JP2010002036A - Clutch driving unit for motorcycle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a clutch driving unit for a motorcycle in which while suppressing the size of an engine from becoming long in the longitudinal direction, interference of parts, such as a clutch-driving member, a transmission unit, and a water pump, which are prone to be heavily built-up in a certain part of the engine, are avoided. <P>SOLUTION: In the clutch driving unit 30, a clutch driving member 32, which controls connection/disconnection of the clutch 19, is placed at a position separated from the left end of a counter shaft 15 astride an output shaft 21 and a bevel gear unit 22. Thus, interference of the clutch driving member 32 with the output shaft 21, or with the bevel gear unit 22 is avoided, and the bevel gear unit 22 is placed toward the front part of the motorcycle. The tip end of a release arm 44 is extended to the inside of the motorcycle so as to be rotated in a space S located on the side of the motorcycle from the water pump 26. As a result, the release arm 44 is prevented from protruding to the engine side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a clutch drive device for a motorcycle, and more specifically, a clutch drive member provided on one side of a counter shaft is provided in the counter shaft, and a clutch drive member provided on the other side of the counter shaft is provided. The present invention also relates to a clutch driving device that controls the push rod by moving it in the axial direction.

Japanese Patent No. 2938112 describes a clutch driving device for a motorcycle. That is, a clutch is attached to the right end of the counter shaft (main shaft) of the engine. The counter shaft is hollow, and a push rod extending in the axial direction of the counter shaft is provided inside the counter shaft so as to be movable in the axial direction. A clutch drive member that controls connection / disconnection of the clutch by moving the push rod in the axial direction is provided at the left end of the counter shaft. The clutch drive member is connected to a clutch lever mounted on the handle bar via a clutch cable. When the driver operates the clutch lever, the clutch cable is pulled, and in conjunction with this, the clutch drive member moves the push rod in the axial direction to disconnect the clutch.
Japanese Patent No. 2938112

  As described above, in a motorcycle engine as described in Japanese Patent No. 2938112, a clutch drive member is provided at the left end of the counter shaft, and a clutch cable is connected to the clutch drive member. A drive shaft extending parallel to the counter shaft is disposed in the vicinity of the counter shaft, and a power transmission unit for transmitting the engine drive to the rear wheels is provided on the left side of the drive shaft. Yes. This power transmission unit is a bevel gear unit in the case of a shaft drive type, and is a drive chain unit in the case of a chain drive type. Further, a water pump is provided below the counter shaft on the left side, and a pipe connected to the water pump is disposed in the vicinity of the left end of the counter shaft.

  As described above, many engine parts such as a clutch drive member, a power transmission unit, and a water pump are concentrated around the left end portion of the counter shaft. For this reason, it is not easy to arrange each engine part so that these engine parts do not interfere with each other.

  Moreover, the clutch cable extends from the clutch drive member toward the front of the motorcycle, the output shaft (propeller shaft) extends from the power transmission unit toward the rear of the motorcycle, and the water pump has a pipe on the side of the engine. It is extended. For this reason, in the arrangement of the engine parts, interference avoidance such as the clutch cable, the output shaft, and the piping must be taken into consideration. Furthermore, it is necessary to reduce the degree of bending of the clutch cable, to reduce the sliding resistance of the clutch cable during clutch operation, and to prevent the feeling of clutch operation from becoming dull. The arrangement of the clutch drive member must be determined so that a suitable clutch cable can be routed. Due to these requirements, the arrangement of the engine parts becomes more difficult.

  Further, since the bevel gear unit is larger than the drive chain unit, when the power transmission unit is a bevel gear unit, the arrangement of the engine parts becomes more difficult.

  Certainly, if the engine dimensions are lengthened in the front-rear direction of the motorcycle and the clutch drive member, power transmission unit, water pump, etc. can be arranged at appropriate intervals in the front-rear direction, the interference of these engine parts will be mitigated. can do. However, an increase in the size of the engine is not preferable because it leads to an increase in the size of the motorcycle body.

  Further, if the clutch drive member, the power transmission unit, the weight pump, etc. are simply arranged side by side in the width direction of the motorcycle, it is likely to prevent the engine dimension from becoming longer in the front-rear direction. However, such an arrangement is not preferable because some of these engine parts protrude to the left of the motorcycle and the occupant's legs easily come into contact with the protruding portion.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, for example, and a first problem of the present invention is that an engine such as a clutch drive member, a power transmission unit, a water pump, etc., while suppressing an increase in engine dimension in the front-rear direction. It is an object of the present invention to provide a clutch drive device for a motorcycle that can avoid interference of parts that tend to be densely packed in a part of the motorcycle.

  The second problem of the present invention is to prevent parts of the engine, such as a clutch drive member, a power transmission unit, and a water pump, that tend to be densely packed in a part of the engine from protruding to the side of the motorcycle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a clutch drive device for a motorcycle that can avoid interference.

  A third object of the present invention is to provide a clutch drive device for a motorcycle that can reduce the degree of bending of the clutch cable.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a crankshaft extending in the width direction of a motorcycle, a countershaft that is disposed in parallel with the crankshaft and driven by the crankshaft, and is disposed in parallel with the countershaft. A drive shaft driven by the counter shaft, located on one side in the width direction of the motorcycle, a clutch mounted on an end of the counter shaft, and located on the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle, An output shaft that extends in the front-rear direction of the motorcycle and transmits the output of the drive shaft to a rear wheel, and is located on the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle, between the end portion of the drive shaft and the output shaft A clutch drive device for a motorcycle having an engine provided with a power transmission unit disposed and transmitting an output of the drive shaft to the output shaft, wherein one end side is axially directed to the inside of the counter shaft A push rod inserted movably, the other end extending from the end of the counter shaft on the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle to the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle, and reaching a position at least exceeding the output shaft; A clutch drive member, which is provided at the other end of the push rod and controls the connection / disconnection of the clutch by moving the push rod in the axial direction, and a clutch lever mounted on a handlebar and the clutch drive member And a clutch cable that is connected and interlocks the connection / disconnection control of the clutch by the clutch driving member with the operation of the clutch lever by the driver.

  In the clutch drive device of the present invention described above, the clutch drive member is provided at a cylindrical housing, a release shaft rotatably supported in the housing, and one end of the release shaft, together with the release shaft. A release cam that moves the push rod in the axial direction by rotating, and is provided at the other end of the release shaft and connected to the clutch cable, and rotates according to the operation of the clutch lever by the driver. A release arm for rotating the release shaft, wherein the axis of the release shaft is orthogonal to the axis of the counter shaft on the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle, and the counter shaft sandwiching the axis of the output shaft It is desirable that they are arranged in a virtual plane located on the opposite side to the end of the.

  In the above-described clutch drive device of the present invention, it is preferable that the other end of the push rod passes under the output shaft in a side view of the vehicle.

  In the above-described clutch drive device of the present invention, it is preferable that the base end of the release arm is attached to the other end of the release shaft, and the tip end of the release arm extends to one side in the width direction of the motorcycle.

  In the above-described clutch drive device of the present invention, a water pump is mounted on the side of the engine located below the push rod on the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle, and the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle from the water pump. It is desirable for the release arm to rotate within the space where it is located.

  In the above-described clutch drive device of the present invention, it is desirable that the housing of the clutch drive member includes an attachment arm extending so as to straddle the water pump, and is attached to the engine side surface by the attachment arm.

  According to the above-described present invention, it is possible to avoid interference of parts that tend to be concentrated in a part of the engine, such as a clutch drive member, a power transmission unit, and a water pump, while suppressing an increase in the size of the engine in the front-rear direction. . Further, it is possible to avoid interference of these engine parts while preventing a part of these engine parts from protruding to the side of the motorcycle. Further, the degree of bending of the clutch cable can be reduced, the sliding resistance of the clutch cable during clutch operation can be reduced, and the feeling of operation of the clutch can be prevented from becoming dull.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a motorcycle equipped with a clutch drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the motorcycle 1 is, for example, a so-called cruiser type or American type motorcycle. In the motorcycle 1, two left and right front forks 2 (only the left side is shown) are supported on the head pipe disposed on the front side of the body frame forming the framework of the motorcycle 1. A handle bar 3 is fixed to the upper end of the front fork 2, and handle grips 4 (only the left side is shown) are provided on the left and right ends of the handle bar 3. In the handlebar 3, a clutch lever 5 for operating the connection / disconnection of the clutch 19 (see FIG. 4) is mounted near the left handle grip 4. On the other hand, a front wheel 6 is rotatably supported at the lower portion of the front fork 2. A rear wheel 8 is rotatably supported on the rear side of the vehicle body frame via a swing arm 7.

  Further, a V-type engine 9 is fixed to the body frame via an engine bracket or the like. In the present embodiment, the motorcycle 1 employs a shaft drive system as a power transmission system for transmitting the power of the engine 9 to the rear wheel 8. Between the engine 9 and the rear wheel 8, a shaft drive mechanism (see FIG. 4) including an output shaft 21, a bevel gear unit 22 as a power transmission unit, and the like is provided.

  FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the engine 9 in FIG. 1 taken out of the motorcycle 1. FIG. 3 shows the engine 9 as viewed from the rear. FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the engine 9 as seen from the direction of arrows IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the engine 9 as seen from the direction of arrows V-V in FIG. FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the release arm, the mounting holder, the clutch cable, and the like as seen from the direction of arrows VI-VI in FIG.

  In the engine 9 in FIG. 2, a front cylinder 12 and a rear cylinder 13 are provided on an engine case 11. A crankshaft 14 extending in the width direction of the motorcycle 1 is provided in the engine case 11. Pistons provided in the combustion chambers of the cylinders 12 and 13 are connected to the crankshaft 14 via connecting rods. Further, the engine 9 has a countershaft 15 extending in the width direction of the motorcycle 1 in parallel with the crankshaft 14. Furthermore, a drive shaft 16 extends in the width direction of the motorcycle 1 in the engine 9 in parallel with the counter shaft 15.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the counter shaft 15 is connected to the crankshaft 14 via drive gears 17 and 18, and is driven to rotate by the crankshaft 14. A clutch 19 is attached to the right end of the counter shaft 15. The drive shaft 16 is connected to the counter shaft 15 via the transmission gear unit 20 and is driven to rotate by the counter shaft 15.

  An output shaft 21 that extends in the front-rear direction of the motorcycle 1 and transmits the output of the drive shaft 16 to the rear wheel 8 is provided behind the left side of the engine 9. A bevel gear unit 22 is provided between the drive shaft 16 and the output shaft 21. The bevel gear unit 22 of the bevel gear unit 22 is fixed to the front end of the output shaft 21. ing. Further, the bevel gear 23 meshes with a bevel gear 24 provided at the left end portion of the drive shaft 16. As a result, the output of the drive shaft 16 is transmitted to the output shaft 21 via the bevel gears 24 and 23, and this output is further transmitted to the rear wheel 8 via the output shaft 21 and the like.

  In the engine case 11, a generator 25 is provided on the left side of the crankshaft 14.

  As shown in FIG. 2 or 5, a water pump 26 is mounted on the left side surface of the engine 9 located below the counter shaft 15 (push rod 31). As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of pipes 27, 27,... Are connected to the water pump 26, and these pipes 27 are arranged on the left side surface of the engine 9.

  As shown in FIG. 3 or 5, the engine 9 includes a clutch drive device 30 that controls connection / disconnection of the clutch 19 in accordance with the operation of the clutch lever 5 by the driver. The clutch drive device 30 includes a push rod 31, a clutch drive member 32, and a clutch cable 33 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the counter shaft 15 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and the right end side of the push rod 31 is inserted into the counter shaft 15 and moves in the axial direction (the width direction of the motorcycle 1). Supported as possible. On the other hand, the left end portion of the push rod 31 extends leftward from the left end portion of the counter shaft 15 and reaches at least a position exceeding the output shaft 21, specifically, the vicinity of the left side surface of the bevel gear unit 22. Further, the other end of the push rod 31 passes under the output shaft 21 in a side view of the motorcycle 1.

  The clutch drive member 32 is provided at the left end of the counter shaft 15 and controls the connection and disconnection of the clutch 19 by moving the push rod 31 in the axial direction. The clutch drive member 32 includes a housing 41, a release shaft 42, a release cam 43, and a release arm 44.

  The housing 41 is formed in a cylindrical shape and extends from the left end portion of the counter shaft 15 to the lower portion of the engine 9 in a side view of the motorcycle 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the housing 41 includes an attachment arm 45 extending so as to straddle the water pump 26, and is attached to the side surface of the engine 9 by the attachment arm 45. As shown in FIG. 5, a holder chamber 46 is formed inside the housing 41, and the holder chamber 46 is separated by a crank chamber 47 and an oil seal 48 formed inside the engine case 11. Grease for lubricating the bearing of the release shaft 42 and the release cam 43 is injected into the holder chamber 46.

  The release shaft 42 is rotatably supported inside the housing 41 via a bearing, and extends from the left end portion of the counter shaft 15 to the lower portion of the engine 9 in a side view of the motorcycle 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the axis of the release shaft 42 is orthogonal to the axis of the counter shaft 15 and is opposite to the left end of the counter shaft 15 across the axis of the output shaft 21, specifically, the bevel gear unit 22. It is arranged in a virtual plane P located in the vicinity of the left side surface.

  The release cam 43 is provided at one end of the release shaft 42 and is in contact with the left end portion of the push rod 31. The release cam 43 moves the push rod 31 in the axial direction by rotating together with the release shaft 42.

  The release arm 44 is provided at the other end of the release shaft 42 and rotates together with the release shaft 42. The proximal end of the release arm 44 is attached to the other end of the release shaft 42, and the distal end of the release arm 44 extends to the right side (inward) of the motorcycle 1. The release arm 44 rotates in the space S located on the left side of the motorcycle 1 from the water pump 26.

  The clutch cable 33 is connected between the clutch lever 5 attached to the handlebar 3 and the clutch drive member 32, and the connection / disconnection control of the clutch 19 by the clutch drive member 32 is interlocked with the operation of the clutch lever 5 by the driver. Let As shown in FIG. 6, one end of the clutch cable 33 is connected to the distal end portion of the release arm 44, and the other end of the clutch cable 33 is connected to the clutch lever 5. When the driver operates the clutch lever 5, the clutch cable 33 is pulled and the release arm 44 rotates accordingly. When the release arm 44 rotates, the release shaft 42 and the release cam 43 provided integrally with the release arm 44 rotate. By the rotation of the release cam 43, the push rod 31 moves in the axial direction, whereby the connection in the clutch 19 is disconnected.

  As described above, in the clutch drive device 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the clutch drive member 32 is disposed at a position separated from the left end portion of the counter shaft 15 across the output shaft 21 and the bevel gear unit 22. . That is, the axis of the release shaft 42 is arranged in a virtual plane P that is orthogonal to the axis of the counter shaft 15 and is located on the opposite side of the left end portion of the counter shaft 15 across the axis of the output shaft 21. Thereby, it can avoid that the clutch drive member 32 interferes with the output shaft 21 or the bevel gear unit 22. Further, since the bevel gear unit 22 can be disposed closer to the front of the motorcycle 1, the dimensions of the engine 9 in the front-rear direction can be shortened.

  Further, since the clutch drive member 32 is disposed on the left side of the water pump 26, the clutch drive member 32 and the water pump 26 are connected to the counter shaft 15 in a side view of the motorcycle 1 as shown in FIG. While arranging at positions where they overlap each other in the vicinity of the left end, interference between the two can be avoided.

  Further, since the push rod 31 passes below the output shaft 21 and the bevel gear unit 22, it can be avoided that the push rod 31 interferes with the output shaft 21 or the bevel gear unit 22.

  The release arm 44 has a tip extending to the right side (inward) of the motorcycle 1, and rotates from the water pump 26 in a space S located on the left side of the motorcycle 1. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the release arm 44 from projecting to the side of the motorcycle 1, and it is possible to prevent the occupant's legs from coming into contact with the release arm 44.

  Further, since the release arm 44 is located in the space S inside the motorcycle 1, the release arm 44 can be protected from flying stones and the durability of the release arm 44 can be improved.

  Moreover, since the housing 41 (clutch drive member 32) is attached to the side surface of the engine 9 by the attachment arm 45 extended so as to straddle the water pump 26, the attachment strength of the clutch drive member 32 can be improved. it can.

  The clutch drive member 32 extends from the left end of the counter shaft 15 to the lower part of the engine 9 in a side view of the motorcycle 1 and is connected to the clutch cable 33 at the lower part of the engine 9. As a result, the clutch cable 33 can be gently curved upward and forward of the engine 9 via the lower side of the engine 9 and connected to the clutch lever 5 through the vicinity of the head pipe. Therefore, the degree of bending of the clutch cable 33 can be reduced, the sliding resistance of the clutch cable 33 during clutch operation can be reduced, and the feeling of operation of the clutch can be prevented from becoming dull.

  In the above-described embodiment, a shaft drive type is adopted as a power transmission method for transmitting the power of the engine 9 to the rear wheel 8, and a motorcycle equipped with a shaft drive mechanism is taken as an example of the power transmission unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to a motorcycle that employs a chain drive system as a power transmission system and includes a chain drive mechanism as a power transmission unit.

  Further, the present invention can be applied not only to the V-type engine but also to other types of engines. The present invention is not limited to cruiser type or American type motorcycles, but can be applied to other types of motorcycles.

  Further, the present invention can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist or concept of the present invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and a clutch drive device that includes such a change is also included in the technical concept of the present invention. included.

1 is a side view showing a motorcycle equipped with a clutch drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view showing the engine in FIG. 1 taken out from the motorcycle. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the engine in FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing of the engine seen from the arrow IV-IV direction in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the engine seen from the arrow VV direction in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a release arm, a mounting arm, a clutch cable, and the like as seen from the direction of arrows VI-VI in FIG. 2.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Motorcycle 3 Handlebar 5 Clutch lever 9 Engine 11 Engine case 14 Crankshaft 15 Countershaft 16 Drive shaft 19 Clutch 21 Output shaft 22 Bevel gear unit (power transmission unit)
26 Water pump 30 Clutch drive device 31 Push rod 32 Clutch drive member 33 Clutch cable 41 Housing 42 Release shaft 43 Release cam 44 Release arm 45 Mounting arm

Claims (6)

A crankshaft extending in the width direction of the motorcycle,
A countershaft arranged parallel to the crankshaft and driven by the crankshaft;
A drive shaft disposed in parallel with the counter shaft and driven by the counter shaft;
A clutch located on one side in the width direction of the motorcycle and attached to an end of the countershaft;
An output shaft located on the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle, extending in the front-rear direction of the motorcycle, and transmitting the output of the drive shaft to a rear wheel;
An engine having a power transmission unit located on the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle, disposed between an end of the drive shaft and the output shaft, and transmitting the output of the drive shaft to the output shaft; A clutch driving device for a motorcycle having:
One end side is inserted into the counter shaft so as to be movable in the axial direction, and the other end extends from the end of the counter shaft to the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle on the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle. A push rod that reaches a position beyond the axis;
A clutch driving member that is provided at the other end of the push rod and controls the connection / disconnection of the clutch by moving the push rod in the axial direction;
A clutch cable that is connected between a clutch lever mounted on a handlebar and the clutch drive member, and that interlocks connection / disconnection control of the clutch by the clutch drive member with operation of the clutch lever by a driver; A clutch drive device for a motorcycle, characterized by comprising: The clutch drive member is
A tubular housing;
A release shaft rotatably supported in the housing;
A release cam that is provided at one end of the release shaft and moves in the axial direction by rotating together with the release shaft;
A release arm that is provided at the other end of the release shaft and connected to the clutch cable, and rotates according to the operation of the clutch lever by a driver to rotate the release shaft;
The axis of the release shaft is perpendicular to the axis of the counter shaft on the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle, and is in a virtual plane located on the opposite side of the end of the counter shaft across the axis of the output shaft. The clutch driving device for a motorcycle according to claim 1, wherein the clutch driving device is arranged.   The clutch drive device for a motorcycle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the other end of the push rod passes under the output shaft in a side view of the vehicle.   The motorcycle according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a base end of the release arm is attached to the other end of the release shaft, and a distal end of the release arm extends to one side in the width direction of the motorcycle. Clutch drive device.   On the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle, a water pump is attached to the side of the engine located below the push rod, and the release arm rotates in a space located on the other side in the width direction of the motorcycle from the water pump. The motorcycle clutch drive device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the clutch drive device is a motor.   6. The clutch drive device for a motorcycle according to claim 5, wherein a housing of the clutch drive member includes an attachment arm extending so as to straddle the water pump, and is attached to a side surface of the engine by the attachment arm. .

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