Fluid reaction surfaces (i.e. – impellers) – Rotor having flow confining or deflecting web – shroud or... – Blades projecting axially from concavo-convex annular web
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-23
2004-08-17
Nguyen, Ninh H. (Department: 3745)
Fluid reaction surfaces (i.e., impellers)
Rotor having flow confining or deflecting web, shroud or...
Blades projecting axially from concavo-convex annular web
C029S889500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06776581
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a torque converter (T/C) including a converter cover to which power is transmitted from a rotation drive source such as an engine, and specifically to a T/C in which a starter ring gear for initiating the rotation drive source is firmly connected with a converter cover.
A T/C of a related art is shown in FIG.
4
. As illustrated in
FIG. 4
, converter cover
54
of torque converter
53
is connected with drive plate
51
via connection
52
therebetween. Drive plate
51
is connected with an engine output shaft. Starter ring gear
55
is welded at
56
to an outer circumferential surface of converter cover
54
. Starter ring gear
55
is driven by a starter motor by meshing with a pinion mounted to the starter motor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
If a rim of starter ring gear
55
has a relatively small thickness, teeth formed on an outer circumferential surface of starter ring gear
55
will be readily heated by heat produced upon welding, and then be cooled down to ordinary temperature. As a result, the teeth of the starter ring gear
55
is annealed so that the rigidity will be deteriorated. This will facilitate abrasion of the teeth of the starter ring gear
55
which is caused by meshing with the pinion mounted to the starter motor.
It would threrefore be desirable to provide a method of connecting a starter ring gear with a converter cover within a T/C without using welding. The method can prevent the starter ring gear from being deteriorated in rigidity due to annealing after welding, serving for reducing abrasion of teeth of the starter ring gear which is caused upon meshing with a pinion of a starter motor. Further, it would be desirable to provide a T/C in which a starter ring gear is connected with a converter cover without using welding, whereby the starter ring gear can hold a good rigidity and can be less affected by abrasion of teeth thereof which is caused upon meshing with a pinion of a starter motor, so that the life of the starter ring gear can be prolonged.
In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of connecting a starter ring gear with a converter cover within a torque converter, the starter ring gear being adapted for initiating a rotation drive source for the torque converter and rotatable about a rotation axis, the starter ring gear including a first engaging member disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the starter ring gear, the converter cover being rotatable about the rotation axis together with the starter ring gear, the converter cover including a cylindrical wall extending along the rotation axis, a disk wall connected with an axial end of the cylindrical wall to form a corner portion therebetween, and a second engaging member which is engaged with the first engaging member and disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical wall, the method comprising:
setting the starter ring gear at the corner portion between the disk wall and the cylindrical wall of the converter cover in alignment with each other; and
producing a plastic flow of metal at the corner portion between the disk wall and the cylindrical wall of the converter cover, the plastic flow of metal forming the second engaging member engaged with the first engaging member, to thereby connect the starter ring gear with the converter cover.
In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a torque converter in connection with a rotation drive source, the torque converter including a starter ring gear adapted for initiating the rotation drive source and rotatable about a rotation axis, the starter ring gear including a first engaging member disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the starter ring gear, and a converter cover rotatable about the rotation axis together with the starter ring gear, the converter cover including a cylindrical wall extending along the rotation axis, a disk wall connected with an axial end of the cylindrical wall to form a corner portion therebetween, and a second engaging member which is engaged with the first engaging member and disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical wall, the starter ring gear being connected with the converter cover by a method comprising:
setting the starter ring gear at the corner portion between the disk wall and the cylindrical wall of the converter cover in alignment with each other; and
producing a plastic flow of metal at the corner portion between the disk wall and the cylindrical wall of the converter cover, the plastic flow of metal forming the first engaging member engaged with the second engaging member, to thereby connect the starter ring gear with the converter cover.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3838611 (1974-10-01), Koivunen
patent: 4378870 (1983-04-01), McRae
patent: 5813505 (1998-09-01), Olsen et al.
Foley & Lardner LLP
Jatco LTD
Nguyen Ninh H.
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