Powertrain structure including torque damper disposed between drive and driven shafts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10024384-B2
Application number	US-201514853698-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2015
Priority date	Sep 16, 2014
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

A powertrain structure includes a drive shaft and a driven shaft disposed coaxially, with end surfaces opposed to each other, and a torque damper interposed between the shafts and having half bodies fitted to a shaft end parts of the drive and driven shafts, with the half bodies joined together by engagement of opposed, outer circumferential end surfaces thereof and a damper spring interposed therebetween such that it straddles drive-side and driven-side spring recesses respectively formed in the opposed surfaces of the half bodies. One of two fitting parts provided between the half bodies and the respective shafts has a smaller clearance and the other has an larger clearance in the radial direction of the shafts.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A powertrain structure comprising:
a drive shaft and a driven shaft disposed coaxially, with end surfaces opposed to each other, and
a torque damper interposed between the drive and driven shafts which permits power to be transmitted from the drive shaft to the driven shaft,
wherein:
the torque damper includes a drive-side damper half body fitted to a shaft end part of the drive shaft and a driven-side damper half body fitted to a shaft end part of the driven shaft, with the damper half bodies joined together such that relative rotation therebetween is restricted by engagement of circumferential end surfaces of the respective half bodies which are opposed to each other, and a damper spring interposed between the damper half bodies such that the damper spring straddles both a drive-side spring recess and a driven-side spring recess respectively formed, with openings opposed to each other, in the opposing circumferential end surfaces of the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body, and
one of a drive-side fitting part, which is formed between the drive-side damper half body and the shaft end part of the drive shaft, and a driven-side fitting part, which is formed between the driven-side damper half body and the shaft end part of the driven shaft, has a smaller clearance in a radial direction of the shafts and the other of the drive-side fitting part and the driven-side fitting part has a larger clearance in the radial direction of the shafts to allow the shaft body and the damper half body to move relative to each other in the radial direction.

2. The powertrain structure according to claim 1 , wherein the drive-side fitting part and the driven-side fitting part are both splined, a groove depth of a spline of the one of the fitting parts larger than a groove depth of a spline of the other of the fitting parts.

3. The powertrain structure according to claim 2 , wherein:
the powertrain structure further comprises a drive-side support case which rotatably supports the drive shaft and driven-side support cases which rotatably support the driven shaft, and
the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body are fitted to respective ones of the shaft end parts which protrude outwardly of the powertrain structure.

4. The powertrain structure according to claim 2 , wherein rotation center axes of the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body are aligned to be coaxial with each other, and an axis alignment recess and an axis alignment projection are respectively formed opposed to each other in the opposing circumferential end surfaces of the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body such that the projection and the recess contact with each other slidably in a relative rotation direction of the shafts when the damper half bodies are joined together, and such that the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body are also rotatable relative to each other.

5. The powertrain structure according to claim 4 , wherein:
the torque damper includes a plurality of the damper springs interposed at equal intervals in circumferential direction of the damper half bodies such that the damper springs straddle the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body, and
the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body include said axis alignment recess and said axis alignment projection formed between each adjacent pair of the damper springs in the circumferential direction.

6. The powertrain structure according to claim 5 , wherein:
a relative rotation restricting projection and a relative rotation restricting recess are formed opposed to each other in respective ones of the surfaces opposed to each other of the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body, and
the relative rotation restricting projection and the relative rotation restricting recess are fitted together with clearance therebetween such that they restrict the relative rotation between the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body to a predetermined range.

7. The powertrain structure according to claim 6 , wherein:
the powertrain structure further comprises a drive-side support case which rotatably supports the drive shaft and driven-side support cases which rotatably support the driven shaft, and
the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body are fitted to respective ones of the shaft end parts which protrude outwardly of the powertrain structure.

8. The powertrain structure according to claim 6 , wherein the relative rotation restricting projection and the relative rotation restricting recess are disposed at such positions of the opposed surfaces of the damper half bodies as not to interfere with the axis alignment recess and the axis alignment projection between adjacent ones of the damper springs.

9. The powertrain structure according to claim 8 , wherein:
the powertrain structure further comprises a drive-side support case which rotatably supports the drive shaft and driven-side support cases which rotatably support the driven shaft, and
the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body are fitted to respective ones of the shaft end parts which protrude outwardly of the powertrain structure.

10. The powertrain structure according to claim 8 , wherein the relative rotation restricting projection and the relative rotation restricting recess are disposed at positions of the opposed surfaces of the damper half bodies which are radially outward the axis alignment recess and the axis alignment projection between adjacent ones of the damper springs.

11. The powertrain structure according to claim 1 , wherein rotation center axes of the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body are aligned to be coaxial with each other, and an axis alignment recess and an axis alignment projection are respectively formed opposed to each other in the opposing circumferential end surfaces of the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body such that the projection and the recess contact with each other slidably in a relative rotation direction of the shafts when the damper half bodies are joined together, and such that the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body are also rotatable relative to each other.

12. The powertrain structure according to claim 11 , wherein:
the powertrain structure further comprises a drive-side support case which rotatably supports the drive shaft and driven-side support cases which rotatably support the driven shaft, and
the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body are fitted to respective ones of the shaft end parts which protrude outwardly of the powertrain structure.

13. The powertrain structure according to claim 11 , wherein the torque damper includes a plurality of the damper springs interposed at equal intervals in circumferential direction of the damper half bodies such that the damper springs straddle the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body, and the drive-side damper half body and the driven-side damper half body include said axis alignment recess and said axis alignment projection formed between each adjacent pair of the damper springs in the circumferential direction.

14. The powertrain structure according to claim 13 , wherein:
the powertrain structure further comprises a drive-side support case which rotatably supports the drive shaft and driven-side support cases which rotatably support the driven shaft,

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Mitsubori Toshimasa
• Nishiyama Shinya
• Kobayashi Naoki
• Arai Dai

Classifications

• F16F15/121

  using springs as elastic members, e.g. metallic springs {(F16F15/133 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F16F15/123

  Wound springs {(F16F15/1213, F16F15/1216, F16F15/127 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F16D1/101

  without axial retaining means rotating with the coupling · CPC title

• F16D3/12 Primary

  specially adapted for accumulation of energy to absorb shocks or vibration (by making use of fluid elements F16D3/80) · CPC title

• F16F15/1206 Primary

  with a planetary gear system · CPC title