Elastic check ring and installation tool and installation method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides an elastic check ring and an installation tool and method thereof. The elastic check ring is provided with an outer lifting lug (11) and an inner lifting lug (12), the outer lifting lug (11) and the inner lifting lug (12) are provided with an outer self-locking structure (111) and an inner self-locking structure (121) respectively, and the outer sides of the outer self-locking structure (111) and the inner self-locking structure (121) are integrally arranged to be arc-shaped guide faces (14). During installation, the method comprises the steps that the guide sleeve (3) is arranged on the shaft (4) in a sleeving mode; the elastic check ring is arranged on the first working section (31) of the guide sleeve (3) in a sleeving mode, the inner lifting lug (12) is attached to the first face (311) of the first working section (31), and the outer lifting lug (11) is attached to the second face (312) of the first working section (31); and the elastic check ring is pushed to move towards the notch (41) along the guide sleeve (3) until the elastic check ring enters the notch (41). In this way, the interference risk of the two lifting lugs is reduced, and it is ensured that the elastic check ring can be smoothly installed in place and self-locking is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the manufacture and installation of an elastic retaining ring, and in particular to an elastic retaining ring and an installation tool and an installation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Elastic retaining rings are a commonly used mechanical part that can be used to fix parts on shafts to prevent them from moving axially. For example, in the electric drive axle of new energy vehicles, elastic retaining rings are mainly used to axially position the components on the rotor assembly to ensure that they remain stable during operation and do not shift or fall off. In particular, with the development of the new energy market, the use of ultra-high-speed motors has gradually increased, and the maximum speed of some motors has exceeded 25,000 revolutions per minute. In this case, the elastic retaining ring is very easy to open due to the centrifugal force at ultra-high speeds, and then detach from the gear shaft, causing failure. In response to this, the prior art has proposed some anti-detachment elastic retaining ring designs that can rebound and self-lock. However, if the existing anti-detachment elastic retaining rings are not designed properly or there are processing errors during the installation process, when the retaining ring enters the groove on the shaft, the self-locking structure is prone to axial interference and cannot be installed in place. Therefore, there is a high risk of installation failure and the problem of inability to self-lock. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to overcome the shortcomings of traditional elastic retaining rings, the present invention proposes an elastic retaining ring and its installation tool and installation method, aiming to avoid the problems that the elastic retaining ring cannot be installed and cannot self-lock.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides an elastic retaining ring, comprising a retaining ring body provided with an opening, wherein the retaining ring body is respectively provided with an outer lifting ear and an inner lifting ear on both sides of the opening, the front end of the outer lifting ear is bent inward to form an outer self-locking structure, and the front end of the inner lifting ear is bent outward to form an inner self-locking structure, and the outer sides of the outer self-locking structure and the inner self-locking structure are integrally set as arc-shaped guide surfaces.

[0005] Optionally, in a natural state, the outer lifting lug and the inner lifting lug are staggered in the radial direction and staggered in the circumferential direction, and the outer self-locking structure and the inner self-locking structure are mutually limited on the inner side of each other, so that the elastic retaining ring is in an anti-disengagement state;

[0006] In the installed state, the elastic ring is expanded, and the outer ear and the inner ear are staggered in the circumferential direction and the radial direction, so that the elastic ring changes from the anti-disengagement state in the natural state to the unlocked state, and the pair of guide surfaces can contact each other when the elastic ring retracts after being expanded, thereby guiding the outer self-locking structure and the inner self-locking structure to enter the inner side of each other, so that the elastic ring changes from the unlocked state to the anti-disengagement state.

[0007] Optionally, the guide surface includes a first guide surface and a second guide surface arranged in sequence from the bending root to the front end, the bending directions of the first guide surface and the second guide surface are the same, and the curvature radius of the first guide surface is smaller than the curvature radius of the second guide surface; and / or, the inner sides of the external self-locking structure and the internal self-locking structure are both provided with self-locking fitting surfaces, and a pair of the self-locking fitting surfaces can fit together and interlock, so that the elastic retaining ring is in an anti-disengagement state.

[0008] Optionally, an axially penetrating mounting hole is provided on the retaining ring body, and the mounting hole is close to the opening.

[0009] Optionally, there are two mounting holes, one of which is provided at the first end of the retaining ring body corresponding to the outer lifting ear, and the other mounting hole is provided at the second end of the retaining ring body corresponding to the inner lifting ear.

[0010] To achieve the above object, the present invention further provides an installation tool for installing the circlip described in any one of the above items on a shaft, the installation tool comprising a guide sleeve, the guide sleeve being sleeved on the shaft, one end of the guide sleeve being adjacent to the notch of the shaft;

[0011] The guide sleeve includes a first working section, wherein the first working section is provided with a first surface and a second surface in sequence along the circumferential direction, the second surface protrudes from the first surface in the radial direction, and the second surface gradually increases in the axial direction toward the notch to form an inclined surface;

[0012] When the retaining ring body is sleeved on the first working section, the inner lifting ear is in contact with the first surface, and the outer lifting ear is in contact with the second surface, so that the outer lifting ear is supported outward by the second surface, and the outer lifting ear and the inner lifting ear are staggered in the circumferential direction and the radial direction, thereby changing the elastic retaining ring from the anti-disengagement state in the natural state to the unlocked state.

[0013] Optionally, the installation tool also includes a pressing sleeve, which is used to be sleeved on the guide sleeve and can move axially along the guide sleeve; one end of the pressing sleeve is used to abut against the end face of the retaining ring body to push the elastic retaining ring to move along the guide sleeve toward the direction close to the slot until the elastic retaining ring enters the slot.

[0014] Optionally, the guide sleeve also includes a second working section, which is arranged at the wide diameter end of the first working section, and the end of the second working section away from the first working section is close to the slot, the cross-section of the second working section remains unchanged along the axial direction, and the cross-sectional size of the second working section is consistent with the maximum cross-sectional size of the first working section.

[0015] To achieve the above object, the present invention further provides a method for installing an elastic retaining ring, using the installation tool described above, the installation method comprising the following steps:

[0016] Step S1: Sleeve the guide sleeve onto the shaft, and place one end of the guide sleeve close to the notch of the shaft;

[0017] Step S2: Sleeve the retaining ring body onto the first working section of the guide sleeve, and fit the inner lifting ear to the first surface of the first working section, and fit the outer lifting ear to the second surface of the first working section;

[0018] Step S3: pushing the circlip to move along the guide sleeve in a direction close to the notch until the circlip enters the notch.

[0019] Optionally, the guide sleeve further includes a second working section, which is provided at the wide-diameter end of the first working section. The cross-section of the second working section remains unchanged along the axial direction, and the cross-sectional dimension of the second working section is consistent with the maximum cross-sectional dimension of the first working section. Step S3 includes:

[0020] The pressing sleeve is sleeved on the guide sleeve and positioned on the side of the retaining ring body away from the notch, and one end of the pressing sleeve is in contact with the end surface of the retaining ring body away from the notch;

[0021] The pressing sleeve is used to push the circlip from the first working section to the second working section until the circlip enters the adjacent notch from the end of the second working section away from the first working section.

[0022] In the above-mentioned circlip, installation tool, and installation method, arc-shaped guide surfaces are provided on the outer sides of a pair of self-locking structures on the circlip, allowing the pair of lifting ears on the circlip to overcome friction and enter the inner sides of each other during rebound, ensuring that the circlip can automatically reset from the unlocked state to the anti-disengagement state, thereby achieving self-locking. In addition, by providing a first working section on the guide sleeve of the installation tool, the circlip can be stretched during installation using the first working section, and the outer lifting ears can also be stretched, so that the two lifting ears are staggered in the circumferential and radial directions, thereby achieving the unlocking operation of the circlip. This unlocking method only requires the two lifting ears to be respectively attached to the first and second surfaces of the first working section, resulting in a simple structure, easy operation, and no interference with the installation of the circlip into the slot. In particular, when the circlip enters the slot and loses external force, the two lifting ears are unlikely to interfere with each other during rebound. Therefore, the risk of installation failure is low, reliability is high, and the problem of circlip installation failure and self-locking failure is effectively solved. Moreover, both the circlip and the guide sleeve are simple in structure and low in manufacturing cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The accompanying drawings are provided for a better understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0024] Figure 1 2. It is a schematic structural diagram of an elastic retaining ring provided by one embodiment of the present invention, in which the two lifting ears are not in contact with each other in a free state but in an anti-disengagement state;

[0025] Figure 2 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an elastic retaining ring provided by one embodiment of the present invention, when the retaining ring is installed and stretched, and the two lifting ears are staggered in the circumferential direction and the radial direction;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of the elastic retaining ring according to one embodiment of the present invention when two lifting ears rebound and contact when entering the notch;

[0027] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure in which the two lifting ears overcome the friction force and continue to move after the elastic ring enters the groove;

[0028] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure in which the two lifting ears of the elastic retaining ring enter the inner side of each other and reset to the anti-disengagement state;

[0029] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the elastic retaining ring in which the two lifting ears contact at high speed and cannot continue to expand, forming a self-locking structure;

[0030] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an installation tool provided according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 An axial cross-sectional view of the installation tool in FIG.

[0032] Figure 9 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a guide sleeve provided according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 10 (a) to (g) are diagrams of the installation process of the elastic retaining ring provided according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] [The accompanying drawings are marked as follows]: 1-retaining ring body, 10-opening, 11-external lifting ear, 111-external self-locking structure, 12-inner lifting ear, 121-inner self-locking structure, 13-self-locking fitting surface, 14-guide surface, 141-first guide surface, 142-second guide surface, 15-mounting hole, 2-pressing sleeve, 3-guide sleeve, 31-first working section, 311-first surface, 312-second surface, 32-second working section, 4-shaft, 41-slot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following describes the embodiments of the present invention through specific specific examples. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that the illustrations provided in this embodiment only illustrate the basic concept of the present invention in a schematic manner, and the drawings only show components related to the present invention rather than being drawn according to the number, shape and size of components during actual implementation. During actual implementation, the type, quantity and proportion of each component can be changed at will, and the component layout type may also be more complicated.

[0036] In addition, each embodiment described below has one or more technical features. However, this does not mean that users of the present invention must implement all technical features in any embodiment at the same time, or that they can only implement some or all technical features in different embodiments separately. In other words, under the premise that implementation is possible, those skilled in the art can, based on the disclosure of the present invention and depending on design specifications or actual needs, selectively implement some or all technical features in any embodiment, or selectively implement a combination of some or all technical features in multiple embodiments, thereby increasing the flexibility of the implementation of the present invention.

[0037] As used in this specification, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents, and the plural form "a plurality" includes more than two referents, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used in this specification, the term "or" is generally used in a sense that includes "and / or," unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, and the terms "installed," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly, for example, to mean fixedly connected, removably connected, or integrally connected. It can be mechanically connected or electrically connected. It can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be internal communication between two elements or an interactive relationship between two elements. Relational terms such as "first," "second," and the like are used solely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations, nor do they indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly indicate the number of technical features indicated. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood based on the specific circumstances.

[0038] One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide an elastic retaining ring, which is not only simple in structure and easy to manufacture and process, but also convenient to install and rebound and self-lock, and easy to install manually and automatically on the production line.

[0039] A second objective of the present invention is to provide an installation tool for installing a circumferentially and radially interlocking the two lugs of the circumferentially and radially interlocking circumferentially, facilitating installation of the circumferentially and radially interlocking circumferentially. This tool also reduces the risk of springback interference between the two lugs after the circumferentially and radially interlocking circumferentially, ensuring smooth installation and self-locking of the circumferentially and radially interlocking circumferentially. These improvements significantly reduce the requirements for the circumferentially and radially interlocking circumferentially, thereby reducing processing costs and difficulty.

[0040] A third object of the present invention is to provide a method for installing a circlip, which is applicable to the installation tool of the present invention. This method effectively avoids the problem of axial misalignment and interference between the two lifting ears during the rebound process, resulting in installation failure and self-locking failure.

[0041] To make the objects, advantages and features of the present invention more clear, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and are not in exact proportions, and are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in illustrating the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the elastic retaining ring provided in an embodiment of the present invention, which cannot be disengaged in a natural state. Figure 1As shown, the circlip of the present invention is an annular structure comprising a circlip body 1 with an opening 10. The circlip body 1 is provided with an outer lug 11 and an inner lug 12 on either side of the opening 10. In a natural state, the outer lugs 11 and inner lugs 12 are radially staggered and circumferentially interlaced, forming a mechanical interlocking structure that prevents the circlip from disengaging and failing.

[0043] More specifically, both the outer lug 11 and the inner lug 12 are hook-shaped, with grooves formed on their inner sides to facilitate interlocking. Specifically, the front end of the outer lug 11 bends inward to form an outer self-locking structure 111, while the front end of the inner lug 12 bends outward to form an inner self-locking structure 121. In their natural state, the outer and inner self-locking structures 111 and 121 are mutually restrained, preventing the circlip from disengaging.

[0044] To achieve the purpose of interlocking, refer to Figures 5 and 6 The inner sides of both the outer self-locking structure 111 and the inner self-locking structure 121 are provided with self-locking contact surfaces 13, and the pair of self-locking contact surfaces 13 can interlock with each other to prevent the circlip from disengaging. The self-locking contact surfaces 13 can have any shape and / or size, as long as the pair of self-locking contact surfaces 13 can interlock with each other to prevent the circlip from expanding and disengaging due to centrifugal force.

[0045] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The outer sides of the external self-locking structure 111 and the inner self-locking structure 121 are entirely formed as arcuate guide surfaces 14. In other words, the entire outer side surface of the external self-locking structure 111 and the inner self-locking structure 121 is an arcuate surface, including the arcuate surfaces at the bend corners and the arcuate surfaces that continue to the front end of the self-locking structure. The pair of guide surfaces 14 primarily play a role in the elastic ring's retraction and rebound process, ensuring that the elastic ring automatically returns from the unlocked state to the anti-disengagement state. Figure 3 During the rebound process, the pair of guide surfaces 14 just touch each other, but the two lifting ears can continue to move on the guide surfaces 14. Further, Figure 4 In the embodiment, a pair of self-locking structures have moved relatively to the cut-off position (i.e., the front end position) of the guide surface 14, and then continue to move to enter the inner side of each other to achieve interlocking.

[0046] In other words, the pair of guide surfaces 14 can contact each other when the circlip body 1 is expanded and then retracted, thereby guiding the outer self-locking structure 111 and the inner self-locking structure 121 to enter each other's inner side, so that the elastic circlip is transformed from the unlocked state to the anti-disengagement state, thereby achieving self-locking. It should be understood that the pair of guide surfaces 14 are designed with curved surfaces to guide the self-locking structure to slide along the guide surfaces 14 to achieve the resetting action of the elastic circlip.

[0047] Each of the guide surfaces 14 may be composed of only one arc segment or multiple arc segments. Figure 4 In one embodiment, the guide surface 14 includes a first guide surface 141 and a second guide surface 142, arranged sequentially from the bend base toward the front end. The first and second guide surfaces 141, 142 have the same curvature direction, but the radius of curvature of the first guide surface 141 is smaller than that of the second guide surface 142. In other words, the first and second guide surfaces 141, 142 have different degrees of curvature, with the second guide surface 142 being relatively more gently curved. This allows for a large radius to be provided away from the bend base, effectively controlling the rebound force and making the rebound process smoother and more reliable.

[0048] As those skilled in the art will appreciate, during installation, the retaining ring body 1 needs to be enlarged to allow the retaining ring body 1 to have a greater resilience. Once the external force is removed, the two lifting ears of the elastic retaining ring will immediately rebound. Furthermore, during installation, the self-locking state of the retaining ring body 1 needs to be released. Therefore, external force can be used to offset the outer lifting ears 11 and the inner lifting ears 12 in the circumferential and radial directions, so that the elastic retaining ring can be unlocked from its natural anti-disengagement state, allowing installation to be achieved.

[0049] In this case, when installing the elastic retaining ring, there is no need to stagger the two lifting ears by a certain distance in the axial direction. Instead, the two lifting ears are staggered and avoided in the circumferential and radial directions to avoid contact and interference between the two lifting ears. This part will be further explained when introducing the installation tool later.

[0050] Compared with the prior art, the unlocking method adopted by the present invention is not only simple in structure and easy to operate, but also does not affect the installation of the elastic retaining ring into the groove. Moreover, when the elastic retaining ring enters the groove 41 and loses external force, it is not easy for the two lifting ears to interfere when they rebound, so the risk of installation failure is low and the reliability is good.

[0051] The elastic retaining ring provided by the present invention has at least a natural state, an installed state, a rebound state and an in-place state, see Figures 1 to 6 .

[0052] according to Figure 1As described above, the elastic retaining ring is in a natural state when it is not subjected to external force. In this state, as described above, the pair of lifting ears are staggered in the radial direction and staggered in the circumferential direction, and at the same time, the pair of self-locking structures are limited to the inner side of each other, so that the elastic retaining ring is in a state that cannot be disengaged. In the natural state, the two lifting ears do not contact each other and can move relative to each other, and the two self-locking structures are spaced a certain distance apart. In the natural state, generally, the inner diameter of the retaining ring body 1 is smaller than the diameter of the notch 41. When the retaining ring body 1 is placed on the notch 41, the distance between the outer self-locking structure 111 and the inner self-locking structure 121 is reduced relative to the distance in the natural state, so that the retaining ring body 1 generates a certain tightening force to prevent the retaining ring body 1 from shaking / vibrating in the notch 41.

[0053] according to Figure 2 As described above, the circlip expands outwards under the action of an external force and is in the installed state. In this state, the circlip body 1 is expanded by the guide sleeve 3 described later, causing the outer ear 11 and the inner ear 12 to be staggered in the radial and circumferential directions, achieving misalignment avoidance and preventing contact and interference between the two ears. Therefore, during the installation process, the circlip is in an unlocked state, the two ears are synchronously staggered and gradually move away, and the circlip itself has a large resilience.

[0054] It is easy to understand that the inner diameter of the elastic retaining ring described in the present invention is generally smaller than the shaft diameter of the shaft 4 in a natural state. In this way, during the installation process, the inner diameter of the elastic retaining ring can be expanded by external force. At the same time, the elastic retaining ring itself has a large resilience. Once the external force is lost, the two ears of the elastic retaining ring will immediately rebound and return to the anti-disengagement state.

[0055] When the elastic retaining ring enters the notch 41, it is in a rebound state. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As described above, during the rebound process, the two ears rebound due to the elasticity of the elastic ring material itself, and contact each other through a pair of guide surfaces 14. Based on the arc design of the guide surface 14, the friction force is overcome. Under the action of the material rebound force, the two ears will continue to move relative to each other until the pair of self-locking structures move to the cut-off position of the other guide surface 14 (see Figure 4 After sliding past the cut-off position, the two ears continue to slide into each other's grooves under the action of radial elastic force, entering Figure 5 The state shown in the figure is in place, and self-locking is completed.

[0056] Figure 5In the embodiment, the circlip has entered the slot 41 and is positioned and fixed. The two lifting ears are not in contact, but are in an anti-disengagement state. At this time, if there is a high-speed working condition, the inner diameter of the circlip will expand under the action of centrifugal force, and the two lifting ears will move outward until a pair of self-locking structures come into contact with each other, achieving a stop limit, so that the circlip cannot continue to expand and cannot be detached from the shaft 4. This rebound process is similar to the interlocking principle of the ratchet pawl. The ratchet can only rotate in one direction and cannot be reversed. Similarly, the circlip can only shrink inward but cannot expand outward. More specifically, when the shaft speed reaches a certain value, such as Figure 6 As shown, the two lifting ears are synchronously displaced radially and gradually approach each other until a pair of self-locking abutting surfaces 13 abut and interlock, thereby preventing the retaining ring body 1 from expanding outward to a disengaged state.

[0057] Therefore, the circlip of the present invention is suitable for high-speed rotating shafts, can provide axial limit for parts fixed on the shaft 4, and can prevent them from falling off under high-speed working conditions. This circlip is an integrated design with a simple structure, low manufacturing cost and good reliability.

[0058] Return Reference Figure 1 In one embodiment, the retaining ring body 1 is provided with an axially extending mounting hole 15, which is close to the opening 10. The main function of the mounting hole 15 is to facilitate the manual and automatic installation of the elastic retaining ring when used with circlip pliers, so that the same elastic retaining ring can be installed manually and automatically on the production line, making installation more convenient.

[0059] There are one or more mounting holes 15, and the specific number is not limited. As an example, there are two mounting holes 15, one mounting hole 15 is provided at the first end of the retaining ring body 1 corresponding to the outer lifting ear 11, and the other mounting hole 15 is provided at the second end of the retaining ring body 1 corresponding to the inner lifting ear 12. That is, the outer lifting ear 11 is provided at the first end of the retaining ring body 1, and the inner lifting ear 12 is provided at the second end.

[0060] Next, the installation method of the elastic retaining ring provided by the present invention is further described.

[0061] like Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an installation tool for installing the elastic circlip described in the present invention on the shaft 4. The installation tool at least includes a guide sleeve 3, which is used to be sleeved on the shaft 4 and expose a notch 41. The notch 41 is an annular groove for installing the elastic circlip. One end of the guide sleeve 3 is close to the notch 41. Preferably, the end face of one end of the guide sleeve 3 is flush with one side of the notch 41. Specifically, the guide sleeve 3 is provided with an inner hole, the aperture and depth of the inner hole match the shaft section near the notch 41 on the shaft 4. In practice, the guide sleeve 3 can be used to protect the surface of the shaft 4 and also serve as an auxiliary support for the elastic circlip. In addition, the guide sleeve 3 can be positioned and matched with the shaft 4 in a suitable manner to ensure that the two are centered and concentric, and one end of the guide sleeve 3 is just positioned close to the notch 41.

[0062] refer to Figure 9 The guide sleeve 3 includes at least a first working section 31, which is sequentially provided with a first surface 311 and a second surface 312 along the circumferential direction. The second surface 312 radially protrudes beyond the first surface 311, that is, the radial dimension of the second surface 312 is greater than the radial dimension of the first surface 311. Furthermore, the second surface 312 gradually increases in size in the axial direction toward the notch 41, forming an inclined surface. Thus, the inclined surface is only partially provided in the circumferential direction of the first working section 31. Thus, the first surface 311, which is larger than the second surface 312, and the second surface 312, which are smaller than the first surface 311, can assist in the radial and circumferential misalignment of the two lifting ears of the circlip, allowing the two lifting ears to be misaligned and separated during installation. At the same time, the second surface 312 also serves to expand the inner diameter of the circlip.

[0063] There is no special requirement for the proportion of the first surface 311 and the second surface 312 in the circumferential direction. For example, each may account for 50%, or the proportion of the first surface 311 may be greater than the proportion of the second surface 312, or the proportion of the first surface 311 may be less than the proportion of the second surface 312. The first surface 311 and the second surface 312 may be connected by an oblique angle or a right angle, preferably by a smooth transition.

[0064] Based on this, during installation, the retaining ring body 1 is placed on the first working section 31, with the inner lifting lug 12 abutting the first surface 311 and the outer lifting lug 11 abutting the second surface 312. The outer lifting lug 11 can then be propped up outward by the second surface 312, causing the outer lifting lug 11 and the inner lifting lug 12 to be offset circumferentially and radially, thereby changing the retaining ring body 1 from its naturally anti-disengagement state to an unlocked state. This configuration effectively solves the problems of the circlip being unable to be installed and unable to self-lock. Moreover, both the circlip and the guide sleeve 3 have a simple structure and low manufacturing cost.

[0065] For more details, please refer to Figure 10 The installation process shown in (a) to (g) of Figure 10(a) shows the initial state in which the two ears of the circlip are respectively attached to the first surface 311 and the second surface 312 of the guide sleeve 3. Figure 10 (b) and (c) in the figure show the state where the circlip is pushed downward by the pressing sleeve 2 and expanded. Figure 10 (d) shows the state where the circlip is stretched to the maximum by the guide sleeve 3. Figure 10 (e) in the figure shows the state in which a pair of guide surfaces 14 collide and contact during the springback of the circlip. Figure 10 (f) in the figure shows the state in which a pair of self-locking structures move to the cut-off position of the guide surface 14 during the rebound process of the elastic ring. Figure 10 (g) in the figure shows that the elastic retaining ring rebounds and returns to the anti-disengagement state.

[0066] It can be seen that after the guide sleeve 3 is used in the present invention, with the help of its asymmetrically arranged first working section 31, the inner lifting ear 12 can be attached to the first surface 311 with a smaller radial dimension, and the outer lifting ear 11 can be attached to the second surface 312 with a larger radial dimension. At this time, the two surfaces of different sizes cause the two lifting ears to be radially and circumferentially misaligned, thereby avoiding contact between the two lifting ears to form self-locking. For details, see Figure 10 (a) to (d); when the two lifting ears are dislocated and stretched, the elastic retaining ring is continuously pressed down to the notch 41 by pressing the sleeve 2. When entering the groove, the lifting ear is reset and self-locking is completed by the special structure of the lifting ear and the rebound force of the elastic retaining ring. Figure 10 (e) to (g).

[0067] Return Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 In one embodiment, the installation tool further includes a pressing sleeve 2, which is used to be sleeved on the guide sleeve 3 and can move axially along the guide sleeve 3; one end of the pressing sleeve 2 is used to abut against the end face of the retaining ring body 1 away from the notch 41, so as to push the elastic retaining ring to move along the guide sleeve 3 toward the notch 41 until the elastic retaining ring enters the notch 41. After entering the notch 41, the elastic retaining ring uses its own rebound force to change from an unlocked state to an anti-disengagement state. It should be noted that the pressing sleeve 3 only contacts the elastic retaining ring and provides a downward force. During the pressing process, the inclined surface structure of the first working section 31 is used to push the elastic retaining ring to open until the elastic retaining ring enters the notch 41.

[0068] In this case, there is no need to provide an unlocking structure on the pressing sleeve 2 or on the retaining ring body 1, thereby simplifying the structure of the elastic retaining ring and the pressing sleeve 2, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.

[0069] refer to Figure 9In one embodiment, the guide sleeve 3 further includes a second working section 32, which is disposed at the wide-diameter end of the first working section 31, and the end of the second working section 32 away from the first working section 31 is close to the notch 41. The cross-section of the second working section 32 remains unchanged along the axial direction, and the cross-sectional dimension of the second working section 32 is consistent with the maximum cross-sectional dimension of the first working section 31. The second working section 32 reduces the manufacturing process difficulty of the guide sleeve 3 and increases the stability of the circlip installation process. More specifically, as the circlip body 1 moves from the first working section 31 to the second working section 32 under the push of the pressing sleeve 2, the circlip body 1 is gradually expanded by the second surface 312, and then, after transitioning through the second working section 32, can smoothly fall into the notch 41. In this embodiment, the second working section 32 is a hollow cylinder that is sleeved on the shaft 4.

[0070] Although the present invention mentions the second working section 32, in practice, the second working section 32 can be eliminated, so that the wide end of the first working section 31 is positioned near the notch 41. In addition, the guide sleeve 3 may also have an extension section at the narrow end of the first working section 31.

[0071] Furthermore, based on the above-mentioned installation tool, an embodiment of the present invention also provides an installation method of an elastic retaining ring, which includes the following steps:

[0072] Step S1: Sleeve the guide sleeve 3 onto the shaft 4, with one end of the guide sleeve 3 close to the notch 41 of the shaft 4;

[0073] Step S2: Sleeve the retaining ring body 1 on the first working section 31 of the guide sleeve 3, and fit the inner lifting ear 12 to the first surface 311 of the first working section 31, while fitting the outer lifting ear 11 to the second surface 312 of the first working section 31;

[0074] Step S3 : pushing the circlip body 1 to move along the guide sleeve 3 toward the notch 41 until the elastic circlip enters the notch 41 .

[0075] In the above step S3, the sleeve 2 can be pressed down to automatically press down the retaining ring body 1, or the retaining ring body 1 can be pressed down by a manual tool.

[0076] Preferably, the above step S3 includes the following steps:

[0077] The pressing sleeve 2 is sleeved on the guide sleeve 3 and positioned on the side of the retaining ring body 1 away from the slot 41, and one end of the pressing sleeve 2 is in contact with the end surface of the retaining ring body 1 away from the slot 41; then, the pressing sleeve 2 is used to push the elastic retaining ring from the first working section 31 to the second working section 32 until the elastic retaining ring enters the adjacent slot 41 from the end of the second working section 32 away from the first working section 31.

[0078] In summary, according to the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention, the circlip of the present invention is easy to install manually or automatically on the production line. During the installation process, the guide sleeve 3 can be used to open the circlip, so that the two lifting ears are open without interference to achieve unlocking. When inserted into the groove, the two lifting ears automatically contract and hook together to form a self-locking structure. In this way, the problems of failed installation and inability to self-lock of existing circlips are overcome. Moreover, the production cycle is shortened, and compared with the existing technology, the repair time and resource waste after installation failure are greatly saved. At the same time, the structure of the installation tool and the circlip is greatly simplified, reducing manufacturing costs.

[0079] While the present invention is disclosed above, it is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is intended to encompass such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the present invention and its equivalents.

Claims

1. An elastic retaining ring, characterized in that: The invention comprises a retaining ring body (1) provided with an opening (10), wherein the retaining ring body (1) is provided with an outer lifting ear (11) and an inner lifting ear (12) on both sides of the opening (10), the front end of the outer lifting ear (11) is bent inward to form an outer self-locking structure (111), and the front end of the inner lifting ear (12) is bent outward to form an inner self-locking structure (121), and the outer sides of the outer self-locking structure (111) and the inner self-locking structure (121) are integrally provided with an arc-shaped guide surface (14).

2. The circlip according to claim 1, characterized in that: In a natural state, the outer lifting lug (11) and the inner lifting lug (12) are staggered in the radial direction and staggered in the circumferential direction, and the outer self-locking structure (111) and the inner self-locking structure (121) are mutually limited on the inner side of each other, so that the elastic retaining ring is in an anti-disengagement state; In the installed state, the elastic ring is expanded, and the outer ear (11) and the inner ear (12) are staggered in the circumferential direction and the radial direction, so that the elastic ring changes from the anti-disengagement state in the natural state to the unlocked state, and the pair of guide surfaces (14) can contact each other when the elastic ring is retracted after being expanded, thereby guiding the outer self-locking structure (111) and the inner self-locking structure (121) to enter the inner side of each other, so that the elastic ring changes from the unlocked state to the anti-disengagement state.

3. The circlip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide surface (14) comprises a first guide surface (141) and a second guide surface (142) which are arranged in sequence from the bending root to the front end, the bending directions of the first guide surface (141) and the second guide surface (142) are the same, and the curvature radius of the first guide surface (141) is smaller than the curvature radius of the second guide surface (142); and / or, the inner sides of the outer self-locking structure (111) and the inner self-locking structure (121) are both provided with self-locking fitting surfaces (13), and a pair of the self-locking fitting surfaces (13) can fit together and interlock, so that the elastic retaining ring is in an anti-disengagement state.

4. The circlip according to claim 1, characterized in that: An axially penetrating mounting hole (15) is provided on the retaining ring body (1), and the mounting hole (15) is close to the opening (10).

5. The circlip according to claim 4, characterized in that: There are two mounting holes (15), one mounting hole (15) is provided at a first end of the retaining ring body (1) corresponding to the outer lifting ear (11), and the other mounting hole (15) is provided at a second end of the retaining ring body (1) corresponding to the inner lifting ear (12).

6. A mounting tool for mounting the circlip according to any one of claims 1 to 5 on a shaft (4), characterized in that: The installation tool comprises a guide sleeve (3), the guide sleeve (3) being used for being sleeved on the shaft (4), and one end of the guide sleeve (3) being close to a notch (41) of the shaft (4); The guide sleeve (3) comprises a first working section (31), wherein the first working section (31) is provided with a first surface (311) and a second surface (312) in sequence along the circumferential direction, wherein the second surface (312) protrudes from the first surface (311) in the radial direction, and the second surface (312) gradually increases in the axial direction toward the notch (41), forming an inclined surface; When the retaining ring body (1) is sleeved on the first working section (31), the inner lifting ear (12) fits the first surface (311), and the outer lifting ear (11) fits the second surface (312), so that the outer lifting ear (11) is supported outward by the second surface (312), and the outer lifting ear (11) and the inner lifting ear (12) are staggered in the circumferential direction and the radial direction, thereby changing the elastic retaining ring from the anti-disengagement state in the natural state to the unlocked state.

7. The installation tool according to claim 6, characterized in that The installation tool also includes a pressing sleeve (2), which is used to be sleeved on the guide sleeve (3) and can move axially along the guide sleeve (3); one end of the pressing sleeve (2) is used to abut against the end face of the retaining ring body (1) to push the elastic retaining ring to move along the guide sleeve (3) toward the groove (41) until the elastic retaining ring enters the groove (41).

8. The installation tool according to claim 6, characterized in that The guide sleeve (3) further comprises a second working section (32), the second working section (32) being arranged at the wide diameter end of the first working section (31), and the end of the second working section (32) away from the first working section (31) being close to the notch (41), the cross section of the second working section (32) being constant along the axial direction, and the cross section size of the second working section (32) being consistent with the maximum cross section size of the first working section (31).

9. A method for installing a circlip, applied to the installation tool according to claim 6, characterized in that: The installation method comprises the following steps: Step S1: Sleeve the guide sleeve (3) onto the shaft (4), and place one end of the guide sleeve (3) close to the notch (41) of the shaft (4); Step S2: Sleeve the retaining ring body (1) onto the first working section (31) of the guide sleeve (3), and fit the inner lifting lug (12) to the first surface (311) of the first working section (31), and fit the outer lifting lug (11) to the second surface (312) of the first working section (31); Step S3: pushing the elastic circlip to move along the guide sleeve (3) toward the direction close to the notch (41) until the elastic circlip enters the notch (41).

10. The method for installing a circlip according to claim 9, wherein: The guide sleeve (3) further comprises a second working section (32), the second working section (32) being arranged at the wide diameter end of the first working section (31), the cross section of the second working section (32) being constant along the axial direction, and the cross section size of the second working section (32) being consistent with the maximum cross section size of the first working section (31); wherein, the step S3 comprises: The pressing sleeve (2) is sleeved on the guide sleeve (3) and positioned on the side of the retaining ring body (1) away from the notch (41), and one end of the pressing sleeve (2) is in contact with the end surface of the retaining ring body (1) away from the notch (41); The pressing sleeve (2) is used to push the elastic retaining ring from the first working section (31) to the second working section (32) until the elastic retaining ring enters the adjacent notch (41) from the end of the second working section (32) away from the first working section (31).

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