JP3461106B2 - Engine testing machine coupling device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an engine tester connecting device capable of quickly and reliably connecting an engine used in combination with a torque converter or the like and a tester for the engine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one of the methods for testing an assembled engine, the output shaft of the engine is connected to an engine testing machine,
There is a method of rotating the output shaft with a motor or the like.
By the way, in the case of an engine used in combination with a manual transmission, a clutch disc is fixed to the output shaft end of the engine. A spline for power transmission is provided on the shaft core of the clutch disc. Therefore, the above test can be performed by directly using this spline for engagement with the drive shaft of the engine tester. However, in the case of an engine used in combination with a torque converter, a drive plate made of sheet metal parts is fixed to the output shaft end instead of the flywheel. However, since this drive plate does not have a spline like a clutch disc, a connection adapter for connecting the drive shaft of the engine tester and the drive plate is required.

FIG. 6 schematically shows an engine 1 used in combination with a torque converter and a tester 2 for the engine 1. A drive plate 3 is fixed to the output shaft 1a of the engine 1. As described above, the connection adapter 4 is used to connect the drive shaft 3a of the engine tester 2 to the drive plate 3. The connection adapter 4 is conventionally shown uses a variety of formats, as an example thereof, Japanese 61-124842 and JP Utility Model 61-79248, etc., the details are disclosed ing.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned conventional connection adapter has the following problems. FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the conventional connection adapter 4. This connecting adapter 4 is used for the output shaft 1a of the engine.
Surface 5a facing the drive plate 3 fixed to the
And a connecting plate 5 having a spline 5b for connecting to a drive shaft of an engine tester. Also,
In order to bring the drive plate 3 and the connection plate 5 into close contact with each other and fix them, a coupling means (see FIG. 8) such as a plurality of bolts 6 and nuts 7 is used, and these are inserted through the lightening holes 3a of the drive plate 3. , The drive plate 3 and the connection plate 5 are fastened together. In other words, the conventional connection adapter 4 uses the axial force generated between the bolt 6 and the nut 7 to drive the drive plate 3
The frictional force is generated between the opposing surfaces of the connection plate 5 and the connection plate 5, and the frictional force transmits power between the connection plate and the drive plate.

Therefore, in order to generate a sufficient frictional force on the opposing surfaces of the connecting plate and the drive plate, it is necessary to generate a desired axial force on each bolt and nut, and the strength of each bolt and nut is required. , It was necessary to properly manage the tightening force. Also, it is necessary to tighten each bolt / nut (when there are four lightening holes formed in the drive plate, four sets of bolts / nuts). Reduction has been a challenge, especially when testing engines on mass production lines.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to quickly and reliably connect and disconnect an engine used in combination with a torque converter or the like and a tester for the engine. By making it possible to do so, it is possible to prevent a delay in mass production, especially when an engine test is performed on a mass production line.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems According to the present invention for solving the above problems, there is provided a connecting plate having a surface facing an engine drive plate and a spline connecting to a drive shaft of an engine testing machine. A coupling device ,
A first flange having a diameter larger than the diameter of the lightening hole and a first flange capable of expanding or reducing the outer diameter with respect to the diameter of the lightening hole, at positions corresponding to the lightening holes of the drive plate. 2 on the same axis as the flange and from the facing surface to the front
Make sure that the first flange contacts the edge of the lightening hole.
The second flange through the lightening hole.
It is characterized in that the outer diameter and the axial position of the second flange can be changed by operating a lever provided on the connecting plate.

According to the above construction, the connecting plate is brought into close contact with the drive plate, and the second flange having a smaller outer diameter than the lightening hole is inserted into each of the lightening holes of the drive plate. To do. Then, the first flange is brought into contact with the drive plate. Then, by operating the lever, the outer diameter of the second flange is enlarged,
Further, the second flange is brought into contact with the edge portion of the lightening hole, so that the edge portion of the lightening hole is sandwiched between the first and second flanges.

Further, in the present invention, it is desirable that the second flange is composed of a plurality of displaceable claws arranged circumferentially and outward from the center of the circumference. . By extending the plurality of claws outward from the center of the circumference, a second flange that is intermittent and has a larger diameter than the lightening hole is formed. Further, by narrowing the plurality of claws toward the center of the circumference, a second flange that is continuous and has a diameter smaller than that of the lightening hole is formed.

Further, in the present invention, there are a plurality of second
It is desirable to connect the flanges of the above so that they can be interlocked. According to this configuration, the operation of one second flange can
Since the movements of the flanges are the same, it is possible to operate all the second flanges by operating at least one lever. Further, the operation of sandwiching the edge portions of the plurality of lightening holes by the first and second flanges is simultaneously performed.

Further, in the present invention, it is desirable that the connecting plate is provided with a connecting force reducing means for connecting the connecting plate to the drive plate. The connecting force reducing means reduces the force applied to the first and second flanges when connecting the drive plate and the connecting plate.

Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that the connecting force reducing means is provided with an engaging pin capable of engaging with a hole formed in the drive plate, in the connecting plate. That is, when the drive plate and the connection plate are in close contact with each other, the engagement pin provided on the connection plate is engaged with the hole formed in the drive plate to drive the drive plate and the connection plate. The force is transmitted at the engaging portion between the engaging pin and the hole. Then, the influence of the frictional force between the opposing surfaces of the drive plate and the coupling plate on the driving force is suppressed.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the same or corresponding portions as those of the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Further, in the following description, the direction in which the output shaft of the engine extends is referred to as the “axial direction”. Further, the entire configuration of the device according to the present embodiment is similar to that of the conventional example described in FIG.

FIG. 2 shows approximately half of a front view of the connection adapter of the engine testing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. The connecting adapter has a vertically symmetrical structure. Further, FIG. 1 shows a vertical cross section of FIG. Further, FIGS. 3 to 5 show enlarged main parts. By the way, the connection adapter 8 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a facing surface 9a (FIG. 1) facing the drive plate 3 fixed to the output shaft 1a of the engine and a spline 9b for connecting to the drive shaft of the engine tester. (FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 1, the connecting plate 9 is provided with a cylindrical member 10 having a diameter larger than the diameter of the lightening hole 3a at a position corresponding to the lightening hole 3a of the drive plate 3. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the peripheral portion of the cylindrical member 10. The cylindrical member 10 is a resin component such as nylon, and the first flange 10a is formed by slightly projecting the tip portion of the cylindrical member 10 from the facing surface 9a of the connecting plate 9 (shown by h in the figure). . This first flange 10a
Since it is a resin component, it has flexibility, and is intended to absorb impact at the time of contact with the connecting plate 9 described later and to improve the holding force when sandwiching the connecting plate 9 described later. There is.

Further, a plurality of claws 11 are arranged in a circular shape on the inner cylindrical portion of the first flange 10 and the projections thereof are directed outward from the center of the circumference (see FIG. 4). ). The plurality of claws 11 arranged in a circumferential shape form the second flange 11a. By the way, the outer wall of the claw 11 is brought into sliding contact with the cylindrical member 10 and the inner wall of the bell-shaped housing 12. Further, one end 11b of the inner wall of the claw 11 has a tapered shape,
The mandrel 13 fixed to the connecting plate 9 together with the housing 12 is in sliding contact. The other end 11c of the inner wall of the claw 11
Is bent in a hook shape toward the center of the circumference and is hooked by a collar 14 which is slidable in the axial direction with respect to the mandrel 13. The other end 11c and the inner bottom surface of the housing 12
A spring 19 is provided between the spring 11 and 12a, and the elastic force of the spring 19 biases the claw 11 leftward in FIG.

A rod 15 is axially slidably provided on the inner wall of the mandrel 13. The rod 15 is connected to the collar 14 by the pin 16 and the movement of the rod 15 is
Can be transmitted to 14. One end of the rod 15 is fixed to the beam 17. The beam 17 is actuated in the axial direction by the driving means described later to drive the rod 15 in the axial direction. In FIG. 3, the lower half of the axis A shows the reduced diameter state of the second flange 11a, and the upper half of the axis A shows the enlarged diameter state of the second flange 11a.

When beam 17 is moving to the left in FIG. 3, rod 15 moves to the left in FIG. 3, and collar 14 also moves to the left via pin 16 as shown below axis A. Therefore, the claw 11 engaged with the collar 14 at the other end 11c.
Moves to the left with respect to the mandrel 13 together with the collar 14 and causes the one end 11b to project from the left end of the mandrel 13. At this time, due to the contraction of the O-ring 18 wound around the middle portion of the claw 11, one end 11b of each claw is narrowed in the direction of the axis A.
Therefore, as shown in the lower half of FIG. 4, the second flange 11a has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the lightening hole 3a of the drive plate 3. Also, as shown above axis A in FIG. 3, when beam 17 moves to the right, rod 15 moves to the right in FIG. 3, and collar 14 also moves to the right via pin 16. Therefore, the claw 11 engaged with the collar 14 at the other end 11c.
Moves with collar 14 to the right relative to mandrel 13. At this time, due to the taper shape of the one end 11b of the claw 11, the one end 11b faces the contraction force of the O-ring 18 and the axis A.
Stay away from. Therefore, as shown in the upper half of FIG. 4, the second flange 11a has a diameter larger than that of the lightening hole 3a.

Here, the drive means for the beam 17 will be described. The beam 17 is moved by the lever 20 shown in FIG.
It can be moved in the axial direction. Also, the beam 17
As shown in FIG. 2, the rods 15 (arranged at the positions corresponding to the plurality of lightening holes in the drive plate) are connected to each other, and if one beam 17 is moved, another beam is moved. The movement is transmitted to 17 and all the rods 15.

The lever 20 is fixed to the cam 21 shown in FIG. The cam 21 is rotatably supported by a rotary shaft 22. Therefore, the lever 20 is rotatable between the standing position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 5 and the inverted position shown by the solid line. The cam 21 has a modified heptagonal shape as shown in the drawing, and when the lever 20 is in the upright position, the cam 21 is in a state shown by a chain double-dashed line in FIGS.
Abutting against. When the lever 20 is rotated to the inverted position, the cam 21 rotates together with the lever 20 and
The state is shown by the solid and dotted lines. At this time, code 21
The surface indicated by b abuts the beam 17. Since the distance from the rotary shaft 22 to the surface 21b is longer than the distance from the rotary shaft 22 of the cam 21 to the surface 21a, by rotating the lever 20 to the inverted position, the beam 17 moves the beam 17 as shown in FIG. The position shown by the dotted line in FIG. 5 is moved to the position shown by the solid line.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the lever 20
The lever 23 is provided with a protrusion 23, and the lever 20 is provided with a lock pin 24 which engages with the protrusion 23 at the inverted position.
Therefore, when the lever 20 is rotated from the upright position to the inverted position, the protrusion 23 and the lock pin 24 are engaged with each other, and the lever 20 can be locked to maintain the inverted position. The lock pin 24 is a spring 25 provided on the connecting plate 9.
Is urged upward in FIG. 2 and FIG.
It prevents the lock from being accidentally released. Further, when the lever 20 is rotated to the inverted position, the tip 23a of the projection 23 and the tip 24a of the lock pin 24 are pushed in order to push the lock pin 24 downward by the projection 23 so as not to hinder the rotation. , Both are inclined surfaces.

Further, the lock pin 24 and the release lever 26 are connected by a needle roller 27 that moves together with the lock pin 24. When the lock pin 24 is in the position where it engages the projection 23 as shown, the release lever 26 is in the first position shown by the solid and dotted lines in FIG. Further, the release lever 26 can be rotated about the rotation shaft 28 to a second position shown by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. Then, release lever 26
When rotated from the position to the second position, the needle roller 27 moves downward in FIG. 5 as the release lever 26 rotates. At this time, the lock pin 24 is pushed down by the needle roller 27. Then, the engagement of the lock pin 24 with the protrusion 23 is released, and the lever 20 can be rotated from the inverted position to the standing position.

In addition to the above construction, a guide pin 29 is provided in the central portion of the connecting plate 9 as shown in FIG. The guide pin 29 is inserted into a center hole provided in the output shaft of the engine when connecting the connecting adapter 8 and the drive plate 3 which will be described later. Also, of the connection plate,
An engagement pin 30 is provided at a position corresponding to the hole 3b formed in the drive plate 3. The cross section of the engagement pin 30 has substantially the same shape as the hole 3b.

The operation method of the connection adapter 8 according to the embodiment of the present invention is as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 1, when connecting the connecting plate 9 to the drive plate 3, the operator holds the arm 20 in the upright position and sets the guide pin 29 to the output shaft 1a of the engine (see FIG. 6). Is engaged with a center hole (not shown). This allows
Positioning during connection and prevention of misalignment. At the same time, the connecting pin 30 is inserted into the hole 3b of the drive plate 3. At this time, since the arm 20 is in the standing position, the plurality of claws 11 forming the second flange 11a are smaller than the diameter of the lightening hole 3a of the drive plate 3 as shown in the lower half of FIG. It is in a diameter state. Therefore, the second flange 11
b passes through the lightening hole 3a of the drive plate 3, and the first flange 10a abuts on the edge portion of the lightening hole 3a.

Next, when the arm 20 is rotated from the standing position to the inverted position, the protrusion 23 and the lock pin 24 are engaged with each other, and the arm 20 is locked in the inverted position. At this time, as shown above the axis A of FIG. 3, the beam 17 and the rod 15 move to the right side of FIG. 3, and the collar 14 also moves to the right side via the pin 16. Therefore, the collar 14 and the claw 11 also move to the right with respect to the mandrel 13. Then, as shown in the upper half of FIG. 4, the second flange 11a has a diameter larger than that of the lightening hole 3a, and as shown above the axis A in FIG.
The first flange 10a and the second flange 11a sandwich the edge portion of the lightening hole 3a.

By the above operation, the drive plate 3
And the connection of the connection adapter 8 are completed. Further, when the drive plate 3 and the connection adapter 8 are to be separated, the operator grips the arm 20 in the inverted position and pushes the release lever 26 to release the engagement of the lock pin 24 with the protrusion 23. . Then, by rotating the arm 20 to the upright position while pressing the release lever 26, the second flange 11 is separated from the end face of the lightening hole 3a again, and its outer diameter is smaller than that of the lightening hole 3a. Also reduce the diameter. In this state, the connection adapter 8 is separated from the drive plate 3 to complete the disconnection.

The operational effects obtained from the embodiment of the present invention having the above structure are as follows. The connection adapter 8 according to the present embodiment has a second outer diameter that can be expanded and contracted.
The drive plate 3 by reducing the flange 11a of the
After passing through the lightening hole 3a of the
The edge portion of the lightening hole 3a is clamped by the flange 10a.
The operator can carry out this operation while holding the arm 20.
Can be carried out by rotating from the upright position to the inverted position. Further, by engaging the projection 23 provided on the arm 20 with the lock pin 24 at the inverted position of the arm 20, the first flange 10a and the second flange 11a are engaged with each other, and the edge of the lightening hole 3a is formed. It is possible to maintain the state in which the parts are clamped. Further, by pressing the release lever 26, the engagement between the protrusion 23 and the lock pin 24 can be released. In the embodiment of the present invention, these series of operations are
It can be performed without using a tool like a conventional connection adapter.

The beam 17 connects a plurality of rods 15 to each other. If one beam 17 is moved, the operation can be transmitted to the other beams 17 and all the rods 15. . Therefore, by rotating at least one arm, the edge portions of the plurality of lightening holes 3a are simultaneously moved to the first flange 10a and the second flange 11a.
It becomes possible to pinch with a. Therefore, although two arms 20 are provided in the present embodiment, it is also possible to use one arm 20.

By the way, the transmission of the driving force from the connecting plate 9 to the drive plate 3 is performed by the engaging portion between the engaging pin 13 of the connecting plate 9 and the hole 3b of the drive plate 3. That is, the driving force can be transmitted from the coupling plate 9 to the drive plate 3 without depending on the force (coupling force) that holds the drive plate 3 between the first and second flanges 10a and 11a. That is, unlike the conventional connecting adapter, the magnitude of the frictional force between the drive plate 3 and the connecting plate 9 facing each other does not affect the mutual driving force, so that the drive plate 3 and the connecting plate 9 It is not necessary to closely contact with each other and to transmit the driving force to each other by the frictional force generated on the facing surface. That is, the connecting force of the first and second flanges 10a and 11a to the drive plate 3 may be such that the connecting adapter 8 is positioned with respect to the drive plate 3 without rattling. 11a, collar 14, rod 15, pin 16 etc. are reduced in strength,
It is possible to reduce the size and weight of these members.

[0030]

As described above, the present invention has the following effects. First, according to the engine tester connecting device of the first aspect of the present invention, the worker can perform the attaching / detaching work of the connecting plate to / from the drive plate without releasing the lever, and the work can be performed quickly. It becomes possible to perform surely.

Further, according to the connecting device of the engine testing machine according to the second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of claws are arranged in a circle to form a second flange, and the claws are arranged on the circumference. By displacing the second flange with respect to the center, the outer diameter of the second flange can be enlarged or reduced, and the connecting plate can be attached to or detached from the drive plate.

Further, according to the connecting device of the engine testing machine of the third aspect of the present invention, the edge portions of the lightening holes of the plurality of drive plates are simultaneously clamped by the first flange and the second flange. Therefore, the work of attaching / detaching the connecting plate to / from the drive plate can be performed quickly and reliably.

Further, according to the connecting device of the engine testing machine of the fourth aspect of the present invention, while reducing the connecting force,
It becomes possible to reliably connect the drive plate of the engine and the connection plate of the engine tester, and
It is possible to reduce the force applied to each component during power transmission between the drive plate and the connecting plate, and suppress the strength required for these components to a low value. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of these constituent members.

Further, according to the connecting device for the engine testing machine of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the engagement pin provided on the connecting plate is formed on the drive plate when the driving plate and the connecting plate are in close contact with each other. By engaging with the hole, the driving force can be transmitted between the drive plate and the connecting plate at the engaging portion between the engaging pin and the hole. Therefore, the influence of the magnitude of the frictional force between the opposing faces of the drive plate and the coupling plate on the transmission efficiency of the driving force is suppressed, and the axial force applied to the locking shaft is reduced while driving the drive shaft. It becomes possible to reliably transmit the force.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an engine tester according to an embodiment of the present invention,
It is a principal part sectional drawing of the coupling device shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a view showing approximately half of a front view of the coupling device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the coupling device shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 shows the expansion / contraction operation of the outer diameter of the flange of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the second flange shown in FIG. 3, in which the upper half shows the expanded state and the lower half shows the contracted state.

5 is a partially enlarged view of the coupling device shown in FIG. 1, showing a mechanism for operating a second flange by means of a lever.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an entire engine testing machine.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a conventional coupling device for an engine tester.

8 is an enlarged view showing bolts and nuts used in the coupling device shown in FIG. 7. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1a Output shaft 3 drive plate 3a Lightening hole 8 connection adapter 9 Connection plate 10 Cylindrical member 10a First flange 11 nails 11a Second flange 17 beams 20 lever 21 cam

Front Page Continuation (72) Inventor Nobuaki Suzuki No. 1 Toyota-cho, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshihisa Matsuda 168 Hikage-ku, Ina City, Nagano Prefecture Louver Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshio Hidano 2-40 Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Eizu Kogyo Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-10-332540 (JP, A) JP-A-9-126951 (JP, A) Flat 4-96042 (JP, U) Actually open 61-79248 (JP, U) Actually open 57-149434 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01M 15 / 00

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A connecting device comprising a connecting plate having a surface facing an engine drive plate and a spline connecting to a drive shaft of an engine testing machine, the connecting device corresponding to a plurality of lightening holes of the drive plate. At a position, a first flange having a diameter larger than the diameter of the lightening hole and a second flange whose outer diameter can be expanded or reduced with respect to the diameter of the lightening hole are coaxial with each other, and From the facing surface, the first
Project the flange of to contact the edge of the lightening hole.
And let the second flange pass through the lightening hole.
A connecting device for an engine testing machine, wherein the connecting device is arranged so as to protrude so that the outer diameter and the axial position of the second flange can be changed by operating a lever provided on the connecting plate. 2. The engine tester according to claim 1, wherein the second flange is composed of a plurality of displaceable claws arranged in a circular shape and outward from a center of the circumference. Connecting device. 3. The engine tester connecting device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of second flanges are connected so as to be interlocked with each other. 4. The engine tester connecting device according to claim 1, wherein connecting force reducing means for connecting the drive plate to the drive plate is provided on the connecting plate. 5. The connecting device for an engine testing machine according to claim 4, wherein the connecting force reducing means is provided with an engaging pin capable of engaging with a hole formed in the drive plate, in the connecting plate.