JPH08338448A - One-way clutch - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce in the axial width size of a one-way clutch by installing plural pieces of rollers to be shiftably stored in the circumferential direction one by one in a wedgelike space and an elastic member pressing these rollers toward a narrow side of the wedgelike space, respectively. CONSTITUTION: When a turning shaft 1 is rotated in an arrow A direction, the pressing force of a spring piece 42 is also acted, and thereby each roller 6 is rolled to the narrow side of a wedgelike space and bitten in consequently, making it into a state of being locked, namely, unrotatingness, and an outer cylinder 2 comes to be synchronously rotated with the turning shaft 1. On the other hand, when the turning shaft 1 is rotated in an arrow B direction, the roller 6 is rolled to the wide side of the wedge space as canpressing the spring piece 42, so it comes to be a state of being free of rotation and the outer cylinder 2 remains unrotated but the turning shaft alone comes to be rotated in consequence. In this connection, since the axial width size is made reducible as compared with the conventional cage 4, this axial width size of the one-way clutch can be reduced as small as possible as a whole.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a one-way clutch provided between a shaft and an outer cylinder for synchronously rotating both in one direction and relatively rotating in the other direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a conventional one-way clutch includes a cylindrical outer ring having a cam surface for forming a wedge-shaped space at several circumferential positions on the inner surface, and a cage having a plurality of roller pockets. , A plurality of rollers and an elastic member for pressing the rollers toward the narrow side of the wedge-shaped space.

As the above-mentioned cage, for example, as shown in the microfilm of Japanese Patent Application No. 5-5162 (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-63942), it is similar to a machined cage provided for a roller bearing. The configuration is used.

[0004]

However, in the above conventional one-way clutch, due to the shape of the cage,
If the axial width of the roller must be made considerably larger than the axial width of the roller, and the axial size of the installation space for the intended use of the one-way clutch is restricted, the one-way clutch cannot be mounted. Depending on the application, it may not be usable.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a one-way clutch suitable for use when the axial dimension of the installation space in the object of use is small.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a one-way clutch provided between a shaft and an outer cylinder for synchronously rotating both in one direction and relatively rotating in the other direction. Take composition.

According to the present invention, a retainer having concave roller pockets opened toward the inner diameter side at several places on the circumference, and a retainer individually attached to the outer diameter side in each roller pocket of the retainer, and the shaft A plurality of plate-shaped pieces each having a cam surface that forms a wedge-shaped space in which the facing distance to the outer peripheral surface gradually decreases toward one side in the circumferential direction, and the plate-shaped pieces move one by one in the wedge-shaped space in the circumferential direction. A plurality of rollers that can be accommodated and an elastic member that presses the rollers toward the narrow side of the wedge-shaped space are provided.

The roller pocket of the above-mentioned cage is open in three directions, that is, the inner diameter side and the axial both sides.

The plurality of plate-shaped pieces described above are projecting pieces that are bent and formed substantially at right angles to the plate body at several circumferential positions of one annular plate.

Further, the elastic member is a spring piece integrally formed on the inner wall of the roller pocket of the cage.

[0011]

In the present invention, in short, unlike the conventional cage, the cage has a concave roller pocket that opens toward the inner diameter side, so that the axial width dimension can be reduced. I have to. In particular, if the roller pocket is opened not only on the inner diameter side but also on both sides in the axial direction, the width of the cage in the axial direction can be set to be substantially the same as the width of the roller in the axial direction. The axial width of the directional clutch can be further reduced.

Further, since the conventional outer ring is incorporated in the retainer as a plate-shaped piece having only the cam surface,
The number of relatively large parts can be reduced, which can contribute to the reduction of material cost and processing cost.

If each of the plurality of plate-like pieces is integrated by bending a part of the annular plate, it becomes easy to handle and contributes to the reduction of the number of independent parts.

Further, if the elastic member is formed integrally with the cage, the number of independent parts can be reduced and the number of assembling steps can be reduced.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The details of the present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of a one-way clutch, FIG. 2 is a rear view, FIG. 3 is a longitudinal side view, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view. FIG. 5 is a plan development view schematically showing the spring pieces of the cage.

In the figure, 1 is a rotating shaft, 2 is an outer cylinder such as a gear,
3 is a one-way clutch. The one-way clutch 3 is provided between the rotating shaft 1 and the outer cylinder 2, and rotates both of them synchronously only in one direction and relatively in the other direction.
It is provided with a cylindrical retainer 4, a star-shaped annular plate 5 corresponding to a conventional outer ring, and three rollers 6.

The cage 4 is injection-molded of, for example, a synthetic resin, and in the illustrated example, the axial width dimension thereof is set to be slightly larger than the axial width dimension of the roller 6. Has been done. Recessed roller pockets 41 that are open in three directions, i.e., the inner diameter side and the axial both sides, are formed at three locations on the circumference of the cage 4 that are substantially evenly distributed. On the inner wall of each roller pocket 41, a spring piece 42 having a substantially V-shape in plan view is integrally formed. In addition, in the cage 4, the roller pocket 41
A space 43 that is recessed in the axial direction is provided in the region between them. The space 43 is for making the thickness of each part substantially uniform and suppressing distortion during molding. The spring piece 42 is designed to expand and contract in the tangential direction of the rotary shaft 1 for the purpose of efficiently transmitting the pressing force to the roller 6.

The annular plate 5 is press-formed by, for example, a metal plate or the like, and is bent at a substantially right angle with respect to the plate body at three locations substantially equidistantly on the circumference and curved in the width direction. The first protrusions 51 are provided, and at each of the three positions between the first protrusions 51, that is, at three positions, the second protrusions extending outward in the radial direction and formed into a tapered trapezoid
A protruding piece 52 is provided. This annular plate 5 is a retainer 4
It is attached to one side, and its plate body is the cage 4.
Closing the open end of the roller pocket 41 on one side in the axial direction,
The roller 6 housed in the cage 4 is prevented from slipping out to one side in the axial direction. In this attached state, each of the above-mentioned first projecting pieces 51 is adapted to be fitted to the outer diameter side in each roller pocket 41 of the retainer 4 in a state of having a radially outward tension. One piece 5
The inner surface of No. 1 is a cam surface that forms a wedge-shaped space between the outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 1 and the opposing distance to the outer peripheral surface that gradually decreases toward one side in the circumferential direction. Each of the second protrusions 52 on one side protrudes further toward the outer diameter side than the outer peripheral surface of the cage 4, and the second protrusions 52 serve as a detent against the outer cylinder 2.

The rollers 6 are housed in the three roller pockets 41 of the cage 4 one by one in a wedge-shaped space formed by the first protrusions 51 of the annular plate 5 so as to be movable in the circumferential direction. In the state where the roller 6 is incorporated in the cage 5, the spring piece 42 of the cage 4 is brought into contact with the peripheral surface of the roller 6, and the roller 6 is pressed toward the narrow side of the wedge-shaped space. It is designed to be used.

Further, in the cage 4, the inner wall of the three roller pockets 41 without the spring pieces 42 is formed into a curved surface which is close to the curvature of the peripheral surface of the roller, and the roller 6 is provided on the inner diameter side of this inner wall. A collar-shaped projection 44 is provided to prevent the inner side of the collar from coming out inward.

Although not shown in detail, the inner hole of the outer cylinder 2 is set to have a shape matching the outer shape of the unevenness formed by the outer peripheral surface of the cage 4 and the second projecting piece 52 of the annular plate 5. Both of them are locked by the fitting of the unevenness.

Next, the operation of the one-way clutch will be described. First, when the rotary shaft 1 is rotated in the direction of the arrow A, the pressing force of the spring piece 42 is also applied to the roller 6 so that the roller 6 is rolled toward the narrow side of the wedge-shaped space and bites into a locked state in which it cannot rotate. As a result, the outer cylinder 2 rotates in synchronization with the rotating shaft 1. On the other hand, when the rotary shaft 1 is rotated in the direction of the arrow B opposite to the above, the roller 6 compresses the spring piece 42 and rolls toward the wider side of the wedge space to be in a freely rotatable state and the outer cylinder 2 Therefore, only the rotating shaft 1 rotates without rotating.

6 to 10 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a front view of a one-way clutch, FIG. 7 is a rear view, FIG. 8 is a longitudinal side view, and FIG. 9 is an exploded view. Perspective view, FIG.
0 is a plan development view schematically showing the spring pieces of the cage.

In this embodiment, the same parts or corresponding parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals. The structure of this embodiment different from that of the first embodiment is mainly the cage 4 and the annular plate 5.

Specifically, the cage 4 has a hexagonal outer shape by providing six flat surfaces 45 on the outer peripheral surface thereof. The center of each of the roller pockets 41 is arranged at a position displaced in one circumferential direction from the center position of one side of the cage 4. On the inner wall of each roller pocket 41, a spring piece 42 having a substantially I-shape in plan view is integrally formed. The flat surface 45 on the outer diameter side at the same position as the space 43 of the cage 4 is provided with a recess 46, respectively.

The first projecting piece 51 of the annular plate 5 is formed in a flat shape. The second projecting piece 52 is bent substantially at right angles to the plate body similarly to the first projecting piece 51, and is a projecting piece for fixing to the cage 4 in this embodiment.
Each of the above-mentioned first protrusions 51 is fitted so as not to have a radially outward tension with respect to the cage 4, and the center position thereof is the roller pocket 41 of the cage 4.
Is arranged so as to be displaced from the center position of one side of the retainer 4 in accordance with the position. One of the second protrusions 52,
They are fitted and fixed in a recessed state in a recess 46 on the outer periphery of the cage 4 in a state where they have a binding force inward in the radial direction,
Thereby, the annular plate 5 is positioned and fixed to the cage 4.

Further, the inner hole of the outer cylinder 2 is set to have a shape matching the hexagonal outer shape of the cage 4, and both of them are prevented from rotating by the fitting of the unevenness.

In particular, in this embodiment, as a method for positioning and fixing the annular plate 5 to the cage 4, the second annular plate 5 is used.
The fitting portion of the projecting piece 52 is set to have a radially inward binding force, and the fitting portion of the first projecting piece 51 is not set to have radially outward tension. . This is because only a part of the retainer 4 and the annular plate 5 is manufactured with high accuracy so that a part that can be processed with relatively low accuracy exists, and all parts can be processed with high accuracy. No need to manage. On the other hand, in the case where both of the above-mentioned fitting parts are to be respectively provided with binding force and tension, it is necessary to manage all parts of the retainer 4 and the annular plate 5 with high precision, Will be difficult. However, on the contrary, in the state where the fitting portion of the second projecting piece 52 is not provided with the binding force inward in the radial direction,
It is also possible to set the fitting portion of the protruding piece 51 to have a radially outward tension.

By the way, in the cage 4 of the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the number of molding dies is only two, and the holding for the conventional one-way clutch which requires three molding dies. The manufacturing cost can be reduced compared to the container. Further, the spring piece 42 of the cage 4 is set in a shape that facilitates die cutting in the axial direction during this molding.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various applications and modifications are conceivable.

(1) Spring pieces 42 of the first and second embodiments
Can be interchanged with each other.

(2) The spring piece 42 is integrally formed as a part of the cage 4, but an elastic member manufactured separately from the cage 4 may be attached to the cage 4 by hooking it. May be.

[0033]

In the present invention, by devising the shape of the cage, it is possible to reduce the axial width dimension in comparison with conventional cages. Therefore, the axial width dimension of the entire one-way clutch can be reduced. It can be made as small as possible. In particular,
By opening the roller pockets not only on the inner diameter side but also on both sides in the axial direction, the width of the cage in the axial direction can be set to be substantially the same as the width of the roller in the axial direction.
It is possible to contribute to further reduction of the axial width dimension of the entire one-way clutch.

Further, in the present invention, since the conventional outer ring is incorporated into the cage as a plate-shaped piece having only the cam surface, the number of relatively large parts can be reduced, and the material cost and the cost can be reduced. It becomes possible to contribute to the reduction of processing cost.

In particular, if each of the plurality of plate-like pieces is integrally formed by bending a part of the annular plate, the handling becomes easy and the number of independent parts can be reduced. Furthermore, if the elastic member is formed integrally with the cage, the number of independent parts can be reduced, and the number of assembling steps can be reduced. In this way, workability, assemblability, and cost can be improved depending on the device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a one-way clutch according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the one-way clutch shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional side view of the one-way clutch shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the one-way clutch shown in FIG.

5 is a plan development view schematically showing a spring piece of a retainer of the one-way clutch shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a one-way clutch according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a rear view of the one-way clutch of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional side view of the one-way clutch shown in FIG.

9 is an exploded perspective view of the one-way clutch of FIG.

10 is a plan development view schematically showing a spring piece of a retainer of the one-way clutch shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Rotating Shaft 2 Outer Cylinder 3 One-way Clutch 4 Cage 41 Roller Pocket 42 Spring Piece 5 Annular Plate 51 First Projecting Piece 6 for Creating Cam Surface 6 Roller

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A one-way clutch which is provided between a shaft and an outer cylinder to rotate both of them synchronously only in one direction and relatively rotate in the other direction. A retainer having a concave roller pocket that is opened, and a retainer that is individually attached to the outer diameter side in each roller pocket of the retainer, and that faces the outer peripheral surface of the shaft in one circumferential direction. A plurality of plate-shaped pieces having a cam surface that forms a wedge-shaped space that gradually decreases toward each of the rollers, a plurality of rollers that are housed in the wedge-shaped space so as to be movable in the circumferential direction one by one, and a roller for the wedge-shaped space. A one-way clutch, comprising: an elastic member that presses toward a narrow side. 2. The one-way clutch according to claim 1, wherein the cage has roller pockets open in three directions, i.e., an inner diameter side and an axial both sides. 3. The one direction according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of plate-shaped pieces are projecting pieces that are bent and formed substantially at right angles to the plate body at several circumferential positions of an annular plate. clutch. 4. The one-way clutch according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a spring piece integrally formed with an inner wall of a roller pocket of the retainer.