JPH10176747A - Torque converter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve deflection performance of a flow at a stator and to maintain trnasmission efficiency at an excellent value even when a torque converter is flattened. SOLUTION: Flow straightening rings 5a and 5b to interconnect an axial direction and a centrifugal direction through a recess surface are arranged at both edge parts of the front and the rear of a stator shell 3a. The recess surfaces of the flow straightening rings 5a and 5b are formed such that an axial direction and a centrifugal direction are interconnected through a given curvature R. The curvature of radius (a stator R) of the outlet of a turbine shell 2a is set to a value lower than the curvature of radius (a shell R) of the outlet of a pump shell 1a or the curvature of radius (a shell R) of the inlet of a pump shell 1a. The tangential direction (θ2 ) of the curvature of radius R of the end face of the flow straightening ring is pointed in a radial direction inclined in an angle-arc higher than that of the tangential direction (θ1 ) of the outlet part of the turbine shell 2a or the tangential direction (θ1 ) of the inlet of a pump shell. A slit in which the edge part of a stator blade 3c is inserted is formed in the tip side in the mounting directions of the flow straightening rings 5a and 5b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a torque converter used for an automatic transmission of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to transmit torque generated by a vehicle engine to a transmission and a drive shaft,
A torque converter as shown in FIG. 6 is provided in a drive system (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-272614).

Reference numeral 1 denotes a pump impeller, 2 denotes a turbine liner, and 3 denotes a stator. The pump impeller 1 includes an outer pump shell 1a, an inner core 1b, and pump blades 1c (blades). It is directly connected. The turbine liner 2 includes an outer turbine shell 2a, an inner core 2b, and turbine blades 2c (blades), and is directly connected to an input shaft (not shown) of the transmission.

[0004] The stator 3 is interposed in the center of the inner circumference thereof and supported coaxially with the input shaft of the transmission via a one-way clutch (not shown). The stator 3 serves to efficiently apply the energy to the pump impeller 1 by changing the flow direction of the oil coming out of the turbine liner 2, and includes an inner ring 3 a (stator shell), an outer ring 3 b (core), and a stator blade. 3c (blade).

[0005] Oil is filled in a container 9 accommodating these impellers, and when the pump impeller 1 rotates, it flows to the turbine liner 2 by its centrifugal force (kinetic energy).
While rotating the turbine liner 2 in the same direction, the turbine liner 2 enters the stator 3 through the pump impeller 1.
It is sent out changing its flow in the direction of rotation.

[0006]

In such a torque converter, with the flattening of the donut-shaped container 4,
The component of the flow entering the stator 3 from the turbine liner 2 in the direction from the radial outside to the radial inside is large, and the component in the axial flow direction is small. Nevertheless, since the stator 3 is shaped so as to turn the flow in the axial flow direction, as shown in FIG.
Separation or backflow of the flow is likely to occur near the outlet on the b side, and there is a problem that the torque transmission efficiency is reduced.

Near the inlet of the stator core 3b, the stator core 3b is provided with a rectification projection (not shown) for smoothly guiding the flow flowing from the turbine liner 2 into the stator 1 to the convex side of the blade 3c. However, the effect of suppressing separation and backflow near the entrance and near the exit on the stator core 3b side cannot be obtained.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and it is intended to reduce fluid loss of a stator and to maintain good transmission efficiency even when a torque converter is flattened.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a torque converter including a pump impeller, a turbine liner, and a stator, at least one of front and rear edges of a stator shell connects an axial flow direction and a centrifugal direction. A rectifying ring having a concave surface is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flat type torque converter having three elements of a pump impeller, a turbine liner and a stator, wherein a rectifying ring having concave surfaces connecting axial and centrifugal directions at both front and rear edges of a stator shell. Provide.

In a third aspect of the present invention, the concave surface of the rectifying ring according to the first or second aspect of the invention is formed so as to connect the axial flow direction and the centrifugal direction with a predetermined curvature surface.

In a fourth aspect based on the third aspect, the radius of curvature of the concave surface is set smaller than the radius of curvature of the outlet of the turbine shell or the radius of curvature of the inlet of the pump shell. The tangential direction of the concave surface is more radially directed than the tangential direction of the turbine shell outlet or the pump shell inlet.

According to a fifth aspect, the rectifying ring according to the first or second aspect is formed separately from the stator.
Install on the stator shell surface.

In a sixth aspect based on the fifth aspect, a slit is formed at the inner end side in the mounting direction of the rectifying ring, into which the edge of the stator blade is inserted.

[0015]

1, a stator 3 is supported coaxially with an input shaft of a transmission via a one-way clutch. Stator shell 3a
Rectifying rings 5a and 5b are provided on at least one of the front edge portion and the rear edge portion, in this example, both. Since the stator 3 is made of die-casting that performs die cutting in the front and rear axial directions, rectifying rings 5a and 5b are formed separately from the stator 3, and the front edge and the rear edge of the shell surface of the stator 3 are formed after the stator 3 is die-cut. Assembled in

The rectifying rings 5a and 5b are formed in a substantially right-angled triangular cross section with the concave surface 6 as the hypotenuse, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and are fixed to the stator shell 3a by press fitting or a snap ring. A step corresponding to the flatness of the torque converter is provided between the stator shell 3a, the turbine shell 2a and the pump shell 1a, and each ring 5a,
The concave surface 6 of the step 5b is formed at these steps so as to connect the centrifugal direction and the axial flow direction with a predetermined curvature R.

A donut-shaped container 4 for accommodating these impellers
Is filled with oil, and when the pump impeller 1 rotates, it flows from the pump impeller 1 to the turbine liner 2,
It is returned from the turbine liner 2 to the pump impeller 1 via the stator 3. In this process, torque is transmitted via oil.

At the inlet side of the stator 3, the flow component in the direction from the turbine shell 2a toward the axis of the torque converter is converted into a rectifying ring 5a at the front edge of the stator shell 3a.
As a result, it is turned along the concave surface 6 into a flow component in the axial flow direction. A flow component in the axial flow direction toward the pump impeller 1 inside the stator 3 is turned in the centrifugal direction along the concave surface 6 by the rectifying ring 5b at the rear edge of the stator shell 3a on the outlet side of the stator 3. Is done. For this reason, separation and backflow near the inlet on the stator shell 3a side and near the outlet on the stator core side are suppressed.

In a torque converter having a large flattening ratio, the component of the flow entering the stator 3 from the radial outside to the radial inside is large, and the component in the axial flow direction is small. Even in that case, the flow can be rapidly turned by the rectifying rings 5a and 5b of the stator 3. That is, by applying the present invention, the flatness of the torque converter can be set large while maintaining good torque transmission efficiency.

It is desirable that the concave surfaces 6 of the rectifying rings 5a and 5b are defined under the conditions as shown in FIG. Regarding the rectifying ring 5a at the front edge of the stator shell 3a, the radius of curvature of the concave surface 6 (stator R) is defined by the relation of the radius of curvature (shell R) at the outlet of the turbine shell 2a.
Set to. Further, (represented by the inclined angle theta ₂ with respect to the axial direction of the torque converter) tangential concave 6 on the end face of the rectifier ring 5a is tangentially (inclination angle theta ₁ with respect to the axial direction of the torque converter outlet of the turbine shell 2a It represented) to be set to θ _2> θ _1.

Thus, at the stepped portion with respect to the turbine shell 2a, the rectifying ring 5b receives the flow toward the shaft of the torque converter on the concave surface 6 and can turn sharply in the axial flow direction with a radius of curvature R. In addition, the rectifying ring 5b at the rear edge of the stator shell 3a is also provided with a concave surface 6 so that the flow to the pump impeller 1 can be rapidly changed.
The radius of curvature of the pump shell 1a is set such that the stator R <the shell R with respect to the radius of curvature of the outlet of the pump shell 1a. On the other hand, θ ₁ <θ ₂ is set.

In order to enhance the rectifying effect of the concave surface 6, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, a slit 7 is formed at the leading end of the rectifying rings 5a and 5b in the press-fitting direction, and the rectifying rings 5a and 5b are formed.
Is assembled with the end of the blade 3c inserted into the slit 7. Thereby, the blade 3c of the stator 3
The rectifying effect of the concave surface 6 extends to the middle. 1 to 5, the same components as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0023]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the stator of the torque converter, the flow can be sufficiently turned through the concave surface of the rectifying ring, and the fluid loss of the stator is reduced, so that the transmission efficiency of the torque converter is improved. it can.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the flow can be rapidly turned on the inlet side and the outlet side of the stator via the concave surface of the rectifying ring, the torque converter can be maintained with good torque transmission efficiency. Can be set to a large value.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the flow can be smoothly turned through the concave surface having the radius of curvature R in the rectifying ring.

According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to improve the turning performance of the flow in the rectifying ring.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, even in the case where the stator is made of die-casting in which the die is punched in the axial direction before and after the stator, the straightening ring can be formed on the stator simply and easily.

According to the sixth aspect, a concave flow rectifying effect can be exerted between the blades of the stator.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of a torque converter representing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the same stator.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the rectifying ring.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram that defines the shape of a rectifying ring.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of a stator represented as another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of a torque converter illustrating a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pump impeller 2 Turbine liner 3 Stator 3a Stator shell 3b Stator core 3c Stator blade 5a, 5b Rectifying ring 6 Concave surface 7 Slit

Claims (6)

[Claims] In a torque converter including a pump impeller, a turbine liner, and a stator, a rectifying ring having a concave surface connecting an axial flow direction and a centrifugal direction is provided on at least one of front and rear edges of a stator shell. Characteristic torque converter. 2. A flat type torque converter comprising a pump impeller, a turbine liner and a stator, wherein a rectifying ring having a concave surface connecting an axial flow direction and a centrifugal direction is provided on both front and rear edges of a stator shell. Characteristic torque converter. 3. The torque converter according to claim 1, wherein the concave surface of the flow straightening ring is formed so as to connect the axial flow direction and the centrifugal direction with a predetermined curvature surface. 4. The radius of curvature of the concave surface is set smaller than the radius of curvature of the outlet portion of the turbine shell or the radius of curvature of the inlet portion of the pump shell. 4. The torque converter according to claim 3, wherein the radial direction is larger than the tangential direction of the portion or the tangential direction of the inlet portion of the pump shell. 5. The rectifying ring is formed separately from the stator and attached to the surface of the stator shell.
Alternatively, the torque converter according to claim 2. 6. The torque converter according to claim 5, wherein a slit into which the edge of the stator blade is inserted is formed on the inner end side in the mounting direction of the rectifying ring.