Patent ID: 12203512

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A cam clutch unit100according to an Embodiment of the present invention includes, as shown inFIGS.1to6, a plurality of cams130as engagement elements which transmit and shut off a torque between an inner ring and an outer ring in an annular space between a track surface of the inner ring and a track surface of the outer ring coaxially provided capable of relative rotation, a plurality of rollers140which freely rotate the inner ring and the outer ring, a cage ring150having a plurality of pocket portions151,152which regulate relative movement in a circumferential direction of the cam130and the roller140, and an annular spring160which urges each of the plurality of cams130to a meshing direction with respect to the inner ring and the outer ring.

Each of the plurality of cams130has, as shown inFIG.2and the like, an engagement stepped portion131, which is engageable with the annular spring160, on one of end surfaces in an axial direction.

In this Embodiment, the engagement stepped portion131has an inclined shape which is a protruding part at an eccentric position, and when the spring160presses the protruding part of the engagement stepped portion131, the cam130is urged toward the inner ring side and is urged to swing in a direction in which the cam130is operated.

The plurality of rollers140do not have a groove or a stepped part as shown inFIG.2and the like, and in this Embodiment, an axial dimension of the roller140is equal to or smaller than an axial dimension of the cam130excluding the engagement stepped portion131.

In this Embodiment, outer-peripheral edge parts on both end surfaces of the roller140are chamfered, which smoothens insertion of the cam clutch unit with respect to the inner/outer ring.

The cage ring150has the pocket portion151which accommodates the cam130and regulates relative movement in the circumferential direction as well as the pocket portion152which accommodates the roller140and regulates relative movement in the circumferential direction and a plurality of hook portions153which regulate movement in the axial direction of the annular spring160.

The cage ring150has an end-part circumferential annular portion155continuing in the circumferential direction on an end surface on the hook portion153side in the axial direction and an end-part circumferential annular portion156continuing in the circumferential direction on the end surface on a side opposite thereto (rear surface side) and is constituted so that rigidity of the entire cage ring150is improved by a member in the axial direction forming each of the pocket portions152being supported on both sides.

In this Embodiment, the pocket portions151of the cage ring150, which accommodate the cams130, are uniformly disposed at8spots and the pocket portions152which accommodate the rollers140at four spots.

Moreover, a surface on the cam side of the end-part circumferential annular portion155constitutes an end surface on outer sides of the plurality of hook portions153and a surface on the cam side of the end-part circumferential annular portion156constitutes a contact surface in the axial direction of the cam130, the roller140in each of the pocket portions151,152.

In each of the pocket portions151,152, the cam130and the roller140have the movement regulated by the spring160on the one of end surface sides in the axial direction and the movement to the other side in the axial direction is regulated by the end-part circumferential annular portion156on the rear surface side.

Moreover, the surface adjacent to the roller140of the pocket portion152which accommodates the roller140is formed having a shape which regulates movement of the roller140to the outer ring side and the inner rig side.

Furthermore, on the surface adjacent to the roller140of the pocket portion152accommodating the roller140, a claw portion157capable of insertion the roller140from the outer ring side by elastic deformation is provided.

In this Embodiment, as shown inFIG.6, the claw portion157is chamfered on the end part on the insertion side in order to facilitate the insertion of the roller140, and by setting an interval tw=3.7 mm at distal ends of the opposing claw portions157with respect to a diameter T=4.145 mm of the roller140, and an angle α=30° with respect to a tangent by the chamfering in a straight-line sectional state, facilitation of the insertion and maintaining after the insertion are both realized.

Moreover, as shown inFIG.2, the cage ring150has the hook portion153which regulates the movement of the annular spring160in the axial direction, and the hook portion153has a hook bottom portion154which regulates the movement of the annular spring160in the radial direction.

As a result, the roller140does not restrict tension of the spring160at all, and the spring160presses the protruding part at an eccentric position of the engagement stepped portion131of the cam130and thus, each of the cams130is independently pressed in the vicinity of the center of the spring160extended between the two hook bottom portions154, whereby a uniform and highly accurate operation can be performed without being influenced by the change in the attitude of the other cams130.

It is to be noted that, in this Embodiment, the eight cams130and the four rollers140are in the same numbers and are alternately disposed, but the number and the disposition of each of the cams130and the rollers140and may be arbitrary.

Moreover, the shape of the cam130may be arbitrary and may be a sprag shape, for example.

Moreover, a height in the radial direction of each of the hook bottom portions154may be uniform or may be different depending on a position in the circumferential direction.

By setting the height of the hook bottom portion154depending on the number, disposition of each of the cams130and the rollers140as appropriate, similarly to the aforementioned Embodiment, each of the cams130can perform the uniform and highly accurate operation.

The cam clutch unit according to another Embodiment of the present invention has, as shown inFIG.7, a contact-stop portion158which regulates movement in the axial direction of the roller140to the spring160side on the pocket portion152accommodating the roller140.

As a result, contact between the roller140and the spring160can be completely eliminated, and rotational resistance can be further reduced.

Moreover, the claw portion157provided on the surface adjacent to the roller140of the pocket portion152accommodating the roller140does not continue in the axial direction of the roller140but is provided by being divided into plural.

In this Embodiment, they are provided in the vicinity of both end parts in the axial direction of the roller140, but the spots thereof, the number of divisions, and the length in the axial direction may be designed arbitrarily or may be different between the opposing surfaces.

The Embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned Embodiments but are capable of various design changes without departing from the present invention described in the scope of claims.

For example, in the aforementioned Embodiments, the engagement stepped portion capable of engagement with the spring is provided on one of the end surfaces in the axial direction of the cam, but it may be so configured that the cam has the engagement stepped portion provided at the center as conventional, the spring is extended at the center part in the axial direction, and the plurality of rollers are inserted with the spring sandwiched into the pocket accommodating each of the rollers.

Moreover, it may be so configured that the engagement stepped portion is provided on both end surfaces in the axial direction of the cam, and the hook portion is provided on both sides in the axial direction of the cage ring and is urged by two annular springs.