Novel torque converter

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of torque converters, in particular to a novel torque converter which comprises an input shaft which is sequentially connected with a turbine, a guide wheel and a pump wheel, and is characterized in that the input shaft is further provided with a planetary gear system used for receiving the torque of the input shaft, and the planetary gear system is arranged on the side, away from the pump wheel, of the turbine; the gear ring is connected with the turbine through a fixed structure; the pump wheel is connected with the input shaft through a pump wheel clutch A, and the pump wheel clutch A is used for locking the pump wheel; according to the torque converter, under the low-speed working condition of the whole machine, the pump wheel hydraulic clutch A is closed, the turbine clutch B is opened, and the torque converter is in a power confluence mode; under the high-speed working condition, due to the fact that the pump wheel clutch A is disengaged, the hydraulic turbine, the guide wheel and the pump wheel do not work any more and do not rotate along with an engine, impact loss of liquid is avoided, the whole assembly is equal to pure mechanical transmission, and efficiency is improved compared with a common torque converter under the two working conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of torque converter technology, and specifically to a novel torque converter. Background Technology

[0002] The transmission system of construction machinery is mostly composed of a hydraulic torque converter and a gearbox, usually a combination of a hydraulic torque converter and a fixed-axis gearbox or a combination of a hydraulic torque converter and a planetary gearbox.

[0003] Domestic and international bulldozer transmission assemblies employ a combination of hydraulic torque converters and planetary gearboxes. While the planetary gearbox structures of mainstream manufacturers are similar, the hydraulic torque converter structures differ significantly. Caterpillar uses a power-merging torque converter, where the torque converter merges with the mechanical power at low speeds, resulting in efficiency advantages. However, at high speeds, the hydraulic torque converter locks up, acting as a rigid structural component to transmit power. Because the oil inside the torque converter rotates with the engine, even with the addition of a clutch on the guide wheel, the fluid still experiences impact losses, resulting in efficiency below 90% and the guide wheel clutch being prone to damage. Komatsu uses a combined hydraulic torque converter with a lock-up clutch. This type of torque converter has low efficiency at low speeds but high efficiency at high speeds. However, due to the presence of a less reliable one-way clutch inside, its reliability is inferior to that of the power-merging hydraulic torque converter.

[0004] In summary, existing hydraulic torque converters can usually only handle low-speed or high-speed conditions, which reduces efficiency and cannot meet the needs of complex and ever-changing operating conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a novel torque converter, the technical solution of which is as follows: A novel torque converter includes an input shaft, to which a turbine, a guide wheel, and a pump wheel are sequentially connected. The input shaft is characterized by further comprising: The planetary gear system used to receive the torque of the input shaft is located on the side of the turbine away from the pump wheel. The planetary gear includes a sun gear, a planet carrier, planet gears and a ring gear. The sun gear is fixedly connected to the input shaft. The sun gear meshes with the ring gear through the planet gears. The planet gears are connected to the planet carrier through a rotating structure. The ring gear is connected to the turbine through a fixed structure. Pump wheel clutch A: The pump wheel is connected to the input shaft through pump wheel clutch A, and pump wheel clutch A is used to lock the pump wheel. The output shaft is connected to the planetary carrier. Turbine clutch B used to lock the gear ring.

[0006] Furthermore, the guide wheel and the input shaft are fixedly connected via a guide wheel seat. Furthermore, a housing is also provided, which is fitted outside the turbine clutch B, the planetary gear system, the turbine, the guide wheel, the pump wheel and the pump wheel clutch A, and the output shaft is rotatably connected to the housing.

[0007] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: Under low-speed conditions, the pump wheel clutch A is closed and the turbine clutch B is open, forming a power confluence mode. Under high-speed conditions, since the pump wheel clutch A is disengaged, the turbine, guide wheel, and pump wheel no longer function and do not rotate with the engine, avoiding fluid impact losses. The entire assembly is equivalent to pure mechanical transmission. In both operating conditions, the efficiency is improved compared to ordinary torque converters. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the novel torque converter of the present invention; In the picture: 1. Turbine, 2. Guide wheel, 3. Guide wheel seat, 4. Pump wheel clutch A, 5. Sun gear, 6. Planet carrier, 7. Planet gear, 8. Ring gear, 9. Turbine clutch B, 10. Pump wheel. Detailed Implementation

[0009] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and the following embodiments, so that the public can better understand the implementation method of this invention. The specific implementation scheme of this invention is as follows: A novel torque converter includes an input shaft, to which a turbine 1, a guide wheel 2, and a pump wheel 10 are sequentially connected. The input shaft is characterized by further comprising a planetary gear system for receiving input shaft torque. The planetary gear system is located on the side of the turbine 1 furthest from the pump wheel 10. The planetary gear system includes a sun gear 5, a planet carrier 6, planet gears 7, and a ring gear 8. The sun gear 5 is fixedly connected to the input shaft and meshes with the ring gear 8 via the planet gears 7. The planet carrier 6 is connected to an output shaft, and the planet gears 7 are connected to the planet carrier 6 via a rotating structure. The ring gear 8 is fixedly connected to the turbine 1 via a fixed structure. The torque converter is connected in a manner where pump wheel 10 is connected to the input shaft via pump wheel clutch A4, which is used to lock pump wheel 10; and turbine clutch B9 is used to lock gear ring 8. Under low-speed conditions, pump wheel clutch A4 is closed and turbine clutch B9 is open, which is a power confluence mode. Under high-speed conditions, since pump wheel clutch A4 is disengaged, turbine 1, guide wheel 2 and pump wheel 10 no longer function and do not rotate with the engine, avoiding liquid impact loss. The entire assembly is equivalent to pure mechanical transmission. In both operating conditions, the efficiency is improved compared to ordinary torque converters.

[0010] Specifically, the guide wheel 2 is fixedly connected to the input shaft through the guide wheel seat 3. It is also equipped with a housing, which is fitted outside the turbine clutch B9, planetary gear system, turbine 1, guide wheel 2, pump wheel 10 and pump wheel clutch A4. The output shaft is rotatably connected to the housing.

[0011] This torque converter has two operating modes depending on the working conditions of the pump wheel clutch A4 and the turbine clutch B9: 1. Under low-speed operation of the whole machine, the pump wheel clutch A4 is closed and the turbine clutch B9 is open, which is the power confluence mode; The engine power is transmitted to the input shaft of the hydraulic-mechanical torque converter, which contains the pump wheel clutch A4 and the sun gear.

[0012] The engine power is divided into two paths on the input shaft: one path transmits power to the pump wheel 10 via the pump wheel clutch A4, causing the pump wheel 10 to rotate. The pump wheel 10 drives the liquid inside the chamber to rotate, and the liquid impacts the turbine 1, causing the turbine 1 to rotate and generate power output. The turbine 1 is connected to the gear ring 8, and the power generated by the turbine 1 is input to the gear ring 8. The other path of power is directly input to the sun gear 8. The two power paths converge at the planetary carrier 6 and are output outward. In this mode, the hydraulic torque converter accounts for 50% of the engine power, and the other mechanical transmission accounts for the other 50%. The efficiency of the mechanical transmission is usually above 91%. The torque converter has low efficiency at low speeds, but it only accounts for 50% of the engine power. The overall efficiency after the power is combined is higher than that of a conventional torque converter. Second, under high-speed operation of the whole machine, the pump wheel clutch A4 is open and the turbine clutch B9 is closed, which is the mechanical transmission mode; In this mode, since the pump wheel 10 is disconnected from the input shaft, there is no power input, and the turbine 1, guide wheel 2, and pump wheel 10 are inactive. With the turbine clutch B9 engaged, the engine's power is input to the sun gear 5 of the planetary mechanism. Also with the turbine clutch B9 engaged and the ring gear 8 fixed, power is output from the planetary carrier 6. This hydraulic-mechanical torque converter is equivalent to a planetary structure, meaning the engine power is output through a planetary structure, resulting in a higher transmission efficiency than ordinary hydraulic torque converters.

[0013] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "lower left," "upper right," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. Although the invention has been described according to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand from the above description that other embodiments are conceived within the scope of the invention described herein.

Claims

1. A new type of torque converter, comprising an input shaft, which is sequentially connected with a turbine (1), a guide wheel (2) and a pump wheel (10), characterized in that, The input shaft is further provided with: a planetary gear system for receiving the input shaft torque, the planetary gear system being arranged on the side of the turbine (1) away from the pump wheel (10), the planetary gear system comprising a sun gear (5), a planet carrier (6), planet gears (7) and a ring gear (8), the sun gear (5) being fixedly connected to the input shaft, the sun gear (5) being meshed with the ring gear (8) through the planet gears (7), the planet gears (7) being connected to the planet carrier (6) through a rotating structure, and the ring gear (8) being connected to the turbine (1) through a fixed structure; a pump wheel clutch A (4), the pump wheel (10) being connected to the input shaft through the pump wheel clutch A (4), the pump wheel clutch A (4) being used for locking the pump wheel (10); an output shaft, the output shaft being connected to the planet carrier (6); a turbine clutch B (9) for locking the ring gear (8).

2. A novel torque converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein: The guide wheel (2) is fixedly connected to the input shaft through a guide wheel seat (3).

3. A novel torque converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein: A housing is further provided, the housing being sleeved outside the turbine clutch B (9), the planetary gear system, the turbine (1), the guide wheel (2), the pump wheel (10) and the pump wheel clutch A (4).

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