Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-07
2001-10-16
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C403S306000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06301769
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a method for assembling two assemblies together, each of which assembly has a rotating shaft member to be connected to the other rotating shaft member through a rotating medium. The present invention also relates to a rotating medium used for this method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for assembling, for example a cylinder block assembly of an automobile and a transmission assembly together through a rotating medium such as a torque converter.
2. Prior Art
In the process of automobile assembly, there is a need for assembling two assemblies together through a rotating medium, such as in the case of assembling a cylinder block assembly with a transmission assembly or assembling a clutch assembly. In such case, each assembly has a rotating shaft member to be connected to the other rotating shaft member through a rotating medium. Specifically, one of these assemblies is connected to the rotating medium by fitting engagement of the splines formed on the assembly and the rotating medium, respectively.
Well-known prior art method for assembling these two assemblies together will be described. By way of example, assembling a cylinder block assembly with a transmission assembly will be described with reference to FIG.
5
.
FIG.5
is an enlarged vertical section partly showing a conventional torque converter, cylinder block assembly and a transmission assembly.
A torque converter
101
as a rotating medium is a device for the transmission of power through a fluid such as oil held in a casing. The torque converter
101
comprises a doughnut-shaped casing
101
a
filled with oil, a stator
101
b
, and two impellers
101
c
,
101
d
positioned opposite to each other around the stator
101
b.
One of the two impellers
101
c
(hereinafter referred to as a pump impeller) is integrated with the casing
101
a
. When the engine is actuated, power is transmitted from the engine through a crankshaft
104
, drive plate
105
and the casing
101
a
so as to make a flow of oil within the casing
101
a
. Such flow of oil is transmitted to the other impeller
101
d
(hereinafter referred to as a turbine runner) while it is controlled by the stator
101
b
. The turbine runner
101
d
is then rotated. The turbine runner
101
d
is further connected to a main shaft
102
a
of a transmission assembly
102
so that the main shaft
102
a
is rotated by the rotation of the turbine runner
101
d
. Accordingly, when the engine is actuated, rotation of the pump impeller
101
c
is transmitted through oil to the main shaft
102
a
, thereby rotating the main shaft
102
a.
In such torque converter
101
, since the pump impeller
101
c
, stator
101
b
and the turbine runner
101
d
are rotated independently, separate spline portions
106
a
,
106
b
,
106
c
are provided at the respective center portions thereof.
The transmission assembly
102
is provided with a first, second and a third spline portions
107
a
,
107
b
,
107
c
for fitting engagement with the corresponding spline portions
106
a
,
106
b
,
106
c
of the torque converter
101
. The first spline portion
107
a
is formed at a position where the transmission assembly
102
is connected to the pump impeller
101
c
through a bearing
102
b
. The second spline portion
107
b
is formed at a position where the transmission assembly
102
is connected to the stator
106
c
around the main shaft
102
a
. And the third spline portion
107
c
is formed at the front side of the main shaft
102
a
so as to connect the main shaft
102
a
and the turbine runner
101
d
. Here, the main shaft
102
a
is the rotating shaft member of the transmission assembly
102
.
Known method for assembling the transmission assembly
102
and the cylinder block assembly
103
together will be described. The cylinder block assembly
103
holds the crankshaft
104
at a journal portion (not shown). The drive plate
105
is then mounted at the end of the crankshaft
104
. Here, the crankshaft
104
and the drive plate
105
form the rotating shaft member of the cylinder block assembly
103
.
At first, the torque converter
101
is fixed to the drive plate
105
through a plurality of bolts
105
a
,
105
a
. To this end, a mounting bracket
101
e
of the torque converter
101
is provided with bolt holes
101
f
and the drive plate
105
is also provided with corresponding bolt holes
105
d
. When the torque converter
101
is fixed to the drive plate
105
, a plurality of bolts
105
a
,
105
a
are inserted from the drive plate
105
and they are screwed between the drive plate
105
and the torque converter
101
.
Secondly, the transmission assembly
102
is assembled with the cylinder block assembly
103
with the first, second and the third spline portions
107
a
,
107
b
,
107
c
of the transmission assembly
102
fittingly engaged with the corresponding spline portions
106
a
,
106
b
,
106
c
of the torque converter
101
. When assembling, phase adjustment is carried out between each first, second or third spline portion
107
a
,
107
b
,
107
c
of the transmission assembly
102
and the corresponding spline portion
106
a
,
106
b
,
106
c
of the torque converter
101
, and then the transmission assembly
102
and the cylinder block assembly
103
are assembled together by the fitting engagement of these spline portions. In such position, a mounting surface
102
c
provided at the circumferential end of the transmission assembly
102
abuts on an attachment surface
103
a
of the cylinder block assembly
103
so that the corresponding bolt holes
102
d
,
103
b
are met each other. A plurality of bolts
108
,
108
(only one bolt
108
is shown in
FIG. 5
) are screwed within the bolt holes
102
d
,
103
b
, and the transmission assembly
102
and the cylinder block assembly
103
are assembled together.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the aforementioned assembling process, two assemblies such as a cylinder block assembly
103
and a transmission assembly
102
are manually assembled. Such assembling process is not automated by the following reasons.
The rotating medium such as a torque converter
101
is mounted to one assembly (first assembly) such as a cylinder block assembly
103
through a plurality of bolts. Meanwhile, the rotating medium is also connected to the other assembly (second assembly) such as a transmission assembly
102
by the fitting engagement of the spline portions.
Since phase adjustment of the spline portions is difficult, the rotating medium should be connected to the second assembly by a manual operation. Especially when the second assembly is a transmission assembly
102
, weight of the second assembly would be greater. Also, when the rotating medium is a torque converter
101
, centering operation of the rotating medium would be difficult. For this reason, the process for connecting the rotating medium and the second assembly will not be automated.
Meanwhile, attachment of the rotating medium to the first assembly is carried out in advance of connecting the rotating medium and the second assembly. This is because the bolts should be screwed before the second assembly is connected to the rotating medium by the fitting engagement of the spline portions. In other words, the two assemblies should be assembled together while the second assembly is fittingly engaged with the rotating medium, which has been mounted to the first assembly. As a result, since the fitting engagement of the spline portions is not automated, the two assemblies should be assembled together by a manual operation.
In order to eliminate the above disadvantages, the present invention seeks to provide a method for assembling two assemblies through a rotating medium, in which all the operation is automated except for fitting engagement of the spline portions. The present invention also seeks to provide a rotating medium used for this method.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method for assembling a first assembly and a second assembly togeth
Chiyouji Masami
Higashi Yoshiaki
Ikemura Norihisa
Browne Lynne H.
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Liniak Berenato Longacre & White
Walsh John B.
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