Hydraulically-actuated switchable one-way clutch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10815843-B2
Application number	US-201815975250-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2018
Priority date	May 9, 2018
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

A switchable one-way clutch (SOWC) is configured to operate in both a freewheeling mode and a one-way clutch mode. The SOWC includes an inner race with a plurality of external cams, and a cylindrical outer race. A plurality of rollers are disposed radially between the inner cams and the outer race. A cage is connected to an outer phaser and includes a plurality of tabs. An inner phaser has a plurality of lobes extending radially outwardly, and the outer phaser has a plurality of inwardly-extending portions. The lobes and the inwardly-extending portions cooperate to define chambers. When fluid is applied to the chambers, the outer phaser rotates relative to the inner phaser. This causes the cage to rotate along with the outer phaser. When the cage rotates, its tabs move away from the rollers, enabling the assembly to function as a one-way clutch.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A switchable one-way clutch (SOWC) configured to operate in both a freewheeling mode and a one-way clutch mode, the SOWC comprising:
an inner race having a plurality of cams;
an outer race;
a plurality of rollers disposed radially between the cams and the outer race;
a cage having protrusions configured to selectively contact the rollers and force the rollers radially inward in the grooves;
an inner phaser having a plurality of lobes extending radially outward; and
an outer phaser having a plurality of inwardly-extending portions defining chambers therebetween, each chamber sized to receive a corresponding one of the lobes of the inner phaser, wherein the outer phaser is mechanically coupled to the cage;
wherein application of hydraulic fluid to the chambers between the inwardly-extending portions and the lobes causes the outer phaser to rotate relative to the inner phaser to rotate the protrusions away from the rollers, enabling the assembly to function as a one-way clutch.

2. The SOWC of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of springs in the chambers that bias the outer phaser in a first direction such that in the absence of hydraulic fluid the cage is biased to a position that forces the rollers radially inward into the grooves.

3. The SOWC of claim 2 , wherein application of fluid forces the outer phaser to rotate against the biasing force of the plurality of springs and in a second direction to cause rotation of the cage in the second direction and allow the rollers to move radially outward along cams and lock the inner race to the outer race.

4. The SOWC of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of springs in the chambers that bias the outer phaser in a first direction such that in the absence of hydraulic fluid the cage is biased to a position that enables the rollers to move radially outward along the cams and lock the inner race to the outer race.

5. The SOWC of claim 4 , wherein application of fluid forces the outer phaser to rotate against the biasing force of the plurality of springs and in a second direction to cause rotation of the cage in the second direction and force the rollers radially inward in the grooves to enable the inner race and outer race to freewheel.

6. The SOWC of claim 1 , wherein the inner phaser and the lobes are a single integral component.

7. The SOWC of claim 1 , further comprising a back cover mounted to the outer phaser and having a protrusion extending into the cage to mechanically couple the outer phaser to the cage.

8. The SOWC of claim 1 , further comprising a sprocket coupled to the outer race, the sprocket having plurality of teeth configured to engage with a chain that drives the sprocket as an input to the SOWC.

9. The SOWC of claim 8 , wherein the inner phaser is integral with an oil pump drive shaft extending through the sprocket, wherein operation of the SOWC selectively transfers torque from the sprocket to the oil pump drive shaft to drive an oil pump.

10. A switchable one-way clutch (SOWC), comprising:
an inner race having a plurality of cams;
an outer race configured to be selectively rotationally fixed to the inner race;
a plurality of rollers disposed radially between the cams and the outer race, wherein movement of the rollers radially outward along the cams engages the outer race with the inner race;
an inner phaser having a plurality of openings extending radially therethrough and a plurality of lobes extending radially outward; and
an outer phaser rotatable relative to the inner phaser and having a plurality of inwardly-extending portions, wherein the lobes and the inwardly-extending portions cooperate to define chambers, and wherein the outer phaser is biased to a first position relative to the inner phaser;
wherein application of hydraulic fluid through the openings and into the chambers causes the outer phaser to rotate relative to the inner phaser to a second position to force the rollers radially inward in the grooves to allow freewheeling between the inner race and the outer race.

11. The SOWC of claim 10 , further comprising a cage coupled to the outer phaser and having a plurality of tabs, each tab configured to engage one of the rollers when the outer phaser rotates to the second position.

12. The SOWC of claim 11 , further comprising a back cover mounted to the outer phaser, wherein the cage is assembled to the back cover.

13. The SOWC of claim 12 , wherein the back cover includes a projection extending into the cage to directly couple the cage to the back cover.

14. The SOWC of claim 10 , further comprising a sprocket coupled to the outer race, the sprocket having plurality of teeth configured to engage with a chain that drives the sprocket as an input to the SOWC.

15. A switchable one-way clutch (SOWC), comprising:
an inner race extending along an axis;
an outer race extending along the axis;
a plurality of rollers disposed about the axis and radially between the inner race and the outer race;
a first phaser having a plurality of openings extending radially therethrough and a plurality of lobes; and
a second phaser indirectly connected to the rollers, rotatable relative to the first phaser, and having a plurality of portions extending radially toward the first phaser, wherein the lobes of the first phaser extend radially toward the second phaser and cooperate with the portions of the second phaser to define chambers;
wherein application of hydraulic fluid into the chambers causes the second phaser to rotate relative to the first phaser to cause the rollers to move in a radial direction to alter the SOWC between a freewheeling mode and a locking mode.

16. The SOWC of claim 15 , wherein the inner race has a plurality of grooves with ramped side surfaces, and the rotation of the second phaser relative to the first phaser forces the rollers to move along the ramped side surfaces.

17. The SOWC of claim 16 , further comprising a cage disposed about the inner race and having a plurality of inwardly-extending tabs configured to force the rollers along the ramped side surfaces in response to the application of the hydraulic fluid.

18. The SOWC of claim 15 , wherein in the freewheeling mode the inner race and outer race are free to rotate relative to one another in either rotational direction, and in the locking mode the inner race and outer race are locked in unison in one rotational direction but freewheel in the other rotational direction.

19. The SOWC of claim 15 , wherein the first phaser and lobes are integral with a center shaft of the SOWC.

20. The SOWC of claim 15 , further comprising a sprocket coupled to the outer race, the sprocket having plurality of teeth configured to engage with a chain that drives the sprocket as an input to the SOWC.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Copeland James

Classifications

• F16D41/066 Primary

  all members having the same size and only one of the two surfaces being cylindrical · CPC title

• F01L1/08

  Shape of cams · CPC title

• F16D2041/0665

  characterised by there being no cage other than the inner and outer race for distributing the intermediate members · CPC title

• F16D41/076

  the wedging coupling members being non-releasably joined to form a single annular piece, e.g. either the members being integral projections from the piece, or the piece being an elastic ring cast round the radial centres of the members · CPC title

• F16D47/04

  of which at least one is a freewheel (F16D47/02, F16D47/06 take precedence; freewheels combined with a clutch to lock the driving and driven members of the freewheel F16D41/04, F16D41/26) · CPC title