JP3246523B2 - Torque converter - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a variable torque capacity type torque converter for an automatic transmission in a drive shaft system such as an automatic transmission for an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A variable torque capacity type torque converter for an automatic transmission described in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 56-82345 is known as a prior art. The prior art torque converter includes a pump having a pump blade connected to an input shaft, and a turbine having a turbine blade connected to an output shaft.A fluid is interposed between the pump and the turbine. There is a type that transmits a driving force of a shaft to the output shaft via a fluid, and a movable shield plate is attached to a pump of the torque converter, and the shield plate has a centrifugal force when the torque converter rotates at a high speed, or Flexing radially outward of the torque converter due to fluid pressure,
The cross-sectional area of the fluid passage is increased as compared with the case of low rotation. According to the above-described prior art, the creep during idling can be reduced or the engine torque during idling can be reduced by doing so.

However, in the above prior art, when the above-mentioned shield plate is applied to torque converters of various specifications, the size, shape or thickness of the shield plate must be changed each time.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a shielding plate which can be used in various types of variable torque capacity type torque converters.

[0005]

According to the present invention, a pump connected to an input shaft for transmitting a driving force from a motor, a pump blade attached to the pump, and a transmission are provided. A torque converter comprising: a turbine connected to an output shaft for transmitting a driving force; a turbine blade attached to the turbine; and a shield attached to the pump to change a cross-sectional area of a fluid passage. And a locking piece bent toward the pump side.

[0006]

According to the above means, the locking piece bent toward the pump side is provided on the shielding plate, so that when the torque converter rotates at a high speed, the locking piece moves between the pump and the inner peripheral surface of the pump. Work as a spring.

[0007]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing only the pump side of the torque converter of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a portion shown by a broken line represents a shape when the shield plate is bent outward in a radial direction of the torque converter when the torque converter of the present invention rotates at a high speed. 1 is FIG. 2
A pump blade 2 is attached to the pump 1 at the left end of the pump and connected to an input shaft from a prime mover (not shown) by fitting a projection 2a in a slit 1a of the pump. On the other hand, the pump blade 2
2 is fixed by inserting the mounting piece 2b into the mounting hole 3a of the annular inner core 3 and then bending it. The torque converter of the present invention includes at least a turbine and a turbine blade connected to the output shaft on the left side of the above-described configuration in FIG. 2, but these configurations are well-known configurations and are omitted in the drawing. .
The above-mentioned torque converter contains a fluid and transmits torque from the input shaft to the output shaft. Furthermore,
A shield plate 4 is fixed to an inner peripheral surface of the pump 1 by mounting bolts 5. The shielding plate is formed of a spring material or the like, and has a shape represented by a solid line in FIGS. 1 and 2 when the torque converter is rotating at a low speed.
The effective area of the pump blade 2 through which the fluid in the torque converter circulates is reduced. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the shape of the shielding plate according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the side surface of the shielding plate. The feature of the shielding plate according to the present invention is that, in the present invention, the locking piece 4 bent toward the pump 1 is attached to the shielding plate 4.
a is provided. The locking piece 4a is locked to the inner peripheral surface of the pump at its end 4b in a state of being attached to the pump 1.

Next, the operation of the torque converter having the above configuration will be described. When the torque converter according to the present invention is rotating at low speed, the effective area of each of the pump blades 2 is smaller than that of the shield plate 4 in FIG. 1 because the shield plate 4 is in the state disclosed in FIGS. Because it is limited to the lower part, the torque transmission capacity of the torque converter is reduced, and creep of the vehicle can be prevented. In addition, each pump blade 2
The resistance received from the fluid can be reduced, and the idling torque of the engine can be reduced. On the other hand, when the torque converter rotates at a high speed, the shielding plate 4 is bent outward in the radial direction of the torque converter due to the centrifugal force and the pressure from the fluid, and has a shape shown by a broken line in FIG. The cross-sectional area of the flow passage is maximized. At this time, the shielding plate 4
The locking piece 4a functions as a spring between the inner peripheral surface of the pump and the locking piece 4a. Therefore, according to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to manufacture shield plates of various specifications by changing only the size or the shape of the locking piece using the same shield plate, and to apply it to various torque converters. it can.

[0010]

As described above, according to the variable torque capacity type torque converter of the present invention, shielding plates of various specifications can be manufactured by changing the size and shape of the locking pieces provided on the shielding plate. Since it can be applied to various torque converters and can use the same material for the shielding plate, a low-cost variable torque capacity type torque converter can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a torque converter according to the present invention on a pump side.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of a pump of the torque converter of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a shield plate of the torque converter of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a shield plate of the torque converter of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pump 2 Pump blade 4 Shield plate 4a
Locking piece

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pump connected to an input shaft for transmitting a driving force from a prime mover, a pump blade mounted on the pump, a turbine connected to an output shaft for transmitting a driving force to a transmission, and mounted on the turbine. Turbine blades
A torque converter having a shielding plate attached to the pump to change a cross-sectional area of a fluid passage, wherein a locking piece bent toward the pump is provided on the shielding plate. .