Centrifugal pendulum absorber including springs fixed to circumferential edges of masses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10060504-B2
Application number	US-201615135070-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2016
Priority date	Apr 21, 2016
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

A centrifugal pendulum absorber is provided. The centrifugal pendulum absorber includes a first pair of masses, a second pair of masses, and a spring extending circumferentially from first notches in the masses of the first pair into second notches in the masses of the second pair. The spring connects the first pair of masses and the second pair of masses and includes a first enlarged end portion extending past an outer diameter of coils of the spring and a second enlarged end portion extending past the outer diameter of the coils of the spring. The first enlarged end portion is connected to the first pair of masses in the first notches without an interference fit and the second enlarged end portion being connected to the second pair of masses in the second notches without an interference fit. A method of forming a centrifugal pendulum absorber is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A centrifugal pendulum absorber comprising:
a pair of first masses each including a first notch defined in part by at least one radially extending first lip;
a pair of second masses each including a second notch defined in part by at least one radially extending second lip; and
a spring extending circumferentially from the first notches into the second notches, the spring connecting the first masses and the second masses, the spring including a first enlarged end portion having a larger outer diameter than an outer diameter of coils of the spring, the first enlarged end portion being connected to the first masses in the first notches without an interference fit via the at least one radially extending first lip of each of the first masses contacting the first enlarged end portion, the spring including a second enlarged end portion having a larger outer diameter than the outer diameter of the coils of the spring, the second enlarged end portion being connected to the second masses in the second notches without an interference fit via the at least one radially extending second lip of each of the second masses contacting the second enlarged end portion, the first notches each including a first radially inner surface defining a first groove therein, the first radially inner surface contacting an outer diameter surface of the first enlarged end portion without radially compressing or radially expanding the first enlarged end portion, the second notches each including a second radially inner surface defining a second groove therein, the second radially inner surface contacting an outer diameter surface of the second enlarged end portion without radially compressing or radially expanding the second enlarged end portion.

2. The centrifugal pendulum absorber as recited in claim 1 wherein the first enlarged end portion is formed by at least one first end coil of the spring and the second enlarged end portion is formed by at least one second end coil of the spring, the coils of the spring, whose outer diameter the at least one first end coil and the least one second end coil is larger than, being central coils circumferentially between the at least one first end coil and the least one second end coil.

3. The centrifugal pendulum absorber as recited in claim 1 wherein the first enlarged end portion is formed by a first base of a first endcap inserted into the coils and the second enlarged end portion is formed by a second base of a second endcap inserted into the coils.

4. The centrifugal pendulum absorber as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one radially extending first lip of each of the first masses includes a radially inner lip extending radially outward from the outer diameter of the first enlarged end portion to contact a radially extending circumferentially facing edge of the first enlarged end portion and a radially outer lip extending radially inward from the outer diameter of the first enlarged end portion to contact the radially extending circumferentially facing edge of the first enlarged end portion, the at least one radially extending second lip of each of the second masses including a radially inner lip extending radially outward from the outer diameter of the first enlarged end portion to contact the radially extending circumferentially facing edge of the first enlarged end portion and a radially outer lip extending radially inward from the outer diameter of the first enlarged end portion to contact the radially extending circumferentially facing edge of the first enlarged end portion.

5. The centrifugal pendulum absorber as recited in claim 1 wherein the first masses each include a radially inner arc shaped surface and a radially outer arc shaped surface contacting the outer diameter surface of the first enlarged end portion, the second masses each including a radially inner arc shaped surface and a radially outer arc shaped surface contacting an outer diameter surface of the first enlarged end portion.

6. A torque converter comprising:
a damper assembly including the centrifugal pendulum absorber as recited in claim 1 .

7. A method of forming a centrifugal pendulum absorber comprising:
providing a pair of first masses and a pair of second masses, each of the first masses including a first notch defined in part by at least one radially extending first lip, each of the second masses including a second notch defined in part by at least one radially extending second lip;
inserting a first enlarged end portion of a spring into the first notches to fix the first enlarged end portion to the first masses without an interference fit via the at least one radially extending first lip of each of the first masses contacting the first enlarged end portion, the first enlarged end portion having a larger outer diameter than an outer diameter of coils of the spring; and
inserting a second enlarged end portion of the spring into the second notches to fix the second enlarged end portion to the second masses without an interference fit via the at least one radially extending second lip of each of the second masses contacting the second enlarged end portion, the second enlarged end portion having a larger outer diameter than the outer diameter of the coils of the spring, the spring connecting the first pair of masses and the second pair of masses circumferentially together, the first notches each including a first radially inner surface defining a first groove therein, the first radially inner surface contacting an outer diameter surface of the first enlarged end portion without radially compressing or radially expanding the first enlarged end portion, the second notches each including a second radially inner surface defining a second groove therein, the second radially inner surface contacting an outer diameter surface of the second enlarged end portion without radially compressing or radially expanding the second enlarged end portion.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein the first enlarged end portion is formed by at least one first end coil of the spring and the second enlarged end portion is formed by at least one second end coil of the spring, the coils, whose outer diameter the at least one first end coil and the least one second end coil is larger than, being central coils circumferentially between the at least one first end coil and the at least one second end coil, the method further comprising forming the spring to include the at least one first end coil of the spring having the larger outer diameter than the central coils and to include the at least one second end coil having the larger outer diameter than central coils before inserting the at least one first end coil into the first notches and before inserting the at least one second end coil into the second notches.

9. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein the first enlarged end portion is formed by a first base of a first endcap and the second enlarged end portion is formed by a second base of a second endcap, the method further including inserting the first endcap into contact with an inner diameter surface of a first end set of the coils and inserting the second endcap into contact with an inner diameter surface of a second end set of the coils.

10. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein the at least one radially extending first lip of each of the first masses includes a radially inner lip extending radially outward from the outer diameter of the first enlarged end portion to contact a radially extending circumferentially facing edge of the first enlarged end portion and a radially outer lip extending radially inward from the outer diameter of the first enlarged end portion to contact the radially extending circumferentially facing edge

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Rentfrow Peter
• Kalapala Phani Krishna

Classifications

• F16F15/12326

  End-caps for springs · CPC title

• F16H2045/0263

  the damper comprising a pendulum · CPC title

• F16F15/145 Primary

  Masses mounted with play with respect to driving means thus enabling free movement over a limited range · CPC title

• F16H45/02

  with mechanical clutches for bridging a fluid gearing of the hydrokinetic type (control of torque converter lock-up clutches F16H61/14) · CPC title

• F16F2226/04

  Assembly or fixing methods; methods to form or fashion parts · CPC title