Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-02
2003-06-17
Vidovich, Gregory (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C029S428000, C474S242000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06578249
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for assembling a belt for a continuously variable transmission by assembling a large number of metal elements along a metal ring assembly comprised of a plurality of endless metal rings laminated one on another.
2. Description of the Related Art
The belt for the continuously variable transmission is constructed by assembling a large number of metal elements along a metal ring assembly. However, each of the metal elements is produced by finely blanking a metal plate and for this reason, a dimensional variation is unavoidably generated in thickness of the metal element for every lot, and a dimensional variation is also unavoidably generated in peripheral length of the metal ring assembly. Therefore, the following problem is encountered: When a predetermined number of the metal elements are assembled to the metal ring assembly, the variations in thickness of the large number of metal elements are accumulated, whereby the metal ring assembly becomes relatively too long and a large clearance incapable of being disregarded for the durability of the belt for the continuously variable transmission is generated between the metal elements after completion of the assembling; or the metal ring assembly becomes relatively too short, only a number of the metal element one smaller than the predetermined number is assembled and as a result, a large clearance incapable of being disregarded is generated between the metal elements.
Therefore, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. 61-103651 discloses a technique in which standard elements having a standard thickness are combined among a predetermined number of adjusting elements having a thickness slightly larger than that of the standard elements, thereby decreasing the clearance between the elements.
To assemble the belt for the continuously variable transmission by combining the adjusting elements among the standard elements, the standard elements as many as possible are first assembled to the metal ring assembly; an initial clearance defined between the rearwardmost and forwardmost ones of the standard elements is measured, and the number of the adjusting elements required is determined in accordance with the initial clearance. To assemble the number of the adjusting elements required, a predetermined number of the standard elements already assembled are removed from the metal ring assembly, and in place of them, the adjusting elements are assembled.
From the forgoing, there is encountered a problem; if the number of the adjusting elements required is increased, the number of the standard elements removed after being once assembled to the metal ring assembly is also increased, resulting in an increased number of operating steps. In addition, since the standard elements and the adjusting elements are different in thickness from each other and, for example, a dimensional variation unavoidably exists between heights of saddle faces with which the metal ring contacts, there is a possibility that the durability of the belt for the continuously variable transmission is adversely affected by a load applied to the metal ring assembly by the metal element whose saddle faces protrude. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the number of the adjusting elements to be combined among the standard elements.
FIG. 6
is a graph showing how many adjusting elements having a thickness of 1.6 mm are required for compensating for the initial clearance &agr;i generated when standard elements having a standard thickness t of 1.5 mm are used. In this case, &Dgr;t which is a difference between the standard thickness t=1.5 mm of the standard elements and the thickness 1.6 mm of the adjusting elements, is 0.1 mm.
The case where the initial clearance &agr;i is equal to 0.0 mm is an ideal state in which only the standard elements are used without using the adjusting elements, resulting in no clearance &agr; generated between the elements. If 0.0 mm<&agr;i<0.1 mm, it is impossible to compensate for the initial clearance &agr;i by the adjusting elements, and only the standard elements are used. However, the clearance &agr; between the elements is such small as 0.1 mm or less, and there is no particular hindrance in practical use. From the forgoing, if 0.0 mm≦&agr;i<0.1 mm, the number of the adjusting elements required is 0 (zero).
If 0.1 mm≦&agr;i<0.2 mm, the clearance &agr; between the elements can be suppressed to 0.0 mm or more and less than 0.1 mm by using one adjusting element, and if 0.2 mm≦&agr;i<0.3 mm, the clearance &agr; between the elements can be suppressed to 0.0 mm or more and less than 0.1 mm by using two adjusting elements. Likewise, whenever the initial clearance &agr;i is increased by 0.1 mm, the number of the adjusting elements required is increased one by one, and finally, if 1.4 mm≦&agr;i<1.5 mm, the clearance &agr; between the elements can be suppressed to 0.0 mm or more and less than 0.1 mm by using fourteen adjusting elements. Therefore, it is understood that when only the adjusting elements having a thickness of 1.6 mm are used, average seven adjusting elements are required to suppress the clearance &agr; between the elements to less than 0.1 mm.
FIG. 7
is a graph showing how many adjusting elements having a thickness of 1.4 mm are required to compensate for the initial clearance &agr;i generated when standard elements having a standard thickness t of 1.5 mm are used. In this case, &Dgr;t which is a difference between the standard thickness t=1.5 mm of the standard elements and the thickness 1.4 mm of the adjusting elements, is 0.1 mm.
The case where the initial clearance &agr;i is equal to 1.5 mm in an ideal state in which only the standard elements are used without using the adjusting elements, resulting in no clearance &agr; generated between the elements. If 1.4 mm<&agr;i<1.5 mm, the clearance &agr; between the elements can be suppressed to 0.0 mm or more and less than 0.1 mm by using one adjusting element, and if 1.3 mm≦&agr;i<1.4 mm, the clearance &agr; between the elements can be suppressed to 0.0 mm or more and less than 0.1 mm by using two adjusting elements. Likewise, whenever the initial clearance &agr;i is decreased by 0.1 mm, the number of the adjusting elements required is increased one by one, and finally, if 0.0 mm≦&agr;i<0.1 mm, the clearance &agr; between the elements can be suppressed to less than 0.1 mm by using fifteen adjusting elements. If &agr;i=0.0 mm, since the clearance &agr; between the elements can be suppressed to 0.1 mm by using only the standard elements, the second adjusting element
32
b
is not required. Therefore, it is understood that when only adjusting elements having a thickness of 1.4 mm are used, average eight adjusting elements are required to suppress the clearance &agr; between the elements to less than 0.1 mm.
The present invention has been accomplished with the above circumstance in view, and it is an object of the present invention to decrease the number of the adjusting elements required for suppressing the clearance between the elements for the belt for the continuously variable transmission to a predetermined value or less.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the above object, according to a first feature of the present invention, there is provided a process for assembling a belt for a continuously variable transmission by assembling a large number of metal elements along a metal ring assembly comprised of a plurality of endless metal rings laminated one on another. The process comprises the steps of preparing, as the metal elements, standard elements having a standard thickness t, first adjusting elements having a thickness larger than the standard thickness t by a predetermined value &Dgr;t, and second adjusting elements having a thickness smaller than the standard thickness t by a predetermined value &Dgr;t; assembling only the standard elements closely on the metal ring assembly, and defining, as an initial clearance &a
Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Omgba Essama
Vidovich Gregory
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