JPH04258531A - Liquid clutch - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform an accurate control constantly by adjusting the amount of oil promptly and highly precisely in response to various conditions of the cooling fan roll control of an engine. CONSTITUTION:A liquid clutch is provided with a supply passage 7a and a discharge passage 7b between an oil chamber 6 and a torque transfer chamber 5 and serves to transfer the drive torque of a drive disc 4 to a case 3 by means of oil supplied to the torque transfer chamber 5. The oil is forcibly circulated by providing a pump means 8, which is driven by utilizing the revolution difference between a case and a drive disc, inside the case 3 and also arranging a dam means 14 on the inner circumference surface of the case 3. An oil delivering passage 9a is connected to a supply passage 7a and selective connection either to the oil chamber 6 or the torque transfer chamber 5 is made through a valve member 10 provided between the supply passage 7a and the oil delivering passage, and oil is discharged smoothly by means of the dam means 14.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a liquid clutch that transmits the driving torque of a drive disk to a case using oil supplied to a torque transmission chamber, and in particular, a liquid clutch that controls the rotation of a cooling fan of an automobile engine installed in the case. It concerns the clutch.

0002

[Prior Art] The inside of a case is divided into a torque transmission chamber and an oil reservoir chamber by a partition plate, a drive disk is provided in the torque transmission chamber so as to be rotatable by the drive of a drive unit, and oil in the oil reservoir chamber is formed on the partition plate. A coupling device (liquid clutch) has a structure in which oil is supplied to the torque transmission chamber through the outflow adjustment hole, and the oil in the torque transmission chamber is returned to the oil sump chamber through a circulation path.
For example, it is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-21048. According to this type of liquid clutch, the driving torque of the drive disk is transmitted to the case by oil supplied from the oil reservoir chamber to the torque transmission chamber, and a fan attached to the case rotates, thereby cooling an automobile engine, for example.

However, in such conventional liquid clutches, the atmospheric temperature is detected by a bimetal, and when this temperature rises, the opening degree of the outflow adjustment hole is increased to increase the amount of oil in the transmission chamber, thereby increasing the rotation speed of the case. The fan is rotated at high speed to increase the cooling effect.

0004

However, automobile engines are operated under various conditions. For example, when driving on a highway, the drive disk rotates at a high speed, but since the air cooling effect is enhanced by the strike wind, there is no need to rotate the fan at such high speed, and the fan rotation speed is high during cold start. In order to prevent warm-up operation and generate fan noise, the fan should be rotated at a low speed, so control is required to keep the engine cooling water temperature almost constant without overshooting, depending on each case. is required. In order to meet this demand, it is not sufficient to control the oil amount based only on the ambient temperature.

[0005] With such conventional techniques, it is not possible to accurately control desired linear characteristics by adjusting the amount of oil with high precision in accordance with various conventional operating conditions.

The present invention has been made in view of the current state of this type of liquid clutch as described above. The present invention focuses on the fact that in a fluid clutch, there is always a slip, that is, a difference in rotational speed, between the case and the driving disk, and a pump mechanism that utilizes this difference in rotational speed is built into the case, and the pump mechanism is built inside the case. A dam mechanism is provided on the circumference to force oil circulation, and a valve member operated by an external electromagnet is provided in the communication path on the supply side of the pump mechanism to adjust the amount of oil in the torque transmission gap according to various operating conditions. It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid clutch that can constantly achieve an optimal torque transmission state, that is, an optimal case (fan) rotation speed such as desired linear characteristics by quickly and highly accurately controlling the clutch.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a drive section, a rotating shaft rotated by the drive section, a drive disk rotationally driven by the rotation shaft, and a drive disk that is rotated by the drive section. The case includes a case that is housed and is rotatably arranged around the rotation axis, a torque transmission chamber in which the drive disk is housed inside the case, and an oil reservoir chamber that collects oil. In a liquid clutch in which the driving torque of the drive disk is transmitted from the torque transmission chamber to the case, the oil is transferred from the torque transmission chamber by a dam mechanism provided on the inner peripheral surface of the case. a first flow path consisting of a discharge path for sending the oil to the reservoir chamber and a supply path communicating from the oil reservoir chamber to the torque transmission chamber; a pump mechanism that utilizes the difference in rotational speed between the rotating shaft provided inside the case and the case; , a second flow path that connects the oil lift path of the pump mechanism to the oil sump chamber and the oil feed path of the pump mechanism to the supply path side; and a second flow path that connects oil from the pump mechanism to the oil sump chamber or the pump mechanism. A magnetic valve member that opens and closes to be selectively connected to the torque transmission chamber is provided, the valve member is operated by an electromagnet provided externally, and a control device is provided to control excitation of the electromagnet. , the control device receives an output signal from a sensor that detects the temperature of the cooling water that cools the drive unit, and in addition, an output signal from a sensor that detects at least the rotation speed of the case or the rotation speed of the rotating shaft. The excitation current to each electromagnet is controlled based on this.

[0008]

[Operation] In the present invention, the case and drive disk (rotating shaft)
A pump mechanism is built into the case, which is driven by utilizing the difference in rotational speed between the A valve member operated by an electromagnet is provided, and when a control signal from the control device is not received, the valve member of the supply path communicating from the oil sump chamber to the torque transmission chamber is closed, and the oil is passed through the oil lift path by the pump mechanism. After being sucked from the oil reservoir, the oil is pressurized and circulated through the second passage back to the oil reservoir, and the oil in the torque transmission chamber is smoothly returned to the oil reservoir by the dam mechanism. Therefore, the rotation of the fan installed in the case is slowed down. Next, if you want to accelerate the rotation of the fan, operate the valve member by the action of an electromagnet and open the supply path. Oil passes from the oil reservoir chamber to the oil lift path by suction from the pump mechanism, and then is pressurized by discharge from the pump mechanism. The oil is then sent from the oil supply path to the torque transmission chamber through the supply path. Therefore, the rotation of the case, ie the fan, is increased. Note that since the torque transmission chamber is provided with a dam mechanism, the oil is sent out through the discharge passage, so that the oil circulates smoothly between the torque transmission chamber and the oil reservoir chamber.

According to the present invention, steady rotation with a constant width can be obtained by switching the above-mentioned acceleration and deceleration at short time intervals.

[0010] Furthermore, if the oil supply is controlled based on the temperature of the cooling water in the drive unit, the number of rotations of the fan, or the number of rotations of the rotating shaft rotated by the drive of the drive unit as a control means, the oil supply can be controlled accurately and appropriately. The amount of oil is precisely controlled, and the fan rotates according to various operating conditions.

[0011]

[Embodiment] Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing one embodiment of the clutch of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the whole with the electromagnet removed and only the internal pump section cut away. ) 1, a bearing 2 is attached to a rotating shaft 2 that rotates by the drive of 1.
A large diameter and short case 3 is rotatably attached via a. Inside this case 3 is a torque transmission chamber 5 and an oil reservoir chamber 6.
A disk-shaped drive disk 4 is inserted into the torque transmission chamber 5 and fixed to the end of the rotating shaft 2. A circulation path is formed between the torque transmission chamber 5 and the oil reservoir chamber 6 by a pair of first flow paths 7, an oil supply path 7a and an oil discharge path 7b. Note that the drive disk 4 is located within the torque transmission chamber 5, and the outer circumferential surface and side surface of the drive disk 4,
A torque transmission gap is formed between the inner circumferential surface and the side surface of the torque transmission chamber 5 facing this, and a fan 3 is provided on the outside of the case 3.
a is installed.

Next, 8 is a vane pump mechanism;
A is a rotor attached to the tip of the rotating shaft 2, and 8b is a vane, which is rotationally driven by the difference in rotational speed caused by slip between the case 3 and the drive disk 4 (rotating shaft 2). Although the illustrated embodiment will be explained using a vane pump,
In the present invention, a trochoid pump, a gear pump, or the like can be used as the pump mechanism. The oil feed path 9a of the pump mechanism 8 is connected to the supply path 7a of the first flow path 7 via the valve member 10, and the oil lift path 9b of the pump mechanism 8 is connected to the oil reservoir chamber 6.
to form a second flow path 9. In the valve member 10 described above, the spring 11 normally allows oil to flow from the oil feed path 9a to the oil reservoir chamber 7 side, but not to the torque transmission chamber 5. When the valve member 10 is actuated, the oil is switched to flow from the pump mechanism 8 to the torque transmission chamber 5 through the oil feed path 9a and the supply path 7a. This valve member 10 is magnetic, and may be formed entirely of a magnetic material or may have a piece of magnetic material attached thereto, and is operated by an electromagnet 12 attached externally. This electromagnet 12 is ring-shaped, and the case 3
It is supported on a shaft provided on the central surface of the body, and the other side is fixed to the vehicle body, etc. Further, in order to send oil from the torque transmission chamber 5 to the oil reservoir chamber 7 on the inner circumferential surface of the case 3, a dam 14 as a dam mechanism is provided near the entrance of the discharge path 7b to ensure smooth oil delivery. Close. In addition, the valve member 1
The flow rate may be adjusted using a needle valve at 0.

In the above configuration, when it is desired to accelerate the case 3 (fan 3a), by energizing the electromagnet 12 and opening the valve member 10, oil is sucked from the oil reservoir chamber 6 through the oil pumping path 9b. The oil is pressurized by the pump mechanism 8 and further supplied into the torque transmission chamber 5 through the oil feed path 9a and the supply path 7a. Note that the oil in the torque transmission chamber 5 is circulated by the dam mechanism 14 through the discharge path 7b to the oil reservoir chamber 6, but since the discharge amount of the pump mechanism 8 is larger than the amount delivered by the dam mechanism 14, the oil in the torque transmission chamber 5 The amount of oil increases and the fan 3a is accelerated.

On the other hand, when deceleration is desired, when the electromagnet 12 is deenergized and the valve member 10 is closed, the oil in the oil reservoir chamber 6 is sucked through the oil lift path 9b and sent to the oil feed path 9a by the pump mechanism 8. However, due to the closure of the valve member 10, the oil sump chamber 6
Return to On the other hand, the oil in the torque transmission chamber 5 is sent to the discharge path 7b by the dam mechanism 14 and flows into the oil reservoir chamber 6, so the amount of oil in the torque transmission chamber 5 decreases and the fan 3a is decelerated.

Furthermore, by switching between the acceleration and deceleration at short time intervals, steady rotation can be achieved at a rotational speed within a certain range.

The electromagnet 12 receives various factors (in the figure, output signals from sensors 21, 22, and 23 for cooling water temperature, rotating shaft rotation speed, and fan rotation speed) from a control device 20 according to driving conditions.
A regulated excitation current will be generated to control the operation of the valve member 10.

The operation of the embodiment in such a configuration will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the operation of the embodiment, FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram of the operation of the embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the rotation speed of the input shaft and the fan rotation speed of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the control operation of one embodiment. In this embodiment, a fan speed signal Nf as the rotation speed of the fan, an engine speed signal Ne as the rotation speed of the rotating shaft, and a cooling system Water temperature signal T as cooling water temperature
w is taken into the control device 20 as an output signal S from each sensor 21, 22, 23. Based on these output signals S, the characteristic data calculation circuit section of the control device 20 calculates the characteristic data (A) between fan speed and engine speed shown in FIG.
, characteristic data between fan speed and cooling water temperature (B), and time characteristic data of engine speed (C) are calculated as characteristic data.

These characteristic data D((A)(B)(C)
)) and the output signal S (Ne, Tw, Nf), control data is calculated in the control data calculation circuit section of the control device 20, and an excitation current is supplied to the electromagnet 12 for the necessary time based on the obtained control data. and controls the amount of oil in the torque transmission chamber 5. That is, in step S1 of FIG. 3, the conditional expression dNe/dt>dne/dt (where dne/dt /dt is determined based on the rate of change in engine speed stored in the control device 20. If the determination in step S1 is YES, the process proceeds to step S2, where Nf=Noff, the fan speed Nf is set to the minimum fan speed Noff, and the process proceeds to step S5. Depending on the required characteristics of the vehicle, even if the determination in step S1 is NO, it may be possible to proceed to step S2 during start acceleration and/or while maintaining a high engine speed after acceleration, or to proceed to step S2 after the Noff signal is output. Step S2 is maintained for a period of time, or even if the determination in Step S1 is YES, the process returns to Step S3 while the cooling water temperature is slightly overheated and/or when the air conditioner is on and the engine speed is relatively low. or Nf=Non
Alternatively, the process may proceed to step S5. Then, in step S5, control is determined by comparing the fan calculation speed nf and the input fan speed signal Nf, and in step S5
According to the determination, the electromagnet 12 is controlled in step S6, and the fan 3a is accelerated or decelerated as described above.

If the determination in step S1 is NO, the process proceeds to step S3 where maximum fan speed Non and minimum fan speed Noff are calculated, and then step S4
and set the fan speed to nf=f(Noff, Non, T
w, T1, T2). For example, when controlling the fan speed linearly with respect to the cooling water temperature, control is determined by comparing the fan calculation speed nf obtained by proceeding to step S5 and the input fan speed signal Nf, In accordance with the determination in step S5, the electromagnet 12 is controlled in step S6, and the fan 3a is accelerated or decelerated as described above.

By controlling in this way, the amount of silicone oil in the torque transmission chamber 5 can be changed with high precision over a wide range.

In the embodiment, when the temperature of the cooling water of the engine 1 is near the upper limit water temperature and the temperature of the cooling water increases significantly, the fan rotation speed is increased. Conversely, if the temperature of the cooling water drops, the fan speed will be reduced. In addition, as shown in Figure 4, when the rotation speed of the rotating shaft 2 suddenly increases, the fan rotation speed is controlled in the direction of decreasing it as shown by the dotted line, and the fan rotation speed is reduced as shown by the diagonal line. do.

Furthermore, in the rotational characteristics of the rotating shaft 2 and the fan 3a shown in FIG. 5, control is performed in region B when the cooling water temperature of the engine 1 is at a normal temperature, but when the cooling water temperature exceeds the upper limit water temperature. Control is performed in area A.

By controlling in this manner, in the embodiment, the amount of oil in the torque transmission chamber 5 can be controlled by sending oil from the oil reservoir chamber 6 into the torque transmission chamber 5 or from the torque transmission chamber 5 to the oil reservoir chamber 6. By returning the value, it is possible to change it with high precision and over a wide range.

In this case, since the dam 14 having an oil feeding function is provided between the discharge path 7b and the drive disk 4, the oil in the torque transmission chamber 5 is smoothly and quickly transferred to the oil reservoir chamber 6.
will be returned to. On the other hand, oil is introduced from the oil reservoir chamber 6 into the torque transmission chamber 5 through the supply path 7a.

In this way, an appropriate amount of oil corresponding to the temperature of the cooling water of the engine 1, the rotation speed of the rotating shaft 2 (proportional to the rotation speed of the engine 1), and the rotation speed of the fan 3a is supplied from the supply path 7a to the torque transmission chamber. Sent into 5. The driving torque of the driving disk 4 is transmitted to the case 3 through an appropriate amount of oil in the torque transmission chamber 5, and the fan 3a rotates.

In the above embodiment, a general dam 14 provided near the discharge passage 7b on the inner circumferential surface of the case 3 was used as an example of the dam mechanism. 14 may be formed into an L-shaped cross section as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, or may be formed into a substantially U-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. Further, the discharge passage 7b is provided on the outer peripheral side surface of the case 3 in this embodiment.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ring-shaped electromagnet 1
2 is shown fixed to the front side of the case 3, that is, the vehicle body 13, but the present invention can also be provided so as to be fixed to the rear side of the case 3, that is, the engine block 13' as shown in FIG. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, there is a block-shaped electromagnet 12 on the outer wall of the case 3 corresponding to the valve member 10.
It is configured to be fixed and energized by supplying power through the slip ring contact 15, or it is fixed externally with a support piece at a position corresponding to the rotation locus of the valve member 10 and is sucked every time the case 3 rotates. You can also.

Note that in FIG. 8, 16 is an electromagnet;
Reference numeral 17 is a tongue-shaped magnetic piece, which excites the electromagnet 16 and attracts the magnetic piece 17, and serves as a braking mechanism when the case 3 does not need to rotate, such as during a cold start, to speed up warming up and It is also possible to prevent noise from being generated.

In this way, according to the present invention, the optimum oil corresponding to the temperature of the cooling water of the engine 1, the rotation speed of the rotary shaft 2, and the rotation speed of the fan 3a is present in the torque transmission chamber 5, and as shown in FIG. As shown in 4, control is performed so that the rotational speed of the fan 3a does not increase significantly. The temperature of the cooling water of the engine 1 is also kept almost constant without overshooting, and control is performed under optimal conditions suitable for cold starts, driving on highways, and sudden acceleration, and the noise of the fan 3a is also reduced. This prevents unnecessary fuel consumption. Further, since the pump mechanism is provided, oil can be supplied to the torque transmission chamber 5 extremely quickly and smoothly.

[0032] In the embodiment, the amount of oil in the torque transmission chamber is controlled based on the engine cooling water temperature, the rotation speed of the rotating shaft, and the rotation speed of the fan, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. Without limitation, for example, at least one of the above factors, or in addition to these factors, running air volume, outside temperature,
It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which intake air temperature, vehicle speed, throttle opening, air pressure, presence or absence of knocking, air conditioner condition, exhaust brake condition, etc. are added to the control factors.

[0033]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained in detail above, the present invention incorporates a pump mechanism that is driven by utilizing the difference in rotational speed between the case and the drive disk (rotating shaft), and also has a pump mechanism built into the inner peripheral surface of the case. A dam mechanism is provided to forcefully circulate the oil, and a valve member operated by an external electromagnet and a control device for controlling the valve member are provided in the communication path on the supply side of the pump mechanism. By controlling the oil supplied to the torque transmission chambers of the disk and case quickly and with high precision, the drive torque of the drive disk is always transmitted to the case in the optimal transmission state corresponding to the drive conditions, and various types of drive It is possible to perform clutch operation with optimal desired linear characteristics under the conditions, and many effects can be expected, such as reducing fan noise, saving fuel, and improving acceleration performance.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the present invention with the electromagnet removed and only the internal pump portion cut away.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the operating characteristics of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is another diagram showing the operating characteristics of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a sectional view of a main part of still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the dam shown in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a single dam.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Drive shaft 2 Rotation axis 3 Case 3a fan 4 Drive disk 5 Torque transmission chamber 6 Oil sump room 7a Supply path 7b Discharge path 8 Pump mechanism 9a Oil line 9b Oil pumping route 10 Valve member 12 Spring 14 Dam 20 Control device

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A drive unit, a rotation shaft rotated by the drive unit, a drive disk rotationally driven by the rotation shaft, and the drive disk is housed and arranged to be freely rotatable about the rotation shaft. The case has a torque transmission chamber in which the drive disk is housed, and an oil reservoir chamber for collecting oil, and oil is supplied from the oil reservoir chamber to the torque transmission chamber to transmit the drive torque of the drive disk. In a liquid clutch configured to transmit oil to the case, there is a discharge path for sending oil sent by a dam mechanism provided on the inner peripheral surface of the case from the torque transmission chamber to the oil sump chamber, and from the oil sump chamber to the torque transmission chamber. A first flow path consisting of a communicating supply path, a pump mechanism that utilizes the difference in rotation speed between the rotating shaft provided inside the case and the case, and an oil pumping path of the pump mechanism into the oil reservoir chamber, and a a second flow path that connects the oil feed path to the supply path side; and a magnetic valve member that opens and closes the connection portion on the supply path side to selectively connect oil from the pump mechanism to the oil reservoir chamber or the torque transmission chamber. A liquid clutch in which the valve member is operated by an external electromagnet. 2. The liquid clutch according to claim 1, wherein a cooling fan is attached to the case. 3. The liquid clutch according to claim 1, further comprising a control device for controlling excitation of the electromagnet. 4. The liquid clutch according to claim 3, wherein the control device controls the excitation current to each electromagnet based on an output signal from a sensor that detects the temperature of cooling water that cools the drive section. 5. The control device further controls the excitation current to each electromagnet based on an output signal from a sensor that detects at least the rotation speed of the case or the rotation speed of the rotating shaft.
liquid clutch. 6. The liquid clutch according to claim 1, wherein the dam mechanism comprises a dam provided near the entrance of the discharge passage of the first flow passage. 7. The liquid clutch according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnet has a ring shape fixed to a vehicle body or an engine block. 8. The liquid clutch according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnet has a block shape fixed to a case and is supplied with power through a slip ring contact.