element has another portion including a portion of the circumferential surface of the piece of substrate. The transverse element that is punched from the substrate is located along a portion of the peripheral surface of the piece of substrate, which part constitutes a portion of the peripheral surface of the transverse element. Accordingly, the punching operation is not performed in a part around the transverse element.

  For the sake of clarity, the part of the peripheral surface of the piece of substrate contained in the transverse element that is stamped as part of the peripheral surface of the transverse element is referred to as the non-punched surface part of the piece of substrate, The portion of the circumferential surface of the transverse element that is the same as the portion is referred to as the non-punched surface portion of the transverse element. Once again, it is emphasized that the non-punched surface portion of the substrate piece and the non-punched surface portion of the transverse element are actually the same physical object.

  An advantage of using the peripheral surface portion of the substrate piece as the peripheral surface portion of the transverse element is that the amount of waste from the stamping process is minimized. The reason is that it is not necessary to remove the substrate in the formation of the non-punched surface portion of the transverse element. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to use a punching tool at the non-punched surface portion of the piece of substrate, the manufacturing cost of the transverse element is reduced.

  Preferably, the non-punched surface portion of the piece of substrate is located within the base of the transverse element to be stamped. In particular, the sheave contact surface may be formed by initiating a punching operation from the non-punched surface portion of the piece of substrate such that the non-punched surface portion extends between the sheave contact surfaces in the transverse element. Each sheave contact surface connects to a non-punched surface portion on a side different from the side where the sheave contact surface connects to the transport surface. In this case, a sharp edge is formed at the position where the sheave contact surface connects to the non-punched surface portion. When a conventional blanking process is used in the production of the transverse element, the formation of the entire circumferential surface of the transverse element requires the material to be separated in the piece of substrate by punching through the piece of substrate. In this case, a rounded edge is formed at a location where the surface portion, which is equivalent to the non-punched surface portion of the transverse element with respect to the arrangement in the transverse element, and the sheave contact surface connect. Thus, when the present invention is used, the sheave contact surface can be made larger because there are no rounded edges, which means that the crossing element and the crossing element have a larger surface for the conveying force. Contributes to the performance of the applied push belt. On the other hand, if the sheave contact surface is not enlarged, the base of the transverse element will be smaller, reducing weight and cost.

  The peripheral surface of the piece of substrate has a flat surface portion. Specifically, the shape of the piece of the base material is a strip shape, and the periphery of the piece of the base material is a rectangle. The peripheral surface has four flat surface portions. In conventional designs, the appearance of the surface portion of the transverse element that is equivalent to the non-punched portion with respect to placement within the transverse element has been recessed rather than flat. Accordingly, by making the non-punched portion flat, the weight of the base of the transverse element increases while the weight of the other parts of the transverse element remains unchanged. As a result, the balance of the original design of the transverse element is lost, so it is preferable to take further measures to prevent degradation of the dynamic behavior of the transverse element in the push belt. According to the present invention, one or more holes are provided in the transverse element as the countermeasure. Advantageously, the one or more holes are provided in the base when the non-punched surface portion is a peripheral surface portion at the base of the transverse element.

  When a step is provided on one of the body surfaces of a piece of substrate, it is advantageous if the one or more holes are provided in the thinnest part of the piece of substrate. In order to make the distance between the hole and the circumferential surface of the transverse element as long as possible, the hole may be located as close as possible to the step, thereby maintaining the strength of the transverse element at an appropriate level and breaking this part Risk is minimized. In practical situations, “as close as possible to the step” means, for example, that the distance from the step is within 0.1 mm.

  In the actual way of carrying out the method according to the invention, two holes are provided in the transverse element. Specifically, the two holes are provided at the base of the transverse element, and are arranged on both sides of the center of the base that corresponds to the virtual extension of the neck.

  When the method according to the present invention is applied and the non-punched portion of the transverse element is flat, a positive effect on the final process of the transverse element is realized. In particular, the transverse element may be subjected to a hardening treatment using quenching, where the transverse element material first expands and then shrinks very quickly. In the case of a generally shaped transverse element, this rapid reduction process occurs somewhat unevenly, resulting in an undesirable azimuthal distribution of the sheave contact surface. It is considered that if there is a flat non-punched portion extending between the sheave contact surfaces in the transverse element, there is a relatively large bending rigidity at the position of this portion, and the azimuth distribution of the sheave contact surface is reduced.

  Further, when the above-described hole is provided in the transverse element, a more uniform cooling process can be realized on the base of the transverse element, thereby further reducing the reduction process. Factors such as hole location, shape and dimensions can be adapted so that the reduction process is most uniform and deformation is minimized. In this regard, each hole is such that the distance between the hole edge and the nearest sheave contact surface is approximately the same as the distance between the bottom surface of the transverse element that extends between the hole edge and the sheave contact surface. It is advantageous to position In any case, the minimum distance between the edge of the hole and the lower surface is greater than the minimum distance between the edge of the hole and the nearest sheave contact surface, and the rope closest to the hole edge. Advantageously, it is less than the maximum distance between the car contact surfaces. Here, the distance to the nearest sheave contact surface is determined along a direction perpendicular to a virtual symmetry plane extending between the sheave contact surfaces that diverge.

  Within the scope of the present invention, a blanking method may be applied to realize the necessary punching operation. In general, it is possible to apply a method in which the transverse element is punched from a piece of the substrate with a single punching stroke. By doing so, the transverse element is combined with another transverse element in the punching process, so that both transverse elements are punched from the piece of substrate in one stroke and simultaneously or subsequently separated. It is also possible to punch two or more transverse elements simultaneously.

  In the present invention, the peripheral surface portion of the base piece is used as the peripheral surface portion of the transverse element. This portion does not need to be processed, and the punching operation can be omitted at the position of this portion. The present invention also relates to a continuously variable transmission push belt having a transverse element in which a non-punched portion exists, and to a continuously variable transmission having such a push belt.

It is a side view of a continuously variable transmission having a push belt. FIG. 3 is a diagram of a transverse element according to the present invention. It is the figure which looked at the transverse element which concerns on this invention from another direction. It is a figure which shows how the part of the surrounding surface of a transverse element and the part of the surrounding surface of the piece of the base material by which a transverse element is pierce | punched during the manufacturing process of a transverse element correspond.

  The invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawing, the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 1 shows a continuously variable transmission used in an automobile or the like. The continuously variable transmission is indicated generally by the reference numeral 1.

  The continuously variable transmission 1 has two pulleys 4, 5 arranged on separate pulley shafts 2, 3. A closed loop endless push belt 6 is arranged around the pulleys 4 and 5 and functions to transmit torque between the pulley shafts 2 and 3. As is known per se, each pulley 4, 5 has two sheaves, and with the help of friction, a push belt 6 is connected to the two pulleys so that a force is transmitted between the pulleys 4, 5 and the push belt. It is placed between the sheaves and clamped. In FIG. 1, one of the sheaves of each pulley 4, 5 is illustrated.

  The push belt 6 has one or more endless carriers 7 which are usually composed of a number of rings. Transverse elements 10 are arranged along the entire length of the carrier 7, and the transverse elements 10 are adjacent to each other and can move in the circumferential direction relative to the carrier 7. For simplicity, only some of these transverse elements 10 are shown in FIG. Usually both the carrier 7 and the transverse element 10 are made of metal.

  2 and 3 show the transverse element 10. The first body surface of the transverse element 10 is indicated generally by the reference numeral 11 and the second body surface of the transverse element 10 is indicated generally by the reference numeral 12. The peripheral surface 13 extends between the main body surfaces 11 and 12.

  From bottom to top, the transverse element 10 has a base 14, a relatively narrow neck 15 and an upper portion 16 generally shaped like an arrow tip. Usually, in the push belt 6, the base portion 14 is located on the inner peripheral side of the push belt 6, and the upper portion 16 is located on the outer peripheral side of the push belt 6. Furthermore, in the push belt 6, at least part of the first body surface 11 of the transverse element 10 abuts at least part of the second body surface 12 of the subsequent transverse element 10, and the second body surface 12 of the transverse element 10. At least partly abuts at least part of the first body surface 11 of the preceding transverse element 10. In the transition to the neck 15, the base 14 of the transverse element 10 is provided with two transport surfaces 17 that serve to support the two carriers 7. In addition, the sheave 14 is provided with two sheave contact surfaces 18. As the transverse element 10 moves over the pulleys 4, 5, contact between the transverse element 10 and the sheave contact surface is achieved via the sheave contact surface 18. The lower surface 19 extends between the sheave contact surfaces 18. The conveying surface 17, the sheave contact surface 18 and the lower surface 19 are part of the peripheral surface 13.

  A recess 21 is provided in the first body surface 11 of the transverse element. In FIG. 3, the recess 21 is indicated by a dotted line. In the illustrated embodiment, the recess 21 is located in the upper portion 16 and corresponds to the protrusion 22 on the second body surface 12. In the push belt 6, the protrusion 22 of the transverse element 10 is at least partly located in the recess 21 of the subsequent transverse element 10. The protrusions 22 and the corresponding recesses 21 serve to prevent mutual displacement between adjacent transverse elements 10 on a plane perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the push belt 6.

  The upper part 16 has two holding surfaces 23 facing the conveying surface 17. When the transverse element 10 is arranged in the push belt 6, the radial position of the carrier 7 is determined by the conveying surface 17 on one side and the holding surface 23 on the other side. Furthermore, the upper part 16 has two upper surfaces 24 connected to each other. Each upper surface 24 is connected at its end to the holding surface 23 of the upper part 16. The holding surface 23 and the upper surface 24 are part of the peripheral surface 13.

  In addition to the recess 21, an inclined line 25 and a step 26 are provided on the first body surface 11 of the transverse element 10. The step 26 is located between the lower portion 27 and the upper portion 28, and the first body surface 11 is recessed at the position of the lower portion 27 of the base portion 14. The inclined line 25 is located in the upper part 28 of the base 14 and is at a relatively short distance from the conveying surface 17. The inclined line 25 is shaped as a convexly bent transition zone on the body surface 11 of the transverse element 10 and serves to ensure a defined mutual contact between adjacent transverse elements 10 in the push belt 6 under all conditions. Such a situation includes when the transverse element 10 needs to move over the pulleys 4, 5 of the continuously variable transmission 1 and travel along a circular path. Both the inclined line 25 and the step 26 extend substantially parallel to the conveying surface 17 along the entire width of the transverse element 10.

  The method for manufacturing the transverse element 10 includes a step of punching the transverse element 10 from a piece of substrate. In many cases, and also in the present invention, the strip of substrate has a strip-like shape so that a plurality of transverse elements 10 can be made from a single piece of substrate, with the transverse elements 10 in a row. Punched from the substrate at successive locations. In this regard, the width of the strip-shaped substrate piece may be wide enough so that the transverse elements 10 to be continuously punched can be in two or more rows.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a strip-like piece of substrate 30 suitable for use when producing transverse elements 10 in a row. However, this does not change the fact that a substrate 30 suitable for use in the case where the transverse elements 10 are produced in more than one row in the present invention may be applied. FIG. 4 shows a part of a strip-like piece of the substrate 30 and the peripheral surface 13 of the transverse element 10 that is punched out of and from the piece of substrate 30. Advantageously, like the transverse element 10 to be realized, a piece of the substrate 30 has two body surfaces 11, 12, and a step 26 is provided on the first body surface 11. A circumferential surface 31 extends between the two body surfaces 11, 12. Within the scope of the present invention, the punching process can be carried out in any suitable manner, for example using a blanking process.

  According to the present invention, the lower surface 19 of the transverse element coincides with a portion 32 of the peripheral surface 31 of the piece of substrate 30, which portion 32 is referred to herein as a non-punched surface portion 32. Thus, a punching action to form the lower surface of the transverse element 10 is not necessary, only the formation of other parts of the peripheral surface 13 including the conveying surface 17, sheave contact surface 18, holding surface 23 and upper surface 24. Necessary.

  The fact that the non-punched surface portion 32 of a piece of substrate 30 is intended to be used as the lower surface of transverse element 10 has many advantages, such as minimizing substrate waste and lower surface of transverse element 10. A tool for punching 19 becomes unnecessary.

  In the illustrated example, the non-punched surface portion 32 of the piece of substrate 30 has a flat appearance. Therefore, the lower surface 19 of the transverse element 10 has a flat appearance. The lower surface 19 is connected to the sheave contact surface 18 via a sharp edge, which is different from the case of the lower surface 19 obtained by a stamping process. This fact may allow the sheave contact surface 18 to be larger, or even with a smaller base 14 to obtain a sheave contact surface 18 that is the same size as the original dimension of the sheave contact surface 18. This is advantageous.

  Another important aspect of having a flat appearance is that the base 14 is heavier than the neck 15 and top 16. In order to maintain the correct balance of the transverse element 10 and the proper behavior of the transverse element 10 in the push belt 6, a hole 29 is provided in the base 14 of the transverse element 10. In the example shown, the hole 29 is oval in shape, but this shape is not essential within the scope of the invention. Preferably, the hole 29 is located in the relatively thin lower portion 27 of the base 14 and is punched at the same time that the transverse element 10 is punched from a piece of substrate 30. Furthermore, in order not to drop the strength of the transverse element 10 to an unacceptable level, it is preferable to arrange the hole 29 outside the central portion of the base portion 14 corresponding to the virtual extension portion of the neck portion 15.

  The hole 29 may be arranged as close to the step 26 as possible. For example, the distance between the upper end of the hole 29 and the step 26 is only 0.1 mm. Providing the holes 29 gives the transverse element 10 some flexibility, which is very advantageous when the transverse element 10 is applied to a push belt and improves the dynamic behavior of the transverse element 10.

  In summary, in the step of forming the transverse element 10 designed as a part of the push belt 6 for the continuously variable transmission 1, the transverse element 10 is punched from a strip-shaped piece of the base material 30 having a rectangular periphery. In this step, the portion 32 of the peripheral surface 31 of the piece of substrate 30 is kept uncut and used to construct the portion 19 of the peripheral surface 13 of the transverse element 10. In this way, punching operations are minimized and substrate waste and punching tool requirements are minimized.

  As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein, but various modifications within the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims. And modifications are possible.

Claims (13)

In the method of manufacturing a transverse element (10) designed as part of a push belt (6) for a continuously variable transmission (1),
Providing a strip-shaped piece of substrate (30) having a rectangular perimeter; and punching the transverse element (10) from the piece of substrate (30);
The transverse element (10) has two body surfaces (11, 12) and a peripheral surface (13) extending between the body surfaces (11, 12);
The substrate (30) has two body surfaces (11, 12) and a peripheral surface (31) extending between the body surfaces (11, 12);
The transverse element (10) in which the part (32) of the peripheral surface (31) of the piece of base material (30) is punched out as part (19) of the peripheral surface (13) of the transverse element (10) The manufacturing method characterized by the above-mentioned. The transverse element (10) has a relatively wide base (14), a top (16), and a relatively small neck (15) extending between the base (14) and the top (16). Formed,
The circumferential surface (13) of the transverse element (10) has a conveying surface (17) for supporting the carrier (7) of the push belt (6) and a continuously variable transmission (1) at the position of the base (14). A sheave contact surface (18) that contacts the sheave of the pulley (4, 5) of
The sheave contact surface (18) is configured to diverge from each other in a direction approaching the transport surface (17);
The portion (32) of the peripheral surface (31) of the piece of the substrate (30) is located at the base (14) of the transverse element (10);
The part (32) of the peripheral surface (31) of the piece of the substrate (30) is punched as the part (19) of the peripheral surface (13) of the transverse element (10). 2) The production method according to claim 1, wherein The sheave contact surface (18) is formed in connection with the portion (32) of the peripheral surface (31) of the piece of base material (30),
The part (32) of the peripheral surface (31) of the piece of the substrate (30) is punched as the part (19) of the peripheral surface (13) of the transverse element (10). 3) The production method according to claim 2, wherein   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transverse element (10) is provided with one or more holes (29).   5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more holes (29) are arranged in the base (14) of the transverse element (10). Using a piece of substrate (30) provided with a step (26) on one of the body surfaces (11, 12) of the substrate (30),
6. A method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the one or more holes (29) are arranged relatively close to the step (26).   7. A method according to any one of claims 4-6, characterized in that two holes (29) are provided in the transverse element (10).   The hole (29) is disposed on the base (14) of the transverse element (10) on both sides of the center of the base (14) corresponding to the virtual extension of the neck (15). The manufacturing method according to claim 7, wherein the manufacturing method is characterized.   9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transverse element (10) is punched from a piece of the substrate (30) with a single punch stroke.   10. The transverse element (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is punched from a piece of the substrate (30) together with another transverse element (10) in a single punching stroke. The manufacturing method as described in.   The transverse element (10) is punched from a piece of the base material (30) using a blanking method, and the punching die having a punching edge and the piece of the base material (30) are pressed against each other. The manufacturing method as described in any one of Claims 1-10.   In a push belt (6) for a continuously variable transmission (1) comprising one or more endless carriers (7) and transverse elements (10) arranged along the circumference of the carrier (7), Push belt, characterized in that the transverse element (10) is manufactured using the method according to any one of claims 1-11.   A continuously variable transmission (1) comprising a push belt (6) according to claim 12.

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