KR20130072901A - Torque converter for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A torque converter for a vehicle is provided to prevent a spring sheet supporting a compressive coil spring from sliding out from its fixed position when a torsional damper works and improve durability and quality by preventing the torsional damper from malfunctioning. CONSTITUTION: A front cover is connected to a crank shaft of an engine and spins. An impeller engages with and spins together with the front cover. A turbine faces the impeller. Located between the impeller and the turbine, a stator directs the flow of oil originating from the turbine to the impeller. A lock-up clutch includes a piston which directly connects the front cover and the turbine. A torsional damper connected to the lock-up clutch absorbs vibrations and shocks occurring in the spin direction. The torsional damper comprises: a retaining plate (19) connected to the piston; compressive coil springs (17) on the retaining plate which receives elastic force in the columnar direction; spring sheets (23) on one ends of the compressive coil springs which support the springs; and a plate connected to the shaft of the turbine which serves as reaction force against the compressive coil springs. A spring sheet includes: a main body (25) with an insert groove for a compressive coil spring; and an insert unit (27) which is protruded from the main body towards and is inserted into a compressive coil spring. A compressive coil spring has a fixing unit (33) which is an extension of the spring and is inserted into the insert groove (29).

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a torque converter for a vehicle,

The present invention relates to a vehicle torque converter that can prevent the spring seat from falling off when the torsional damper is operated.

In general, the torque converter is installed between the engine of the vehicle and the transmission to transmit the driving force of the engine to the transmission using a fluid. This torque converter is a stator for increasing the rate of torque change by directing the impeller rotating by receiving the driving force of the engine, the turbine rotated by the oil discharged from the impeller, and the flow of oil flowing back to the impeller in the direction of rotation of the impeller. Include.

The torque converter is equipped with a lock-up clutch (also called a "damper clutch"), which is a means of directly connecting the engine to the transmission, as power transmission efficiency may be degraded if the load acting on the engine is increased. The lock-up clutch is disposed between the turbine and the front cover directly connected to the engine so that the rotational power of the engine can be directly transmitted to the transmission through the turbine.

This lockup clutch includes a piston that is axially movable on the turbine shaft. The piston is engaged with a friction material which is in friction contact with the front cover. The piston is fitted with a torsional damper capable of absorbing shock and vibration acting in the direction of rotation of the shaft when the friction material is engaged with the front cover.

The torsional damper described above is provided with springs along the rotational direction that can absorb the torsional torque when the lockup clutch is operated so that the driving force of the engine can be directly transmitted to the transmission through the turbine.

And the springs provided to the torsional dampers are supported at both ends by spring seats. The spring sheets are provided with protrusions which are inserted at the center at both ends of the spring. In other words, the projections of the spring sheet are fitted toward the center of the spring at both ends of the springs provided in the torsional damper.

When this conventional torsional damper is operated, the springs are compressed to absorb vibrations and shocks in the rotational direction. In the process of returning the springs to the home position, the driven plate first returns to the home position. At this time, the difference between the time that the driven plate is returned and the time when the spring is returned may be separated from the spring sheet supported by the driven plate, and the spring sheet may fall off the spring as the spring sheet falls on the spring.

If the spring sheet is separated from the state in which the spring is elastically supported, a failure of the torsional damper may occur.

Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent the deviation of the spring damper supporting the compression coil spring when the tonic damper is operated to reduce the malfunction of the tonic damper. To provide a vehicle torque converter that prevents and increases durability and quality.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention as described above, the present invention is a front cover, an impeller coupled to the front cover to rotate together, a turbine disposed in a position facing the impeller, located between the impeller and the turbine Stator for changing the flow of oil from the turbine to the impeller side, Lockup clutch with a piston directly connecting the front cover and the turbine, Torsional damper coupled to the lockup clutch to absorb the shock and vibration acting in the rotational direction Includes, the torsional damper is a retaining plate coupled to the piston, compression coil springs disposed on the retaining plate to act in the circumferential direction, the compression coil spring is disposed on one end of the compression coil springs Seats for supporting the bearing, said compression nose It acts as a reaction force for the spring, and comprises a driven plate coupled to the shaft of the turbine,

The spring sheet includes a body portion provided with a spring insertion groove, an insertion portion extending from the center portion of the body portion to the compression coil spring and inserted into the compression coil spring, wherein the compression coil springs extend and bend at one end thereof and insert the spring. Provided is a vehicle torque converter comprising a fixing portion fitted into a groove.

The spring insertion groove is preferably provided in a portion of the body portion on the opposite side provided with the insertion portion and extends to an outer circumferential surface of the body portion.

Preferably, the spring seat is provided with a locking jaw at a portion where the spring insertion groove is provided.

The fixing part provided on the compression coil spring extends from one end of the compression coil spring to be bent in the longitudinal direction of the compression coil spring, and extends from the first bending part to be bent toward the center line of the compression coil spring. It is preferred to include a second bending portion to be.

The locking jaw is preferably disposed inside the outer circumferential surface of the body portion at intervals from the outer circumferential surface of the body portion.

The present invention provides a spring insertion groove in the spring seat so that one end of the compression coil spring is fixed to the spring seat to prevent the spring seat from being released during the operation of the torsional damper, thereby preventing the malfunction of the torsional damper. There is an effect of increasing durability and increasing the quality of the torque converter.

1 is a half sectional view of a torque converter for explaining an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a state in which a compression coil spring and a spring sheet provided in the torsional damper are coupled to explain an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view illustrating a part of a state in which the compression coil spring and the spring sheet provided in the torsional damper are combined to explain an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a spring sheet to explain an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram illustrating a compression coil spring to explain an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the specification.

1 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, showing a torque converter.

The torque converter according to the embodiment of the present invention has a front cover (1) connected to the crankshaft on the engine side to rotate, a position facing the impeller (3) and the impeller (3) connected to and rotated together with the front cover (1). And a stator 7 positioned between the impeller 3 and the turbine 5 to change the flow of oil coming out of the turbine 5 and transfer it to the impeller 3 side. The stator 7 delivering oil to the impeller 3 side has the same center of rotation as the front cover 1. And the lockup clutch 9, which is used as a means for directly connecting the engine and the transmission, is disposed between the front cover 1 and the turbine 5.

The lockup clutch 9 is formed in a substantially disk shape and has a piston 11 that can move in the axial direction.

And the piston 11 is coupled to the friction material 13 in friction contact with the front cover (1).

In addition, the lockup clutch 9 is coupled with a torsional damper 15 that absorbs the torsional force acting in the rotational direction of the shaft and attenuates vibration when the friction material 13 is in close contact with the front cover 1. do.

The torsional damper 15 is provided with compression coil springs 17 which absorb shock and vibration acting in the circumferential direction. These compression coil springs 17 (shown in Fig. 2) are preferably arranged in the circumferential direction (rotational direction).

These compression coil springs 17 are supported by a retaining plate 19 which is coupled to the piston 11 described above. The retaining plate 19 is provided with a spring seating portion 20a (shown in FIG. 2) capable of seating the compression coil spring 17. The spring seating portion 20a may cut and bend a portion of the retaining plate 19 to provide a space into which the compression coil spring 17 is inserted.

And the compression coil springs 17 are supported by the driven plate 21 and the elastic force coupled to the shaft of the turbine (5). That is, the compression coil springs 17 are elastically supported between the retaining plate 19 and the driven plate 21 to absorb vibrations and shocks in the rotational direction (circumferential direction).

Spring sheets 23 are coupled to one or both ends of the compression coil springs 17. In the embodiment of the present invention, since the compression coil springs 17 are made of the same structure and shape, and the spring sheets 23 are also made of the same structure and shape, only one example will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the spring seat 23 includes a body portion 25, an insertion portion 27, and a spring insertion groove 29.

The body portion 25 is formed in a circular plate shape and one end of the compression coil spring 17 is elastically supported. And the insertion portion 27 extends from the central portion of the body portion 25 to the compression coil spring 17 side. The insertion portion 27 has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the body portion 25 and is fitted to the center of the tip end portion of the compression coil spring 17.

That is, one end of the compression coil spring 17 is elastically supported on the side of the body portion 25.

The spring insertion groove 29 is provided in a part of the body portion 25. The spring insertion groove 29 is disposed on the opposite side provided with the insertion portion 27. And the spring insertion groove 29 is preferably disposed extending from the middle portion of one surface of the body portion 25 to the outer peripheral surface. Spring insertion groove 29 is preferably made of a substantially '' shaped groove on the outer peripheral side of the body portion 25.

The spring insertion groove 29 is provided with a locking jaw 31. The locking jaw 29 is disposed inside the spring insertion groove 29 at intervals from the outer circumferential surface of the body portion 25. The locking jaw 29 forms the same body as the body portion 25.

On the other hand, the compression coil springs 17, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, is provided with a fixing portion 33, one end is extended and bent and fitted into the spring insertion groove (29).

The fixing part 33 includes a first bending part 35 and a second bending part 37. The first bending portion 35 refers to a portion in which the compression coil spring 17 extends in the longitudinal direction and is bent. The second bending portion 37 extends from the first bending portion 35 to be bent and protrude in the direction of the center line of the compression coil spring 17.

The second bending portion 37 is fitted into the spring insertion groove 29 and is fixed by the elastic force of the compression coil spring 17. The first bending portion 35 and the second bending portion 37 may maintain a state supported by the locking jaw 31 provided in the spring insertion groove 29.

Referring to the action of the spring sheet 25 of the present invention made in this way in detail as follows.

First, an example in which the lockup clutch 9 of the torque converter is operated so that the driving force of the engine is directly connected to the transmission without passing through the impeller 3 will be described.

When the piston 11 is moved toward the front cover 1 by hydraulic pressure and the lockup clutch 9 is operated, the retaining plate 19 rotates together with the piston 11 to rotate the compression coil spring 17 in the rotational direction. Press to compress. At this time, the compression coil spring 17 absorbs vibration and shock in the rotational direction generated during the operation of the lockup clutch 9.

The driving force of the compression coil spring 17 is transmitted to the driven plate 21, and the driven plate 21 transmits the driving force to the spline hub 41 transmitting the driving force to the turbine shaft or the transmission. Therefore, the driving force of the engine is directly connected to the transmission.

At this time, the driven plate 21 maintains a state in close contact with the body portion 25 of the spring sheet (23).

Then, while the operation of the lockup clutch 9 is released, the driven plate 21 and the body portion 25 of the spring seat 23 are separated from each other. At this time, the second bending portion 37 of the compression coil spring 17 still remains coupled to the body portion 25 of the spring seat 23.

That is, the first bending portion 35 and the second bending portion 37 of the compression coil spring 17 maintain the fitted state in the spring insertion groove 29 of the spring sheet 23 and the spring sheet 23 is compressed. This prevents the coil spring 17 from coming off. Therefore, the spring sheet 23 may always remain coupled to one end of the compression coil spring 17 in the process of being compressed and the process of decompression.

In other words, the compression coil spring 17 and the spring seat 23 are separated even when the driven plate 21 is first detached from the body portion 25 of the spring seat 23 in the process of decompressing the compression coil spring 17. It can stay in a bonded state.

Therefore, the spring seat 23 is always maintained in a state of supporting the compression coil spring 17 to maintain the initially set posture without being released even during the operation of the torsional damper 15.

Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention can prevent the malfunction of the torsional damper 15 and maintain durability by maintaining the spring seat 23 in the initial position set during the operation of the torsional damper 15.

In particular, when the torque converter to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied is mounted on the vehicle, it is possible to increase the quality of the transmission and the vehicle.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, And it goes without saying that the invention belongs to the scope of the invention.

1. front cover, 3. impeller,
5. turbine, 7. stator,
9. Lockup Clutch, 11. Piston,
13. friction material, 15. torsional damper,
17. compression coil spring, 19. retaining plate,
21. driven plate, 23. spring seat,
25. body, 27. insert,
29. Spring insertion groove 31. Hanging jaw,
33. fixing part, 35. first bending part,
37. Second banding section, 41. Splined hub

Claims (5)

A front cover, an impeller coupled to the front cover to rotate together, a turbine disposed at a position facing the impeller, a stator positioned between the impeller and the turbine to change the flow of oil from the turbine to the impeller side, the front A lock-up clutch having a piston directly connecting the cover and the turbine, a tonic damper coupled to the lock-up clutch to absorb shock and vibration acting in a rotational direction,
The torsional damper may include a retaining plate coupled to the piston, compression coil springs disposed on the retaining plate and acting elastically in the circumferential direction, and springs disposed on one end of the compression coil springs to support the compression coil springs. Seats, a driven plate acting against the compression coil springs and coupled to the shaft of the turbine,
The spring seat
Body part provided with spring insertion groove,
An insertion portion extending from the center portion of the body portion to the compression coil spring and fitted to the compression coil spring,
The compression coil springs are fixed to one end extending and bent and fitted into the spring insertion groove
Vehicle torque converter comprising a. The method according to claim 1,
The spring insertion groove
A torque converter for a vehicle provided in a portion of the body portion on the opposite side provided with the insertion portion and extending to the outer circumferential surface of the body portion. The method according to claim 1,
The spring seat
A torque converter for a vehicle provided with a locking jaw in a portion where the spring insertion groove is provided. The method according to claim 1,
The fixing portion provided to the compression coil spring
One end of the compression coil spring extended to be bent in the longitudinal direction of the compression coil spring,
A second bending portion extending from the first bending portion and bending in the direction of the center line of the compression coil spring;
Vehicle torque converter comprising a. The method according to claim 3,
The locking jaw is
A torque converter for a vehicle disposed inside the outer circumferential surface of the body portion at a distance from the outer circumferential surface of the body portion.

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