JP2007192360A - Lockup damper device of torque converter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lockup damper device of a torque converter high in transmission efficiency by eliminating a power loss caused by friction with a piston which is generated by the expansion/contraction deformation of a damper spring. <P>SOLUTION: An annular plate 5 is attached to a piston 2 through a spacer 12 with a designated thickness; an annular intermediate member 4 is attached so as to be rotatable in a gap between the piston and the plate; a disk 6 connected to a turbine hub with a turbine runner attached is superposed on the plate; a plurality of arcuate grooves 8 divided by connection parts is arranged in the intermediate member, and two pieces of damper springs 3 are fit in the arcuate groove with a space left between simultaneously; a plurality of arcuate grooves divided by spring pressers 15 are formed in the plate, and two pieces of damper springs in a series state by sandwiching the connection part are fit in the arcuate groove simultaneously, a spring presser is fit in a space between the two pieces of damper springs fit in the arcuate groove of the intermediate member, and a spring catcher 18 is arranged at the same location as the spring presser in the disk. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lock-up damper device for a torque converter that connects damper springs in series.

  As is well known, a torque converter is a type of joint that can transmit engine power to a transmission using a working fluid as a medium. A pump impeller that is turned by the engine and a movement of the working fluid that is sent out by the rotation of the pump impeller. The turbine runner that rotates around the turbine runner, and the stator that changes the direction of the working fluid from the turbine runner and guides it to the pump impeller.

  Therefore, a plurality of blades are arranged at predetermined intervals at a predetermined angle on the pump impeller, turbine runner, and stator. The working fluid sealed in the torque converter is sent from the pump impeller through the blades in the outer circumferential direction, travels along the inner wall of the case of the torque converter, hits the blade of the turbine runner, and the turbine runner is the same as the pump impeller. It works to turn in the direction. Further, the working fluid sent out after hitting the turbine runner is changed in the flow direction so as to hit the blades of the stator and promote the rotation of the pump impeller, and flows into the pump impeller again from the inner periphery.

  FIG. 8 shows a cross section of a conventional torque converter. In the figure, (A) is a pump impeller, (B) is a turbine runner, (C) is a stator, and (D) is a piston, which are housed in a torque converter outer shell (M). Therefore, the front cover (e) rotates with the power from the engine, and the pump impeller (a) integrated with the front cover (e) rotates. ) Turns.

  A shaft (not shown) is fitted to the turbine hub (f) of the turbine runner (b), and the rotation of the turbine runner (b) can be transmitted to a transmission (not shown). Since the torque converter is a kind of fluid clutch, when the rotation speed of the pump impeller (a) is low, the rotation of the turbine runner (ro) can be stopped (the car can be stopped), but the pump As the rotational speed of the impeller (b) increases, the turbine runner (b) starts to rotate, and as the speed further increases, the speed of the turbine runner (b) approaches the rotational speed of the pump impeller (b). However, in the torque converter using the working fluid as a medium, the rotational speed of the turbine runner (b) cannot be the same as that of the pump impeller (b).

  Therefore, as shown in the figure, when the piston (d) is provided in the torque converter outer shell (mu), and the rotational speed of the turbine runner (b) exceeds a predetermined region, The piston (d) can be operated to move in the axial direction and engage with the front cover (e). Since a friction material (g) is attached to the outer periphery of the piston, the piston (d) can rotate at the same speed as the front cover (e) without slipping. This piston (d) is connected to the turbine runner (b), and the turbine runner (b) is rotated by the piston (d), and the power from the engine is lost to the transmission through the fluid. Can be transmitted with high efficiency of almost 100%.

  In this way, when the rotational speed of the turbine runner (b) increases and a certain condition is reached, the piston (d) engages with the front cover (e) and the turbine runner ( B) can be directly rotated. However, before the engagement, the rotational speeds of the turbine runner (B) and front cover (E) are not completely the same, and the piston (D) engages with the front cover (E). Occurs. Damper springs (H), (H) ... between the piston (D) and the turbine runner (B) in order to mitigate this impact during engagement and, on the other hand, not transmit engine torque fluctuations after engagement. A lockup damper device (N) equipped with is attached.

  Therefore, when the piston (d) rotating at the same speed as the turbine runner (b) is engaged with the slightly faster front cover (e), the speed of the piston (d) increases momentarily and the turbine runner ( (B) Torque to rotate faster is applied. The damper springs (h), (h),... Are configured to absorb and absorb this shocking torque. The piston (d) is coaxially attached to the turbine hub (b) of the turbine runner (b), but the damper spring (h), (h) It has a structure capable of producing a phase difference.

  Conventionally, various structures of lock-up dampers are known. For example, a “damper mechanism” according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-169714 has a plurality of units connected in series via an intermediate member to ensure a wide torsion angle characteristic. This is a damper mechanism in which the elastic member (coil spring) is arranged on the outer peripheral portion, and the movement of the connecting portion of the elastic member including the intermediate member is regulated to stabilize the damper characteristics.

  Therefore, the lockup damper mechanism includes a retaining plate, a driven member, a coil spring arranged in series in the outer peripheral portion, an intermediate member, and a pressing plate that restricts the axial movement of the intermediate member. Yes. The coil spring elastically connects the retaining plate and the driven member. In this case, the intermediate member is rotatable relative to the retaining plate and the driven member, and an intermediate support portion disposed between the coil springs and an annular coupling portion that restricts the movement of the intermediate support portion in the radial direction outside. And have.

  Multiple coil springs (damper springs) are connected in series via an intermediate member to increase the torsion angle and further reduce the impact when the piston (retaining plate) engages the front cover. The transmission torque fluctuation to the transmission is reduced.

  FIG. 9 shows the lockup damper device (n) of the torque converter shown in FIG. 8 alone. The damper springs (H), (H) ... are sandwiched between the outer plate (L) and the outer plate (O), and between the outer plates (L), (O), the middle plate (W) and the middle A member (f) is interposed. The middle plate (wa) has a ring shape, and spring retainers (yo), (yo) ... are projected on its inner periphery, and one intermediate member (f) also has a ring shape and is connected to its outer periphery. The parts (re), (re) ... are protruding.

  The intermediate member (f) with a small outer diameter fits into the hole in the middle plate (wa), and the spring presser (yo) that protrudes inside the middle plate (wa), between the two dampers The springs (h) and (h) are set in series, and a connecting part (re) protruding outside the intermediate member (f) is interposed between the damper springs (h) and (h) in series. ing. In addition, notch grooves (t), (t) ... are formed on the outer periphery of the middle plate (wa), and a piston (d) is locked to the notch grooves (t), (t) ... ing.

  Accordingly, if the middle plate (wa) rotates with the piston (d) and the piston (d) engages with the front cover (e) and the rotation speed increases, the connecting portion (rear) of the intermediate member (f) The damper springs (H), (H),... That are in series via), (Li),... Are compressed and deformed, and the impact torque at the time of engagement can be reduced. The damper springs (H), (H),... Are sandwiched between outer plates (L), (E), and the outer plate (E) is a turbine hub together with the turbine runner (B) as shown in FIG. (F) is fixed.

  For this reason, the impact when the piston (d) engages with the front cover (e) is absorbed by the damper springs (h), (h), and so on and is not transmitted to the turbine runner (b). It consists of. Here, the middle plate (wa) and the intermediate member (f) are sandwiched between the outer plates (le) and (e), but with the compression deformation of the damper springs (h) and (h). A slight gap is provided so that it can rotate.

  By the way, the lock-up damper device (N) shown in FIG. 9 has a structure including both outer plates (le) and (e) for holding the damper springs (h) and (h). . Accordingly, the effect of positioning the damper springs (h), (h),... Is great, but the weight of the lock-up damper device (n) is increased. This inevitably results in a decrease in engine efficiency as a loss of transmitted energy.

  FIG. 10 shows a conventional lock-up damper device (nu) having another structure. In the lockup damper device (N), damper springs (H), (H),... Are arranged in series on the outer periphery of the piston (D), and the damper springs (H), (H),. ) Is formed on the outer periphery of the piston with a generally “f” -shaped cross section.

  In this lock-up damper device (N), the damper springs (H), (H) ... are arranged in the restraining part (L) on the outer periphery of the piston, so the centrifugal force accompanying high-speed rotation of the torque converter increases, The damper springs (H), (H),... Are strongly pressed against the restraining portion (L). In this state, the damper springs (H), (H),... Are compressed and deformed, but slippage occurs with the piston (D) along with the expansion and contraction, resulting in friction loss.

  The lock-up damper device (n) shown in FIG. 10 is connected in series with two damper springs (h) and an intermediate member (f) attached rotatably (h). Has been placed. Then, the disc-shaped presser plate (sole) is riveted to the piston (d), and spring pressers (t), (t),.. It hits the tip of the damper spring (H), (H) ... That is, two damper springs (h), (h),..., Which are in a connected state, are interposed between the spring pressers (h), (h).

Although not shown in the drawing, spring receivers extending from the turbine runner (b) are provided at the positions of the spring retainers (tsu), (tsu). Therefore, the two damper springs (h) and (h) in the connected state are sandwiched between the spring retainers (tsu), (tsu),. Therefore, if the rotation speed of the piston (d) is increased when it engages the front cover, the damper spring (h) sandwiched between the spring retainer (t), (t), and the spring holder , (H) ··· is compressed and deformed to absorb the impact, so that the impact is not transmitted to the turbine runner (b).
"Damper mechanism" according to JP-A-10-169714

  Thus, the conventional torque converter lock-up damper device has the above-described problems. The problems to be solved by the present invention are these problems, and a simple structure in which the damper spring is arranged on the inner diameter side to reduce the influence of centrifugal force and the number of parts is reduced. Provided is a torque converter lockup damper device with high transmission efficiency by reducing power loss due to friction with a piston.

  The torque converter lock-up damper device according to the present invention expands the twist angle so as to further reduce the impact torque when the piston engages the front cover by connecting two damper springs in series. I can do it. A connecting portion of the intermediate member is interposed between adjacent damper springs in the series state, and the connecting portion is provided as a partition for a plurality of arc grooves provided in the intermediate member. The two damper springs are fitted in the arc groove with a space between them.

  One end of the damper spring in series contacts the connecting portion of the intermediate member, while the other end of the damper spring contacts the spring retainer of the plate. The plate has a ring shape larger than that of the intermediate member, an arc groove is formed on the outer peripheral portion, and the spring presser is provided between the arc grooves. The plate is superposed on the intermediate member and fixed to the piston, and the spring presser is fitted to both ends of the damper springs connected in series via the connecting portion. That is, two damper springs in series are fitted in the arc groove of the plate with the connecting portion therebetween.

  A disk-shaped disk is overlaid on the plate, the disk is connected to the turbine runner, and a spring receiver is disposed at the position of the spring presser. By the way, in the lockup damper device configured as described above, when the piston suddenly increases in speed when engaged with the front cover rotating at high speed, the piston is connected and fixed to the piston. The spring presser formed on the plate rotating at the same speed presses and compresses one end of the damper spring in the serial state.

  The other end of the damper spring in series is supported by a disk spring receiver, but the damper spring is appropriately compressed and deformed, so that the impact torque to the turbine runner is reduced. In addition, a groove is formed in the outer periphery of the plate, and an auxiliary damper spring is fitted in this groove, and a relatively large arc window is provided in the outer periphery of the disk, so that the relative rotation angle with the piston becomes larger than a certain level. Has a structure in which the end face of the arc window hits the auxiliary damper spring and is compressed and deformed.

  Since the lock-up damper device according to the present invention has damper springs arranged in series, it can be greatly expanded and contracted when the piston is engaged with the front cover, and the effect of suppressing impact is great. A connecting portion provided in the intermediate member is interposed between the damper springs arranged in series, and the intermediate member freely rotates as the damper spring expands and contracts.

  The lock-up damper device according to the present invention has a structure in which a damper spring in series is disposed near the inner periphery of the piston and is sandwiched between the piston and a single plate. Compared to the above, the number of parts is reduced, and the weight is reduced and the cost is reduced accordingly. And the centrifugal force which acts on the damper spring arrange | positioned near inner periphery becomes small, and it can reduce the friction with a piston accompanying expansion-contraction deformation.

  In addition, a circular groove is formed in the intermediate member provided with a connecting portion for serially connecting the damper spring, and the damper spring is accommodated in the arc groove, and the arc groove is also formed in the plate and the damper spring is accommodated. It is said. That is, the damper spring is restrained not only on the inner peripheral side but also on the outer peripheral side by fitting in the arc groove. Therefore, even if the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the torque converter is applied, the damper spring is not displaced, preventing friction with the piston generated due to the displacement, and the friction loss can be suppressed.

  FIG. 1 shows a lock-up damper device of the present invention. The lock-up damper device is attached to a torque converter as shown in FIG. 8 and connects the front cover and the turbine runner and functions to relieve impact torque when the piston engages with the front cover. That is, the lockup damper device 1 is attached to the turbine hub together with the flange of the turbine runner, and the damper spring compresses and deforms the impact torque generated when the piston 2 is engaged with the front cover by rotating with the piston 2. It can alleviate and absorb engine torque fluctuations during steady operation.

  In the figure, (a) is a front view, (b) is a sectional view, 2 is a piston, 3 is a damper spring, 4 is an intermediate member, 5 is a plate, 6 is a disk, and 7 is an auxiliary damper spring. Represents. The damper springs 3, 3... Are positioned and arranged by fitting into the circular grooves 8, 8,... Of the intermediate member 4, and are attached while being sandwiched between the piston 2 and the plate 5.

  The intermediate member 4 forms a ring body having a large hole in the center, and has arc grooves 8, 8, and 8 at three locations. Between the arc grooves 8, 8, and 8, the connecting portions 9, 9, 9 Is provided. And the recessed part 10,10 ... is provided in the outer periphery at equal intervals, and the recessed part bottom consists of the guide surface 11, 11, ... formed with the smooth circular arc surface. The guide surfaces 11, 11,... Are positioned and guided in contact with the spacers 12, 12, and the intermediate member 4 can rotate.

  By the way, two damper springs 3a and 3a are fitted into the circular arc groove 8a, and a space is formed between the two damper springs 3a and 3a. Then, two damper springs 3b, 3b are fitted in the arc groove 8b, and a space is formed between both damper springs 3b, 3b. Similarly, two damper springs 3c and 3c are fitted into the circular arc groove 8c, and a space is formed between the two damper springs 3c and 3c.

  In FIG. 2, damper springs 3 a, 3 a, 3 b, 3 b, 3 c, 3 c are fitted into the circular arc grooves 8 a, 8 b, 8 c of the intermediate member 4 positioned and guided by the plurality of spacers 12, 12. Represents the case. Since the intermediate member 4 is not fixed to the piston 2, it can be rotated using the spacers 12, 12,.

  The damper spring 3a and the damper spring 3a are fitted into the arc groove 8a, the damper spring 3b and the damper spring 3b are fitted into the arc groove 8b, and the damper spring 3c and the damper spring 3c are fitted into the arc groove 8c. A connecting portion 9a is interposed between the damper spring 3a and the damper spring 3b and connected in series. Similarly, a connecting portion 9b is interposed between the damper spring 3b and the damper spring 3c so as to be connected in series, and a connecting portion 9c is interposed between the damper spring 3c and the damper spring 3a so as to be connected in series. It is.

  The plate 5 is overlapped with the ring-shaped intermediate member 4 and attached to the piston 2. That is, the plate 5 is fixed by rivets 13, 13,... With spacers 12, 12,. By interposing the spacers 12, 12,..., The gap between the piston 2 and the plate 5 is made constant, so that the intermediate member 4 fitted in the gap can freely rotate.

  FIG. 3 shows a case where the plate 5 is overlapped with the intermediate member 4 and fixed by the rivets 13, 13. The ring-shaped plate 5 is also provided with arc grooves 14a, 14b, 14c at equal intervals, the damper springs 3a, 3b are fitted into the arc groove 14a, the damper springs 3b, 3c are fitted into the arc groove 14b, and the arc groove 14c. Damper springs 3c and 3a are fitted in the.

  Spring retainers 15a, 15b, and 15c are provided between the circular arc grooves 14a, 14b, and 14c. The spring retainer 15a is interposed between the damper spring 3a and the damper spring 3a, the spring retainer 15b is interposed between the damper spring 3b and the damper spring 3b, and the spring retainer 15c is interposed between the damper spring 3c and the damper spring 3c. Is intervening.

  Incidentally, a disk 6 is superimposed on the plate 5. FIG. 4 shows a case where the disk 6 is covered, but the disk 6 is not connected to the piston 2 or the plate 5. Although not shown, it is attached to the outer periphery of the turbine hub together with the turbine runner. For this purpose, a plurality of rivet holes 16, 16,...

  The disc-like disk 6 is provided with small arc windows 17a, 17b, 17c. A spring receiver 18a extends to the plate side inside the arc window 17a, and a spring receiver 18b also extends to the plate side inside the arc window 17b. A spring receiver 18c extends toward the plate inside the arc window 17c. As is clear from the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 1, the spring retainer 15 has a shape protruding toward the piston side, and therefore the spring receiver 18 provided so as to overlap the spring retainer 15 is the spring retainer 15. There will be no interference.

  Large circular arc windows 19a, 19b, 19c are provided through the outer peripheral portion of the disk 6, and auxiliary damper springs 7a, 7b, 7c are located at the centers of the circular arc grooves 19a, 19b, 19c. . As shown in FIG. 3, the auxiliary damper springs 7a, 7b, and 7c are fitted and attached to grooves 20a, 20b, and 20c provided on the outer periphery of the plate.

  Incidentally, the lock-up damper device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the turbine hub and is built in the torque converter outer shell of the torque converter. .. Are connected to the turbine hub together with the turbine runner through rivets 16, 16... Provided through the inner periphery of the disk 6. The lock-up damper device 1 rotates together with the turbine runner, and the piston 2 operates to engage the front cover when the rotational speed of the turbine runner exceeds a certain value.

  Since the friction material 20 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the piston 2, the piston 2 rotates at the same speed as the front cover when engaged with the front cover and press-contacted. At this time, the rotational speed of the piston 2 increases rapidly, and the lockup damper device 1 of the present invention operates so that impact torque does not act on the turbine runner. That is, the damper spring 3 is pressed against the spring retainer 15 of the plate 5 that rotates together with the piston 2 to be compressed and deformed, so that the impact torque is not transmitted to the spring receiver 18 of the disk 6 connected to the turbine runner.

  FIG. 5 shows a case where a large twist is generated between the piston 2 and the disc 6 by engaging the front cover. In this case, the damper springs 3, 3... In the connected state are compressed, and the arc window 19 formed in the outer peripheral portion of the disk 6 is also in a state of being engaged with the auxiliary damper spring. The damper springs 3, 3... Are sandwiched between spring retainers 15, 15.

  6 shows a state in which the disk 6 is removed, and the damper springs 3, 3,... In a connected state are compressed through the connecting portions 9, 9,. FIG. 7 shows a case where the plate 5 is further removed, and the damper springs 3, 3,... Are fitted in the circular grooves 8, 8,. In other words, the damper springs 3, 3... Expand and contract and rotate together with the intermediate member 4, so that there is a great effect in avoiding frictional contact with the piston.

The lockup damper device of the present invention. When an intermediate member is set on the piston and a damper spring is fitted in the arc groove. When an intermediate member is set on the piston, a damper spring is fitted in the arc groove, and the plates are overlapped. When an intermediate member is set on the piston, a damper spring is fitted in the arc groove, plates are stacked, and disks are stacked. When the disk is rotated clockwise with the piston fixed. When the disc is rotated clockwise with the piston fixed, the disc is removed. When the disc is rotated clockwise with the piston fixed, the disc and plate are removed. Conventional torque converter. Conventional lock-up damper device. Conventional lock-up damper device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lockup damper apparatus 2 Piston 3 Damper spring 4 Intermediate member 5 Plate 6 Disc 7 Auxiliary damper spring 8 Arc groove 9 Connection part
10 Recess
11 Guide surface
12 Spacer
13 Rivet
14 Arc groove
15 Spring presser
16 Rivet holes
17 Arc window
18 Spring holder
19 Arc window
20 Friction material
21 Restraint piece

Claims (3)

In a lockup damper device that is housed in a torque converter, elastically connects a turbine runner and a piston, and absorbs torque fluctuations of the engine in a lockup state in which the piston is engaged, the piston has a predetermined thickness. A ring-shaped plate is attached via a spacer, and a ring-shaped intermediate member that rotates against the guide surface formed by the spacer on the outer periphery is attached to the gap between the piston and the plate, and a turbine runner is attached to the plate. A disk-like disk connected to the turbine hub that is attached is overlapped, and the intermediate member is provided with a plurality of arc grooves partitioned by a connecting portion, and two damper springs are interposed between the arc grooves. Fit with leaving a space, and also provided a plurality of arc grooves that are partitioned by the spring press to form a restraint piece on the plate, In the arc groove, two damper springs that are in series with the connecting portion interposed therebetween are fitted, and the spring retainer is fitted in the space between the two damper springs fitted in the arc groove of the intermediate member, and the disc is further spring-loaded. A lock-up damper device for a torque converter, wherein the receiver is provided at the same position as the spring retainer. In a lockup damper device that is housed in a torque converter, elastically connects a turbine runner and a piston, and absorbs torque fluctuations of the engine in a lockup state in which the piston is engaged, the piston has a predetermined thickness. A ring-shaped plate is attached via a spacer, and a ring-shaped intermediate member that rotates against the guide surface formed by the spacer on the outer periphery is attached to the gap between the piston and the plate, and a turbine runner is attached to the plate. A disk-like disk connected to the turbine hub that is attached is overlapped, and the intermediate member is provided with a plurality of arc grooves partitioned by a connecting portion, and two damper springs are interposed between the arc grooves. Fitted with a space, and provided with a plurality of arc grooves that are bound to the plate by spring presses and formed with restraining pieces on the inside and outside Both of the arc grooves are fitted with two damper springs in series with the connecting portion interposed therebetween, and the spring presser is fitted into the space between the two damper springs fitted in the arc grooves of the intermediate member. Is provided with a groove on the outer peripheral side of the damper spring to fit the auxiliary damper spring, while the disk is provided with a spring receiver at the same position as the spring retainer, and when the compression deformation of the damper spring increases on the outer peripheral portion A lock-up damper device for a torque converter, wherein an arc window is formed to engage with the auxiliary damper spring. The lockup damper device for a torque converter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of concave portions are formed at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the intermediate member, and the spacer is in contact with the bottom of the concave portion as a guide surface.