JPH10159810A - Diaphragm actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make cementation hardening unnecessary so as to provide sufficient wear resistance by applying Tufftride treatment to a contact part of a moving member which presses its counterpart in response to any deformation of a diaphragm. SOLUTION: When an air pressure is introduced in an annular space 10 inside of a case 2 from an air pressure supply source via a duct 11, a diaphragm 3 mounted inside of the case 2 is deformed vertically and according to the deformation, a moving member 4 connected to the diaphragm 3 moves vertically and the contact part 4c of its bottom surface touches a clutch which is its counterpart member so as to push it and the clutch is closed by this pushing pressure and makes its operation as a so-called limited slip differential switch. Tufftride treatment is applied to the contact part 4c of the moving member 4 which pushes the clutch in this operation. Owing to this Tufftride treatment, strength and wear resistance not varied from that in the case of cementation hardening can be set on the contact part 4c, and no deformation may occur in the moving member 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a diaphragm actuator which is a type of a hydraulic actuator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIGS.
There is known a diaphragm actuator 51 which has an annular shape as a whole and is directly mounted in a differential 71 of an automobile drive system as shown in FIG. 9 and operates as follows.

That is, when air pressure is introduced into the annular case 53 from an air pressure supply source (not shown) via the ventilation pipe 52 (see FIG. 7 or FIG. 8), it is disposed in the case 53 and has an inner peripheral edge. And the outer periphery
The annular diaphragm 54 fixed to the upper and lower parts of the upper clutch 7 is deformed in the vertical direction in the figure, and the annular moving member 55 connected to the diaphragm 54 is moved in the vertical direction in the figure in response to this deformation.
2, the upper clutch 72 is pushed down by this pressing, and comes into contact with the lower clutch 73. Accordingly, this closes the clutch, locks the pinion gears 74, 75 at the normal differential operating position, and operates as a so-called limited slip differential.

When the air pressure introduced into the case 53 is discharged from the case 53, the diaphragm 54 and the moving member 55 return, and the upper clutch 72 also returns and separates from the lower clutch 73. Therefore, the clutch is opened, and the side gears 76 and 77 and the pinion gear 7 are opened.
4,75 operate as a normal differential.

The diaphragm actuator 51 has an annular shape as a whole and can be directly mounted in the differential 71, which is extremely effective for saving space in the apparatus. However, it has the following disadvantages. ing.

When the moving member 55 attached to the diaphragm 54 moves in the clutch closing direction according to the deformation of the diaphragm 54, the moving member 55 is pressed against the upper clutch 72 with a high load by air pressure. Therefore, the moving member 55 is required to have abrasion resistance. In order to secure this, conventionally, the moving member 55 is carburized and quenched in the process of manufacturing the sheet metal moving member 55.

However, when carburizing and quenching are performed,
The deformation of the moving member 55 occurs due to the characteristics, so that it is necessary to perform a carburizing and quenching process and then perform a correction operation for correcting the deformation. Therefore, conventionally, the quenching process and the repair work require much labor and time, which hinders the improvement of productivity, and is disadvantageous in terms of cost.

As shown in FIG. 8, an annular case 53 having a diaphragm 54 installed therein has an upper case 56, an inner lower case 57 fixed to the inner peripheral edge of the upper case 56 by caulking, and an upper case 56. An outer peripheral side lower case 58 fixed to the outer peripheral edge of the case 56 is provided, and these three case parts 56, 57, 58 each exhibiting an annular shape are caulked by a caulking mold 81 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inner case and the outer case 58 are mounted on the swaging seats 83 and 84 of the lower die 82, respectively. The inner peripheral edge portion 57a of the outer peripheral case 57 and the outer peripheral edge portion 58a of the outer peripheral side lower case 58 are formed as bent portions and stand upright in a cylindrical shape, and the upper case 56 is provided with the diaphragm 54 and the moving member on the lower cases 57, 58. In this state, when the upper die 85 descends relatively and a caulking load is applied, the inner peripheral edge 57a of the inner peripheral lower case 57 is bent outward and the inner peripheral edge 56a of the upper case 56 is bent. From the outside, and the outer peripheral edge 58 of the outer peripheral lower case 58.
a is bent inward to form an outer peripheral portion 5 of the upper case 56.
6b from the outside.

The lower die 82 and the upper die 8 of the caulking die 81
In addition to the caulking seat portions 83, 84, 86, 87, escape spaces 88, 89 for accommodating other components of the diaphragm actuator 51 are provided so as not to obstruct the caulking. In some cases, the substantially L-shaped ventilation pipe 52 erected above the case 53 may vertically overlap the caulking seat 87 on the outer peripheral side of the upper die 85. In this case, the ventilation pipe 52 Therefore, the position immediately below the ventilation pipe 52 cannot be caulked by the caulking mold 81.

Therefore, in this case, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 11, a notch portion 58b is provided on the outer peripheral edge 58a of the outer peripheral side lower case 58 at a position directly below the vent pipe 52. In the notch portion 58b, the outer peripheral edge 58a of the outer peripheral lower case 58 is not caulked, while the upper mold 85 is provided with the outer caulking seat portion 8 on the outer die 85.
7, a relief space 89a for accommodating the ventilation pipe 52 is provided.

However, as described above, the notch 58 is formed in a part of the circumference of the outer peripheral edge 58a of the outer peripheral side lower case 58.
When b is provided, since caulking is not performed at the portion where the notch 58b is provided, the sandwiching of the diaphragm 54 becomes insufficient, and the sealing performance is reduced.
May be damaged. In addition, it is necessary to make caulking conditions particularly strict so that caulking does not cause any inconsistency as a whole, and this requires extra labor and time, which hinders improvement in productivity. Further, when the outer peripheral side lower case 58 is manufactured, a step of forming the cutout portion 58b and a die for forming the cutout portion 58b are required, so that the productivity is further reduced and the cost of parts is increased.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of the above points, and has been proposed in order to solve the above-mentioned problem. Even if the moving member to be pressed is not subjected to carburizing and quenching, the moving member can be provided with sufficient wear resistance.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, a diaphragm actuator according to the present invention comprises an annular case, an inner peripheral portion and an outer peripheral portion fixed to the case and arranged in the case. An annular diaphragm and an annular moving member connected to the diaphragm are provided, and the diaphragm is deformed by introducing air pressure into the case, and the moving member is moved in accordance with the deformation of the diaphragm to mate. In a diaphragm actuator that presses a member, a portion that comes into contact with the counterpart member when the moving member presses the counterpart member is subjected to tuftride processing.

In the tuftride treatment, a molten salt bath for tuftride treatment mainly consisting of cyanate (MCN) and cyanate (MCO) is applied to the surface of a sheet metal moving member as a material to be treated at a treatment temperature of about 570 ° C. A contact layer is formed to form a compound layer and a diffusion layer. The same strength and wear resistance as those in the case of the carburizing and quenching treatment in the above-described prior art are set on the surface of the moving member, and the moving member is deformed. And the processing cost is low.

Therefore, by performing this tuftriding process on at least a portion of the moving member that comes into contact with the mating member, it is possible to impart sufficient strength and wear resistance to this contacting portion, and it is necessary for carburizing and quenching. It is possible to provide a product which is advantageous in cost.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a plane view of a diaphragm actuator 1 according to the embodiment. 2 is a bottom view of the diaphragm actuator 1, FIG. 3 is an enlarged rear view of the actuator 1, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

The diaphragm actuator 1 according to this embodiment includes an annular diaphragm 3 in an annular case 2.
And an annular moving member 4 is connected to the diaphragm 3, and the entire structure is annular.

The case 2 includes an annular metal upper case 5 and an annular metal inner peripheral lower case 6 caulked by an inner peripheral edge 5 a of the upper case 5.
And an outer peripheral metal lower case 7 having an annular shape which is caulked by an outer peripheral edge 5 b of the upper case 5. The inner peripheral edge 5 a of the upper case 5 is the same as the inner peripheral edge 6 a of the inner peripheral lower case 6. By bending from the inner peripheral side to the lower side, the two cases 5 and 6 are integrated over the entire periphery, and the outer peripheral edge 5 b of the upper case 5 is connected to the outer peripheral edge 7 a of the outer lower case 7. The two cases 5 and 7 are integrated over the entire circumference by being bent from the side to the lower side.
Cases 5, 6, and 7 are each formed by pressing a sheet metal.

The inner peripheral edge 3a of the diaphragm 3 is hermetically sandwiched between the inner peripheral edge 5a of the upper case 5 and the inner peripheral edge 6a of the inner peripheral lower case 6 over the entire circumference. The outer peripheral edge 3 of the diaphragm 3 is located between the outer peripheral edge 5 b of the case 5 and the outer peripheral edge 7 a of the outer lower case 7.
b is hermetically clamped over the entire circumference. The diaphragm 3 is made of a rubber-like elastic material.

A metal stopper member 8 having a substantially U-shaped cross section and having an annular shape is disposed on a surface of the diaphragm 3 on the upper case 5 side, and a metal moving member 4 having an annular shape is provided on the opposite surface. The stopper member 8, the diaphragm 3 and the moving member 4 are fixed to each other by a required number (six equally distributed as shown in FIG. 2) of rivets 9 to form one assembly.
The stopper member 8 regulates the upper limit of the stroke of the assembly by allowing the stopper member 8 to come into contact with and separate from the inner surface (lower surface) of the upper case 5. The stopper member 8 and the moving member 4 are each formed by pressing a sheet metal.

The moving member 4 has a substantially U-shaped cross section and is integrally provided with an inward flange portion 4a having an annular shape at the lower end on the inner peripheral side, and an outward flange having an annular shape at the lower end portion on the outer peripheral side. The flanges 4b are integrally provided, and the lower surfaces of the two flanges 4a and 4b are formed as annular contact portions 4c that contact and press the upper clutch 72, which is a later-described member, respectively. Is subjected to the above-mentioned tuftride treatment to enhance the strength and wear resistance of the contact portion 4c.

A cylindrical portion 6b is integrally formed with the inner peripheral lower case 6, and a required number (four equally arranged as shown in FIG. 2) of notched engaging portions 6c are provided at the lower end of the cylindrical portion 6b. Each of the notched engaging portions 6c has a claw-shaped inward engaging portion 4 formed integrally with the flange portion 4a of the moving member 4.
d are movably engaged one by one in the vertical direction. The engagement by the engagement portions 4d and 6c restricts the moving direction of the moving member 4 with respect to the case 2 only in the vertical direction to prevent rotation.

The space 10 in the case 2 is provided on the upper surface of the case 2.
A ventilation pipe 11 for supplying air pressure to the upper case 5 is provided. The ventilation pipe 11 is provided with a first pipe portion 11a which is provided upright on the upper surface of the upper case 5 and a first pipe portion 1a.
A second pipe portion 11b bent upward in FIG. 1 at right angles from the distal end of 1a, a third pipe portion 11c bent leftward in FIG. 1 at right angles from the distal end of the second pipe portion 11b, A relatively large-diameter connection port 11d provided at the distal end of the third pipe 11c is integrally provided.

A bracket-like mounting portion 12 for mounting the diaphragm actuator 1 on the differential 71 is also provided on the upper surface of the case 2, and the mounting portion 12 is riveted to the upper surface of the upper case 5. The first plate portion 12a, two second plate portions 12b which are bent at right angles from the first plate portion 12a in FIG.
1b is integrally provided with a third plate portion 12c which is bent upward at a right angle in FIG. 1 from the tip of the second plate portion 2b, and a bolt insertion hole 12d is provided in each of the third plate portions 12c. A nut 12e is provided on the lower surface of the plate 12c.

As shown in FIG. 5, the diaphragm actuator 1 having the above structure is directly mounted in the differential 71 and operates as follows.

That is, when air pressure (positive pressure) is introduced from an air pressure supply source (not shown) into the annular space 10 in the case 2 through the ventilation pipe 11, the diaphragm 3 installed in the case 2 is moved upward and downward in the figure. In response to the deformation, the moving member 4 connected to the diaphragm 3 moves up and down in the drawing, and contacts the upper clutch 72 which is a mating member at the contact portion 4c on the lower surface thereof, and presses it. As a result, the upper clutch 72 is pushed down and comes into contact with the lower clutch 73. Therefore, this closes the clutch, and the pinion gear 7 in the normal differential operating position
4, 75 are locked and operate as a so-called limited slip differential.

When the air pressure (positive pressure) introduced into the space 10 is exhausted from the space 10, the diaphragm 3 and the moving member 4 return by the elastic return of the diaphragm 3, and the upper clutch 72 also returns. Move away from the lower clutch 73. Therefore, the clutch is opened and the side gear 7
6, 77 and the pinion gears 74, 75 operate as normal differentials.

When the clutch is closed in the above operation,
Alternatively, the contact portion 4c of the moving member 4 which comes into contact with and presses the upper clutch 72 when the clutch is closed is subjected to the tuft-ride processing as described above, and this tuft-ride processing is performed by the carburizing and quenching processing in the conventional technique. The contact portion 4c has the same strength and abrasion resistance as in the case (1), does not cause deformation of the moving member 4, and has a low processing cost.

Therefore, by performing this tuftride process on the contact portion 4c of the moving member 4, the contact portion 4c
In addition, it is possible to provide sufficient strength and abrasion resistance, and it is possible to eliminate the repair work required in the case of carburizing and quenching. Therefore, the moving member 4 having excellent strength and abrasion resistance can be easily manufactured, and a product which is advantageous in terms of cost can be provided.

The diaphragm actuator 1 having the above-described structure has a structure that solves the above-mentioned problems.

That is, the diaphragm actuator 1 is formed by caulking three case parts of an upper case 5, an inner peripheral lower case 6, and an outer peripheral lower case 7, each of which has an annular shape, with a caulking mold 21 shown in FIG.
By setting the orientation of the caulking or the arrangement of the bent portion in the caulking upside down from the conventional case, even if the ventilation pipe 11 and the mounting portion 12 respectively overlap the caulking portion up and down, the case parts 5, 6 , 7 can be caulked over the entire circumference.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the orientation of the caulking or the arrangement of the bent portions in the caulking is set as follows.

That is, the upper case 5 is placed on the caulking seats 23 and 24 of the lower mold 22 in an upside-down direction, and the inner peripheral edge 5a and the outer peripheral edge 5b of the upper case 5 are bent portions. Upright in a cylindrical shape
An inner peripheral lower case 6 and an outer peripheral lower case 7 are mounted on the upper case 5 with the assembly including the stopper member 8, the diaphragm 3, the moving member 4 and the rivet 9 upside down.

Further, since the whole is set upside down, the ventilation pipe 11 and the mounting portion 12 are respectively located below the case 2, and thus the relief space 25 for accommodating them in the lower mold 22 is provided in the upper case 5. Are formed together with an annular relief space 26 for accommodating the air. The upper mold 27
In addition to the caulking seats 28 and 29, the inner peripheral lower case 6,
An annular relief space 30 for accommodating the cylindrical portion 6b of the moving member 4, the outer peripheral lower case 7, and especially the inner peripheral lower case 6.
Is provided.

Therefore, the upper mold 2 is not moved in the state shown in FIG.
When the caulking load acts due to the relative lowering of 7, the inner peripheral edge 5 a of the upper case 5 is bent to the outer peripheral side, and covers the inner peripheral edge 6 a of the inner peripheral lower case 6 from the outside,
The outer peripheral edge portion 5b of the upper case 5 is bent inward to cover the outer peripheral edge portion 7a of the outer peripheral lower case 7 from the outside, and the components that obstruct the caulking are formed by the lower mold 22 and the upper mold 27. Since there is no space between them, the ventilation pipe 11
Even if there is no notch in a part of the circumference to avoid
The case components 5, 6, and 7 can be caulked all around.

Therefore, the diaphragm 3
Is uniformly sandwiched over the entire circumference, thereby preventing the sealing performance from being lowered and the diaphragm 3 from being damaged. In addition, productivity can be improved because it is not necessary to control the caulking conditions particularly strictly, and the step of forming a notch part and the die for forming the notch, which are conventionally required, are not required. Productivity can be improved and a product which is advantageous in terms of cost can be provided.

[0039]

The present invention has the following effects.

That is, in the diaphragm actuator of the present invention having the above-described structure, since the portion of the moving member that comes into contact with the counterpart member is subjected to the tufftriding process, the contact portion has sufficient strength and wear resistance. In addition, the correction work required in the case of carburizing and quenching can be eliminated. Therefore, it is possible to easily manufacture a moving member having excellent strength and wear resistance without any modification work, and to provide a product that is advantageous in terms of cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a diaphragm actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the diaphragm actuator.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged rear view of the diaphragm actuator.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state where the diaphragm actuator is mounted on a differential.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a caulking process of the diaphragm actuator.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a diaphragm actuator according to a conventional example.

8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a state where the diaphragm actuator is mounted on a differential.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a caulking process of the diaphragm actuator.

FIG. 11 is a view taken in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 is a view in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 10;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Diaphragm actuator 2 Case 3 Diaphragm 3a, 5a, 6a Inner peripheral edge 3b, 5b, 7a Outer peripheral edge 4 Moving member 4a, 4b Flange 4c Contact part 4d, 6c Engaging part 5 Upper case 6 Inner peripheral lower case 6b cylinder Shaped part 7 Outer side lower case 8 Stopper member 9 Rivet 10 Space 11 Vent pipe 11a, 11b, 11c Pipe part 11d Connection port part 12 Mounting part 12a, 12b, 12c Plate part 12d Bolt insertion hole 12e Nut part 21 Caulking type 22 Lower mold 23, 24, 28, 29 Caulking seat 25, 26, 30 Relief space 27 Upper die 71 Differential 72 Upper clutch (partner member) 73 Lower clutch 74, 75 Pinion gear 76, 77 Side gear

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An annular case (2) and an annular diaphragm disposed in the case (2) and having an inner peripheral edge (3a) and an outer peripheral edge (3b) fixed to the case (2). (3) and an annular moving member (4) connected to the diaphragm (3). The diaphragm (3) is deformed by introducing air pressure into the case (2), and the diaphragm (3) is deformed. In the diaphragm actuator (1) which moves the moving member (4) in response to the deformation of 3) and presses the mating member (72), when the moving member (4) presses the mating member (72), A diaphragm actuator, wherein a portion that comes into contact with the counterpart member (72) is subjected to tuftride processing.