JPH0728257U - Torque converter - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To facilitate the disassembly and reassembly of the torque converter. [Structure] The torque converter 1 includes a front cover 4, an impeller 6, a turbine 7, a stator 8, and a seal member 21.
It has and. The impeller 6 has an impeller shell 6a that engages with the front cover 4 in a relatively rotatable and removable manner and forms a working oil chamber 5 filled with working oil together with the front cover 4. The turbine 7 is arranged in the hydraulic oil chamber 5 so as to face the impeller 6, and is connected to the main drive shaft 3. The stator 8 is provided in the hydraulic oil chamber 5 between the inner peripheral portion of the impeller 6 and the inner peripheral portion of the turbine 7. The O-ring 21 is arranged between the front cover 4 and the impeller shell 6a and seals the hydraulic oil chamber 5.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a torque converter, and more particularly to a torque converter for transmitting torque of an input side rotating body to an output side rotating body via a fluid.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 A torque converter is a device that has three types of impellers (impeller, turbine, and stator) inside the hydraulic oil chamber, and transmits the torque from the input side rotating body to the output side rotating body by the operating oil. The impeller shell forming the impeller forms a hydraulic oil chamber filled with hydraulic oil together with the front cover. The turbine is arranged in the hydraulic oil chamber so as to face the impeller and is connected to the output side shaft. Then, when a torque is input from the input side rotating body to the front cover, the turbine is rotated through the fluid and the torque is transmitted to the output side rotating body.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 In the conventional torque converter, the front cover and the impeller shell are welded at the outer peripheral portion to form the hydraulic oil chamber. Therefore, it is virtually impossible to disassemble and reassemble the torque converter, and if the internal component fails, the entire torque converter must be replaced. As a result, other parts that have no malfunctions may be discarded, wasting resources.

An object of the present invention is to facilitate disassembly and reassembly of a torque converter.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 A torque converter according to the present invention is for transmitting torque of an input side rotating body to an output side rotating body via a fluid, and includes a front cover, an impeller, a turbine, a stator and a seal member. The front cover is connected to the input side rotating body. The impeller is composed of an impeller shell that is non-rotatably and removably engaged with the front cover and forms a fluid chamber filled with fluid together with the front cover, and a blade member provided inside the impeller shell. The turbine is arranged in the fluid chamber so as to face the impeller and is connected to the output-side rotating body. The stator is provided in the fluid chamber between the inner peripheral portion of the impeller and the inner peripheral portion of the turbine. The seal member is disposed between the front cover and the impeller and seals the fluid chamber.

[0006]

[Action]

 In the torque converter according to the present invention, when torque is input to the front cover from the input side rotating body, the impeller that engages with the front cover rotates integrally with the front cover. The fluid flowing from the impeller to the turbine rotates the turbine, and the torque is output to the output side rotating body. During this operation, the fluid chamber is sealed by the seal member, so that the fluid inside the fluid chamber does not leak to the outside.

Further, since the impeller shell and the front cover are detachably engaged, the torque converter can be easily disassembled and reassembled. As a result, if a component inside the fluid chamber fails, the torque converter can be disassembled and only the failed component can be replaced or repaired.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a torque converter 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Here, O-O is a rotating shaft of the torque converter 1, an engine (not shown) is arranged on the left side of the drawing, and a transmission (not shown) is arranged on the right side of the drawing.

The torque converter 1 is for transmitting the torque transmitted from the drive plate 2 on the engine side to a main drive shaft 3 extending from the transmission side (not shown) via a fluid. In this torque converter 1, a disk-shaped front cover 4 and an impeller shell 6a that engages with an outer peripheral wall 4a of the front cover 4 in a relatively non-rotatable and removable manner are used. The oil chamber 5 is formed. The inner peripheral end of the impeller shell 6a is welded to the impeller hub 6f. A plurality of bolts 19 are welded to the outer peripheral portion of the front cover 4. The drive plate 2 has a plurality of bolt holes 2a fixed to the bolts 19. The drive plate 2 also has a plurality of holes 2b having a larger diameter than the bolt holes 2a on the inner circumference of the bolt holes 2a. Further, a ring gear 15 is fixed to the outer periphery of the drive plate 2.

Next, the engaging portion between the outer peripheral portion of the front cover 4 and the outer peripheral portion of the impeller shell 6a will be described. The front cover 4 has an outer peripheral wall 4a extending toward the transmission at the outer peripheral end. The impeller shell 6a has a cylindrical wall 6c extending to the engine side on the outer peripheral side. The cylindrical wall 6c covers and abuts the outer peripheral wall 4a from the outer peripheral side. An annular groove is formed on the outer surface of the outer peripheral wall 4a, and an O-ring 21 is arranged in the groove. The O-ring 21 seals the hydraulic oil chamber 5 between the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 4a and the cylindrical wall 6c.

A disc-shaped engagement plate is arranged between the front cover 4 and the drive plate 2. The engagement plate 16 is a member for connecting the front cover 4 and the impeller shell 6a in a relatively non-rotatable and detachable manner. The inner peripheral end of the engagement plate 16 is fixed by a bolt 18 to a plurality of nuts 17 welded to the radially intermediate portion of the front cover 4 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The outer peripheral side of the engaging plate 16 is in contact with the front cover 4, and a hole 16a having a diameter larger than that of the seat 19a is formed in a portion of the bolt 19 corresponding to the seat 19a. On the outer peripheral portion of the engagement plate 16, a plurality of claw portions 16b bent toward the transmission are formed. On the other hand, a plurality of claws 6d extending in the axial direction are formed at the tip of the cylindrical wall 6c of the impeller shell 6a. As shown in FIG. 2, the claw portion 16b and the claw 6d are arranged in a mutual gap and mesh with each other so that they cannot rotate relative to each other. With such a structure, the torque of the front cover 4 is transmitted to the impeller shell 6a via the engagement plate 16.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tip of the claw portion 16b has a bent portion 16c that is bent toward the inner peripheral side. The bent portion 16c is engaged in an annular recess 6e formed on the outer circumference of the cylindrical wall 6c. By this engagement, the relative movement of the engagement plate 16 and the impeller shell 6a in the axial direction is restricted. A snap ring 20 is fitted inside the claw 6d of the impeller shell 6a. The snap ring 20 is in contact with the engagement plate 16 from the engine side, and restricts the movement of the engagement plate 16 toward the engine side.

A torque converter main body including an impeller 6, a turbine 7, and a stator 8 and a lockup device 9 are arranged in the hydraulic oil chamber 5. A plurality of impeller blades 6b are fixed inside the impeller shell 6a, and the impeller 6 is constituted by both. A turbine 7 is arranged at a position facing the impeller 6. The turbine 7 is composed of a turbine shell 7a and a plurality of turbine blades 7b fixed inside the turbine shell 7a. The inner peripheral end portion of the turbine shell 7a is fixed to the flange portion 10a of the turbine hub 10 by a plurality of rivets 11. The turbine hub 10 has a spline hole 10b that engages with the main drive shaft 3 on the inner peripheral portion.

A stator 8 is arranged between the inner peripheral portion of the impeller 6 and the inner peripheral portion of the turbine 7. The stator 8 adjusts the flow direction of the hydraulic oil returned from the turbine 7 to the impeller 6, and includes an annular stator carrier 8a and a plurality of stator blades 8b formed on the outer peripheral portion of the stator carrier 8a. It consists of The status carrier 8a is supported by a status shaft (not shown) via a one-way clutch mechanism 12.

The lockup device 9 is disposed between the front cover 4 and the turbine 7 in the axial direction, and mainly includes a disc-shaped piston 24 and an elastic coupling mechanism 25. The disk-shaped piston 24 has an inner peripheral end supported on the outer peripheral surface of the flange 10a of the turbine hub 10 slidably in the axial direction and the circumferential direction. At the outer peripheral end of the piston 24, an annular friction member 26 is adhered to the surface facing the friction surface formed on the inner surface of the outer peripheral portion of the front cover 4. The piston 24 has a cylindrical end wall 24a extending toward the transmission side at the outer peripheral side end.

The elastic coupling mechanism 25 is arranged on the inner peripheral side of the end wall 24 a of the piston 24. The elastic coupling mechanism 25 includes a disc-shaped retaining plate 27, a plurality of torsion springs 29, and a driven plate 28. The retaining plate 27 has an inner peripheral end fixed to the piston 24 by a rivet (not shown). The retaining plate 27 has a cylindrical portion 27a extending in an annular shape on the outer peripheral portion, and accommodates a plurality of torsion springs 29 extending in the circumferential direction in the cylindrical portion 27a. Further, both ends of each torsion spring 29 in the circumferential direction are supported by bending claws 27 b formed on the retaining plate 27. The driven plate 28 has a ring shape and is fixed to the back surface (the surface on the piston 24 side) of the turbine shell 7a by spot welding, for example. The driven plate 28 is formed with a plurality of bent claws 28a. These bent claws 28a are locked to both ends of the torsion spring 29 in the circumferential direction. As described above, the piston 24 and the turbine shell 7 a are elastically connected in the circumferential direction via the elastic connection mechanism 25.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. The torque from the crankshaft on the engine side is input from the drive plate 2 to the front cover 4. Then, the torque is transmitted to the impeller shell 6a via the engagement plate 16. As a result, the impeller 6 rotates and hydraulic oil flows from the impeller 6 to the turbine 7. The turbine 7 is rotated by the flow of the hydraulic oil, and the torque of the turbine 7 is output to the main drive shaft 3 via the turbine hub 10. The flow of hydraulic oil returning from the turbine 7 to the impeller 6 is adjusted by the stator 8.

When the main drive shaft 3 reaches a constant rotation speed, the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic oil chamber 5 in the torque converter 1 is increased, and the hydraulic oil between the front cover 4 and the piston 24 is drained, so that the piston 24 is pressed against the front cover 4 side. Then, the friction member 26 of the piston 24 is pressed against the friction surface of the front cover 4. As a result, the torque of the front cover 4 is transmitted to the turbine 7 from the piston 24 via the elastic coupling mechanism 25. That is, the torque of the front cover 4 is mechanically transmitted to the main drive shaft 3 via the turbine 7. Therefore, energy loss is reduced and a good fuel economy can be obtained.

During the above operation, the outer peripheral portion of the hydraulic oil chamber 5 is sealed by the O-ring 21. As a result, the torque converter 1 is easy to disassemble and reassemble after disassembly, but the hydraulic oil does not leak. Further, the inside of the hydraulic oil chamber 5 is in a high pressure state during the above operation. As a result, a force is applied to the front cover 4 and the impeller shell 6a in a direction away from each other in the axial direction. However, the bent portion 16c of the engagement plate 16 engages with the annular recess 6e formed in the impeller shell 6a, and the snap ring 20 restricts the movement of the engagement plate 16 and the front cover 4 on the engine side. Therefore, the front cover and the impeller shell 6a do not come off in the axial direction.

When a component in the hydraulic oil chamber 5 fails, first, the torque converter 1 is removed from the drive plate 2. Next, the snap ring 20 is removed from the impeller shell 6a, and the bolt 18 is removed from the nut 17. Further, if the bent portion 16c of the engagement plate 16 is removed from the annular recess 6e of the impeller shell 6a, the engagement plate 16 is removed from the front cover 4 and the impeller shell 6a. As a result, the front cover 4 and the impeller 6 are disengaged from each other in the axial direction. After disassembly, remove the defective part and repair or replace it.

The reassembly work is performed in the reverse order of the disassembly work. As described above, the torque converter 1 can be easily disassembled and reassembled, and therefore only the defective portion can be repaired or replaced. It also allows the inspection and maintenance of internal parts. Second Embodiment Like the torque converter of the first embodiment, the torque converter 1 shown in FIG. 3 is easy to disassemble and reassemble after disassembly. In the second embodiment, the structure other than the engaging portion between the front cover 4 and the impeller shell 6a is the same as that of the first embodiment.

The front cover 4 has an outer peripheral wall 4a extending toward the transmission at the outer peripheral end. An engagement ring 37 as shown in FIG. 4 is fixed to the inside of the outer peripheral wall 4a by welding. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of claw portions 37a extending in the axial direction are formed on the engagement ring 37 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. A cylindrical portion 36c extending toward the engine is formed at the outer peripheral end of the impeller shell 6a. The cylindrical portion 36c is inserted inside so as to be in close contact with the inner surface of the circumferential wall 4a of the front cover 4. A plurality of claws 36d are formed at the tip of the tubular portion 36c at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the claw 36d is inserted between the claw portions 37a of the engagement ring 37 fixed to the front cover 4. The claw portion 37a and the claw 36d are engaged with each other so that they can move in the axial direction but cannot rotate relative to each other. As a result, torque can be transmitted from the engagement ring 37 to the impeller shell 6a. An annular groove is formed on the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 36c, and an O-ring 39 is arranged in the groove. The O-ring 39 seals the inside of the hydraulic oil chamber 5 between the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 36c and the outer peripheral wall 4a.

The tip of the outer peripheral wall 4a is caulked on the inner peripheral side to form a caulked portion 4b, which restricts the movement of the tubular portion 36c toward the transmission side. Further, a band 38 is attached to the outer surface of the outer peripheral wall 4a in order to prevent the outer peripheral wall 4a from expanding outward due to centrifugal force. Next, the operation will be described.

During operation of the torque converter 1, the hydraulic oil chamber 5 is in a high pressure state, so that a force is applied to the front cover 4 and the impeller shell 6a in a direction away from each other in the axial direction. However, since the caulking portion 4b formed at the tip of the outer peripheral wall 4a regulates the movement of the impeller shell 6a toward the transmission side, they do not come off. The centrifugal force exerts a force that expands the outer peripheral wall 4a of the front cover 4 and the cylindrical portion 36c of the impeller shell 6a in the outer peripheral direction, but the expansion is restricted by the band 38. As a result, the torque converter 1 is not damaged by the centrifugal force.

When disassembling the torque converter 1, first, the band 38 is cut, and the caulked portion 4b of the outer peripheral wall 4a is returned to the outer peripheral side. As a result, the impeller shell 6a can be removed from the front cover 4 in the axial direction. At the time of reassembly, the turbine 6 is attached to the front cover from the right side of FIG. At this time, the tubular portion 36c is inserted into the outer peripheral wall 4a, and the pawl 36d engages with the pawl portion 37a. Next, the tip of the outer peripheral wall 4a is caulked to the inner peripheral side to form the caulked portion 4b again. As a result, the front cover 4 and the impeller shell 6a cannot be removed in the axial direction. Finally, a new band 38 is wound around the outer surface of the outer peripheral wall 4a.

As described above, also in the second embodiment, the torque converter 1 can be easily disassembled and reassembled. Therefore, when a component in the hydraulic fluid chamber 5 fails, only the failed component is replaced. Or they can be repaired and resources can be effectively used. Further, it becomes possible to inspect and maintain the parts in the hydraulic oil chamber 5. [Other Embodiments] (a) The structure of the engaging portion between the front cover and the impeller shell is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be realized by various structures. (B) In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the torque converter having the lockup device, but the present invention can be similarly applied to the torque converter having no lockup device.

[0027]

[Effect of device]

 In the torque converter according to the present invention, the impeller shell and the front cover are detachably engaged with each other, which facilitates disassembly and reassembly of the torque converter. In addition, the seal member prevents the fluid inside the fluid chamber from leaking to the outside.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a torque converter according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of an engaging portion between the front cover and the impeller shell.

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view on arrow IV in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Torque Converter 2 Drive Plate 3 Main Drive Shaft 4 Front Cover 5 Hydraulic Oil Chamber 6 Impeller 6a Impeller Shell 6b Impeller Blade 7 Turbine 8 Stator 21 O-ring

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A torque converter for transmitting a torque of an input side rotating body to an output side rotating body through a fluid, comprising: a front cover connected to the input side rotating body; and non-rotatable relative to the front cover. And a detachable engagement with the front cover to form a fluid chamber filled with fluid, and an impeller including a blade member provided inside the impeller shell; and the impeller in the fluid chamber. A turbine that is disposed so as to face the rotor and that is connected to the output-side rotating body; a stator that is provided between the inner peripheral portion of the impeller and the inner peripheral portion of the turbine in the fluid chamber; A torque converter, which is disposed between the impeller shell and seals the fluid chamber.