CN112443585A

CN112443585A - Clutch device

Info

Publication number: CN112443585A
Application number: CN202011363202.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 范意中
Original assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG and Co KG
Current assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG and Co KG
Priority date: 2020-11-27
Filing date: 2020-11-27
Publication date: 2021-03-05

Abstract

The invention discloses a clutch which comprises a clutch cover, wherein a fixing plate, a diaphragm spring, an induction spring and a wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism are arranged above the clutch cover. The wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism comprises an adjusting wedge ring and an adjusting spring, wherein the adjusting wedge ring is positioned between the diaphragm spring and the fixing plate. The clutch of the invention can make the axial dimension compact and the overall dimension of the whole clutch reduced by arranging the diaphragm spring at the axial outer side of the clutch cover. Meanwhile, the clutch has a self-adjusting function, the finger end position of the clutch is kept constant as far as possible in the whole life cycle of the clutch and the clutch disc, the working pressing force is kept constant, and the separating force is reduced, so that the operation is light and labor-saving.

Description

Clutch device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a clutch for a motor vehicle driveline, and more particularly to a clutch that can couple an engine and/or an electric machine to a transmission of a motor vehicle.

Background

The clutch is a common component in mechanical transmission, and is positioned in a flywheel housing between an engine and a transmission, the clutch is fixed on the rear plane of a flywheel by using screws, and an output shaft of the clutch is an input shaft of the transmission. During the running of the automobile, the driver can press or release the clutch pedal according to the requirement, so that the engine and the transmission are separated temporarily and gradually connected, and the power input from the engine to the transmission is cut off or transmitted. Clutches are used to disengage or engage the drive train at any time, so the basic requirements for a clutch are: smooth engagement, rapid and thorough disengagement, and convenient adjustment and repair.

Referring to fig. 1, a conventional diaphragm spring clutch 9 includes a clutch cover 901, a pressure plate 902, a friction disc 903, and a diaphragm spring 904; wherein the clutch cover 901 and the flywheel 905 are fastened together with bolts 906; a pressure plate 902 is mounted on the inside of the clutch cover 901 via a transmission plate 907, a diaphragm spring 904 is connected to the inside of the clutch cover 901 via rivets and wire support rings, and the pressure plate 902 is pressed against a friction disc 903 via the diaphragm spring 904.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, when the diaphragm spring 904 is preloaded to hold the clutch in the engaged position, friction is generated between the pressure plate 902 and the friction plates of the friction disc 903 due to the pressing force of the radially outer end of the diaphragm spring 904 against the pressure plate 902, and the friction torque drives the friction disc 903 to rotate, so that the output shaft of the clutch is the input shaft of the transmission, and the transmission can be driven to rotate together.

When it is desired to disengage the clutch, the clutch pedal is depressed, and the bearing assembly is moved forward by the operating mechanism to push the release fingers of the diaphragm spring 904, so that the radially outer end of the diaphragm spring 904 is moved away from the pressure plate 902, and the pressure plate 902 is moved away from the friction plates by the spring force of the drive plate 907, so that the friction plates 903 are returned to the disengaged position, thereby cutting off the transmission of engine power.

However, in the conventional diaphragm spring clutch 9, when the friction plates are inevitably worn, the pressure plate 902 moves leftward, and the deformation of the diaphragm spring 904 is reduced, so that the actual working pressing force of the diaphragm spring clutch 9 is always increased in use, and therefore, the separating force is also increased, which will sacrifice the operating comfort of a user, and in order to solve this problem, the additional addition of a hydraulic booster will make the clutch structure more complicated, and the manufacturing cost is increased.

Furthermore, in the case of the motor vehicle using the hybrid power at present, it is necessary to install a clutch on the axially outer side of the clutch cover for the purpose of achieving compactness to serve as an on-off clutch, but it also does not have a self-adjusting function as in the case of the conventional clutch, and there are also two disadvantages that the pressing force of the diaphragm spring at the time of operation becomes large and the separating force to operate the clutch becomes large.

Therefore, it is necessary to redesign the existing diaphragm spring clutch to overcome the problems of the diaphragm spring becoming large pressing force at the time of operation and the clutch operating disengaging force becoming large.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention mainly aims to provide a clutch which has a self-adjusting function, can ensure that the working pressing force of a diaphragm spring is kept unchanged, reduces the separating force, enables the operation to be light and labor-saving, and simultaneously can achieve a compact axial design and reduce the overall size of the whole mechanism.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be further understood from the technical features disclosed in the present invention.

In order to achieve the purpose, the invention adopts the following technical scheme: a clutch comprises a clutch cover, wherein a fixed plate, a diaphragm spring, an induction spring and a wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism are arranged above the clutch cover; the diaphragm spring is clamped by the induction spring and the wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism, the induction spring is abutted against one side of the diaphragm spring, and the wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism is abutted against the other side of the diaphragm spring; the induction spring is positioned between the diaphragm spring and the clutch cover, and is in a pre-pressing state after being installed; the wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism comprises an adjusting wedge ring and an adjusting spring, wherein the adjusting wedge ring is positioned between the diaphragm spring and the fixing plate, and the adjusting wedge ring can be driven by the adjusting spring to move so as to provide the function of adjusting the compensation gap.

In one embodiment, the fixing plate is mounted on the outermost side of the clutch cover.

In one embodiment, a bevel is formed below the fixing plate.

In one embodiment, the adjusting wedge ring is matched with the inclined surface of the fixing plate.

In one embodiment, the inclined surface matching part of the adjusting wedge ring and the fixed plate is arranged as an inclined surface.

In one embodiment, the adjusting spring is a coil spring, and the adjusting spring is disposed between the adjusting wedge ring and the fixing plate and can be installed between the adjusting wedge ring and the fixing plate in a pre-compressed state.

In one embodiment, the pressure plate is provided on the side remote from the friction plate with a projection which passes axially outwards through the clutch cover and presses the diaphragm spring against one another in the region axially outside the clutch cover.

In one embodiment, an output flange is connected to the radially inner side of the clutch cover, said output flange being connected to the second output shaft in a rotationally fixed manner.

In one embodiment, the friction disk is connected to the first output shaft in a rotationally fixed manner.

In one embodiment, the second output shaft is a hollow shaft, the first output shaft is located radially inside the second output shaft, the output flange is rotationally fixedly connected to the second output shaft via a hub, and the friction disk is rotationally fixedly connected to the first output shaft via a hub.

Compared with the prior art, the clutch has the advantages that the diaphragm spring is arranged on the axial outer side of the clutch cover, so that the axial size of the clutch is compact, and the overall size of the whole clutch is reduced. Meanwhile, the clutch has a self-adjusting function, the finger end position of the clutch is kept constant as far as possible in the whole life cycle of the clutch and the clutch disc, the working pressing force is kept constant, and the separating force is reduced, so that the operation is light and labor-saving.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a conventional diaphragm spring clutch.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the clutch of the present invention.

The reference numbers in the above figures are as follows:

clutch 1 shaft 101

Hollow shaft 102 clutch cover 10

Inclined surface 201 of fixing plate 20

Big end 301 of diaphragm spring 30

Separate finger 302 sense spring 40

Adjusting wedge ring 50 adjusting spring 60

Flywheel 70 pressure plate 80

Tab 801 friction disk 90

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings for illustrating the specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. The directional terms used in the present invention, such as "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", etc., refer to the directions of the attached drawings. Accordingly, the directional terms used are used for explanation and understanding of the present invention, and are not used for limiting the present invention. In addition, the embodiments described in the detailed description are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 2, the clutch 1 of the present invention includes a clutch cover 10, a fixing plate 20, a diaphragm spring 30, an induction spring 40, and a wedge self-adjusting mechanism (an adjusting wedge ring 50 and an adjusting spring 60). The clutch 1 of the present invention further includes a pressure plate 80 and friction plates 90.

The clutch cover 10 is a rotatable housing that is fastened to the flat surface of the flywheel 70 using fasteners (e.g., bolts or screws).

The fixing plate 20 is fixedly connected to the clutch cover 10, the wedge self-adjusting mechanism is connected to the fixing plate 20, and the induction spring 40 is directly or indirectly supported on the clutch cover 10.

Further, the fixing plate 20, the diaphragm spring 30, the induction spring 40, and the wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism are mounted on an axially outer side of the clutch cover 10 (i.e., on a right side of the clutch cover 10 shown in fig. 1, or also referred to as an axially outer side), and the fixing plate 20 is mounted on an outermost side of the clutch cover 10. In the present embodiment, a slope 201 is formed on a side of the fixed plate 20 facing the diaphragm spring 30 (i.e., a left side of the fixed plate 20 shown in fig. 1). The fixing plate 20 may also be referred to as a swash plate.

The diaphragm spring 30 is clamped by the sensing spring 40 and the wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism, the sensing spring 40 abuts against one side of the diaphragm spring 30, and the wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism abuts against the other side of the diaphragm spring 30.

The sense spring 40 is located between the diaphragm spring 30 and the clutch cover 10, and the deformation characteristic of the sense spring 40 is such that its load can be kept constant when the deformation is varied over a sufficiently large range in the vicinity of the flattening point. When the sense spring 40 is installed, it is in a pre-stressed state.

The wedge self-adjusting mechanism comprises an adjusting wedge ring 50 and an adjusting spring 60, wherein the adjusting wedge ring 50 is located between the diaphragm spring 30 and the fixing plate 20, the adjusting wedge ring 50 extends into the fixing plate 20 to be matched with an inclined surface 201 on the fixing plate 20, and the adjusting wedge ring 50 can be driven by the adjusting spring 60 to move to adjust and compensate a gap caused by wear of a clutch friction disc, so that the function of automatically adjusting and compensating the gap is achieved. Furthermore, the inclined surface is also provided at the matching portion of the adjusting wedge ring 50 corresponding to the inclined surface 201 of the fixing plate 20, and the inclined surface of the adjusting wedge ring 50 is matched with the inclined surface 201 of the fixing plate 20, so that the clutch 1 of the present invention can perform adjustment compensation when the friction plate (or the clutch plate or the clutch surface) is worn.

In this embodiment, the adjusting wedge ring 50 is a wedge ring.

In the present embodiment, the adjusting spring 60 is a coil spring. The adjusting spring 60 is disposed between the adjusting wedge ring 50 and the fixing plate 20, and can be installed between the adjusting wedge ring 50 and the fixing plate 20 in a pre-compressed state.

In the present embodiment, the clutch 1 of the present invention further includes: pressure plate 80, friction disk 90. As shown in fig. 2, pressure plate 80 is provided with a projection 801 on the side opposite friction disk 90, projection 801 passing axially outward through clutch cover 10 and pressing against diaphragm spring 30. Thereby, the axial dimension of the clutch 1 can be reduced at least in the region radially outside the clutch cover 10.

When the clutch 1 according to the invention is in the engaged position, the pressure plate 80 is pressed against the friction plate 90 by the diaphragm spring 30. The method comprises the following steps: the radially outer end 301 of the diaphragm spring 30 presses the pressure plate 80, so that a friction force is generated between the pressure plate 80 and the friction plates of the friction disc 90, and at the moment, the friction torque drives the friction disc 90 to rotate, so as to drive the shaft 101 of the transmission to rotate.

When the clutch needs to be separated, a clutch pedal is pressed down, a separating finger 302 of the diaphragm spring 30 is pushed through an operating mechanism, the radial outer end 301 of the diaphragm spring 30 is separated from the pressure plate 80, the pressure plate 80 is separated from the friction plate under the elastic force of the transmission plate, the friction plate 90 is restored to a separating position, and therefore the transmission of engine power is cut off.

The clutch 1 has a self-adjusting function, can ensure that the working pressing force of the diaphragm spring 30 is kept unchanged, reduces the separating force, and leads the operation to be light and labor-saving. The detailed description is as follows:

as shown in fig. 2, when a new friction plate is used as the friction plate 90, since the sense spring 40 is in a pre-stressed state, the diaphragm spring 30 rotates around its contact point with the sense spring 40 during clutch engagement, and since the pressure plate 80 does not move axially, no adjustment is made to the diaphragm spring 30. When the friction plates are worn, the pressure plate 80 moves leftwards, the deformation amount of the diaphragm spring 30 is reduced, the working pressing force is increased, the maximum separating force for separating the clutch 1 is also increased, when the separating force is continuously increased, the diaphragm spring 30 is pressed away from the clutch cover 10, a gap is generated between the diaphragm spring 30 and the adjusting wedge ring 50, so that the adjusting wedge ring 50 is pushed towards the diaphragm spring 30 at least in the axial direction under the action of the adjusting spring 60, the gap is eliminated until the deformation amount of the diaphragm spring 30 is restored to the original deformation amount, the diaphragm spring 30 does not move leftwards any more, the adjusting wedge ring 50 also stops moving, and the self-regulation is finished. The sense spring 40 supports the diaphragm spring 30, after which the diaphragm spring 30 only rotates about its contact point with the sense spring 40 during disengagement, if the clutch is disengaged again.

That is, when the friction plates are worn during use, the clutch 1 of the present invention can be adjusted to restore the pressing force of the diaphragm spring 30 to the pressing state when a new friction plate is worn, thereby ensuring that the working pressing force of the diaphragm spring 30 is not changed. Therefore, the pedal operating force can be significantly reduced compared to the conventional clutch, and the operating comfort can be greatly improved.

Furthermore, the clutch 1 according to the invention is suitable for use in a dual output drive train of a hybrid vehicle, the clutch 1 having two output parts, see fig. 2, to the radial inside of the clutch cover 10 an output flange is connected, which can be connected via a hub in a rotationally fixed manner to a hollow shaft 102, which hollow shaft 102 can be used to output torque to a gearbox or to an electric machine or generator, via which output flange the clutch outputs torque to the hollow shaft 102. While the other output element is a friction disk 90 of a clutch, which friction disk 90 can also be connected in a rotationally fixed manner via a hub to a shaft 101, which shaft 101 can be used to output torque to a gearbox or to an electric motor or generator.

The shaft 101 is located inside the hollow shaft 102 and protrudes in the axial direction from the hollow shaft 102.

As described above, in the clutch 1 of the present invention, the diaphragm spring 30 is disposed on the axially outer side of the clutch cover 10, so that the axial dimension can be made compact and the overall size of the clutch can be reduced. Meanwhile, the clutch 1 of the invention has the self-adjusting function, the finger end position of the clutch is kept constant as much as possible in the whole life cycle of the clutch and the clutch disc, the working pressing force is kept constant, the separating force is reduced, and the operation is convenient and labor-saving.

The present invention has been described in detail, and the principle and the implementation of the present invention are explained by applying specific examples, and the description of the above examples is only used to help understanding the technical scheme and the core idea of the present invention; those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be equivalently replaced; and such modifications or substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the corresponding technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A clutch comprising a clutch cover, a pressure plate and a friction disc, wherein: a fixed plate, a diaphragm spring, an induction spring and a wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism are arranged on the clutch cover; the fixed plate is fixedly connected to the clutch cover, the wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism is connected to the fixed plate, and the induction spring is directly or indirectly supported on the clutch cover;

the diaphragm spring is clamped by the induction spring and the wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism, the induction spring is abutted against one side of the diaphragm spring, and the wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism is abutted against the other side of the diaphragm spring;

the induction spring is positioned between the diaphragm spring and the clutch cover, and is in a pre-pressing state after being installed;

the wedge-shaped self-adjusting mechanism comprises an adjusting wedge ring and an adjusting spring, wherein the adjusting wedge ring is positioned between the diaphragm spring and the fixing plate, and the adjusting wedge ring can be driven by the adjusting spring to move so as to adjust and compensate a gap caused by the abrasion of the clutch friction disc.

2. The clutch of claim 1, wherein: the fixing plate is mounted on an axially outer side of the clutch cover.

3. The clutch of claim 2, wherein: the fixing plate is formed with an inclined surface at a side facing the diaphragm spring.

4. The clutch of claim 3, wherein: the adjusting wedge ring is matched with the inclined plane of the fixing plate.

5. The clutch of claim 4, wherein: the adjusting wedge ring is arranged to be an inclined surface at the part matched with the inclined surface of the fixing plate.

6. The clutch of claim 1, wherein: the adjusting spring is a coil spring, is disposed between the adjusting wedge ring and the fixing plate, and can be installed between the adjusting wedge ring and the fixing plate in a pre-compressed state.

7. The clutch of claim 1, wherein: the pressure plate is provided on the side remote from the friction plate with a projection which passes axially outwards through the clutch cover, the projection and the diaphragm spring being pressed against one another in the region axially outside the clutch cover.

8. The clutch according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: an output flange is connected to the radial inner side of the clutch cover and is connected to the second output shaft in a rotationally fixed manner.

9. The clutch of claim 8, wherein: the friction disk is connected to the first output shaft in a rotationally fixed manner.

10. The clutch of claim 9, wherein: the second output shaft is a hollow shaft, the first output shaft is located radially inside the second output shaft, the output flange is connected to the second output shaft in a rotationally fixed manner via a hub, and the friction disc is connected to the first output shaft in a rotationally fixed manner via a hub.