JP4837674B2 - Transverse element with a predetermined area to receive retraction - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transverse element as part of a continuously variable transmission push belt. The push belt is formed in a closed loop shape, and the continuously variable transmission has two pulleys for hooking the push belt.
The transverse element is three-dimensionally divided by two main body surfaces and a peripheral surface extending between the main body surfaces. The transverse element comprises a base and a head. The base is arranged on the inner surface of the push belt when the transverse element is applied to the push belt. The head is located on the outer surface of the push belt when the transverse element is applied to the push belt.
At least one of the main body surfaces is provided with a contact area located on the head. The contact area is higher than the periphery of the body surface and functions to establish contact with adjacent transverse elements when the transverse elements are applied to the push belt.

  Push belts for continuously variable transmissions are well known. Such push belts typically comprise a carrier such as a ribbon formed in two endless closed loops that supports a relatively large number of transverse elements. The transverse element is movably arranged over the entire circumference of the carrier and can transmit forces related to the movement of the push belt during operation.

  In the following, the “direction” that appears in the description of the transverse element refers to the situation where the transverse element is part of the push belt. The longitudinal direction of the transverse element coincides with the circumferential direction of the push belt. The vertical transverse direction of the transverse element coincides with the radial direction of the push belt. The horizontal transverse direction of the transverse element coincides with the direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the vertical transverse direction. The terms “next transverse element” and “previous transverse element” with respect to adjacent transverse elements are used for the direction of movement of the push belt.

  The transverse element is provided with recesses for receiving carriers on both sides in the horizontal transverse direction. The transverse element comprises a support surface for supporting the carrier. The transverse element is provided with pulley sheave contact surfaces on both sides in the horizontal transverse direction so that the transverse element comes into contact with the pulley sheave of the pulley of the continuously variable transmission. Both pulley sheave contact surfaces are provided so as to diffuse in the direction of the support surface. The terms “top” and “bottom” used hereinafter relate to the direction of diffusion, which is defined from bottom to top.

  In the vertical transverse direction, the transverse element comprises a base, a neck and a head in order from bottom to top. The neck size is relatively small in the horizontal and horizontal direction. The base includes a support surface and a pulley sheave contact surface. In the push belt, the base is located on the inner peripheral side of the push belt, while the head is located on the outer peripheral side of the push belt.

  The transverse element has two body surfaces, a front surface and a back surface. The front surface and the back surface extend substantially in parallel and are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. In the push belt, at least a part of the front surface of the transverse element comes into contact with at least a part of the rear surface of the next arranged transverse element, and at least a part of the rear surface of the transverse element is moved forward by one. It is adapted to abut at least part of the front face of the arranged transverse element. A peripheral surface including the support surface and the pulley sheave contact surface extends between the two main body surfaces.

  Protrusions are arranged on the front face of the transverse element, whereas holes are arranged on the rear face of the transverse element. The positions of the protrusions and the holes correspond to each other, and the protrusions and the holes are usually arranged on the head. In the push belt, at least part of the protrusion of the transverse element is adapted to enter the hole of the next transverse element. Accordingly, misalignment between adjacent transverse elements is prevented on a plane perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the push belt.

  In a continuously variable transmission, the transmission of force between two pulleys is related to the pressing force in the push belt. From the viewpoint of optimally functioning the continuously variable transmission, it is important for the push belt to accurately bring the transverse elements into contact with each other. Thus, at least one of the body surfaces of the transverse element, usually the front surface, is provided with a contact area for making contact with an adjacent transverse element within the push belt. Each contact area is disposed at a position slightly higher than the peripheral portion of the main body surface. That is, the transverse element is slightly thicker at the position of each contact area.

  WO 2004/036083 discloses a transverse element with three contact areas. In this disclosure there are two contact areas at the base of the transverse element and one contact area at the head of the transverse element. More specifically, each of the two contact areas at the base is formed as a corner area, which is partially defined by a portion of the support surface and a portion of the pulley sheave contact surface leading to the support surface. It is divided. In any case, the contact area of the head extends to the area above the protrusion and is partially divided by the upper part of the peripheral surface. As a result of adopting these three contact areas, so-called three-point support of the transverse element is ensured, which increases the stability of the push belt to which the transverse element is applied.

  The transverse element is manufactured from a sheet-like basic material by a stamping process. In the punching process, a cutting member and a support member are used. The cutting member is for cutting the transverse element from the basic material while being affected by the cutting resistance. The support member is for supporting the transverse element by a supporting force during the punching process, and for forming the front surface of the transverse element by a process of forming at room temperature. Both the support surface and the cutting surface are approximately equal in circumference to the transverse element. During the punching process, the cutting member penetrates the basic material under the influence of pressure. In doing so, the transverse element to be punched and the basic material move relatively. At that time, the transverse element to be punched is sandwiched between the cutting member and the support member.

  Furthermore, a die is used in the punching process. The mold is provided with a transverse element to be punched out, a support member and a receiving space for receiving one end of the cutting member. The inner circumference of the receiving space is substantially coincident with the inner circumference of the cutting member, the supporting member and the transverse element to be punched, so that the receiving space becomes the cutting element, the supporting member and the transverse element to be punched. Can be accepted with very little play.

  Regarding the above-described punching process, it can be generally said that burrs are formed on one side and material retraction occurs on the other side at the position of the cut edge of the punched product. This retraction is characterized by a rounded edge of the punched article on the side facing the support member during the punching process. The degree of retraction varies depending on, among other things, the hardness of the material to be punched, the thickness of the punched product, and the contour of the punched product. Thus, if the radius of curvature of the roundness is small, a relatively large retraction may occur.

  If the transverse element has a contact area at its head, the retraction that occurs in the transverse element punching process becomes a problem. Due to the fact that the contact area is adjacent to the upper part of the peripheral surface and the upper part of the peripheral surface is curved, when material retraction occurs at the transition between the contact area and the peripheral surface, The area of the contact area can be significantly reduced. If the area of the contact area is reduced, the stability and functionality of the push belt may be compromised when the transverse element is used in the push belt.

  A reduction in the area of the contact area may give different results. The small contact area may be completely worn out at an earlier stage than the large contact area, or may be reduced to such an extent that it cannot function as a contact area. Since this happens even at an early stage, it happens during the durable life of the push belt. Further, when the push belt is operated, the contact area may be compressed under the influence of the pushing load. If the size of the contact area varies, the compression performance of the contact area may result in a deviation from what was expected based on the desired size of the contact area. In addition, variations in the size of the contact area can result in the dynamic spring stiffness of the push belt deviating from what was expected based on the desired size of the contact area. Considering the fact that certain requirements are imposed on the spring stiffness, it is important that the area of the contact area be accurately determined.

  An important object of the present invention is to provide stability and functionality of the push belt by providing a transverse element having a more precisely defined contact area for establishing contact with adjacent transverse elements in the push belt. It is to improve. The object is achieved by a transverse element with a recess in the head. The recess is disposed on the main body surface where the contact surface is located, and is connected to both a part of the contact region and a part of the peripheral surface.

  In the present invention, a part of the contact region that is directly connected to a part of the peripheral surface due to the presence of the concave portion is not so. Instead, this part of the contact area is adjacent to the recess. As a result, the advantageous effect is obtained that the retraction that occurs at the circumferential surface of the transverse element during the punching process does not occur in the contact area, so that this area can be formed with precisely defined dimensions. This is preferred for the stability and functionality of a push belt in which a transverse element is used.

  When the transverse element according to the invention is punched out, material retraction takes place at the position of the recess in the head. Not only does the retraction not occur in the contact area, but also the retraction is reduced due to the fact that the thickness of the transverse element is reduced in the recess.

  Preferably, the transverse element is manufactured from a base material pre-processed by applying a recess in a position where the upper side of the head of the transverse element is stamped from the base material. In a preferred embodiment, the basic material consists of a strip with grooves formed over its entire length, the grooves extending along or in the middle of the strip, and the transverse elements adjacent to each other in a row or two. Punched from the strip while being placed in a row.

  Next, the present invention will be described based on the following description of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals represent the same or similar members.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a continuously variable transmission employed in, for example, an automobile. A continuously variable transmission is schematically indicated by reference numeral 1.

  The continuously variable transmission 1 includes two pulleys 4 and 5 disposed on separate pulley shafts 2 and 3. A closed loop endless push belt 6 arranged around the pulleys 4 and 5 functions to transmit torque between the pulley shafts 2 and 3. Each of the pulleys 4 and 5 includes two pulley sheaves. The push belt 6 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the two pulley sheaves. Thereby, force is transmitted between the pulleys 4 and 5 and the push belt 6 while receiving the action of friction.

  The push belt 6 includes at least one endless carrier 7. The carrier 7 usually consists of a number of rings. A plurality of transverse elements 10 are arranged along the entire length of the carrier 7. The transverse elements 10 are adjacent to each other and can move in the circumferential direction with respect to the carrier 7. For convenience, several of these transverse elements 10 are shown in FIG.

  2 and 3 show the transverse element 10. The front face of the transverse element 10 is schematically indicated by reference numeral 11 and the rear face of the transverse element 10 is schematically indicated by reference numeral 12. In the following description, the front surface 11 and the back surface 12 are also referred to as body surfaces 11 and 12, respectively. A peripheral surface 19 extends between the main body surfaces 11 and 12.

  In the vertical transverse direction, the transverse element 10 further comprises a base 13, a relatively thin neck 14 and a head 15 shaped like an arrow tip in this order. In the push belt 6, the base portion 13 is located on the inner peripheral side of the push belt 6, while the head portion 15 is located on the outer peripheral side of the push belt 6. In the push belt 6, at least a part of the front surface 11 of the transverse element 10 abuts on at least a part of the rear surface 12 of the transverse element 10 arranged next. On the other hand, at least a part of the rear surface 12 of the transverse element 10 abuts on at least a part of the front surface 11 of the transverse element 10 arranged immediately before. As shown in FIG. 2, the base 13 of the transverse element 10 comprises two support surfaces 16 for supporting the two carriers 7 at the transition to the neck 14. The base portion 13 includes two pulley sheave contact surfaces 17. When the transverse element 10 moves on the pulleys 4 and 5, the transverse element 10 and the contact surface of the pulley sheave come into contact with each other through the pulley sheave contact surface 17 described above. A bottom surface 18 extends between the two pulley sheave contact surfaces 17. The support surface 16, the pulley sheave contact surface 17, and the bottom surface 18 are part of the peripheral surface 19.

  A projection 21 is provided on the front face 11 of the transverse element 10. In the illustrated example, the protrusion 21 is located on the head 15 and corresponds to the hole on the back surface 12. In FIG. 3, the holes are drawn in broken lines and are denoted by reference numeral 22. In the push belt 6, at least a part of the projection 21 of the transverse element 10 is located in the hole 22 of the transverse element 10 arranged next. The protrusions 21 and the corresponding holes 22 play a role of preventing positional deviation between adjacent transverse elements 10 in a plane perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the push belt 6.

  The head 15 includes two holding surfaces 23 that are positioned to face the support surface 16. When the transverse element 10 is arranged on the push belt 6, the space in which the carrier 7 is present is separated in the radial direction on the one hand by the support surface 16 and on the other hand by the holding surface 23. The head 15 further includes two upper surfaces 24 that are connected to each other. Each upper surface 24 is connected to the holding surface 23 of the head 15 at its end. Both the holding surface 23 and the upper surface 24 are part of the peripheral surface 19.

  On the front face 11, there are three contact areas 25, 26a, 26b, which are drawn with diagonal lines in FIG. The contact regions 25, 26 a, and 26 b are formed as small height portions with respect to the front surface 11, and the adjacent transverse elements 10 are reliably in contact with each other in the push belt 6. The first contact area 25 is located on the head 15 of the transverse element and is above the protrusion 21. The other two contact portions 26a, 26b are located at the base 13 of the transverse element 10, and both contact portions 26a, 26b are formed by a part of the support surface 16 and a part of the pulley sheave contact surface 17 connected thereto. , Partially divided.

  Next, the phenomenon of retraction as well as the known step of punching the transverse element 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 4, the punching region of the punching device 60 and the sheet-like basic material 50 disposed in the region are schematically depicted. The punching device 60 comprises a cutting member 30 for cutting the transverse element 10 from the basic material 50. The cutting member 30 is accommodated in the guide space 36 of the guide plate 35. An important function of the guide space 36 is to guide the cutting member 30 during the punching operation. The support member 40 is arranged in alignment with the cutting member 30 and is adapted to support the transverse element 10 during the punching process. Both the cutting member 30 and the support member 40 have substantially the same circumference as that of the transverse element 10 to be punched. The support member 40 is accommodated in the receiving space 46 in the mold 45. An important function of the receiving space 46 is to guide both the support member 40 and the transverse element 10 during the punching operation. The inner circumference of the receiving space 46 substantially coincides with the circumference of the cutting member 30, the support member 40, and the transverse element 10. Initially, the basic material 50 is located between the cutting member 30 and the guide plate 35 on one side and the support member 40 and the mold 45 on the other side. Of the basic material 50, a portion located between the cutting member 30 and the support member 40 (hereinafter referred to as a punched portion 51) forms the transverse element 10. The other part of the basic material 50, that is, the part located between the guide plate 35 and the mold 45 is hereinafter referred to as the remaining part 52.

  The mold 45 includes a mold surface 47. An important function of the mold surface 47 is to support the remainder 52 of the base material 50. The inner surface of the receiving space 46 of the mold 45 is continuous with the mold surface 47 through the peripheral edge 48. In order to improve the surface quality of the peripheral surface 19 of the transverse element 10, the peripheral edge 48 is beveled obliquely and a bevel 49 extends between the mold surface 47 and the inner surface of the receiving space 46.

  FIG. 5 schematically shows a longitudinal section of the punching region of the punching device 60. In FIG. 5, the various components of the punching device 60 are depicted associated with one another, and their mutual position represents a stage of the punching process. At this stage, as a result of the cutting member 30 being already pushed into the mold 45, the punched portion 51 is completely separated from the remaining portion 52, and is sandwiched between the cutting member 30 and the support member 40, while being inserted into the die 45. The existing aspects are shown.

  As a result of the punching operation, retraction of the material of the punched portion 51 occurs at the position of the peripheral surface of the punched portion 51 on the side of the punched portion 51 facing the support member 40. In FIG. 5, the retraction is schematically exaggerated and drawn as a rounded edge of the peripheral surface of the punched portion 51.

  FIG. 6 schematically shows a head section of a transverse element according to the state of the art. FIG. 6 shows a cross section of the contact region 25, the protrusion 21, and the hole 22 located in the head 15. In the figure, a theoretically desirable shape is indicated by a broken line at a transition portion between the contact region 25 and the adjacent upper surface 24. In the illustrated example, it is theoretically desirable that the contact region 25 and the upper surface 24 adjacent to the contact region 25 extend so as to form a substantially right angle and are connected to each other at an angle of approximately 90 degrees.

  As a result of the material retraction in the transverse element punching process, the transition between the contact area 25 and the adjacent upper surface 24 becomes rounded and the area of the contact area 25 is reduced.

  Like FIG. 6, FIG. 7 schematically shows a cross section of the head 15 of the transverse element. FIG. 7 shows a cross section of the contact region 25, the protrusion 21, and the hole 22 located in the head 15. However, in FIG. 7, the head 15 of the transverse element 10 according to the present invention is depicted and compared to the theoretically desirable shape of the transition between the contact area 25 and the adjacent upper surface 24 shown in FIG. The top is removed. The theoretically desirable shapes of the concave portion 27 thus obtained and the upper surface 24 connected to the concave portion 27 are drawn by broken lines in FIG.

  In the stamping process of the transverse element 10, material retraction occurs. Due to the presence of the recess 27, this retraction occurs only at the position of the recess 27 and prevents retraction from occurring in the contact area 25. Therefore, as compared with the state shown in FIG. 6, the retraction shifts from a state occurring in a considerable part of the contact area 25 to a state limited to the recess 27 only. Furthermore, the retraction is reduced by reducing the thickness of the transverse element 10 at the position of the recess 27, and the degree of retraction is reduced as the thickness is reduced. FIG. 7 shows the shape of the resulting contact area 25, recess 27, transition between the recess 27 and the upper surface 24 adjacent thereto. In FIG. 7, it is clear that the shape of the contact area 25 is not affected by the retraction. By comparing FIG. 6 with FIG. 7, the influence of retraction on the functional area of the contact area 25 is considerably smaller when the recess 27 is present between the contact area 25 and the upper surface 24 than when it is not. I can see that.

  As a result of the presence of the recess 27, the contact area 25 may be somewhat reduced, but as a result of the fact that no retraction appears in the contact area 25, a larger functional area is finally maintained, It is substantially equal to the theoretically defined contact area 25. All this has an advantageous effect on the stability and functionality of the push belt 6 to which the transverse element 10 according to the invention is applied.

  In FIG. 8, the head 15 of the transverse element 10 according to the invention is depicted from the front. In FIG. 8, the contact area 25 is drawn with diagonal lines. This figure shows that the upper side of the contact area 25 becomes a substantially flat surface by providing the recess 27. This shape is preferred because this shape of the contact area 25 and the recess 27 can actually be realized relatively easily, but this changes the fact that other shapes are also possible within the scope of the invention. is not.

  In FIG. 9, a strip-shaped basic material 50 is depicted. In FIG. 9, a transverse element 10 (also referred to as a punched portion 51) to be punched is drawn. Through this entire length of the strip, a central groove 53 is provided in the same material, which serves to form a recess 27 in the head 15 of the transverse element 10. In FIG. 9, the groove 53 is drawn by two parallel dotted lines.

  The basic material 50 is thinner at the position of the groove 53 than just outside the groove 53. Furthermore, two rows of transverse elements 10 are formed from a strip-shaped basic material 50, which transverse elements 10 are arranged with their heads 15 facing each other. Thus, the recess 27 can be obtained by the presence of the groove 53 at the top of the head 15 of the transverse element 10.

  It is also possible to punch one row of transverse elements 10 from transverse elements, strip-shaped basic material 50. In such a case, the groove 53 is not provided at the central position, but is provided at the edge of the strip.

  In fact, it is very easy to apply the groove 53 for placing the recess 27 of the transverse element 10 to be punched. However, the basic material 50 may be provided with recesses at predetermined positions that are not connected to each other. The predetermined position corresponds to the position where the upper part of the head 15 of the transverse element 10 is formed.

  As an example (though it has been experimentally tested by the Applicant), for a normal dimension transverse element 10, the effect as intended is obtained by using a strip-shaped base material 50 having a thickness of about 1.8 mm. It was obtained to a satisfactory degree. In the experiment, the groove 53 was disposed at a depth of 0.4 mm. The height of the formed recess 27 was 0.1 mm.

  It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described examples, and that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

  In the above description, the transverse element 10 as a part of the push belt 6 of the continuously variable transmission 1 has been described. The front face 11 of the transverse element 10 is provided with three contact areas 25, 26 a, 26 b for establishing contact with the adjacent transverse element 10 on the push belt 6. One of these contact areas 25, 26 a, 26 b is located on the head 15 of the transverse element 10. The upper part of the contact area 25 is indirectly connected to the circumferential surface of the transverse element 10 via a recess 27 that defines an area for receiving material retraction generated in the manufacturing process of the transverse element 10. In this way, the size of the functional area of the contact area 25 is prevented from decreasing due to the influence of retraction. This ensures that the dimensions of the functional area of the contact area 25 correspond well to the predetermined dimensions. When the transverse element 10 is adapted to the push belt 6, this is beneficial to the stability and functionality of the push belt 6.

It is the schematic of the side surface of the continuously variable transmission provided with the push belt. It is a front view of the transverse element of the push belt with which the continuously variable transmission was equipped. FIG. 3 is a side view of the transverse element shown in FIG. 2. It is the schematic which showed the longitudinal cross-section of the punching area | region of a punching apparatus with the basic material arrange | positioned there. It is a figure which shows the retraction in the punching goods obtained by applying the punching apparatus shown in FIG. It is the schematic of the cross section of the head of the transverse element which concerns on the present technology. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a head of a transverse element with a recess according to the invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic front view of the head of the transverse element according to the invention shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 2 shows a basic material for producing a transverse element according to the invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 continuously variable transmission 2, 3 pulley shaft 4, 5 pulley 6 push belt 7 carrier 10 transverse element 13 base 14 neck 15 head 16 support surface 17 pulley sheave contact surface 18 bottom surface 19 peripheral surface 21 projection 22 hole 23 holding Surface 24 Upper surface 25, 26a, 26b Contact area

Claims (8)

  A transverse element (10) as a part of the push belt (6) in a continuously variable transmission (1) having two pulleys (4, 5) on which an annular push belt (6) is hung. ,
  (A) The transverse element (10) is provided with two main body surfaces (11, 12) and peripheral surfaces (19, 24) extending between the main body surfaces (11, 12) in a three-dimensional manner. The transverse element (10) is provided with a base (13) and a head (15), and when the transverse element (10) is used in the push belt (6), the base A portion (13) is disposed on the inner surface of the push belt (6) and the head (15) is disposed on the outer surface of the push belt (6);
  (B) One of the body surfaces (11, 12) is provided with a protrusion (21), the other of the body surfaces (11, 12) is provided with a corresponding hole (22), and Protrusions (21) and holes (22) are provided to prevent displacement of the transverse element relative to an adjacent transverse element when the transverse element is used in the push belt;
  (C) At least one of the main body surfaces (11, 12) is provided with a contact region (25) disposed on the head (15) above the protrusion (21), and the contact region (25). Is raised with respect to the periphery of the main body surface (11), so that it is formed to be slightly higher than the main body surface, and the adjacent element when the transverse element (10) is used for the push belt (6). In contact with the transverse element (10)
  (D) The head (15) is provided with a recess (27) disposed on the body surface (11) to be the contact area (25), and the recess (27) is provided in the contact area (25). And a part of the peripheral surface (19, 24).
Transverse element (10) characterized in that.   The transverse element (10) according to claim 1, wherein the contact area (25) has a substantially flat side at a position adjacent to the recess (27).   Transverse element according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the body surface (11) in which the contact area (25) is located also comprises two other contact areas (26a, 26b) located in the base (13). (10).   A basic material (50) used for the purpose of manufacturing a transverse element (10) according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the contact area (25) and the peripheral surface (19, 24) A basic material (50) comprising a recess at a position that will form part of the transverse element (10) with the recess (27) positioned therebetween.   5. Basic material (50) according to claim 4, wherein the central groove (53) consists of a strip arranged in the longitudinal direction.   The basic material (50) according to claim 4, wherein the central groove (53) consists of a strip arranged longitudinally, said groove (53) extending to the edge of the strip.   A push belt (6) of a continuously variable transmission (1), comprising a transverse element (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   A continuously variable transmission (1) comprising the push belt (6) according to claim 7.

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