JPH08170706A - Automatic continuously variable transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an automatic continuously variable transmission in which its size, weight, and manufacturing cost can be reduced, in which the range of speed change from a low speed (including zero) to a high speed is large enough, and in which the time required for speed change can be shortened. CONSTITUTION: An automatic continuously variable transmission is provided with an input rotating plate 12 on an input shaft (11) side, an output rotating plate 14 on an output shaft (13) side, a plurality of ball-idlers 15, which are pushed and held between outer peripheral parts 12a and 14a of the input/output rotating plates 12, 14, and a rotation-axis-tilting-means 16, which tilts a virtual rotation axis (a) of respective ball-idlers 15 toward the input/output sides.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mechanical automatic continuously variable transmission, and more specifically, to a compact transmission,
Automatic continuously variable transmission that can reduce the weight and cost, is hard to break down, has a wider range of shift from low speed (including 0) to high speed, and can shorten the time required to change the speed. Regarding the machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, the power of an internal combustion engine is normally transmitted to an input portion of various devices as a rotational force of an output shaft through a predetermined power transmission system. It may be necessary to change to a rotation speed suitable for the operation of the device. Therefore, various automatic continuously variable transmissions have been developed that continuously change the speed to a predetermined number of revolutions.

Conventionally, as such an automatic continuously variable transmission,
For example, a planetary cone type automatic continuously variable transmission 100 as shown in FIG. 3 is known. This automatic continuously variable transmission 100 is
An intermediate rotary plate 106 is arranged between the input rotary plate 102 fixed to the input shaft 101 and the output rotary plate 105 fixed to the output shaft 104 with the automatic adjustment cam 103. A plurality of planetary cones 107 each having an umbrella-shaped cross section are axially mounted via a rotation shaft 107a at a predetermined angle of the inclined outer edge portion, and the planetary cones 1 are also rotated.
Pressing ring 1 on the output rotary plate 105 side of the horizontal umbrella surface of 07
08 is abutted so as to be horizontally movable. The outer edge portion of the input rotary plate 102 has an umbrella portion 107a of the planet cone 107.
The lower surface of the outer edge portion of the umbrella portion 107a of the planetary cone 107 is in contact with the upper surface of the outer edge portion of the output rotary plate 105.
By moving the pressing ring 108 between the central portion and the outer edge portion of the umbrella surface of the planet cone 107 by a ring moving means (not shown), the rotation speed and the revolution speed of the planet cone 107 are adjusted, whereby the output rotary plate The rotation speed of 105 is changed.

[0004]

However, in the automatic continuously variable transmission 100 of the prior art, the rotation speed and the revolution speed of the planet cone 107 are adjusted in this way, and the output rotary plate 10 is adjusted.
Since the rotation speed of No. 5 is changed, there is a problem that the range of speed change is relatively narrow and it is difficult to incorporate it into various devices such as automobiles. Moreover, the power transmission efficiency is poor and the structure is complicated. However, there is a problem in that the gear tends to be broken and tends to increase in size, and the transmission becomes heavy and the cost increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to reduce the size, weight, and cost of a transmission, to prevent a failure, and to shift from a low speed (including 0) to a high speed. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic continuously variable transmission that can take a wider range and can reduce the time required to change the speed.

[0006]

A method according to the above-mentioned object.
The automatic continuously variable transmission described above, an input rotary plate on the input shaft side, an output rotary plate on the output shaft side, a plurality of spherical idlers pressed between the outer edge portions of the input and output rotary plates, It is configured to include a rotation shaft tilting unit that tilts the virtual rotation shaft of each spherical idler and tilts it toward the output side.

Further, the automatic continuously variable transmission according to claim 2 is
2. The automatic continuously variable transmission according to claim 1, wherein the rotary shaft tilting means includes a shift ring provided with a ball storage portion of each of the ball idlers in the input / output axis direction by a shift means having a drive portion. To shift,
The surface of the ball storage portion on the ball idler side is configured to be an inclined surface having a required angle or a curved surface having a radius of curvature larger than the radius of curvature of the ball idler.

Further, the automatic continuously variable transmission according to claim 3 is the automatic continuously variable transmission according to claim 1 or 2,
Depending on the rotational torque applied to the input and output shafts, the input,
A pressing force adjusting means for increasing or decreasing the pressing force of the ball idler on the output rotary plate is provided.

[0009]

In the automatic continuously variable transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 3, when the direction of the virtual rotary shaft of the spherical idler is orthogonal to the axial direction of the input shaft and the output shaft, both the input and output shafts have the same speed. Rotate. On the other hand, at the time of shifting, by tilting the virtual rotation shaft of the spherical idler to the input shaft side or the output shaft side by the rotation shaft tilting means, a shift state from deceleration to acceleration can be obtained.

Further, in the automatic continuously variable transmission according to a second aspect of the present invention, each of the spherical idlers is operated by actuating the shift means by the drive unit so that the shift ring is inserted and shifted in the rotation axis direction of the output rotary plate. And the contact point of the shift ring with the ball storage part moves in the same shift direction along the surface of the ball storage part on the ball idler side, which is an inclined surface with a required angle or a curved surface with a radius of curvature larger than the radius of curvature of the ball idler. As a result, the virtual rotation axis of each ball idler is tilted together.

Further, in the automatic continuously variable transmission according to the present invention, when the rotational torque applied to the input and output shafts increases and decreases, the pressing force adjusting means operates in response to the input and output, and a ball idler to the output rotary plate. Adjust the pressing force of to ensure smooth power transmission.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to provide an understanding of the present invention. 1 is a sectional view of an automatic continuously variable transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 (a) is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part showing the same deceleration state, and FIG. 2 (b) is the same speed increasing state. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic continuously variable transmission 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention has an input rotary plate 12 integrally formed at one end of an input shaft 11 and an output shaft 13 at one end thereof. The inserted output rotary plate 14, a plurality of perfectly spherical sphere idlers 15 pressed between the outer edge portions 12a, 14a of the input and output rotary plates 12, 14 having the claw-shaped cross section, and the respective ball idlers 15 And a rotary shaft tilting means 16 for tilting the virtual rotary shaft a and tilting it toward the output side. The input / output rotary plate 1
The sizes of 2, 14 may be equal or may have different diameters. The input / output shafts 11 and 13 are rotatably attached to the central portions of the disk-shaped end plates 17a and 17b of the casing 17 through a bearing 18 and a bearing portion 20 having an oil seal 19. A small-diameter shaft 22 connected to the center of the input rotary plate 12 via a bearing 21 is integrally formed on the tip end surface of the output shaft 13, so that rotation between the input and output rotary plates 12 and 14 is performed. Prevents misalignment inside. However, the small diameter shaft 22 is not always necessary.

A spiral groove 23 having a semi-circular cross-section with a large pitch is formed on the front side of the output shaft 13, and the output rotary plate 14 is attached to the output shaft 13 so as to cover the spiral groove 23 from the outside.
The cylindrical shaft portion 24 is loosely inserted so as to be movable in the axial direction.
Four through holes 25 are formed in the cylindrical shaft portion 24 at every 90 degrees along the spiral groove 23, and small balls 26 for power transmission are projected into the through holes 25 by the lid 27. It is stored with being prevented. The number of through holes 25 formed is increased or decreased according to the number of small balls 26 used. Further, the collar portion 28 of the back portion is provided at the middle portion of the output shaft 13.
A ring 29 supported by the output rotary plate 14 is disposed between the ring 29 and the rear surface of the base of the output rotary plate 14, and the outer edge part 14a of the output rotary plate 14 having a claw-shaped cross section is applied to the spherical idler 15 with a large biasing force. A spring 30 for pressing is arranged. By these components 24 to 30, the pressing force adjusting means 31 for increasing or decreasing the pressing force of the ball idler 15 to the input / output rotary plates 12, 14 according to the rotational torque applied to the input / output rotary plates 12, 14 is provided. Composed. Next, the rotating shaft tilting means 16 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rotating shaft tilting means 1
6 is a worm wheel portion 3 that meshes with the worm gear 32.
3 is a thick drive ring 3 provided on the inner surface of the casing.
Four. The drive ring 34 is rotatably inserted in an annular recess 17d formed in the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical peripheral side plate 17c of the casing 17 on the side of the spherical idler 15 and has an inner threaded portion 34a on its inner peripheral surface. Is provided.
A shift ring 35 having an outer peripheral surface provided with an outer threaded portion 35a that meshes with the inner threaded portion 34a is fitted into the drive ring 34. The shift ring 35 is rotatably arranged on an outer peripheral portion of a retainer 36 that rotatably supports the ball idler 15, and an inner circumferential surface thereof is provided with a groove portion 37 that is an arc when viewed in cross section, which is an example of a ball storage portion. Has been formed. The groove portion 37 is a curved surface having a radius of curvature larger than the radius of curvature of the spherical idler 15 in a sectional view.

An annular slide groove 38 is formed on the end plate 17a side surface of the shift ring 35, and a guide rod 39 protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the end plate 17a is loosely inserted in the slide groove 38. Has been done. When the worm gear 32 is rotated by the drive motor M, which is an example of a drive unit, the drive ring 34 is rotated via the worm wheel portion 33, whereby the shift ring 35 is guided via the inner and outer threaded portions 34a and 35a to the guide rod 39. It is used as a guide and is shifted in the directions of the output shafts 11 and 13. These components 32
˜34, 34a, 35, 35a, 37, 38, 39 constitute shift means 40 for inserting the shift ring 35 and shifting it in the directions of the output shafts 11, 13. FIG.
In the above, the symbol W is the lubricating oil stored in the casing 17.

Next, the operation of the automatic continuously variable transmission 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, power is transmitted by an input shaft 11, an input rotary plate 12, and a ball idler 1.
5, output rotary plate 14, output shaft 13 via small ball 26
Is transmitted to At this time, when the rotational speeds of the input and output shafts 11 and 13 are equalized, the drive ring 34 is rotated by the drive motor M if necessary, and the shift ring 35 is moved toward the input shaft 11 or the output shaft 13 toward the spherical idler. The virtual rotation axis a of 15 is shifted until it becomes orthogonal to the axes of the input and output shafts 11 and 13. As a result, when the spherical idler 15 rotates about the virtual rotation axis a, the outer edge portion 12
The contact radius b1 on the a side and the contact radius b2 on the outer edge portion 14a side match, and the rotation speed of the input rotary plate 12 is transmitted to the output rotary plate 14 as it is.

When increasing the rotational speed of the output shaft 13 side from the input shaft 11 side, as shown in FIG.
The drive ring 34 is rotated by the drive motor M to move the shift ring 35 in the direction of the input shaft 11 shown by the arrow in the figure. As a result, the contact point between the spherical idler 15 and the inner peripheral surface of the groove portion 37 of the shift ring 35 having a larger radius of curvature gradually moves to the output shaft 13 side, and the virtual rotation axis a is output as shown by the arrow. Tilt to the shaft 13 side. Therefore, when the spherical idler 15 rotates about the virtual rotation axis a, the outer edge portion 1
The contact radius b1 on the 2a side is small, and the contact radius b2 on the outer edge portion 14a side is large, so that the output shaft 13 is larger than the input shaft 11 side.
The rotation speed on the side increases.

Further, when decelerating the rotational speed of the output shaft 13 side from the input shaft 11 side, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the drive ring 34 is rotated by the drive motor M,
The shift ring 35 is moved toward the output shaft 13 shown by the arrow in the figure. As a result, the contact point between the spherical idler 15 and the inner peripheral surface of the groove portion 37 of the shift ring 35 is gradually changed to the input shaft 1
After moving to the 1 side, the virtual rotation axis a tilts toward the input shaft 11 side as indicated by the arrow. Therefore, when the spherical idler 15 rotates about the virtual rotation axis a, the contact radius b on the outer edge portion 12a side
1 is large and the contact radius b2 on the outer edge portion 14a side is small, and the rotation speed on the output shaft 13 side is decelerated from the input shaft 11 side.

By the way, in this embodiment, the input / output shaft 1
When the rotational torque applied to the motors 1 and 13 is increased or decreased, the pressing force adjusting means 31 is activated in response to the increase or decrease and the output rotary plate 12,
The pressing force of the ball idler 15 against the ball 14 can be adjusted to a strength that enables smooth power transmission. That is, for example, when a rotational torque is applied to the output shaft 13, the rotational force transmitted from the input shaft 11 side via the spherical idler 15 is
Although the output rotary plate 14 is about to be rotated, the rotational force of the output shaft 13 is increasing in this way, so the rotational torque of the output shaft 13 causes a small ball inserted into the through hole 25 of the tubular shaft portion 24. 26 moves to the input shaft 11 side along the spiral groove 23, whereby the outer edge portion 14a of the output rotary plate 14 is pressed against the surface of the spherical idler 15 to prevent the outer edge portion 14a from slipping, and Output shaft 1 regardless of 13 loads
The speed-changed rotation can be transmitted from 3.

As described above, by inserting the virtual rotary shaft a of the spherical idler 15 by the rotary shaft tilting means 16 and tilting the virtual rotary shaft a toward the output shafts 11 and 13, it is possible to secure a wider gear shift range from deceleration to acceleration. Moreover, compared with the conventional automatic continuously variable transmission on the side of the planetary cone, the slight movement of rotating the virtual rotation axis a of the ball idler 15 makes it possible to increase the speed from low speed (including 0) to high speed at a stroke. It can be changed, which reduces the time required to change the speed. Further, the structure of the automatic continuously variable transmission 10 is
Since it is a simple one that uses a ball idler and a rotating shaft tilting means, the transmission can be made compact, lightweight, and cost-effective, and it is difficult to cause a failure.

Further, by inputting the shift ring 35 by the shift means 40 and shifting it in the directions of the output shafts 11 and 13, the virtual rotary shafts a of the respective ball idlers 15 are tilted together, so that the rotary shafts are rotated. The structure of the tilting means 16 is further simplified, and it is more difficult for a failure to occur and further cost reduction can be achieved. Furthermore, since the pressing force adjusting means 31 for increasing or decreasing the pressing force of the ball idler 15 to the input / output rotary plates 12 and 14 according to the rotational torque applied to the input / output shafts 11 and 13, the large rotational torque is provided. Can be smoothly transmitted to the output shaft 13.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and any modification of the design within the scope not departing from the gist is included in the present invention. For example, the automatic continuously variable transmission of the present invention can be used for continuously variable transmission of any type of device or power source. Further, the input side such as the input shaft and the input rotary plate in FIG. 1 and the output side such as the output shaft and the output rotary plate may be arranged in opposite directions.

Further, the rotating shaft tilting means is not limited to the one for shifting the shift ring by the shifting means as in the embodiment, but may have any other structure. For example, the rotation axis tilting member such as a pad having a pressing surface with the same radius is pressed against the spherical surface of each ball idler, and tilted collectively or individually to tilt the virtual rotation axis of the ball idler. May be. The pressing force adjusting means is not limited to that of the embodiment but may have any other structure. Although the pressing force adjusting means is provided on the output shaft in the embodiment, the pressing force adjusting means may be provided on both the input shaft and the input / output shaft without being limited to this. However, this pressing force adjusting means is not always necessary.

Further, in the embodiment, the ball storage portion is the groove portion, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a partial pocket shape. Further, in the embodiment, the surface on the ball idler side of the ball storage portion is a curved surface having a radius of curvature larger than the radius of curvature of the ball idler, but the invention is not limited to this, and may be an inclined surface having a required angle, for example. . Furthermore, in the embodiment, the drive motor is adopted as the drive unit of the shift unit, but the drive unit is not limited to this, and for example, a manual handle or a hydraulic actuator may be used.

[0026]

In the automatic continuously variable transmission according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the speed change state can be obtained only by inserting the virtual rotary shaft of the spherical idler by the rotary shaft tilting means and tilting it to the output side. The shift range from deceleration (including 0) to acceleration can be made larger, and the time required for speed change can be shortened. Further, since the structure of this transmission is simple using the input / output rotation, the ball idler and the rotary shaft tilting means, the transmission can be made compact, lightweight and low in cost, and it is difficult to cause a failure.

Particularly, in the automatic continuously variable transmission according to the second aspect of the present invention, the virtual rotating shafts of the respective ball idlers are tilted together by shifting the shift ring into the output shaft direction by the shift means. Therefore, the structure of the rotating shaft tilting means is further simplified, and it is more difficult for a failure to occur, and further cost reduction can be achieved.

Further, in the automatic continuously variable transmission according to the third aspect of the invention, depending on the rotational torque applied to the input and output shafts,
Since the pressing force adjusting means for increasing or decreasing the pressing force of the spherical idler to the input / output rotary plate is provided, a large rotational torque can be smoothly transmitted to the output shaft.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an automatic continuously variable transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing the same deceleration state. FIG. 3B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an essential part showing the same speed-up state.

FIG. 3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of an automatic continuously variable transmission according to conventional means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 automatic continuously variable transmission 11 input shaft 12 input rotary plate 12a outer edge part 13 output shaft 14 output rotary plate 14a outer edge part 15 ball idler 16 rotary shaft tilting means 17 casing 17a end plate 17b end plate 17c circumferential side plate 17d annular recess 18 bearing 19 Oil seal 20 Bearing part 21 Bearing 22 Small diameter shaft 23 Spiral groove 24 Cylindrical shaft part 25 Through hole 26 Small ball 27 Lid body 28 Collar part 29 Ring 30 Spring 31 Pushing force adjusting means 32 Worm gear 33 Worm wheel part 34 Drive ring 34a Screw part 35 Shift ring 35a External screw part 36 Retainer 37 Groove part 38 Slide groove 39 Guide rod 40 Shift means M Drive motor W Lubricating oil a Virtual rotating shaft b1 Contact radius b2 Contact radius

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An input rotary plate on the input shaft side, an output rotary plate on the output shaft side, a plurality of ball idlers pressed between the outer edge portions of the input and output rotary plates, and the respective ball idlers. An automatic continuously variable transmission, comprising: a rotation shaft tilting unit that tilts the virtual rotation shaft of and into the output side. 2. The rotating shaft tilting means shifts a shift ring provided with a ball storage portion of each of the spherical idlers in the input / output axis direction by a shift means having a drive portion. The automatic continuously variable transmission according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the ball storage portion on the side of the ball idler is an inclined surface having a required angle or a curved surface having a radius of curvature larger than the radius of curvature of the ball idler. 3. The pressing force adjusting means for increasing or decreasing the pressing force of the ball idler to the input / output rotary plate according to the rotational torque applied to the input / output shaft. Alternatively, the automatic continuously variable transmission described in 2.