JP2001295870A - Hydrodynamic retarder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hydrodynamic retarder eliminating any necessity of installing a pump device separately, saving a space for installation, reducing the number of components assembled to a car body and assembling manhour, and reducing the cost. SOLUTION: The pump device 19 for circulating hydraulic fluid is constituted of a pump chamber 55 storing the hydraulic fluid in the circumference of a rotary shaft 11 inserted in a retarder case 5 adjacent to a hydraulic fluid inlet 5b in the retarder case 5, and a pump impeller 91 attached to the rotary shaft 11 facing to the pump chamber 55 and rotating in the pump chamber 55 along with the rotary shaft 11 so as to pump the hydraulic fluid in the pump chamber 55 to a hydraulic fluid outlet 5a side of the retarder case 5. The pump device is incorporated in the retarder case 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hydraulic retarder mounted on a vehicle or the like as an auxiliary brake device, and more particularly, to an improvement for realizing space saving of an installation space and reduction of the number of assembly steps. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In large vehicles such as trucks and buses, braking torque is generated separately from normal service brakes during downhills and deceleration from high-speed running, thereby reducing the load on service brakes. 2. Description of the Related Art A hydraulic retarder device has been developed as one of auxiliary braking devices for preventing fading due to a rise in the temperature of a service brake and improving vehicle safety and durability of a friction material.

[0003] This fluid type retarder device generally includes a working fluid outlet for sending working fluid to the outside and a working fluid inlet for receiving working fluid from the outside, and a retarder case in which working fluid is filled inside, and a retarder case in the retarder case. A non-rotating stator and a rotatable rotor, a clutch mechanism that connects and disconnects the rotor to and from a rotating shaft that passes through the retarder case, and controls the operation of the clutch mechanism according to the running and brake operating conditions of the vehicle A clutch control mechanism, a circulating flow path of the working fluid that exits from the working fluid outlet and returns to the working fluid inlet, and a pump device that pumps the working fluid to circulate the working fluid in the circulating flow path and the retarder case. During the relative rotation between the stator and the rotor, the working liquid pressure interposed between the stator and the rotor is applied to the rotor. It exerts a braking torque to the rotating shaft by that load.

[0004] As the rotating shaft, for example, an axle that rotates integrally with a wheel or an output shaft of a transmission is set. The working liquid whose temperature has been raised by the retarder device is sent out to the outside and is cooled by an existing radiator also used as a cooling device. Further, in the case of the conventional device, the pump device is generally an independent small pump unit, and is mounted on the vehicle body side so as to be interposed in a circulation flow path communicating between the radiator and the working fluid inlet. .

[0005]

The above-mentioned fluid retarder has been developed for use in large vehicles such as trucks and buses, but in recent years, its application to small commercial vehicles has been demanded. I have. However, as described above, the conventional fluid type retarder device has a configuration in which a pump device for circulating the working liquid is mounted independently of the retarder case, and each of the pump device and the retarder case is individually mounted on the vehicle body. Therefore, it is necessary to secure a relatively large installation space, and it has been difficult to apply it to a small commercial vehicle or the like having a limited installation space. In addition, when an independent pump device is used, a dedicated power supply device serving as a driving source thereof or a dedicated torque transmitting means for transmitting engine output must be separately assembled. With a large increase in the number, in a small commercial vehicle or the like with a low vehicle price, there is also a problem that the cost increase due to the addition of the pump device may cause a soaring vehicle price.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and does not require a separate pump device for circulating the working liquid. Therefore, the mounting space can be saved, and the installation space is limited. It can be easily applied to small commercial vehicles, etc., and it is not necessary to separately assemble the pump unit and its dedicated drive source into the vehicle body. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fluid type retarder device which can reduce the cost required for mounting the pump device and can be easily mounted on a small commercial vehicle or the like with a low vehicle price.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a fluid retarder apparatus comprising: a retarder case having a working fluid outlet and a working fluid inlet, the inside of which is filled with a working fluid; A stator that is non-rotatably mounted in the case and a rotatably mounted rotor, a clutch mechanism that connects and disconnects the rotor to and from a rotating shaft that passes through the retarder case, and A clutch control mechanism for controlling a clutch mechanism, a circulating flow path of the working fluid that exits from the working fluid outlet and returns to the working fluid inlet, and a working fluid that circulates the working fluid in the circulation flow path and the retarder case. A pump device that performs pressure feeding, and when a relative rotation between the stator and the rotor is performed, a working liquid pressure interposed between the stator and the rotor is applied to the rotor. A hydraulic retarder device that applies a braking torque to the rotating shaft by a load, wherein the pump device stores a working fluid around the rotating shaft near a working fluid inlet in the retarder case, A pump impeller attached to a rotary shaft facing the pump chamber and for rotating the pump chamber integrally with the rotary shaft to pump the working liquid in the pump chamber to the working liquid outlet side.

According to the above construction, the pump device for circulating the working liquid is built in the retarder case. When the retarder case is mounted on the vehicle body, the mounting of the pump device is completed at the same time. It is not necessary to carry out the mounting to the vehicle body separately, and it is not necessary to secure a separate installation space for the pump device. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the space required for mounting on the vehicle body, and it is easy to apply the present invention to a small commercial vehicle or the like having a limited installation space. In addition, the rotation itself of the rotating shaft inserted through the inside of the retarder case becomes a rotation driving source of the pump impeller, and there is no need to equip the pump with a dedicated torque transmitting means for driving the pump. That is, since it is not necessary to separately assemble the pump device and its dedicated drive source into the vehicle body, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of parts and the number of assembling steps to be mounted on the vehicle body, and to reduce the cost required for mounting the pump device. Therefore, even a small commercial vehicle with a low vehicle price can be mounted with a minimal effect on the vehicle price.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a fluid type retarder according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 6 show an embodiment of a fluid type retarder device according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows a hydraulic drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a schematic view of the system, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the fluid retarder device shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line V-VI of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG.

[0010] The fluid type retarder 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the working fluid outlet 5a for sending the heated working fluid to the external cooling device 3 and the cooling device 3
Case 5 having a working fluid inlet 5b for receiving the working fluid treated in
A stator 7 mounted non-rotatably in the retarder case 5, a rotor 9 rotatably mounted at a position facing the stator 7, and a rotating shaft 11 inserted through the retarder case 5.
, A clutch control mechanism 15 for controlling the operation of the clutch mechanism 13 in accordance with a running state of the vehicle and a brake operation state, and a hydraulic fluid outlet 5a.
And a pump device 19 for pumping the working liquid in order to circulate the working liquid in the circulation passage 17 and the retarder case 5 to return to the working fluid inlet 5b via the cooling device 3. The stator 7
At the time of relative rotation between the rotor 9 and the rotor 9, a braking torque is applied to the rotating shaft 11 by a load applied to the rotor 9 by the working liquid pressure interposed between the stator 7 and the rotor 9.

The working liquid used in the hydraulic retarder 1 is a working oil that is also used as a cooling oil for a vehicle engine or transmission. As the cooling device 3, a radiator that is already installed in the vehicle for oil cooling is also used. In the case of the present embodiment, the retarder case 5 is fixed to the vehicle body by being coupled to the outer peripheral portion of the transmission case 23 of the vehicle 21 as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG.
The rotating shaft 11 inserted in the retarder case 5 has a gear 25 mounted on the shaft end meshed with a gear 29 on a drive shaft 27 in the transmission case 23. When the vehicle is running, the drive shaft in the transmission case 23 27 and is driven to rotate.

The vehicle 21 has a radiator 3 disposed at a front portion of the vehicle body. Also, front wheels 31a, 31b and rear wheels 32
Each of the wheels a and 32b is provided with a service brake unit 35 that generates a braking force in accordance with a brake operation such as stepping on a brake pedal 33. The service brake unit 35 includes a pneumatic type, a hydraulic type, an electric type, and the like.
An appropriate type is adopted according to the use of the vehicle and the power performance.

The retarder case 5 of the present embodiment includes a rolling bearing 41 for supporting the rotating shaft 11 near the gear 25 and supporting one end of the rotating shaft 11, and a rotating bearing 41 for positioning the rotating shaft 11 in the retarder case 5. It is rotatably supported by two rolling bearings with a rolling bearing 42 supporting the other end. The retarder case 5 includes a gear-side end case 51 that holds the rolling bearing 41, a substantially cylindrical intermediate case 52 that holds the rolling bearing 42 and is coupled to the gear-side end case 51, The case 52 is divided into three cases, an axial end side end case 53 coupled to the intermediate case 52 so as to cover the open end of the case 52.

[0014] The gear-side end case 51 is
A stator 7 is integrally formed on the inner side surrounded by 2, and a hydraulic fluid outlet 5 a is provided so as to communicate with a liquid-filled space defined by the stator 7 and the rotor 9.
The intermediate case 52 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the rotating shaft 11 with the rotor 9.
And a liquid-filled space in which the clutch mechanism 13 is provided, and a clutch control mechanism 15 for operating the clutch mechanism 13 is incorporated. Shaft end side end case 5
Reference numeral 3 denotes a cover having a working fluid inlet 5b, and a pump chamber 55 for storing working fluid supplied into the case from the working fluid inlet 5b at the end of the rotating shaft 11.

The connection surface of each case constituting the retarder case 5 and the insertion portion of the rotating shaft 11 in the gear side end case 51 are operated by the working fluid supplied into the case from the working fluid inlet 5b. Seal rings 54a, 54b, 54c and 54d are provided so as not to leak from other than the liquid outlet 5a.

The stator 7 integrally formed with the gear-side end case 51 is a shell (outer shell) having a substantially semicircular cross section for changing the direction of the working fluid flowing from the working fluid inlet 5b toward the rotor 9. 7) and a blade 7b fixed to the inner surface side of the shell 7a and regulating the flow direction of the working liquid so that the working liquid passed from the stator 7 to the rotor 9 becomes the rotation torque of the rotor 9. is there. The rotor 9 also has a shell 9a having a substantially semicircular cross-sectional shape for returning the working liquid received from the stator 7 to the stator 7 side, and is fixed to the inner surface side of the shell 9a.
And a blade 9b for receiving the energy of the working liquid so that the working liquid passed to the rotary shaft 11 becomes the braking torque of the rotating shaft 11.
It is supported rotatably. The rolling bearing 56 is of a type having a gap between the outer ring and the inner ring that allows the passage of the working liquid, and the gap in the rolling bearing 56 is formed between the stator 7 and the rotor 9. It is actively used as a flow path for supplying the working liquid, and in particular, a dedicated flow path is not provided in the rotor 9 itself. This is because the position where the rolling bearing 56 is provided is optimal on the inner diameter side of the stator 7 and the rotor 9 as a supply port for the working liquid.

The clutch mechanism 13 has a substantially cylindrical clutch housing 61 which is fastened to the rotor 9 and rotates integrally with the rotor 9, and a plurality of spline-fitted inner peripheral portions of the clutch housing 61 which can be moved only in the axial direction. Outer plates 62 and a plurality of inner plates 63 alternately arranged with the outer plates 62 while being spline-fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the rotating shaft 11 so as to be movable only in the axial direction.
And a clutch actuating piston 6 for bringing the outer plate 62 and the inner plate 63 into close contact with each other when braking is required.
5 is a wet multi-plate clutch that switches the rotor 9 and the rotating shaft 11 to a connected state or a separated state by a frictional force between the outer plate 62 and the inner plate 63. Each of the outer plate 62 and the inner plate 63 is provided with an opening 62a, 63a through which the working liquid is inserted at a position close to the inner diameter. When the plates come into close contact with each other, these openings 62a, 63a, When 63a is continuous, it becomes a flow path for the working liquid.

The clutch actuating piston 65 includes a first slide member 71 supported at the end of the intermediate case 52 to which the shaft end side end case 53 is connected so as to be displaceable along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 11. The outer plate 62 is rotatably coupled to the center of the first slide member 71 via a rolling bearing 72 so that the outer plate 62 is displaced when the first slide member 71 is displaced.
And the second plate capable of pressing the inner plate 63 and the inner plate 63 in close contact with each other.
And a slide member 73. The second
The slide member 73 has a gap 81 between the rotary shaft 11 and the working fluid. And, as the rolling bearing 72, the gap s between the second sliding member 73 and
Is 0.2 mm or less, and the rolling bearing 72 itself adopts a shield type that does not allow passage of the working liquid, so that the clutch working piston 6 of the supplied working liquid can be used.
The flow path in 5 is limited to only the gap 81 to prevent an increase in pressure loss and the like due to the diffusion of the flow of the working liquid.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the clutch control mechanism 15 is provided at three positions at the end of the intermediate case 52 and is controlled by a control piston 93 slidably held by the cylinder portion 52b. The slide operation of one slide member 71 is performed. The control piston 93 is driven in the direction of the arrow (a) in FIG. 6 by the fluid pressure supplied to the control pressure supply port 52c communicating with the cylinder portion 52b, and slides the clutch operation piston 65 toward the clutch mechanism 13. The fluid supplied to the control pressure supply port 52c may be either hydraulic or pneumatic. However, the control pressure supply port 52c
The fluid pressure is supplied to the vehicle when braking is required according to the running state of the vehicle and the operating state of the brake. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, when the brake pedal 33 is depressed, the solenoid valve 94 causes the vacuum tank 95 to move the vacuum tank 95 to the pressure supply chamber 9.
The control piston 93 is caused to perform a predetermined displacement operation by hydraulic pressure that acts on the control pressure supply port 52c by using pressure conversion from air pressure to hydraulic pressure in the chamber 96 in communication with the control piston 93.

At the shaft end of the rotating shaft 11 facing the pump chamber 55 formed by the shaft end side end case 53, the working liquid in the pump chamber 55 is rotated by rotating inside the pump chamber 55 integrally with the rotating shaft 11. Impeller 9 for pumping oil to the hydraulic fluid outlet 5a side
In this embodiment, the pump device 19 is composed of the pump impeller 91 and the pump chamber 55.

In the above-mentioned fluid type retarder apparatus 1, the working liquid supplied to the working liquid inlet 5b efficiently travels substantially along the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 11, as shown by the two-dot chain line arrow R in FIG. After flowing into the inner diameter side between the stator 7 and the rotor 9 (by the shortest path) and transmitting a predetermined torque between the stator 7 and the rotor 9, the hydraulic fluid is discharged from the hydraulic fluid outlet 5 a to the circulation channel 17. Then, circulation is performed through the cooling device 3 to return to the working fluid outlet 5a.

In the above fluid type retarder device 1,
The pump device 19 for circulating the working liquid is built in the retarder case 5, and the mounting of the pump device 19 is completed simultaneously by mounting the retarder case 5 to the vehicle body, and the mounting of the pump device 19 to the vehicle body is performed separately. Also, there is no need to separately secure an installation space for the pump device 19. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the space required for mounting on the vehicle body, and it is easy to apply the present invention to a small commercial vehicle or the like having a limited installation space.

Further, the rotation itself of the rotary shaft 11 passing through the inside of the retarder case 5 serves as a rotation drive source of the pump impeller 91, and there is no need to equip the vehicle with a dedicated torque transmission means for driving the pump. That is, since it is not necessary to separately assemble the pump device 19 and its dedicated driving source into the vehicle body,
The number of parts and the number of assembling steps to be assembled on the vehicle body are greatly reduced, and the cost required for the installation of the pump device 19 can be reduced. Can be minimized to enable mounting.

The fluid type retarder of the present invention is suitable for application to small commercial vehicles and the like, but it is needless to say that it can be applied to large vehicles such as trucks and buses to save space and reduce Taking advantage of the cost reduction, it is also possible to reduce the size and weight of the braking system in a large vehicle and to reduce the cost.

[0025]

According to the fluid type retarder of the present invention,
The pump device that circulates the working liquid is built in the retarder case, and the mounting of the pump device is completed at the same time by mounting the retarder case to the vehicle body, and it is necessary to separately mount the pump device to the vehicle body. Moreover, there is no need to secure a separate installation space for the pump device. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the space required for mounting on the vehicle body, and it is easy to apply the present invention to a small commercial vehicle or the like having a limited installation space.

Further, the rotation itself of the rotating shaft passing through the inside of the retarder case becomes a rotation driving source of the pump impeller,
There is no need to equip the vehicle with a dedicated torque transmitting means for driving the pump. That is, since it is not necessary to separately assemble the pump device and its dedicated drive source into the vehicle body, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of parts and the number of assembling steps to be mounted on the vehicle body, and to reduce the cost required for mounting the pump device. It can be installed in small commercial vehicles with low vehicle prices,
The influence on the vehicle body price can be minimized, and it can be easily mounted on a small commercial vehicle or the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a drive system of a vehicle showing a mounted state of a fluid type retarder device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the hydraulic retarder device according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow V in FIG. 4;

6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 fluid retarder device 3 radiator (cooling device) 5 retarder case 5 a working fluid outlet 5 b working fluid inlet 7 stator 9 rotor 11 rotating shaft 13 clutch mechanism 15 clutch control mechanism 17 circulating flow path 19 pump device 21 vehicle 23 transmission case 25 gear 27 Drive shaft 33 Brake pedal 35 Service brake unit 41 Rolling bearing 42 Rolling bearing 51 Gear side end case 52 Intermediate case 53 Shaft end side end case 55 Pump chamber 56 Rolling bearing 61 Clutch housing 62 Outer plate 63 Inner plate 62a, 63a Opening 65 Clutch operating piston 71 First slide member 72 Rolling bearing 73 Second slide member 81 Clearance 91 Pump impeller 93 Control piston

Claims (1)

[Claims] A retarder case provided with a working fluid outlet and a working fluid inlet and filled with a working fluid, a stator non-rotatably mounted in the retarder case, and a rotor rotatably mounted in the retarder case; A clutch mechanism for connecting and disconnecting the rotor to and from a rotating shaft through which a retarder case is inserted; a clutch control mechanism for controlling the clutch mechanism in accordance with a running state or a brake operation state of a vehicle; and a working fluid inlet exiting from the working fluid outlet And a pump device for pumping the working liquid in order to circulate the working liquid in the circulation passage and the retarder case. When the stator and the rotor rotate relative to each other, A hydraulic retarder device for applying a braking torque to the rotating shaft by a load applied to a rotor by a working liquid pressure interposed between a stator and a rotor, A pump chamber for storing a working fluid around the rotary shaft near the working fluid inlet in the retarder case, and the pump chamber attached to the rotary shaft facing the pump chamber and integrated with the rotary shaft. And a pump impeller for pumping the working liquid in the pump chamber to the working liquid outlet side by rotating the pump.