Damper apparatus

#The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-070505 filed on Mar. 28, 2011 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

#The present invention relates to a damper apparatus that includes an input element to which power is transferred from a motor, a first intermediate element to which power is transferred from the input element via a first elastic body, a second intermediate element to which power is transferred from the first intermediate element via a second elastic body, and an output element to which power is transferred from the second intermediate element via a third elastic body.

#As a fluid power transmission apparatus mounted in a vehicle, there has been known a torque converter equipped with a clutch mechanism for mechanically linking a front cover and a turbine to each other, and a damper apparatus made up of a first damper mechanism and a second damper mechanism that operates in series to the first damper mechanism (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-113661 (JP 2007-113661 A). The first damper mechanism that constitutes the damper apparatus of the aforementioned torque converter includes a plurality of first coil springs, a pair of retaining plates (input-side members) to which torque is transferred from the clutch mechanism and which contact one of mutually adjacent first coil springs, a first center plate (intermediate member) that contacts the other one of mutually adjacent first coil springs, and a second center plate that is relatively rotatably disposed radially inward of the first center plate and that is between and in contact with mutually adjacent first coil springs. Besides, the second damper mechanism includes a plurality of second coil springs that are disposed radially outward of the first damper mechanism (the first coil springs) and that each contact the first center plate and a driven plate. Due to this construction, in this torque converter, when the clutch mechanism is engaged, torque from the front cover is transferred to the turbine, that is, to a transmission apparatus, via a path made up of the pair of retaining plates, one of the first coil springs, the second center plate, the other one of the first coil springs, the first center plate, the second coil springs on the radially outer side, and the driven plate.

#FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view that shows a fluid power transmission apparatus 1 that includes a damper apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is construction diagram showing the damper apparatus 10;

#FIG. 3 is a construction diagram showing a first intermediate member 12 and a second intermediate member 14 of the damper apparatus 10;

#Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

#FIG. 1 is a construction diagram showing a fluid power transmission apparatus 1 equipped with a damper apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The fluid power transmission apparatus 1 shown in the drawing is a torque converter mounted as a starting device in a vehicle equipped with an engine (internal combustion engine) as a motor, and includes: a front cover (input member) 3 linked to a crankshaft of the engine (not shown); a pump impeller (input-side fluid power transmission element) 4 fixed to the front cover 3; a turbine runner (output-side fluid power transmission element) 5 that is rotatable coaxially with the pump impeller 4; a stator 6 that adjusts the flow of hydraulic oil (hydraulic fluid) from the turbine runner 5 to the pump impeller 4; a damper hub (output member) 7 fixed to an input shaft of a transmission apparatus (not shown) that is an automatic transmission (AT) or a continuously variable transmission (CVT); a lockup clutch mechanism 8 of a single-plate friction type that has a lockup piston 80; and the damper apparatus 10 connected to the damper hub 7 and also connected to the lockup piston 80.

#The pump impeller 4 has a pump shell 40 that is closely fixed to the front cover 3, and a plurality of pump blades 4 disposed on an inside surface of the pump shell 40. The turbine runner 5 has a turbine shell 50, and a plurality of turbine blades 51 disposed on an inside surface of the turbine shell 50. The turbine shell 50 is fitted to the damper hub 7, and is also fixed to the damper hub 7 via a rivet. The stator 6 has a plurality of stator blades 60. The rotation direction of the stator 6 is set to only one direction by a one-way clutch 61. The pump impeller 4 and the turbine runner 5 face each other, and the pump impeller 4, the turbine runner 5 and the stator 6 form a torus (annular flow path) through which the hydraulic oil is circulated.