JP2559354Y2 - Fluid retarder device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fluid type retarder device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In large vehicles such as trucks and buses,
A device equipped with a fluid type retarder device is known. The fluid type retarder device generates braking torque when descending a slope, decelerating from a high speed, or the like, prevents fade due to a rise in brake temperature, and improves vehicle safety and durability of friction materials.

[0003] As a conventional fluid type retarder device, there is one disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-30695.
This fluid type retarder device is a fluid type retarder including a rotor that can be fixed to a rotating shaft that rotates together with wheels such as a propeller shaft, and a stator that is fixed to the vehicle body so as not to rotate. The braking torque is generated by the kinetic energy of the working liquid between the stator and the rotor by being connected and fixed to the rotating shaft side. In the hydraulic retarder containing the stator and rotor,
Always filled with working liquid.

It has been proposed that such a hydraulic retarder has a closed circuit for connecting the working liquid inlet and the working liquid outlet of the hydraulic retarder through a working liquid cooler. .

Further, it has been proposed to attach a pneumatic-liquid converter to a closed circuit and adjust the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the closed circuit by pressurized air in order to adjust the braking torque by the hydraulic retarder. . As this kind of air-liquid converter, a working liquid and pressurized air are introduced through a baffle plate or a filter into an air-liquid conversion chamber which also serves as an internal working liquid chamber and an air chamber, so that the working liquid and the pressurized air are Or a structure in which a working liquid chamber and an air chamber in the conversion chamber are separated by a piston.

[0006]

However, in such a conventional liquid-filled fluid type retarder, when the air-liquid converter having the above structure is provided, the working liquid and the pressurized air come into direct contact with each other. In the case of the air-liquid converter with a structure that does not work, the separation of the working liquid and the pressurized air is insufficient, and the working liquid leaks little by little, and the function of the liquid-filled hydraulic retarder gradually decreases. In the air-liquid converter having a structure in which the working liquid chamber and the air chamber are separated by a piston, the response between the pressure of the pressurized air and the pressure of the working liquid is poor. However, there is a technical problem that a predetermined braking torque cannot be obtained quickly.

In addition, when a pneumatic-liquid converter having a structure in which the working liquid chamber and the air chamber are separated by a piston is provided, the response between the pressure of the pressurized air and the pressure of the working liquid is poor.
A relatively sharp decrease in peak torque value that occurs immediately after the start of operation of the hydraulic retarder occurs slowly with the movement of the piston, causing a large connection shock in the clutch device and an uncomfortable braking feeling given to the occupant. At the same time, wear of the friction material of the clutch device is promoted, so that the durability is poor and a large clutch device is required.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional technical problem, and its structure is provided on a rotating shaft that rotates together with wheels, and is always filled with a working liquid. A fluid type retarder, a closed circuit for connecting a working liquid inlet and a working liquid outlet of the fluid type retarder with a working liquid cooler interposed therebetween, A reservoir capable of absorbing ascent, wherein the reservoir is partitioned into a working liquid chamber and an air chamber by a flexible film that easily deforms the inside of the reservoir body, and the working liquid chamber is connected to the closed circuit. The fluid type retarder device is characterized in that: And the air chamber of a reservoir can be connected to the pressure air source which can supply the pressurized air of a predetermined pressure.

[Action]

If the fluid-filled type hydraulic retarder is operated while the vehicle is running, the braking torque value rises abruptly due to the agitation of the filled working liquid in the early stage of the operation, and the peak value indicating the maximum is reached. The torque value is reached. This peak torque value occurs in proportion to the pressure of the working liquid.
Then, after reaching the peak torque value, it converges to a substantially flat and steady set torque value.

[0010] Thus, according to this fluid type retarder device, the pressure rise of the working liquid in the fluid type retarder toward the generation of the peak torque value is absorbed by the reservoir. That is, as the internal pressure of the fluid retarder increases,
The working liquid in the fluid type retarder flows into the working liquid chamber, and the flexible membrane expands and deforms toward the air chamber. As a result, an increase in the internal pressure of the hydraulic retarder is suppressed, and the peak torque value generated immediately after the start of operation is significantly reduced.

As described above, the function of the retarder device is exhibited, and in a circulating state in which the working liquid, which also serves as a cooling by the self-pumping action, flows in from the working liquid inlet and flows out from the working liquid outlet, the rotational energy is reduced. It is absorbed and transmitted as heat to the working fluid to provide a braking action. The working liquid flowing out of the working liquid outlet is cooled and circulated in the working liquid cooler.

When the operation of the fluid type retarder is stopped, the pressure rise accompanying the agitation of the working liquid in the fluid type retarder decreases, and the flexible film contracts and deforms. Since such a deformation of the flexible membrane consumes almost no force, the expansion and contraction deformation does not involve hysteresis, and the air pressure in the air chamber and the working liquid pressure in the working liquid chamber are always equal. Since the flexible film has airtightness, it is possible to reliably prevent the air in the air chamber from being mixed with the working liquid in the working liquid chamber or the working liquid in the working liquid chamber from leaking to the outside.

Further, when the air chamber of the reservoir is connected to a pressure air source capable of supplying pressure air of a predetermined pressure, the flexible film is deformed by the pressure air from the pressure air source, and the working fluid of the same pressure is deformed. since but obtained the working liquid chamber of the reservoir, the braking torque corresponding to this pressure can be generated in the hydraulic retarder.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 6 show one embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the fluid type retarder device mainly includes a fluid type retarder 1, a cooler / pump unit 2, a pressure control device 3, a pressure air source 4, and a retarder switch 5. The fluid type retarder 1 is fixed to a vehicle body side member such as a transmission rear cover (not shown) and is a non-rotating case 1.
1, a rotary shaft 10 having one end connected to a transmission output shaft or the like is rotatably and liquid-tightly penetrated through a suitable seal member and a bearing at the center of the case 11. The other end of the rotating shaft 10 is connected to wheels via a propeller shaft (not shown) or the like, and rotates together with the wheels.

In this manner, the retarder chamber 12 which is defined by the case 11 around the rotary shaft 10 and is always filled with the working liquid (oil or water) is liquid-tightly defined. In the retarder chamber 12, a stator 15 having radial blades around the rotation shaft 10 is provided.
A rotor 16 having radial blades around the rotation shaft 10 and being fixed to the member on the rotation shaft 10 side facing the stator 15 so as to be relatively non-rotatable is provided. The stator 15
It is integral with the case 11 and is fixed to the vehicle body side member so as to be substantially non-rotatable.

The case 11 is provided with a working liquid inlet 11a located at the center of the retarder chamber 12, and located at the outer periphery of the retarder chamber 12 at the working liquid outlet 11b.
Is provided.

Further, a rotating shaft 1 is provided on an inner peripheral portion of the rotor 16.
A wet multi-plate clutch device 13 capable of connecting and disconnecting the 0-side member and the rotor 16 is provided. The clutch device 13 is fixed to a plurality of annular pressure plates 14 and a rotor 16 and is rotatably supported on the case 11 via a first bearing 13a. The pressure plate 14 is spline-coupled. A cylindrical support member 19 for movably supporting the center axis direction; and a second bearing 13b for rotatably supporting a movable pressure plate 14 located at one end.
And The clutch device 13 is provided with a pneumatic cylinder device 17 as a driving device. The pneumatic cylinder device 17 includes a pressure chamber 17c defined by a diaphragm 17a, a diaphragm 17a and a second bearing 13b.
And a connecting member 17b for connecting

On the other hand, the plurality of clutch plates 18
The rotary shaft 10 is spline-coupled to the axial direction so as to be movable in the axial direction, and is sandwiched between the pressure plates 14.

Thus, if the pressurized air from the pressurized air source 4 is supplied to the pressure chamber 17c of the pneumatic cylinder device 17 through the first switching valve 31, which will be described later, the diaphragm 17a, the connecting member 17b and the second bearing 13b The movable pressure plate 14 located at one end is pushed in through the clutch plate 1 and rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 10.
Since the pressure plate 14 is pressed against 8, the clutch device 13 is connected. Thereby, the case 11
Then, the cylindrical support member 19 rotatably supported via the first bearing 13a rotates, so that the rotor 16 integrated with the support member 19 rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 10. Thus, the kinetic energy of the liquid filled between the rotor 16 and the stator 15 is converted into heat energy to generate a braking torque.

The pressure control device 3 includes a first switching valve 31
And a second switching valve 32. The first switching valve 31 is interposed between the pressure air source 4 and the pressure chamber 17c of the pneumatic cylinder device 17, and drains the pressure chamber 17c from the position where the pressure air from the pressure air source 4 is supplied to the pressure chamber 17c. With a position. The second switching valve 32 is
The pressure air of the pressure air source 4 is interposed between the pressure air source 4 and an air chamber 25d of a reservoir 25 described later through a pair of pressure reducing valves 33 and 34 connected in parallel to the upstream side. The air chamber 25 via the pressure reducing valve 33 or 34
d.

Since the set pressures having different sizes are set in the pair of pressure reducing valves 33 and 34, the pressure air of the pressure air source 4 is supplied to one of the pressure reducing valves depending on the position of the second switching valve 32 in the normal state. 33, the pressure is adjusted to a relatively low set pressure and supplied to the air chamber 25d of the reservoir 25. The switching operation of the second switching valve 32 causes
The pressure air of the pressure air source 4 is adjusted to a relatively high set pressure by the other pressure reducing valve 34 and supplied to the air chamber 25 d of the reservoir 25.

The first switching valve 31 and the second
The switching valve 32 is connected to the retarder switch 5,
The two valves 31 and 32 can be selected and switched and connected. On the other hand, the working liquid inlet 11 a provided in the case 11 is connected to the working liquid outlet 11 b provided in the case 11 via the closed circuit 21 and the cooler / pump unit 2. That is, the closed circuit 21 has the working liquid inlet 1
A pump 22 for sequentially circulating the working liquid and a cooler 23 for the working liquid are connected from the side 1a. Pump 22
Is driven to rotate by an electric motor 22a, and the cooler 23 for working liquid is air-cooled by a fan 23a.

[0023] Then, the appropriate portion of the closed circuit 21 (in the case in the illustrated embodiment, the lower flow portions of the operation liquid cooler 23),
Reservoir 25 for absorbing an increase in the internal pressure of fluid type retarder 1
Are connected via a pipe 28. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the reservoir 25 has a working liquid chamber 25c for storing a working liquid in a reservoir main body 25a by a rubber film 25b which is an airtight and easily deformable flexible film. And a room 25d. The working liquid chamber 25c is always connected to the closed circuit 21 by a through hole 25e, and the air chamber 25d is connected in parallel to the second switching valve 32 and the upstream side by a through hole 25f. Is connected to the pressure air source 4 via one of the pressure reducing valves 33 and 34, and is supplied with the pressure air of a predetermined pressure. The rubber film 25b is given a wavy shape in the free state shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to facilitate expansion and contraction deformation.

A working liquid reservoir 27 is connected to the working liquid chamber 25c via a manual switching valve 26.
By the switching operation of the manual switching valve 26, the working liquid of the working liquid reservoir 27 is supplied to the working liquid chamber 25 of the reservoir 25.
c.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. Turn on the retarder switch 5 while the vehicle is running
Actuating, the pressurized air from the pressurized air source 4 is introduced into the pressure chamber 17c of the pneumatic cylinder device 17 via the first switching valve 31, and the clutch device 13 is connected and operated. That is, when the first switching valve 31 is switched to introduce the pressurized air from the pressurized air source 4 into the pressure chamber 17c, the connecting member 17b is pushed in through the diaphragm 17a, so that the rotating shaft is driven through the second bearing 13b. The pressure plate 14 is pressed against the clutch plate 18 that rotates integrally with the clutch 10, and the clutch device 13 is connected. As a result, the support member 19 rotatably supported by the case 11 via the first bearing 13 and the like rotates, so that the rotor 16 integrated with the support member 19 starts rotating integrally with the rotary shaft 10.

In the initial stage of the operation of such a fluid-filled type hydraulic retarder, as shown in FIG.
As a result, the braking torque value sharply rises due to the agitation of the working liquid filled with the fluid, and reaches the peak torque value a indicating the maximum.
This peak torque value a occurs in proportion to the pressure of the working liquid. Then, after reaching the peak torque value a, it converges to a substantially flat and steady set torque value (c).

Thus, according to this fluid type retarder, the pressure rise of the working liquid in the fluid type retarder 1 toward the generation of the peak torque value a is absorbed by the reservoir 25. That is, as the internal pressure of the fluid type retarder 1 increases, the working liquid in the fluid type retarder 1
5c. Due to the inflow of the working liquid, the rubber film 2
5b is elastically expanded and deformed as shown in FIG.
Air is compressed by the pressure reducing valve 33 (or 34) in 5d. As a result, an increase in the internal pressure of the hydraulic retarder 1 is suppressed, and the peak torque value a generated immediately after the start of operation is significantly reduced as compared with the conventional product b shown by a broken line. As a result, a large connection shock is generated in the clutch device 13 and an uncomfortable braking feeling is prevented from being given to the occupant, and the wear of the friction material is suppressed by the small-sized clutch device 13 to improve the durability. .

Thus, the function of the retarder device is exhibited. That is, in a circulating state in which the working liquid also serving as cooling flows in from the working liquid inlet 11a and flows out from the working liquid outlet 11b by the self-pumping action of the rotor 16 and the pump 22, the kinetic energy is obtained by stirring the rotor 16. Is given to the stator 15 and collides with the stator 15,
A braking action is obtained while being transmitted to the working liquid as heat. At this time, the clutch device 13 is also cooled by the working liquid. The working liquid flowing out of the working liquid outlet 11b is cooled and circulated in the working liquid cooler 23 that is air-cooled by the fan 23a.

The second operation is performed by operating the retarder switch 5.
If the switching valve 32 is switched so that the pressure air of the pressurized air source 4 is reduced in pressure by the other pressure reducing valve 34 to a relatively high set pressure and is supplied to the air chamber 25d of the reservoir 25, the expanded state is achieved. The rubber film 25b shrinks and deforms,
The pressure of the working liquid stored in the working liquid chamber 25c increases,
A braking torque corresponding to the pressure increase is generated in the fluid type retarder 1.

If the retarder switch 5 is turned off,
The clutch device 13 is disengaged, the rotation of the rotor 16 is stopped, and the pressure rise accompanying the stirring of the working liquid in the fluid type retarder 1 is reduced, so that one of the pressure reducing valves 33 is provided in the air chamber 25 d of the reservoir 25. Air corresponding to the low set pressure flows in, and the rubber film 25b contracts and deforms as shown in FIG. Since such a deformation of the rubber film 25b consumes almost no force, the expansion and contraction deformation does not involve hysteresis, and the air pressure in the air chamber 25d and the working liquid chamber 25d do not.
The working liquid pressure in c always becomes the same pressure. Rubber film 2
5b has airtightness, so that the air in the air chamber 25d is prevented from being mixed with the working liquid in the working liquid chamber 25c or the working liquid in the working liquid chamber 25c leaking out.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show other structural examples of the reservoir 25. The portions other than the shape of the easily deformable rubber film 25g are substantially the same as those of the reservoir 25, and thus are denoted by the same reference numerals. And the description thereof will be omitted. This rubber film 25
In the case of g, in the free state, as shown in FIG. 7, the lower center is bent upward toward the inside of the rubber film 25g to form a mountain shape.

The peak torque value a generated immediately after the operation of the hydraulic retarder 1 is started, the working liquid in the hydraulic retarder 1 is changed to the working liquid chamber 2 as the internal pressure of the hydraulic retarder 1 increases.
5c, the rubber film 25g expands and deforms as shown in FIG. 9, and compresses and reduces the air in the air chamber 25d. Further, when the retarder switch 5 is turned off, the pressure rise due to the stirring of the working liquid in the fluid type retarder 1 decreases, so that the pressure in the air chamber 25 d of the reservoir 25 is reduced to a relatively low set pressure by the one pressure reducing valve 33. The corresponding air flows in, and the rubber film 25g contracts and deforms as shown in FIG. Thus, according to this structural example, substantially the same operation as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0033]

[Effect of the Invention] As understood from the above description,
According to the hydraulic retarder of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Since the leakage of the working liquid and the incorporation of air into the working liquid are prevented, the operation of the fluid type retarder can be stably obtained, and the reliability thereof is improved.

(2) The peak torque value generated immediately after the start of the braking operation due to the expansion deformation of the flexible film is effectively reduced. As a result, the connection shock is reduced, the braking feeling is improved, the wear of the friction material of the clutch device of the fluid retarder is reduced, and the durability is improved by employing a small clutch device. (3) Since the expansion and contraction deformation of the flexible membrane is facilitated, and the air pressure and the working liquid pressure on both sides of the flexible membrane become equal to each other,
The braking torque is stably obtained, and the reliability of the fluid type retarder device is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hydraulic retarder device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the reservoir.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the operation of the reservoir.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of the operation of the reservoir.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a generated torque-time characteristic.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a reservoir according to another structural example.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of the operation of the reservoir.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of the operation of the reservoir.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: fluid retarder, 2: cooler pump unit,
3: pressure control device, 4: pressure air source, 5: retarder switch, 10: rotary shaft, 11: case, 11a: working liquid inlet, 11b: working liquid outlet, 12: retarder chamber, 1
3: clutch device, 13a: first bearing, 13b: second bearing, 14: pressure plate, 15: stator, 1
6: rotor, 17: pneumatic cylinder device, 17a: diaphragm, 17c: pressure chamber, 18: clutch plate,
19: support member, 21: closed circuit, 22: pump, 22
a: electric motor, 23: cooler for working liquid, 25: reservoir, 25a: reservoir body, 25b, 25g: rubber film (flexible film), 25c: working liquid chamber, 25d: air chamber, 2
5e, 25f: through hole, 31: first switching valve, 32:
Second switching valves 33, 34: pressure reducing valves.

Claims (2)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] Claims: 1. A rotating shaft that rotates with a wheel,
A fluid-type retarder that is constantly filled with a working liquid, a closed circuit that connects a working-liquid inlet and a working-liquid outlet of the fluid-type retarder via a working-liquid cooler, and that is connected to the closed circuit; A reservoir capable of absorbing an increase in the internal pressure of the fluid type retarder, wherein the reservoir is divided into a working liquid chamber and an air chamber by a flexible film that easily deforms the inside of the reservoir body, and the working liquid chamber is formed of the above-mentioned working liquid chamber. A fluid retarder device connected to a closed circuit. 2. The hydraulic retarder device according to claim 1, wherein the air chamber of the reservoir according to claim 1 is connected to a source of pressurized air capable of supplying pressurized air at a predetermined pressure.