JPS63297858A - Control device for hydraulic torque converter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce a collision loss and to improve a transmission efficiency by controlling an effective blade angle of a stator to be varied according to the temperature of a fluid in a torque converter. CONSTITUTION:A pump blade 23 is disposed on a housing 22 fixed to an input shaft 5 to form a pump 2. A stator 4 has a stator blade 21 formed by a variable front blade portion 21a and a fixed rear blade portion 21b, and the rear blade portion 21b is fixed and supported by an outer ring 26 and a hub 30. The front blade portion 21a is formed by a shape memory alloy in such a manner that at the time of low temperature, the stator is rectilinear and when the fluid temperature is high, the stator is bent and deformed. Accordingly, the blade angle of the stator can be adjusted correctly extending over a wide range in a simple construction to reduce a collision loss and attain good transmission efficiency.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention provides control of a fluid-type silk inverter that adjusts the blade angle of a stator! This relates to the I device.

(Prior Art) Generally, a torque converter is composed of a pump on the input side, a turbine on the output side, and a stator, and the inflow angle of fluid from the turbine to the stator changes depending on the rotational conditions. The state where the blade angles match is the highest efficiency state, and if the blade angles differ, turbulence will occur in the fluid flow and collision loss will occur.

In order to improve the transmission efficiency by reducing the collision loss and improving the performance of the hydraulic torque converter, a structure in which the stator blade angle is variable has been proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-130659. It is well known as seen in .

In the above-mentioned prior art example, drive control is performed so that the blade angle of the stator is switched between when the vehicle starts and when the vehicle is in a steady state, depending on the vehicle speed signal and the accelerator opening signal.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above-mentioned construction where the angle of the stator blades is switched between starting and steady state by detecting the vehicle communication signal and the accelerator opening signal, the inflow into the stator It is difficult to accurately detect changes in the angle, and it is difficult to reliably match the inflow angle with the blade angle, making it impossible to reduce collision loss accurately and over a wide range. It is desired to obtain transmission efficiency.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a control ill for a hydraulic torque converter that more accurately adjusts the blade angle of the stator of the torque converter with a simple configuration to further reduce collision loss and obtain high transmission efficiency. The purpose is to provide a device.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The torque converter control device of the present invention is characterized in that the effective blade angle of the stator is variably controlled in accordance with the fluid temperature within the torque converter.

As a structure for changing the effective blade angle according to the fluid temperature, the stator blades may be made of a shape memory alloy, bimetal, etc. whose shape changes in response to temperature changes, or the stator may be constructed with a variable blade angle mechanism. , a device that variably controls the blade angle of the actuator according to the detection of fluid temperature;
Alternatively, it is possible to use a device that has multiple types of stator blades and changes the effective blade angle by switching between them.

(Function) Torque converter control as described above! In a device, when the output rotation speed is low relative to the input rotation speed and the speed ratio is small, the fluid temperature increases due to large transmission loss.
At that time, the blade angle changes to become smaller, but when the output speed approaches the input speed and the speed ratio is large, the transmission loss decreases and the fluid temperature decreases. The angle changes to become larger, and the blade angle is adjusted according to the change in the inflow angle, reducing the fluid collision loss,
This makes the flow smoother, improves acceleration performance in low speed ratio ranges, and raises the coupling point in high speed ratio ranges, improving maximum efficiency. Overall, transmission efficiency can be improved with a simple configuration. It is something.

(Example) Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described along with the drawings.

Embodiment 1 The overall configuration is shown in FIG. 1, and a hydraulic torque converter 1 includes a pump 2, a turbine 3, and a stator 4.
is connected to and driven by the input shaft 5 (engine output shaft),
Turbine 3 is connected to output shaft 6 of torque converter 1 .

That is, the pump 2 of the torque converter 1 is configured with pump blades 23 installed in a housing 22 fixed to a central input shaft 5 (center shaft) that rotates together with the engine rotation, and the turbine 3 is configured by the pump W423. Turbine blades 24 are arranged to face each other and are fixed to an output shaft 6 (turbine shaft).

On the other hand, in the stator 4, as shown in FIG. Supported. Further, the hub 30 is supported by a fixed shaft 34 via a one-way clutch 33 so as to be rotatable in only one direction.

The curved portion 21a of the stator 4 is made of a shape memory alloy, and is connected and fixed to the rear wing portion 21b with screws 21c. The shape memory alloy described above deforms in response to changes in fluid temperature, and at low temperatures the stator shape becomes linear as shown by the solid line, and the blade angle θ at the inlet (clockwise is positive with respect to the perpendicular) is large. When the fluid temperature is high, the front blade portion 21a bends and deforms as shown by the chain line, the stator shape becomes curved, and the blade angle θ at the inlet portion becomes small.

The above-mentioned fluid temperature is high in the low speed ratio region, and at this time, the inflow angle α of the fluid from the turbine 3 is small, and to match this, the blade angle θ of the stator 4 is small, and the fluid temperature is low in the high speed ratio region. The inflow angle α from the beam bottle 3 increases, and the blade angle θ of the stator 4 increases in response to this angle change.

Note that the connection structure between the front wing section 21a and the rear wing section 21b may be a press-fit caulking structure or the like in addition to screwing with the screws 21G.

FIG. 3 shows a modified stator blade 25, in which the front end 25a and rear end 25b are fixed to the outer ring 26 and the hub 30, and both parts 25a, 2
5b are connected by a bimetal 25c, and an elastic member 25d made of rubber or the like is provided on the back of the bimetal 25c, so that the entire structure is shaped like a wing.

The bimetal 25c deforms according to changes in fluid temperature, and when the fluid temperature is low, that is, in the high speed ratio range, it is straight as shown by the solid line, and the blade angle θ is large, and when the fluid temperature is high, that is, in the low speed ratio range. bends and deforms as shown by the chain line,
The blade angle θ at the inlet portion is set to be small, and the blade angle θ is configured to change in response to a change in the inflow angle α from the turbine 3.

In the above structure, the curved end 25a is connected to the outer ring 26 and the hub 3.
In addition to being fixed at 0, if the front end portion 25a is rotatably supported by a pin, the front end portion 25a also changes direction as the bimetal 25c deforms, and the blade angle of the inlet portion more closely matches the inflow angle.

In the above embodiment, the structure that changes the blade angle according to changes in fluid temperature can be installed without providing a separate actuator, and the structure can be simplified by integrating the temperature detection part and the blade structure. .

Embodiment 2 The overall configuration of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 4, and the basic structure of the hydraulic torque converter 1 is the same as that of the previous example. The stator 4 is provided with a variable blade angle mechanism 7 (specific structure will be described later) whose blade angle is variable, and the blade angle is changed by an actuator 8 (pulse motor).

Regarding the actuator 8 of the variable blade angle mechanism 7,
A control signal is outputted from the control means 11 via the drive circuit 10, and the blade angle of the stator 4 is adjusted and controlled. Further, a temperature sensor 9 for detecting the fluid temperature T is installed in the torque converter 1, and a fluid temperature signal is input to the interface circuit 14 of the control means 11.

The input signal is converted into a digital signal by the A/D converter 15 and inputted to the CPU 17 from the input port 16.
This is to calculate the stator blade angle θ which is registered in . The calculation result of this CPLJ 17 is output from the output port 19 to the D/A converter 20, and
4 to the actuator 8 via the drive circuit 10.

The processing in the CPU 17 is basically to adjust the inflow angle α of the fluid from the turbine 3 acting on the stator 4 so that it matches the blade angle θ at the inlet of the stator 4. The inlet angle α has a correlation with the fluid temperature T, which changes in accordance with the speed ratio. That is, the blade angle θ at the inlet of the stator 4 is determined based on the characteristics shown in FIG. , the blade angle θ at the inlet of the stator 4 is set to be small. Note that when the speed ratio increases and reaches the coupling point, the stator 4 is rotated by a one-way clutch, which will be described later, so at that time, the variable control of the stator blade angle θ is stopped.

Next, a specific structural example of the blade angle variable mechanism 7 is shown in FIG. The stator 4 of the torque converter 1 is the stator 11
35 is divided into a front wing part 35a and a rear W4 part 35b, the rear wing part 35b is firmly supported by an outer ring 26a and an inner ring 27, and the inner ring 27 is linked to a movable member 29 via a spline 28. ing. On the other hand, the front wing portion 35a
The front edge is rotatably supported by the outer ring 26b and the inner hub 30 by a first pin 31, and the rear edge is rotatably supported by the rear wing portion 3.
It is rotatably connected to the front edge of 5b by a second bin 32. Further, the hub 30 is a one-way clutch 33
It is rotatably supported in only one direction by a fixed shaft 34 via.

The inner ring 27 is provided to be slidable with respect to the hub 30 together with a movable member 29, and a rotor 8a made of a permanent magnet that constitutes a pulse motor as an actuator 8 is fixed to the inner peripheral portion of the movable member 29. On the other hand, the fixed shaft 34 is provided with a fixed electromagnet 8b facing the rotor 8a.

A drive signal is output from the control means 11 to the electromagnet 8b via the drive circuit 10, and the rotor 8a rotates to a predetermined position, and along with this, the movable member 29 and the inner ring 27
, the rear wing section 35b moves in the circumferential direction together with the outer ring 26a, and the angle of the front wing section 35a connected to this rear wing section 35b changes as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and the stator 4
The blade angle θ of the inlet portion of the blade is configured to be adjustable. 7th
In the figure and FIG. 8, the state shown by the solid line is a state where the blade angle θ is large at a high speed ratio, and as the speed and ratio become lower, the blade angle 0 becomes smaller and curved. Adjust and control to match.

Note that in the front wing portion 35a of the stator 4, the position of the first pin 31 moves back and forth as the blade angle θ changes, and the outer peripheral portion needs to be moved in the circumferential direction. of the hub 30 and outer ring 26b that support the ? l
l! 30a, 26c are formed to allow the above movement, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

In the embodiment described above, the stator blade angle θ is adjusted and controlled based on the detection of the fluid temperature T, so that the inflow angle α from the turbine 3 and the inlet blade angle θ of the stator 4 are matched over a wide range. This is for adjusting the angle.

In addition, the setting characteristics of the stator blade angle θ with respect to the fluid temperature T are set so that it changes continuously as shown in Fig. 5, and the stator blade angle θ is changed in stages between a low temperature region and a high temperature region. Characteristics may be set to change.

In addition, as a modification of the blade angle variable mechanism, in the split structure of the stator's front wing and rear wing, the front wing is formed into a cylindrical fixed structure and is not connected to the rear wing, and the actuator When the rear wing section is moved in the circumferential direction, the continuous position between the tip of the rear wing section and the cylindrical front wing section may be changed, thereby substantially changing the wing angle θ. . Furthermore, the range of movement of the inner ring relative to the hub may be restricted by contact between the engagement piece and the recess.

Furthermore, the variable blade angle RM1 in the above embodiments
In addition to 1, a separately arranged pulse motor may be operated via a power transmission device (gear, boot and belt), and a DC motor may be used instead of a stepping motor.
A servo motor, or an ultrasonic motor may be used, in which case a pulse generator (encoder) that detects the motor rotation speed is installed to perform feedback control, and a system is adopted that performs accurate position control. You may also do so.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention as described above, by changing the effective blade angle of the stator according to the fluid temperature in the torque converter, it is possible to accurately and widely control the winding from the turbine with a simple configuration. The stator blade angle can be adjusted in accordance with the inflow angle, reducing collision loss and achieving good transmission efficiency.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts of a hydraulic torque converter according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a stator blade portion, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a stator blade portion in a modified example. FIG. 4 is an overall configuration diagram of a control device for a hydraulic torque converter according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram showing an example of setting the stator blade angle with respect to fluid temperature, and FIG. 6 is a variable blade angle diagram. A cross-sectional view of the main parts of a torque converter showing a specific example of the mechanism. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in Figure 6, and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view along the line ■-■ in Figure 6.
It is a cross-sectional view along the -■ line. 1... Torque converter, 2... Pump, 3... Turbine, 4... Stator, 5... Input shaft, 6...・Output shaft, 7...
...Blade angle variable mechanism, 8... Actuator,
11... Control means, 12... Temperature sensor, 21.25.35... Stator blade. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A control device for a hydraulic torque converter, characterized in that the effective blade angle of the stator is variably controlled according to the fluid temperature within the torque converter.