Spring retainer plate with lanced rivet tabs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9920792-B2
Application number	US-201514955900-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2015
Priority date	Dec 5, 2014
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

A torsional vibration damper, including: an axis of rotation; a spring retainer plate including a plurality of openings passing through and wholly surrounded by material forming the spring retainer plate and a plurality of rivet tabs, each rivet tab including a respective portion aligned with a respective opening from the plurality of openings so that a line in an axial direction, parallel to the axis of rotation, passes through the respective portion and the respective opening; an intermediate plate; a plurality of rivets passing through the plurality of rivet tabs and connecting the intermediate plate to the spring retainer plate; and a plurality of springs engaged with the spring retainer plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A torsional vibration damper, comprising:
an axis of rotation;
a spring retainer plate including:
a first plurality of openings passing through and wholly surrounded by material forming the spring retainer plate; and,
a plurality of rivet tabs, each rivet tab including a respective portion aligned with a respective opening from the first plurality of openings so that a first line in an axial direction, parallel to the axis of rotation, passes through the respective portion and the respective opening;

an intermediate plate;
a respective at least one rivet passing through said each rivet tab and connecting the intermediate plate to the spring retainer plate; and,
a first plurality of springs engaged with the spring retainer plate.

2. The damper of claim 1 , wherein:
a second line, in a circumferential direction, formed by an end point of a radius rotated about the axis of rotation, passes through said each rivet tab.

3. The damper of claim 1 , wherein for said each rivet tab, respective second and third lines, in the axial direction:
pass through the first line and the respective opening from the first plurality of openings; and,
are separated, in the circumferential direction, by said each rivet tab.

4. The damper of claim 1 , wherein for each opening in the first plurality of openings, a respective second line, in the axial direction:
passes through said each opening without touching a respective rivet tab at least partially bounded by said each opening; and,
is radially outward of the respective rivet tab.

5. The damper of claim 1 , wherein a second line, in a circumferential direction, formed by an end point of a radius rotated about the axis of rotation, passes through the first plurality of openings without passing through the plurality of rivet tabs.

6. The damper of claim 5 , wherein the second line passes through the first line.

7. The damper of claim 1 , wherein a respective second line, orthogonal to the axis of rotation, passes through the respective opening without passing through the respective portion.

8. The damper of claim 1 , wherein the spring retainer plate includes:
a side;
a plurality of edges in the side, each edge in the plurality of edges connecting two adjacent openings from the first plurality of openings in a circumferential direction formed by an end point of a radius rotated about the axis of rotation; and,
a radially outermost curved portion:
forming substantially a C shape in a radial cross-section; and,
bordering the plurality of edges.

9. The damper of claim 8 , wherein:
a respective portion of each spring in the first plurality of springs is located in the radially outermost curved portion; and,
the curved portion restrains said each spring in the first plurality of springs in a radially outward direction and in the first axial direction.

10. The damper of claim 1 , wherein said each rivet tab includes a respective surface included in a plane orthogonal to the axis of rotation.

11. The damper of claim 1 , further comprising:
a piston plate arranged to receive torque, wherein:
each spring in the first plurality of springs includes respective circumferential ends; and, the piston plate is engageable with at least one of the respective circumferential ends.

12. The damper of claim 11 , wherein the spring retainer plate includes a second plurality of openings, the damper further comprising:
an output flange; and,
a second plurality of springs located in the second plurality of openings and engaged with the output flange and the intermediate plate.

13. The damper of claim 12 , wherein:
the piston plate is arranged to transmit the torque to the first plurality of springs;
the first plurality of springs is arranged to transmit the torque to the intermediate plate;
the intermediate plate is arranged to transmit the torque to the second plurality of springs; and,
the second plurality of springs is arranged to transmit the torque to the output flange.

14. A torsional vibration damper, comprising:
an axis of rotation;
a spring retainer plate including:
a first plurality of openings passing through and wholly surrounded by the spring retainer plate; and,
a plurality of rivet tabs, each rivet tab including a respective portion positioned such that:
a respective first line in an axial direction, parallel to the axis of rotation, passes through the respective portion and a respective opening in the first plurality of openings; and,
a second line, in a circumferential direction formed by an end point of a radius rotated about the axis of rotation, passes through the first plurality of openings and the respective first lines without touching the plurality of rivet tabs;

an intermediate plate;
a respective plurality of rivets passing through said each rivet tab and fixedly connecting the intermediate plate to the spring retainer plate; and,
a first plurality of springs restrained in the axial direction and in a radial direction, orthogonal to the axis of rotation, by the spring retainer plate.

15. The damper of claim 14 , wherein a third line, in the circumferential direction:
passes through said each rivet tab; and,
does not pass through portions of the spring retainer plane circumferentially located between the plurality of rivet tabs.

16. The damper of claim 14 , wherein for each opening in the first plurality of openings, a respective third line, in the axial direction:
passes through said each opening without touching a respective rivet tab in the plurality of rivet tabs at least partially bounded by said each opening; and,
is radially outward of the respective rivet tab.

17. The damper of claim 14 , wherein:
the spring retainer plate includes:
a plurality of edges, each edge in the plurality of edges connecting, in a circumferential direction, two adjacent openings from the first plurality of openings; and,
a radially outermost curved portion:
forming a substantially C shape in a radial cross-section; and,
bordering the plurality of edges; and,

a respective portion of each spring in the first plurality of springs is located in the radially outemost curved portion.

18. The damper of claim 14 , wherein the spring retainer plate includes a second plurality of openings, the damper further comprising:
an output flange; and,
a second plurality of springs located in the second plurality of openings and engaged with the output flange and the intermediate plate.

19. The damper of claim 18 , further comprising:
a piston plate arranged to transmit the torque to the first plurality of springs, wherein:
the first plurality of springs is arranged to transmit the torque to the intermediate plate;
the intermediate plate is arranged to transmit the torque to the second plurality of springs; and,
the second plurality of springs is arranged to transmit the torque to the output flange.

20. A torque converter, comprising:
an axis of rotation;
a cover arranged to receive torque;
an impeller non-rotatably connected to the cover;
a turbine; and,
a torsional vibration damper, including:
an intermediate plate;
a spring retainer plate including:
a first plurality of openings passing through and wholly surrounded by material forming the spring retainer plate;
a plurality of rivet tabs, each rivet tab:
including a respective second plurality of openings; and,
aligned with a respective opening from the first plurality of openings in an axial direction parallel to the axis of rotation, each

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Ocomatl Quiroz Carlos Antonio
• Perez Mitre Alfredo Jimenez

Classifications

• 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

• F16H2045/0221

  with damping means · 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

• F16H2045/0247

  having a turbine with hydrodynamic damping means · CPC title