Roller Clutch Retainer Spring Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional roller clutches with small-sized retainers face difficulties in embedding and fitting coil springs due to restricted space, making it challenging to form retainer components with small dimensions and perform spring member installation efficiently.
Innovation Solution
The roller clutch design features a retainer with integral shaft portions and a washer-shaped attachment portion, allowing for larger coil spring diameters and easier assembly, where the spring member is positioned on the outer peripheral side of the shaft portions, and cutout surfaces on the shafts prevent burrs from interfering with spring fitting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the holding portion is designed to have a small size, then the retainer size is reduced, but the recessed portion becomes too small to accommodate the coil spring member
Solution Approach 1:
The spring member is repositioned from being accommodated within a recessed portion to being disposed on the outer peripheral side of the shaft portion, effectively moving the spring accommodation space to a different dimensional location. This allows the spring to be positioned where there is sufficient space, while the holding portion can maintain a small size for compact retainer design.
2Volume of moving object
If the outer diameter of the coil spring is made small to fit in a small recessed portion, then the retainer can be small, but it becomes difficult to embed the spring member using tweezers
Solution Approach 1:
The spring member is relocated from the recessed portion to the outer peripheral side of the shaft portion, providing adequate space for the spring's outer diameter. This positional change in a different dimensional space allows for easier manual manipulation and embedding operations using standard tools like tweezers, while maintaining compact overall dimensions.
3Volume of moving object
If the recessed portion is made small to accommodate a small spring, then the retainer is compact, but the spring member cannot be easily held and positioned
Solution Approach 1:
The spring accommodation location is changed from an internal recessed portion to the outer peripheral side of the shaft portion. This dimensional relocation provides sufficient space for the spring member while maintaining compact retainer dimensions, and significantly improves the ease of assembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft portion serves as an intermediary structure that supports the spring member on its outer peripheral side. This intermediary positioning allows the spring to be easily held and positioned during assembly, while the shaft portion itself can be integrated into the compact holding portion design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enables easier formation and assembly of the retainer, even with small-sized components, by allowing larger coil spring diameters and preventing spring detachment, thus facilitating smooth operation and reduced rotation torque during line-winding.
Implementation Method 1
The spring member is a coil spring disposed on the outer peripheral side of the shaft portion. The spring member is configured to urge the plurality of rollers in a direction such that the rollers frictionally engage the cam surface.
Implementation Method 2
The plurality of rollers are disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction and are allowed to frictionally engage the outer ring and the inner ring while being interposed there between.
Data Source
AI summary
A roller clutch arranged to transmit rotation in only one direction includes an outer ring, an inner ring, a plurality of rollers, a retainer, a cam surface, and a plurality of spring members. The inner ring is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring. The rollers are disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring in a circumferential direction and are allowed to frictionally engage the outer and inner rings. The retainer includes a plurality of holding portions disposed among the rollers, and shaft portions that protrude from the holding portions toward the rollers. The cam surface is an oblique surface on the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring and arranged to contact the outer peripheral surface of the rollers. The spring members are disposed on the outer peripheral side of the shaft portions and urge the rollers to frictionally engage the cam surface.