JP2893973B2 - Electronically controlled differential limiter - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronically controlled differential limiting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional electronically controlled differential limiting device, for example, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-59044 is known.

This device comprises a differential case rotatably supported by a housing by side bearings, and two side gears disposed opposite to each other in the differential case and engaged with a pinion mate gear and coupled to an output shaft. And a clutch provided in the differential case and disposed between the side gear or the output shaft and the differential case, and a clutch provided at a position outside the housing relative to the bearing retainer and pressed in a direction to fasten the clutch. The vehicle includes a hydraulic piston and a piston housing that houses the hydraulic piston. The side bearing is supported by the housing, and the hydraulic piston is accommodated in a part of the housing and the piston housing.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned prior art, since the outer diameter of the side bearing is formed larger than the inner diameter of the opening of the housing, the housing is required to be installed in the housing. It is necessary to divide it into a plurality, and the structure becomes complicated.

Therefore, as a first step of the invention, FIG.
A piston housing (fastening means housing) 0 that accommodates a hydraulic piston (clutch fastening means) 01 as shown in FIG.
2 as a structure that can be inserted into the housing 03,
It is conceivable to use the piston housing 02 as a bearing retainer for supporting the side bearing 04. In this case, the piston housing 02 is attached to the housing 03 by screwing. This is to facilitate adjustment of the contact of the side gears and the preload of the side bearings 04.
In other words, if adjustment is performed using a shim, etc., it is necessary to disassemble it again and replace the shim if there is a defect at the time of inspection after assembly, but if it is a screw-in type, just turn the screw Well, easy to work.

Therefore, according to the means of the first step, it is not necessary to divide the housing 1 into a large number for installing the side bearings 04, and the workability can be improved while simplifying the structure.

However, in such means, it is not possible to determine in advance in which position the hydraulic piston 01 will be fixed in the screwing rotation direction at the time of completion of assembly, so that the port 05 where the control oil pressure is introduced and the pressure chamber 06 are connected. In the meantime, a groove 07 for introducing the control oil pressure and two hydraulic seals 08 and 09 were required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. In order to facilitate the adjustment operation, a part for introducing a control hydraulic pressure while a bearing retainer for supporting a side bearing has a mounting structure by screwing. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronically controlled differential limiting device that does not require a groove or a plurality of seals.

[0009]

According to the present invention, the bearing retainer and the fastening means housing are formed separately, and the bearing retainer is mounted on the housing by screwing, while the fastening means housing is a housing of the bearing retainer. The above-mentioned object is attained by adjoining the outside position and fixing the housing to the housing by means other than screwing, and by providing the fastening means housing with a means for preventing the bearing retainer from rotating.

That is, an electronically controlled differential limiting device according to the present invention comprises: a differential case rotatably supported by a side bearing in a housing; a bearing retainer interposed between the side bearing and the housing; And two side gears meshed with the pinion mate gear and coupled to the output shaft, and provided in the differential case, and disposed between the side gear or the output shaft and the differential case. A clutch, clutch fastening means provided at a position outside the housing relative to the bearing retainer, and pressing the clutch in a direction to fasten the clutch; and clutch fastening means fixed to the housing adjacent to the bearing retainer at a position outside the housing. Contained conclusion And a step housing, wherein the mounting structure of the bearing retainer to the housing is a mounting structure in which a screw is formed on both of them to screw the bearing retainer into the housing, and the fastening means housing is fixed to the housing by means other than screwing. The fastening means housing is provided with a means for preventing the bearing retainer from rotating.

[0011]

Operation: First, the bearing retainer is screwed into the housing for mounting.
At this time, the position of the bearing retainer is adjusted according to the amount of screw-in rotation to adjust the tooth contact of the side gear and the preload of the side bearing.

After the adjustment is completed and the position of the bearing retainer is determined, the bearing retainer is prevented from rotating by the rotation preventing means provided on the fastening means housing, and the fastening means housing is fixed to the housing by means other than screwing. And like this,
Since the fastening means housing is not fixed to the housing by screwing, the position of the fastening means housing with respect to the housing can be determined in advance. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a groove for introducing hydraulic pressure, and a plurality of seals are unnecessary.

[0013]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. In describing this embodiment, an electronically controlled differential limiting device for an automobile is taken as an example.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an apparatus according to an embodiment.
In FIG. 1, since the main parts of the device of the embodiment are symmetrical, only the right side part is shown and the left side part is omitted.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a housing. The housing 1 is supported on a vehicle body by stud bolts (not shown), and includes a front housing 1a, a rear housing 1b, and a piston housing 1c.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a differential case, which is rotatably supported on the housing 1 by a tapered roller bearing (side bearing) 4. The differential case 3 includes a left differential case 3a 'and a right differential case 3a'. 3a. The differential case 3 is provided with a ring gear 7 that meshes with a pinion gear 6 provided on the propeller shaft 5, and the rotational driving force from the propeller shaft 5 is transmitted to the differential case 3. The tapered roller bearing 4 is supported by a bearing retainer 40. The bearing retainer 40 is attached to the housing 1 by screwing a male screw formed on the outer periphery and a female screw formed on the housing 1 into a screw. I have. The bearing retainer 40 has a detent groove 41 formed therein.

Reference numerals 8 and 8 denote side gears, which are disposed inside the differential case 3 so as to face each other. The side gears 8 and 8 include a left drive shaft (output shaft) 9 and a right drive shaft. (Output shaft) 9 are provided by spline coupling.

10 is a pinion mate shaft,
The pinion mate shaft 10 supports a pinion mate gear 11 that meshes with the side gears 8, 8.

Reference numerals 13 and 13 denote friction clutches, which are arranged between the side gears 8 and 8 and the differential case 3. The friction clutches 13 and 13 have a multi-plate clutch structure and have a differential case. 3
And a plurality of friction disks 13b fixed to the hub 21 coupled to the drive shafts 9, 9.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a hydraulic piston serving as a clutch fastening means, which is inserted into a cylinder 1d formed in the piston housing 1c so as to be able to reciprocate in the axial direction, and has a control hydraulic nipple 23 fitted therein. It slides by a control oil pressure supplied from a hydraulic control device (not shown) introduced into the pressure chamber 1g from the port 1p. in this way,
The piston housing 1c serves both as a side part of the housing 1 and a fastening means housing for accommodating the hydraulic piston 22, and is fixed to the front housing 1a and the rear housing 1b by bolts 42 and 43. I have. In the piston housing 1c, a detent groove 4 formed in the bearing retainer 40 is provided.
1 and a rotation-preventing protrusion (rotation-preventing means) 1h for restricting rotation of the bearing retainer 40, and one piston is provided between the piston housing 1c and the front and rear housings 1a and 1b. An oil seal 1j is set. The hydraulic piston 22 has a pin 30
Thus, the piston housing 1c is prevented from rotating. In addition, the hydraulic control device is disclosed in the above-mentioned publication as the prior art, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

The hydraulic piston 22 and the friction clutch 13
A pressure plate 24, a pressure ring 25, and a pressure bearing 26 are interposed therebetween.

The pressure plate 24 is disposed in contact with the outer surface of the friction clutch 13 and is connected to the outer periphery of the drive shaft 9 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. Note that the pressure plate 24 rotates together with the drive shaft 9.

The pressure ring 25 is connected to the outside of the pressure plate 24 so as to be slidable in the axial direction on the outer periphery of the drive shaft 9.

The pressure bearing 26 includes the rolling element 2
A thrust bearing in which 6a, 26b and a rail guide wheel 26c are arranged in parallel in the axial direction is used, and is provided between the pressure ring 24 and the hydraulic piston 22.

The cylinder 1 is located at a position radially overlapping the pressure bearing 26 and between the pressure ring 25 and the piston housing 1c.
oil seal 2 that seals between d and the inside of the housing 3
7 are provided.

Further, between the hub 21 and the pressure plate 24, there are rolling elements 26a, 26b and a track guide wheel 26c.
A spring 28 for applying a preload to the pressure bearing 26 is provided in order to prevent slippage.

Reference numerals 29, 29 'denote a right transmission blocking member and a left transmission blocking member, which are provided in the differential case 3 and are symmetrical and formed so as to enclose the side gears 8, 8 and the pinion mate gear 11. ,
It is in contact with the friction clutches 13 and 13 and is disposed slightly apart from the side gears 8 in the axial direction. The blocking members 29 and 29 ′ abut against the abutting surfaces 29 a and 29 a ′ at the center side ends, and have opposite ends at the stepped portions 3 c and 3 d formed on the inner wall of the differential case 3. , So that the slide in the axial direction is regulated.

Reference numeral 44 denotes a rotor sensor for controlling an ABS (anti-lock brake system) or an LSD (Limited Slip Differential), which detects the rotation of the drive shaft 9 and which is fixed to the outer periphery of the drive shaft.
and a pickup part 44b opposed to the rotor part 44a and fixed to the outer periphery of the piston housing 1c. A sensor dust cover 45 is press-fitted into the piston housing 1c between the rotor portion 44a and the pickup portion 44b. The sensor dust cover 45 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and has a hole 45a through which the tip of the pickup unit 44b passes.

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described.

When the vehicle is traveling straight on a highway or the like or when one of the wheels enters muddy or the like, a hydraulic pressure of a predetermined pressure is introduced into the pressure chamber 1g from the hydraulic control device, and the hydraulic piston 22 is moved toward the center of the differential case 3. Moving and friction clutch 1
Press 3 to fasten.

Accordingly, the driving force of the differential case 3 is evenly transmitted to the drive shafts 9 via the friction clutch 13, so that the differential is limited, and the road surface condition changes during straight running. Even if a situation where one side of the wheel floats occurs, drastic reduction in driving force can be suppressed, stable straight running without tail swing can be performed, and roads that are muddy or have a low coefficient of road surface friction can be used. When a difference in rotation occurs between the left and right wheels due to running or the like, a larger torque is transmitted to the low-speed side wheels, so that escape from muddy and traveling ability on a road having a low coefficient of road surface friction are enhanced.

When the clutch is engaged as described above,
The hydraulic piston 22 allows the pressure bearing 26,
The friction clutch 13 is pressed via the pressure ring 25 and the pressure plate 24.
In the left and right transmission blocking members 29, 29 ', both members 2
It is input in the direction in which 9, 29 'is struck. Since the two members 29, 29 'are in contact with the abutment surfaces 29a, 29a' and the magnitudes of the inputs are equal, the inputs are balanced and the inputs to the side gears 8, 8 are prevented. Is done. Therefore, the clutch reaction force does not affect the differential between the differential device and the differential limiting device, and high control accuracy can be obtained.

Next, in the side gears 8, 8, a reaction force due to the engagement with the pinion mate gear 11 is generated outward. Then, when the side gears 8, 8 abut on both the transmission blocking members 29, 29 ', the meshing reaction force is input to the transmission blocking members 29, 29' in a direction to push the space between the left and right members. Then, both transmission blocking members 29, 2
Since the outer end of 9 'is in contact with the steps 3c, 3d formed on the inner wall of the differential case 3, this input is transmitted from the steps 3c, 3d to the differential case 3.
And the input to the friction clutches 13 and 13 'is blocked. Accordingly, a high control accuracy can be obtained without the reaction force of the side gears 8, 8 meshing with the pinion mate gear 11 affecting the operation of the friction clutches 13, 13.

Next, the procedure for assembling the main parts of the apparatus according to the embodiment will be described.

After the differential case 3 incorporating the side gears 8, 8 and the like is disposed in the housing 1, a bearing retainer 40 is screwed into the housing 1 and attached. At this time, by adjusting the position of the bearing retainer 40 according to the amount of screwing rotation, the tooth contact of the side gear 8 and the preload of the side bearing 4 are adjusted.

The bearing retainer 4 thus adjusted is completed.
When the position of 0 is determined, the piston housing 1c is brought into a state in which the rotation preventing projection 1h of the piston housing 1c is engaged with the rotation preventing groove 41 of the bearing retainer 40 to prevent the rotation of the bearing retainer 40, and the piston housing 1c is moved to the front housing 1a and the front housing 1a. The rear housing 1b is fixed at a predetermined position by bolts 42 and 43.

As described above, since the position of the piston housing 1c is fixed at a preset position, the sensor dust cover 45 and the rotor sensor 44 can also be fixed to the piston housing 1c in advance, and workability is improved. In addition, it is not necessary to provide a groove for introducing hydraulic pressure and to provide a plurality of seals.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the pressure bearing 26 and the oil seal 27 are arranged so as to be overlapped in the radial direction, the length of the apparatus in the embodiment is shortened in the axial direction, thereby achieving miniaturization. ing.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and even if there is a design change or the like without departing from the gist of the present invention. Included in the present invention.

For example, in the embodiment, the example in which the clutch and the clutch fastening means are provided one each for the left and right is shown. With such a configuration, there is an advantage that the control accuracy of the engagement force is increased, but only one clutch and one clutch engagement means may be provided. Further, the clutch fastening means is not limited to the hydraulic piston structure as in the embodiment, but may be a means having another structure.

[0041]

As described above, in the electronically controlled differential limiting device of the present invention, the bearing retainer and the fastening means housing are formed separately, and the bearing retainer is attached to the housing by screwing. On the other hand, the fastening means housing is disposed adjacent to the outer side of the housing of the bearing retainer and fixed to the housing by means other than screwing, and the fastening means housing is provided with a means for preventing the bearing retainer from rotating. It is possible to determine the position of the fastening means housing with respect to the housing in advance, since the fixing means housing is not fixed to the housing by screwing while obtaining the effect of easy adjustment work such as tooth contact and preloading of side bearings, This provides a groove for hydraulic pressure introduction DOO together is not required, a plurality of seals is not required, the effect is obtained that the structure is simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an electronically controlled differential limiting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a first step means of the invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 housing 1c piston housing (fastening means housing) 1h anti-rotation projection (rotation prevention means) 4 taper roller bearing (side bearing) 3 differential case 8 side gear 9 drive shaft (output shaft) 11 pinion gear mate 13 friction clutch 22 hydraulic piston ( Clutch fastening means) 40 Bearing retainer

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A differential case rotatably supported on a housing by a side bearing, a bearing retainer interposed between the side bearing and the housing, and a pinion gear disposed opposite to the differential case. And two side gears meshed with the output shaft, a clutch provided in the differential case and disposed between the side gear or the output shaft and the differential case, and an outer side of the housing relative to the bearing retainer. A clutch fastening means that is provided at a position and presses the clutch in a direction to fasten the clutch, and a fastening means housing that is fixed to the housing adjacent to a position outside the housing of the bearing retainer and houses the clutch fastening means,
The mounting structure of the bearing retainer with respect to the housing is a mounting structure in which a screw is formed on both of them to screw the bearing retainer into the housing, and the fastening of the fastening means housing to the housing is performed by means other than screwing. An electronically controlled differential limiting device, wherein a means for preventing rotation of a bearing retainer is provided in a housing.