Rotary shafts – gudgeons – housings – and flexible couplings for ro – Fluid coupling
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-07
2002-12-10
Binda, Greg (Department: 3679)
Rotary shafts, gudgeons, housings, and flexible couplings for ro
Fluid coupling
C192S003300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06491586
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a flow passage structure formed by press-fitting a shaft member into a press-fit bore provided in a flange member so as to be opened at one axial end thereof, and thereby communicating with each of other flow passages formed in the flange member and those formed in the shaft member.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such a flow passage structure is used for a support flange ember of a fluid joint, and a support flange of a stator member of a torque converter as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 40904/1990. An example of such a related art flow passage structure for a shaft-press-fitted flange member is shown in FIG.
5
. This structure is formed by press-fitting a shaft member
210
into a press-fit bore
201
of a flange member
200
so as to communicate an oil passage
221
in a housing
220
, to which the flange member
200
is fixed, and radial bores
212
, which are formed in the shaft member
210
, with each other via an inside-flange flow passage including radial bores
202
and axial bores
203
which are formed in the flange member
200
. The inside-shaft radial bores
212
are joined to axially extending inside-shaft bores
211
, and these axial bores
211
, for example, the interior of a torque converter. This enables the supplying of an oil from the oil passages
221
of the housing
220
to the interior of a torque converter and the discharging of the oil from the latter to the former to be done.
When the flow passage structure is provided in this manner, the flow passage in the flange member
200
is formed by making the radial bores
202
extending from an outer circumferential surface of the flange member therethrough to the press-fit bore
201
, and the axial bores
203
extending from a side surface of the flange member so as to communicate with the inside-flange radial bores
202
, and closing the radial bores
202
of the flange member at the portions thereof which are on the side of an outer circumferential surface of the flange with plugs
205
, and with balls
206
press-fitted into the mentioned portions of the same bores. As is understood from the above, the radial bores
202
in the flow passage structure shown in
FIG. 5
are formed from the outer circumferential side of the flange, and it is therefore necessary that the radial bores
202
be closed at the outer circumferential end portions thereof with plugs
205
and press-fit balls
206
. This causes a processing cost and a cost of additional parts to increase correspondingly. When the plugs
205
are employed, it is necessary that seal members be used for threaded portions thereof, and, when the press-fit balls
206
are employed, the flange member
200
requires to have a strength high enough to resist a press-fitting force. Furthermore, spaces for press-fitting the balls thereinto and inserting the plugs thereinto are needed, and, when plural radial bores
202
are formed in a certain way of arrangement, the intervals thereof have to be set large.
In view of these problems, a flow passage structure shown in
FIG. 6
has also heretofore been devised. A left-hand portion of
FIG. 6
shows a second flow passage structure, and a right-hand portion thereof a third flow passage structure. First, in the case of the second flow passage structure shown in the left-hand portion of
FIG. 6
, a communication bore
231
extending from a side surface of a flange member
230
therethrough diagonally to a press-fit bore
233
is formed, and an oil passage
221
in a housing
220
and a radial bore
212
formed in a shaft member
210
are communicated with each other via this inside-flange communication bore
231
. In the case of this flow passage structure, the inside-flange communication bore
231
is formed from the side surface of the flange member
230
, so that closing the bore by using a plug and a press-fit ball in an outer circumferential end portion thereof as in the structure of
FIG. 5
is not necessary but an axial size A of the flange member
230
increases due to the formation of the diagonal communication bore.
In the case of the third flow passage structure shown in the right-hand portion of
FIG. 6
, an inside-flange flow passage is provided by forming a radial bore
242
extending from the interior of a press-fit bore
241
of a flange member
240
in the diagonal, radially outward direction, and an axial bore
243
extending from a side surface of the flange member
240
so as to communicate with the inside-flange radial bore
242
. In the case of this flow passage structure, closing the bore by using a plug and a press-fit ball in outer circumferential end portions thereof as in the structure of
FIG. 5
is not necessary, either. However, since the inside-flange radial bore
242
is formed from the interior of the press-fit bore
241
of the flange member
240
, an angle of the inside-flange radial bore
242
is limited depending upon the size of the press-fit bore
241
, so that it is difficult to form the bore
242
and reduce the dimensions of the flange member.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and provides a flow passage structure capable of forming a flow passage in a flange member easily, and a flange member compactly.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the flow passage structure for a shaft-press-fitted flange member (for example, a stator shaft
40
in a mode of embodiment) formed by press-fitting a shaft member into a press-fit bore of a flange member has a shaft member provided with first flow passages (for example, right end portions
106
of oil passages
102
in a mode of embodiment) having openings (for example, right end portions
106
of the oil passages
102
in the mode of embodiment) in an outer circumferential surface of the shaft member; and a flange member provided with blind bores (for example oil passages
101
and oil passages
105
in the mode of embodiment) formed so as to extend linearly at right angles to a shaft axis from outer circumferential surfaces (for example, outer circumferential surfaces
43
b,
43
c
in the mode of embodiment) of the flange member and through the press-fit bore, and stop at free end portions thereof in the interior of the flange member, and communication bores (for example, oil passages
103
) extending from a side surface of the flange member in the axial direction and communicating with the portions of the blind bores which extend from the press-fit bore to the free end portions thereof, second flow passages being formed of the portions (for example, the oil passages
101
in the mode of embodiment) of the blind bores which extend from the press-fit bore to the free end portions thereof and the communication bores, the shaft member being positioned so that the portions of the blind bores in the second flow passages which are opened into the press-fit bore and the first flow passages communicate with each other, and press-fitted into the press-fit bore to communicate the first and second flow passages with each other, whereby a flow passage structure is formed.
When a shaft member is press-fitted into a press-fit bore of a flange member in the case of a flow structure of such a construction, free end portions of blind bores and opposite portions (portions between an outer circumferential surface and the press-fit bore) are shut off by a shaft member press-fitted in the press-fit bore, and the free end portions communicate with openings of first flow passages formed in the shaft member. As is understood from the above, in the flow passage structure according to the present invention, only blind bores extending straight from an outer circumferential surface of the flange member in a direction (radial direction and a direction parallel thereto) which is at right angles to a shaft axis, and communication bores extending straight from a side surface of the flange member in the axial direction thereof are formed in the flange member. Namely, the forming of the flow structure can be done easily, and,
Nakamura Takashi
Narai Katsuyuki
Shoji Mikio
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Binda Greg
Thompson Kenneth
LandOfFree
Flow passage structure for shaft-press-fitted flange members does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Flow passage structure for shaft-press-fitted flange members, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Flow passage structure for shaft-press-fitted flange members will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2922219