Power transmitting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10443698-B2
Application number	US-201514858750-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2015
Priority date	Mar 19, 2013
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a power transmitting apparatus which can sufficiently damp the torque variation and also can further improve the fuel consumption. For achieving the object of the present disclosure above, there is provided a power transmitting apparatus of a vehicle comprising a damper mechanism including dampers having spring properties for damping torque variations of an engine and being able to arbitrarily and selectively transmit or cut off a driving power of an engine to wheels characterized in that the power transmitting apparatus further comprises a spring property switching device for arbitrarily switching spring properties of the damper mechanism; and a spring property controller for actuating the spring property switching device to switch the spring properties according to the running state of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power transmitting apparatus of a vehicle comprising a damper mechanism including at least first and second dampers having spring properties for damping torque variations of an engine and being able to arbitrarily and selectively transmit or cut off a driving power of an engine to wheels, wherein the power transmitting apparatus further comprises:
a spring property switching means for arbitrarily switching spring properties of the damper mechanism;
a detecting means for detecting running states of the vehicle; and
a spring property controller for actuating the spring property switching means based on electric signals from the detecting means to switch the spring properties according to the running state of the vehicle.

2. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power transmitting apparatus further comprises a torque converter mounted on the vehicle and having a torque amplifying function, and a clutch means for switching a power transmitting system between a first power transmitting system for transmitting the driving power of the engine to the wheels via the torque converter and a second power transmitting system for transmitting the driving power of the engine to the wheels without power transfer through the torque converter, and wherein the damper mechanism is disposed in the power transfer path of the second power transmitting system.

3. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 2 wherein the spring property switching means comprises a damper clutch for cutting off or connecting a predetermined portion of the second power transmitting system in accordance with a signal from the spring property controller.

4. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 3 wherein the damper clutch can be slip-controlled during the switching process for cutting off and connecting the predetermined portion of the second power transmitting system.

5. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 4 wherein the spring property controller holds a predetermined control map capable of referring to a control mode depending on a running state of the vehicle and can control the spring property switching means in accordance with the control mode of the control map.

6. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 5 wherein the spring property controller can refer to the control map only when the temperature of operating oil of the damper clutch is higher than a predetermined value.

7. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 3 wherein the damper clutch is disposed within the torque converter.

8. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 7 wherein the transmission apparatus including the torque converter and the transmission unit is disposed in the power transfer path of the power transmitting system from the engine to the wheel and the clutch means is disposed within the transmission apparatus.

9. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 8 wherein the transmission unit is an automatic transmission.

10. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 9 wherein the automatic transmission is a Continuously Variable Transmission.

11. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 8 wherein the clutch means is disposed within the torque converter.

12. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the damper mechanism comprises a first damper and a second damper, and wherein the spring constant of the damper mechanism can be switched between a low spring rate state and a high spring rate state by arbitrarily and selectively connecting the first damper and the second damper by the spring property switching means.

13. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 12 wherein the low spring rate state can be attained by connecting both the first damper and the second damper in series with respect to a power transmitting system of the engine, and the high spring rate state can be attained by connecting either one of the first damper or the second damper to a power transmitting system of the engine.

14. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 12 wherein the damper mechanism is formed of a connection in which a power transmitting system having the first damper and a power transmitting system having the second damper and the spring property switching means are connected in parallel each other, and wherein a shift from the low spring rate state to the high spring rate state can be attained by switching the spring property switching means to the connected state.

15. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 14 wherein the shift from the low spring rate state to the high spring rate state can be attained by switching the spring property switching means to the connected state subject to performance of a torque-down control of the engine.

16. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 15 wherein the shift from the low spring rate state to the high spring rate state can be performed subject to performance of the torque-down control of a predetermined time interval.

17. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 14 wherein the first damper is arranged at an overlapped position radially outward from an outer circumference of the spring property switching means.

18. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 12 wherein the power transmitting apparatus further comprises an urging means for normally urging the spring property switching means toward the connected state.

19. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 12 wherein the power transmitting apparatus further comprises a torque converter mounted on the vehicle, and wherein an output member of a turbine of the torque converter is formed with through apertures through which operating fluid for actuating the spring property switching means can flow.

20. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 12 wherein a holding member holding the first damper is formed with through apertures through which operating fluid for actuating the spring property switching means can flow.

21. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 12 wherein when the vehicle is in a running state in which the engine rotates at a rotational speed lower than an idle speed during the vehicle is in the deceleration state, the spring property switching means switches a spring rate to the high spring rate state at a range resonating with the engine in the low spring rate state and switches a spring rate to the low spring rate state at a range resonating with the engine in the high spring rate state.

22. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 12 wherein when the vehicle is in a running state in which a running speed of the vehicle is held substantially constant at a throttle opening smaller than a predetermined opening or in a running state in which the vehicle is accelerated more gently than a predetermined degree, the spring property switching means switches a spring rate to the low spring rate state.

23. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 12 wherein when the vehicle is in a running state in which the vehicle is accelerated more rapidly than a predetermined degree, the spring property switching means switches a spring rate to the high spring rate state.

24. The power transmitting apparatus of claim 12 wherein the spring property switching means switches a spring rate to the high spring rate state when the engine is stopped and holds the high spring rate state when the engine is started.

25. A power transmitting apparatus of a vehicle comprising:
a damper mechanism operably coupled with an input shaft configured to re

Assignees

• Fcc Kk

Inventors

• Ohashi Tatsuyuki
• Ishimura Jun
• Ota Atsuho
• Iida Kaoru

Classifications

• F16H45/02 Primary

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

• F16H2045/0205

  two chamber system, i.e. without a separated, closed chamber specially adapted for actuating a lock-up clutch · CPC title

• F16F15/134

  Wound springs {(F16F15/1333, F16F15/1337, F16F15/137 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F16H45/00

  Combinations of fluid gearings for conveying rotary motion with couplings or clutches  (gearing systems consisting of a plurality of hydrokinetic units operating alternatively F16H41/22) · CPC title

• F16H2045/0226

  comprising two or more vibration dampers · CPC title