Nsk-warner K.k.

Masanori Tateishi

Hirobumi Shirataki

Tomoharu Ando

Yasuhide Takasu

Kozaburo Igari

A one-way clutch, for example, of a sprag or cam design is provided with a cage arranged between an outer ring and an inner ring. The cage has a flange portion extending outwardly in a radial direction. A slit is arranged at a location on a circle of the cage such that the cage is cut off to discontinue in a circumferential direction thereof. The flange portion has an outer diameter greater than an inner diameter of the outer ring. Preferably, the slit can be an opening formed upon the cut-off by working residual stresses occurred when the cage was pressed into an annular form.

One-way clutch

A one-way clutch comprises plural sprags to be arranged between an outer ring and an inner ring, a retainer holding the sprags in place, and a spring guided by the retainer to urge the sprags in wedging directions. The retainer comprises a cylindrical part provided with sprag windows, which serve to retain the sprags, and a flange extending from one of opposite ends of the cylindrical part in radial directions of the cylindrical part and provided with plural slits, and is formed of a resiliently-deformable material. The flange comprises large-diameter portions and small-diameter portions separated from each other by the slits. The large-diameter portions of the flange can be press-fitted in a flange-receiving slot formed in an inner peripheral wall of the outer ring by causing the large-diameter portions to flex owing to the resiliency of the retainer, whereby the large-diameter portions can be maintained in engagement with the flange-receiving slot.

In a one-way clutch provided with an outer race, an inner race disposed for rotation relative to the outer race, a sprag disposed between the outer race and the inner race for transmitting torque, a holder for holding the sprag, and a garter spring for biasing the sprag in a direction of torque transmission, a stepped portion or a groove portion is provided on an axial side of the sprag and the garter spring is held on the stepped portion or the groove portion. The stepped portion or grooved portion serves to indicate the proper orientation of the sprag during assembly into the clutch and enhances the workability of the sprag.

Growing community of inventors

Fukuroi, Japan

Masanori Tateishi