JPS6352262B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an automatic continuously variable transmission that can be provided in a drive device having a prime mover and a driven shaft. and the torque supplied to the driven shaft is adjusted in a stepless manner to the torque required at the driven shaft.

(Prior art) The first prior art is JP-A-52-
There is a friction transmission device disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 39064.
This friction transmission device includes a housing, an input shaft and an output shaft coaxially and rotatably journalled supported in the housing, and a variable ratio coupling mechanism coupling these two shafts. The mechanism has reaction means non-rotationally supported in the housing and torsionally elastic means for supporting the reaction means, whereby the torsionally elastic means reacts in a direction that increases the torsional load. Then,
the variable ratio coupling mechanism is rotationally displaced by the torsionally elastic means against an increase in torsional resistance;
This variable ratio coupling mechanism has a control means for changing the coupling ratio between the input shaft and the output shaft, and a cam operation mechanism that acts in response to the above rotational displacement, and this cam operation mechanism controls the control means. It is characterized by having means for correcting the state.

The second prior art is the
There is an automatic transmission device disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5370.
This automatic transmission device connects one of a pair of coaxially loosely fitted friction wheels to a drive shaft, and controls the rotation of the other relative to the machine frame using a freewheel device and a braking device. A disk-shaped planetary friction wheel that is pressed against the periphery of the pair of friction wheels is suspended, and this friction wheel is also rotatably supported on a passive plate that is inserted into the driven shaft so as to be movable only in the axial direction. A centrifugal ball is held between a slope provided on the inner surface of the drive shaft and a flange fixed on the driven shaft, a compression spring is interposed between the driven plate and the drive side friction wheel, and the driven plate and this A side surface of the drive-side friction wheel facing the friction wheel is formed as a friction clutch surface.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the first prior art described above, the speed ratio is not changed automatically, but is changed by manual operation. Further, the variable ratio coupling mechanism in this prior art is complicated and inevitably has a large and heavy structure.

In the second prior art described above, the gear ratio is automatically changed, but as described above, a pair of friction wheels and a disk-shaped planetary friction wheel are pressed against the periphery of the pair of friction wheels. Therefore, the rotational force is transmitted by two friction transmission means (i.e., from one of the pair of friction wheels to the planetary friction wheel, from this planetary friction wheel to the other of the pair of friction wheels, and so on). Since transmission takes place through Furthermore, the centrifugal ball in the second prior art is configured to be constantly pressed by a compression spring, and serves only to change the gear ratio. Such a configuration inevitably results in wear of the components. It is desirable that such a centrifugal ball also act as a clutch depending on its speed, and it is important that no substantial force is applied to the centrifugal ball until the rotational speed reaches a certain value. This is necessary in order to reduce the wear of parts and also to reduce the wear of parts during idling when applied to automobiles, but the second prior art does not have such a structure. .

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a speed-dependent clutch and a transmission mechanism for steplessly controlling the transmission ratio between an input shaft and an output shaft in cooperation with the clutch. and the transmission mechanism has a central shaft having a first axis, the central shaft having at least one radial auxiliary shaft having a second axis extending transversely to the first axis. carry,
the radial auxiliary shaft has a conical body rotatable about the second axis;
The conical body has an outer circumferential surface having a concave curvature in the direction of the second axis and is movable on and driven in rotation about the radial auxiliary shaft. the transmission mechanism further comprises a conical inner circumferential surface having a convex curvature in the direction of the second axis and is rotatable about the first axis and is configured by a spring to an annular body being pressed against the concave surface of the conical body, the conical body being pressed against the annular body by a pressure in the direction of the first axis induced by the speed dependent clutch; and is configured to be moved in the direction of the second axis to change the gear ratio, further comprising an adjustment mechanism capable of determining the rotational direction of the output shaft relative to the input shaft. shall be.

(Function) The function of the automatic continuously variable transmission of the present invention will be described with reference to the reference numerals of the embodiments to be explained later.
A conical body 24 rotatable around the axis (second axis) of a radial auxiliary shaft 26,
The conical body 2 is rotatable around the axis (first axis) of the central shaft 2 and is rotated by the spring 33.
This first axis is caused by a pressure in the direction of the first axis induced by the transmission dependent clutches 8, 9, 10 on the annular body 32 which is pressed against the concave outer circumferential surface 30 of the The gear ratio is changed by moving the gear in the direction of a second axis that is transverse to the first axis.

(Example) Examples of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, some detailed structures that are fundamental to the good operation of the automatic continuously variable transmission have been omitted, as they are not necessary for a concise explanation of the invention. These omitted parts include various mounting and locking parts, while some other parts are shown as one piece, but are actually multiple parts from an assembly point of view. It is more structured and assembled. Furthermore,
The suspension system of the entire automatic continuously variable transmission has been left out of consideration, as well as some fixed transmissions for, for example, speed-adapting the automatic continuously variable transmission to the prime mover to which it is connected. .

Referring to the drawings, an embodiment of the invention has a housing 1, with a central shaft or main shaft 2 extending centrally within the housing 1; A primary drive member 3 is mounted to rotate. This primary drive member 3 is a ring gear 6
It has a sleeve 4 with a first radial end flange 5 and a second end flange 7. The ring gear 6 is driven by, for example, a flywheel of a prime mover (not shown). The outer circumferential part of the end flange 7 is formed as a clutch housing 8 fitted with a plurality of centrifugal rollers 9, for example six, forming a centrifugal weight, which centrifugal rollers 9 are provided with a centrifugal force during rotation of the primary drive member 3. Forced radially outward as a result of the force. The clutch housing 8 is designed in such a way that the centrifugal roller 9 can be displaced not only radially, but also in the axial direction of the main shaft 2. During this displacement, the centrifugal roller 9 comes into contact with the clutch plate 10. The clutch plate 10 is connected to the primary drive member 3 so that it can move only in the axial direction of the main shaft 2. Note that the clutch housing 8, centrifugal roller 9, and clutch plate 10 constitute a speed-dependent clutch.
When performing such a movement, the clutch plate 1
0 is in contact with the thrust ring 11 carrying the control ring 12. control ring 12
is rotatable with respect to the thrust ring 11 about the axis of the main shaft 2 via a ball 13. The thrust ring 1 has a radial flange 17
A secondary drive part 1 having a freeb 16 with a 18 and 18 does not rotate with respect to the member 15, but is supported so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the main shaft 2 by a ball 14 running in a guide track. . The radial flange 17 is integral with the axial flange 19, which forms a support surface for the thrust ring 11. A ring gear 20 is provided on the radial flange 18 and cooperates with a gear 21 forming part of a radial drive shaft 22 . A conical body 24 is mounted on the drive shaft 22 via a plurality of balls 23 housed in a guide track, and the conical body 24 has a control ring 12 near its top.
It has a radial flange 25 with a circumferential beveled edge shaped to cooperate with the radial flange 25. The radial drive shaft 22 is hollow and mounted on the radial auxiliary shaft 26. The auxiliary shaft 26 is mounted at one end in a hub 27 attached to the main shaft 2 and at the other end via a larger diameter end piece 28 to a drum 29.

The conical body 24 has an outer circumferential surface 30 having a concave curvature, the surface 30 being
It is movable on an auxiliary shaft 26 having a convex curvature of 2. It can also cooperate with the outer circumferential conical inner circumferential surface 31. Annular body 32
is forced into contact with the conical body 24 by a plurality of disc springs 33, which engage an axial flange 34 of the annular body 32 at one end and a hub member 36 at the other end. is engaged with the axial flange 35 of.

The hub member 36 includes a sleeve 37 and a ring gear 3.
9 has a radially extending end flange 38 formed on the outer periphery thereof, and a radially extending end flange 40, the end flange 40 having a radially extending end flange 38 formed on the outer periphery thereof.
and is integral with the axial flange 41. The axial flange 41 has a radial flange 42 which is connected to the axial flange 3 for supporting the disk spring 33.
5.

The annular body 32 has a further axial flange 43 in which a ball 4 is attached.
A guide track for ball 4 is provided, and ball 4
4 is further housed in a guide track formed in the axial flange 41 of the hub member 36. Thus, the annular body 32 is attached to the hub member 36 so that it cannot rotate but is movable in the axial direction.

The drum 29 is mounted on the sleeve 4 at one end and on the hub member 36 at the other end.
The drum 29 is provided with axial flanges at both ends, on which ball bearings 45, 46 are respectively arranged.
The outer rings of ball bearings 45 and 46 are located at the two ends of the hub part of the housing 1. The housing 1 is further fitted with a freewheel clutch 47, ie a clutch which permits rotation in only one direction. A ring gear 48 is provided radially inside the freewheel clutch 47, which can cooperate with an outer ring gear 49 on the slide member 50, which forms the adjustment mechanism. The slide member 50 can be slid on the output shaft 52 of this automatic continuously variable transmission via a ball 51 running in a guide track. The connection between the main shaft 2 and the output shaft 52 is made by a bearing 53 so that the main shaft 2 can rotate freely relative to the output shaft 52.

The slide member 50 has two inner ring gears 5.
4 and 55 are further provided. Inner ring gear 54 is designed to cooperate with ring gear 39 of hub member 36 . The inner ring gear 55 can cooperate with a gear 56 mounted on the main shaft 2 so as not to rotate relative to the main shaft 2 . The slide member 50 is composed of two concentric members 57 and 58, and these members 57,
58 are mounted non-rotatably but axially slidably relative to each other by balls 59 in the guide tracks. The slide member 50 includes an outer ring gear 49 and inner ring gears 54 and 55.
are mounted on the output shaft 52 for axial movement in cooperation with the ring gears 60, 61 and 62, i.e. the housing 1, the drum 29 and the hub member 36. The slide member 50 can be moved and stopped via an operation lever (not shown).

Attached to the drum 29 in the same cross-section in which the end piece 28 of the auxiliary shaft 26 is located is a support piece 63, into which a pin 64 is slid. One end of the pin 64 is capable of cooperating with a thrust bearing 65 and the other end of the pin 64 carries a segment 66 with a beveled edge located at the same radial distance as the control ring 12. ing. Segment 66 has a circumferential surface with a substantially radially oriented beveled edge, which circumferential surface has opposite control ring 1 .
It has a shape corresponding to the surface forming the beveled edge of No. 2.

Although only one conical body 24 is shown in the figures, it is preferred to provide three such conical bodies uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction. In that case, support piece 63, pin 6
4 and segment 66 are located in the intermediate region between the conical bodies. For clarity, the drawing shows one conical body 24 in the upper part and one support piece 6 in the lower part.
3 are shown respectively.

The automatic continuously variable transmission described above operates as follows.

When the primary drive member 3 is driven, the centrifugal force generated causes the centrifugal roller 9 to come into contact with the clutch plate 10 and bring the clutch plate 10 into contact with the thrust ring 11. As a result, the thrust ring 11 begins to rotate, causing the secondary drive member 15 to rotate. The rotational motion is then transmitted via the gear 20, the gear 21, and the conical body 24 which is non-rotatably connected to the gear 21. The conical body 24 thus tends to rotate the annular body 32. However, the annular body 32 is spring-loaded through the disc spring 33 so as not to rotate with respect to the hub member 36, and the hub member 36 is connected to its ring gear 39 as well as the inner ring gear 5 of the member 57 of the slide member 50.
4 and outer ring gear 49 as well as via ring gear 48 to freewheel clutch 47, rotation is prevented. The annular body 32 thus remains stationary, so that the conical body 24 starts rolling on the annular body 32, and thus the drum 29 and the main shaft 2 rotate. In this case, the direction of rotation is the same as that of the prime mover. The main shaft 2 rotates the member 58 of the slide member 50 and thus the output shaft 52 via a gear 56 mounted thereon as well as an inner ring gear 55.

Now, if the input rotational speed of the primary drive member 3 increases, the centrifugal roller 9 moves the clutch plate 10 and the thrust ring 11 axially towards the conical body 24. The control rings 12 thus moved simultaneously press the conical body 24 radially outward.

Due to the radial displacement of the conical body 24, the annular body 32 is subjected to an axial displacement, resulting in a change in the diameter at which the conical body 24 and the annular body 32 engage each other, thus increasing the velocity. The ratio also changes. This speed ratio change is caused by a further increase in the input speed of the primary drive member 3, resulting in a substantially 1:1 change in speed ratio.
This continues until the speed ratio of is reached. At a speed ratio of 1:1, the conical body 24 is in its radially outermost position, the control ring 12 is in contact with the segment 66, and a direct connection between the input shaft, i.e. the primary drive member 3, and the output shaft 52 is established. can get.

In this position, the conical body 24 gradually stops, the drum 29 including its internal members rotates at the same speed as the prime mover, and the only transmission losses are due to the ball bearings 45 and 46.

If rapid acceleration is desired, it is preferable to break the aforementioned direct coupling between the input shaft, i.e. the primary drive member 3, and the output shaft 52, i.e. the 1:1 speed ratio. In this automatic continuously variable transmission, this can be achieved by pushing the pins 64 and the segments 66 connected to these pins in the direction of the primary drive member 3 (to the left in the figure) via the thrust bearing 65. It is. At this time, as the control ring 12 is displaced to the left in the axial direction, the conical body 24 is displaced radially inward as a result of the pressing force to the left in the axial direction by the disc spring 33, and the speed ratio decreases and thus the rotational speed of the output shaft 52 increases.

The figure shows the automatic continuously variable transmission in such a way that the direction of rotation of the output shaft 52 is equal to the direction of rotation of the drive motor. If the direction of rotation of the output shaft 52 is to be opposite to the direction of rotation of the drive motor, the sliding member 50 is connected to the outer ring gear 49, the inner ring gear 54 and the
5 must be displaced to the left in the drawing on the output shaft 52 so as to cooperate with the ring gears 60, 61 and 62, respectively.

When the primary drive member 3 is driven, initially the same effect as described above occurs, but this time the difference is that the freewheel clutch 47 allows rotation in one direction, but once the annular body 32 is no longer rotated. unobstructed, while the drum 29 is connected to the housing 1 by a ring gear 61, an inner ring gear 54, an outer ring gear 49 and a ring gear 60. The annular body 32 thus begins to rotate together with the hub member 36. Hub member 3 via ring gear 62 and inner ring gear 55
6 is connected to the member 58 of the slide member 50 and thus to the output shaft 52, so that the output shaft 52 rotates in the direction of rotation opposite to that of the drive motor.

In this case as well, different speed ratios can be obtained automatically and steplessly, so that the output shaft 52 can be driven within a wide control range in both rotational directions.

(Effects of the Invention) Since the present invention has such a configuration, an automatic continuously variable transmission having a relatively short and compact structure can be obtained. With such a structure, the cross-sectional dimensions of the automatic continuously variable transmission can be made approximately the same size as that of a normal manual transmission, so the overall weight is also light. Therefore, the automatic continuously variable transmission of the present invention can be installed in a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission.

Since there is no substantial sliding and almost pure rolling contact between the outer peripheral surface of the conical body and the inner peripheral surface of the annular body in the present invention, the conical body and the annular body The service life of the components is extended, as there are fewer problems with wear over time.

In the present invention, the speed dependent clutch performs two functions. That is, one is an action for changing the gear ratio, and the other is a clutch action that prevents the transmission from being driven when the speed does not exceed a predetermined speed. Thus, the conical body,
Therefore, the transmission is not operated unless the speed exceeds a predetermined speed, and this feature is advantageous when the automatic continuously variable transmission of the present invention is applied particularly to automobiles. That is, for example, when the vehicle is idling while waiting at a traffic light, unnecessary wear and tear on the members within the transmission can be avoided.

In the present invention, the structure is such that the input shaft, that is, the primary drive member can be directly connected to the output shaft, and in this case, the members that perform the function of transmitting rotational force do not perform their respective functions. This is favorable from a transmission loss and wear point of view since it is only relatively stationary.

Reversing the rotational direction of the output shaft can be achieved by simple means in the automatic continuously variable transmission of the present invention. This is because the adjustment mechanism for changing the drive direction can be provided by operatively connecting the conical body or the annular body to the output shaft, depending on whether the annular body is stationary or rotating about the main shaft, respectively. This is because all you have to do is do it.

Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the input shaft (i.e., the primary drive member 3) and the output shaft are directly connected, especially when it is desired to increase the rotational speed of the output shaft, this direct connection is released, A means for obtaining a so-called "kickdown" effect can be added with a simple configuration. The aforementioned pin 64, segment 66 and thrust bearing 6
5 is an example of such a means.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawing is a longitudinal sectional view of an automatic continuously variable transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1: Housing, 2: Main shaft, 3: Primary drive member, 9: Centrifugal roller, 10: Clutch plate, 11: Thrust ring, 15: Secondary drive member, 20, 21: Ring gear, 24:
conical body, 26: auxiliary shaft, 32: annular body, 33: disc spring, 36: hub member, 39,
54, 49: Ring gear, 47: Freewheel clutch, 57: Slide member, 56: Gear, 5
5: Ring gear, 52: Output shaft.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A clutch comprising a speed-dependent clutch and a transmission mechanism for steplessly controlling a transmission ratio between an input shaft and an output shaft in cooperation with the clutch, the transmission mechanism has a central shaft having a first axis, the central shaft having at least one central shaft having a second axis extending transversely to the first axis.
a conical body rotatable about the second axis, the conical body being concave in the direction of the second axis; the transmission mechanism further comprises an outer circumferential surface having a curvature and is movable on and rotationally driven about the radial auxiliary shaft; an annular shape having a conical inner circumferential surface having a convex curvature in the direction of a second axis and rotatable about the first axis and pressed against the concave surface of the conical body by a spring; a body, the conical body being moved in the direction of the second axis relative to the annular body by pressure in the direction of the first axis induced by the speed-dependent clutch; An automatic continuously variable transmission configured to change a gear ratio by means of a control mechanism, and further comprising an adjustment mechanism capable of determining a direction of rotation of an output shaft relative to the input shaft. 2. In the automatic continuously variable transmission according to claim 1, the conical body is provided with a radial flange having a beveled circumferential edge at its narrow end, the edge being An automatic continuously variable transmission characterized in that it is capable of cooperating with a corresponding beveled end edge of an axially movable control ring. 3. In the automatic continuously variable transmission according to claim 2, the control ring is rotatably mounted on a clutch plate of the speed dependent clutch, and the clutch plate is actuated by a centrifugal weight. An automatic continuously variable transmission characterized by being adapted to 4. In the automatic continuously variable transmission according to claim 3, the centrifugal weight is housed in a control cage that can be rotated in a peripheral path around the central shaft by the input shaft. An automatic continuously variable transmission characterized by consisting of rollers. 5. In the automatic continuously variable transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the drum connected to the central shaft has a beveled edge corresponding to the control ring. a beveled edge located at the same radial distance from said central shaft as said control ring, said control ring pressing said conical body to its substantially outermost position; An automatic continuously variable transmission characterized in that an edge of a ring and an edge of a drum are in contact with each other to directly connect the input shaft and the output shaft without the intervention of the transmission mechanism. 6. In the automatic continuously variable transmission according to any one of claims 2 to 5, pins are provided distributed on the peripheral edge of the drum, and the axis of the pins is aligned with the center of the drum. parallel to the shaft, the pin is mounted in the drum so that it can be driven to move longitudinally and to displace the control ring axially against centrifugal connection forces. An automatic continuously variable transmission characterized by: 7. An automatic continuously variable transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in which the central shaft has three radial auxiliary shafts uniformly distributed in its circumferential direction. What is claimed is: 1. An automatic continuously variable transmission, characterized in that the shafts are carried by a conical body, and each of the shafts has a conical body. 8. The automatic continuously variable transmission according to claim 7, characterized in that the radial auxiliary shaft extends between the central shaft and a drum connected to the central shaft. Automatic continuously variable transmission. 9. In the automatic continuously variable transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the adjustment mechanism for changing the drive direction is configured such that the annular body is stationary or is mounted on a central shaft. An automatic continuously variable transmission characterized in that the conical body or the annular body can be connected to an output shaft depending on whether the body rotates around the conical body or the annular body.