JPH04366047A - Electronic control differential limiting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an electronic control differential limiting device needing no provision of a groove and a plurality of seals in a control liquid pressure introducing section while fitting structure of a bearing retainer supporting a side bearing is made to be screw-in-fitted to facilitate an adjusting operation. CONSTITUTION:A bearing retainer 40 and piston housing 1c are separately formed so that the bearing retainer 40 is screwed into a housing 1 to be mounted thereto, while the piston housing 1c adjacent to the outside position of the housing of the bearing retainer 40 is fixed to the housing 1 by bolts 42, 43 and the piston housing 1c is provided with a stop projection 1h for stopping the turning of the bearing retainer 40.

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 A conventional electronically controlled differential limiting device is known, for example, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-59044.

[0003] This device includes a differential case rotatably supported by a side bearing in a housing, and two side gears that are disposed facing each other in the differential case, mesh with a pinion mate gear, and are connected to an output shaft. a clutch provided within the differential case and disposed between the side gear or the output shaft and the differential case; and a clutch provided outside the housing relative to the bearing retainer and pressed in a direction to engage the clutch. It includes a hydraulic piston and a piston housing that accommodates the hydraulic piston. The side bearing is supported by the housing, and the hydraulic piston is housed in a portion of the housing and the piston housing.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-mentioned prior art, the outer diameter of the side bearing is formed larger than the inner diameter of the opening of the housing. It needs to be divided into multiple parts, making the structure complicated.

[0005] Therefore, as a first step of the invention, FIG.
As shown in FIG.
2 can be inserted into the housing 03,
It is conceivable to use this piston housing 02 as a bearing retainer that supports 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 gear contact of the side gear and the preload of the side bearing 04. In other words, if adjustments are made using shims, etc., and if there are any deficiencies when inspected after assembly, it will be necessary to disassemble it again and replace the shims, but with a screw-in type, all you have to do is turn the screw. Good and easy to work with.

Therefore, according to the means of the first step, in order to install the side bearing 04, the housing 1 is
There is no need to divide the structure into many parts, and the structure can be simplified while improving workability.

However, with such means, it is not possible to determine in advance the position in which the hydraulic piston 01 will be fixed in the direction of screw rotation when the assembly is completed, and therefore the connection between the port 05 into which the control hydraulic pressure is introduced and the pressure chamber 06 is difficult. In between, a groove 07 for introducing control hydraulic pressure and two hydraulic seals 08, 09 were required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and in order to facilitate adjustment work, the bearing retainer that supports the side bearing is provided with a screw-in mounting structure, and the part to which control hydraulic pressure is introduced is provided. The object of the present invention is to provide an electronically controlled differential limiting device that does not require grooves or multiple seals.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In 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, while the fastening means housing is attached to the housing of the bearing retainer. The above-mentioned object is achieved by disposing adjacent to the outer side and fixing to the housing by means other than screwing, and by providing means for preventing rotation of the bearing retainer in the fastening means housing.

That is, the electronically controlled differential limiting device of the present invention includes a differential case rotatably supported by a side bearing in a housing, a bearing retainer interposed between the side bearing and the housing, and the differential case. two side gears that are arranged to face each other and mesh with the pinion mate gear and are coupled to the output shaft; and two side gears that are provided within the differential case and are arranged between the side gears or the output shaft and the differential case. a clutch, a clutch fastening means that is provided at a position outside the housing relative to the bearing retainer and presses the clutch in a direction to fasten the clutch, and a clutch fastening means that is fixed to the housing adjacent to the bearing retainer at a position outside the housing. and a fastening means housing housing the bearing retainer, the mounting structure of the bearing retainer to the housing is such that threads are formed on both of them and the bearing retainer is screwed into the housing, and the fastening means housing is fixed to the housing by means other than screwing. This means is characterized in that the fastening means housing is provided with means for preventing rotation of the bearing retainer.

[0011]

[Operation] To explain the assembly procedure, first, screw the bearing retainer into the housing. At this time, the tooth contact of the side gear, the preload of the side bearing, etc. are adjusted by adjusting the position of the bearing retainer depending on the amount of screw rotation.

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 further fixed to the housing by means other than screwing. In this way, since the fastening means housing is not fixed to the housing by screwing, the position of the fastening means housing relative to the housing can be determined in advance, which eliminates the need to provide a groove for introducing hydraulic pressure, and also eliminates the need for multiple seals. becomes unnecessary.

[0013]

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In describing this embodiment, an electronically controlled differential limiting device for an automobile will be taken as an example.

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

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a housing, which is supported on the vehicle body side by stud bolts (not shown), and is composed of a front housing 1a, a rear housing 1b, and a piston housing 1c.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a differential case, which is rotatably supported by a tapered roller bearing (side bearing) 4 with respect to the housing 1. This differential case 3 includes a left differential case 3a' and a right differential case. 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. Further, the tapered roller bearing 4 is supported by a bearing retainer 40, and this bearing retainer 40 has a male thread formed on the outer periphery,
It is attached to the housing 1 by being screwed together with a female thread formed on the housing 1. A rotation prevention groove 41 is formed in this bearing retainer 40.

Reference numerals 8 and 8 denote side gears, which are disposed facing each other inside the differential case 3. The side gears 8 and 8 include a drive shaft (output shaft) 9 on the left side and a drive shaft on the right side. (output shaft) 9 is provided by spline connection.

10 is a pinion mate shaft,
The pinion mate shaft 10 is disposed between the side gears 8, 8, and a pinion mate gear 11 that meshes with the side gears 8, 8 is supported on the pinion mate shaft 10.

Reference numerals 13 and 13 denote friction clutches, which are disposed between the side gears 8 and 8 and the differential case 3. These friction clutches 13 and 13 have a multi-disc clutch structure, and are arranged between the side gears 8 and 8 and the differential case 3. 3
It is composed of a plurality of friction plates 13a fixed to and a plurality of friction disks 13b fixed to a hub 21 coupled to both drive shafts 9, 9.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a hydraulic piston serving as a clutch fastening means, which is fitted into a cylinder 1d formed in the piston housing 1c so as to be able to reciprocate in the axial direction. It slides by controlled hydraulic 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 as a fastening means housing that houses the hydraulic piston 22, and is connected to the front housing 1a and the rear housing 1b by bolts 42, 43. Fixed by Further, the piston housing 1c has a rotation prevention groove 41 formed in the bearing retainer 40.
A rotation prevention protrusion (rotation prevention means) 1h that engages with and restricts rotation of the bearing retainer 40 is formed, and
Piston housing 1c and front/rear housing 1
One oil seal 1j is set between a and 1b. Note that the hydraulic piston 22 is prevented from rotating relative to the piston housing 1c by a pin 30. Further, the hydraulic control device is disclosed in the above-mentioned publication as the prior art, so a description thereof will be 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 between them.

The pressure plate 24 is disposed in contact with the outer surface of the friction clutch 13, and is coupled 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 outer periphery of the drive shaft 9 in contact with the outside of the pressure plate 24 so as to be slidable in the axial direction.

The pressure bearing 26 is the rolling element 2
A thrust bearing in which 6a, 26b and a bearing ring 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.
an oil seal 2 that seals between d and the inside of the housing 3;
7 is provided.

Further, between the hub 21 and the pressure plate 24, there are rolling elements 26a, 26b and a bearing ring 26c.
A spring 28 is provided to apply a preload to the pressure bearing 26 to prevent it from slipping.

Reference numerals 29 and 29' denote a right side transmission blocking member and a left side transmission blocking member, which are provided inside the differential case 3, are symmetrical, and have a shape that envelops the side gears 8, 8 and the pinion mate gear 11. ,
It comes into contact with the friction clutches 13, 13, and is disposed slightly apart from the side gears 8, 8 in the axial direction. Further, both blocking members 29, 29' bring the abutment surfaces 29a, 29a' at the central end into contact with each other, and also connect the opposite end to stepped portions 3c, 3d formed on the inner wall of the differential case 3. It is provided in such a manner that sliding in the axial direction is restricted by making it contact with the shaft.

44 is a rotor sensor for ABS (anti-lock brake system) and LSD (limited slip differential) control, which detects the rotation of the drive shaft 9, and is a rotor sensor 44a fixed to the outer periphery of the drive shaft.
and a pickup section 44b fixed to the outer periphery of the piston housing 1c, facing the rotor section 44a. Further, a sensor dust cover 45 is attached between the rotor portion 44a and the pickup portion 44b in a press-fitted state to the piston housing 1c. This sensor dust cover 45 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and has a hole 45a formed in a part thereof through which the tip of the pickup section 44b passes.

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be explained.

When driving straight on a highway or when one wheel enters mud, etc., control hydraulic pressure at a predetermined pressure is introduced from the hydraulic control device into the pressure chamber 1g, and the hydraulic piston 22 moves toward the center of the differential case 3. Move and friction clutch 1
Press 3 to tighten.

Therefore, the driving force of the differential case 3 is evenly transmitted to the drive shafts 9, 9 via the friction clutch 13, and the differential is limited, so that changes in road surface conditions and Even if a wheel on one side lifts off, the sudden drop in driving force can be suppressed, allowing stable straight-line driving without swaying, etc. Also, it is possible to drive in mud or on roads with a low coefficient of road friction. When a difference in rotation occurs between the left and right wheels while driving, a larger torque is transmitted to the lower-speed wheels, improving the ability to escape from mud and drive on roads with a low coefficient of friction.

[0032] Furthermore, when the clutch is engaged as described above,
The hydraulic piston 22 causes pressure bearings 26,
The friction clutch 13 is pressed through the pressure ring 25 and the pressure plate 24, but the reaction force of the pressing is
In the left and right transmission blocking members 29, 29', both members 29
, 29'. Since both members 29 and 29' are in contact with each other at abutting surfaces 29a and 29a', and the magnitude of this input is equal,
This input is balanced and input to the side gears 8, 8 is blocked. Therefore, the clutch reaction force does not affect the differential of 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 is generated toward the outside due to meshing with the pinion mate gear 11. Then, when the side gears 8, 8 come into contact with both the transmission blocking members 29, 29', a meshing reaction force is input to both the transmission blocking members 29, 29' in a direction that spreads out the space between the left and right members. Both transmission blocking members 29, 2
Since the outer end of 9' is in contact with the stepped portions 3c and 3d formed on the inner wall of the differential case 3, this input is transmitted from the stepped portions 3c and 3d to the differential case 3.
, and the input to the friction clutches 13, 13' is blocked. Therefore, the meshing reaction force from the side gears 8, 8 with the pinion mate gear 11 does not affect the operation of the friction clutches 13, 13, and high control accuracy can be obtained.

Next, the procedure for assembling the main parts of the embodiment device will be explained.

After the differential case 3 incorporating the side gears 8, 8, etc. is placed in the housing 1, the bearing retainer 40 is screwed into the housing 1 and attached. At this time, the tooth contact of the side gear 8, the preload of the side bearing 4, etc. are adjusted by adjusting the position of the bearing retainer 40 depending on the amount of screw rotation.

After completing the adjustment, the bearing retainer 4
0 position is determined, the piston housing 1c is moved to the front housing 1a and the front housing 1a, so that the anti-rotation protrusion 1h of the piston housing 1c is engaged with the anti-rotation groove 41 of the bearing retainer 40 to prevent the bearing retainer 40 from rotating. It is fixed to the rear housing 1b at a predetermined position with bolts 42, 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, improving work efficiency. In addition, the provision of a groove for introducing hydraulic pressure and the need for multiple seals are eliminated.

In addition, this embodiment has a structure in which the pressure bearing 26 and the oil seal 27 are arranged one on top of the other in the radial direction, so that the length of the embodiment device in the axial direction can be shortened and miniaturization can be achieved. ing.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and design changes may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Included in the present invention.

For example, in the embodiment, an example was shown in which one clutch and one clutch engagement means were provided on each side. Although this configuration has the advantage of increasing the control accuracy of the engagement force, it is also possible to provide only one clutch and clutch engagement means. 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 explained 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 placed 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 means for preventing rotation of the bearing retainer, so that the side gear At the same time, since the fastening means housing is not fixed to the housing by screwing, the position of the fastening means housing relative to the housing can be determined in advance. This eliminates the need to provide a groove for introducing hydraulic pressure, eliminates the need for a plurality of seals, and provides the advantage of simplifying the structure.

[Brief explanation of 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 the means of the first step of the invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Housing 1c Piston housing (fastening means housing) 1
h Detent projection (detent means) 4 Tapered 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)

[Claims] 1. A differential case rotatably supported by a side bearing in a housing, a bearing retainer interposed between the side bearing and the housing, and a pinion mate gear disposed facing each other in the differential case. two side gears meshed with the output shaft and coupled to the output shaft; a clutch provided within the differential case and disposed between the side gear or the output shaft and the differential case; and a clutch disposed outside the housing relative to the bearing retainer. a clutch fastening means provided at a position to press the clutch in a direction to fasten the clutch; and a fastening means housing fixed to the housing adjacent to a position outside the housing of the bearing retainer and accommodating the clutch fastening means, The mounting structure of the bearing retainer to the housing is such that threads are formed on both of them and the bearing retainer is screwed into the housing, and the fastening means housing is fixed to the housing by means other than screwing, and the fastening means housing is fixed to the housing by means other than screwing. An electronically controlled differential limiting device, characterized in that a means for preventing rotation of a bearing retainer is provided in the device.