CN112469914A

CN112469914A - Clutch assembly

Info

Publication number: CN112469914A
Application number: CN202080003410.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 许涛; 许水电; 李延福; 严春波; 陈志伟
Original assignee: Tranf Technology Xiamen Co ltd
Current assignee: Tranf Technology Xiamen Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-10-27
Filing date: 2020-10-27
Publication date: 2021-03-09
Anticipated expiration: 2040-10-27
Also published as: CN112469914B; WO2022087838A1

Abstract

The clutch assembly comprises an outer star wheel, an inner star wheel and a plurality of rolling bodies arranged between the outer star wheel and the inner star wheel, wherein one of an inner ring of the outer star wheel and an outer ring of the inner star wheel is provided with a plurality of concave curved surface grooves, each concave curved surface groove corresponds to one rolling body, and each concave curved surface groove is formed by connecting two curved surfaces. Through outer star gear, interior star gear and the setting a plurality of rolling elements between outer star gear and the interior star gear, a plurality of rolling elements are adjacent each other to realize the linkage and are carried, make this clutch subassembly can realize the switching of multinomial functions such as two-way surpassing and contrary, utilize adjustment mechanism to carry out the change that the spill curved surface groove corresponds the position to the rolling element to realize this clutch subassembly's various functions. The clutch assembly has the advantages of simple structure, convenient assembly and good stability.

Description

Clutch assembly

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of clutch technology, and more particularly to a clutch assembly.

Background

The overrunning clutch is widely applied to various fields, in the prior art, most of the overrunning clutches are one-way overrunning clutches, also called one-way bearings, and are important parts for power transmission and disconnection between a prime mover and a working machine or between a driving shaft and a driven shaft in the machine. The clutch function is realized by the speed change or the change of the rotating direction of the driving part and the driven part, and the unidirectional transmission of the power can be realized by the unidirectional locking principle and the unidirectional transmission of the torque.

Along with the continuous expansion of the application field of the overrunning clutch, the requirement on the multi-functionalization of the overrunning clutch is higher and higher, the working mode of the traditional one-way clutch is single, and the requirements of various working modes such as one-way or two-way transmission of the power of the clutch between a prime motor and a working machine cannot be met.

In the existing overrunning clutch, the overrunning state and the wedging state of the overrunning clutch are realized through the relative rotation between an inner ring and an outer ring, and the clutch does not have an additional mechanism for controlling the working position of a wedge block (or a roller), so that the existing overrunning clutch has the problems that the overrunning clutch only has a one-way overrunning state and a one-way wedging state, and the function is single. In some specific engineering machinery application occasions, under the condition that the overrunning clutch is required to rotate at a high speed, the driving part and the driven part are completely separated, namely the driving part and the driven part can not interfere with each other, and the one-way overrunning of the overrunning clutch limits the function. Meanwhile, when the clutch is in a high-speed overrunning state, sliding friction exists between the wedge block (or the roller) and the retainer, and the inner ring and the outer ring are in contact, so that the problems of abrasion and heating exist, and the service life of the clutch is influenced. Some existing bidirectional overrunning clutches are complex in structure, can only achieve overrunning functions in two directions, and generally cannot achieve the function of idling power cut-off.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a clutch assembly for solving the technical problems that a one-way overrunning clutch is easy to wear and heat in a high-speed overrunning state, and a two-way overrunning clutch is complex in structure and single in function in the prior art.

The utility model provides a clutch assembly, its includes outer star gear, interior star gear and is set up a plurality of rolling elements between outer star gear and interior star gear, and one in the inner circle of outer star gear and the outer lane of interior star gear is provided with a plurality of concave curved surface grooves, and every concave curved surface groove corresponds at least one rolling element respectively, and every concave curved surface groove is formed by two at least curved surface connections respectively. Each rolling body corresponds to one concave curved surface groove, so that the structure of the whole clutch assembly is simpler, and the assembly of the rolling bodies is convenient.

In some embodiments, the other of the inner ring of the outer star wheel and the outer ring of the inner star wheel is cylindrical or provided with a plurality of concave curved grooves.

In some embodiments, the clutch assembly further includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the rolling bodies such that the plurality of rolling bodies are in contact with one of the two curved surfaces, respectively. The adjusting mechanism can realize the function of switching various modes of the clutch assembly, and the functionality of the clutch assembly is improved.

In some embodiments, the adjustment mechanism is an actuating element arranged at one of the rolling bodies, and the rolling bodies are next to each other. The rolling bodies close to each other can realize the linkage of the rolling bodies, so that all the rolling bodies are synchronously switched in the corresponding concave curved surface grooves and are synchronously loaded in work, and the stability of the clutch assembly is stronger.

In some embodiments, the inner star wheel and/or the outer star wheel are provided with grooves corresponding to the adjusting mechanism, so that the adjusting mechanism can be displaced conveniently. The groove is beneficial to the switching function of the adjusting mechanism on one hand, and on the other hand, the assembly of all elements in the clutch component is easier.

In some embodiments, the concave curved groove has a contour shape comprising a straight line, a circular arc, or a line segment taken from a logarithmic spiral. The setting of logarithmic spiral can realize the function of surmounting and auto-lock of this clutch subassembly, has improved the comparatively single defect of traditional one-way clutch mode of operation, has realized the multi-functional integration of clutch subassembly.

In some embodiments, each concave curved groove is formed with 3 regions by at least two curved surfaces, which are a forward self-locking region, a reverse self-locking region and a free-running region, and the free-running region is between the forward self-locking region and the reverse self-locking region. A plurality of work intervals are formed through a plurality of logarithmic spirals, so that the function of the clutch assembly is maximized, a plurality of work modes can be realized, and the use performance of the clutch assembly is greatly improved.

In some embodiments, the planetary gear set further comprises an upper end cover and a lower end cover which cover the outer star wheel and the inner star wheel. The upper end cover and the lower end cover can fix the rolling bodies between the inner star wheel and the outer star wheel, so that the rolling bodies are prevented from being separated from the inner star wheel and the outer star wheel to cause the failure of the function of the clutch.

In some embodiments, one of the upper end cover and the lower end cover is provided with a limit groove in the circumferential direction.

In some embodiments, the actuating element comprises a pin on one of the rolling elements, the pin being disposed on a side of the rolling element facing the upper and lower end caps where the retaining groove is disposed.

In some embodiments, the pin is coupled to the retaining groove and protrudes beyond a surface of the clutch assembly. The projected pin can increase the expansibility of the clutch assembly, and can be externally connected with other mechanisms to realize the adjusting function of the pin.

In some embodiments, the retaining groove is an arc-shaped opening structure, and the width of the arc-shaped opening structure is greater than or equal to the diameter of the pin. The limiting groove enables the pin to achieve functions of multiple modes of the clutch assembly at various positions.

In some embodiments, the adjusting mechanism further comprises a toggle mechanism, a hole for the pin to pass through is formed in the end portion of the toggle mechanism, and the toggle mechanism can enable the actuating element to move left and right in the limiting groove. The toggle mechanism can more conveniently realize the movement of the internal actuating element of the clutch assembly, and can realize the switching among various modes of the clutch assembly by combining with specific application situations.

The clutch assembly realizes linkage loading by the mutual close arrangement of the plurality of rolling bodies, each rolling body corresponds to one concave curved surface groove, each concave curved surface groove comprises two logarithmic spirals, the clutch assembly can realize the switching of multiple functions such as bidirectional overrunning and non-return by utilizing the reasonable arrangement of the two logarithmic spirals, and the corresponding position of the concave curved surface groove is changed by utilizing the adjusting mechanism to the rolling bodies, so that various functions of the clutch assembly are realized. Compared with the traditional clutch, the clutch component is simpler in structure, does not need to use a spring or a retainer, is loaded only by linkage of a plurality of rolling bodies, realizes functions of one-way overrunning and two-way overrunning of the clutch component, and has the good characteristics of light weight, convenient assembly and good stability.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Other embodiments and many of the intended advantages of embodiments will be readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other. Like reference numerals designate corresponding similar parts.

FIG. 1 is an internal block diagram of a clutch assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a clutch assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of a clutch assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a concave curved trough in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an internal partial block diagram of a clutch assembly in a positive self-locking position according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an internal partial block diagram of a clutch assembly in an idle state according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an internal partial block diagram of a clutch assembly in a reverse self-locking position according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is an internal structural view of a clutch assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "up," "down," etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the figures being described. Because components of embodiments can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

A clutch assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 is an internal structural view of a clutch assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 2 is a front view of the main body. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the clutch assembly includes an inner star 1, an outer star 2, rolling elements 3, an adjusting mechanism 4, and an upper end cap 5. The middle part of the inner star wheel 1 is provided with a through hole connected with an input shaft, and a plurality of rolling bodies 3 and an adjusting mechanism 4 are uniformly distributed between the inner star wheel 1 and the outer star wheel 2 in the circumferential direction. In one embodiment, the inner ring of the outer star wheel 2 is provided with a plurality of concave curved grooves 22, each concave curved groove 22 corresponds to one rolling element 3, the outer ring of the inner star wheel 1 is a cylindrical surface, and the rolling elements 3 are tangent to the cylindrical surface of the outer ring of the inner star wheel 1. The clutch assembly adopts the structure of the inner star wheel 1, the outer star wheel 2 and the rolling body 3, so that the overall structure of the clutch assembly is simplified to a great extent, and the light weight of the clutch assembly can be realized.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the inner ring of the outer star wheel 2 is further provided with 1 groove 21, the adjusting mechanism 4 is correspondingly placed in the groove 21, the adjusting mechanism 4 is an actuating element in which one of the rolling elements 3 is arranged for adjusting the mode of the clutch assembly, the adjusting mechanism 4 is additionally provided with a pin 41 on the basis of the rolling element 3, the pin 41 is cylindrical and is arranged on the top of one rolling element 3, the height of the pin 41 is protruded out of the surface of the clutch assembly, the upper end cover 5 is provided with a limiting groove 51 corresponding to the pin 41, the limiting groove 51 is in an arc opening structure, and the switching of the adjusting mechanism 4 at the left, middle and right positions of the groove 21 respectively corresponds to the left, middle and right positions of the pin 41 in the limiting groove 51. In alternative embodiments, the stud 41 may have other configurations than cylindrical, such as square strip, etc. The groove 21 can also be arranged on the outer star wheel 1 or both the inner star wheel and the outer star wheel, and the technical effect of the invention can be realized only by enabling the adjusting mechanism 4 to be capable of displacing in the groove 21.

Preferably, the adjusting mechanism 4 further includes a toggle mechanism 42 at the outer side of the clutch assembly, one end of the toggle mechanism 42 is connected to the pin 41, in one embodiment, one end of the toggle mechanism 42 is provided with a hole for the pin 41 to pass through, and the left and right movement of the adjusting mechanism 4 in the groove 21 is realized by the left and right swinging of the toggle mechanism 42. The toggle mechanism 42 can be connected with the control system according to actual application scenes, and the left and right movement of the adjusting mechanism 4 is carried out according to actual application requirements, so that the switching of various modes of the clutch assembly is realized.

Preferably, the rolling bodies 3 are cylindrical structures, a plurality of rolling bodies 3 and an adjusting mechanism 4 are mutually and closely arranged in an annular space formed by the inner star wheel 1 and the outer star wheel 2, the adjusting mechanism 4 moves left and right in the groove 21 to drive other rolling bodies 3 to move left and right in the concave curved groove, it should be appreciated that the rolling bodies 3 can have other structures besides the cylindrical structures, for example, the rolling bodies 3 can adopt spherical structures, the spherical rolling bodies are correspondingly placed in the concave curved grooves, the adjusting mechanism 4 can adopt the spherical structures similarly, and the technical effects of the invention can be achieved similarly. The rolling bodies 3 are mutually adjacent to form a linkage system, so that the rolling bodies 3 are synchronously loaded, and the stability of the clutch assembly can be greatly improved under the condition of actual use.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of a clutch assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, the clutch assembly further includes a lower end cap 6, the inner star wheel 1 and the outer star wheel 2 are provided with a plurality of threaded

holes

11 and 23, the upper end cap 5 and the lower end cap 6 are correspondingly provided with corresponding through

holes

51 and 61, the upper end cap 5 and the lower end cap 6 are fixed on the surfaces of the inner star wheel 1 and the outer star wheel 2 in a bolt fixing manner, and the fixed limit groove 51 on the upper end cap 5 is coupled with the pin 41 of the adjusting mechanism 4. It should also be appreciated that the retaining groove 51 may be provided in the lower end cap, and the reverse assembly of the adjustment mechanism 4 may also achieve the technical effects of the present invention. Alternatively, the upper end cap 5 and the lower end cap 6 may be fixed by other fixing methods such as a snap-in type, besides a bolt fixing method, and the technical effects of the present invention can also be achieved.

Fig. 4 shows a structural view of a concave curved groove of an embodiment of the present invention, the concave curved groove 22 includes a logarithmic spiral 221 and a logarithmic spiral 223, the logarithmic spiral 221 and the logarithmic spiral 223 intersect at a point 222 and are symmetrical with respect to the point 222, and the concave curved groove 22 is divided into a forward self-locking region, a free-wheeling region and a reverse self-locking region according to the function of the clutch assembly of the present invention. The forward self-locking region corresponds to the region of the logarithmic spiral 221, the reverse self-locking region corresponds to the region of the logarithmic spiral 223, and the idle region is the intersection position of the forward self-locking region and the reverse self-locking region, i.e. the intersection point 222 region.

Fig. 5 to 7 are schematic diagrams of three states of forward self-locking, idle rotation and reverse self-locking of the clutch assembly of the present invention, in fig. 5, the adjusting mechanism 4 is moved to the left side of the groove 21 by pulling the pin 41, so that the adjacent rolling elements 3 move toward the logarithmic spiral 221 side in the concave curved groove 22, the adjacent rolling elements 3 realize synchronous linkage, all the rolling elements 3 are all in the forward self-locking region in the corresponding concave curved groove, i.e., the region where the logarithmic spiral 221 is located, when the inner star wheel 1 rotates clockwise relative to the outer star wheel 2, the rolling elements 3 are wedged tightly with the inner star wheel 1 and the outer star wheel 2, so as to form a self-locking structure, when the inner star wheel 1 rotates counterclockwise relative to the outer star wheel 2, the rolling elements 3 are not wedged tightly with the inner star wheel 1 and the outer star wheel 2, and at this time, the clutch.

In fig. 6, the adjusting mechanism 4 is located in the middle of the groove 21, the rolling elements 3 are located in the idle rotation regions of the respective concave curved grooves 22, that is, the intersection point 222 region of the logarithmic spiral 221 and the logarithmic spiral 223, at this time, no matter the inner star wheel 1 rotates counterclockwise or clockwise relative to the outer star wheel 2, the rolling elements 3 are not wedged tightly with the inner star wheel 1 and the outer star wheel 2, the rotation of the input shaft and the inner star wheel cannot drive the outer star wheel and the output shaft to rotate, the clutch assembly has no power output, and is in an idle rotation state.

In fig. 7, the adjusting mechanism 4 moves to the right side of the groove 21 by pulling the pin 41, so that the adjacent rolling bodies 3 move towards the logarithmic spiral 223 side in the concave curved groove 22, the adjacent rolling bodies 3 realize synchronous linkage, all the rolling bodies 3 are all in a reverse self-locking area in the corresponding concave curved groove, namely, the area where the logarithmic spiral 223 is located, when the inner star wheel 1 rotates anticlockwise relative to the outer star wheel 2, the rolling bodies 3 are wedged with the inner star wheel 1 and the outer star wheel 2 to form a self-locking structure, when the inner star wheel 1 rotates clockwise relative to the outer star wheel 2, the rolling bodies 3 are not wedged with the inner star wheel 1 and the outer star wheel 2, and at the moment, the clutch assembly is in a forward overrunning state.

The concave curved groove 22 of the clutch assembly shown in fig. 1-7 is arranged in the inner ring of the outer star wheel 2, but it should be appreciated that the concave curved groove 22 of the clutch assembly can also be arranged in the outer ring of the inner star wheel 1, as shown in fig. 8, the inner ring of the corresponding outer star wheel 2 is arranged as a cylindrical surface, and the rolling elements 3 are tangent to the cylindrical surface, and at this time, the grooves 21 can also be arranged on the outer star wheel 2 or on both the inner star wheel and the outer star wheel, and only the requirement that the adjusting mechanism 4 can be displaced in the grooves 21 is met, and the technical effects of the present invention can be achieved. In other embodiments, the outer ring of the inner star wheel 1 and the inner ring of the outer star wheel 2 can be configured to have a plurality of concave curved grooves 22 at the same time, and the technical effects of the present invention can also be achieved.

Although the concave curved groove 22 in the above embodiment uses three areas formed by two logarithmic spirals to realize the switching function of different modes, it should be appreciated that other combinations of contours such as straight lines and curved lines can be used to form different functional areas, and the technical effects of the present invention can also be achieved. The working principle of the functional area is as follows: when the rolling body 3 is in the forward self-locking area and the reverse self-locking area of the concave curved groove 22, the self-locking angle alpha of the rolling body 3 meets the following conditions: when the rolling body 3 is between the contact surface of the forward self-locking area (or the reverse self-locking area) of one star wheel and the contact surface of the other star wheel, the self-locking angle alpha of the rolling body 3 is always kept in the range of 2.5-7 degrees no matter how large forward acting force (or reverse acting force) is applied to the rolling body, namely the self-locking state (or the reverse self-locking state) of the forward direction is always kept. According to multiple tests of the inventor of the application, although the self-locking angle design of the concave curved groove with the linear or curved outline is relatively difficult, the self-locking function can be realized, preferably, the concave curved groove with the logarithmic spiral outline is easier to control the self-locking angle, and higher bearing capacity can be obtained.

The clutch assembly is characterized in that the outer star wheel, the inner star wheel and the plurality of rolling bodies arranged between the outer star wheel and the inner star wheel are mutually close to realize linkage loading, each rolling body corresponds to one concave curved surface groove, and each concave curved surface groove comprises two logarithmic spiral lines which are connected, so that the clutch assembly can realize switching of multiple functions such as bidirectional overrunning and non-return, and the corresponding positions of the concave curved surface grooves of the rolling bodies are changed by utilizing the adjusting mechanism, thereby realizing various functions of the clutch assembly. Compared with a traditional clutch, the clutch assembly is simpler in structure, depends on linkage loading of a plurality of rolling bodies, realizes functions such as bidirectional overrunning of the clutch assembly, is simple in structure, has the advantage of light weight, and has the good characteristics of convenience in assembly and good stability.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In this way, if these modifications and changes are within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to cover these modifications and changes. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed in a claim. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. The utility model provides a clutch assembly, its characterized in that includes besides-star wheel, interior star wheel and is set up a plurality of rolling elements between besides-star wheel and the interior star wheel, the inner circle of besides-star wheel with one in the outer lane of interior star wheel is provided with a plurality of concave curved surface grooves, every concave curved surface groove corresponds at least one respectively the rolling element, every concave curved surface groove is formed by two at least curved surfaces are connected respectively.

2. A clutch assembly according to claim 1 wherein the other of the inner ring of the outer spider and the outer ring of the inner spider is cylindrical or provided with a plurality of said concave curved grooves.

3. A clutch assembly according to claim 2, further comprising an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the rolling elements so that the plurality of rolling elements are each in contact with one of the two curved surfaces.

4. A clutch assembly according to claim 3, characterised in that the adjustment means is an actuating element provided on one of the rolling bodies, and that the rolling bodies are located next to each other.

5. A clutch assembly according to claim 3, wherein the inner and/or outer star wheels are provided with recesses at locations corresponding to the adjustment means to facilitate displacement of the adjustment means.

6. A clutch assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the profile of said concave curved groove comprises a straight line, a circular arc or a line segment taken from a logarithmic spiral.

7. A clutch assembly according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that each concave curved groove is formed with 3 regions by the at least two curved surfaces, namely a forward latching region, a reverse latching region and a free-wheeling region, which is between the forward latching region and the reverse latching region.

8. The clutch assembly of claim 4, further comprising upper and lower endcaps that overlie the outer and inner starwheels.

9. A clutch assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein one of the upper and lower end covers is provided with a retaining groove in a circumferential direction.

10. A clutch assembly according to claim 9, characterised in that the actuating member comprises a pin on one of the rolling elements, which pin is arranged on the side of the rolling element facing the upper and lower end caps in which the retaining groove is arranged.

11. A clutch assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein said pin is coupled to said limit groove and projects beyond a surface of said clutch assembly.

12. A clutch assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the retaining groove is an arcuate opening having a width greater than or equal to the diameter of the pin.

13. A clutch assembly according to claim 10, wherein the adjustment mechanism further comprises a toggle mechanism, the end of the toggle mechanism is provided with a hole for the pin to pass through, and the toggle mechanism can move the actuating element left and right in the limiting groove.