Cam clutch unit

Abstract

To provide a cam clutch unit which is low in difficulty with less man-hours at the time of manufacturing a cam clutch, and of which the rotation resistance by a roller can be reduced, for enabling the roller to be arranged at an optimum position because of the high degree of freedom of the position of the roller, while reducing the weight.SOLUTION: The cam clutch unit includes a plurality of cams 130 and a plurality of rollers 140 arranged side by side in the peripheral direction between an inner ring and an outer ring, a cage ring 150 having a plurality of pocket parts 151, 152 for restricting the relative peripheral movement of the cams 130 and the rollers 140, and an annular spring 160 for energizing the cams 130, the cams 130 each having an engagement part 131 engageable with the spring 160, the pocket parts 152 storing the rollers 140 being provided at positions not interfering with the spring 160 in the axial direction while being differently arranged in the peripheral direction at both sides of the spring 160.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cam clutch unit that transmits and interrupts torque between an input shaft and an output shaft. [Background technology]

[0002] A known cam clutch (see Patent Document 1, etc.) includes multiple cams arranged between an inner ring and an outer ring that are coaxially rotatable relative to each other, a cage ring with multiple pockets that restrict the relative circumferential movement of the cams, and an annular spring that biases the cams. In such a cam clutch, in order to ensure the coaxiality of the inner and outer rings, it is conceivable to replace some of the multiple cams with freely rotating rollers. For example, as shown in Figures 9 to 13, in a cam clutch unit 500, a plurality of cams 530 and a plurality of rollers 540 are arranged circumferentially between an inner ring and an outer ring which are coaxially arranged so as to be capable of relative rotation, and the cams 530 and the rollers 540 are accommodated in a pocket portion 551 of a cage ring 550, so that the relative movement of the cams 530 and the rollers 540 in the circumferential direction is restricted. The cam 530 and the roller 540 have circumferential grooves 535, 545, respectively, and an annular spring 560 is accommodated in the grooves 535, 545 to bias the cam 530 and the roller 540 towards the inner ring side. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-106135 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In such cam clutch units, the cams and rollers, which require materials that are resistant to wear and impact, have a circumferential groove in the center in which a ring-shaped spring is housed. This makes manufacturing the cams and rollers difficult and requires a large amount of processing time, and there are also limitations on the width dimensions that can be manufactured due to processing, making it impossible to make them thinner. In addition, the roller needs to rotate freely with only axial constraints, but there is a problem in that frictional sliding occurs between the bottom and sides of the groove and the spring, resulting in significant rotational resistance during high-speed rotation. In addition, there is a risk that the spring will deteriorate due to wear, which could affect the life of the cam clutch itself. Furthermore, even if the cam is long in the axial direction, the axial position of the roller is restricted by the position of the spring, so it cannot be installed only in the optimal axial location, and if the optimal location is covered by an axially long roller, there is a risk of excessive rolling resistance being generated.

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a cam clutch unit that reduces the number of processing steps required to manufacture a cam clutch, reduces the difficulty, reduces the rotational resistance caused by the rollers, has a high degree of freedom in the position of the rollers so that the rollers can be positioned in the optimal location, and can be made lighter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides a cam clutch unit comprising a plurality of cams and a plurality of rollers arranged between an inner ring and an outer ring which are arranged coaxially and rotatable relative to one another, a cage ring having a plurality of pocket portions which regulate the relative circumferential movement of the cams and the rollers, and at least one annular spring which biases the cams, wherein the cam has an engagement portion which can engage with the spring, the pocket portions which house the rollers are arranged at positions which do not interfere with the at least one spring in the axial direction, and the pocket portions which house the plurality of rollers are arranged differently in the circumferential direction on both sides of the at least one spring, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the cam clutch unit described in claim 1, the pocket portion that accommodates the roller is provided in a position that does not interfere with at least one spring in the axial direction, and the pocket portions that accommodate multiple rollers are arranged differently in the circumferential direction on both sides of at least one spring, which makes it possible to form the rollers into a simple cylindrical shape, thereby reducing the number of processing steps and the difficulty of manufacturing. In addition, since the axial position of the pocket portion that contains it is not restricted by the position of the spring, the number of circumferential rollers can be arranged to vary depending on the axial position, which allows for a high degree of freedom in the position of the rollers, allowing the rollers to be arranged in optimal locations and making the rollers lighter. Furthermore, it is possible to dispose the roller at a position where it does not slide against the spring, thereby reducing the rotational resistance of the roller.

[0008] According to the configuration described in claim 2, the pocket portions that house the rollers are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction on both axial sides of at least one spring, thereby making it possible to reduce the axial length of the rollers and lighten them without reducing the number of rollers arranged in the circumferential direction, and also to distribute the load evenly on both axial sides of the spring. According to the configuration described in claim 3, the pocket portion that houses the roller is provided only on one axial side of at least one of the springs, which makes it possible to position the roller only in the axial position that is most heavily loaded, thereby suppressing unnecessary rolling resistance and enabling weight reduction.

[0009] According to the configuration of claim 4, two or more springs are provided at different axial positions, so that rollers can be freely positioned on both sides of each spring, improving the degree of freedom. According to the configuration of the present invention, the cage ring has lubrication adjustment portions at positions opposing at least one of the pocket portions with the spring therebetween, thereby making it possible to improve lubrication performance. According to the configuration of claim 6, part or all of the pocket portion that houses the roller is arranged to include a range that is different in the axial direction from the pocket portion that houses the cam, thereby further improving the freedom of roller arrangement and making it possible to arrange the roller in an optimal position. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a cam clutch unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cage ring of the cam clutch unit shown in FIG. 1 . [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cam and a roller of the cam clutch unit shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cam clutch unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a cam clutch unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a cam clutch unit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a cam clutch unit according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a cam clutch unit according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional cam clutch unit. [Figure 10] 10 is a side view of the cam clutch unit shown in FIG. 9 as viewed in the direction of the rotation axis. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are a side view and a front view of a cam of the cam clutch unit shown in FIG. 9 . [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are a side view and a front view of a roller of the cam clutch unit shown in FIG. 9 . [Figure 13] 10 is a partial side view and a cross-sectional view of the cam clutch unit shown in FIG. 9 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The cam clutch unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is disposed in the annular space between the raceway surface of an inner ring and the raceway surface of an outer ring which are arranged on the same axis and are capable of relative rotation. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the cam clutch unit 100 is provided with a plurality of cams 130 as engaging elements which transmit and block torque between the inner ring and the outer ring (not shown), a plurality of rollers 140 which allow the inner ring and the outer ring to rotate freely, a cage ring 150 having a plurality of pockets 151, 152 which restrict the relative circumferential movement of the cams 130 and the rollers 140, and annular springs 160 which bias each of the plurality of cams 130 in the direction of engagement with the inner ring and the outer ring.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 3, each of the plurality of cams 130 has a groove-shaped engaging portion 131 that can engage with an annular spring 160 at the center in the axial direction. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 9 to 13 described above, similar to cam clutch unit 500, engagement portion 131 has an inclined shape with a convex portion at an eccentric position, and when spring 160 presses the convex portion of engagement portion 131, cam 130 is urged toward the inner wheel and is also urged to swing in the direction in which cam 130 operates. As shown in FIG. 3 etc., the rollers 140 have no grooves or steps, and in this embodiment, the axial dimension of the rollers 140 is equal to or smaller than the axial dimension of one side of the cam 130 excluding the engagement portion 131. In this embodiment, the outer circumferential edges of both end faces of the roller 140 are chamfered to facilitate smooth insertion of the cam clutch unit into the inner and outer rings.

[0013] The cage ring 150 has a pocket portion 151 that houses the cam 130 and restricts the relative movement in the circumferential direction, and a pocket portion 152 that houses the roller 140 and restricts the relative movement in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the cage ring 150 has eight pocket portions 151 for accommodating the cams 130 and four pocket portions 152 for accommodating the rollers 140, which are evenly spaced in the circumferential direction, and the pocket portions 152 for accommodating the rollers 140 are arranged on only one side of the spring 160 in a position that does not interfere with the spring 160 in the axial direction.

[0014] In each pocket 151, the cam 130 is restricted from moving in the radial direction by a spring 160 at the axial center. In addition, the surface of pocket portion 152 that houses roller 140 adjacent to roller 140 is provided with claw portion 157 that allows roller 140 to be inserted from the outer wheel side by elastic deformation and restricts radial movement when housed, thereby achieving both ease of insertion and retention after insertion. Furthermore, the cage ring 150 is provided with a lubrication adjustment portion 153 capable of holding a lubricant such as grease or oil at a position axially opposite to the pocket portion 152 that houses the roller 140 and the spring 160 therebetween.

[0015] By configuring it in this manner, for example, when the inner ring is cantilevered on a shaft extending from the front left of the figure, roller 140 can be positioned only at a position corresponding to the rear right where deviation due to deflection of the shaft, etc., is greatest, making it possible to suppress unnecessary increases in rolling resistance. In this embodiment, twelve cams 130 and four rollers 140 are arranged, but the respective numbers and arrangements of the cams 130 and rollers 140 may be arbitrary. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the cam 130 may be any shape, for example, a sprag shape.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 4, a cam clutch unit 100b according to a second embodiment of the present invention is configured such that rollers 140 are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction on both axial sides of a spring (not shown). In this embodiment, the lubrication adjustment portion 153 capable of holding a lubricant such as grease or oil is provided with an oil circulation hole 154, and is configured to optimize the flow of the lubricant. The other configurations are similar to those of the first embodiment. By configuring in this manner, for example, it is possible to arrange the rollers evenly in the axial direction and also evenly in the circumferential direction, and to shorten the axial length of the rollers to suppress unnecessary increases in rolling resistance.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 5, in the cam clutch unit 100c according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the cam 130c is formed so as to have different lengths on both sides in the axial direction relative to the spring 160, and the roller 140c is configured to be positioned on the longer side. The other configurations are similar to those of the first embodiment. As in this embodiment, by changing the axial arrangement of the spring 160, an optimum design according to the required axial length of the roller is possible.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 6, in the cam clutch unit 100d according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the cams 130d1 and 130d2 are arranged axially side by side in a pocket portion 151d of a cage ring 150d, and the cams 130d1 and 130d2 are independently biased by a spring 160 and a second spring 161, respectively. The pocket portions 152d1, 152d2 that accommodate the rollers 140 are configured to be arranged only on the axial side of the spring 160, alternately in the circumferential direction on both axial sides of the second spring 161, at positions that do not interfere with the second spring 161 and the spring 160 in the axial direction. The pocket portion 152d2, which is disposed on the opposite side of the second spring 161 from the spring 160, has the same axial length as the pocket portion 152d1, which is disposed at a position sandwiched between the second spring 161 and the spring 160. The roller 140 housed in the pocket portion 152d2 is disposed so as to include a different range in the axial direction from the cam 130d2 biased by the second spring 161.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 7, in the cam clutch unit 100e according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the cams 130e1 and 130e2 are arranged axially side by side in a pocket portion 151e of a cage ring 150e, and the cams 130e1 and 130e2 are independently biased by a spring 160 and a second spring 161, respectively. The pocket portion 152e that houses the roller 140 is configured to be positioned only on the axial side of the second spring 161 toward the spring 160 and on the axial side of the spring 160 toward the second spring 161, in a position that does not interfere with the second spring 161 and the spring 160 in the axial direction. That is, the pocket portion 152e is disposed only at a position sandwiched between the second spring 161 and the spring 160.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 8, in the cam clutch unit 100f according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, the cams 130f1 and 130f2 are arranged axially side by side in a pocket portion 151f of a cage ring 150f, and the cams 130f1 and 130f2 are independently biased by a spring 160 and a second spring 161, respectively. The pocket portion 152f that houses the roller 140 is configured to be disposed only on the opposite side of the second spring 161 from the spring 160 in the axial direction, at a position that does not interfere with the second spring 161 in the axial direction. Further, the roller 140 housed in the pocket portion 152f is disposed so as to include a different range in the axial direction from the cam 130f biased by the second spring 161.

[0021] By using two rows of cams as in the fourth to sixth embodiments, a cam clutch that is long in the axial direction can be obtained without making the cam itself longer in the axial direction, thereby improving the reliability of cam operation and making it possible to use a common cam. Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the present invention described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0022] 100, 500... Cam clutch unit 130, 530... Cam 131, ... engagement portion 535 Groove 140, 540 ··· Laura 545 Groove 150, 550 ··· Cage ring 151, 551 ··· Pocket (for cam) 152, 552 ··· Pocket section (for rollers) 153... Lubrication adjustment section 154 Oil flow hole 157 ... Claw part 160, 560...Spring 161 ··· 2nd Spring

Claims

1. A cam clutch unit comprising: a plurality of cams and a plurality of rollers disposed between an inner ring and an outer ring which are coaxially arranged so as to be relatively rotatable; a cage ring having a plurality of pockets which restrict relative movement of the cams and the rollers in a circumferential direction; and at least one annular spring which biases the cam, The cam has an engagement portion that is engageable with the spring, a pocket portion for accommodating the roller is provided at a position that does not interfere with at least one of the springs in the axial direction; A cam clutch unit, characterized in that the pocket portions that house the plurality of rollers are arranged differently in the circumferential direction on both sides of at least one of the springs.

2. 2. The cam clutch unit according to claim 1, wherein the pockets for accommodating the rollers are provided alternately in the circumferential direction on both axial sides of at least one of the springs.

3. 2. The cam clutch unit according to claim 1, wherein the pocket portion for accommodating the roller is provided on only one side in the axial direction relative to at least one of the springs.

4. 2. The cam clutch unit according to claim 1, wherein two or more of the springs are provided at different positions in the axial direction.

5. 2. The cam clutch unit according to claim 1, wherein the cage ring has a lubrication adjustment portion at a position opposite to at least one of the pocket portions with the spring therebetween.

6. 2. The cam clutch unit according to claim 1, wherein a part or all of the rollers are arranged to include a different range from the cam in the axial direction.

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