192 clutches and power-stop control – Clutches – Automatic
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-28
2003-02-04
Butler, Douglas C. (Department: 3683)
192 clutches and power-stop control
Clutches
Automatic
C192S11000B
Reexamination Certificate
active
06513633
ABSTRACT:
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-089048 which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in a rotation transmitting device incorporating a one-way clutch therein which can be used typically as a driven pulley fixed to an end of a rotary shaft of an alternator which serves as a power generator in a car, or a pinion fixed to an end of a rotary shaft for constituting a starter motor of a starting system of a car.
2. Related Background Art
The structure of an alternator which generates electric power necessary for a car by using an engine of the car as its driving source is disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-139550.
FIG. 6
illustrates an alternator
1
which is described in the above application. Referring to
FIG. 6
, a rotary shaft
3
is rotatably supported by a pair of rolling bearings
4
and
4
inside a housing
2
. A rotor
5
and a rectifier
6
are provided in a middle part of this rotary shaft
3
. In addition, a driven pulley
7
is fixed to an end portion (the right end portion in
FIG. 6
) of this rotary shaft
3
which is protruded outward from the housing
2
. In a state in which the alternator is assembled in the engine, an endless belt is wound around this driven pulley
7
so that the rotary shaft
3
is driven to rotate freely by means of a crank shaft of the engine.
As the driven pulley
7
described above, a pulley which is simply fixed to the rotary shaft
3
has been conventionally employed. However, various types of a pulley device incorporating a one-way clutch therein have been recently proposed as rotation transmitting devices incorporating a one-way clutch therein which are arranged to transmit the driving power from the endless belt to the rotary shaft when the running speed of the endless belt is fixed or on the increase, while allowing relative rotation between the driven pulley and the rotary shaft when the running speed of the endless belt is on the decrease. Some of such pulley devices have been put into practice use. For instance, pulley devices incorporating a one-way clutch therein and having a function as described above are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 56-101353, 7-317807, 8-61443, 8-226462 and 7-72585, French Patent Publication FR2726059A1, and the like.
FIGS. 7
to
9
illustrate a pulley device incorporating a one-way clutch conventionally known by being described in either of the above publications. This pulley device incorporating a one-way clutch therein comprises a sleeve
8
which serves as an inner diameter side member and can be fitted and fixed onto the rotary shaft
3
of the alternator
1
(see FIG.
6
). Around this sleeve
8
, there is provided a driven pulley
7
a
which serves as an outer diameter side member in a cylindrical form to be concentric with this sleeve
8
. Then, a pair of support bearings
9
,
9
and a roller clutch
10
serving as the one-way clutch are provided between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve
8
and the inner peripheral surface of the driven pulley
7
a.
The sleeve
8
is formed to be cylindrical as a whole, and is fitted and fixed onto an end portion of the rotary shaft
3
of the alternator
1
to be rotatable with this rotary shaft
3
. To this end, in the illustrated example, a threaded hole portion
11
is formed in a middle part on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve
8
, and this threaded hole portion and a male screw portion which is formed on the outer peripheral surface at the tip end portion of the rotary shaft
3
are arranged to be thread-engaged with each other. A latch hole portion
12
having a hexagonal cross section is also formed at the tip end portion on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve
8
(the left end portion in FIG.
7
). The tip end portion of a tool such as a hexagonal wrench can be latched by this latch hole portion
12
. Furthermore, the base portion (the right end portion in
FIG. 7
) of the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve
8
serves as a circular hole portion
13
which can be fitted on a portion near the middle part of the tip end portion of the rotary shaft
3
with no play. Note that a spline engagement, non-circular fitting, key engagement, or another arrangement may be employed as the arrangement for combining the sleeve
8
with the rotary shaft
3
in such a manner that they are not relatively rotated with each other. In addition, the central portion of the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve
8
serves as a large diameter portion
14
which has a larger diameter size than that of another portion.
On the other hand, a tip half portion of the outer peripheral surface of the driven pulley
7
a
has a cross section in a waveform along the widthwise direction, around which a part of the endless belt called a poly-V belt can be wound. Then, the above-mentioned roller clutch
10
is disposed in a middle part in the axial direction of a space existing between the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve
8
and the inner peripheral surface of the driven pulley
7
a
, while the support bearings
9
,
9
are respectively disposed at positions to sandwich this roller clutch
10
from the both sides in the axial direction near the both ends of this space in the axial direction.
Out of these members, the support bearings
9
,
9
allow, while supporting a radial load applied on the driven pulley
7
a
, a relative rotation between this driven pulley
7
a
and the sleeve
8
. In the illustrated example, ball bearings of a deep groove type are used as the support bearings
9
,
9
. More specifically, these support bearings
9
,
9
comprise outer races
16
,
16
respectively having outer raceways
15
,
15
of the deep groove type on the respective inner peripheral surfaces thereof, inner races
18
,
18
respectively having inner raceways
17
,
17
of the deep groove type on the respective outer peripheral surfaces thereof, and balls
19
,
19
provided in plural sets as capable of rolling between the outer raceways
15
,
15
and the inner raceways
17
,
17
. Then, the outer races
16
,
16
are fitted and fixed onto the inner peripheral surface near the both ends of the driven pulley
7
a
, while the inner races
18
,
18
are onto the outer peripheral surfaces near the both ends of the sleeve
8
, respectively. In this state, the inner races
18
,
18
in the axial direction are brought into contact with the respective end surfaces (step surfaces) in the axial direction of the large diameter portion
14
. Also, in the illustrated example, seal rings
20
,
20
are provided between the inner peripheral surfaces of the both end portions of the outer races
16
,
16
and the outer peripheral surfaces of the both end portions of the inner races
18
,
18
, respectively, thereby sealing openings at the both ends of the space provided with the balls
19
,
19
described above.
It is preferable that a communication hole is formed in a part of each of the seal rings
20
,
20
on the side facing a space which is formed by and between the support bearings
9
,
9
, out of the above-described seal rings
20
,
20
, so that this space and the space receiving therein the balls
19
,
19
of the support bearings
9
,
9
are communicated to each other, in order to prevent excessive rise of the pressure inside the space formed by and between the support bearings
9
,
9
when the support bearings
9
,
9
are inserted with pressure between the inner peripheral surface of the driven pulley
7
a
and the outer peripheral surface of sleeve
8
. When the outer races
16
,
16
are interference-fitted and fixed into the inner peripheral surface of the driven pulley
7
a
, it is preferable that, out of the inner peripheral surface of this driven pulley
7
a
, a part in which the outer races
16
,
16
are fitted is made a large diameter portion, while a part in which a clutch outer race
25
, which is described later, is fitted is made a small diameter
Aida Hiroshi
Kinoshita Takashi
Kitamura Yutaka
Butler Douglas C.
Crowell & Moring LLP
NSK Ltd.
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