KR20230022623A - Torque converter - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a torque converter. The torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a front cover; a torsional damper assembly; and a lock-up clutch selectively directly connecting the front cover and the torsional damper assembly. The lock-up clutch may include at least one piston which is moved radially outward by a selectively supplied working fluid and performs a lockup operation. Provided is the torque converter, to improve operational controllability.

Description

Torque Converter {TORQUE CONVERTER}

The present invention relates to a torque converter, and more particularly, to a torque converter that reduces manufacturing cost and improves operation controllability by changing the components and operating structure of a lockup clutch.

In general, a torque converter is a device installed between an engine and a transmission of a vehicle to transmit driving force of the engine to the transmission using fluid.

Such a torque converter includes an impeller that rotates by receiving the driving force of the engine, a turbine that is rotated by oil discharged from the impeller, and a reactor that increases the torque change rate by directing the flow of oil flowing back to the impeller in the direction of rotation of the impeller ( Also called 'stator').

Here, the torque converter is provided with a lock-up clutch (also referred to as a 'damper clutch'), which is a means for directly connecting the engine and the transmission, since power transmission efficiency may decrease when the load acting on the engine increases. there is.

The lockup clutch is disposed between a turbine and a front cover directly connected to the engine so that rotational power of the engine can be directly transmitted to the turbine.

This lockup clutch includes an axially movable piston.

Further, a torsional damper capable of absorbing shock and vibration acting in a rotational direction when the lockup clutch is operated by the piston is provided.

Meanwhile, the lock-up clutch is composed of a multi-plate clutch, and the multi-plate clutch includes a lock-up drum, and friction plates are axially coupled to the lock-up drum.

This lock-up clutch can improve fuel efficiency by operating in a high-speed region except for start-up using a torque multiplication operation or gear shifting that requires relative rotation of the impeller and turbine.

However, the conventional lock-up clutch as described above is formed in a structure in which the piston slides in the axial direction by the pressure of the supplied working fluid and engages the friction plates, so that the piston may be deformed due to the high pressure during the lock-up operation. However, there is a problem in that efficient torque transmission is difficult because the surface pressure distribution is different in the radial direction.

In addition, the conventional lock-up clutch has a large number of parts, which is disadvantageous in terms of cost and weight, and as a result, the overall manufacturing cost and weight of the torque converter are increased.

Matters described in this background art section are prepared to enhance understanding of the background of the invention, and may include matters that are not prior art already known to those skilled in the art to which this technique belongs.

Therefore, the present invention was invented to solve the above problems, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to change the components and operating structure of the lockup clutch to reduce manufacturing cost and improve operation controllability It is intended to provide a torque converter.

A torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving this object includes a front cover; torsional damper assembly; and optionally a lock-up clutch directly connecting the front cover and the torsional damper assembly. The lockup clutch may include at least one piston that is moved radially outward by a selectively supplied working fluid to perform a lockup operation.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the lock-up clutch may include a clutch hub coupled to the front cover; The clutch plate may further include a clutch plate portion extending outwardly in a radial direction from the clutch hub.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the at least one piston may further include at least one mounting groove formed along the outer circumferential circumference of the clutch plate portion so that the at least one piston is mounted to be selectively reciprocated toward the outer and inner radial directions, respectively. can

In another embodiment of the present invention, at least one elastic member interposed between the inside of each of the at least one mounting groove and the at least one piston may be further included.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the at least one mounting groove may be formed at equal intervals at positions spaced apart at set angles along the outer circumference of the clutch plate part.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the clutch plate part may further include at least one hydraulic passage formed along a radial direction therein to communicate with the at least one mounting groove and allowing the working fluid to flow. there is.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the at least one hydraulic fluid may be formed at equal intervals at positions spaced apart at a set angle along the circumferential direction inside the clutch plate part.

In another embodiment of the present invention, at least one supply hole communicating with the at least one working oil passage and supplying the working fluid to the at least one working oil passage may be formed in the clutch hub.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the supply holes may be formed at equal intervals at positions spaced apart at set angles along the circumferential direction of the clutch hub.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a spline hub connected to the torsional damper assembly and transmitting a driving force transmitted to the torsional damper assembly to a transmission, wherein the spline hub is radially inner side of the clutch hub It may be connected to the clutch hub to be relatively rotatable.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the piston is inserted into the mounting groove to be slidable in the radial direction, the body portion selectively in frictional contact with the torsional damper assembly; and an insertion protrusion integrally extending from the body toward the inside in the radial direction and inserted into one end of the elastic member toward the outside in the radial direction.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a friction member may be mounted on one side of the body facing outward in the radial direction.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a mounting protrusion may be protruded from the inside of the mounting groove toward the outside in the radial direction so that the other end of the elastic member facing the inside in the radial direction is coupled in an interference fit manner. .

In another embodiment of the present invention, the at least one elastic member may be formed as a tension coil spring to provide a tensile force to the piston when the piston is moved radially outward by the supplied working fluid.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the torsional damper assembly includes a drive plate selectively receiving a driving force from the lock-up clutch; a retaining plate integrally rotatably coupled to the drive plate; a driven plate connected to the drive plate and the retaining plate and integrally rotatably coupled to the spline hub; and an elastic structure disposed to elastically transfer the driving force of the drive plate to the driven plate.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the elastic structure is elastically supported on the retaining plate from the outside in the radial direction, at least one first spring receiving a driving force from the drive plate; and at least one second spring elastically supported by the retaining plate and the drive plate at a position spaced apart from the at least one first spring in a radial direction, and transmitting a driving force to the driven plate.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the impeller coupled to the front cover to rotate together; Further comprising a turbine assembly disposed at a position facing the impeller, wherein the torsional damper assembly is disposed between the front cover and the turbine assembly, the torsional damper assembly is coupled to the turbine assembly, and the a connecting plate elastically supported by the first spring; and a cover plate integrally rotatably coupled to the drive plate and elastically supporting the at least one second spring.

As described above, according to the torque converter according to the embodiment of the present invention, the manufacturing cost is reduced by reducing the components of the lockup clutch, and the lockup clutch is operated in the same radial direction as the supply direction of the working fluid flowing vertically into the axial direction. This has the effect of improving the controllability of the operation of the lockup clutch.

In addition, the present invention has an effect of improving design freedom by reducing the components of the lockup clutch and simultaneously performing the lockup operation in the radial direction, thereby simplifying the layout of the flow path and component arrangement in a narrow space.

In addition, the present invention has an effect of improving productivity and reducing the total weight of the torque converter by simplifying the assembly work by reducing the number of parts of the lockup clutch compared to the prior art.

Furthermore, the present invention has an effect of improving the overall marketability of the torque converter by promoting stable lockup control through changing the structure and operating direction of the lockup clutch.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention cut in an axial direction.
2 is a perspective view of a lockup clutch applied to a torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exploded perspective view of a lockup clutch applied to a torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion X of FIG. 4 .
6 is a perspective view of a piston applied to a lockup clutch in a torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is an operating state diagram for a lock-up operation of a lock-up clutch in a torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an operating state diagram for release of the lock-up operation of a lock-up clutch in a torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, and various changes may be applied and may be implemented in a variety of different forms. Only this embodiment is provided to complete the disclosure of the present invention and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention.

Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but all changes and equivalents included in the technical spirit and scope of the present invention as well as substitution or addition of the configuration of one embodiment and the configuration of another embodiment each other to substitutes.

The accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical idea disclosed in this specification is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes and equivalents included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention It should be understood to include water or substitutes.

In order to clearly describe the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar components throughout the specification.

Since the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of description, the present invention is not necessarily limited to what is shown in the drawings, and the thickness is enlarged to clearly express various parts and regions.

In the drawings, components may be exaggeratedly large or small in size or thickness in consideration of convenience of understanding, etc., but due to this, the scope of protection of the present invention should not be construed as being limited.

Terms used in this specification are only used to describe specific implementations or examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention. And expressions in the singular include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the specification, terms such as “comprise” and “consist of” are intended to designate that features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification exist. That is, terms such as “comprise” and “consisting of” in the specification are understood as not precluding the possibility of existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. It should be.

Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

It is understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but other elements may exist in the middle. It should be.

On the other hand, when a component is referred to as “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another component, it should be understood that no other component exists in the middle.

When an element is referred to as being “on top” or “under” another element, it should be understood that other elements may exist in the middle as well as those directly above the other element. .

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs.

Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and unless explicitly defined in the present application, they should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning. don't

For convenience, in this specification, direction is defined as follows.

The front-rear direction or axial direction is a direction parallel to the axis of rotation, and the front (front) means a direction toward a power source, such as an engine, and the rear (rear) direction means a direction toward another direction, such as a transmission. Therefore, the front side (front side) means the side where the surface faces forward, and the rear side (rear side) means the side where the surface looks backward.

The radial direction or the radial direction means a direction approaching the center or a direction away from the center along a straight line passing through the center of the rotation axis on a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis. A direction away from the center in a radial direction is referred to as a centrifugal direction, and a direction approaching the center is referred to as a centripetal direction.

The circumferential direction means a direction surrounding the circumference of the rotating shaft. The outer circumference means an outer circumference, and the inner circumference means an inner circumference. Therefore, the outer circumferential surface is a surface in a direction facing away from the rotational axis, and the inner circumferential surface means a surface in a direction facing the rotational axis.

A circumferential side face means a face whose normal line is directed approximately in the circumferential direction.

In addition, terms such as "...unit", "...means", "...part", and "...member" described in the specification refer to a comprehensive unit that performs at least one function or operation. it means.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention cut in an axial direction, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lockup clutch applied to a torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the present invention. is an exploded perspective view of a lockup clutch applied to a torque converter according to , FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion X of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of a piston applied to a lock-up clutch in a torque converter according to Fig.

Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a front cover 2 connected to and rotated by a crankshaft of an engine, an impeller 4 connected to the front cover 2 and rotated together, A turbine assembly 6 disposed at a position facing the impeller 4, and located between the impeller 4 and the turbine assembly 6 to change the flow of oil coming out of the turbine assembly 6, the impeller 4 ) includes a reactor (8, also referred to as 'stator') that transfers to the side.

Here, the reactor 8 delivering oil to the impeller 4 side has the same rotational center as the front cover 2 .

In addition, thrust needle bearings 12 may be provided between the impeller 4 and the reactor 8 and between the turbine assembly 6 and the reactor 8, respectively.

The thrust needle bearings 12 may stably support the rotation of the impeller 4 rotating together with the front cover 2 and the rotation of the turbine assembly 6 .

And, the torque converter according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with a lock-up clutch 20 as a means for directly connecting the engine and the transmission. Specifically, the driving force of the engine is transmitted to the front cover 2, and the lockup clutch 20 is selectively directly connected to the front cover 2 so that the driving force of the engine can be transmitted to the transmission.

Also, the torsional damper assembly 30 may be coupled to the lockup clutch 20 . Accordingly, the lockup clutch 20 may selectively directly connect the front cover 2 and the torsional damper assembly 30 .

A detailed structure of the lockup clutch 20 will be described later in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Meanwhile, the torsional damper assembly 30 may be disposed between the front cover 2 and the turbine assembly 6 and connected to the turbine assembly 6 .

Here, the turbine assembly 6 includes a turbine plate 6a having an inner circumferential surface coupled to the torsional damper assembly 30, and a plurality of turbine plates 6a mounted at positions spaced apart at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. It may include two turbine blades (6b).

In one embodiment of the present invention, the torsional damper assembly 30 transmits the driving force transmitted through the lock-up clutch 20 to the spline hub 40, which will be described later, and in the process, torsion acting in the rotational direction of the shaft It serves to absorb force and damp vibration.

As shown in FIG. 1, the torsional damper assembly 30 includes a drive plate 31, a retaining plate 32, a driven plate 33, an elastic structure, a connecting plate 36, and a cover plate ( 37) may be included.

First, the drive plate 31 may selectively receive engine driving force from the lockup clutch 20 . That is, the drive plate 31 can selectively receive the driving force of the engine according to the selective operation of the lockup clutch 20 .

The retaining plate 32 may be integrally rotatably coupled to the drive plate 31 using various coupling methods such as riveting.

The driven plate 33 is connected to the drive plate 31 and the retaining plate 32, and is fixed to the spline hub 40 using various coupling methods such as welding, bolting, or riveting. can be combined

The spline hub 40 is integrally connected to the driven plate 33 to rotate, so that the driving force transmitted to the torsional damper assembly 30 can be transmitted to the transmission.

In this embodiment, the elastic structure may include at least one first spring 34 and at least one second spring 35 .

A plurality of first springs 34 may be arranged at equal intervals along the rotational direction of the torsional damper assembly 20 based on the center of rotation.

These first springs 34 are elastically supported by the retaining plate 32 from the outside in the radial direction, and can receive a driving force from the drive plate 31 . In one embodiment, the first spring 24 may be formed of a compression coil spring.

Here, the connecting plate 36 may be coupled to the turbine plate 6b of the turbine assembly 6 and elastically supported by the first spring 34 .

The second spring 35 may be disposed alternately with the first spring 34 in a rotational direction (circumferential direction).

These second springs 35 are elastically supported by the retaining plate 32 and the drive plate 31 at positions spaced apart from the first spring 34 in a radially inward direction. In one embodiment, the second spring 35 may be formed of a compression coil spring.

The cover plate 37 is disposed while surrounding the second spring 35 together with the drive plate 31 and can elastically support the second spring 35 .

Here, the drive plate 31 and the cover plate 37 may face each other.

In addition, the drive plate 31, the retaining plate 32, and the cover plate 37 may be fixedly coupled using a riveting coupling method.

That is, the drive plate 31 may be coupled to rotate integrally with the cover plate 37 . The driving force of the drive plate 31, the retaining plate 32, and the cover plate 37 is transmitted to the driven plate 33 through the first springs 34 and the second springs 35. can be conveyed

In this process, the first spring 24 and the second spring can absorb vibration and impact in the rotational direction.

The torsional damper assembly 30 configured as described above is disposed on the side of the front cover 2 in the opposite direction to the turbine assembly 6 .

In this embodiment, as described above, two springs (first spring 34 and second spring 35) disposed on the outside and inside in the radial direction through the retaining plate 32 along the circumferential direction, respectively. Although described as having the torsional damper assembly 30, it is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, instead of the first spring and the second spring being alternately arranged along the circumferential direction in different radial directions, they are alternately arranged along the circumferential direction in the same radial direction, or at the same circumferential position in different radial directions. An arrangement in which they are arranged and connected in series by the retaining plate 32 is also possible.

Furthermore, instead of the torsional damper assembly necessarily having two-stage springs, a torsional damper assembly having only one-stage spring is also possible. In this case, the retaining plate may be omitted, and the driving force may be transmitted in the order of drive plate-spring-driven plate.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the lockup clutch 20 may include at least one piston 22 that is moved radially outward by a selectively supplied working fluid to perform a lockup operation.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 , the lockup clutch 20 includes the piston 22, the clutch hub 24, the clutch plate part 26, at least one mounting groove 27, and an elastic member. (28) may be included.

First, the piston 22 may perform a lock-up operation while being selectively moved outward in the same radial direction as the inflow direction of the working fluid supplied perpendicularly to the axial direction.

In this embodiment, the clutch hub 24 is disposed at the center of rotation, and an outer circumferential surface thereof may be fixedly coupled to the front cover 2 through welding or the like.

The clutch hub 24 is connected to the torsional damper assembly 30 so that the spline hub 40 that transmits the driving force transmitted to the torsional damper assembly 30 to the transmission is relatively rotatable from the inside in the radial direction. can be connected

In this embodiment, the clutch plate portion 26 may integrally extend from the outer circumferential surface of the clutch hub 24 toward the radial direction. The clutch plate part 26 may be disposed between the front cover 2 and the torsional damper assembly 30 .

The at least one mounting groove 27 is of the clutch plate part 26 so that each of the pistons 22 are mounted so that each piston 22 can be selectively reciprocated in radially outward and inward directions from the clutch plate part 26. It may be formed along the outer circumference.

Here, the mounting grooves 27 may be formed at equal intervals at positions spaced apart from each other at a set angle along the outer circumferential circumference of the clutch plate part 26 . In one embodiment, 12 mounting grooves 27 may be formed along the outer circumference of the clutch plate part 26 and spaced apart at an angle of 30°.

In addition, the clutch plate portion 26 is formed along the inner circumferential direction corresponding to the mounting grooves 27 so that the piston 22 is operated radially outward by the selectively supplied working fluid, At least one hydraulic passage 26a communicating with each of the mounting grooves 27 may be further included.

The operating passages 26a may be formed at equal intervals at positions spaced apart at a set angle along the circumferential direction inside the clutch plate part 26 corresponding to each of the mounting grooves 27 . In one embodiment, the number of 12 hydraulic passages 26a may be formed by being spaced apart at an angle of 30° along the outer circumference of the clutch plate part 26 .

Here, at least one supply hole 24a communicating with each of the hydraulic passages 26a may be formed in the clutch hub 24 .

The supply holes 24a may be formed at equal intervals at positions spaced apart at set angles along the circumferential direction of the clutch hub 24 . In one embodiment, 12 supply holes 24a may be formed at an angle of 30° along the circumference of the clutch hub 24 to correspond to the operation passages 26a.

In addition, the at least one elastic member 28 may be interposed between the piston 22 and the inside of each of the mounting grooves 27 .

Here, the piston 22 may include a body portion 22a and an insertion protrusion 22b (see FIG. 6).

First, the body portion 22a is formed in a substantially rectangular block shape corresponding to the shape of the mounting groove 27 and can be inserted into the mounting groove 27 so as to slide in a radial direction.

Here, a friction member 23 may be mounted on one surface of the body portion 22a facing outward in the radial direction.

Accordingly, the body part 22a selectively moves through the drive plate 31 and the friction member 23 provided in the torsional damper assembly 30 by the working fluid supplied to the working passage 26a. can be in frictional contact.

Further, the insertion protrusion 22b integrally extends from the body portion 22a toward the inner side in the radial direction, and may be inserted into the elastic member 28 .

Here, one end of the elastic member 28 facing outward in the radial direction may be coupled to the insertion protrusion 22b in an interference fitting manner.

On the other hand, the mounting groove 27 has a mounting protrusion 27a extending from the inside of the mounting groove 27 toward the outside in the radial direction so that the other end of the elastic member 28 facing the inside in the radial direction is coupled in an interference fit method. protrusions can be formed.

That is, one end of the elastic member 28 may be coupled to the insertion projection 22b in an interference fit manner, and the other end may be coupled to the mounting projection 27a in an interference fit manner.

The elastic member 28 configured as described above may be formed as a tension coil spring to provide a tensile force to the piston 22 when the piston 22 is moved radially outward by the supplied working fluid. .

In one embodiment, when the supply of the working fluid is stopped to release the lockup operation in a state in which the piston 22 is moved radially outward for the lockup operation by the supplied working fluid, the elastic member 28 can quickly return the piston 22 to the initial position by providing a tensile force to the piston 22 from the inside of the mounting groove 27 .

The lock-up operation of the torque converter configured as described above will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 7 to 8 attached thereto.

7 is an operating state diagram for a lockup operation of a lockup clutch in a torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is an operating state diagram for release of a lockup operation of a lockup clutch in a torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, a lock-up operation of a torque converter according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7 attached.

Referring to FIG. 7 , when working fluid is supplied to each working oil passage 26a through the supply holes 24a to directly transmit the driving force of the engine to the transmission, the pistons 22 of the lockup clutch 20 supply is moved outward in the radial direction from the mounting groove 28 by the working fluid.

At this time, the elastic member 28 may maintain a tensioned state by the piston 22 moving outward in the radial direction in a compressed state.

Then, while the piston 22 frictionally contacts the drive plate 22 through the friction member 23, the front cover 2 and the drive plate 31 can be integrally rotated.

Accordingly, the driving force of the engine is applied to the drive plate 31, the retaining plate 32, the first spring 34, the second spring 35, and the driven plate by the lock-up operation of the lock-up clutch 20. It is transmitted in the order of (33) and finally can be directly transmitted to the transmission.

Contrary to this, the operation of releasing the lock-up operation of the torque converter according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 8 attached.

Referring to FIG. 8 , when the lockup operation of the lockup clutch 20 is released in the lockup operation state, the supply of the working fluid supplied from the supply hole 24a through the working oil passage 26a is stopped.

Then, the operating pressure inside the operating oil passage 26a is released. At this time, the piston 22 can quickly return to its initial position by the tensile force provided from the elastic member 28, which has been maintained in a tensioned state.

Accordingly, the lock-up operation of the lock-up clutch 20 may be released while frictional contact between the piston 22 and the drive plate 31 is released.

Therefore, when the torque converter according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above is applied, the manufacturing cost is reduced by reducing the components of the lock-up clutch 20, and the supply direction of the working fluid flowing vertically to the axial direction Operation controllability of the lock-up clutch 20 may be improved by operating the lock-up clutch 20 in the same radial direction.

In addition, the present invention reduces the number of components of the lock-up clutch 20 and at the same time performs the lock-up operation in the radial direction, thereby simplifying the layout of the flow path and component arrangement in a narrow space, thereby improving the degree of design freedom. .

In addition, the present invention can improve productivity and reduce the total weight of the torque converter by simplifying the assembly work by reducing the number of parts of the lockup clutch 20 compared to the prior art.

Furthermore, the present invention promotes stable lock-up control through changing the structure and operating direction of the lock-up clutch 20, thereby improving the overall marketability of the torque converter.

As described above, although the present invention has been described by the limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the technical spirit of the present invention and the following by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs Of course, various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of equivalents of the claims to be described.

In addition, although the operation and effect according to the configuration of the present invention have not been explicitly described and described while describing the embodiments of the present invention above, it is natural that the effects predictable by the corresponding configuration should also be recognized.

2 : Front cover
4 : Impeller
6 : Turbine assembly
6a: turbine plate
6b: turbine blade
8 : Reactor
12: thrust bearing
20: lock-up clutch
22 : Piston
22a: body part
22b: insertion protrusion
23: friction member
24: clutch hub
24a: supply hole
26: clutch plate part
26a: working oil
27: elastic member
27a: mounting protrusion
28: mounting groove
30: torsional damper assembly
31: drive plate
32: retaining plate
33: driven plate
34: first spring
35: second spring
36: connecting plate
40: spline hub

Claims (17)

front cover;
torsional damper assembly; and
a lock-up clutch selectively directly connecting the front cover and the torsional damper assembly; Including,
The lockup clutch
A torque converter comprising at least one piston that is moved radially outward by a selectively supplied working fluid to perform a lock-up operation.
According to claim 1,
The lock-up clutch
a clutch hub coupled to the front cover; and
a clutch plate portion integrally extending from the clutch hub in a radial direction;
Torque converter further comprising a.
According to claim 2,
at least one mounting groove formed along the outer circumferential circumference of the clutch plate portion so that the at least one piston is mounted to be selectively reciprocally movable in radially outward and inward directions;
Torque converter further comprising a.
According to claim 3,
at least one elastic member interposed between the inside of each of the at least one mounting groove and the at least one piston;
Torque converter further comprising a.
According to claim 3,
The at least one mounting groove is
The torque converter, characterized in that formed at equal intervals at positions spaced apart at a set angle along the outer circumferential circumference of the clutch plate portion.
According to claim 3,
the clutch plate
The torque converter according to claim 1, further comprising at least one hydraulic passage formed along a radial direction therein to communicate with the at least one mounting groove and through which the working fluid can flow.
According to claim 6,
The at least one working oil
The torque converter, characterized in that formed at equal intervals at positions spaced apart from the inside of the clutch plate portion at a set angle along the circumferential direction.
According to claim 6,
The clutch hub
A torque converter, characterized in that at least one supply hole for supplying the working fluid to the at least one working oil passage is formed in communication with the at least one working oil passage.
According to claim 8,
The at least one supply hole is
A torque converter, characterized in that formed at equal intervals at positions spaced apart at a set angle along the circumferential direction of the clutch hub.
According to claim 2,
Further comprising a spline hub connected to the torsional damper assembly and transmitting a driving force transmitted to the torsional damper assembly to a transmission;
The torque converter, characterized in that the spline hub is connected to the clutch hub to be relatively rotatably connected to the inner radial direction of the clutch hub.
According to claim 4,
the piston
a body portion inserted into the mounting groove to be slidable in a radial direction and selectively in frictional contact with the torsional damper assembly; and
an insertion protrusion extending integrally from the body toward the inside in the radial direction and inserted into one end of the elastic member toward the outside in the radial direction;
Torque converter comprising a.
According to claim 11,
In the body part
A torque converter, characterized in that a friction member is mounted on one surface facing outward in the radial direction.
According to claim 11,
In the mounting groove
A torque converter, characterized in that a mounting protrusion protrudes from the inside of the mounting groove toward the outside in the radial direction so that the other end of the elastic member facing the inside in the radial direction is coupled in an interference fit method.
According to claim 4,
The at least one elastic member is
A torque converter characterized in that it is formed of a tension coil spring to provide tension to the piston when the piston is moved radially outward by the supplied working fluid.
According to claim 10,
The torsional damper assembly
a drive plate selectively receiving driving force from the lockup clutch;
a retaining plate integrally rotatably coupled to the drive plate;
a driven plate connected to the drive plate and the retaining plate and integrally rotatably coupled to the spline hub; and
an elastic structure disposed to elastically transmit the driving force of the drive plate to the driven plate;
Torque converter comprising a.
According to claim 15,
The elastic structure
at least one first spring that is elastically supported on the retaining plate from the outside in the radial direction and receives a driving force from the drive plate; and
at least one second spring elastically supported by the retaining plate and the drive plate at a position spaced apart from the at least one first spring in a radial direction, and transmitting a driving force to the driven plate;
A vehicle torque converter comprising a.
According to claim 16,
an impeller coupled to the front cover and rotating together;
Further comprising a; turbine assembly disposed at a position facing the impeller,
The torsional damper assembly is disposed between the front cover and the turbine assembly,
The torsional damper assembly
a connecting plate coupled to the turbine assembly and elastically supported by the first spring; and
a cover plate integrally rotatably coupled to the drive plate and elastically supporting the at least one second spring;
Torque converter further comprising a.

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