JP2005164029A - Transmission for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a transmission for vehicles which operates smoothly without requiring the operation of a start clutch, can perform rapid and reliable transmission operation, is of an easy and simple structure, is not large in size and weight, is short in transmission time and has high transmission response, and also obtain a controlling system thereof. <P>SOLUTION: A transmission for vehicles 1 has a plurality of gear pairs of gears 4 and gears 5 which are always meshed with each other on a main shaft 2 and a sub shaft 3, and is configured so that: either of the gear pairs, gears 4 or 5, are provided in an idle running state with respect to the shaft; a dog clutch 6 is provided on the shaft on which these idle running gears; and a second clutch 7 is provided on a route to a wheel W using an end of the sub shaft as an output shaft. The second clutch 7 is a roller clutch of electromagnetic type having an electromagnetic unit for engaging/ shutting the roller clutch, and is controlled by a control signal from the external. The dog clutch 6 and the second clutch 7 are engaged by a signal which has selected any one of gear shift stages to transmit the rotation from the main shaft 2 via the sub shaft 3 to the wheel W. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle transmission and a control system therefor that perform a speed change operation quickly, reliably, and smoothly by a simple and simple mechanism during a speed change while the vehicle is running.

  A synchromesh equipped with a synchronization mechanism by a combination of a clutch and a sliding gear as a transmission that selectively gives a gear ratio that adapts to speed fluctuations while the vehicle is running and enables a quick, reliable, and smooth gear shifting operation. 2. Description of the Related Art A multi-stage switching type vehicle transmission is known. In such a transmission, a pair of gears that are always meshed with two parallel main shafts and a sub shaft are provided, and a clutch that rotates together with the sub shaft is coupled to the main shaft so as to rotate the main shaft, and is provided so as to idle around the main shaft. Any one of the gears selected is slid and engaged with the main shaft to rotate synchronously.

  As an example of such a transmission, a “synchronizer for a vehicle transmission” according to Patent Document 1 is known. In this transmission, a main shaft that is an input shaft and an output shaft is independently provided on a straight line, and a counter shaft (counter shaft) that is engaged with a gear at the input shaft end is arranged in parallel with the main shaft. A pair of synchronous gears for synchronously rotating the main shaft at this position and a synchronization clutch having a friction member for adjusting the speed of the main shaft for acceleration / deceleration adjustment are provided, and the main shaft is idled with respect to the main shaft. A plurality of gears are provided and selected according to the speed change state, and sleeve means for engaging these gears with the main shaft is provided.

  The plurality of stages of gears provided on the main shaft form a pair with the plurality of stages of gears provided corresponding to the sub-shafts, and each pair of gears is always meshed. The sleeve means moves a shift lever connected to a piston of a cylinder operated by a solenoid valve in an axial direction on the main shaft, and a clutch sleeve engaged therewith is attached to a dog tooth provided on a boss portion of a gear on the main shaft. A gear selected by engaging is provided to engage the main shaft.

  In such a transmission, when an arbitrary transmission is selected by a shift lever, first, a starting clutch provided between the transmission and the engine is disconnected by stepping on a clutch pedal directly connected thereto. . In this state, the control circuit detects the rotational speed difference between the main shaft and the sub shaft, and determines whether the main shaft should be accelerated or decelerated based on the signal representing the selected transmission. Thus, the synchronization clutch is connected to a state where the synchronization gear is either accelerated or decelerated with respect to the synchronous gear to adjust the rotation of the spindle.

  When the rotation speed of the main shaft approaches the synchronous rotation state suitable for the reduction ratio of the gear pair corresponding to the selected speed change lever by such rotation adjustment of the main shaft, the sleeve means is operated to move the sleeve in the axial direction. The selected gear is engaged with the main shaft, and the main shaft is driven by a gear pair selected from the counter shaft. When the main shaft begins to rotate synchronously, the display indicates that it is in the synchronous rotation state, and the driver returns the clutch pedal and connects the starting clutch to connect the input shaft of the engine and the transmission. The vehicle travels at the selected gear position. After the main shaft reaches synchronous rotation, the synchronization clutch is returned to the neutral position.

  In the conventional transmission described above, at the time of shifting, it is necessary to first depress the clutch pedal to release the starting clutch, and to perform the setting operation to the speed stage at which the shift lever is to be selected. In this respect, the shifting operation is extremely troublesome for the driver. Further, since the starting clutch is once released at the time of shifting, a feeling of idling occurs, which gives the driver a sense of insecurity. As a starting clutch that gives a psychological burden to the driver during the shifting operation as described above, a dry clutch is generally used. However, wear of the friction plate may occur due to repeated engagement and disconnection, which may deteriorate operability.

Some of these dry clutches are engaged / disengaged by hydraulic pressure in addition to the driver's operation. In this case, the control performance is lowered due to the influence of the oil temperature, and the shift time becomes longer. In order to improve such a decrease in control performance and the like, it is necessary to improve the response of the starting clutch. As one of the countermeasures, there is a method of increasing the hydraulic pressure. Increase. Further, the above-described transmission is configured not only with dog teeth and sleeve means for engaging the gear pairs of each speed stage with the main shaft, but also with a synchronous gear and a synchronizing clutch for synchronous adjustment of the rotational speed of the main shaft. Therefore, the structure of the transmission is extremely complicated, and problems such as an increase in weight and size occur.
Japanese Patent Publication No.54-28894

  In consideration of the above problems, the present invention adopts a simple and simple configuration using a simple roller clutch instead of a synchronous gear or a synchronous clutch as a transmission mechanism, and is smooth without requiring an operation of a starting clutch. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle transmission and a control system therefor that can perform a speedy and reliable gear shifting operation, can be further downsized, can reduce idle running time, have high vehicle acceleration performance, and high operability.

  As a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention arranges a plurality of gear pairs which are always meshed with each other and have a reduction ratio suitable for each of a plurality of speed stages on the main shaft and the sub shaft, and on either one of the shafts. The idler gear is free to rotate with respect to the shaft, and a dog clutch is provided on the shaft provided with the idled gear to engage the idled gear with the shaft. The vehicle transmission is provided with a second clutch controlled by a control signal from the vehicle.

  According to the vehicle transmission configured as described above, the speed change operation can be performed quickly, reliably, and smoothly without operating the starting clutch. Such a shift operation is performed by energizing and shutting off the dog clutch and the second clutch based on a signal representing the speed stage when the shift lever is shifted and a desired speed stage is selected. In this case, it is premised that the engine speed is adjusted so that the main shaft speed reaches a rotational speed suitable for the selected speed stage.

  When the difference in the rotation speed of the main shaft is within a predetermined range with respect to the sub-shaft by the above adjustment during the shift operation, a control signal is sent from the outside to the dog clutch and the second clutch, and the dog clutch is engaged by the dog clutch operating portion, The two clutches are engaged to transmit power from the output shaft to the wheels. In this case, the second clutch may be a wet multi-plate clutch, a dry single-plate clutch, or a roller clutch. In either case, the engagement and disconnection must be controlled from the outside by a control signal.

  In particular, as the second clutch, it is preferable to use an electromagnetic roller clutch having a fast engaging / disengaging operation speed. This roller clutch is engaged only by rotating by an angle required for the roller to be pushed into a wedge space formed by the circumferential cam surface of the inner member and the inner rolling surface of the outer member. Since the shut-off is performed, the operation time is short, and it is advantageous in that the torque capacity is large as compared with a wet multi-plate clutch having a sliding element or a dry single-plate clutch. Therefore, if this roller clutch is adopted, it is possible to reduce the “running feeling” when the power between the engine and the wheel is cut off.

  As a device for controlling the transmission having the above configuration, the engagement and disconnection of the dog clutch and the second clutch are controlled with respect to the vehicle transmission on the power transmission path from the engine to the wheels, and the engine speed is controlled. A control circuit having a control unit for controlling, and a switch indicating a plurality of speed stages and a shift indicator having a shift lever are connected to the control circuit, and a shift lever is selectively connected to any of the switches. When the signal of the speed stage is received, the control circuit adjusts the engine speed to match the selected speed stage, and when the speed difference between the main shaft and the sub shaft of the transmission is within a predetermined range, the control circuit is selected. It is possible to employ a control system for a vehicle transmission configured to output a control signal for engaging the speed stage dog clutch and the second clutch.

  In the above control system, the control circuit controls the engine speed based on the speed change command signal from the speed change indicator, and the speed of the main shaft is within a predetermined range with respect to the auxiliary shaft for acceleration and deceleration actions by the accelerator pedal. The rotational speed is adjusted so that the rotational speed difference becomes. Therefore, it is not necessary to disconnect the starting clutch, and when the difference in rotational speed is within a predetermined range, the dog clutch and the second clutch are energized by a signal from the control circuit, and the respective clutches are engaged. Thus, the rotation is transmitted from the main shaft to the wheel through the sub shaft.

  In the transmission according to the present invention, the dog clutch and the second clutch are engaged by energizing the operation unit of the dog clutch and the second clutch of the gear pair corresponding to the selected speed stage among the plurality of gear pairs having the dog clutch, Since the rotation is transmitted from the main shaft to the sub shaft, the gear shifting operation can be performed without breaking the troublesome starting clutch, the time for torque transmission to be cut off is shortened, and the operation of the transmission is quick and reliable. In addition, there is a remarkable effect that a transmission that is smooth and has improved operability can be obtained.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a power transmission system in which a transmission 1 according to an embodiment is provided in a power transmission path of a vehicle, and FIG. 2 is a schematic system diagram of a transmission control system. As shown in FIG. 1, the transmission 1 is inserted on a power transmission path for transmitting the power of the engine E to the wheels W. The transmission 1 is provided with a main shaft 2 and a countershaft 3 parallel to the main shaft 2, and a plurality of gears 4 (4 a to 4 e) and 5 (5 a to 5 e) are provided on the shafts 2 and 3. In each of the gears 4 and 5, for example, 4a and 5a, 4b and 5b,... Are always meshed with each other to form a plurality of gear pairs 4 and 5, respectively.

  The plurality of gear pairs 4 and 5 form gear pairs having different reduction ratios suitable for the selected speed stage. For example, the gear pairs 4a and 5a are first speed (low speed), and 4b and 5b are second speed ( Medium speed), 4c and 5c are the third speed (medium speed), 4d and 5d are the fourth speed (medium and high speed), and 4e and 5e are the fifth speed (high speed). A suitable reduction ratio is set.

  Of the plurality of gears 4 (4a to 4e), two gears 4a and 4b are fixed to the main shaft 2 in this example, and the three gears 4c, 4d and 4e are rotatable relative to the main shaft 2 (freely rotatable). Is provided. Of the other plurality of gears 5 (5a to 5e), two gears 5a and 5b are provided so as to be rotatable relative to the auxiliary shaft 3 (freely rotatable), and the three gears 5c, 5d and 5e are auxiliary shafts. 3 is fixed. Dog clutches 6a, 6b, and 6c are provided on the countershaft 3 and the main shaft 2 for the freely rotatable gears 5a, 5b, 4c, 4d, and 4e, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3, the dog clutches 6 a to 6 c are configured so that the sleeve member 6 as engaged and moved to the dog teeth 5 _D provided on the boss portions of the idle gears 5 a, 5 b, 4 c, 4 d, and 4 e has on the outer circumference of the _R, when moving the sleeve member 6as by the shift lever 6a _L is splined to dog teeth 5 _D, since the ring member 6a _R is rotating integrally with the countershaft 3, the sleeve member 6as The idle gears 5a to 4e are formed so as to rotate via the shaft.

As shown in FIG. 3, operating means for driving the lever 6a _L in the axial direction of the main shaft 2 or the sub shaft 3 is connected to the shift lever 6a _L. In this example, this operation means is connected to a piston rod of the cylinder at the end of the shift lever 6a _L , and the cylinder is driven by a pneumatic or hydraulic working fluid via an electromagnetic valve. Thus, the dog clutch 6a, 6b, each of 6c engagement with dog teeth 5 _D by sending a control signal from the outside to the solenoid valve, shut-off is performed, thereby idling the gear 5a, 5b, 4c, 4d, 4e can be engaged with and disconnected from the auxiliary shaft 3 and the main shaft 2.

  However, the dog clutch 6a is provided as a dog clutch by reversing its moving direction with respect to the gears 5a and 5b. However, the dog clutches 6a and 6b use reciprocating cylinders Pa and Pb that reciprocate, and the dog clutch 6c uses a single-acting cylinder Pc, which corresponds to the idle gears 5a, 5b, 4c, 4d, and 4e. In order to operate the dog clutches 6a to 6c, electromagnetic valves are individually provided corresponding to the idle gears. Accordingly, the idle gears 5a to 4e are controlled by sending control signals from an external control circuit to be described later to the solenoid valves.

  In the transmission 1 of this example, the axle 30 is provided at the end of the auxiliary shaft 3, and the second clutch 7 is provided between the axle 30 and the auxiliary shaft 3. As the type of the second clutch 7, any of a wet multi-plate clutch, a dry single-plate clutch, and a roller clutch may be adopted. It must be controllable.

In particular, in the illustrated example, the electromagnetic roller clutch 10 shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is used as the second clutch 7. This electromagnetic roller clutch 10 includes a roller clutch 10 _A for transmitting rotation between an outer member 11 and an inner member 12 via a roller 13 and an electromagnetic coil for engaging and disconnecting the roller clutch 10 _A. And an electromagnetic unit 10 _B having 21.
The outer member 11 of the roller clutch 10 _A is connected to the axle 30, and the inner member 12 is fixed to the auxiliary shaft 3.

  The roller 13 is inserted and held in a plurality of pockets (12 in the illustrated example) provided in the holder 14, and the holder 14 is rotatably supported by the auxiliary shaft 3. A planar cam surface 12a extending in a direction orthogonal to the circumference is provided in a predetermined angle range corresponding to each roller 13 on the outer periphery of the sub shaft 3, and the cam surface 12a and the inner peripheral surface of the outer member 11 are provided. As will be described later, in the wedge space formed between the rollers 13, the roller 13 does not engage (shut off) both members due to a slight gap with the inner peripheral surface of the outer member 11 at the cam surface center position. When moving in either direction from the center of the surface, the roller 13 is provided to engage with both members.

A switch spring 15 and a spring retainer 16 are provided on one side of the cage 14 in the axial direction, and an armature 17 is opposed to the spring retainer 16 in the axial direction.
The spring retainer 16 is rotatably supported by the inner member 12, and a pair of claw portions 16a are provided at opposing positions on the outer periphery thereof. The pair of claw portions 16 a are engaged with a notch 14 a formed in the end face of the retainer 14 and a hole 17 a provided in the armature 17. For this reason, the armature 17 is prevented from rotating with respect to the retainer 14 and is movable in the axial direction.

As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the switch spring 15 has a configuration in which a pair of corner members 15a, 15a are provided outward at both ends of a ring part from which a part has been cut off. The members 15a and 15a are inserted into the notches 14a formed on the end face of the retainer 14 from the notches 12b formed in the cylindrical wall of the inner member 12, and are opposed in the circumferential direction of the notches 12b and 14a. The retainer 14 is elastically held so that the roller 13 is held at the center position of the cam surface 12a by simultaneously pressing the end surfaces in opposite directions.
As shown in FIG. 4, a rotor plate 11b is provided on one side of the armature 17 in the axial direction, and an electromagnetic coil 21 is opposed to the rotor plate 11b in the axial direction.

  An elastic member 18 such as a disc spring is inserted between the rotor plate 11b and the armature 17, and the armature 17 is normally separated from the rotor plate 11b. As shown in the figure, the rotor plate 11b has a U-shaped cross section, an upper end is fixed to the extension flange portion 11a of the outer member 11, and an inner peripheral surface is rotatably supported with respect to the auxiliary shaft 3 by a bearing. Yes. Reference numeral 19 denotes a bobbin of the electromagnetic coil 21.

The transmission 1 provided with the electromagnetic roller clutch 10 having the above configuration as the second clutch 7 is controlled by the control system shown in FIG. Said control system, signals such as the switch S ₁ to S ₅ representing each speed stage by operating the shift lever L of the shift commander, and an electronic control circuit a signal of the rotation sensor S _E representing the rotational speed of the engine E (ECU ) 20, and the electronic control circuit 20 controls the engine rotation by the throttle opening adjustment unit by the throttle valve Tv or the ignition timing adjustment unit for adjusting the timing to the ignition switch for the engine E, and the transmission 1. The control signal for engaging and disengaging the electromagnetic roller clutch 10 and the idle gears 5a, 5b, 4c, 4d, and 4e in the transmission 1 are idled by a dog clutch, or the counter shaft 3 and the main shaft 2 are rotated. A signal for setting the engaged state is configured to be sent to each control target.

  For example, a microcomputer is used as the electronic control circuit 20, and the control program for the engine speed and the control program for the dog clutch and the electromagnetic roller clutch for the transmission 1 are built in the fixed storage unit. When various signals varying from the signal and the engine rotation sensor are input to the temporary storage unit, control signals from the respective control units to the controlled object are output based on these input signals. Although control of the engine speed is not shown in the figure, a signal from the sensor indicating the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal is sent to the electronic control circuit 20, and based on the signal, the difference between the engine speed being excessive or insufficient. It is assumed that the throttle opening or the ignition timing is adjusted so as to adjust.

The transmission 1 configured as described above is operated as follows by the control system. When the vehicle is running, for example, when switching from the _second speed stage (switch S ₂ ) to the third speed stage (switch S ₃ ), the accelerator clutch (not shown) is depressed as usual with the start clutch C connected. The shift lever L is shifted from position B to C. At this time, the state of the throttle opening of the engine due to the depression of the accelerator pedal may excessive or under a proper throttle opening state from the control circuit 20 by the switch signal S ₃ containing the shift lever L to position C Thus, the throttle valve Tv is adjusted so that the engine speed is controlled.

Further, with respect to the transmission 1 in parallel with the rotational speed control, the switching signal S ₂ by the shift of the shift lever L is turned off, the electromagnetic which are connected in correspondence with the original second speed stage of the The energization of the roller clutch 10 is cut off, the outer member 11 and the inner member 12 are separated, and the auxiliary shaft 3 can rotate relative to the axle 30. As a result, the currently connected dog clutch can be disengaged, so that it is disengaged, and after the shift lever L is shifted to position C, the main shaft 2 calculated in the control circuit 20 based on the switch signal S ₃ is released. a target rotational speed N _REF, the current rotational speed N _E of the spindle 2 to the engine rotational speed is transmitted is compared in the control circuit 20, the rotational speed difference between them it is within the predetermined range is first determined.

As a result of this determination, when the rotation of the main shaft 2 reaches a rotation speed at which the rotation speed difference falls within a predetermined range, the electromagnetic roller clutch 10 is energized after energizing the electromagnetic valve of the dog clutch corresponding to the shifted position C. Is energized, whereby the dog clutch is engaged, and then the electromagnetic unit 10 _B is energized to engage the roller clutch 10 _A , whereby the main shaft 2 is changed to the auxiliary shaft 3 and further from the auxiliary shaft 3 to the axle. Rotational force is transmitted to 30 at the third speed stage. Switching from the first speed to the second speed, from the third speed to the fourth speed, and from the fourth speed to the fifth speed is also performed by the same operation as described above.

  Further, the speed stage switching operation for decelerating from the third speed to the second speed is basically the same as the operation of shifting the shift lever L in the reverse direction of the above operation. However, the speed reduction at the time of deceleration may be loosened in the direction of returning the accelerator pedal from the present time, and depending on the case, it may be greatly reduced by the depression of the brake pedal. In the above-described rotation speed control, in particular, when the engine rotation speed is increased, the rotation speed control may be assisted (assisted) by an electric motor M provided behind the engine E as shown in FIG.

  In this case, the electromagnetic roller clutch can be engaged in synchronization (synchronization) with an appropriate rotation speed range in a shorter time, and the shift response is improved. Even when the engine speed is not controlled, if a roller clutch is used as the second clutch, the clutch can be engaged even if there is a rotational difference between the axle and the countershaft. Therefore, it is possible to engage without shock by controlling the engine speed.

  In the transmission and the control system thereof according to the above-described embodiment, it is not necessary to disconnect and engage the starting clutch at the time of shifting. Therefore, the time of the torque disconnecting state is shortened, the operability is improved, and the durability of the starting clutch is improved. Can be improved. Further, since the synchronization (synchronization) mechanism for reducing and synchronizing the rotational speed difference between the main shaft 2 and the sub shaft 3 can be omitted or the capacity can be reduced, the transmission can be made smaller. Further, when the roller clutch is used as the second clutch, the time during which the torque is interrupted is shortened, and the acceleration performance and steering performance of the vehicle are improved.

  The vehicle transmission of the present invention is a transmission that is quick, reliable, and smooth and has good operability, and is widely used in vehicles that require a transmission when power from an engine is transmitted to wheels. The

Schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle power transmission system including a transmission according to an embodiment Schematic system diagram of the transmission control system Cross section of an example of a dog clutch Main cross section of electromagnetic roller clutch (A) Sectional view from arrow AA in FIG. 4, (b) Sectional view from arrow BB in FIG. Illustration of action Schematic system diagram of an example in which an electric motor is added to the transmission control system of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transmission 2 Main shaft 3 Sub shaft 4, 5 Gear 6 Dog clutch 7 Second clutch 10 Electromagnetic roller clutch 10 _A roller clutch 10 _B Electromagnetic unit 11 Outer member 12 Inner member 13 Roller 14 Cage 15 Switch spring 16 Spring Presser foot 17 Armature 20 Electronic control circuit 30 Axle

Claims (7)

  A plurality of gear pairs that are always meshed with each other and have reduction ratios that respectively match a plurality of speed stages are arranged on the main shaft and the sub shaft, and the gear on one of the shafts is free to rotate with respect to the shaft. A dog clutch that engages the idle gear with the idle gear is provided on the shaft provided with the idle gear, and a second clutch that is controlled by an external control signal is provided in the power transmission path from the output shaft of the main shaft or the sub shaft to the wheel. Provided vehicle transmission.   The vehicle transmission according to claim 1, wherein the second clutch is a roller clutch.   3. The vehicle transmission according to claim 2, wherein the roller clutch is configured by an electromagnetic roller clutch having a roller clutch that connects and disconnects an output shaft based on an electromagnetic force generated by an electromagnetic unit.   The vehicle transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is controlled on the power transmission path from the engine to the wheels, and the engagement and disconnection of the dog clutch and the second clutch are controlled, and the engine speed is controlled. A control circuit having a control unit for controlling, and a switch indicating a plurality of speed stages and a shift indicator having a shift lever are connected to the control circuit, and a shift lever is selectively connected to any of the switches. When the signal of the speed stage is received, the engine speed is adjusted to match the selected speed stage, and when the speed difference between the main shaft and the sub-shaft falls within a predetermined range, the dog clutch and the A control system for a vehicle transmission configured to output a control signal for engaging two clutches.   A signal for controlling the engine speed is sent to an engine speed adjusting unit, and the increase / decrease of the engine speed by the accelerator pedal is adjusted by the adjusting unit so as to match the selected speed stage. The vehicle transmission control system according to claim 4.   6. The control system for a vehicle transmission according to claim 5, wherein the adjusting portion is a mechanism for adjusting an opening of an engine throttle valve.   The control circuit is configured to send a control signal so as to adjust the rotational speed difference between the main shaft and the sub shaft by controlling the rotational speed of the engine by an electric motor provided between the engine and the transmission. A control system for a vehicle transmission according to any one of claims 4 to 6.

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