JP2015025470A - Clutch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a clutch capable of switching a power transmission state with a small force.SOLUTION: A clutch 100 includes a driving-side rotary body 110, a driven-side rotary body 120 movable along the axial direction of the driving-side rotary body 110 between a connection position to be connected with the driving-side rotary body 110, and a release position to release the connection with the driving-side rotary body 110, and provided with a groove 400 including a spiral groove portion 410 on an axis of the driving-side rotary body 120 as a center axis, a biasing member 140 for biasing the driven-side rotary body 120 from the release position toward the connection position, and a locking member 151 capable of being inserted to and removed from the groove 400, and restricted in the axial movement. In the clutch 151, a depth of the groove 400 at a part where the locking member 151 is positioned when the driven-side rotary body 120 is located on the release position, is shallower than a depth of the groove 400 of a part where the locking member 151 is inserted.

Description

  The present invention relates to a clutch that switches a transmission state of power to a driven-side rotator by switching a connection state of a driven-side rotator with respect to a drive-side rotator.

  A mechanical pump for circulating cooling water and a crankshaft are connected via a clutch and the pump is driven by the rotational force of the crankshaft, or the pump is stopped by releasing the clutch connection. Engines that can do this are known. As a clutch for switching the connection state of the pump to the crankshaft, there is a clutch that presses the movable clutch plate connected to the pump against the fixed clutch plate connected to the crankshaft by the biasing force of the spring.

  In order to release the connected state in such a clutch, it is necessary to move the movable clutch plate against the urging force of the spring, for example, by an external force such as electromagnetic force, and to separate it from the fixed clutch plate (for example, Patent Document 1). ).

JP 2004-293430 A

  In the clutch as described above, it is necessary to increase the urging force of the spring for maintaining the connected state as the torque to be transmitted is larger. In order to separate the movable clutch plate against a large urging force, it is necessary to increase the electromagnetic force by increasing the number of turns of the coil.

  However, as the number of turns of the coil increases, the device becomes larger and the amount of power consumption increases. Therefore, there is a demand for reducing the force required for releasing the connection as much as possible while allowing a large torque to be transmitted. is there.

  Such a problem is not limited to the electromagnetic clutch that moves the movable clutch plate by electromagnetic force, but relatively moves the driving side rotating body and the driven side rotating body by an actuator, such as a hydraulic clutch that moves the movable clutch plate by hydraulic pressure. Therefore, the clutches for switching the power transmission state are generally the same.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a clutch capable of switching a power transmission state with a small force.

Hereinafter, means for solving the above-described problems and the effects thereof will be described.
The clutch for solving the above-described problems is characterized in that the drive-side rotator is between the drive-side rotator, a connection position connected to the drive-side rotator, and a release position where the connection to the drive-side rotator is released. A driven-side rotating body in which a groove including a spiral groove portion having the axis of the driving-side rotating body as a central axis is formed on an outer peripheral surface, and the driven-side rotating body at the release position A biasing member that biases toward the coupling position, and a locking member that can be inserted into and removed from the groove and that is restricted from moving in the axial direction. A clutch that releases the connection by moving the driven-side rotating body to the release position against the urging force of the urging member by engaging the locking member with the side wall of the spiral groove portion. Yes, when the driven rotating body is located at the release position The depth of the groove portion the locking member is located, and its gist the locking member to be shallower than the depth of the groove portion to be inserted.

  According to the above configuration, the driven-side rotator is urged toward the coupling position by the urging force of the urging member. And when a driven side rotary body exists in a connection position, a drive side rotary body and a driven side rotary body will be in a connection state.

  On the other hand, when a locking member in which movement in the axial direction of the drive-side rotator is restricted is inserted into the groove of the driven-side rotator rotating with the drive-side rotator, the side wall of the spiral groove is locked. The driven-side rotator rotates with the member engaged, and the driven-side rotator moves from the coupling position to the release position against the urging force of the urging member. As a result, the connection between the driving side rotating body and the driven side rotating body is released. That is, according to the above configuration, a force necessary to release the clutch can be obtained from the rotational force of the driven-side rotator.

  When the driven-side rotator moves to the release position, torque is not transmitted from the drive-side rotator to the driven-side rotator, so that the rotation of the driven-side rotator stops. In the above configuration, the driven-side rotator is urged toward the connection position by the urging force of the urging member, so the state where the locking member is inserted into the groove is maintained in order to maintain the released state. It will be. And when connecting a drive side rotary body and a driven side rotary body again, the latching member inserted in the groove | channel is pulled out. When the locking member is pulled out in this way, the driven-side rotating body that is biased toward the connecting position by the biasing force of the biasing member moves to the connecting position, and the driving-side rotating body and the driven-side rotating body are connected again. It becomes a state.

  In the above configuration, the depth of the groove where the locking member is located when the driven-side rotator is located at the release position is shallower than the depth of the groove where the locking member is inserted. Therefore, since the groove is shallower, the locking member when maintaining the disconnected state is pushed out of the groove as compared to when it is first inserted into the groove. That is, according to the above configuration, a part of the force necessary to pull out the locking member from the groove can also be obtained from the rotational force of the driven side rotating body. Therefore, the power transmission state can be switched with a small force.

  In the clutch described above, the bottom surface of the groove has an inclined surface that is inclined so that the depth of the groove gradually becomes shallower toward a portion where the locking member is located while maintaining a disconnected state. It is preferable to have it.

  When the locking member is caught in the groove and the rotation of the driven side rotating body is hindered, or the locking member jumps in the groove and jumps out of the groove, the driven side rotating body is moved to the release position. If it cannot be made, the connection cannot be released. On the other hand, according to the above configuration, the locking member inserted into the groove is guided by the inclined surface and gradually pushed up. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the locking member from being caught in the groove and preventing the driven side rotating body from rotating, or the locking member from jumping into the groove and jumping out of the groove.

  The clutch includes a sphere that mediates the connection between the drive-side rotator and the driven-side rotator, and the sphere is the driven-side rotator when the driven-side rotator moves to the connection position. And the drive-side rotator are non-rotatably fitted to connect the driven-side rotator to the drive-side rotator, while the driven-side rotator moves to the release position. It is preferable that the connection between the driven-side rotator and the drive-side rotator is released to rotate the driven-side rotator from the drive-side rotator.

  According to the above configuration, the spherical body is non-rotatably fitted between the driving side rotating body and the driven side rotating body, so that the driven side rotating body and the driving side rotating body are integrated with each other through the spherical body. It starts to rotate. Therefore, compared with a clutch that transmits a driving force using a frictional force generated between a driving side rotating body and a driven side rotating body that are crimped like a crimping type clutch, while suppressing an increase in size, A larger torque can be transmitted.

  In the clutch, the groove has a second spiral groove portion that extends in a direction opposite to the first spiral groove portion when the spiral groove portion is the first spiral groove portion. It is preferable that the portion where the locking member is located when the state where the connection is released is maintained in the second spiral groove portion.

  Since the amount of deformation of the urging member increases as the driven-side rotator moves toward the release position against the urging force of the urging member, the force urged by the urging member increases. And, as the larger biasing force is received from the biasing member, the frictional force generated between the side surface of the groove of the driven side rotating body and the locking member inserted into the groove becomes larger. The force required to pull out from the groove increases.

  On the other hand, in the above configuration, in addition to the first spiral groove portion that moves the driven-side rotator toward the release position against the biasing force of the biasing member, the groove is the first spiral groove portion. A second spiral groove that is inclined in the opposite direction is provided. And the part where a locking member will be located when maintaining the state which canceled the connection exists in the 2nd spiral groove part. Therefore, the driven-side rotating body that has been moved to the release position against the biasing force of the biasing member by sliding between the first spiral groove portion and the locking member is then in the direction opposite to the first spiral groove portion. It moves in the same direction as the urging force of the urging member by sliding between the second spiral groove portion inclined to the locking member and the locking member. Note that when the driven side rotator moves to the release position, torque is not transmitted from the drive side rotator to the driven side rotator, but immediately after the driven side rotator moves to the release position, the driven side rotator is inertial. Continue to rotate by force. Then, the driven-side rotator is stopped while maintaining the disconnected state in a state where the locking member is inserted into the second spiral groove portion. Therefore, when connecting the driving side rotating body and the driven side rotating body, the deformation amount of the biasing member is smaller than the terminal portion of the first spiral groove portion where the deformation amount of the biasing member is maximized. Since the locking member in the second spiral groove portion inclined in the direction is pulled out, the force required to pull out the locking member from the groove can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the force required to pull out the locking member from the groove and switch the clutch to the connected state.

  The clutch includes an electromagnet and a movable core attracted by a magnetic force generated by energization of the electromagnet, and includes an electromagnetic actuator that moves the locking member into and out of the groove. The base end is pivotally connected to the movable core, and the tip is pivotally supported around a pivot fulcrum located between both ends in a state where the distal end can be inserted into and removed from the groove of the driven side rotating body. The actuator preferably pulls out the locking member from the groove by attracting the movable core by a magnetic force generated by energizing the electromagnet.

  According to the above configuration, when the movable core is sucked and the locking member rotates around the rotation fulcrum, the tip of the locking member inserted in the groove is pulled out from the groove. At this time, the closer the locking member is inserted into the groove, the closer the distance between the movable core and the electromagnet inside the actuator. Here, even when the same magnetic force is generated, the attractive force acting on the movable core increases as the distance between the movable core and the electromagnet decreases. Therefore, if the distance between the movable core and the electromagnet is reduced, the movable core can be attracted with a smaller magnetic force. On the other hand, according to the above-described configuration, the depth of the groove where the locking member is located when the driven-side rotator is positioned at the release position is greater than the depth of the groove where the locking member is inserted. Since it is shallow, the locking member when maintaining the disconnected state is pushed out of the groove as the groove is shallow. That is, since the locking member can be pulled out with a small magnetic force, the number of windings of the electromagnet coil can be reduced to reduce the size of the actuator, and the power consumption required to pull out the locking member can be reduced. Can do.

A sectional view of a clutch of one embodiment. The side view which shows the clutch of the state which cancelled | released connection. The side view which shows the clutch of a connection state. FIG. The schematic diagram which shows the change of the depth of a groove | channel. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the actuator which puts / removes the relationship between the groove | channel of a clutch and a locking member, and a locking member in a groove | channel.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a clutch that solves the above problem will be described with reference to the drawings.
This embodiment is an example of a clutch that switches a transmission state of power from a crankshaft provided in an engine to a water pump that circulates cooling water for cooling the engine.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the clutch 100 according to the present embodiment is housed in a housing portion 310 provided in the housing 300. A support member 320 having a substantially cylindrical shape is fitted into the housing 300. The output shaft 210 of the clutch 100 is rotatably supported by the support member 320 via a first bearing 330 disposed on the inner peripheral side of the support member 320.

  An impeller 220 of the pump 200 is attached to the distal end side (right end side in FIG. 1) of the output shaft 210 so as to be integrally rotatable. On the other hand, on the base end side (left end side in FIG. 1) of the output shaft 210, the drive side rotating body 110 is rotatably supported via the second bearing 340. A straight spline 212 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of a portion of the output shaft 210 located between the first bearing 330 and the second bearing 340.

  As shown in FIG. 1, between the housing 300 and the driving side rotating body 110, the driven side rotating body 120 fitted to the straight spline 212 via the engaging portion 121 is disposed.

  Since the engagement part 121 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the driven side rotating body 120 is fitted to the straight spline 212 of the output shaft 210, the driven side rotating body 120 rotates integrally with the output shaft 210, In addition, it can move along the axial direction of the output shaft 210. In the present embodiment, the rotation shafts of the output shaft 210, the drive-side rotator 110, and the driven-side rotator 120 coincide with each other as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIGS. The stretching direction is called the axial direction.

  The driven-side rotating body 120 has an external shape such that two cylinders having different diameters are joined with their central axes aligned, the large-diameter portion 122 on the driving-side rotating body 110 side (left side in FIG. 1), and It is supported by the output shaft 210 in such a direction that the small diameter portion 123 is positioned on the pump 200 side (right side in FIG. 1).

  The small diameter portion 123 of the driven side rotating body 120 is formed with a recess 124 that opens toward the pump 200 side. A plurality of housing recesses 125 for housing the biasing member 140 are formed at the bottom of the recess 124 along the circumferential direction so as to surround the output shaft 210.

  The biasing member 140 is, for example, a coiled spring, and is housed in the housing recess 125 of the driven-side rotator 120, and the tip is locked by a locking protrusion 211 provided on the output shaft 210. The urging member 140 is housed in the housing recess 125 in a compressed state, and urges the driven-side rotator 120 toward the drive-side rotator 110 (leftward in FIG. 1).

  The large-diameter portion 122 of the driven-side rotator 120 is formed with a plurality of sphere housing grooves 127 for housing the sphere 130 in the circumferential direction. In addition, an annular groove 111 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the drive side rotating body 110 over the entire circumference. As shown in FIG. 1, the annular groove 111 has an arc shape in cross section. A sphere 130 is accommodated in a space formed by the sphere accommodating groove 127 and the annular groove 111.

  When the driven-side rotating body 120 is moved so as to approach the driving-side rotating body 110 by the biasing force of the biasing member 140 and is at the position shown in FIG. The body 120 is connected.

  In the following description, among the positions in the axial direction of the driven side rotating body 120 that moves in the axial direction along the output shaft 210, the driving side rotating body 110 and the driven side rotating body 120 are connected as shown in FIG. The position where the state is achieved is called a connection position.

  A cup-shaped driven pulley 270 that surrounds the clutch 100 housed in the housing portion 310 of the housing 300 is attached to the drive-side rotating body 110. The driven pulley 270 is connected to a driving pulley 260 that is attached to an end of the crankshaft 250 so as to be integrally rotatable via a belt 280 wound around both pulleys 260 and 270.

  Therefore, when the driven-side rotator 120 is in the coupling position and the drive-side rotator 110 and the driven-side rotator 120 are coupled via the sphere 130 as shown in FIG. Is transmitted to the driven side rotating body 120 and the output shaft 210 via the driving side pulley 260 and the belt 280. Then, the cooling water is delivered from the pump 200 by the impeller 220 that rotates integrally with the output shaft 210.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the spherical body accommodation groove 127 formed in the large-diameter portion 122 of the driven-side rotator 120 extends along the axial direction from the end surface of the large-diameter portion 122 and bends in the middle. It extends along the rotation direction of the drive side rotating body 110, and the end thereof is a holding portion 128 (see FIG. 2). Note that the rotation direction of the drive-side rotator 110 is the direction indicated by the arrows in FIGS.

The depth of the spherical body accommodation groove 127 is shallow along the rotation direction of the driving side rotating body 110, and the depth of the holding portion 128 is the shallowest.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, when the sphere 130 is accommodated in the axially extending portion of the sphere accommodating groove 127, the sphere accommodating groove 127 and the annular groove 111 (see FIG. 1) of the driving side rotating body 110 A gap allowing the rotation of the sphere 130 is formed between the two.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when the sphere 130 moves in the sphere housing groove 127 and is positioned in the holding portion 128, the sphere housing groove 127 and the annular groove 111 ( 1), the sphere 130 is sandwiched between the driven-side rotator 120 and the drive-side rotator 110 and cannot rotate.

  Thus, when the driven-side rotator 120 moves to the connection position shown in FIG. 3, the sphere 130 becomes non-rotatable, so that the driven-side rotator 120 rotates together with the drive-side rotator 110. That is, the spherical body 130 is fitted between the driven side rotating body 120 and the driving side rotating body 110 so as not to rotate when the driven side rotating body 120 moves to the coupling position. The rotating body 110 is connected.

  On the other hand, when the driven-side rotator 120 moves to the position shown in FIG. 2, the sphere 130 is removed from the holding portion 128 and enters a portion extending in the axial direction of the sphere receiving groove 127. This is because almost half of the spherical body 130 is accommodated in the annular groove 111 of the driving side rotating body 110, and relative movement in the axial direction with respect to the driving side rotating body 110 is restricted.

  Thus, when the sphere 130 is detached from the holding portion 128 having a shallow depth and enters the axially extending portion that is deeper than the holding portion 128, the driven side rotating body 120, the driving side rotating body 110, and The sphere 130 is rotated between the two. As a result, relative rotation between the driving side rotating body 110 and the driven side rotating body 120 is allowed, and the connection of the driven side rotating body 120 to the driving side rotating body 110 is released.

  In the following description, among the positions in the axial direction of the driven side rotating body 120 that moves in the axial direction along the output shaft 210, the connection between the driving side rotating body 110 and the driven side rotating body 120 as shown in FIG. The position at which is released is called the release position.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a first spiral groove 410 extending obliquely with respect to the axial direction with the axis of the driving side rotating body 110 as the central axis is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 123 of the driven side rotating body 120. A groove 400 is formed. The first spiral groove 410 is inclined so as to approach the driving side rotating body 110 toward the rear side in the rotation direction of the driving side rotating body 110.

  The clutch 100 includes a locking member 151 that can be inserted into and removed from the groove 400 and that is restricted from moving in the axial direction, and an actuator 150 that moves the locking member 151 into and out of the groove 400.

  The position of the locking member 151 in the axial direction is set so that the tip of the locking member 151 can be inserted in the vicinity of the starting end 401 of the groove 400 when the driven-side rotating body 120 is in the coupling position as shown in FIG.

  Thus, the locking member 151 is inserted in the vicinity of the start end 401 in the groove 400 when driven by the actuator 150 toward the driven side rotating body 120 when the driven side rotating body 120 is in the coupling position. The locking member 151 inserted into the groove 400 engages the side wall 404 of the groove 400, thereby locking the driven-side rotating body 120 against the biasing force of the biasing member 140.

  When the driven-side rotator 120 connected to the drive-side rotator 110 rotates together with the drive-side rotator 110 while being locked by the locking member 151, the locking member 151 moves in the first spiral groove 410. While sliding, the driven-side rotator 120 moves in the axial direction from the connection position toward the release position. That is, in the clutch 100, the engaging member 151 is inserted into the groove 400, and the engaging member 151 is engaged with the side wall 404 of the first spiral groove portion 410, thereby energizing the driven-side rotating body 120 with the urging force of the urging member 140. Move to the release position against

  When the driven-side rotator 120 moves to the release position, the drive-side rotator 110 and the driven-side rotator 120 can rotate relative to each other, and the clutch 100 is disengaged. And the clutch 100 maintains the state which canceled the connection by maintaining the state which inserted the latching member 151 in the groove | channel 400. FIG.

  The actuator 150 pulls out the locking member 151 from the groove 400 when the driven-side rotator 120 is in the release position. Then, the driven-side rotator 120 that is unlocked is moved from the released position to the connected position by the urging force of the urging member 140, and the clutch 100 is again connected.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the groove 400 extends from the start end 401 side inclining in the biasing direction (leftward in FIGS. 1 to 3) of the biasing member 140 indicated by a white arrow in FIG. In addition to the groove portion 410, the second spiral groove portion 420 is inclined and extended in a direction opposite to the first spiral groove portion 410. As shown in FIG. 4, a portion where the first spiral groove portion 410 and the second spiral groove portion 420 are connected is referred to as a connection portion 405.

  When the state where the connection between the driving side rotating body 110 and the driven side rotating body 120 in the clutch 100 is released, the locking member 151 is positioned in the second spiral groove 420. That is, when the locking member 151 is inserted into the second spiral groove 420, the driven-side rotator 120 is in a release position where it is not connected to the drive-side rotator 110.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the bottom surface 403 of the groove 400 is inclined so as to become gradually shallower toward the end 402 in the vicinity of the end 402 of the groove 400. That is, the groove 400 is shallow in the vicinity of the terminal end 402. Accordingly, the groove 400 has a depth in the vicinity of the end 402 where the locking member 151 is located when the driven-side rotating body 120 is positioned at the release position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. It is shallower than the depth in the vicinity of the starting end 401 where 151 is inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the vicinity of the end 402 where the locking member 151 is located when the state where the connection is released is maintained, and the case where the connection is released. The difference in depth from the vicinity of the starting end 401 where the stop member 151 is first inserted is d1.

Next, the configuration of the actuator 150 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 6, the actuator 150 of the present embodiment is an electromagnetic actuator that is driven using the action of a magnetic field generated by energizing a coil 153 housed in the first case 152.

  A fixed core 154 is fixed to the bottom of the bottomed cylindrical first case 152. As shown in FIG. 6, a coil 153 is disposed inside the first case 152 so as to surround the fixed core 154. That is, in the actuator 150, an electromagnet is configured by the fixed core 154 and the coil 153. A movable core 155 is movably accommodated in a coil 153 of the first case 152 at a position facing the fixed core 154. In addition, although the fixed core 154 and the movable core 155 in this embodiment are iron cores, a magnetic body other than iron can be used as the fixed core 154 and the movable core 155.

  A cylindrical second case 158 is fixed to the front end side (left end side in FIG. 6) of the first case 152. A permanent magnet 159 is fixed to the end of the second case 158 on the first case 152 side so as to surround the periphery of the movable core 155. As described above, the movable core 155 is housed in the first case 152 so that the base end side (right end side in FIG. 6) faces the fixed core 154, while the distal end side (left end side in FIG. 6) is the first end. Two cases 158 protrude outward.

  A ring member 160 is attached to a portion of the movable core 155 accommodated in the second case 158. In the second case 158, a coil spring 161 having one end locked to the second case 158 and the other end locked to the ring member 160 is accommodated in a compressed state.

  The coil spring 161 biases the movable core 155 in the direction in which the movable core 155 protrudes from the second case 158 (left direction in FIG. 6). The distal end side of the movable core 155 protruding from the second case 158 is connected to the locking member 151 via the pin 162.

  The locking member 151 has a base end rotatably connected to the movable core 155 and is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 156. Therefore, the locking member 151 rotates around the rotation shaft 156 that serves as a rotation fulcrum as the movable core 155 moves. Therefore, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 6, when the movable core 155 is in the projecting position where it protrudes most from the second case 158 by the urging force of the coil spring 161, the tip of the locking member 151 is the groove of the driven side rotating body 120. 400 will be inserted.

  When the coil 153 is energized in this state, the fixed core 154 and the movable core 155 are magnetized by the magnetic field generated by the energization, and the movable core 155 is attracted toward the fixed core 154 against the biasing force of the coil spring 161. . At this time, the direction of the magnetic field generated in the coil 153 coincides with the direction of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 159.

  When the sucked movable core 155 moves in a direction approaching the fixed core 154 (rightward in FIG. 6), the locking member 151 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. Pulled out from. That is, the actuator 150 pulls out the locking member 151 from the groove 400 by attracting the movable core 155 using the magnetic force generated by energizing the coil 153.

  Then, when the attracted movable core 155 moves to a contact position (a position indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 6) where it contacts the fixed core 154, even if energization is stopped thereafter, the movable core 155 is caused by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 159. Is held in contact with the fixed core 154.

  On the other hand, if the coil 153 is energized with a current in the opposite direction to that when the movable core 155 is attracted when the movable core 155 is in the contact position indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 6, the direction of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 159 is reversed. Directional magnetic field is generated. As a result, the attractive force of the permanent magnet 159 is weakened, and the movable core 155 is separated from the fixed core 154 by the biasing force of the coil spring 161 and moves to the protruding position shown by the solid line in FIG. Then, when the movable core 155 moves from the contact position to the protruding position, the locking member 151 rotates clockwise in FIG. 6 and the tip of the locking member 151 is inserted into the groove 400.

  When the movable core 155 is in the protruding position separated from the fixed core 154, the biasing force by the coil spring 161 is larger than the attractive force by the permanent magnet 159. Therefore, if the movable core 155 is separated from the fixed core 154 by energizing the coil 153, the movable core 155 is held at the protruding position even if the energization is stopped thereafter.

  That is, the actuator 150 of the present embodiment switches the coupling state of the clutch 100 by causing the direct current to flow in different directions and moving the movable core 155, while maintaining the coupled state or the uncoupled state. Sometimes it is a self-holding solenoid that does not require energization.

Next, the operation of the clutch 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.
As shown by a dotted line in FIG. 6, when the movable core 155 of the actuator 150 is in the contact position, the locking member 151 is out of the groove 400. At this time, since the driven-side rotator 120 is held at the connected position by the urging force of the urging member 140, the clutch 100 is in the connected state. That is, the clutch 100 transmits the rotation of the driving side rotating body 110 to the output shaft 210.

  In such a state, when the coil 153 of the actuator 150 is energized so as to generate a magnetic field opposite to the direction of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 159, the movable core 155 is moved from the contact position by the urging force of the coil spring 161 in FIG. Move to the protruding position shown. Then, as the locking member 151 rotates clockwise in FIG. 6, the distal end of the locking member 151 is inserted in the vicinity of the start end 401 of the groove 400 to lock the driven side rotating body 120.

  If the driven-side rotator 120 rotates together with the drive-side rotator 110 while the locking member 151 locks the driven-side rotator 120, the locking member 151 moves relatively within the first spiral groove 410. The driven-side rotator 120 moves from the connection position to the release position. When the driven-side rotator 120 reaches the release position, the rotation of the drive-side rotator 110 is not transmitted to the driven-side rotator 120, and the clutch 100 is disengaged.

  Immediately after the connection between the driven-side rotator 120 and the drive-side rotator 110 is released, the driven-side rotator 120 continues to rotate due to the inertial force while receiving the action of the friction force generated between the locking member 151 and the driven-side rotator 120. . Then, when the driven-side rotator 120 rotates due to the inertial force, the leading end of the locking member 151 reaches the second spiral groove 420.

  Then, when the driven-side rotator 120 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 6 with the inertial force in a state where the tip of the locking member 151 is in contact with the bottom surface 403 of the second spiral groove 420, the inclination of the bottom surface 403 follows. Thus, the tip of the locking member 151 is pushed out of the groove 400. For example, while the locking member 151 is relatively moved toward the end 402 of the groove 400, the locking member 151 moves along the inclination of the bottom surface 403 by the difference d1 in the depth of the groove 400 shown in FIG. Extruded from 400.

  As a result, the locking member 151 rotates against the biasing force of the coil spring 161 from the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 6 to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. As the locking member 151 rotates, the movable core 155 located at the protruding position moves to a midway position (a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6) closer to the contact position than the protruding position. That is, the movable core 155 moves from the protruding position to the middle position by the rotational force of the driven side rotating body 120.

  Further, the driven-side rotating body 120 receives a reaction force from the locking member 151, thereby suppressing the rotation based on the inertial force, and stops rotating when the locking member 151 approaches the terminal end 402. Then, when the locking member 151 locks the driven-side rotator 120 at the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6, the state where the connection between the driven-side rotator 120 and the driving-side rotator 110 is released is maintained. Is done.

  In other words, the clutch 100 maintains a state where the locking member 151 is located at a portion where the depth of the groove 400 is shallower than the depth of the groove 400 where the locking member 151 is first inserted and the connection is released.

  On the other hand, when the clutch 100 is switched from the disconnected state to the connected state, the coil 153 of the actuator 150 is energized so as to generate a magnetic field having the same direction as the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 159. Then, the movable core 155 is attracted so as to approach the fixed core 154 by a magnetic force generated by energization, and moves from a midway position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6 to a contact position indicated by a dotted line in FIG. Thereby, the locking member 151 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 6, and the locking member 151 is completely pulled out of the groove 400.

  Then, the driven-side rotator 120 released from the locking by the locking member 151 is moved to the connecting position by the urging force of the urging member 140, and the driven-side rotator 120 and the driving-side rotator 110 are connected. The clutch 100 is switched to the connected state.

Here, the attractive force acting on the movable core 155 when the coil 153 is energized can be estimated using the relationship expressed by the following (Expression 1) and (Expression 2).
F = {1 / (2 × μ ₀ )} × Bg ² × S (Formula 1)
Bg = K × μ ₀ × (NI / G) (Formula 2)
In the above (Expression 1) and (Expression 2), F is the attractive force (N), Bg is the magnetic flux density (T) of the attractive surface, S is the area (m ² ) of the attractive surface, and μ ₀ is in vacuum. Permeability, NI is magnetomotive force (A), G is air gap (m), and K is a coefficient considering the loss of the iron portion.

  Expressions (1) and (2) indicate that if the gap between the movable core 155 and the fixed core 154 is reduced, the magnetic flux density on the attraction surface is increased and the attraction force is increased. For example, if the gap is halved, the suction force is quadrupled. That is, the suction force acting on the movable core 155 increases as the distance from the fixed core 154 in the moving direction of the movable core 155 decreases.

  Then, when the locking member 151 is near the terminal end 402 of the second spiral groove 420 than when the locking member 151 is near the start end 401 of the first spiral groove 410, the locking member 151 is The distance between the movable core 155 and the fixed core 154 is shortened by the amount pushed out to the bottom surface 403. Therefore, if the locking member 151 is pushed out by the inclined bottom surface 403 and the distance between the movable core 155 and the fixed core 154 is shortened, the suction force acting on the movable core 155 increases, so that the movable core 155 is pulled out from the groove 400. Therefore, the magnetic force generated can be small.

  Further, in the clutch 100 of the present embodiment, the distance by which the movable core 155 is moved to the contact position when the locking member 151 is pulled out is shortened by the amount that the locking member 151 is pushed out to the inclined bottom surface 403 of the groove 400. .

  Furthermore, as described above, the second spiral groove 420 extends in an inclined direction in the opposite direction to the first spiral groove 410. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the second spiral groove 420 extends in the direction opposite to the urging direction of the urging member 140 toward the rear in the rotation direction of the driving-side rotator 110. Therefore, the urging member 140 expands as the locking member 151 moves relative to the terminal end 402 in the second spiral groove 420, and the urging force received by the driven-side rotator 120 from the urging member 140 decreases.

  Therefore, when the locking member 151 is pulled out from the vicinity of the terminal end 402 of the groove 400 than when the locking member 151 is pulled out from the vicinity of the connection portion 405 of the groove 400, the groove 400 generated by the biasing force of the biasing member 140 is removed. The frictional force between the side wall 404 and the locking member 151 is reduced. This also contributes to reducing the magnetic force required to pull out the locking member 151 from the groove 400.

  The coil 153 is energized both when the locking member 151 is inserted into the groove 400 and when the locking member 151 is pulled out of the groove 400, but when the locking member 151 is pulled out, the biasing member 140 is attached. Since the locking member 151 is pulled out against the frictional force generated between the side wall 404 of the groove 400 and the locking member 151 due to the force, a larger force is required than at the time of insertion.

  Therefore, the maximum value of the magnetic force required for the actuator 150 is set on the basis of the magnitude of the force required when the locking member 151 is pulled out. Therefore, if the locking member 151 can be pulled out with a small magnetic force as described above, the number of turns of the coil 153 can be reduced to reduce the size of the actuator 150, or the power consumption required to switch the power transmission state can be reduced. It becomes possible to do.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The driven side rotating body 120 is urged toward the coupling position by the urging force of the urging member 140. When the driven-side rotator 120 is in the connection position, the drive-side rotator 110 and the driven-side rotator 120 are connected.

  On the other hand, when the locking member 151 that restricts the movement of the driving side rotating body 110 in the axial direction is inserted into the groove 400 of the driven side rotating body 120 rotating together with the driving side rotating body 110, the first The driven-side rotator 120 rotates in a state where the side wall 404 of the spiral groove 410 and the locking member 151 are engaged. Then, the driven-side rotator 120 moves from the connection position to the release position against the urging force of the urging member 140, and the connection between the drive-side rotator 110 and the driven-side rotator 120 is released. That is, in the clutch 100, a force necessary to release the coupling of the clutch 100 can be obtained from the rotational force of the driven side rotating body 120. Therefore, the power transmission state can be switched with a small force.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the depth of the groove 400 where the locking member 151 is located when the driven-side rotating body 120 is located at the release position is the depth of the groove where the locking member 151 is inserted. It is shallower than that. Therefore, as the groove 400 is shallower, the locking member 151 when maintaining the disconnected state is pushed out of the groove 400 as compared to when it is first inserted into the groove 400. That is, in this clutch 100, part of the force necessary for pulling out the locking member 151 from the groove 400 can also be obtained from the rotational force of the driven side rotating body 120. Therefore, the power transmission state can be switched with a small force.

  (3) When the locking member 151 is caught in the groove 400 and the rotation of the driven-side rotating body 120 is prevented, or the locking member 151 jumps in the groove 400 and jumps out of the groove 400, If the driven-side rotator 120 cannot be moved to the release position, the connection cannot be released. On the other hand, in this clutch 100, a part of the bottom surface 403 of the groove 400 has an inclined surface that is inclined so that the depth of the groove 400 gradually decreases toward the terminal end 402. The engaged locking member 151 is guided by the inclined surface of the bottom surface 403 and gradually pushed up. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the locking member 151 from being caught in the groove 400 and preventing the driven-side rotating body 120 from rotating, or the locking member 151 from jumping in the groove 400 and jumping out of the groove 400. be able to.

  (4) In this clutch 100, the spherical body 130 is non-rotatably fitted between the driving side rotating body 110 and the driven side rotating body 120, so that the driven side rotating body 120 and the driving side rotating body 110 are fitted. The spheres 130 rotate together. Therefore, compared with a clutch that transmits a driving force using a frictional force generated between a driving side rotating body and a driven side rotating body that are crimped like a crimping type clutch, while suppressing an increase in size, A larger torque can be transmitted.

  (5) Since the amount of deformation of the urging member 140 increases as the driven-side rotator 120 moves toward the release position against the urging force of the urging member 140, the urging member 140 is urged. Power increases. Then, the frictional force generated between the side wall 404 that is the side surface of the groove 400 of the driven-side rotating body 120 and the locking member 151 inserted into the groove 400 as the biasing member 140 receives a larger biasing force. Therefore, the force required to pull out the locking member 151 from the groove 400 increases.

  On the other hand, in the clutch 100, the groove 400 includes a first spiral groove portion 410 that moves the driven-side rotating body 120 toward the release position against the urging force of the urging member 140. A second spiral groove 420 that is inclined in a direction opposite to the spiral groove 410 is provided. The portion where the locking member 151 is positioned when the state of being disconnected is maintained is in the second spiral groove 420.

  Therefore, when connecting the driving side rotating body 110 and the driven side rotating body 120, the connecting portion 405 between the first spiral groove portion 410 and the second spiral groove portion 420 that maximizes the amount of deformation of the biasing member 140. Instead, the locking member 151 in the second spiral groove 420 inclined in the direction in which the deformation amount of the biasing member 140 becomes smaller is pulled out. Thereby, since the force required to pull out the locking member 151 from the groove 400 can be reduced, the force required to pull out the locking member 151 from the groove 400 and switch the clutch 100 to the connected state can be reduced. .

  (6) When the movable core 155 is sucked and the locking member 151 rotates about the rotation fulcrum, the tip of the locking member 151 inserted into the groove 400 is pulled out from the groove 400. At this time, the shallower the locking member 151 is inserted into the groove 400, the closer the distance between the movable core 155 and the fixed core 154 in the actuator 150 is.

  Here, even when the same magnetic force is generated, the attractive force acting on the movable core 155 increases as the distance between the movable core 155 and the fixed core 154 becomes shorter. Therefore, if the distance between the movable core 155 and the fixed core 154 is reduced, the movable core 155 can be attracted with a smaller magnetic force.

  On the other hand, in this clutch 100, the depth of the groove 400 where the locking member 151 is located when the driven rotary body 120 is located at the release position is the groove 400 where the locking member 151 is inserted. It is shallower than the depth. Therefore, the locking member 151 when maintaining the disconnected state is pushed out of the groove 400 as the groove 400 is shallow.

  That is, since the locking member 151 can be pulled out with a small magnetic force, the number of turns of the coil 153 can be reduced to reduce the size of the actuator 150, or the power consumption required to pull out the locking member 151 can be reduced. can do.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows. Moreover, the said embodiment and the following modified example can be combined arbitrarily.
The groove 400 may be configured only by the first spiral groove 410 without providing the second spiral groove 420 in the groove 400. Further, instead of the second spiral groove portion 420, a straight groove portion that extends along the rotational direction of the driven-side rotating body 120 from the midway position of the first spiral groove portion 410 toward the terminal end 402 may be provided. Also in this case, if the bottom surface 403 of the groove 400 is inclined toward the terminal end 402 as in the above embodiment, the same effects as in the above (2) and (6) can be obtained.

The inclination angle of the bottom surface 403 of the groove 400 may not be constant. For example, the bottom surface 403 may be a curved surface whose inclination angle changes toward the terminal end 402 side.
Further, the position where the bottom surface 403 starts to be tilted can be changed as appropriate. For example, the bottom surface 403 may not be inclined from the connection portion 405 to the middle of the second spiral groove portion 420, and only the end 402 side may be inclined from the middle of the second spiral groove portion 420.

  The depth of the portion where the locking member 151 is located when maintaining the state where the connection in the groove 400 is released is greater than the portion where the locking member 151 is first inserted when the connection is released. If it is shallow, the locking member 151 is pushed out when the connection is released, and the effects (2) and (6) can be obtained. Therefore, the depth of the portion where the locking member 151 is located when the state where the connection in the groove 400 is released is maintained is larger than the portion where the locking member 151 is first inserted when the connection is released. If the depth is shallower, the depth may change in the middle of the groove 400. However, if the depth of the groove changes abruptly in the middle of the groove 400, the locking member 151 is caught in the groove 400 and the rotation of the driven side rotating body 120 is hindered, or the locking member 151 is not in the groove 400. There is a risk of jumping inside and jumping out of the groove 400. In this case, the driven-side rotator 120 cannot be moved to the release position and the connection cannot be released. To avoid such a situation, as in the above embodiment, It is desirable that the bottom surface 403 be a surface that is inclined in one direction so that the depth of the groove 400 gradually decreases toward the terminal end 402.

  -If the inclination angle of the bottom surface 403 and the inclination angles of the first spiral groove portion 410 and the second spiral groove portion 420 are adjusted, the magnitude of the reaction force acting on the driven side rotating body 120 via the locking member 151 can be increased. Since it can be adjusted, it is also possible to adjust the timing for stopping the rotation due to the inertial force of the driven-side rotating body 120.

The number of urging members 140 can be arbitrarily changed. For example, the driven side rotating body 120 can be urged by one urging member 140.
The urging member 140 only needs to urge the driven-side rotator 120 toward the release position, and is not limited to the compression coil spring as described above. For example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which a tension spring that pulls the driven-side rotator 120 toward the release position is applied as the urging member.

  The actuator 150 is not limited to a self-holding solenoid, and may be a solenoid in which the locking member 151 is inserted into the groove 400 only while the coil 153 is energized, for example. According to this configuration, since the coupling of the clutch 100 is released only when the coil 153 is energized, the clutch 100 is in the coupled state when the coil 153 cannot be energized. Therefore, the pump 200 can be driven even when the actuator 150 fails.

  The actuator 150 is not limited to a solenoid, and the locking member 151 may be inserted and withdrawn by an actuator other than the solenoid, such as a hydraulic actuator. Also in this case, since the locking member 151 is pushed back to the bottom surface 403 of the groove 400 in accordance with the rotation of the driven side rotating body 120, the moving distance of the locking member 151 at the time of pulling is reduced, so that the actuator is operated. The energy required for this can be reduced.

  The actuator is not limited to the pull type such as the actuator 150 that pulls out the locking member 151 from the groove 400 when the movable portion is sucked, but is a push that the locking member 151 pulls out from the groove 400 when the movable portion is projected. It can also be a type actuator. Also in this case, the moving distance of the locking member 151 at the time of pulling is reduced by the amount that the locking member 151 is pushed back to the bottom surface 403 of the groove 400 as the driven rotary body 120 rotates. The energy required to push out and pull out the locking member 151 can be reduced.

  The configuration of the clutch 100 is not limited to that which transmits the driving force via the sphere 130. The clutch 100 may be a crimp type clutch. For example, the opposing surfaces of the drive-side rotator 110 and the driven-side rotator 120 are tapered surfaces parallel to each other that are inclined with respect to the axial direction and are used as pressure contact surfaces, and the driven-side rotator 120 is moved in the axial direction. Thus, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the driven-side rotating body 120 and the driving-side rotating body 110 are coupled by pressing these pressure contact surfaces.

  In each of the above embodiments, the clutch 100 that switches the transmission state of power from the crankshaft 250 to the pump 200 is illustrated, but a clutch that is disposed between another auxiliary machine such as a compressor or an oil pump and the crankshaft 250. The configuration of the clutch 100 can also be applied. Further, the configuration of the clutch 100 can be applied as a clutch for switching the transmission state of power from another power source, not limited to switching the transmission state of power from the crankshaft 250.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Clutch, 110 ... Drive side rotary body, 120 ... Driven side rotary body, 130 ... Sphere, 140 ... Biasing member, 150 ... Actuator, 151 ... Locking member, 155 ... Movable core, 400 ... Groove, 403 ... Bottom 404 ... sidewalls, 410 ... first spiral groove, 420 ... second spiral groove.

Claims (5)

A driving side rotating body;
The drive-side rotator is movable in the axial direction of the drive-side rotator between a connection position connected to the drive-side rotator and a release position where the connection to the drive-side rotator is released. A driven-side rotating body in which a groove including a spiral groove portion with the axis of
A biasing member that biases the driven-side rotating body from the release position toward the connection position;
A locking member that can be inserted into and removed from the groove and is restricted from moving in the axial direction,
By inserting the locking member into the groove and engaging the locking member with the side wall of the spiral groove, the driven-side rotating body is moved to the release position against the biasing force of the biasing member. The clutch to release the connection,
The depth of the groove in the portion where the locking member is located when the driven side rotating body is located in the release position is shallower than the depth of the groove in the portion where the locking member is inserted. And clutch.   The bottom surface of the groove has an inclined surface that is inclined so that the depth of the groove gradually becomes shallower toward a portion where the locking member is located when maintaining a state where the connection is released. The clutch according to claim 1. A sphere that mediates the connection between the driving side rotating body and the driven side rotating body;
The spherical body is non-rotatably fitted between the driven-side rotator and the drive-side rotator when the driven-side rotator is moved to the coupling position, so that the driven-side rotator is rotated on the drive side. The drive-side rotation of the driven-side rotator by rotating between the driven-side rotator and the drive-side rotator when the driven-side rotator is moved to the release position. The clutch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the clutch is released from the body. The groove has a second spiral groove extending in a direction opposite to the first spiral groove when the spiral groove is the first spiral groove,
The portion in which the locking member is located when maintaining the state where the connection in the groove is released is in the second spiral groove portion. The clutch according to any one of the above. An electromagnetic actuator having an electromagnet and a movable core attracted by a magnetic force generated by energization of the electromagnet, and taking the locking member into and out of the groove;
The locking member rotates about a rotation fulcrum located between both ends in a state in which a base end is rotatably connected to the movable core and a distal end can be inserted into and removed from the groove of the driven side rotating body. Is supported movably,
5. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the actuator pulls out the locking member from the groove by attracting the movable core by a magnetic force generated by energization of the electromagnet. 6. The clutch described.