CN110953262A

CN110953262A - Clutch device

Info

Publication number: CN110953262A
Application number: CN201910826886.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: E·洛伦茨
Original assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG and Co KG
Current assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG and Co KG
Priority date: 2018-09-26
Filing date: 2019-09-03
Publication date: 2020-04-03
Also published as: DE102018130331A1

Abstract

A clutch device comprising a first partial clutch having a first plate set comprising outer and inner plates and a second partial clutch having a second plate set comprising outer and inner plates, the partial clutches being arranged at an axial spacing, the clutch device comprising a pressure piston arranged between the plate sets and a hydraulic or pneumatic actuating device for axially moving the pressure piston towards one or the other plate set, the actuating device having a first primary pressure space and a radially more external first secondary pressure space on one side of the pressure piston and having a second primary pressure space and a radially more external second secondary pressure space on the other side of the pressure piston, the first primary pressure space being in communication with the second secondary pressure space and the second primary pressure space being in communication with the first secondary pressure space in such a way that a working medium introduced with pressure into the respective primary pressure space reaches the respective secondary pressure space and establishes the corresponding plate set The pilot pressure above.

Description

Clutch device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a clutch device, including: a first sub-clutch having a first plate set, the first plate set including an outer plate and an inner plate; and a second sub-clutch having a second plate set including outer plates and inner plates.

Background

Such clutch devices are used to transmit an incoming torque, which is provided, for example, by an internal combustion engine or an electric machine, to an output element, which is usually coupled to a transmission. If two partial clutches are provided, each of which comprises a separate plate set, the two partial clutches are actuated on the input side by means of the same input element, but the plate sets are coupled to a separate output element, which in turn is coupled to a separate transmission gear that can be shifted by means of the dual clutch. Two separate pressure pistons, which are each actuated by a separate actuating device operating hydraulically or pneumatically, are usually used to press together either one plate set or the other and to produce a frictional connection in order to transmit the introduced torque, for example, from the outer plate carrier to the inner plate carrier and from the latter to the output element, for shifting the two partial clutches. The basic design of such clutch devices with two partial clutches, i.e. dual clutches, is known.

In conventional motor vehicles, such a clutch arrangement with the two partial clutches can be coupled to an internal combustion engine, via which the input torque is transmitted, for example, to an outer disk carrier. However, the clutch device can also be part of a hybrid module or be associated with such a hybrid module. Such a hybrid module enables the internal combustion engine to be coupled to the drive train of the motor vehicle, wherein the electric machine is also coupled via a clutch device. A hybrid module generally has an electric motor, a clutch device, an actuating device for the clutch device, a bearing part and a housing part which connect these main parts to form a functional unit. The electric motor realizes electric driving, power increase and waste heat utilization when the internal combustion engine runs. The coupling and decoupling of the internal combustion engine to the drive train is effected by a separating clutch (generally referred to as the K0 clutch). Now, such a hybrid module can be combined as explained with two separate partial clutches (i.e. the double clutch explained above) in such a way that the hybrid module is located between the internal combustion engine and the transmission in the torque transmission direction, which results in the internal combustion engine, the hybrid module, the double clutch being arranged in the vehicle, either one after the other or side by side with their actuation devices and the transmission. Such a positioned hybrid module is also commonly referred to as a P2 hybrid module. However, such an arrangement often results in installation space problems.

A hybrid module having a separating clutch within the rotor of an electric machine is known from DE 102009059944 a 1. The partial clutches of the dual clutch arrangement are arranged axially offset next to the rotor of the electric machine and therefore also next to the K0 clutch device. In this case, the partial clutches are radially nested into one another, and the actuating devices for the individual clutches are arranged axially offset next to them.

A multiple clutch for a vehicle with a hybrid drive is known from DE 102007008946 a 1. In such a hybrid drive module, the two friction clutches are arranged within an installation space enclosed by the rotor of the electric machine. The installation space provided in the hybrid module is decisively predetermined by the electric machine used and its plate package. Despite the compactness of the hybrid module achieved thereby, the installation space occupied by the hybrid module is also sought to be further minimized in order to be able to integrate the hybrid module into the existing drive train of the motor vehicle.

Disclosure of Invention

The problem addressed by the present invention is therefore to propose a clutch device which is as compact as possible, in particular suitable for integration in a hybrid module, and which enables a comfortable shifting of the transmission gears connected downstream.

In order to solve this problem, according to the present invention, there is provided a clutch device including: a first sub-clutch having a first plate set, the first plate set including an outer plate and an inner plate; and a second partial clutch having a second plate set comprising outer plates and inner plates, wherein the partial clutches are arranged spaced apart from one another in the axial direction; a pressure piston arranged between the sheet packs; and a hydraulic or pneumatic actuating device for axially moving the pressure piston toward one or the other plate packet, wherein the actuating device has a first primary pressure space and a radially more external first secondary pressure space on one side of the pressure piston and a second primary pressure space and a radially more external second secondary pressure space on the other side of the pressure piston, wherein the first primary pressure space is in communication with the second secondary pressure space and the second primary pressure space is in communication with the first secondary pressure space in such a way that a working medium introduced with pressure into the respective primary pressure space builds up a pilot pressure in the respective secondary pressure space, which acts on the respective plate packet.

The clutch device according to the invention is highly compact and consists of a relatively small number of components. In addition to the two plate packs and the associated outer plate carrier and inner plate carrier, the clutch device according to the invention is characterized in one aspect in that only one single pressure piston is provided, by means of which the two plate packs are selectively pressed together and a frictional engagement is produced. The pressure piston, which is embodied as an annular piston, is arranged, viewed in the axial direction, between likewise annular plate groups which are spaced apart from one another in the axial direction, so that when the annular piston is moved axially in one or the other direction, in each case one of the plate groups is pressed together and a frictional engagement is produced. Depending on which plate groups are pressed together, the introduced torque can be transmitted to one or the other output element coupled to the respective plate group.

In order to move the common pressure piston axially, a hydraulic or pneumatic actuating device is provided. The actuating device comprises a plurality of pressure spaces, namely a primary pressure space and a radially more external secondary pressure space on each piston side. The working medium is always introduced under pressure into either one or the other of the primary pressure spaces and, when the pressure is sufficiently high, acts on the pressure piston in order to move it in the axial direction towards one or the other of the plate groups, wherein the pressure piston bears against or acts on adjacent plates of the respective plate group. That is to say, the actual axial displacement takes place exclusively via the working pressure built up in the respective primary pressure space.

According to the invention, as explained, a respective secondary pressure space is provided on the side of the respective pressure piston, wherein these secondary pressure spaces communicate in a particular manner with the primary pressure space. Each primary pressure space is connected to the secondary pressure space in a similar cross-connection, i.e. they are connected to one another, so that the working medium introduced into the respective primary pressure space on the one piston side also reaches the secondary pressure space on the other piston side or builds up a pressure there. The first primary pressure space formed on the first piston side communicates with the second secondary pressure space formed on the opposite piston side. In a corresponding manner, the second primary pressure space formed on the second piston side communicates with the first secondary pressure space formed on the first piston side. This now particularly advantageously leads to: as the working medium is introduced, for example, into the first primary pressure space, the working medium also reaches or builds up a pressure in the second secondary pressure space, the secondary pressure space being formed between the pressure piston and the adjacent plate of the respective plate stack. Now, if a pressure build-up occurs in the secondary pressure space, this pressure build-up acts directly on the respective plate package, which results in the plate package having been pressed together slightly, so that at a point in time in the secondary pressure space, at which the working pressure in the respective primary pressure space is not yet sufficient for the piston to actively move axially towards the plate package with a corresponding force, a pilot pressure has been built up which achieves at least a slight frictional abutment of the plates against one another and thus a drag torque built up inside the respective plate package, so that the plate package is put into rotation. In other words, the inner disk, which is stationary until now, is also set in a rotating state, for example, relative to the permanently rotating outer disk coupled to the input element, since it is moved by the drag torque.

When a transmission gear is to be changed, i.e. when a gear change is to be made, the working medium is usually introduced, for example, into the first primary pressure space and thus into the second secondary pressure space. This means that a sufficiently high working pressure is generated in the second primary pressure space in advance for displacing the pressure piston and for producing a firm frictional engagement of the corresponding plate package in the axial direction. If a shift is now to be made to the next transmission gear and therefore another disk stack is to be closed and the disk stack closed to date is opened, the pressure builds up in the first primary pressure space and the pressure is reduced in the second primary pressure space in a pressure-switched manner. Thus, according to the invention, a pressure builds up in the first primary pressure space and thus necessarily also in the second secondary pressure space, via which a pilot pressure is applied to the new disk stack to be engaged and a drag torque is built up in the new disk stack to be engaged for actuation, as a result of which, when an axial pressure piston movement is also effected immediately with a sufficiently high pressure in the first primary pressure space, a completely tension-free change from one transmission gear to another transmission gear is possible. Because of the pre-control pressure configured: the new disk set to be connected is already rotated at a point in time before the actual complete change from one disk set to the other disk set, so that the actual shifting process can be carried out completely without interruption.

In other words, a torque overlap is achieved by means of such a pilot control, i.e. a torque transmission from the input element is achieved both via the still closed, slowly opening partial clutch and via a further partial clutch which is not yet completely closed, but is increasingly closed. In such a single-piston system for a dual clutch, for example, associated with a hybrid module, the clutch device can therefore also achieve a corresponding torque overlap and thus a completely uninterrupted shifting operation.

An important feature is that: two secondary pressure spaces are provided, which are in fluid communication with the primary pressure space in the manner described. In order to be able to conduct the working medium from the respective primary pressure space to the secondary pressure space, provision is made, in practice, for a supply channel to be provided in the pressure piston itself, which supply channel connects the respective primary pressure space to the corresponding secondary pressure space. The pressure piston itself is, as explained, embodied as a ring-shaped component having a corresponding thickness, which makes it possible to provide axial and radial bores, which form the supply channel, in order to guide the working medium in this way approximately "crosswise" from one piston side to the other.

As illustrated, the pressure piston is movable in the axial direction between the two plate groups. In a further development of the invention, provision is made for the pressure space to be constructed as follows: each primary pressure space is configured between the pressure piston and the ring member which is axially fixed in position, and each secondary pressure space is configured between the pressure piston and a respective adjacent plate of the first and second plate sets. In this case, the ring component is arranged on a hollow shaft on which the pressure piston is guided in an axially movable manner, wherein the ring component is connected to the two inner or outer plate carriers and the pressure piston is coupled to the hollow shaft or the ring component in a rotationally fixed manner. The hollow shaft is therefore the actual carrier element or guide element. In practice, the ring component is connected to an inner or outer plate carrier on which the inner or outer plate of the respective plate set is arranged, that is to say by way of a hollow shaft or by way of torque introduction: when the hollow shaft is coupled to the input element, the torque introduced by the internal combustion engine or the electric machine is thus approximately transmitted to the hollow shaft and via the hollow shaft to the respective plate carrier. I.e. depending on whether the input torque is introduced through both inner plate carriers or through the one or more outer plate carriers, a corresponding coupling of the ring members is thereby provided. Since the pressure piston is in the illustrated manner in contact with the disk stack (which must rotate when switched on), the pressure piston must therefore also rotate, so that the pressure piston is connected in a rotationally fixed manner either to the hollow shaft, for example by being moved onto an axial toothing on the hollow shaft, and can alternatively also be coupled to the ring component itself by a rotationally fixed connection.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the primary pressure space can be sealed radially by a respective annular sealing element between the pressure piston and the respective ring component, and the secondary pressure space can be sealed radially by two respective annular sealing elements between the pressure piston and the respectively adjacent disk. In the case of the primary pressure space, it is sealed radially inward, for example by a hollow shaft, and therefore only one sealing element arranged between the respective pressure piston side and the ring component is required for the radially outwardly directed seal, while two annular sealing elements are provided in each case for sealing the two secondary pressure spaces both radially inward and outward. In this respect, the respective pressure space can then be defined exactly in terms of its size or its volume, wherein preferably the volume of the two primary pressure spaces is ultimately substantially the same, e.g. the volume of the two secondary pressure spaces is also substantially the same. Furthermore, this has the following advantages: in each case adjacent primary or secondary pressure spaces, due to the rotation of the clutch device, approximately the same centrifugal oil pressure builds up and thus the same, approximately offset centrifugal oil pressure relationship occurs on both piston sides, so that only the respective operating pressure in one primary pressure space or the other primary pressure space is used for the intended switching.

According to a practical development of the invention, at least one spring element is arranged between the pressure piston and each ring member and at least one spring element is arranged between the pressure piston and each adjacent plate, wherein the spring elements connected to the plates have a smaller spring constant than the spring elements connected to the ring members. These spring elements are designed such that they establish a restoring force when a correspondingly large working pressure is built up in the respective primary or secondary pressure space and an axial displacement of the pressure piston or, in the case of a pilot pressure, of the respective adjacent plate takes place. Since, in the case of pressure relief, i.e. when the pressed-together sheet package is to be opened again or ventilated, the restoring force ensures that: either the pressure piston or the corresponding plate is pulled back again by the corresponding spring element, i.e. is brought back into the almost unloaded initial position. This is so because one or more previously elongated spring elements relax again and the previously established restoring force drops.

Now, according to the invention: the spring element associated with the secondary pressure space has a smaller spring constant than the spring element associated with the primary pressure space. In other words, for an axial movement of the pressure piston by the operating pressure, a higher pressure must be applied in the respective primary pressure space to overcome the spring force and to elongate the spring, than to apply a pressure in the secondary pressure space in order to elongate one or more spring elements assigned to the secondary pressure space. Thus, an axial movement of the corresponding sheet already takes place in the case of a lower working pressure in the secondary pressure space compared to the primary pressure space. That is, also before the pressure piston is moved axially by the working pressure generated in the primary pressure space, the corresponding plate is moved axially and brings the plate pack at least to a state in which a drag torque is generated.

The spring element is preferably embodied as an elastic, annular bellows, wherein a metallic bellows is preferably used. Since these metallic bellows are sufficiently elastic on the one hand, but also torsionally rigid on the other hand, as provided according to the invention, and thus allow torque to be transmitted between the pressure piston and the ring member or the adjacent plates. The metallic bellows thus achieves a torque-fixed coupling of the rotating components involved and thus ensures that the pressure piston, which is mounted, for example, on a hollow shaft without corresponding toothing and is guided in the axial direction, is carried along, while the ring component is fixedly connected to the rotating hollow shaft. This is sufficient if, for example, only the spring element or bellows between the pressure piston and the ring member is torsionally rigid, since the two plates coupled on both sides are inherently torsionally fixed by the toothing to the respective outer plate carrier or inner plate carrier (which is connected to the respective ring member), so that a torsionally fixed coupling between the pressure piston and the two ring members is therefore sufficient.

According to a particularly practical embodiment: the spring element, i.e. the preferably metallic bellows, which is in particular elastic and annular, also forms the sealing element. That is to say, since the spring element or preferably the bellows has a double function or even a triple function, namely on the one hand the function of the sealing element, on the other hand the function of the spring element and finally, if required, also the function of the torsionally rigid driver element.

Preferably, the ring member and the pressure piston are coupled with an input member to which torque is introduced. In particular, the ring-shaped component is connected to the inner plate carrier, wherein the outer plate carrier is connected to in each case one output element. If the ring component and the pressure piston are arranged on a hollow shaft, the hollow shaft is coupled to an input element, for example to a rotor of a hybrid module, which is equipped with a dual clutch device, and the rotor and the dual clutch device are integrated radially in the hybrid module. The ring-shaped member carries the two inner plate carriers, so that when the motor is operated, the hollow shaft and thus also the ring-shaped member and the pressure piston and the inner plate necessarily rotate. The same applies when the internal combustion engine is switched on, since it can also be coupled to the rotor-side input end and thus to the hollow shaft via the K0 clutch. The two outer plate carriers are coupled to in each case one output element (usually also a hollow shaft leading to the transmission) via a corresponding toothing, so that the torque introduced via the inner plate carriers can be transmitted to the one output element or the other output element and thus to one or the other transmission gear, either via the one plate set or via the other plate set or the associated outer plate carrier.

Drawings

The invention is explained below with reference to the figures according to embodiments.

The figures show a clutch device 1 according to the invention, comprising a first sub-clutch 2 and a second sub-clutch 3. The first partial clutch 2 comprises a first plate set 4 having an axially movable outer plate 6 (in the present case a friction plate) arranged on an outer plate carrier 5 and an axially movable inner plate 8 in the form of a steel plate arranged on an inner plate carrier 7, wherein the first plate set is mounted relative to one another on an axially fixed carrier section 9.

Detailed Description

The second partial clutch 3 also comprises a second plate set 10, which comprises a plurality of axially movable outer plates 12 (here also in the form of friction plates) on an outer plate carrier 11 and axially movable inner plates 14 (here also in the form of steel plates) arranged on a radially more inner plate carrier 13. The sheet pack is also axially supported on the axial bearing section 15.

The two

inner plate carriers

7, 13 are each arranged on a

ring component

16, 17, wherein the two

ring components

16, 17 are arranged in a stationary manner on a hollow shaft 18. The hollow shaft 18 is in turn connected to a rotor carrier 19, on which a rotor 20, which is only depicted here, of an electrical machine, not shown in detail, of the hybrid module is arranged, wherein for this purpose the bearing section 9 is connected to the rotor carrier 19 and, at the same time, also to the inner plate carrier 7, so that a torsion-proof connection is produced between the rotor 20 and the hollow shaft 18 and thus also between the

ring components

16, 17 and the

inner plate carriers

7 and 13 and the

inner plates

8 and 14 thereof. The hybrid module with the electric machine is equipped with an internal combustion engine, which can be engaged by a separating clutch (also referred to as a K0 clutch), which is not shown in detail. The internal combustion engine is in this case operatively connected to the rotor carrier 19, so that the torque introduced by the internal combustion engine, as well as the torque introduced by the electric machine, is also transmitted to the hollow shaft 18 and thus to the inner sheet carrier arrangement.

The double clutch device is used for: the introduced torque is transmitted to the respectively coupled output element when required, either via one partial clutch 2 or via the other partial clutch 3. For this purpose, the outer plate carrier 5 is connected via a coupling member 21 to a hub member 22, which is in toothed engagement with an output element, not shown in detail, and likewise the second outer plate carrier 11 is connected via a coupling member 23 to a hub member 24, which is connected via a toothed arrangement to an output element 25, shown here. The correspondingly coupled output element is also a corresponding hollow shaft, which in this case leads to the transmission. The hollow shaft 18 is rotatably mounted on the output element 25 by means of corresponding

radial bearings

26, 27.

For actuating one or the other plate set 4, 10, a hydraulic actuating device 28 is provided, which comprises a pressure piston 29, which is arranged between the two

partial clutches

2, 3 or between the plate sets 4, 10. The pressure piston is guided by a sealing element 30 in a sealing manner so as to be axially movable on the hollow shaft 18, so that the pressure piston can be moved either toward the sheet pack 4 or toward the sheet pack 10, in order to press the sheet packs together and to produce a frictional connection in order to transmit the torque introduced via the

inner sheet carrier

7 or 13 to the respectively associated outer sheet carrier 5, 11 and via the associated outer sheet carrier to the respective output element. For this purpose, the pressure piston 29 bears with the respective connecting section 31, 32 against the respectively adjacent

inner disk

8 or 14, which is pressed in the axial movement either to the right or to the left and thereby presses the disk packs 4 or 10 together.

To achieve this, a first primary pressure space 33 and a second primary pressure space 34 are provided on both sides of the pressure piston 29, which are delimited radially inward by a hollow shaft and axially by the

ring components

16, 17. The radial seal is realized by the sealing elements 35, 36, wherein each sealing element 35, 36 is embodied as a metallic bellows 37, 38 and thus as a spring element. Such a respective bellows 37, 38 always pulls the pressure piston 29 into the zero or intermediate position, i.e. when the pressure piston 29 is moved axially in one direction or the other, the respective bellows 37, 38 lengthens and builds up a restoring force, which in turn returns the pressure piston 29 when the pressure piston 29 is unloaded. At the same time, the respective bellows 37, 38 is also torsion-resistant, i.e. it is possible to transmit a torque from the

respective ring member

16 or 17 to the pressure piston 29 by means of said bellows. This is so because the pressure piston 29 is guided on the hollow shaft 18 in an axially movable manner, wherein only the sealing element 30, but not the rotationally fixed toothing or the like, is provided in this guide region. However, since the torque introduction takes place via the

ring members

16, 17, the pressure piston 29 must also rotate, which is ensured by the metal bellows 37, 38 that carry said pressure piston.

Furthermore, two radially more external first and second

secondary pressure spaces

39, 40 are provided, which are sealed radially inward and outward by sealing

elements

41, 42 and 43, 44. These sealing elements are preferably also

metallic bellows

45, 46 or 47, 48, i.e. in addition to the sealing elements, spring elements are also realized which, when the adjacent

inner disks

8, 14 are displaced, in turn build up a restoring force, but at the same time also produce a rotationally fixed coupling to the respectively adjacent

inner disks

8, 14. The metallic bellows 37, 38 or 45-48 are each fixedly connected to the adjacent component, for example by means of a corresponding welded connection or the like.

The two

primary pressure spaces

33, 34 communicate in a special manner with the two

secondary pressure spaces

39, 40. The first primary pressure space communicates with the second secondary pressure space 40 through one or more first supply channels 49, as shown by the supply channel 49 drawn in solid lines. In contrast, the second primary pressure space 34 communicates with the first secondary pressure space 39, as illustrated by the supply channel 50 shown dashed. That is, the two

primary plenums

33, 34 are cross-interconnected with the two

secondary plenums

39, 40. The

supply channels

49, 50 are formed in the pressure piston 29 by corresponding bores.

Thus, the working medium (e.g. oil) introduced under pressure into the first primary pressure space 33 builds up pressure in the first primary pressure space 33, but at the same time also reaches the second secondary pressure space 40 via one or more supply channels 49, where pressure also builds up. This is illustrated by the corresponding flow arrows. In the same way, the working medium introduced into the second primary pressure space 34 will on the one hand build up a working pressure there, but on the other hand also reach the first secondary space 39 via one or more second supply channels 50 and build up a pressure there.

The spring elements (here, the metallic bellows 37, 38 and 45-48) are now designed such that the bellows 45-48 have a smaller spring constant or spring stiffness than the metallic bellows 37, 38. Since the pressure force must be built up both for the axial displacement of the pressure piston 29 and for the axial displacement of the adjacent attached

inner plate

8 or 14, respectively (which pressure force must be higher than the restoring force of the respective spring element, i.e. of the respective bellows 37, 38 or 45-48), and since the metallic bellows 45-48 have a smaller spring constant or spring stiffness, a correspondingly large pressure force results very rapidly in the respectively corresponding

secondary pressure space

39, 40 when the working fluid is introduced into the one or the other

primary pressure space

33, 34, which correspondingly large pressure force causes the respectively adjacent

inner plate

8 or 14 to be displaced axially and thus presses the

respective plate pack

4 or 10 slightly together and produces a small frictional abutment, so that a drag moment is built up in the

plate pack

4, 10, that is to say, the hitherto unrotated

outer plate

6 or 12 is thus moved along and the hitherto unrotated output element coupled via the respective outer plate carrier 5 or 11 is thus also actuated. This is already achieved at the point in time when the pressure piston 29 has not yet moved axially, since the respective working pressure in the respective

primary pressure space

33, 34 is not yet sufficiently great to overcome the restoring force of the respective metal bellows 37, 38, which form the spring element. Only when the operating pressure is sufficiently high, the pressure piston 29 also moves axially relative to the

respective plate package

4, 10, so that the plate packages are finally pressed together and a complete frictional engagement is achieved, while at the same time the

other plate package

4, 10 is unloaded, i.e. ventilated, by the piston movement and the partial clutch is disengaged. That is, before the active partial clutch which is still engaged is opened, the respective pilot control of the partial clutch to be engaged next is effected with the establishment of a defined pilot pressure (the magnitude of which is defined by the spring-rigid design of the metallic bellows 37, 38, 45-48 involved), so that a completely uninterrupted shift and thus a change of transmission gear without any damage to the drive is effected.

For example, assume that this is the starting point: the partial clutch 2 is closed, i.e. a sufficiently high working pressure prevails in the primary pressure space 34, the pressure piston 29 moves to the right and the disk stack 4 is completely frictionally engaged, i.e. the coupled output element thus receives a torque introduced, for example, by the electric machine via the outer disk carrier 5 and the hub member 22. Now, if a change of transmission gear is to be carried out, i.e. a torque change to the further output element 25, the working medium is introduced under pressure in the first primary pressure space, while at the same time the working pressure is reduced in the second primary pressure space 34. However, as the working medium is introduced into the primary pressure space 33, it at the same time also reaches the second secondary pressure space 40 or builds up a corresponding working pressure there, before the working pressure in the first primary pressure space 33 is still so great that the pressure piston 29 itself is actively displaced, the corresponding working pressure in the second secondary pressure space 40 is already sufficiently early to displace the adjacent inner plates 14 axially and thus to press the plate packs 10 together slightly, due to the spring-rigid design of the metal bellows 47, 48. A drag torque is built up in the second sheet pack 10, so that the outer sheet carrier 11 is set in rotation and therefore the output element 25 also starts with it. Then, with a further pressure increase in the first primary pressure space 33 and a pressure decrease in the second primary pressure space 34, the piston 29 is moved axially, the second disk set 10 is thus pressed together and a complete frictional engagement is achieved, so that the entire torque is now transmitted via the closed second partial clutch 3, while at the same time the first disk set 4 is unloaded as a result of the pressure drop and the first partial clutch 2 is disengaged. The adjacent inner sheet 8 is also actively pulled back by the relaxed bellows 45, 46 and thus also the sheet pack 4 is actively ventilated. This enables a complete, completely uninterrupted change from one partial clutch 2 to the other partial clutch 3.

In the new gear shifting situation, this procedure is carried out in the opposite direction, the working medium being introduced under pressure into the second primary pressure space 34, so that a corresponding pilot pressure builds up in the coupled first secondary pressure space 39, which pilot pressure leads to the pilot segment first group 4 and causes it to produce a slight frictional engagement, so that the output element, which has not rotated so far and is coupled by the first outer plate carrier 5, is actuated again, while the pressure in the first primary pressure space 33 is simultaneously reduced. Then, as full operating pressure is reached in the second primary pressure space 34, the first plate set 4 is actively pressed with full friction engagement and the partial clutch 2 is closed, while the partial clutch 3 is completely open.

List of reference numerals

1 Clutch device

2 sub-clutch

3 sub-clutch

4 sheet group

5 outer sheet support

6 outer sheet

7 inner sheet support

8 inner sheet

9 seat section

10 sheet pack

11 outer sheet support

12 outer sheet

13 inner sheet support

14 inner sheet

15 seat section

16-ring type component

17 Ring type component

18 hollow shaft

19 rotor support

20 rotor

21 coupling member

22 hub member

23 coupling member

24 hub member

25 output element

26 radial bearing

27 radial bearing

28 operating device

29 pressure piston

30 sealing element

31 connecting section

32 connecting section

33 primary pressure space

34 primary pressure space

35 sealing element

36 sealing element

37 corrugated pipe

38 corrugated tube

39 secondary pressure space

40 secondary pressure space

41 sealing element

42 sealing element

43 sealing element

44 sealing element

45 corrugated pipe

46 corrugated pipe

47 corrugated pipe

48 corrugated pipe

49 supply channel

50 feed channels.

Claims

1. A clutch device, comprising: a first sub-clutch (2) having a first plate set (4) comprising an outer plate (6) and an inner plate (8); and a second partial clutch (3) having a second plate set (10) comprising outer plates (12) and inner plates (14), wherein the partial clutches (2, 3) are arranged axially spaced apart from one another; a pressure piston (29) arranged between the sheet packs (4, 10); and a hydraulic or pneumatic actuating device (28) for axially moving the pressure piston (29) toward one or the other plate group (4, 10), wherein the actuating device (28) has a first primary pressure space (33) and a first radially more external secondary pressure space (39) on one side of the pressure piston (29) and a second primary pressure space (34) and a second radially more external secondary pressure space (40) on the other side of the pressure piston (29), wherein the first primary pressure space (33) communicates with the second secondary pressure space (40) and the second primary pressure space (34) communicates with the first secondary pressure space (39) in such a way that a working medium introduced with pressure into the respective primary pressure space (33, 34) reaches the respective secondary pressure space (39, 40) And establishes a pilot pressure acting on the respective sheet pack (4, 10).

2. A clutch device according to claim 1, characterised in that a supply channel (49, 50) is provided in the pressure piston (29), which connects the respective primary pressure space (33, 34) with the corresponding secondary pressure space (39, 40).

3. A clutch device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that each primary pressure space (33, 34) is configured between the pressure piston (29) and an axially positionally fixed ring member (16, 17), and each secondary pressure space (39, 40) is configured between the pressure piston (29) and the respectively adjacent plates (8, 14) of the first and second plate groups (4, 10).

4. The clutch device according to claim 3, characterized in that the ring-type component (16, 17) is arranged on a hollow shaft (18) on which the pressure piston (29) is guided in an axially movable manner, wherein the ring-type component (16, 17) is connected to two inner plate carriers (7, 13) or outer plate carriers (5, 11) and the pressure piston (29) is coupled in a rotationally fixed manner to the hollow shaft (18) or the ring-type component (16, 17).

5. Clutch device according to claim 3 or 4, characterised in that the primary pressure spaces (33, 34) are each sealed radially by at least one annular sealing element (35, 36) between the pressure piston (29) and the respective ring member (16, 17), and the secondary pressure spaces (39, 40) are each sealed radially by two annular sealing elements (41, 42, 43, 44) between the pressure piston (29) and the adjacent plate (8, 14).

6. Clutch device according to any of claims 3 to 5, characterised in that at least one spring element (37, 38) is arranged between the pressure piston (29) and each ring member (16, 17) and at least one spring element (45, 46, 47, 48) is arranged between the pressure piston (29) and each adjacent plate (8, 14), wherein the spring elements (45, 46, 47, 48) connected with the plates (8, 14) have a smaller spring constant than the spring elements (37, 38) connected with the ring members (16, 17).

7. A clutch device according to claim 6, characterised in that the spring element is embodied as an elastic annular bellows (37, 38, 45, 46, 47, 48).

8. A clutch device according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that at least one of the spring elements (37, 38, 45, 46, 47, 48) is anti-twisting for transmitting torque.

9. A clutch device according to claim 5 and any one of claims 6 to 8, characterised in that the spring elements (37, 38, 45, 46, 47, 48) simultaneously constitute the sealing elements (35, 36, 41, 42, 43, 44).

10. Clutch device according to one of claims 4 to 9, characterised in that the ring members (16, 17) and the pressure piston (29) are coupled with torque-introducing input members, wherein preferably the ring members (16, 17) are connected with the inner plate carriers (7, 13) and the outer plate carriers (5, 11) are connected with the respective output elements.