JPH08285038A - Lock-up clutch for torque converter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a lock-up clutch that can easily obtain an expected torsional characteristic without the generation of useless frictional force caused by the contact of a compression spring during operation. CONSTITUTION: A lock-up clutch for a torque converter is provided with a piston 12 separable from a converter cover 3, a drive plate 21 connected to the piston 12, a clutch hub 22 connected to a turbine hub 5, a pair of compression springs 25 respectively accommodated in a plurality of apertures, formed in the positions corresponding to the drive plate 21 and the clutch hub 22, so as to allow the elastic relative rotation of the drive plate 21 and clutch hub 22, and a floating element 26 for making a pair of compression springs 25 act in series. A holding protrusion 33 covering a part on the peripheral side of the compression spring 25 so as to prevent the interference of the compression spring 25 with other members is attached to the floating element 26.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lockup clutch built in a torque converter of an automobile or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A lock-up clutch of this type directly connects a pump impeller of a torque converter and a turbine runner, whereby the power transmission efficiency of the torque converter can be improved.

As a conventional lock-up clutch, for example, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-58258 is known. That is, the pump impeller of the torque converter is integrally connected to the converter cover to which the flywheel is connected, and the turbine runner includes a turbine hub connected to the output shaft. The lock-up clutch includes a piston, the inner periphery of which is slidably fitted to the turbine hub and which can be brought into contact with and separated from the converter cover, and a damper which relatively rotatably connects the piston and the turbine hub. ing. The lock-up clutch moves in the axial direction by the control hydraulic pressure, and the piston is controlled to come into contact with or separate from the converter cover, so that a predetermined coupling state between the pump impeller and the turbine runner is obtained. That is, when the piston is separated from the converter cover, the power input to the pump impeller is transmitted to the turbine runner via the hydraulic oil in the torque converter. On the other hand, when the piston contacts the converter cover, the pump impeller and the turbine runner will be connected via the lockup clutch, and the power input to the pump impeller is transmitted to the turbine runner via the lockup clutch. It is output to the output shaft.

[0004]

The damper includes a drive plate connected to a piston, a clutch hub connected to a turbine hub, and a compression spring housed in a window formed in the drive plate and the clutch hub. And one end of the compression spring is in contact with the end of the window formed in the drive plate and the end of the recess formed in the piston, and the other end is in contact with the end of the window formed in the clutch hub. The piston and the clutch hub connected to the turbine hub are elastically connected so as to be relatively rotatable.

Since one end of the compression spring is in contact with the end of the recess formed in the piston, the outer periphery of this compression spring is extremely close to the inner periphery of the recess, and there is a risk that they will accidentally contact each other. If the outer periphery of the compression spring comes into contact with the inner periphery of the depression during operation, unnecessary frictional force may be generated, and the desired torsional characteristics may not be obtained.

The present invention has been devised in view of such conventional circumstances, and the compression spring does not come into contact with the compression spring during operation to generate unnecessary frictional force, thereby facilitating desired torsional characteristics. An object is to provide a lockup clutch that can be obtained.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, according to the present invention, in particular, a piston having an inner periphery slidably fitted to the turbine hub and capable of coming into contact with and separating from a converter cover, and a piston connected to the piston, is arranged in a circumferential direction. A drive plate having a plurality of windows, a plurality of windows corresponding to the windows of the drive plate, a clutch hub connected to the turbine hub, and a plurality of windows of the drive plate and the clutch hub, respectively. A compression spring, which is inserted pair by pair and allows elastic relative rotation between the drive plate and the clutch hub, and a slider that is arranged between the pair of compression springs and that causes the pair of compression springs to act in series. The idler is provided with a holding projection that covers a part of the outer peripheral side of the compression spring and prevents the compression spring from interfering with other members.

Further, each of the idlers is connected on the outer peripheral side by an annular connecting portion, and the annular connecting portion is guided between the piston and the drive plate.

[0009]

This lock-up clutch moves in the axial direction by the control hydraulic pressure, and the piston is controlled to come into contact with or separate from the converter cover, so that a predetermined coupling state between the pump impeller and the turbine runner is obtained. That is, when the piston is separated from the converter cover, the power input to the pump impeller is transmitted to the turbine runner via the hydraulic oil in the torque converter, and the lockup clutch does not operate. On the other hand, when the piston comes into contact with the converter cover, the pump impeller and the turbine runner are connected through the lockup clutch, and the power input to the pump impeller is the piston of the lockup clutch, the drive plate, and the compression spring. , Is transmitted to the turbine runner via the clutch hub and is output to the output shaft.

At this time, the compression spring has a holding projection attached to the idler to cover a part of the outer peripheral side of the compression spring to prevent interference with other members. There is no unnecessary frictional force caused by contact with
The desired twisting characteristics can be easily obtained.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a lock-up clutch showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which the left half is shown with the drive plate and the clutch hub removed, and the lower right quarter is shown with the clutch hub removed. is there. Also, FIG.
2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

In the figure, 1 is a lockup clutch,
The lockup clutch 1 includes a converter cover 3 and a turbine runner 4 which are integrally connected to a pump impeller 2.
It is housed and arranged between. Reference numeral 5 denotes a turbine hub to which the inner peripheral portion of the turbine runner 4 is attached. The turbine hub 5 includes a boss portion 6 and a flange portion 7. A spline 8 is formed on the inner circumference of the boss portion 6 and can be connected to the output shaft 9 via the spline 8. The inner peripheral side of the turbine runner 4 and the inner peripheral side of a clutch hub described later are attached to the side surface of the flange portion 7 by rivets 10.

The lock-up clutch 1 has an annular piston 12 whose inner periphery is slidably fitted to the outer periphery of the boss portion 6 of the turbine hub 5 and which can be brought into and out of contact with the converter cover 3 integral with the pump impeller 2. , A damper 13 that elastically connects the piston 12 and the turbine hub 5 so as to be relatively rotatable.
It is composed mainly of and.

The piston 12 is made of a rolled steel plate material and has an annular recess 14, a flange 15 is formed on the outer peripheral side, and a boss portion 6 of the turbine hub 5 is formed on the inner peripheral side.
A cylindrical portion 16 is formed on the outer periphery so as to be slidably fitted through a seal member (not shown).

Reference numeral 18 denotes a friction material which faces the converter cover 3 and is located between the recess 14 and the flange 15 and which is adhered to the piston 12. The friction material 18 is in contact with the converter cover 3, It controls the frictional joint between the piston 12 and the converter cover 3, and controls the hermetic sealing between the first hydraulic chamber 19 and the second hydraulic chamber 20 formed on both sides of the piston 12.

The damper 13 has a drive plate 21.
, The clutch hub 22, and these drive plates 21
And a pair of compression springs 25 housed in a plurality of windows 23 and 24 formed at corresponding positions of the clutch hub 22 and allowing elastic relative rotation between the drive plate 21 and the clutch hub 22, respectively. A pair of compression springs 2
5 is a main element.

The drive plate 21 is made of a rolled steel plate material, and the outer peripheral side of the piston 12 is fixed by a rivet 27.
And a plurality of windows 23 are formed in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral side, that is, four windows 23 in this embodiment. The circumferential end 28 of each window 23 as a whole forms a spring seat for receiving the end of the compression spring 25, so that this end 28 has a more inner circumference than the connection to the piston 12. Side, a bent portion 28a toward the recess 14 side, a spring seat portion 28b extending inward in the radial direction from the bent portion 28a, and an inner peripheral portion 28c bent from the spring seat portion 28b toward the turbine runner 4 side. And the spring seat portion 2 bent outward in the radial direction from the inner peripheral portion 28c.
8d is formed. In addition, the end portion 2 on the inner and outer peripheral sides of the window 23
In order to prevent the compression spring 25 from protruding by covering a part of the outer periphery of the compression spring 25, the holding projections 29a, 2 are provided.
9b is formed by bending. These holding protrusions 29a, 2
9b extends to the turbine runner 4 side, and the compression spring 25
To prevent it from jumping out toward the turbine runner 4 side.

The clutch hub 22 is made of a rolled steel plate material and has a substantially annular shape. The inner peripheral side of the clutch hub 22 is attached to the turbine hub 5 by the rivets 10. An inclined portion 30 is formed in the central portion and the drive plate 21 is formed on the outer peripheral side. Window 23
Corresponding to the above, four windows 24 are formed. The window 24 is open on the outer peripheral side, and the end portion 31 in the circumferential direction of the window 24 is opened.
Is bent in a direction away from the turbine runner 4 to form a spring seat portion 31a. Further, a part of the inclined portion 30 near the end 31 is left uncut so that the opening area of the window 24 becomes small, and serves as a holding projection 24a for preventing the compression spring 25 from popping out.

The compression spring 25, as best shown in FIG. 1, is of a double inner and outer nested type and has a corresponding window 23,
The pairs are accommodated in the inside of 24.

The idler 26 has a taper shape that converges toward the inner peripheral side of the lockup clutch 1 and is arranged between the pair of compression springs 25. The pair of compression springs 25 are provided in the windows 23, 24. In series. Therefore, when the drive plate 21 and the clutch hub 22 rotate relative to each other, the damper 13 of this embodiment has corresponding windows 2.
Four spring groups acting in series in 3, 24 act in parallel to obtain elasticity. In addition, each child 2
6 are connected to each other by an annular connecting portion 32 on the outer peripheral side. The annular connecting portion 32 is placed on the outer peripheral side of the bent portion 28a of the drive plate 21, and the piston 1
2 is guided between the drive plate 21 and the drive plate 21.

Further, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the idler 26 covers a part of the outer peripheral side of the compression spring 25 on both sides in the circumferential direction and the other side of the compression spring 25. A holding protrusion 33 is formed to prevent interference with the member.
The holding protrusion 33 is provided on the flat surface portion 3 connected to the annular connecting portion 32.
3a and the bent portion 33b, the bent portion 3
3b extends to the piston 12 side, the compression spring 25 is another member,
In particular, it prevents interference with the piston 12. Since the end surface of the compression spring 25 is in contact with the idler 26, the sliding amount between the compression spring 25 and the holding projection 33 is smaller than the relative rotation amount of other members with respect to the compression spring 25.

A retainer 34 is provided at the end of the compression spring 25 which contacts the end 28 of the window 23 formed in the drive plate 21 and the end 31 of the window 24 formed in the clutch hub 22.
Is provided. The surface of the retainer 34 is preferably hardened and lubricated.

In such a configuration, a flywheel (not shown) is connected to the converter cover 3, and the pump impeller 2 is rotationally driven by the driving force input from this flywheel. Here, when the hydraulic pressure of the second hydraulic chamber 20 is relatively increased with respect to the hydraulic pressure of the first hydraulic chamber 19 by the control device (not shown), the piston 12 moves to the second hydraulic chamber 20.
The lockup clutch 1 as a whole moves to the converter cover 3 side by being pressed by the hydraulic pressure of, and the friction material 18 attached to the piston 12 comes into pressure contact with the converter cover 3. As a result, the pump impeller 2 and the turbine runner 4 are connected via the lockup clutch 1. Therefore, the driving force of the pump impeller 2 is transmitted to the piston 12 via the friction material 18, and the drive plate 21 of the damper 13
It is transmitted to the turbine hub 5 via the compression spring 25 and the clutch hub 22, and is output to the output shaft 9. At this time, the pair of compression springs 25 housed in the corresponding windows 23 and 24 act in series, so that the spring constant is small, and the four spring groups that act in series are arranged in parallel while absorbing a vibration with a long deflection amplitude. To obtain proper torsional elasticity.

On the other hand, when the hydraulic pressure in the first hydraulic chamber 19 is relatively increased, the piston 12 is pushed back by the hydraulic pressure in the first hydraulic chamber 19, and the lockup clutch 1 as a whole moves to the turbine runner 4 side. Friction material 18 is converter cover 3
Move away from As a result, the connection between the pump impeller 2 and the turbine runner 4 via the lock-up clutch 1 is released, and the driving force from the pump impeller 2 is transmitted to the turbine runner 4 via the hydraulic oil inside the converter. And output to the output shaft 9 via the turbine hub 5.

Here, the first hydraulic chamber 19 and the second hydraulic chamber 20.
The piston 12 moves due to a change in the relative hydraulic pressure between the compression spring 25 and the end portion 31 of the window 24 formed in the clutch hub 22, and the sliding wear occurs. Is advantageously prevented by providing the retainer 34, which has been subjected to the surface hardening treatment and the lubrication treatment, at the end of the compression spring 25.

A holding projection 33 provided on the idler 26
However, it covers a part of the outer circumference of the compression spring 25 to prevent the compression spring 25 from coming into contact with other members.

As a result, the compression spring 25 moves the idler 2
A part of the outer peripheral side is covered by the holding projection 31 attached to 6 to prevent interference with other members, so that the compression spring 25 comes into contact with other members during operation and unnecessary frictional force is generated. And the desired twisting characteristics can be easily obtained.

Further, each of the idlers 26 is connected to each other by an annular connecting portion 32 on the outer peripheral side, and the annular connecting portion 32 is guided between the piston 12 and the drive plate 21. The operation of the idler 26 is smooth, and the series action of the pair of compression springs 25 housed in the windows 23 and 24 is smoothly performed. In addition, the child 2
In No. 6, since the annular connecting portion 32 is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the clutch hub 22, it can be formed from the same material as the clutch hub 22.

Although the embodiment has been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific structure is not limited to this embodiment.
Modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, the holding projection 3 attached to the idler 26
Although the embodiment in which 3 is provided only on the piston 12 side has been described, the protruding directions of the holding projections 33 provided on both sides of the idler 26 in the circumferential direction may be different in the left and right directions.
As a result, the holding projection 29a provided on the outer peripheral side of the window 23 of the drive plate 21 can be eliminated, and the shape of the drive plate 21 can be simplified.

The clutch hub 22 may be connected to the 5-turb hub 5 not only by rivet connection but also by various connection means such as spline connection capable of transmitting power.

[0033]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a lock that can directly connect a pump impeller having a converter cover integrally connected thereto and a turbine runner having a turbine hub connected to an output shaft. An up-clutch, an inner periphery of which is slidably fitted to the turbine hub, a piston which can be brought into and out of contact with a converter cover, and a drive plate which is connected to the piston and has a plurality of windows in a circumferential direction, A clutch hub connected to the turbine hub and having a plurality of windows corresponding to the windows of the drive plate, and a pair of each of the drive plate and the clutch hub are inserted respectively into the drive plate and the clutch hub. And a compression spring which allows elastic relative rotation between the compression spring and the compression spring, and a floating element which is arranged between the pair of compression springs and causes the pair of compression springs to act in series. The compression spring is attached to the idler by providing the idler with a holding projection that covers a part of the outer peripheral side of the compression spring to prevent interference with other members of the compression spring. A part of the outer peripheral side of the holding projection is covered to prevent interference with other members. As a result, the compression spring does not come into contact with other members during operation to generate unnecessary frictional force, and the desired torsional characteristics can be easily obtained.

Further, each of the idlers is connected by an annular connecting portion on the outer peripheral side, and the annular connecting portion is
The operation is smoothed by being guided between the piston and the drive plate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a lockup clutch showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a left half is shown with a drive plate and a clutch hub removed, and a lower right quarter is a view with a clutch hub removed.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the idler shown in FIG.

4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

[Explanation of Codes] 1 Lock-up clutch 2 Pump impeller 3 Converter cover 4 Turbine runner 5 Turbine hub 12 Piston 21 Drive plate 22 Clutch hub 23, 24 Window 25 Compression spring 26 Floating element 32 Annular coupling portion 33 Holding protrusion

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A lock-up clutch capable of directly connecting a pump impeller to which a converter cover is integrally connected and a turbine runner having a turbine hub connected to an output shaft, the inner periphery of which is the turbine hub. It has a piston that is slidably fitted and can be brought into contact with and separated from the converter cover, a drive plate that is connected to the piston and has a plurality of windows in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of windows that correspond to the windows of the drive plate. A pair of clutch hubs connected to the turbine hub and a plurality of windows of the drive plate and the clutch hub, respectively, and compression allowing elastic relative rotation between the drive plate and the clutch hub. A spring and a floating element that is disposed between the pair of compression springs and that causes the pair of compression springs to act in series. A lock-up clutch for a torque converter, which is provided with a holding projection that covers a part of the above and prevents the compression spring from interfering with other members. 2. The lock of the torque converter according to claim 1, wherein each of the idlers is connected on the outer peripheral side by an annular connecting portion, and the annular connecting portion is guided between the piston and the drive plate. Up clutch.