One-way clutch

Abstract

A one-way clutch, comprising an outer ring (10) and an inner shaft (20) which are capable of rotating relative to each other, wherein the outer ring (10) coaxially surrounds the radial outer side of the inner shaft (20). The one-way clutch further comprises a plurality of support assemblies, wherein the plurality of support assemblies are respectively mounted on the radial inner side of the outer ring (10) and circumferentially distributed at intervals; each support assembly comprises a mounting seat (40), an elastic member (50) and an abutting member (60); the mounting seat (40) of each support assembly is fixed relative to the outer ring (10); the abutting member (60) of each support assembly is mounted in the corresponding mounting seat (40) so as to be able to radially move; and the elastic member (50) of each support assembly radially abuts between the corresponding mounting seat (40) and abutting member (60) so as to press the corresponding abutting member (60) against the inner shaft (20), so that the outer ring (10) is mounted to the inner shaft (20) by means of the support assemblies. An improved mounting method is used in the one-way clutch.

Description

One-way clutch TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of transmission. In particular, the present application relates to a one-way clutch with improved mounting. BACKGROUND

[0002] One-way clutches (OWC) are common components in transmission mechanisms. A one-way clutch generally comprises a coaxially arranged outer ring and an inner shaft, and a plurality of rolling bodies are arranged between the outer ring and the inner shaft. The one-way transmission of the rolling bodies between the outer ring and the inner shaft can be achieved by a guide profile. One-way clutches applying this principle are known from, for example, CN 104395630 A and other patent documents. In the prior art, in order to assemble the outer ring and the inner shaft together, a separate bearing needs to be arranged in the one-way clutch or a part of the one-way clutch needs to be formed as a sliding bearing or a bushing, so as to realize the centering support of the outer ring and the inner shaft. In the typical structure of the prior art one-way clutch shown in CN 104395630 A, the outer ring forms a surface for contacting the inner shaft through a part for separating the rolling bodies, and the surface for contacting the inner shaft is in clearance fit with the inner shaft, which allows the outer ring to rotate relative to the inner shaft on the one hand, and limits the radial position (i.e. the centering support) of the outer ring relative to the inner shaft on the other hand.

[0003] If the one-way clutch adopts the bushing mode to realize the centering support, the friction torque generated between the outer ring and the inner shaft at high speed rotation can be large. In order to reduce the friction torque, a plurality of lugs are generally used instead of the bushing in the prior art. These lugs are integrally formed on the radially inner side of the outer ring and abut against the outer surface of the inner shaft. When this mounting mode is adopted, the structure of the outer ring is prone to deformation during heat treatment, and for this reason, a medium-carbon steel with high-frequency quenching is generally used instead of a low-carbon steel with carburizing heat treatment, which has a higher requirement on the machining process and is difficult to control the production cost. In addition, in the mounted state, the plurality of lugs on the outer ring are subjected to a large stress and are prone to damage, thereby reducing the service life.

[0004] SUMMARY

[0005] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide a one-way clutch with an improved mounting.

[0006] The above technical problem is solved by a one-way clutch according to the present application. The one-way clutch comprises an outer ring and an inner shaft capable of rotating relative to each other, the outer ring coaxially surrounds radially outside of the inner shaft. The one-way clutch further comprises a plurality of support assemblies, the plurality of support assemblies are respectively mounted radially inside of the outer ring and are distributed in a circumferential direction, each support assembly comprises a mounting seat, an elastic member and an abutting member, the mounting seat of each support assembly is fixed relative to the outer ring, the abutting member of each support assembly is movably mounted in the corresponding mounting seat in a radial direction, the elastic member of each support assembly is abutted between the corresponding mounting seat and the abutting member in a radial direction so as to press the corresponding abutting member against the inner shaft, so that the outer ring is mounted to the inner shaft through the support assemblies. Since the outer ring is mounted to the inner shaft by means of the elastic force provided by the elastic members of the support assemblies, the assembly of the outer ring and the inner shaft is facilitated, and the risk of friction torque and damage to the mounting structure can be reduced.

[0007] According to a preferred embodiment of the present application, the mounting seat of each support assembly can be a component formed independently of the outer ring and assembled with the outer ring fixedly. This makes the outer ring and the support assemblies can be respectively manufactured by different materials, thereby the processing difficulty and production cost of the product can be reduced.

[0008] According to another preferred embodiment of the present application, the one-way clutch can further comprise a retainer and a plurality of rolling bodies, the plurality of rolling bodies are mounted radially between the outer ring and the inner shaft and are distributed in a circumferential direction by the retainer, the retainer is fixed to the outer ring and comprises a plurality of accommodating cavities distributed in a circumferential direction, each accommodating cavity is open towards a radially inner side, and the mounting seat of each support assembly is fixedly mounted in the corresponding accommodating cavity. Thereby the support assemblies can be conveniently and stably mounted with the outer ring.

[0009] According to another preferred embodiment of the present application, each mounting seat can comprise a bottom plate abutting the outer ring in a radial direction and an outer side wall extending from the corresponding bottom plate towards a radially inner side, and each mounting seat is fixed relative to the outer ring by an interference fit between the corresponding outer side wall and an inner side surface of the corresponding accommodating cavity. Thereby the mounting seat can be assembled by a simple assembly process.

[0010] According to another preferred embodiment of the present application, each mounting seat can further comprise an inner side wall extending from the corresponding bottom plate towards the radially inner side, and the inner side wall of each mounting seat is offset relative to the corresponding outer side wall towards a direction close to the corresponding abutting member so as to be spaced apart from the corresponding outer side wall, and each abutting member is guided by the inner side wall of the corresponding mounting seat to move relative to the corresponding mounting seat. The mounting seat thereby forms a structure with double-layer side walls, in particular during the process of press-fitting the mounting seat, the gap between the two layers of side walls can prevent the abutting member from hindering the elastic deformation of the outer side wall, and can also prevent the elastic deformation of the inner side wall from affecting the accuracy of the sliding guide surface.

[0011] According to another preferred embodiment of the present application, the outer side wall of each mounting seat can include two axially spaced apart outer side plate segments, the bottom plate of each mounting seat is axially connected between the corresponding two outer side plate segments, and each mounting seat is axially clamped in the corresponding accommodating cavity by the corresponding two outer side plate segments respectively abutting against the inner side surface of the corresponding accommodating cavity. The mounting seat can thus have a simpler structure.

[0012] According to another preferred embodiment of the present application, the inner side wall of each mounting seat can include two axially spaced apart inner side plate segments, the two inner side plate segments of each mounting seat are axially located between the corresponding two outer side plate segments, and the elastic member and the abutting member of each support assembly are axially constrained between the two inner side plate segments of the corresponding mounting seat and circumferentially constrained between the circumferential two ends of the corresponding accommodating cavity. The mounting seat can thus have a simpler structure.

[0013] According to another preferred embodiment of the present application, each mounting seat can include a stop portion, the stop portion of each mounting seat is formed as a flange extending from the corresponding inner side wall and stops the corresponding abutting member from moving towards the radially inner side beyond the corresponding stop portion. The risk of the abutting member disengaging from the mounting seat can thus be reduced.

[0014] According to another preferred embodiment of the present application, each abutting member can include an abutting region for abutting against the inner shaft, and the abutting region of each abutting member is formed as a spherical surface protruding towards the inner shaft. The frictional contact area can thus be reduced, thereby reducing the frictional torque.

[0015] According to another preferred embodiment of the present application, each mounting seat can include a positioning column protruding towards the inner shaft, and each elastic member is formed as a coil spring and mounted around the corresponding positioning column. The mounting position and the deformation direction of the elastic member are defined by the positioning column. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] The present application will be further described below with reference to the drawings. Like reference numerals represent like elements throughout the drawings. In which:

[0017] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a one-way clutch according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application; and

[0018] FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the one-way clutch according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The specific embodiments of the one-way clutch according to the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following detailed description and drawings are used to illustrate the principles of the present application, and the present application is not limited to the preferred embodiments described, the scope of protection of the present application being defined by the claims.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present application, a one-way clutch is provided for selectively transmitting torque in a predetermined direction (one-way torque transmission) between two rotating components. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show an exemplary embodiment of the one-way clutch according to the present application. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the one-way clutch, while FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the one-way clutch taken through the central axis.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the one-way clutch mainly comprises an outer ring 10, an inner shaft 20, a retainer 30, a plurality of rolling elements, and a plurality of support assemblies. The outer ring 10 is formed as a generally annular component around the central axis. The inner shaft 20 is formed as a generally annular or cylindrical component. The outer ring 10 coaxially surrounds the radially outer side of the inner shaft 20. The outer ring 10 and the inner shaft 20 are rotatable relative to each other about the common central axis.

[0022] The plurality of rolling elements (not shown) are installed in the radial direction between the outer ring 10 and the inner shaft 20 to transmit torque in a predetermined direction between the outer ring 10 and the inner shaft 20. Such one-way torque transmission effect of the rolling elements can be achieved by various known ways in the prior art (e.g. guide profiles), to which the present application is not limited. The rolling elements are distributed in the circumferential direction, and their circumferential positions relative to each other are maintained by the retainer 30 fixed to the outer ring 10. The specific structure of the rolling elements and the retainer 30 can refer to various common solutions in the prior art, such as the structure of the rolling elements and the retainer mentioned in the background section of CN 104395630 A.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of support assemblies are respectively installed on the radially inner side of the outer ring 10 and are distributed in the circumferential direction at intervals. The mounting seat 40 of each support assembly is fixed relative to the outer ring 10. The abutting piece 60 of each support assembly is installed in the corresponding mounting seat 40 and can be constrained and guided by the mounting seat 40 to move relative to the mounting seat 40 (and thus also relative to the outer ring 10) substantially along the radial direction of the outer ring 10. The elastic member 50 of each support assembly is abutted between the corresponding mounting seat 40 and the abutting piece 60 in a pre-compressed state substantially along the radial direction of the outer ring 10. The elastic force generated by each elastic member 50 acts on the corresponding abutting piece 60 substantially along the radial direction of the outer ring 10 inwardly, so that the abutting piece 60 is pressed against the radially outer side surface of the inner shaft 20. The outer ring 10 is thereby mounted to the inner shaft 20 by the pressing force of the support assemblies. At the same time, the abutting piece 60 can slide along the radially outer side surface of the inner shaft 20, thereby allowing the relative rotation between the outer ring 10 and the inner shaft 20.

[0024] Preferably, the mounting seat 40 of each support assembly can be a component formed separately from the outer ring 10, for example a component made of metal or the like. The mounting seat 40 and the outer ring 10 can be formed separately through respective independent machining processes, and then fixedly assembled together. This means that the manufacturing materials and machining processes suitable for both the mounting seat 40 and the outer ring 10 can be selected independently from each other, whereby a simpler machining method can be adopted, thus reducing the production cost. Moreover, this helps to reduce the stress concentration phenomenon, reducing the risk of component damage.

[0025] The fixed assembly of the mounting seat 40 and the outer ring 10 can be achieved in various different ways. In a preferred embodiment, the fixed assembly of the mounting seat 40 and the outer ring 10 can be achieved through the cooperation of the mounting seat 40 with the retainer 30. Specifically, the retainer 30 can be formed with a plurality of accommodation cavities distributed circumferentially (preferably, uniformly distributed), each of which is open towards the radially inner side of the outer ring 10. The mounting seat 40 of each support assembly is fixedly mounted in the corresponding accommodation cavity. The mounting seat 40 mounted in the corresponding accommodation cavity abuts the bottom wall of the accommodation cavity towards the radially outer side in the radial direction. The bottom wall can be provided by the radially inner side surface of the outer ring 10 or by the retainer 30.

[0026] In one specific example, the accommodation cavities of the retainer 30 can be formed in the following manner. As shown in FIG. 2, the retainer 30 can include two end plate portions 31 spaced apart in the axial direction and a plurality of spacer portions 32 distributed circumferentially. Each spacer portion 32 is fixedly connected between the two end plate portions 31 in the axial direction. The accommodation cavities are thus formed between the axial direction of the two end plate portions 31 and between adjacent two spacer portions 32. Such a plurality of accommodation cavities are distributed circumferentially. Each of the accommodation cavities can be used to accommodate a corresponding rolling body or a corresponding support assembly. Each end plate portion 31 can preferably be formed as an annular plate structure extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the outer ring 10, and the side walls of each spacer portion 32 at both circumferential ends can also extend substantially in a plane passing through the central axis. Thus, the accommodation cavities can have a substantially square profile. However, the above-mentioned manner of forming the accommodation cavities is only illustrative and does not constitute a limitation on the present application.

[0027] The fixation of the mounting seat 40 relative to the accommodation cavity can be achieved in different ways, for example interference fit, bonding, etc. In a preferred embodiment, each mounting seat 40 can include a bottom plate 41 and an outer side wall 42. The bottom plate 41 abuts the radially inner side surface of the outer ring 10 in the radial direction of the outer ring 10. The outer side wall 42 of each mounting seat 40 extends from the corresponding bottom plate 41 towards the radially inner side, forming an interference fit between the outer side wall 42 of each mounting seat 40 and the inner side surface of the corresponding accommodation cavity, thus achieving the fixation of the mounting seat 40 relative to the outer ring 10.

[0028] Preferably, the mounting seat 40 can be formed with a double-layered side wall structure, so as to achieve separation between the side wall for fixing to the accommodating cavity and the side wall for guiding the abutment member 60. Specifically, each mounting seat 40 can further include an inner side wall 43 extending from the corresponding bottom plate 41 towards the radially inner side of the outer ring 10. The inner side wall 43 of each mounting seat 40 is offset relative to the corresponding outer side wall 42 towards the direction close to the corresponding abutment member 60, such that the inner side wall 43 is spaced apart from the corresponding outer side wall 42 by a certain distance. Each abutment member 60 is guided by the inner side wall 43 of the corresponding mounting seat 40 to move relative to the corresponding mounting seat 40.

[0029] In each mounting seat 40, the outer side wall 42 and / or the inner side wall 43 can be either a closed annular wall (e.g. a square or circular cylindrical wall) or a non-closed annular wall (e.g. a square or circular cylindrical wall with a notch) formed around the moving direction of the corresponding abutment member 60, or can be a segmented wall. For the segmented structure, the outer side wall 42 and the inner side wall 43 can be formed in the following manner. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer side wall 42 of each mounting seat 40 can include two outer side plate segments spaced apart in the axial direction, which respectively extend in a plane substantially perpendicular to the central axis, and the corresponding circumferential ends of the two outer side plate segments can not be connected together by an additional plate segment, thereby forming an open structure at both circumferential ends of the mounting seat 40. The bottom plate 41 of each mounting seat 40 is connected in the axial direction between the corresponding two outer side plate segments, and each mounting seat 40 abuts the inner side surface of the corresponding accommodating cavity, in particular, the two end plate portions 31 mentioned above, respectively, in the axial direction through the corresponding two outer side plate segments, thereby being clamped in the corresponding accommodating cavity in the axial direction. Similarly, the inner side wall 43 of each mounting seat 40 can include two inner side plate segments spaced apart in the axial direction, which also respectively extend in a plane substantially perpendicular to the central axis, and the corresponding circumferential ends of the two inner side plate segments can also not be connected together by an additional plate segment, thereby forming an open structure at both circumferential ends of the mounting seat 40. The two inner side plate segments of each mounting seat 40 are located in the axial direction between the corresponding two outer side plate segments, and the elastic member 50 and the abutment member 60 of each support assembly are constrained in the axial direction between the two inner side plate segments of the corresponding mounting seat 40, and are constrained in the circumferential direction between both circumferential ends of the corresponding accommodating cavity, in particular, between the two adjacent spacing portions 32 mentioned above.

[0030] In the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, in order to prevent the abutment member 60 from disengaging from the mounting seat 40, each mounting seat 40 can further include a stop portion 44. The stop portion 44 of each mounting seat 40 is formed as a flange extending from the radially inner end of the corresponding inner side wall 43, so as to stop the corresponding abutment member 60 from the radially inner side, in order to prevent the abutment member 60 from moving beyond the corresponding stop portion 44 towards the radially inner side.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, each abutting member 60 can comprise an abutting area 61 for abutting the inner shaft 20, the abutting area 61 of each abutting member 60 is preferably formed as a generally spherical surface protruding towards the inner shaft 20. In addition, the abutting area 61 can be only a partial area located in the middle of the abutting member 60, each abutting member 60 can further comprise a peripheral area 62 surrounding the abutting area 61. The peripheral area 62 can extend generally parallel to the bottom plate 41. The stop 44 can cooperate with the peripheral area 62 to stop the abutting member 60.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, each mounting seat 40 can further comprise a positioning post 45 protruding generally radially towards the inner shaft 20. Each elastic member 50 can be formed as a coil spring, such coil spring can be mounted around the corresponding positioning post 45, which is advantageous to define the position and deformation state of the elastic member 50.

[0033] The one-way clutch according to the present application installs the outer ring to the inner shaft through the support assembly, thereby simplifying the assembly process of the two. Meanwhile, the support assembly can be installed to the outer ring as an independent component, which is advantageous to flexibly select the materials and processing technology of the two, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. Meanwhile, such support assembly is not easy to be damaged, thereby the reliability and service life of the one-way clutch can be improved.

[0034] Although the possible embodiments have been described in the above description by way of example, it should be understood that there are still many variations of the embodiments that are possible through the combination of all known and otherwise conceivable technical characteristics and embodiments. In addition, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments are merely examples and that the embodiments are in no way limiting to the scope of protection, application and configuration of the present application. The foregoing description is merely intended to provide a skilled person with a technical guide for transforming at least one exemplary embodiment, in which various changes can be made without departing from the scope of protection of the claims, especially with respect to the functional and structural aspects of the components.

[0035] Legend 10 outer ring 20 inner shaft 30 retainer 31 end plate portion 32 spacer 40 mounting seat 41 bottom plate 42 outer side wall 43 inner side wall 44 stop 45 positioning post 50 elastic member 60 abutting member 61 abutting area 62 peripheral area

Claims

1. A one-way clutch comprising an outer ring (10) and an inner shaft (20) capable of rotating relative to each other, the outer ring (10) coaxially surrounding radially outside the inner shaft (20), characterized in that the one-way clutch further comprises a plurality of support assemblies respectively mounted radially inside the outer ring (10) and spaced apart in the circumferential direction, each support assembly comprising a mounting seat (40), an elastic member (50) and an abutting member (60), the mounting seat (40) of each support assembly being fixed relative to the outer ring (10), the abutting member (60) of each support assembly being movably mounted radially in the corresponding mounting seat (40), the elastic member (50) of each support assembly being abutted radially between the corresponding mounting seat (40) and the abutting member (60) so as to press the corresponding abutting member (60) against the inner shaft (20), such that the outer ring (10) is mounted to the inner shaft (20) by the support assemblies.

2. The one-way clutch of claim 1, wherein, The mounting seat (40) of each support assembly is a component formed independently of the outer ring (10) and fixedly assembled together with the outer ring (10).

3. A one-way clutch according to claim 2, wherein The one-way clutch further comprises a retainer (30) and a plurality of rolling elements mounted radially between the outer ring (10) and the inner shaft (20) and distributed in the circumferential direction by the retainer (30), the retainer (30) being fixed to the outer ring (10) and comprising a plurality of accommodating cavities spaced apart in the circumferential direction, each accommodating cavity being open towards the radially inner side, the mounting seat (40) of each support assembly being fixedly mounted in the corresponding accommodating cavity.

4. The one-way clutch of claim 3, wherein, Each mounting seat (40) comprises a bottom plate (41) abutting the outer ring (10) in the radial direction and an outer side wall (42) extending from the corresponding bottom plate (41) towards the radially inner side, each mounting seat (40) being fixed relative to the outer ring (10) by interference fit between the corresponding outer side wall (42) and the inner side surface of the corresponding accommodating cavity.

5. The one-way clutch of claim 4, wherein, Each mounting seat (40) further comprises an inner side wall (43) extending from the corresponding bottom plate (41) towards the radially inner side, the inner side wall (43) of each mounting seat (40) being offset relative to the corresponding outer side wall (42) towards the direction close to the corresponding abutting member (60) so as to be spaced apart from the corresponding outer side wall (42), each abutting member (60) being guided by the inner side wall (43) of the corresponding mounting seat (40) to move relative to the corresponding mounting seat (40).

6. The one-way clutch of claim 5, wherein, The outer side wall (42) of each mounting seat (40) comprises two outer side plate segments spaced apart in the axial direction, the bottom plate (41) of each mounting seat (40) being connected in the axial direction between the corresponding two outer side plate segments, each mounting seat (40) being clamped in the corresponding accommodating cavity in the axial direction by the corresponding two outer side plate segments respectively abutting the inner side surface of the corresponding accommodating cavity in the axial direction.

7. The one-way clutch of claim 6, wherein, The inner side wall (43) of each mounting seat (40) comprises two axially spaced inner side plate segments, the two inner side plate segments of each mounting seat (40) being axially located between the corresponding two outer side plate segments, the elastic member (50) and the abutment member (60) of each support assembly being axially constrained between the two inner side plate segments of the corresponding mounting seat (40) and circumferentially constrained between the two circumferential ends of the corresponding receiving cavity.

8. The one-way clutch of claim 5 wherein, Each mounting seat (40) comprises a stop (44) formed as a flange extending from the corresponding inner side wall (43) and stopping the corresponding abutment member (60) from moving towards the radially inner side beyond the corresponding stop (44).

9. The one-way clutch according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that Each abutment member (60) comprises an abutment region (61) for abutting the inner shaft (20), the abutment region (61) of each abutment member (60) being formed as a spherical surface protruding towards the inner shaft (20).

10. The one-way clutch of claim 9, wherein, Each mounting seat (40) comprises a positioning post (45) protruding towards the inner shaft (20), each elastic member (50) being formed as a coil spring and mounted around the corresponding positioning post (45).

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