Cam clutch unit

Abstract

To provide a cam clutch unit capable of improving assemblability and workability while preventing a cam from coming off from a cage ring and an energizing member from being damaged during assembly, and capable of improving torque transmission efficiency.SOLUTION: A cam 110 has a head part 111 and a leg part 116 whose maximum cross-sectional widths Wa, Wb are larger than an opening width Wp of a pocket part 125 of a cage ring 120, and at least one of the head part 111 and leg part 116 of the cam 110 is configured to be able to pass through the pocket part 125 by elastically deforming the pocket part 125 as the cam 100 rotates while being inserted in an inclined posture relative to the pocket part 125 along an opening direction of the pocket part 125.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

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 Art

[0002] As a cam clutch unit, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of cams 210 disposed between an inner ring and an outer ring that are relatively rotatable coaxially, and a plurality of cams 210 that regulate relative movement in the circumferential direction. A cage ring 220 having pocket portions 225, and an annular spring as a biasing member 230 that is mounted in a mounting groove 213 formed to extend in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral cam surface of the cam 210 and biases the cam 210 to contact the inner ring and the outer ring. A configuration including is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The cam 210 in this cam clutch unit 200 has a body portion disposed in an inserted state in the pocket portion 225, a head portion continuous with the outer peripheral side of the body portion, and a leg portion continuous with the inner peripheral side of the body portion. The head portion of the cam 210 is configured such that the maximum cross-sectional width Wa, which is the maximum distance between parallel lines when sandwiched between two parallel lines, is larger than the minimum opening width Wp of the pocket portion 225. On the other hand, the leg portion of the cam 210 is configured such that the maximum cross-sectional width Wb, which is the maximum distance between parallel lines when sandwiched between two parallel lines, is smaller than the minimum opening width Wp of the pocket portion 225 so that the cam 210 can pass through the pocket portion 225 by inserting the cam 210 obliquely from the outer peripheral side with respect to the pocket portion 225.

[0004] In such a cam clutch unit 200, when assembling the cam 210 to the cage ring 220, the cam 210 that has already been inserted and disposed in the pocket portion 225 may rotate within the pocket portion 225 and the cam 210 may fall off from the cage ring 220. In addition, since it is necessary to insert the cam 210 obliquely with respect to the pocket portion 225, there is a problem that the assembly workability is reduced.

[0005] In addition, as a cam clutch unit, when assembling a cam to a cage ring, in order to prevent the cam from falling out of the pocket portion, a so-called snap fit structure is known to be adopted (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In the cam used in such a cam clutch unit, the head portion and the leg portion are each configured such that the maximum cross-sectional width is larger than the opening width of the pocket portion. For this reason, by press-fitting the cam from the opening direction of the pocket portion, the cam is locked to the opening edge portion of the pocket portion, and it is possible to prevent the cam from falling out of the pocket portion.

[0006] Furthermore, a regulating step portion is provided on the other end surface of a cam having a biasing member engaging step portion on one end surface in the axial direction, and a regulating convex portion for regulating the inclination of the cam is provided on the surface adjacent to the regulating step portion of the cam in the axial direction in the pocket portion of the cage ring. A structure is known in which the cam is prevented from falling out of the cage ring by engaging the regulating step portion of the cam with the regulating step portion of the pocket portion (see Patent Document 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] However, in the structure described in Patent Document 2, due to the structural reason that the cage ring is elastically deformed with the insertion of the cam, high dimensional accuracy is required for the opening width of the pocket portion. However, since the cage ring is composed of, for example, an integrally molded resin product, it is difficult to form the opening width of the pocket portion with high dimensional accuracy, and there is a risk that the cage ring may be damaged by the press-fitting insertion of the cam into the pocket portion.

[0009] On the other hand, in the structure described in Patent Document 3, there are the following problems. First, the cam is likely to come apart during assembly, and it is necessary to provide a locking structure for preventing the axial drop of the cam at one axial end side of the pocket portion. For this reason, when inserting the cam clutch unit between the inner ring and the outer ring, the spring may be damaged by being axially sandwiched between the cam and the cage ring, and it may not be possible to obtain an appropriate biasing force for the cam. Also, due to the structure of engaging the regulating step portion of the cam and the regulating step portion of the pocket portion, it is necessary to provide a regulating step portion for each of the cam and the cage ring, which increases the number of processing steps and also increases the processing burden in terms of cost. Furthermore, since it is necessary to insert the cam obliquely into the pocket portion, the assembly workability is reduced.

[0010] The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and aims to provide a cam clutch unit capable of improving assemblability and workability while preventing the cam from falling off the cage ring and damage to the biasing member during assembly, and realizing an improvement in torque transmission efficiency.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] The present invention relates to a cam clutch unit including a plurality of cams disposed between an inner ring and an outer ring that are relatively rotatable coaxially, a resin cage ring having a plurality of pocket portions that regulate relative circumferential movement of the cams, and a biasing member that biases the cams to contact the inner ring and the outer ring. The cam has a body portion disposed in an inserted state in the pocket portion, a head portion continuous with the outer peripheral side of the body portion, and a leg portion continuous with the inner peripheral side of the body portion. The axial dimension is configured to be smaller than the axial dimension of the pocket portion. The head portion and the leg portion are configured such that a maximum cross-sectional width, which is the distance between two parallel lines when sandwiched by the two parallel lines in a cross-section perpendicular to the rotation center of the cam, is larger than the opening width of the pocket portion. At least one of the head portion and the leg portion is configured to elastically deform the pocket portion as the cam is rotated while being inserted along the opening direction of the pocket portion in an inclined posture with respect to the pocket portion, so that the cam can pass through the pocket portion, thereby solving the above problems.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to the invention according to claim 1, since the cam and the pocket portion of the cage ring are configured to snap-fit by rotating the cam while inserting it into the pocket portion during assembly, it is possible to easily assemble the cam without damaging the cage ring while inserting the cam along the opening direction of the pocket portion, and it is possible to prevent the cam from coming off. In addition, since the cam and the pocket portion form a snap-fit structure, there is no need to separately provide a structure for preventing the cam from coming off on the cam and the cage ring. Therefore, the processing burden can be reduced. Further, when inserting the cam clutch unit between the inner ring and the outer ring, it is possible to avoid a problem that the biasing member is damaged when the biasing member is axially sandwiched between the cam and the cage ring. Therefore, an appropriate biasing force can be applied to the cam by the biasing member, and the torque transmission performance can be improved. Moreover, since high dimensional accuracy is not required for the pocket portion, the degree of freedom in assembly can be improved.

[0013] According to the invention according to claim 2, when inserting the cam into the pocket portion, the amount of elastic deformation (snap amount) of the pocket portion can be reduced, so that the assembly of the cam to the cage ring can be easily performed. According to the invention according to claim 3, when inserting the cam into the pocket portion, by moving the cam along the cam insertion guide portion, the assembly of the cam to the cage ring becomes easy, and the assemblability can be improved. According to the invention according to claim 4, the cam can be inserted into the pocket portion in an appropriate inclined posture, and the assemblability can be improved. According to the invention according to claim 5, since the spring as the biasing member is not sandwiched between the cam and the cage ring, the spring is not damaged when inserting the cam clutch unit between the inner ring and the outer ring. According to the invention according to claim 6, since the pocket portion for the roller of the cage ring is formed in a shape that restricts the movement of the roller to the outer ring side and the inner ring side on the surface adjacent to the roller in the circumferential direction, the roller can be prevented from dropping off to the outer peripheral side during assembly, and the assemblability can be improved. Also, a simple cylindrical or cylindrical roller without machining can be used, and the machining burden can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

Figure 5

Figure 6A

Figure 6B

Figure 6C

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, the cam clutch unit according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the cam clutch unit 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of cams 110 disposed in an annular space between the raceway surface of the inner ring and the raceway surface of the outer ring that are relatively rotatable on the same axis, a cage ring 120 having a plurality of pocket portions 125 that regulate the relative movement of the cams 110 in the circumferential direction, and a biasing member 130 that biases each of the plurality of cams 110 in the meshing direction with respect to the inner ring and the outer ring so as to be in contact with the inner ring and the outer ring.

[0016] First, the configuration of the cage ring 120 will be specifically described. As shown in FIG. 2, the cage ring 120 includes an end-side annular plate 121 and an other-end-side annular plate 122 that are disposed opposite to each other in the axial direction, and a plurality of columnar ribs 123 that connect the end-side annular plate 121 and the other-end-side annular plate 122. The inner diameter of the end-side annular plate 121 is larger than the outer diameter of the other-end-side annular plate 122. One axial end portion of the rib 123 is fixed on the inner peripheral surface of the end-side annular plate 121, and the other axial end portion is fixed on the outer peripheral surface of the other-end-side annular plate 122. The end-side annular plate 121 constitutes a flange portion that protrudes radially outward over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction. Each rib 123 is arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and a pocket portion 125 is formed between adjacent ribs 123. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, each rib 123 is configured to have a substantially trapezoidal cross-sectional shape such that the width dimension decreases toward the radially inner side, and the pocket portion 125 is configured to have a rectangular opening shape and a uniform opening width Wp in the radial direction.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, each of the plurality of cams 110 has a body portion 115 disposed in an inserted state within a pocket portion 125 of a cage ring 120, a head portion 111 continuous with the outer peripheral side of the body portion 115, and a leg portion 116 continuous with the inner peripheral side of the body portion 115. Here, the head portion 111 refers to a portion that protrudes to the outer peripheral side from the opening edge of the pocket portion 125 in a state where the cam 110 is disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring, and the leg portion 115 refers to a portion that protrudes to the outer peripheral side from the opening edge of the pocket portion 125. In the present embodiment, the body portion 115 is configured to have a columnar form with a uniform width dimension in the radial direction, but it may be configured to have a form in which the width dimension changes in the radial direction.

[0018] The head portion 111 of the cam 110 has an outer peripheral cam surface 112 engaged with the raceway surface of the outer ring, and in a cross section perpendicular to the rotation center of the cam 110, the maximum cross-sectional width Wa, which is the maximum distance between two parallel lines when sandwiched by the two parallel lines, is configured to be larger than the opening width Wp of the pocket portion 125. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the head portion 111 of the cam 110 is configured such that the first inclined direction width W1 and the second inclined direction width W2 are larger than the opening width Wp of the pocket portion 125. Here, the first inclined direction width W1 is the width between two straight lines when the head portion 111 on one side surface of the cam 110 is sandwiched by a first virtual straight line L1 connecting any two points a1, b1 where the closest distance in the head side region from the head portion 111 to the body portion 115 is the same as the thickness t of the pocket portion 125 and a straight line parallel to the first virtual straight line L1, and the minimum distance between the two straight lines is obtained. Also, the second inclined direction width W2 is the width between two straight lines when the head portion 111 on the other side surface of the cam 110 is sandwiched by a second virtual straight line L2 connecting any two points a2, b2 where the closest distance in the head side region from the head portion 111 to the body portion 115 is the same as the thickness t of the pocket portion 125 and a straight line parallel to the second virtual straight line L2, and the minimum distance between the two straight lines is obtained.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the leg portion 116 of the cam 110 has an inner circumferential cam surface 117 that engages with the raceway surface of the inner ring. In a cross section perpendicular to the rotation center of the cam 110, the maximum cross-sectional width Wb, which is the distance between two parallel lines when sandwiched by the two parallel lines, is configured to be larger than the opening width Wp of the pocket portion 125. Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the leg portion 116 of the cam 110 is configured such that the third inclined direction width W3 and the fourth inclined direction width W4 are larger than the opening width Wp of the pocket portion 125. Here, the third inclined direction width W3 refers to the width between two straight lines when the other side portion of the leg portion 116 is sandwiched by a third virtual straight line L3 connecting any two points c1 and d1 where the closest distance in the leg side region from the body portion 115 to the leg portion 116 on one side surface of the cam 110 is the same as the thickness t of the pocket portion 125, and a straight line parallel to the third virtual straight line L3, and the distance between the two straight lines is minimized. Further, the fourth inclined direction width W4 refers to the width between two straight lines when one side portion of the leg portion 116 is sandwiched by a fourth virtual straight line L4 connecting any two points c2 and d2 where the closest distance in the leg side region from the body portion 115 to the leg portion 116 on the other side surface of the cam 110 is the same as the thickness t of the pocket portion 125, and a straight line parallel to the second virtual straight line L4, and the distance between the two straight lines is minimized.

[0020] In the present embodiment, both end faces in the axial direction of each cam 110 have a flat shape, and the axial dimension is configured to be smaller than the axial dimension of the pocket portion 125. Therefore, it is possible to approach the pocket portion 125 in a posture where both end faces extend in the opening direction (radial direction) of the pocket portion 125 without tilting the cam 110 in the axial direction during assembly. When the cam 110 is disposed in the pocket portion 125, the circumferential position of the cam 110 is restricted by the rib 123, and as shown in FIG. 5, the axial position of the cam 110 is restricted by the one-end-side annular plate 121 and the other-end-side annular plate 122.

[0021] In the present embodiment, the biasing member 130 is constituted by an annular spring and is mounted in a mounting groove 113 formed in the head portion 111 of the cam 110. The mounting groove 113 is formed at the central portion in the axial direction. When the biasing member 130 is mounted, one side portion of the mounting groove 113 is pressed toward the inner peripheral side, whereby the cam 110 is rotated in the meshing direction (e.g., clockwise in FIG. 3) and biased into a state of contacting the inner ring and the outer ring.

[0022] As described above, in the present embodiment, the head 111 and the leg 116 of the cam 110 are configured such that all of the first inclined direction width W1, the second inclined direction width W2, the third inclined direction width W3, and the fourth inclined direction width W4 are larger than the opening width Wp of the pocket portion 125. Therefore, no matter what posture the cam 110 takes, when the cam 110 is inserted along the opening direction (radial direction) of the pocket portion 125 during assembly, or when the cam 110 disposed in the pocket portion 125 moves only in the radial direction, the head 111 and the leg 116 of the cam 110 cannot pass through the pocket portion 125.

[0023] However, in the cam clutch unit 100 according to the present embodiment, each of the first inclined direction width W1, the second inclined direction width W2, the third inclined direction width W3, and the fourth inclined direction width W4 is sized such that the pocket portion 125 can be elastically deformed by rotating the cam 110 while inserting it along the opening direction of the pocket portion 125 in an inclined posture with respect to the pocket portion 125. That is, since each of the head 111 and the leg 116 of the cam 110 and the pocket portion 125 constitute a snap-fit structure, the cam 110 can be assembled to the cage ring 120 regardless of whether the cam 110 is inserted into the pocket portion 125 from either the head 111 side or the leg 116 side. No matter what posture the cam 110 takes when it rotates within the pocket portion 125, it is possible to prevent the cam 110 from falling off. In addition, if at least one of the width dimensions of the first inclined direction width W1, the second inclined direction width W2, the third inclined direction width W3, and the fourth inclined direction width W4 is such that the cam 110 can be rotated while being inserted along the opening direction of the pocket portion 125 in an inclined posture with respect to the pocket portion 125 to elastically deform the pocket portion 125, the cam 110 can be assembled to the cage ring 120 of the cam 110. Even when the cam 110 rotates within the pocket portion 125 and assumes any posture, it is possible to prevent the cam 110 from falling off.

[0024] Specifically explaining an example of the assembling method of the cam 110 to the cage ring 120, as shown in FIG. 6A, with the cam 110 rotated in the disengaging direction and in an inclined posture, the cam 110 is inserted from the leg portion 116 side of the cam 110 along the opening direction of the pocket portion 125 with respect to the pocket portion 125. At this time, since the fourth inclined direction width W4 of the cam 110 is larger than the opening width Wp of the pocket portion 125, the leg portion 116 of the cam 110 does not pass through the pocket portion 125 and the cam 110 is in a state of being locked to the opening edge of the pocket portion 125. In this state, as shown in FIG. 6B, by rotating the cam 110 in the meshing direction with the contact point between the other side surface of the body portion 115 of the cam 110 and the opening edge of the pocket portion 125 as a fulcrum, the pocket portion 125 elastically deforms to a state where it can pass through the pocket portion 125. Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, by further inserting the cam 110, the cam 110 can be assembled to the cage ring 120. When the cam 110 is disposed in the pocket portion 125, since all of the first inclined direction width W1, the second inclined direction width W2, the third inclined direction width W3, and the fourth inclined direction width W4 of the cam 110 are larger than the opening width Wp of the pocket portion 125, when assembling another cam 110 to the cage ring 120, even when the cam 110 rotates within the pocket portion 125 and assumes any posture, the cam 110 does not come out of the pocket portion 125.

[0025] In the above description, the case where the cam 110 is inserted into the pocket portion 125 from the leg portion 116 side of the cam 110 in an inclined posture with the cam 110 rotated in the disengaging direction has been described. However, the cam 110 may be inserted into the pocket portion 125 from the head portion 111 side of the cam 110, or the cam 110 may be inserted into the pocket portion 125 from the head portion 111 side or the leg portion 116 side of the cam 110 in an inclined posture with the cam 110 rotated in the engaging direction.

[0026] As described above, in the cam clutch unit 100 according to the present embodiment, the pocket portion 125 of the cam 110 and the cage ring 120 are configured to be snap-fitted by rotating the cam 110 while inserting it into the pocket portion 125 during assembly. Therefore, according to the cam clutch unit 100 according to the present embodiment, while the cam 110 is inserted along the opening direction of the pocket portion 125, it is possible to easily assemble the cam 110 without damaging the cage ring 120, and it is also possible to prevent the cam 110 from coming off. Further, since the cam 110 and the pocket portion 125 form a snap-fit structure, it is not necessary to separately provide a structure for preventing the cam 110 from coming off the cam 110 and the cage ring 120. Therefore, the processing burden can be reduced. Furthermore, the biasing member 130 is mounted in the mounting groove 113 provided at the central portion in the axial direction of the cam 110, and when the cam clutch unit 100 is inserted between the inner ring and the outer ring, it is possible to avoid the problem that the biasing member 130 is damaged by being axially sandwiched between the cam 110 and the cage ring 120. Thereby, an appropriate biasing force can be applied to the cam 110 by the biasing member 130, and the torque transmission performance can be improved. Moreover, since high dimensional accuracy is not required for the pocket portion 125, the degree of freedom in assembly can be improved.

[0027] The cage ring 120 may be configured to have a cam insertion guide portion on at least one side in the circumferential direction at the opening edge of the pocket portion 125. According to such a configuration, when inserting the cam 110 into the pocket portion 125, by moving the cam 110 along the cam insertion guide portion, the assembly of the cam 110 to the cage ring 120 becomes easy, and it is possible to improve the assemblability. Specifically, for example, when assembling the cam 110 into the pocket portion 125 from the leg portion 116 side, as shown in FIG. 7, by making both side edges on the outer surface of the rib 123 have a chamfered C shape, the cam insertion guide portion 126 is formed. Only one side edge on the outer surface of the rib 123 may be configured to have a chamfered C shape, or it may have a chamfered R shape instead of the chamfered C shape. Also, when assembling the cam 110 into the pocket portion 125 from the head portion 111 side, a cam insertion guide portion may be provided on at least one side edge on the inner surface of the rib 123.

[0028] Further, the cage ring 120 may be configured to have a cam insertion posture stabilizing portion that contacts one side surface or the other side surface of the body portion 115 at the opening edge portion of the pocket portion 125 when the cam 110 is in an inclined posture when inserting the cam 110 into the pocket portion 125. According to such a configuration, it becomes possible to insert the cam 110 into the pocket portion 125 in an appropriate inclined posture, and it is possible to improve the assemblability. Specifically, for example, when assembling the cam 110 into the pocket portion 125 from the leg portion 116 side in an inclined posture where the cam 110 is rotated in the disengagement direction, as shown in FIG. 8, by providing a plate-shaped guide member that extends inclined with respect to the opening direction of the pocket portion 125 on one side edge on the outer surface of the rib 123, the cam insertion posture stabilizing portion 127 is formed. Needless to say, the position where the guide member is provided can be appropriately changed according to the assembly direction of the cam 110. Furthermore, in the cage ring 120 having the configuration shown in FIG. 8, a cam insertion guide portion may be provided on the rib 123 on the side edge opposite to the side edge where the guide member is provided.

[0029] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the cam clutch unit 100 shown in FIG. 1, in order to ensure the coaxiality of the inner ring and the outer ring, a part of the plurality of cams 110 may be replaced with freely rotatable rollers. Hereinafter, the cam clutch unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration will be described.

[0030] The cam clutch unit 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of rollers 140 arranged together with a plurality of cams 110 in an annular space between the raceway surface of the inner ring and the raceway surface of the outer ring that are relatively rotatable on the same axis, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The number and arrangement of each of the cams 110 and the rollers 140 may be any. As shown in FIG. 11, the cage ring 120 has a cam pocket portion 125a that restricts the relative movement of the cams 110 in the circumferential direction and a roller pocket portion 125b that houses the rollers 140 and restricts the relative movement of the rollers 140 in the circumferential direction.

[0031] Each of the plurality of cams 110 has a configuration similar to that of the cam 110 in the cam clutch unit 100 according to the first embodiment, except that it has an urging member engagement step portion 118 that can engage with an annular spring that is an urging member 130 on one end surface in the axial direction, as shown in FIG. 12.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the urging member engagement step portion 118 is formed to incline radially inward from one side surface of the cam 110 toward the other side surface. When the urging member 130 is mounted, one side portion of the mounting groove 113 is pressed toward the inner peripheral side, whereby the cam 110 is rotated in the meshing direction (clockwise in FIG. 12(b)) and urged into a state of contacting the inner ring and the outer ring.

[0033] Both end faces of the cam 110 in the axial direction are flat. As a result, when assembling, the cam 110 can approach the cam pocket portion 125a in a posture where both end faces extend in the opening direction (radial direction) of the pocket portion 125 without tilting the cam 110 in the axial direction. In a state where the cam 110 is disposed in the cam pocket portion 125a, the circumferential position of the cam 110 is regulated by the rib 123, and as shown in FIG. 13, the axial position of the cam 110 is regulated by the one - end - side annular plate 121 and the other - end - side annular plate 122 that constitute the flange portion.

[0034] The plurality of rollers 140 are simple cylindrical or columnar shapes without grooves or stepped portions. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the axial dimension of the roller 140 is less than or equal to the axial dimension excluding the urging member engaging step portion 118 of the cam 110. In the present embodiment, the outer peripheral edge portions of both end faces of the roller 140 are chamfered to prevent catching with the urging member 130.

[0035] In the roller pocket portion 125b of the cage ring 120, the surfaces adjacent to the roller 140 in the circumferential direction are formed in a shape that restricts the movement of the roller 140 to the outer ring side and the inner ring side. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the roller pocket portion 125b is configured by providing a pair of restricting portions 128 that form a columnar space capable of accommodating the roller 140 on each of the opposing side surfaces of the two ribs 123 that define the roller pocket portion 125b. The separation distance Wr1 between the outer peripheral - side end edges and the separation distance Wr2 between the inner peripheral - side end edges of the restricting portion 128 are configured to be smaller than the roller diameter D, and the roller 140 can be disposed in the roller pocket portion 125b by elastically deforming as the roller 140 is inserted. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the roller pocket portion 125b is configured such that its axial dimension is smaller than the axial dimension of the cam pocket portion 125a, and has a regulating wall portion 124 that protrudes axially toward the other end side from one surface of the one-end-side annular plate 121. Thereby, the movement of the roller 140 in the axial direction is regulated by the other-end-side annular plate 122 and the regulating wall portion 124.

[0036] The annular spring, which is the biasing member 130, is mounted on the biasing member engaging step portion 118 in a state where there is a gap between one end surface of the cam 110 (the end surface of the portion excluding the biasing member engaging step portion 118 of the cam 110) and the end surface of the one-end-side annular plate 121 that constitutes the flange portion, as shown in FIG. 13. For this reason, since the biasing member 130 is not pinched between the cam 110 and the cage ring 120, the biasing member 130 is not damaged when the cam clutch unit 100 is inserted between the inner ring and the outer ring.

[0037] According to the cam clutch unit 100 according to the present embodiment, since the cam 110 and the cam pocket portion 125a, and the roller 140 and the roller pocket portion 125b are configured to snap-fit, it is possible to easily assemble the cam 110 and the roller 140 without damaging the cage ring 120, and it is possible to prevent the cam 110 and the roller 140 from coming off. In addition, there is no need to separately provide a structure for preventing the cam 110 from coming off the cam 110 and the cage ring 120, and since it is possible to use a simple columnar or cylindrical shape without machining for the roller 140, it is possible to reduce the machining burden.

[0038] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the present invention described in the claims. For example, in the above embodiment, the head 111 and the leg portion 116 of the cam 110 are configured such that all of the first inclined direction width W1, the second inclined direction width W2, the third inclined direction width W3, and the fourth inclined direction width W4 are larger than the opening width Wp of the pocket portion 125. However, when the cam is assembled to the cage ring with the biasing member attached, the head and the leg portion of the cam may be configured such that the inclined direction width in the inclined posture in which the cam is inclined in the direction opposite to the direction in which the cam rotates due to the attachment of the biasing member to the cam is smaller than the opening width of the pocket portion. In addition, although the configuration using an annular spring as the biasing member has been described, the biasing member may be, for example, a ribbon spring or a torsion spring. Further, regarding the cam clutch unit according to the second embodiment, in the above embodiment, the biasing member engaging step portion is provided only on one end surface in the axial direction of the cam. However, the biasing member engaging step portion may be provided on both end surfaces in the axial direction of the cam, and the cam may be biased by two annular springs.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0039] 100, 200 ··· Cam clutch unit 110, 210 ··· Cam 111 ··· Head 112 ··· Outer peripheral side cam surface 113, 213 ··· Mounting groove 115 ··· Body 116 ··· Leg portion 117 ··· Inner peripheral side cam surface 118 ··· Biasing member engaging step portion 120, 220 ··· Cage ring 121 ··· One end side annular plate 122 ··· The other end side annular plate 123 ··· Rib 124 ··· Regulation wall portion 125, 225 ··· Pocket portion 125a ··· Cam pocket portion 125b ··· Roller pocket portion 126 ··· Cam insertion guide part 127 ··· Cam insertion posture stabilizing part 128 ··· Regulation part 130, 230 ··· Biasing member 140 ··· Roller

Claims

1. A cam clutch unit comprising a plurality of cams arranged between an inner ring and an outer ring that are rotatable relative to each other on the same axis, a resin cage ring having a plurality of pocket portions that regulate relative circumferential movement of the cams, and a biasing member that biases the cams to contact the inner ring and the outer ring, The cam has a body portion disposed in an inserted state in the pocket portion, a head portion continuous with the outer peripheral side of the body portion, and a leg portion continuous with the inner peripheral side of the body portion, and is configured such that the axial dimension is smaller than the axial dimension of the pocket portion, The head portion and the leg portion are configured such that, in a cross section perpendicular to the rotation center of the cam, the maximum cross-sectional width, where the distance between two parallel lines is maximum when sandwiched by the two parallel lines, is larger than the opening width of the pocket portion, At least one of the head portion and the leg portion is configured to be able to pass through the pocket portion by elastically deforming the pocket portion as the cam is rotated while being inserted along the opening direction of the pocket portion in an inclined posture with respect to the pocket portion.

2. In a cross section perpendicular to the rotation center of the cam, the cam A first virtual straight line La connecting any two points having the same closest distance as the thickness of the pocket portion in the head-side region on one side surface of the cam, and a straight line parallel to the first virtual straight line La, the first inclined direction width W1 where the distance between the two straight lines is minimum when sandwiching the other side portion of the head, A second virtual straight line Lb connecting any two points having the same closest distance as the thickness of the pocket portion in the head-side region on the other side surface of the cam, and a straight line parallel to the second virtual straight line Lb, the second inclined direction head width W2 where the distance between the two straight lines is minimum when sandwiching the one side portion of the head, A third virtual straight line Lc connecting any two points having the same closest distance as the thickness of the pocket portion in the leg-side region on one side surface of the cam, and a straight line parallel to the third virtual straight line Lc, the third inclined direction width W3 where the distance between the two straight lines is minimum when sandwiching the other side portion of the leg, and A fourth virtual straight line Ld connecting any two points where the closest distance is the same as the thickness of the pocket portion in the leg portion side region on the other side surface of the cam, and a straight line parallel to the fourth virtual straight line Ld, and a fourth inclination direction width W4 which is the minimum distance between the two straight lines when sandwiching one side portion of the leg portion. The cam clutch unit according to claim 1, wherein at least one of is sized to be capable of elastically deforming the pocket portion as the cam is inserted into the pocket portion.

3. The cam clutch unit according to claim 1, wherein the cage ring has a cam insertion guide portion on at least one side in the circumferential direction at the opening edge of the pocket portion.

4. The cam clutch unit according to claim 1, wherein the cage ring has a cam insertion posture stabilizing portion that contacts one side surface or the other side surface of the body portion at the opening edge portion of the pocket portion when the cam is in an inclined posture during insertion into the pocket portion of the cam.

5. The cam has a biasing member engaging step portion on one end surface in the axial direction. The cage ring has a flange portion that protrudes radially outward over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction at one end portion in the axial direction. The cam clutch unit according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member is constituted by an annular spring that is mounted on the biasing member engaging step portion in a state of having a gap between one end surface of the cam and the end surface of the flange portion.

6. The cam clutch unit further includes a plurality of rollers disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring. The cage ring has a roller holding pocket portion formed in a shape such that the surface adjacent to the roller in the circumferential direction restricts the movement of the roller to the outer ring side and the inner ring side. The roller holding pocket portion is configured to be elastically deformed as the roller is inserted into the roller holding pocket portion along the opening direction of the roller holding pocket portion, so that the roller can be disposed within the roller holding pocket portion. The cam clutch unit according to claim 1, characterized in that.

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