JP3026953B2 - Torque converter - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a torque converter, and more particularly, to a torque converter provided with a power cutoff clutch.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A torque converter is a device having three types of impellers (pump, turbine, and stator) inside a torque converter main body and transmitting power by internal fluid. When a torque converter is used with a manual transmission (for example, see Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 64-38).
No. 355), a clutch for shutting off power is provided between the torque converter and the output side member. In general, the power cut-off clutch is arranged between a front cover to which power from the engine is input and the back of the turbine.

[0003]

In the above-described conventional torque converter, fluid from the torque converter main body enters into a space in which the power cut-off clutch is disposed. In a torque converter having such a structure,
A large amount of fluid is supplied to the clutch unit. This fluid functions as a lubricating oil, but a large amount of fluid in the clutch portion causes drag torque when power is cut off. Moreover, it is very difficult to control the flow rate of the fluid entering the clutch portion from the torque converter main body, and thus it is difficult to achieve both reduction in drag torque and lubricity.

Further, in the conventional torque converter,
The lubricating oil accumulated in the space where the power cut-off clutch is disposed is discharged to the outside through a bent oil passage, and therefore has poor dischargeability. Therefore, there is a problem of energy loss due to the inertia of the fluid and the drag torque. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a torque converter having a power cut-off clutch, in which a proper amount of lubricating oil is supplied accurately and smoothly to a clutch portion of the power cut-off clutch and discharged.

[0005]

[0006]

A torque converter according to the present invention includes a front cover connected to an input-side rotating body, a torque converter main body, and a clutch device. The torque converter main body includes a pump connected to a front cover and a turbine arranged opposite to the pump. The clutch device is disposed between the front cover and the back of the turbine, and transmits and cuts off the power from the torque converter body to the output side member. A concave portion is formed on an inner wall surface of the outer peripheral portion of the front cover for concentrating the lubricating oil, and a discharge hole for discharging the lubricating oil to the outside is formed in the concave portion.

[0007]

[0008]

In the torque converter according to the present invention, the lubricating oil supplied to the clutch device moves radially outward due to centrifugal force. Then, it is concentrated on the concave portion formed on the inner wall surface of the outer peripheral portion of the front cover, and then is smoothly discharged to the outside through the discharge hole. For this reason, unnecessary lubricating oil is smoothly discharged to the outside, and lubricating oil does not accumulate in the space where the power cutoff clutch is disposed.

[0009]

EXAMPLES Construction 1 to 4 show a torque converter to which an embodiment of the present invention is employed. Here, OO is the center of rotation. In FIG. 1, the torque converter is mainly composed of three types of impellers, and has a torus-shaped torque converter body 1 and a power cutoff for transmitting and blocking power from the torque converter body 1 to a main drive shaft 10. And a lock-up clutch 3 for directly transmitting power to the clutch 2. The torque converter main body 1 includes a pump 5, a turbine 6 arranged to face the pump 5, and a stator 7 arranged between the pump 5 and an inner peripheral portion of the turbine 6. The pump 5 has a bolt 2
1 is fixed to the front cover 8. Rotational force is input to the front cover 8 from the engine side (left side in FIG. 1). Further, an oil supply unit 4 for supplying hydraulic oil and lubricating oil to the power cutoff clutch 2 and the lockup clutch 3 is provided below the torque converter body 1.

A housing 9 is disposed so as to cover the torque converter, and is provided on the transmission side (FIG. 1).
On the right side of the transmission housing (not shown). In the center of the housing 9 is a main drive shaft 1 connected to a transmission (not shown).
0 is arranged. A plurality of oil passages 10 a are provided in the main drive shaft 10.
Hydraulic oil and lubricating oil are supplied to the entire torque converter via a. An outer shaft 65 fixed to the housing 9 is fitted around the main drive shaft 10. The outer shaft 65 fixes the inner race of the stator 7 and rotatably supports the inner peripheral portion of the pump 5 via a bearing 66.

The oil supply unit 4 includes an oil pump 11 fixed to the housing 9 and an oil suction unit 12. The drive gear 11a of the oil pump 11 meshes with an oil pump gear 47 fixed to the pump 5, and is driven with the rotation of the pump 5. The oil suction unit 12 is provided below the torque converter, and includes a tank 12a in which hydraulic oil and lubricating oil discharged from the torque converter are stored, a suction unit 12b that suctions oil stored in the tank 12a, and a control valve 12c. ing. The oil stored in the tank 12a is sent from the suction part 12b to the control valve 12c by the oil pump 11, and is supplied therefrom to each part of the torque converter through the oil passage 10a.

The power cut-off clutch 2 has a space A formed between the torque converter main body 1 and the front cover 8.
Is located within. This power cutoff clutch 2 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), it mainly comprises a hub 22, a clutch part 23, and a damper connecting part 24. The hub 22
It is rotatably fitted to the main drive shaft 10 and has a hole 22f for supplying lubricating oil into the space A from the oil passage 10a. The hub 22 is integrally provided with a flange 22a extending radially outward. A radially inner portion of the flange 22a is fixed to the shell 6a of the turbine 6 by a plurality of rivets 73. A cylindrical portion 22b extending toward the front cover 8 is formed integrally with a radially outer end of the flange 22a. As shown in FIG. 3, a seal ring 61 is disposed between the cylindrical portion 22b and the cylindrical portion 8a of the front cover 8. The space A is isolated from the space on the side of the torque converter main body 1 by the seal ring 61. As a result, the hydraulic oil in the torque converter main body 1 is prevented from entering the space A.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the hub 22 including the flange 22a, an oil passage 22c for communicating between the oil passage 10a and an oil chamber 31a arranged on the back of the first piston 31 is provided.
Is further provided. The flange 22a is smoothly curved along the back surface of the shell 6a, and extends toward the engine from the inside to the outside in the radial direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the lubricating oil sent out from the hole 22f to the outer peripheral side is applied to the wall surface 22e of the flange 22a.
Along the outer peripheral side and toward the engine (left side in the figure).

As shown in FIG. 3, the power cutoff clutch 2
The clutch portion 23 mainly includes annular first plates 25, 26, 27 provided on the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 22b,
Annular second plates 28 and 29 provided on the damper connecting portion 24 side, and an annular first piston 31 pressing both of them.
It is composed of First plates 25, 26, 27
Is spline-fitted on the inner side of the cylindrical portion 22b and is movable in the axial direction. The axial movement of the first plates 25, 26, 27 is restricted by retaining rings 30, 50 fixed inside the cylindrical portion 22b. On the other hand, the second plate 28 is the first plate 2
5 and 26, and the second plate 29 is disposed between the first plates 26 and 27. An annular facing member is attached to both surfaces of the second plates 28 and 29.

First cone springs 44, 45 are provided between the radially outer portions of the first plates 25, 26, 27, respectively.
Is arranged. First cone springs 44, 45
Presses each of the first plates 25, 26, 27 so as to isolate them. First cone spring 44, 4
5 has a spline structure that meshes with the spline portion of the cylindrical portion 22b. Holes 22d are formed at a plurality of places between the first plates 25 and 27 of the cylindrical portion 22b at circumferential intervals.

The cylindrical portion 8a of the front cover 8 corresponding to the outside of the hole 22d in the radial direction has a recess 8d whose inner wall surface is recessed outward in the radial direction.
b is formed. That is, the first plates 25, 2
The lubricating oil supplied between the spaces 6 and 27 and the lubricating oil in the space A are discharged to the outside through the discharge holes 8b.
That is, the lubricating oil in the space A moves radially outward due to the centrifugal force and is once concentrated in the inner wall surface concave portion 8d of the cylindrical portion 8a, and thereafter is efficiently discharged from the discharge hole 8b.

The first piston 31 is arranged between the first plate 27 and the flange 22a. The first piston 31 is pressed toward the flange 22a by a second cone spring 72 as a return spring.
The first piston 31 is moved to the left in the figure by hydraulic oil supplied from an oil passage 22c (FIG. 4) formed in the flange 22a, and the first plate 25 to the second plate 2
8 and 29 are connected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the damper connecting portion 24
Is mainly composed of a driven hub 32, a driven plate 33, and a torsion spring. The driven hub 32 has a spline 32a which is spline-fitted to the main drive shaft 10 on the inner peripheral side. The driven hub 32 has a flange portion extending radially outward. The flange portion of the driven hub 32 and the driven plate 33 form a torsion spring 34 disposed in a circumferentially extending window formed in both.
Thereby, they are elastically connected in the circumferential direction. The torsion spring 34 is supported by disc-shaped retaining plates 35 and 36 so as not to come off from both window holes. The retaining plates 35 and 36 are fixed to the driven plate 33 by a plurality of stud pins 37 and 38 on the outside and inside in the radial direction. Driven hub 32
Of the parts through which the stud pins 37 and 38 pass,
A long hole extending in the circumferential direction is formed. This allows
The relative rotation of the driven plate 33 with respect to the driven hub 32 is allowed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the driven plate 33
A cylindrical engaging portion 33a extending toward the torque converter main body 1 is integrally formed on the outer peripheral end of the motor. Locking part 33
On the outer side of a, splines are formed to lock the inner peripheral ends of the second plates 28 and 29 so as to be movable only in the axial direction. A plurality of through holes 33c penetrating in the radial direction are formed in the locking portion 33a. Locking part 33a
An annular protruding portion 33b that protrudes inward in the radial direction is formed at the axial end of the first member. As a result, the lubricating oil guided to the inside of the locking portion 33a is blocked by the protruding portion 33b, and is efficiently supplied to the clutch portion 23 through the through hole 33c.

The radially outer peripheral portion of the wall surface 22e of the flange 22a of the hub 22 protrudes toward the protruding portion 33b so as to efficiently supply the lubricating oil to the inside of the engaging portion 33a. Next, the lock-up clutch 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the lock-up clutch 3
Are a torque converter body 1 and a power cutoff clutch 2
Are arranged radially outward. Since the lock-up clutch 3 is arranged within the axial dimension of the torque converter main body 1 and the power cut-off clutch 2, it contributes to shortening the axial dimension of the entire torque converter.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lock-up clutch 3 mainly includes an annular second piston 41 provided inside the front cover 8 so as to be movable in the axial direction, and a second piston 4.
An annular third plate 42 pressed by 1 and an annular fourth plate 43 provided movably in the axial direction on the cylindrical portion 22b. An annular friction member is fixed to both surfaces of the fourth plate 43. Between the second piston 41 and the front cover 8, a plurality of spring pins 46 as detent members are arranged. Here, when hydraulic oil is supplied from an oil passage 8c (FIG. 4) provided in the front cover 8, the second piston 41 moves to the right in the drawing, and the third plate 42 and the fourth plate 4 are moved.
3 is pressed.

When power is transmitted from the operation engine to the front cover 8, the pump 5 rotates together, and the turbine 6 further rotates via hydraulic oil. The rotation of the turbine 6 is controlled by the hub 22 and the flange 22 a, the clutch unit 23, and the damper connecting unit 2.
4 to the main drive shaft 10.

When the pump 5 rotates, the oil pump gear 47 fixed to the pump 5 is driven. As a result, the oil pump 11 is driven, the oil accumulated in the tank 12a is sucked, and supplied as hydraulic oil and lubricating oil to predetermined locations through the oil passage 10a in the main drive shaft 10 by the control valve 12c. As shown by the arrow in FIG.
The oil is supplied from the oil passage 10a through the oil passage 22f to the space in which the power cutoff clutch 2 is disposed. The lubricating oil supplied to this space moves radially outward due to centrifugal force. At this time, as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG.
It is supplied to the inside of the locking portion 33a smoothly along the wall surface 22e of the flange 22a. Here, the protrusion 33b
Is prevented from dispersing, so that the lubricating oil
And lubricates the first plates 25, 26, 27 and the second plates 28, 29 efficiently. Further, the lubricating oil is supplied to the first cone spring 4
From the spline fitting portions 4 and 45, they pass through the hole 22d and concentrate on the inner wall surface recess 8d of the cylindrical portion 8a. The other lubricating oil in the space A moves radially outward due to centrifugal force,
Similarly, it concentrates on the inner wall recess 8d of the cylindrical portion 8a. The concentrated lubricating oil is discharged to the outside of the space A from the discharge hole 8b. The lubricating oil discharged to the outside moves downward,
2a.

In this case, since the hydraulic oil in the torque converter main body 1 is prevented from flowing into the space A in which the power cutoff clutch 2 is disposed by the seal ring 61,
Lubricating oil supply and discharge control is performed accurately.
Therefore, the lubricating oil is smoothly and efficiently supplied to the clutch portion 23, and the lubricating oil can be quickly and efficiently discharged. As a result, a required amount of lubricating oil can be reliably supplied when needed, and when the power cut-off clutch 2 is disconnected, the second plate 28, 29 and the first plate 25, 26, 27 Is reduced.

When the power cut-off clutch 2 is disconnected, the first cone springs 44 and 45
5 to 27, respectively, and each first plate 25 to 2
7 is maintained at a predetermined gap. Therefore, the drag torque of the power cutoff clutch 2 can be further reduced. Further, when the clutch is engaged, the first cone springs 44 and 45 elastically deform together with the second cone spring 32. Therefore, the shock at the time of clutch engagement is reduced. In addition, the shock generated at the time of connection is reduced by the torsion spring 34, and is less likely to be transmitted to the main drive shaft 10 side.

[0026]

In the torque converter according to the first invention, the lubricating oil supplied into the space in which the power cutoff clutch is disposed is guided to the clutch portion of the power cutoff clutch by the wall surface of the drive side member. I have. Therefore, an appropriate amount of lubricating oil can be supplied accurately, and drag torque can be reduced while performing good lubrication.

In the torque converter according to the second invention,
Lubricating oil is concentrated in a concave portion formed on the inner wall surface of the outer peripheral portion of the front cover, and the lubricating oil is discharged from a discharge hole formed in the concave portion. Therefore, the lubricating oil is smoothly discharged, and the drag torque can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a torque converter as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial view of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Torque converter main body 2 Power cutoff clutch 5 Pump 6 Turbine 8 Front cover 8a Cylindrical part 8b Discharge hole 22 Turbine hub 22e Wall surface 23 Clutch part 33 Driven plate 61 Seal ring

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F16H 45/00 F16H 47/06-47/08 F16D 25/00-25/12

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A front cover connected to an input-side rotating body, a torque converter main body including a pump connected to the front cover and a turbine disposed to face the pump, a front cover and a turbine rear surface. Placed between
A clutch device for transmitting and shutting off the power from the torque converter body to an output-side member; and an outer recessed portion for concentrating lubricating oil is formed on an inner wall surface of an outer peripheral portion of the front cover. The torque converter has a discharge hole for discharging lubricating oil to the outside.