Clutch and motor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11002322-B2
Application number	US-201716320871-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	May 11, 2021
Grant date	May 11, 2021

Abstract

A clutch includes a roller arranged between a clutch housing and a driven side rotating body. The roller is rotated about a rotation axis of a drive side rotating body together with the drive side rotating body when the drive side rotating body is rotationally driven. The roller hinders rotation of the driven side rotating body by being sandwiched between the clutch housing and the driven side rotating body when the drive side rotating body is not rotationally driven. The support member sandwiches the roller between the clutch housing and the driven side rotating body. The support member rotates about the rotation axis of the drive side rotating body together with the drive side rotating body. The grease is arranged between the clutch housing and the roller. The support member restricts rotation of the roller about a central axis of the roller.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A clutch comprising:
an annular clutch housing;
a drive side rotating body that is rotationally driven;
a driven side rotating body to which rotational driving force is transmitted from the drive side rotating body, wherein the driven side rotating body includes a portion arranged inside the clutch housing;
a roller arranged between an inner circumferential surface of the clutch housing and the driven side rotating body, wherein the roller is rotated about a rotation axis of the drive side rotating body together with the drive side rotating body when the drive side rotating body is rotationally driven, the roller hinders rotation of the driven side rotating body by being sandwiched between the inner circumferential surface of the clutch housing and the driven side rotating body when the drive side rotating body is not rotationally driven;
a support member sandwiching the roller between the inner circumferential surface of the clutch housing and the driven side rotating body, wherein the support member rotates about the rotation axis of the drive side rotating body together with the drive side rotating body; and
grease arranged at least between the inner circumferential surface of the clutch housing and the roller, wherein:
the support member restricts rotation of the roller about a central axis of the roller;
the support member has first and second rotational direction opposed portions facing the roller in first and second rotational directions of the drive side rotating body, respectively;
first and second allowance gaps that determine a rotational range of the roller about the central axis of the roller are arranged between the first rotational direction opposed portion and the roller and between the second rotational direction opposed portion and the roller, respectively; and
when the roller is rotated about the central axis of the roller by an amount allowed by the first and second allowance gaps, the roller comes into contact with the first rotational direction opposed portion in the first rotational direction and contact with the second rotational direction opposed portion in the second rotational direction so that further rotation is hindered when the roller contacts both the first rotational direction opposed portion and the second rotational direction opposed portion.

2. The clutch according to claim 1 , wherein:
the roller includes planar opposed surfaces on both sides of the roller in the first and second rotational directions of the drive side rotating body; and
the opposed surfaces face the first and second rotational direction opposed portions in the first and second rotational directions of the drive side rotating body.

3. The clutch according to claim 2 , wherein:
the drive side rotating body includes a roller release portion that transmits the rotational driving force of the drive side rotating body to one of the first and second rotational direction opposed portions when the drive side rotating body is rotationally driven;
the roller is configured to be pressed in one of the first and second rotational directions of the drive side rotating body by the roller release portion through one of the first and second rotational direction opposed portions when rotational driving of the drive side rotating body starts;
the sandwiching of the roller by the inner circumferential surface of the clutch housing and the driven side rotating body is released when the roller is pressed;
the first and second rotational direction opposed portions each have a planar abutting surface; and
the abutting surfaces are configured to come into surface contact with the opposed surfaces in the first and second rotational directions of the drive side rotating body.

4. The clutch according to claim 1 , wherein:
the support member also includes an abutting portion;
the first and second rotational direction opposed portions are configured to be pressed by the roller tending to rotate about the central axis of the roller when the drive side rotating body is not rotationally driven; and
the abutting portion is configured to be moved radially outward when at least one of the first and second rotational direction opposed portions is pressed to abut on the inner circumferential surface of the clutch housing.

5. The clutch according to claim 1 ,
wherein the roller includes a first arcuate surface and a second arcuate surface on an outer circumferential surface of the roller;
the first arcuate surface has an arc shape and is configured to contact the inner circumferential surface of the clutch housing;
the second arcuate surface has an arc shape, is smaller in curvature than the arc shape of the first arcuate surface as viewed from a central axis direction of the roller, and is configured to contact the driven side rotating body; and
when the drive side rotating body is not rotationally driven, the first arcuate surface contacts the inner circumferential surface of the clutch housing while the second arcuate surface contacts the driven side rotating body so that the roller is sandwiched between the inner circumferential surface of the clutch housing and the driven side rotating body.

6. The clutch according to claim 1 , wherein:
the roller includes a sliding contact area and a grease housing recess on an outer circumferential surface of the roller;
the sliding contact area defines an area of the outer circumferential surface that slides on the inner circumferential surface of the clutch housing as the roller rotates about the central axis of the roller within the rotational range allowed by the support member; and
the grease housing recess opens in the sliding contact area and accommodates the grease.

7. The clutch according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first and second rotational direction opposed portions each include a radially outer portion at which a protruding piece extends toward the roller; and
a distal end portion of the protruding piece includes a distal end surface extending in a direction intersecting with the first and second rotational directions of the drive side rotating body.

8. The clutch according to claim 1 , wherein:
the roller includes a roller side engaging portion; and
the support member includes a support member side engaging portion that is engaged with the roller side engaging portion to restrict rotation of the roller side engaging portion about the central axis of the roller.

9. The clutch according to claim 8 , wherein:
one of the first and second allowance gaps is arranged between the roller side engaging portion and the support member side engaging portion; and
when the roller is rotated about the central axis of the roller by the amount allowed by the one of the first and second allowance gaps, the roller side engaging portion comes into contact with the support member side engaging portion so that further rotation is hindered.

10. The clutch according to claim 8 , wherein the roller side engaging portion is a recess into which the support member side engaging portion is inserted.

11. The clutch according to claim 8 , wherein:
the first and second rotational direction opposed portions protrude in the rotation axis direction of the drive side rotating body on two sides of the roller in the first and second rotational directions of the drive side rotating body and hold the roller from two sides of the drive side rotating body in the rotational directions;
a holding claw protrudes from a distal end portion of each of the first and second rotational direction opposed portions to the roller and abuts on the roller from the rotation axis direction of the drive side rotating body;
the roller side engaging portion is reces

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Oguri Ryousuke
• Shirai Nakatsune
• Ozaki Tomoaki
• Kijima Shusuke
• Suzuki Kenta
• Sawamoto Daisuke
• Ohara Akiyoshi
• Okada Hiroyuki

Classifications

• E05F15/697 Primary

  Motor units therefor, e.g. geared motors · CPC title

• E05Y2201/216

  Clutches · CPC title

• F16D41/105

  the intermediate members being of circular cross-section, of only one size and wedging by rolling movement not having an axial component between inner and outer races, one of which is cylindrical · CPC title

• F16D41/069 Primary

  the intermediate members wedging by pivoting or rocking, e.g. sprags (F16D41/061 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16H1/16

  comprising worm and worm-wheel · CPC title