Hydrodynamic retarder comprising a filling tube

Abstract

The invention relates to a retarder comprising a retarder chamber in which a rotatably mounted rotor and a stator are arranged which together form a working chamber that can be filled with and emptied of working medium. The retarder also comprises: a working medium tank which has a region for holding working medium that is not currently in the working chamber, and an expansion region; at least one filling channel for supplying working medium to the working chamber; and a return channel for discharging working medium from the working chamber, as well as a rotor housing, a stator housing, and a tank housing. According to the invention, the filling channel is a tube having an inlet opening and an outlet opening, the inlet opening ending in the working medium tank and the outlet opening ending in an inlet chamber, the inlet chamber being formed by the stator housing and the stator.

Description

[0001] Hydrodynamic retarder with filling pipe

[0002] The invention relates to the structure of a hydrodynamic retarder for a motor vehicle, in particular the structure of the filling channel of the retarder.

[0003] Hydrodynamic retarders have a working chamber that can be filled with a working fluid and emptied by it. The working fluid transfers torque from a bladed rotor to a bladed stator. When the working chamber is filled, the rotor and thus a shaft that is particularly fixed in rotation with the rotor, such as a propeller shaft or transmission output shaft indirectly connected to the wheels of a vehicle, are decelerated.

[0004] DE 10 2013 006 611A1 discloses a retarder and its working fluid circuit. The rotor and stator of the retarder form a toroidal working chamber, which is connected to a working fluid circuit with a working fluid tank via a duct system. The working chamber is vented via a venting system, through which air can escape into the environment through a connection between the working chamber and the environment. The working fluid tank can be connected to a compressed air connection or the environment via a valve, the MRCU.

[0005] To switch the retarder to braking mode, the working medium tank must be pressurized with compressed air via the MRCU, so that the working medium is pumped from the working medium tank into the working chamber via the filling channel. The filling channel is positioned in the working medium tank such that its inlet opening ends in the lower area of ​​the working medium tank. This ensures that the inlet opening of the filling channel is located below the working medium level in all operating conditions, preventing air from entering the filling channel.

[0006] When the retarder is switched to non-braking mode, the working fluid tank must be vented and the working chamber ventilated. The working fluid is pumped from the retarder via the heat exchanger back into the working fluid tank.

[0007] The object of the invention is to propose a retarder with reduced manufacturing and assembly costs.

[0008] The object is achieved according to the invention by an embodiment according to the independent claim. Further advantageous embodiments of the present invention can be found in the subclaims.

[0009] A retarder is proposed, comprising a retarder chamber in which a rotatably mounted rotor and a stator are arranged, which together form a working chamber that can be filled with and emptied from the working chamber. The retarder further comprises a working-medium tank, which has a region for receiving working medium not currently present in the working chamber and an expansion region, at least one filling channel for supplying working medium into the working chamber and a return channel for discharging working medium from the working chamber, as well as a rotor housing, a stator housing, and a tank housing.

[0010] According to the invention, it is proposed that the filling channel is a pipe with an inlet opening and an outlet opening, wherein the inlet opening ends in the working medium tank and the outlet opening ends in an inlet chamber, wherein the inlet chamber is formed by the stator housing and the stator.

[0011] Preferably, the filling channel essentially leads through the working medium tank, which significantly simplifies production.

[0012] Furthermore, the working medium tank may comprise a sump area, wherein the inlet opening ends in the sump area. The sump area, in the sense of the invention, is an area that has a small

[0013] The tank housing can accommodate a volume of working medium. A coupling plane can be provided on the tank housing, through which a first channel and a second channel run. The coupling plane is located below the sump area, and a fluid-conducting connection to the primary side of a heat exchanger can be established via the channels. The heat exchanger can be connected directly or indirectly via a transition piece.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the outlet opening of the second channel is arranged such that it ends in the sump area. This ensures that the working medium pumped through the heat exchanger and cooled first reaches the working medium tank. Furthermore, the working medium tank forms a section of a fluid-conducting connection between the second channel and the filling channel. The gap formed between the outlet of the second channel and the inlet opening of the filling channel essentially has three functions:

[0015] 1 ) When switching to braking mode:

[0016] Filling the working space via the filling pipe

[0017] 2) In braking operation: the gap forms a channel section of the working medium circuit

[0018] 3) when switching to non-braking mode:

[0019] Return of the working medium to the working medium tank

[0020] Especially during braking, it is advantageous if the inlet opening of the filling channel and the outlet opening of the second channel are aligned. Furthermore, the distance (x) between the inlet and outlet openings is crucial for proper function. A distance (x) between 1 mm and 15 mm is advantageous.

[0021] In particular, it can be provided that the inlet opening is funnel-shaped in order to further improve the flow pattern through the working medium tank during braking operation.

[0022] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to figures: Figure 1 Sketch of a retarder in section

[0023] Figure 2 Filling pipe in the working medium tank

[0024] Figure 1 shows a sketch illustrating the basic structure of the retarder 1. The outer shell of the retarder 1 essentially consists of two parts: the rotor housing 2 and the stator housing 3, each of which forms a half-shell of the housing. The housing parts 2 and 3 enclose a cavity, which is divided into three sections. A cavity section 27, a storage section 26, 25, and a retarder section 29 are provided.

[0025] The cavity area 27, the storage area 26 and the sump area 25 together form the working medium tank 15, wherein the working medium 9 collects in the storage area 26 and sump area 25 when the retarder is switched to non-braking mode.

[0026] The cavity area 27 is a space essentially designed to ensure that no working fluid can enter the compressed air control system, also known as the MRCII, via port 17. A working fluid separator or oil separator 28 is provided between port 17 and the working fluid tank 15. Separating oil can flow back into the working fluid tank 15 via the drain 30.

[0027] During braking operation, the compressed air control regulates the braking torque of the retarder 1. The higher the air pressure in the cavity area 27, the more working medium 9 is pressed from the working medium tank 15 into the retarder circuit.

[0028] The area between the rotor housing 2 and the stator housing 3 is referred to as the retarder area 29. The rotor 6, the stator 7, the mounted rotor shaft 8 and channels for guiding the working medium are arranged in the retarder area 28. The rotor 6 can be arranged so as to be axially displaceable on the rotor shaft 8, as is known from the prior art. A coupling plane 18 is provided on the tank housing 4, to which a heat exchanger 11 can be attached directly or indirectly, wherein a first channel 19 and a second channel 20 are provided in the coupling plane 18. The working chamber 14, between the rotor 6 and stator 7, is connected to the supply connection of the heat exchanger 11 via the first channel 19, and the outlet of the heat exchanger 11 is connected to the working medium tank 15 via the second channel 20. The cooled working medium 9 enters the working medium tank 15 via the second channel 20 when switching to non-braking mode, i.e. when the pressure in the expansion area 27 drops.

[0029] Furthermore, a filling channel 12 is provided, which establishes a connection from the lower sump area 25 into the inlet chamber 23, which in turn is connected to the working chamber 14 via channels in the stator 7, not shown.

[0030] When the retarder is switched to braking mode, the air pressure in the expansion area 27 is increased via the connection 17, whereby the working medium 9 is fed via the filling channel 12, the inlet chamber 23 and the channels in the stator 7 into the working chamber

[0031] 14. The known pumping action of the retarder 1 causes the working medium 9 to flow from the working chamber via the return channel 13, the first channel 19, the heat exchanger 11 and the second channel 20 into the working medium tank

[0032] 15 is pumped.

[0033] The filling channel 12 is arranged relative to the second channel 20 in such a way that working medium 9 flowing out of the second channel 20 can flow into the filling channel 12 via the inlet opening 21. During braking, this creates a circular flow, with the working medium 9 flowing through the working medium tank 15 over a short section. The distance between the outlet from the second channel 20 and the inlet opening 21 can be selected between 1 mm and 15 mm, with the mixing of working medium 9 from the tank and working medium 9 from the circuit depending on the distance. Furthermore, the minimum working medium level in the working medium tank 15 must be above the inlet opening 21 to ensure that no air gets into the filling channel 12. The pressure of the control air in the expansion region 27 regulates the volume of working medium in the circuit, which in turn determines the braking torque of the retarder.This control of the braking torque is StdT and is therefore not explained in more detail.

[0034] Figure 2 shows the arrangement of the filler pipe in the working medium tank 15. This illustration shows a possible design of the working medium tank 15 with the sump area 25. The sump area 25 is a small area located in the lower part of the tank, ensuring that a certain volume of working medium always remains in the sump area 25, particularly during braking of the retarder. Since the end with the inlet opening 21 of the filler pipe 12 ends in the sump area, it is ensured that no air can enter the working chamber 14 or the working medium circuit via the filler pipe 12.

[0035] The heat exchanger 11 is shown only in outline here, with an intermediate component 32 being provided, which connects the heat exchanger to the tank housing 4 via the connection plane 18. In this design, the second channel 20 is integrated into the intermediate component 33. Furthermore, channels are integrated into the intermediate component 33, via which the heat exchanger 11 is integrated into the working medium circuit.

[0036] The inlet opening 21 of the filling channel 12 and the outlet opening 22 of the second channel 20 are, as already mentioned, aligned with each other and arranged at a distance x from each other. To achieve the most laminar flow of the working medium 9 through the working medium tank 15 possible, the inlet opening 21 is also designed in a funnel shape, so that the most laminar flow of the working medium through the working medium tank 15 is achieved during braking. List of reference symbols

[0037] 1 retarder

[0038] 2 rotor housings

[0039] 3 starter housings

[0040] 4 tank housings

[0041] 5a, b camp

[0042] 6 Rotor

[0043] 7 Stator

[0044] 8 Rotor shaft

[0045] 9 Working medium

[0046] 10 Seal

[0047] 11 heat exchangers

[0048] 12 filling channel

[0049] 13 Return channel

[0050] 14 Workspace

[0051] 15 Working medium tank

[0052] 16 coupling level

[0053] 17 Connection

[0054] 18 connection level

[0055] 19 first channel

[0056] 20 second channel

[0057] 21 Entrance opening

[0058] 22 Exit opening

[0059] 23 Inlet chamber

[0060] 24a, b coupling level

[0061] 25 Swamp area

[0062] 26 Storage area

[0063] 27 Expansion area

[0064] 28 oil separators

[0065] 29 Retarder room

[0066] 30 Process

[0067] 31 Structural element3

[0068] 32 air passage

[0069] 33 Intermediate component Distance

Claims

Patent claims 1. Hydrodynamic retarder (1), comprising a retarder chamber (29) in which a rotatably mounted rotor (6) and a stator (7) are arranged, which together form a working chamber (14) that can be filled with and emptied from working medium; a working medium tank (15) that has an area (25, 26) for receiving working medium not currently in the working chamber (14) and an expansion area (27); at least one filling channel (12) for supplying working medium into the working chamber (14); and a return channel (13) for discharging working medium from the working chamber (14);and a rotor housing (2), a stator housing (3) and a tank housing (4), characterized in that the filling channel (12) is a tube with an inlet opening (21) and an outlet opening (22), wherein the inlet opening ends in the working medium tank (15) and the outlet opening (22) ends in an inlet chamber (23), wherein the inlet chamber (23) is formed by the stator housing (3) and the stator (7); 2. Hydrodynamic retarder (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the filling channel (12) leads essentially through the working medium tank (15).

3. Hydrodynamic retarder (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the working medium tank (15) comprises a sump area (25), wherein the inlet opening (21) ends in the sump area (25).

4. Hydrodynamic retarder (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that a coupling plane (18) is provided on the tank housing (4), through which a first channel (19) and a second channel (20) lead, wherein the coupling plane is arranged below the sump region (25) and a fluid-conducting connection to the primary side of a heat exchanger (11) can be established via the channels (19, 20).

5. Hydrodynamic retarder (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the second channel (20) has an outlet opening (22) which ends in the sump area (25).

6. Hydrodynamic retarder (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the working medium tank (15) provides at least in sections a fluid-conducting connection between the second channel (20) and the filling channel (12) 7. Hydrodynamic retarder (1) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the inlet opening (21) of the filling channel (12) and the outlet opening (22) of the second channel (20) are aligned with each other.

8. Hydrodynamic retarder (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the distance (x) between the inlet opening (21) and the outlet opening (22) is between 1 mm and 15 mm.

9. Hydrodynamic retarder (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the inlet opening (21) is funnel-shaped.

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