JP2015081678A - Clutch device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a clutch device capable of defining a timing of insertion of a locking member into a spiral groove and relieving a contact load when a sidewall of the spiral groove makes contact with the locking member.SOLUTION: A driven-side rotor 5 is advanced to a drive-side rotor and a clutch device is made in an engagement state by a ball lock mechanism. A spiral groove 57 is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the driven-side rotor 5, a pin 69 of a locking member 61 is inserted into the spiral groove 57 to bring an inclined side of the spiral groove 57 into contact with the pin 69 when the driven-side rotor 5 is in an advanced position. As a result, the driven-side rotor 5 is moved backward with its rotation to make the clutch device in a release state. A guide surface 59 is provided in a location where a pin insertion side 57aI of the spiral groove 57 is formed, this enables the pin 69 to insert into the spiral groove 57 from only the guide surface 59, and the inclined side of the spiral groove 57 is avoided from making contact with the pin 69 when an amount of insertion of the pin 69 into the spiral groove 57 is small.

Description

  The present invention relates to a clutch device. In particular, the present invention relates to an improvement in a clutch device that switches a connected state of both of them by moving a driven-side rotator forward and backward relative to a drive-side rotator.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a clutch device that switches between an engaged state where engine power is transmitted to a water pump and a released state where engine power is not transmitted is known. For example, Patent Document 1 includes a driving side rotating body linked to a crankshaft and a driven side rotating body linked to a water pump, and these rotating bodies are engaged by press-contacting using a magnetic force. A clutch device that is in a state is disclosed. Specifically, the clutch device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a magnet that imparts a magnetic force directed to the drive-side rotator to the driven-side rotator, and a coil that cancels the magnetic field of the magnet when energized. ing. When the coil is not energized, the driving-side rotator and the driven-side rotator are brought into pressure contact with each other by the magnetic force of the magnet to be engaged. Thereby, power is transmitted to the water pump. On the other hand, when the coil is energized, the magnetic field of the magnet is canceled by the magnetic field generated around the coil, and the driving side rotating body and the driven side rotating body are separated from each other to be released. As a result, power is not transmitted to the water pump.

  However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, when the torque to be transmitted to the water pump is large, it is necessary to increase the pressure contact force for pressing the rotating bodies. In this case, it is necessary to enlarge the magnet. The coil for canceling the magnetic field of the large magnet (for switching from the engaged state to the released state) also needs to be enlarged. For this reason, it is difficult for the configuration of Patent Document 1 to reduce the size of the entire clutch device.

  Therefore, the present patent applicant has applied for a clutch device that enables switching from the engaged state to the released state using the rotational force of the driven side rotating body (Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2012-211046 and 2013). -154986).

  Specifically, the driven-side rotator is movable forward and backward with respect to the drive-side rotator. Further, an urging means for applying an urging force toward the driving side rotator to the driven side rotator is provided. In addition, a spiral groove and an annular groove are provided adjacent to each other on the outer peripheral surface of the driven-side rotating body, and a locking member that can be inserted into the spiral groove is provided. In a state where the locking member is not inserted into the spiral groove, the driven-side rotator moves forward toward the drive-side rotator by the urging force of the urging means, and the rotators are connected to each other to connect the clutch device. Is engaged. On the other hand, when the locking member is inserted into the spiral groove, the rotational force of the driven-side rotator is converted into a force for sliding the driven-side rotator by the contact between the locking member and the side wall of the spiral groove. The As a result, the driven-side rotator rotates while retreating from the drive-side rotator, the rotators are separated from each other, and the clutch device is released. Then, when the rotation of the driven rotating body further proceeds and the locking member moves from the spiral groove to the annular groove, the locking member and the side wall of the annular groove come into contact with each other. Thereby, the released state of the clutch device is maintained by restricting the forward / backward movement of the driven-side rotator.

JP 2010-203406 A

  The inventor of the present invention considered further improvements for enhancing the practicality of the clutch device according to the application. Then, when the side wall of the spiral groove is brought into contact with the locking member, it has been noted that the contact load (impact load) generated between the two needs to be reduced. Hereinafter, the situation where the contact load increases in the clutch device according to the application will be described.

  The clutch device changes from the engaged state to the released state when the rotational speed of the water pump is controlled to the deceleration side or when the water pump is stopped. That is, the locking member moves forward toward the spiral groove of the driven-side rotator in response to a clutch release request (for example, the locking member rotates toward the driven-side rotator), and the locking member is inserted into the spiral groove. Is done. That is, the timing at which the locking member starts moving forward toward the spiral groove of the driven-side rotator is determined regardless of the rotational position of the driven-side rotator.

  In general, when the locking member is inserted into the spiral groove of the driven rotating body that is rotating in the engaged state of the clutch device, a slight gap (between the locking member and the side wall of the spiral groove ( There is a gap in the direction along the rotational axis. The side wall of the spiral groove approaches the locking member as the rotation of the driven side rotating body progresses from the time when the locking member is inserted into the spiral groove, and the driven side rotating body described above comes into contact with both of them. The backward movement (backward movement from the driving side rotator) is started.

  However, as described above, the timing at which the locking member starts to advance toward the spiral groove is not controlled according to the rotational position of the driven-side rotator, so depending on the timing at which the locking member starts to move forward, During the operation of inserting the locking member into the groove (when the insertion operation is not completed), the side wall of the spiral groove may come into contact with the locking member. For example, when the locking member starts to advance toward the spiral groove, the side wall of the spiral groove is already approaching the location where the locking member is to be inserted (the position of the side wall of the spiral groove is This is the case where the locking member is moving toward the place to be inserted. In such a situation, the side wall of the spiral groove may come into contact with the locking member in a state where the amount of the locking member inserted into the spiral groove is small (the insertion depth is shallow). FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a state in which the side wall b1 of the spiral groove b is in contact with the locking member a at such a timing (viewed from the direction along the axis of the driven side rotating body c). FIG. 13 is a development view of the spiral groove b in a state in which the side wall b1 of the spiral groove b contacts the locking member a at such timing.

  As described above, when the side wall b1 of the spiral groove b comes into contact with the locking member a in a state where the insertion amount of the locking member a with respect to the spiral groove b is small, the locking is started when the contact is started. Only the tip portion of the member a receives a contact load from the side wall b1 of the spiral groove b. For this reason, the contact load which acts on the front-end | tip part of this latching member a will become extremely large.

  If a situation where such a large contact load acts frequently appears, a part of the locking member (tip portion) will be worn down, which will adversely affect the releasing operation of the clutch device, and the long life of the locking member. There is a possibility of adversely affecting the conversion. Moreover, a part of the side wall of the spiral groove may be worn by this contact load.

  For this reason, the timing at which the locking member is inserted into the spiral groove is set to a timing at which the contact load does not increase, thereby improving the reliability of the operation of the clutch device and the components of the clutch device. The inventors of the present invention have found that it is necessary to extend the service life.

  In addition, in order to control the timing at which the locking member is inserted into the spiral groove, it is conceivable to include an angle sensor that detects the rotational position of the driven-side rotator. However, this is not preferable because it causes an increase in cost.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to define the timing at which the locking member is inserted into the spiral groove without the need to detect the rotational position of the driven side rotating body. Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a clutch device that can relieve the contact load when the side wall of the spiral groove contacts the locking member.

-Solution principle of the invention-
The solution principle of the present invention devised in order to achieve the above object defines the insertion position of the locking member with respect to the spiral groove by providing a functional part for guiding the locking member on the side wall of the spiral groove. Thereby, the situation where the contact load which arises between a locking member and the side wall of a spiral groove becomes large can be avoided.

-Solution-
Specifically, the present invention provides a driven-side rotating body that receives power from a power generation source, a driven position that is movable between a connecting position connected to the driving-side rotating body and a release position where the connection is released. A side rotating body and a locking member inserted into a spiral groove formed in the driven side rotating body, and the locking member is in the spiral groove in a state where the driven side rotating body is in the coupling position. When inserted, the clutch device in which the driven-side rotating body moves toward the release position along with its rotation due to the contact between the inclined side surface provided in the spiral groove and the locking member. A region in which insertion of the locking member into the spiral groove is prohibited when the locking member comes into contact with the outer peripheral edge of the side surface of the spiral groove when the locking member moves toward the spiral groove. And a guide region for guiding the locking member toward the bottom surface of the spiral groove when the locking member moves toward the spiral groove. And the inclined part which inclines toward the bottom face of a spiral groove is provided in the side surface of the spiral groove in the said guidance area | region, and the position of the outer peripheral side edge of this inclined part is rather than the edge of the said releasing position side in the said locking member Furthermore, it is located on the release position side.

  Due to this specific matter, when the locking member moves toward the spiral groove in a state where the driven-side rotating body is in the coupling position, the locking member is inserted into the spiral groove only in the guide region. Guided towards the bottom of the. For this reason, it becomes possible to prescribe | regulate the insertion position of the latching member with respect to a spiral groove, and inclination of a spiral groove to a latching member in the state where the insertion amount of the latching member with respect to a spiral groove is small (insertion depth is shallow). The insertion position of the locking member can be defined so as not to cause a situation where the side surfaces come into contact. Thereby, the contact load which acts on a locking member can be relieved. As a result, the wear of the locking member and the wear of the inclined side surface of the spiral groove can be suppressed, the reliability of the operation of the clutch device can be improved, and the life of each member constituting the clutch device can be extended. It becomes possible.

  In the present invention, a guide region for guiding the locking member to the bottom surface of the spiral groove when the locking member moves toward the spiral groove is provided on a part of the outer peripheral edge of the side surface of the spiral groove. For this reason, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the inclined side surface of the spiral groove comes into contact with the locking member in a state where the amount of the locking member inserted into the spiral groove is small, and the contact load acting on the locking member is reduced. can do.

It is sectional drawing of the clutch apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view of a driven side rotary body. It is a side view which shows the releasing state of a clutch apparatus. It is a side view which shows the engagement state of a clutch apparatus. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view at a position corresponding to a line VV in FIG. 3 in a state where the locking member is inserted into the spiral groove. It is a figure which expand | deploys and shows each of the spiral groove formation area and annular groove formation area of the driven side rotary body in 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the start edge part periphery of the spiral groove of the driven side rotary body which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the support structure of the pin in 1st Embodiment, and the cross-sectional shape of a spiral groove, Comprising: Fig.8 (a) is a figure which shows the state before a pin is inserted in a spiral groove, FIG.8 (b) FIG. 4 is a view showing a state where a pin is inserted into a spiral groove. It is a figure which expand | deploys and shows a part of spiral groove formation area | region of the driven side rotary body in 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the start edge part periphery of the spiral groove of the driven side rotary body which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which expand | deploys and shows a part of spiral groove formation area | region of the driven side rotary body in 4th Embodiment. It is the figure which looked at the state with little insertion amount of the latching member with respect to a spiral groove from the direction along the axis of a driven side rotary body. It is an expanded view of the spiral groove which shows the state which the side wall of the spiral groove contacted the locking member in the state where there is little insertion amount of the locking member with respect to a spiral groove.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment demonstrates the case where the clutch apparatus based on this invention is applied to the water pump with which the cooling system of the engine (internal combustion engine) for motor vehicles was equipped. That is, it is a clutch device provided in a power transmission system that transmits power from the engine to the water pump, and switches between a state (engaged state) in which the engine power is transmitted to the water pump and a state in which it is not transmitted (released state). It will be explained as a thing.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the clutch device 1 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, components for transmitting engine power to the clutch device 1 and main components of the water pump 8 are indicated by phantom lines.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the clutch device 1 includes a clutch housing 2 and a clutch mechanism 3 disposed in an inner space of the clutch housing 2.

(Clutch housing and clutch output shaft)
The clutch housing 2 is fixed to, for example, a cylinder block (not shown) of the engine, and has a flat plate-like base portion 21 extending in the vertical direction and a surface on one side of the base portion 21 (the left surface in the drawing). And a substantially cylindrical clutch mechanism accommodating portion 22 formed. The clutch mechanism 3 is disposed in the inner space of the clutch mechanism housing portion 22.

  A through hole 23 penetrating in the horizontal direction is formed at the center of the base portion 21 of the clutch housing 2. A substantially cylindrical support member 24 is fitted into the through hole 23. The support member 24 rotatably supports the clutch output shaft 11 via a first bearing B1 disposed on the inside thereof.

  An impeller 81 of the water pump 8 is attached to the front end side (right end side in FIG. 1) of the clutch output shaft 11 so as to be integrally rotatable.

  On the other hand, on the base end side (left end side in FIG. 1) of the clutch output shaft 11, a driving side rotating body 4 and a driven side rotating body 5 constituting the clutch mechanism 3 are provided. As for the arrangement positions of the driving side rotating body 4 and the driven side rotating body 5, the driven side rotating body 5 is closer to the water pump than the driving side rotating body 4. The drive side rotator 4 is supported on the clutch output shaft 11 via the second bearing B2 so as to be relatively rotatable. The driven-side rotator 5 is supported on the clutch output shaft 11 by spline fitting so that the driven-side rotator 5 can rotate integrally and move along the axial direction. The configurations of the driving side rotating body 4 and the driven side rotating body 5 will be described later.

(Clutch mechanism)
The clutch mechanism 3 is configured by a so-called ball lock type clutch mechanism, and includes the driving side rotating body 4 and the driven side rotating body 5. The clutch mechanism 3 establishes an engaged state of the clutch device 1 by connecting the driving side rotating body 4 and the driven side rotating body 5, thereby operating the water pump 8. Further, the clutch mechanism 3 establishes the released state of the clutch device 1 by releasing the connection between the driving side rotating body 4 and the driven side rotating body 5, thereby stopping or decelerating the water pump 8. For example, the rotational speed of the water pump 8 can be arbitrarily adjusted by adjusting the ratio of the period during which the clutch device 1 is engaged and the period during which the clutch device 1 is released within a predetermined period. Hereinafter, the configuration of the driving side rotating body 4 and the driven side rotating body 5 will be specifically described.

  The driving side rotating body 4 is connected to the driven side pulley 71 so as to be integrally rotatable by means such as bolting. The driven pulley 71 has a shape surrounding the outer peripheral side of the clutch mechanism 3 and the outer peripheral side of the clutch mechanism accommodating portion 22 of the clutch housing 2. The driven pulley 71 is rotatably supported by the clutch housing 2 via the third bearing B3. On the other hand, a driving pulley 73 is connected to the end of the crankshaft 72 of the engine (power generation source) so as to be integrally rotatable. Auxiliary machine belt 74 is stretched over driven pulley 71 and drive pulley 73. As a result, the rotational force of the crankshaft 72 is transmitted to the driven pulley 71 via the driving pulley 73 and the accessory belt 74. When the driven pulley 71 rotates due to the transmission of this rotational force, the driving side rotating body 4 also rotates accordingly.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (a perspective view of the driven-side rotator 5), the driven-side rotator 5 includes a large-diameter portion 51 and a small-diameter portion 52 having different outer diameter dimensions. The large diameter portion 51 is located on the drive side rotating body 4 side (left side in FIG. 1) in the axial direction. The small diameter portion 52 is located on the water pump 8 side (right side in FIG. 1) in the axial direction.

  The small-diameter portion 52 of the driven-side rotator 5 is formed with a recess 52a (see FIG. 1) that opens toward the water pump 8 side. The inner diameter dimension of the recess 52a is set slightly larger than the outer diameter dimension of the support member 24, and a part of the support member 24 is inserted into the recess 52a.

  An accommodation recess 52b for accommodating the biasing member SP is formed at the bottom of the recess 52a. The accommodating recesses 52b are provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral side of the clutch output shaft 11.

  The urging member SP is made of, for example, a coil spring. On the outer peripheral surface of the clutch output shaft 11, a flange-shaped locking projection 11a facing the housing recess 52b is provided. The urging member SP is disposed in a compressed state between the locking protrusion 11a and the receiving recess 52b of the driven side rotating body 5. Thereby, the driven side rotating body 5 is urged toward the driving side rotating body 4 (toward the left side in FIG. 1).

  The drive-side rotator 4 is provided with a recess 41 that opens toward the driven-side rotator 5 side. The inner diameter of the concave portion 41 is larger than the large diameter portion 51 of the driven-side rotator 5, and the large-diameter portion 51 of the driven-side rotator 5 is inserted into the concave portion 41. Thereby, the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 51 of the driven-side rotator 5 and the inner peripheral surface of the recess 41 of the drive-side rotator 4 face each other in the radial direction.

  The large-diameter portion 51 of the driven-side rotator 5 is provided with a plurality (for example, three) of extended portions 51a, 51a, 51a extending toward the concave portion 41 of the drive-side rotator 4. These extension parts 51a, 51a, 51a are provided at positions at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the large diameter part 51, as shown in FIG.

  Spherical housing grooves 53 are respectively formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the extension portions 51a, 51a, 51a. The spherical body accommodation groove 53 includes a connection release groove portion 54 and a connection groove portion 55. The connection release groove 54 extends along the axial direction of the driven-side rotator 5. The connecting groove portion 55 extends along the circumferential direction of the driven-side rotator 5 from one end of the connection releasing groove portion 54 (one end near the small diameter portion 52). The extension direction of the connection groove 55 from one end of the connection release groove 54 is the direction toward the downstream side of the rotation direction of the drive side rotating body 4 when receiving the rotational force from the crankshaft 72 (the tip of the clutch output shaft 11). (The clockwise direction when the driving side rotating body 4 is viewed from the right side in FIG. 1).

  As the depth dimension of the spherical body accommodation groove 53, the connection release groove part 54 is the deepest and the connection groove part 55 is the shallowest. The depth dimension gradually becomes shallower from the connection release groove portion 54 toward the connection groove portion 55.

  On the other hand, an arc groove 42 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 41 of the drive side rotating body 4 over the entire periphery thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the arc groove 42 has a substantially arc shape in cross section. The depth dimension of the arc groove 42 is substantially the same over the entire circumference of the drive side rotating body 4. Thereby, the circular-arc groove 42 of this drive side rotary body 4 and the spherical body accommodation groove | channel 53 of the said driven side rotary body 5 have faced. The sphere 31 is accommodated in the space formed by the arc groove 42 and the sphere accommodating groove 53 (see FIGS. 1, 3, and 4).

  As described above, the driven-side rotator 5 is movable along the axial direction of the clutch output shaft 11. That is, the driven-side rotator 5 moves in the axial direction between a position approaching the drive-side rotator 4 (position shown in FIG. 4) and a position retreating from the drive-side rotator 4 (position shown in FIG. 3). It is possible to move forward and backward (slide movement) along.

  As shown in FIG. 4 (a side view showing the engaged state of the clutch device 1), when the driven-side rotator 5 moves to a position approaching the drive-side rotator 4 by the urging force of the urging member SP, The arc groove 42 of the driving side rotating body 4 and the connecting groove portion 55 of the driven side rotating body 5 face each other. As described above, the depth of the connecting groove 55 is shallow. Specifically, the distance between the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 41 of the drive-side rotator 4 and the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 51 of the driven-side rotator 5, the depth of the connecting groove 55, and the arc groove 42. The total sum of these and the depth dimension is slightly smaller than the outer diameter dimension of the sphere 31. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the sphere 31 is positioned in the vicinity of the connecting groove 55, the sphere 31 cannot be rotated by being sandwiched between the connecting groove 55 and the arc groove 42. . In other words, the sphere 31 is fitted between the connecting groove 55 and the arc groove 42 so as not to rotate, whereby the rotational force of the drive side rotator 4 is transmitted to the driven side rotator 5 via the sphere 31. It will be. That is, the driving side rotating body 4 and the driven side rotating body 5 are connected. In this case, the clutch output shaft 11 and the impeller 81 of the water pump 8 also rotate as the driven-side rotator 5 rotates, and cooling water is discharged from the water pump 8. Hereinafter, the position (sliding movement position along the axial center) of the driven-side rotator 5 in a state where the drive-side rotator 4 and the driven-side rotator 5 are connected is referred to as a lock position (a connecting position in the present invention). Call it.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3 (a side view showing the released state of the clutch device 1), the driven-side rotator 5 moves to a position where it is retracted from the drive-side rotator 4 against the urging force of the urging member SP. In this case, the arc groove 42 of the driving side rotating body 4 and the connection releasing groove portion 54 of the driven side rotating body 5 face each other. As described above, the depth of the connection release groove 54 is deep. Specifically, the distance dimension between the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 41 of the driving side rotating body 4 and the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 51 of the driven side rotating body 5, the depth dimension of the connection release groove portion 54, and the arc groove The sum total with the depth dimension of 42 is slightly larger than the outer diameter dimension of the sphere 31. Therefore, when the sphere 31 is positioned in the connection release groove 54 as shown in FIG. 3, there is a gap that allows rotation (idling) of the sphere 31 between the connection release groove 54 and the arc groove 42. It is formed. In this case, even if the driving side rotating body 4 rotates by receiving the rotating force from the crankshaft 72, the transmission of the rotating force to the driven side rotating body 5 by the spherical body 31 is not performed. That is, the connection between the driving side rotating body 4 and the driven side rotating body 5 is released. In this case, since the rotational force is not transmitted to the clutch output shaft 11 and the impeller 81 of the water pump 8, the water pump 8 is stopped or decelerated. Hereinafter, the position (sliding movement position along the axis) of the driven-side rotator 5 in a state where the connection between the drive-side rotator 4 and the driven-side rotator 5 is released is referred to as an unlock position (in the present invention). This is called the release position.

  As described above, the connected state and the disconnected state of the driving side rotating body 4 and the driven side rotating body 5 are realized by a mechanism for moving the driven side rotating body 5 forward and backward toward the driving side rotating body 4. That is, the driven-side rotator 4 and the driven-side rotator 5 are connected to each other (the engaged state of the clutch device 1) by moving the driven-side rotator 5 forward toward the drive-side rotator 4 to the locked position. Become. On the other hand, the driven-side rotator 4 and the driven-side rotator 5 are in a disconnected state (the clutch device 1 is released) by retracting the driven-side rotator 5 from the drive-side rotator 4 to the unlock position. .

  Hereinafter, a mechanism (advance / retreat mechanism) for moving the driven-side rotator 5 forward / backward will be described.

(Advance and retreat mechanism)
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the advancing / retreating mechanism 32 has a locking unit 6 having a groove 56 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the driven-side rotating body 5 and a locking member 61 inserted into the groove 56. It has. This will be specifically described below.

  The groove 56 extending in the circumferential direction is formed at a position close to the large-diameter portion 51 on the outer peripheral surface of the small-diameter portion 52 of the driven-side rotator 5. The groove 56 is orthogonal to the spiral groove 57 having an inclined side surface 57aII (see FIG. 6) extending in a direction inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the circumferential direction (direction orthogonal to the axial direction). And an annular groove 58 having a side surface 58a extending in the direction in which it extends. As for the arrangement positions of the spiral groove 57 and the annular groove 58, the annular groove 58 is closer to the large-diameter portion 51 than the spiral groove 57.

  The spiral groove 57 has a side surface 57a (consisting of a pin insertion side surface 57aI and an inclined side surface 57aII described later; see FIG. 6) extending in the radial direction, and an axial center from the inner peripheral end of the side surface 57a toward the annular groove 58 side. And a bottom surface 57b extending in the direction along.

  FIG. 6 shows a region in which the spiral groove 57 is formed in the small diameter portion 52 of the driven-side rotating body 5 (hereinafter referred to as a spiral groove forming region) and a region in which the annular groove 58 is formed (hereinafter referred to as an annular groove forming region). It is a figure which expands and shows each. In FIG. 6, the left-right direction is the circumferential direction of the small diameter portion 52, and the vertical direction is the axial direction of the small diameter portion 52. As shown in FIG. 6, on the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 52, a spiral groove forming region and an annular groove forming region extending in the circumferential direction are provided adjacent to each other.

  The predetermined range in the circumferential direction of the side surface 57a in the spiral groove forming region is the rotational direction of the driving side rotating body 4 (the rotational direction of the driven side rotating body 5 when the clutch device 1 is in the engaged state. Then, it may gradually approach the annular groove 58 so as to gradually approach the drive-side rotor 4 toward the upstream side (which may be referred to as the rotational direction of the driven-side rotor 5) (toward the right direction in FIG. 6). (Ii) The inclined side surface 57aII is inclined. The inclination angle and the inclination range of the inclined side surface 57aII (the angular range in the circumferential direction where the inclined side surface 57aII is provided) are the total perimeter length of the small-diameter portion 52 of the driven side rotating body 5 and the movement required for the driven side rotating body 5. It is set as appropriate according to the amount (the amount of movement between the lock position and the unlock position). For example, the movement amount (dimension t1 in the figure) between the lock position and the unlock position is 2.0 mm, and the inclination angle (angle α in the figure) of the inclined side surface 57aII is set to 3 °. . Further, the angular range (range t2 in the figure) in the circumferential direction of the region where the inclined side surface 57aII is provided is set to a range of 250 °. These values are not limited to this.

  Since the inclined side surface 57aII is formed in this way, in the range t2 where the inclined side surface 57aII is provided, the width dimension (dimension in the direction along the axis) of the bottom surface 57b extends in the circumferential direction. (Toward the upstream side in the rotational direction of the driven-side rotator 5).

  Further, a pin insertion side surface 57aI extending in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction (not inclined) is provided downstream of the inclined side surface 57aII in the rotation direction of the driven side rotator 5 (left side in FIG. 6). Is provided. In the range t3 where the pin insertion side surface 57aI is provided, the width dimension (dimension in the direction along the axis) of the bottom surface 57b is uniform over the circumferential direction.

  Further, the spiral groove 57 is not formed on the upstream side (the right side in FIG. 6) in the rotational direction of the driven-side rotator 5 with respect to the inclined side surface 57aII, and this region is the outer peripheral surface and the surface of the small-diameter portion 52. One circular arc surface 57aIII (the outer diameter of the small-diameter portion 52 and the dimension in the radial direction coincide with each other) is formed.

  The portion provided with the pin insertion side surface 57aI corresponds to an insertion start region when the pin 69 provided in the locking member 61 of the locking unit 6 is inserted into the spiral groove 57 (more specifically, As will be described later, only a part of the portion where the pin insertion side surface 57aI is provided becomes an insertion start region of the pin 69). Hereinafter, this region is referred to as a start end portion 57c. In the spiral groove 57 having the shape shown in FIG. 6, the range t3 in the above-described drawing is the formation range of the pin insertion side surface 57aI constituting the start end portion 57c. The feature of this embodiment is the shape of the start end portion 57 c of the spiral groove 57. Details of the shape of the starting end portion 57c will be described later. The upstream end portion of the inclined side surface 57aII in the rotational direction of the driven-side rotator 5 corresponds to the insertion start position when the pin 69 is detached from the spiral groove 57 and inserted into the annular groove 58. Hereinafter, this portion is referred to as a termination portion 57d.

  Further, as the depth dimension of the spiral groove 57, in the formation range t3 of the pin insertion side surface 57aI, it gradually becomes deeper toward the formation range t2 of the inclined side surface 57aII. Further, in the formation range t2 of the inclined side surface 57aII, the depth dimension of the spiral groove 57 is constant over the entire circumference (FIG. 5 (a cross section at a position corresponding to the line VV in FIG. 3). (See the depth of the spiral groove 57 shown in the figure).

  On the other hand, the annular groove 58 is formed over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the driven-side rotator 5 adjacent to the spiral groove 57. The annular groove 58 includes the side surface 58a extending in the radial direction and a bottom surface 58b extending in the direction along the axial center from the inner peripheral end of the side surface 58a toward the large diameter portion 51 side. The entire side surface 58a is a plane perpendicular to the axis. That is, the side surface 58a is not inclined. Further, the bottom surface 58 b is located on the inner peripheral side with respect to the bottom surface 57 b of the spiral groove 57. That is, the depth dimension of the annular groove 58 is larger than the depth dimension of the spiral groove 57. For this reason, the annular groove 58 and the spiral groove 57 are adjacent to each other with a step between them. Further, in the annular groove 58, a position adjacent to the terminal end portion 57d of the spiral groove 57 is a start end portion 58c where insertion of the pin 69 is started.

  Thus, the spiral groove 57 and the annular groove 58 are formed, so that the driven-side rotating body 5 is in the locked position as shown in FIG. In the connected state, when the locking member 61 rotates toward the groove 56, the pin 69 of the locking member 61 is moved to the start end portion 57c (pin insertion side surface 57aI of the spiral groove 57). Is inserted into the spiral groove 57 (details of the operation of inserting the pin 69 into the spiral groove 57 will be described later). When the pin 69 is thus inserted into the spiral groove 57, the driven-side rotator 5 rotates with the inclined side surface 57 a II of the spiral groove 57 in contact with the pin 69. Then, while the inclined side surface 57aII of the spiral groove 57 slides on the pin 69, the driven-side rotator 5 moves in the direction along the axis (rightward in FIG. 4) from the lock position toward the unlock position. As the driven-side rotator 5 moves, the spherical body 31 relatively moves from the connecting groove portion 55 provided in the driven-side rotator 5 toward the connection releasing groove portion 54.

  When the pin 69 reaches the terminal end portion 57 d of the spiral groove 57, the pin 69 is inserted into the annular groove 58 from the start end portion 58 c of the annular groove 58. As a result, the driven-side rotator 5 is completely moved from the locked position to the unlocked position. Accordingly, the sphere 31 is fitted into the connection release groove 54. Thus, in the clutch device 1, the pin 69 of the locking member 61 is inserted into the groove 56, and the pin 69 is engaged with the inclined side surface 57 a II of the spiral groove 57 to resist the urging force of the urging member SP. Then, the driven-side rotator 5 is slid from the locked position to the unlocked position to switch from the engaged state to the released state.

  Here, the actuator 62 for rotating the locking member 61 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the actuator 62 is an electromagnetic actuator in which a coil 64 a is accommodated in the first case 64 and is driven using the action of a magnetic field generated by energizing the coil 64 a.

  The first case 64 has a bottomed cylindrical shape, and a fixed core 64b is provided at the bottom thereof. The coil 64a is disposed inside the first case 64 so as to surround the fixed core 64b. That is, in the actuator 62, an electromagnet is configured by the fixed core 64b and the coil 64a. A movable core 64c is movably accommodated inside the coil 64a at a position facing the fixed core 64b. Each of the fixed core 64b and the movable core 64c is an iron core.

  A cylindrical second case 65 is attached to the front end side (the upper end side in FIG. 5) of the first case 64. In the second case 65, a permanent magnet 65a is disposed at an end portion on the first case 64 side so as to surround the periphery of the movable core 64c. As described above, the movable core 64c is housed in the first case 64 so that the base end (the lower end in FIG. 5) faces the fixed core 64b, while the distal end (the upper side in FIG. 5). End of the second case 65 protrudes outward from the second case 65.

  A ring member 65b is attached to a portion of the movable core 64c accommodated in the second case 65. And in the 2nd case 65, the coil spring 65c is accommodated in the state compressed between this 2nd case 65 and the ring member 65b. The coil spring 65c biases the movable core 64c in a direction in which the movable core 64c protrudes from the second case 65. And the front end side which protruded from the 2nd case 65 in the movable core 64c is connected with the latching member 61 via the fixing pin 64d.

  The locking member 61 has a base end rotatably connected to the movable core 64 c and is rotatably supported by the rotation shaft 63. Therefore, the locking member 61 rotates around the rotation shaft 63 with the movement of the movable core 64c. Therefore, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 5, the degree to which the movable core 64 c protrudes from the second case 65 by the urging force of the coil spring 65 c increases, so that the pin 69 of the locking member 61 is connected to the driven side rotating body 5. It is inserted into the groove 56. The support structure of the pin 69 in the locking member 61 will be described later.

  When the coil 64a is energized in this state, the fixed core 64b and the movable core 64c are magnetized by the magnetic field generated by the energization, and the movable core 64c is pulled toward the fixed core 64b against the biasing force of the coil spring 65c. . At this time, the magnitude of the magnetic field generated in the coil 64a coincides with the direction of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 65a.

  When the retracted movable core 64c moves in a direction approaching the fixed core 64b (downward direction in FIG. 5), the locking member 61 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 5, and the pin 69 of the locking member 61 is moved. It is pulled out from the groove 56. That is, the actuator 62 pulls out the locking member 61 from the groove 56 by attracting the movable core 64c using the magnetic force generated by energizing the coil 64a.

  When the attracted movable core 64c moves to a position where it contacts the fixed core 64b (position indicated by a virtual line in FIG. 5), even if energization is stopped thereafter, the movable core 64c is moved by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 65a. The state of being in contact with the fixed core 64b is maintained.

  On the other hand, when the coil 64a is energized in the direction opposite to that when the movable core 64c is attracted when the movable core 64c is in the contact position indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 5, what is the direction of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 65a? A reverse magnetic field is generated. Thereby, the attractive force of the permanent magnet 65a is weakened, and the movable core 64c is separated from the fixed core 64b by the biasing force of the coil spring 65c, and moves to the protruding position shown by the solid line in FIG. When the movable core 64 c moves from the contact position to the protruding position, the locking member 61 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 5 and the pin 69 of the locking member 61 is inserted into the groove 56.

  When the movable core 64c is at a protruding position separated from the fixed core 64b, the biasing force by the coil spring 65c is larger than the attractive force by the permanent magnet 65a. Therefore, if the movable core 64c is separated from the fixed core 64b by energizing the coil 64a, the movable core 64c is held at the protruding position even if the energization is stopped thereafter.

  That is, the actuator 62 according to the present embodiment switches the connection state of the clutch device 1 by flowing the direct current in different directions and moving the movable core 64c, while maintaining the connected state or the released state. Sometimes it is a self-holding solenoid that does not require energization.

(Configuration of the start end of the spiral groove)
Next, a plurality of embodiments of the configuration of the start end portion 57c of the spiral groove 57, which is a feature of this embodiment, will be described.

<First Embodiment>
First, the first embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the periphery of the start end portion 57c of the spiral groove 57 according to the present embodiment. 8 is a diagram (a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 6) showing the support structure of the pin 69 and the spiral groove 57, and FIG. 8A shows the pin 69 in the spiral groove. FIG. 8B is a view showing a state in which the pin 69 is inserted into the spiral groove 57. FIG.

  In the following description, the direction along the axis of the driven rotor 5 is referred to as the X direction, the direction orthogonal to the X direction, the horizontal direction in FIG. 7 is referred to as the Y direction, and the direction orthogonal to the X direction. Therefore, the vertical direction in FIGS. 7 and 8 will be referred to as the Z direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, in the start end portion 57 c of the spiral groove 57, when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the axis of the driven side rotating body 5 (when viewed from the upper side along the Z direction). The position of the side surface 57 a overlaps with the insertion position of the pin 69. That is, when the position of the side surface 57a and the insertion position of the pin 69 overlap in the X direction and the pin 69 moves toward the start end 57c, the pin 69 interferes with the start end 57c. ing.

  The starting end portion 57c is provided with a guide surface (inclined portion) 59 extending from the outer peripheral surface of the driven-side rotator 5 to the pin insertion side surface 57aI. The guide surface 59 is an inclined surface having a shape in which a ridge line portion between the outer peripheral surface of the driven-side rotator 5 and the pin insertion side surface 57aI is cut out.

  Specifically, the guide surface 59 is provided in a part (a central portion in the circumferential direction) of a range t3 where the pin insertion side surface 57aI is provided. The guide surface 59 extends from the outer peripheral surface of the driven-side rotator 5 to the pin insertion side surface 57aI and from the outer peripheral surface of the driven-side rotator 5 toward the axis (in the Z direction toward the axis). A first guide surface 59a that is inclined toward the annular groove 58 (side toward the annular groove 58 along the X direction) is provided. Further, the guide surfaces 59 are located on both sides of the first guide surface 59a in the circumferential direction (the circumferential direction of the driven-side rotator 5), and the pin insertion side faces toward both outer sides (outside in the circumferential direction) in plan view. The second and third guide surfaces 59b and 59c are inclined to the 57aI side.

  The outer peripheral end position of the first guide surface 59a is more water than the insertion position of the pin 69 when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the axis of the driven-side rotator 5 (viewed from above along the Z direction). It is located on the pump 8 side (the side on which the driven side rotator 5 moves backward). That is, when the pin 69 moves toward the groove 56, the position of the pin 69 coincides with the position of the first guide surface 59a (when both positions coincide with each other in the circumferential direction of the driven-side rotating body 5). The tip edge of the pin 69 comes into contact with the first guide surface 59a. The inclination angle of the first guide surface 59a depends on the formation range of the start end portion 57c (angle range in the circumferential direction of the region where the start end portion 57c is provided) and the depth dimension of the spiral groove 57 (pin insertion side surface 57aI). ) And the like. In the present embodiment, the inclination angle is set to 60 °, for example, with respect to the bottom surface 57b.

  The second guide surface 59b is continuous with the first guide surface 59a, and is located downstream of the first guide surface 59a in the rotation direction of the driven-side rotator 5 (left side in FIG. 6). The third guide surface 59c is continuous with the first guide surface 59a, and is located upstream of the first guide surface 59a in the rotational direction of the driven-side rotator 5 (right side in FIG. 6). As the inclination angle of the second guide surface 59b and the third guide surface 59c with respect to the circumferential direction of the driven-side rotating body 5, the inclination angle of the second guide surface 59b is larger than the inclination angle of the third guide surface 59c. It has become. For example, the inclination angle of the third guide surface 59c (inclination angle with respect to the circumferential direction) is 30 °, while the inclination angle of the second guide surface 59b is 45 °. These values are not limited to this.

  Since such a guide surface 59 is provided, when the pin 69 moves forward toward the spiral groove 57 with respect to the region other than the region where the first guide surface 59a is formed, the pin 69 is driven by the driven side rotating body 5. Will interfere with the outer peripheral surface of the. That is, the pin 69 cannot be inserted into the spiral groove 57 from a region other than the region where the first guide surface 59a is formed. As shown in FIG. 8A, when the pin 69 advances toward the spiral groove 57 with respect to the formation area of the first guide surface 59a, the pin 69 abuts on the first guide surface 59a. The first guide surface 59a is guided to move toward the bottom surface 57b of the spiral groove 57 (see the state shown in FIG. 8B). For this reason, the formation region of the first guide surface 59a is the “guide region for guiding the locking member toward the bottom surface of the spiral groove” in the present invention. In addition, the region other than the region where the first guide surface 59a is formed is referred to in the present invention as “the locking member abuts when the locking member moves toward the spiral groove, thereby inserting the locking member into the spiral groove. “Prohibited area”.

  The pin 69 is provided at the distal end portion of the locking member 61 and is elastically supported so as to be movable in a direction (X direction) along the axial center of the driven side rotating body 5. This will be specifically described below.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a pin housing space S is formed at the distal end portion (portion where the pin 69 is mounted) of the locking member 61. The pin housing space S is a space formed between the flange portions 61 a and 61 b provided on both sides in the direction along the axis of the driven-side rotating body 5 at the distal end portion of the locking member 61. A pin support rod 61c is bridged between the flange portions 61a and 61b. Further, the pin 69 is formed with a through hole 69b through which the pin support rod 61c can be inserted. And this pin 69 is accommodated in the said pin accommodating space S in the state by which the pin support rod 61c was penetrated by the through-hole 69b. Further, the width dimension of the pin 69 in the direction along the axis of the pin support rod 61c is smaller than the space dimension in the same direction in the pin accommodating space S (the distance dimension between the flange portions 61a and 61b). . As a result, the pin 69 is guided by the pin support rod 61c, and is mounted in the pin accommodating space S so as to be movable in the direction along the axis of the driven-side rotator 5 (X direction).

  A coil spring 61d is accommodated in a compressed state between the pin 69 and one flange portion 61a (the flange portion 61a located on the large-diameter portion 51 side of the driven-side rotating body 5). For this reason, the pin 69 is urged toward the other flange portion 61b (the flange portion 61b located on the water pump 8 side). Further, the urging force of the coil spring 61d is sufficiently smaller than the urging force of the urging member SP (the urging member SP that urges the driven-side rotator 5 toward the drive-side rotator 4). ing. That is, the spring constant of the coil spring 61d is smaller than the spring constant of the biasing member SP.

  With such a configuration, when the pin 69 is not inserted into the spiral groove 57, as shown in FIG. 8A, the pin 69 receives the biasing force of the coil spring 61d, and the other flange portion 61b side. Is located. In this case, the pin 69 and the first guide surface 59a are at positions facing each other in the radial direction of the driven-side rotator 5. That is, when the pin 69 is in this position, the position of the outer peripheral edge of the first guide surface 59a (position P1 in FIG. 8A) is the edge of the pin 69 on the water pump 8 side (FIG. 8A). In this state, when the pin 69 moves forward toward the spiral groove 57, the edge P2 of the pin 69 on the water pump 8 side is the first edge P2 on the water pump 8 side. It will contact the guide surface 59a.

  When the pin 69 advances toward the spiral groove 57 and the edge P2 of the pin 69 on the water pump 8 side contacts the first guide surface 59a, the pin 69 receives the reaction force from the first guide surface 59a. Thus, the pin 69 is guided toward the inner peripheral side toward the bottom surface 57b of the spiral groove 57 while moving toward the one flange portion 61a against the urging force of the coil spring 61d. Become. As described above, the biasing force of the coil spring 61d is sufficiently smaller than the biasing force of the biasing member SP. For this reason, when the pin 69 is guided toward the bottom surface 57b of the spiral groove 57, the driven-side rotator 5 does not move backward (retreat toward the unlock position).

(Operation of clutch device)
Next, the operation of the clutch device 1 configured as described above will be described.

  When the movable core 64c of the actuator 62 is in the contact position, the pin 69 of the locking member 61 is retracted from the groove 56, as indicated by the phantom line in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, since the driven-side rotator 5 is held in the locked position by the urging force of the urging member SP, the sphere 31 is positioned in the connecting groove 55, and the clutch device 1 is engaged. It is in a joint state. That is, the clutch device 1 transmits the rotation of the driving side rotating body 4 to the clutch output shaft 11 via the driven side rotating body 5. Thereby, the water pump 8 is operating.

  In the operating state of the water pump 8, when the coil 64a of the actuator 62 is energized so as to generate a magnetic field opposite to the direction of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 65a, the movable core 64c is brought into contact with the urging force of the coil spring 65c. To the protruding position indicated by the solid line in FIG. Then, as the locking member 61 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 5, the pin 69 of the locking member 61 moves toward the groove 56 of the driven side rotating body 5.

  As described above, when the pin 69 advances toward the spiral groove 57 with respect to the region other than the region where the first guide surface 59a is formed, the pin 69 interferes with the outer peripheral surface of the driven-side rotator 5. Will do. That is, the pin 69 is not inserted into the spiral groove 57. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the pin 69 advances toward the spiral groove 57 with respect to the formation region of the first guide surface 59a, or as described above, the pin 69 moves to the first guide surface 59a. In this case, the driven-side rotating body 5 is further rotated so that the region where the first guide surface 59a is formed becomes the pin 69. When the corresponding position is reached, the pin 69 comes into contact with the first guide surface 59a and is guided by the first guide surface 59a to move toward the bottom surface 57b of the spiral groove 57 (FIG. 8B). (See the state shown in.) That is, the pin 69 is inserted into the spiral groove 57 only in the region where the first guide surface 59 a is formed, and is guided toward the bottom surface 57 b of the spiral groove 57.

  The pin 69 is inserted into the spiral groove 57, and the driven side rotating body 5 is driven in a state where the pin 69 reaches the formation range of the inclined side surface 57aII from the formation range of the pin insertion side surface 57aI and is in contact with the inclined side surface 57aII. When rotating together with the side rotating body 4, the driven side rotating body 5 moves from the locked position toward the unlocked position while the pin 69 relatively moves in the spiral groove 57. That is, the state changes from the state shown in FIG. 4 to the state shown in FIG. Thereafter, when the rotation of the driven-side rotator 5 proceeds, the pin 69 is inserted into the annular groove 58 from the terminal end portion 57d of the spiral groove 57 through the start end portion 58c of the annular groove 58. As a result, the driven-side rotator 5 reaches the unlock position. When the driven-side rotator 5 reaches the unlocked position, the sphere 31 is positioned in the connection release groove 54, and the rotation of the drive-side rotator 4 is not transmitted to the driven-side rotator 5, and the clutch device 1 is released. It becomes a state.

  Immediately after the connection between the driven-side rotator 5 and the drive-side rotator 4 is released, the driven-side rotator 5 has the pin 69 inserted in the annular groove 58 as shown in FIG. 69, while continuing the rotation by the inertial force while receiving the action of the frictional force generated between the two. When the pin 69 is inserted into the annular groove 58 in this way, the pin 69 is engaged with the step existing at the boundary between the spiral groove 57 and the annular groove 58, that is, the side surface 58 a of the annular groove 58. Therefore, as long as the pin 69 is displaced so as to be pulled out from the annular groove 58 and does not get over this step, the pin 69 is not displaced into the spiral groove 57. Thus, in the state where the pin 69 of the locking member 61 is inserted into the annular groove 58 of the driven-side rotator 5, the driven-side rotator 5 rotates, and the rotation speed gradually decreases. When this state is continued, the water pump 8 is stopped.

  On the other hand, when the clutch device 1 is switched from the released state to the engaged state, the coil 64a of the actuator 62 is energized so as to generate a magnetic field having the same direction as the direction of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 65a. Then, the movable core 64c is attracted so as to approach the fixed core 64b by the magnetic force generated by energization, and moves from the protruding position indicated by the solid line to the contact position indicated by the phantom line in FIG. As a result, the locking member 61 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 5 and the pin 69 of the locking member 61 is completely pulled out from the groove 56.

  Then, the driven side rotating body 5 released from the locking by the locking member 61 is moved to the lock position by the biasing force of the biasing member SP, and the driven side rotating body 5 and the driving side rotating body 4 are coupled. The clutch device 1 is switched to the engaged state.

  Since the engaged state and the released state of the clutch device 1 are thus switched, as described above, the period during which the clutch device 1 is engaged and the period during which the clutch device 1 is released within a predetermined period. By adjusting the ratio, the rotational speed of the water pump 8 can be arbitrarily adjusted.

  As described above, the pin 69 is inserted into the spiral groove 57 only in the region where the first guide surface 59 a is formed, and is guided toward the bottom surface 57 b of the spiral groove 57. The first guide surface 59a is provided on the pin insertion side surface 57aI. For this reason, the pin 69 is inserted into the spiral groove 57 only from the region where the pin insertion side surface 57aI is formed. That is, when the pin 69 is inserted into the spiral groove 57, the pin 69 has not yet reached the position facing the inclined side surface 57aII of the spiral groove 57. For this reason, when the pin 69 starts to advance toward the spiral groove 57, the inclined side surface 57aII of the spiral groove 57 is already approaching the position where the pin 69 is to be inserted (the spiral groove 57). The situation where the position of the inclined side surface 57aII moves toward the position where the pin 69 is to be inserted does not occur. That is, there is no situation in which the inclined side surface 57aII of the spiral groove 57 comes into contact with the pin 69 in a state where the insertion amount of the pin 69 into the spiral groove 57 is small (the insertion depth is shallow). Therefore, the situation where only the tip portion of the pin 69 receives a contact load from the inclined side surface 57aII is not caused, and wear of the tip portion of the pin 69 can be suppressed. As a result, the operation for bringing the clutch device 1 into the released state is not adversely affected. In addition, the life of the pin 69 can be extended. Further, by reducing the contact load, wear of the inclined side surface 57aII of the spiral groove 57 can be suppressed. This also does not adversely affect the operation for bringing the clutch device 1 into the released state. In addition, the life of the driven rotating body 5 can be extended.

  Further, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the position of the side surface 57a of the spiral groove 57 and the insertion position of the pin 69 overlap (in FIGS. 7 and 8A, the axis of the driven rotary body 5 is overlapped). When viewed from the orthogonal direction (when viewed from above along the Z direction), the position of the side surface 57a overlaps the insertion position of the pin 69), and the pin 69 is inserted into the spiral groove 57 through the guide surface 59. At this point, there is no gap (gap in the direction along the rotation axis) between the pin 69 and the side surface 57a of the spiral groove 57. If this gap is generated (see dimension t4 in FIG. 13), the gap may vary due to part processing errors, assembly errors, and the like. In this case, if the gap is large, the contact load tends to increase. In other words, even if the frequency of use is the same depending on the product, the amount of pin wear will vary, making it difficult to inspect the product before shipment, or requiring inspection during use (inspection of wear) there's a possibility that. In the configuration of the present embodiment, since this gap does not occur, the above-described variation does not occur, and it is possible to realize a low contact load in all products.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the configuration of the start end portion 57c of the spiral groove 57 will be described. In the present embodiment, the shape of the guide surface 59 formed on the start end portion 57c is different from that of the first embodiment. Here, only differences from the first embodiment (the shape of the guide surface 59) will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a developed view of a part of the spiral groove forming region of the driven-side rotator 5 in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the outer peripheral side edge of the guide surface 59 according to this embodiment is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the axis of the driven-side rotating body 5 (when viewed from above along the Z direction). Is formed of a curved surface. Specifically, on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the driven side rotator 5 (left side in FIG. 9), the retraction amount from the pin insertion side surface 57aI is large, and the upstream side in the rotation direction of the driven side rotator 5 (in FIG. 9). A guide surface 59 is formed by a curved surface in which the retraction amount from the pin insertion side surface 57aI gradually decreases toward the right side).

  Further, as the cross-sectional shape of the guide surface 59, as shown in FIG. 8 in the first embodiment, from the outer peripheral surface of the driven-side rotating body 5 toward the axial center (toward the axial center along the Z direction). ) Inclined to the side toward the annular groove 58 (the side toward the annular groove 58 along the X direction).

  In addition, the slidable contact surface 69a slidably contacting the inclined side surface 57aII of the pin 69 is tangential at a predetermined position of the guide surface 59 formed by the curved surface (at a predetermined position of the outer peripheral side edge formed by the curved surface). (Refer to the sliding contact surface 69a inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the broken line parallel to the pin insertion side surface 57aI in FIG. 9). For example, the guide surface (curved surface) 59 is an inclined surface extending in the direction along the tangent of the portion with the largest curvature.

  According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the pin 69 guided along the guide surface 59 toward the bottom surface 57b of the spiral groove 57 can be smoothly guided from the pin insertion side surface 57aI toward the inclined side surface 57aII. Become. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the contact load from temporarily increasing when the sliding contact surface 69a of the pin 69 shifts from the state of sliding contact with the pin insertion side surface 57aI to the state of sliding contact with the inclined side surface 57aII.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the configuration of the start end portion 57c of the spiral groove 57 will be described. In the present embodiment, the shape of the guide surface 59 formed on the start end portion 57c is different from that of the second embodiment. Here, only differences from the second embodiment (the shape of the guide surface 59) will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the periphery of the start end portion 57c of the spiral groove 57 of the driven-side rotator 5 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the guide surface 59 according to the present embodiment is formed with a curved surface (a curved surface when viewed from the top along the Z direction) as in the second embodiment. Yes.

  In the present embodiment, the guide surface 59 has a shape in which a region on the downstream side (left side in FIG. 10) in the rotational direction of the driven-side rotator 5 slightly bulges toward the pin insertion side surface 57aI.

  According to this configuration, when the pin 69 abuts on the guide surface 59, the pin 69 can abut on the guide surface 59 over a wide range. That is, since the guide surface 59 is formed of a curved surface, in this configuration (configuration formed of a curved surface), the upstream side of the sliding contact surface 69a of the pin 69 in the rotational direction of the driven-side rotator 5. The region (A portion in the figure) (right side in FIG. 10) is likely to come into contact with the guide surface 59. On the other hand, in the guide surface 59, the downstream region in the rotational direction of the driven-side rotator 5 has a slightly bulged shape, so that in this configuration (a configuration in which a bulged portion exists) Of the sliding contact surface 69 a of 69, the region (B portion in the drawing) on the downstream side (left side in FIG. 10) in the rotation direction of the driven-side rotator 5 is easily brought into contact with the guide surface 59.

  Thus, the guide surface 59 is formed so that each part of the slidable contact surface 69a of the pin 69 is easy to contact. Thereby, it is possible to avoid a situation in which only a part of the pin 69 is in sliding contact with the guide surface 59 and only this part is worn. As a result, the operation for bringing the clutch device 1 into the released state is not adversely affected. In addition, the life of the pin 69 can be extended.

<Fourth embodiment>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the configuration of the start end portion 57c of the spiral groove 57 will be described. Also in this embodiment, the shape of the guide surface formed in the start end portion 57c is different from that in the second embodiment. Here, only the difference from the second embodiment (the shape of the guide surface 59) will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a developed view of a part of the spiral groove forming region of the driven-side rotator 5 in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the outer peripheral side edge of the guide surface 59 according to the present embodiment is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the axis of the driven-side rotating body 5 (when viewed from above along the Z direction). Is formed of a curved surface. Specifically, the guide surface 59 in the present embodiment is formed over substantially the entire range of the pin insertion side surface 57aI. That is, from the downstream end (left side in FIG. 11) of the driven side rotating body 5 in the rotational direction of the pin insertion side surface 57aI to the upstream end (right side in FIG. 11) of the driven side rotating body 5 in the rotational direction. A guide surface 59 is formed so as to be curved.

  Also with this configuration, the pin 69 guided toward the bottom surface 57b of the spiral groove 57 along the guide surface 59 can be smoothly guided from the pin insertion side surface 57aI to the inclined side surface 57aII. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the contact load from temporarily increasing when the sliding contact surface 69a of the pin 69 shifts from the state of sliding contact with the pin insertion side surface 57aI to the state of sliding contact with the inclined side surface 57aII.

-Other embodiments-
In each embodiment described above, the groove depth in the formation range t2 of the inclined side surface 57aII of the spiral groove 57 is uniform over the circumferential direction. The present invention is not limited to this, and may be configured to gradually become deeper from the start end portion 57c to the end portion 57d in the formation range t2 of the inclined side surface 57aII.

  Moreover, in each said embodiment, the depth of the annular groove 58 was constant over the perimeter. The present invention is not limited to this, and the groove depth of the start end portion 58c in the annular groove 58 may be shallower than the groove depth of other portions.

  In each of the above embodiments, the guide surface 59 is provided only in the region where the pin insertion side surface 57aI is formed in the spiral groove 57. However, the pin insertion side surface 57aI is formed on the guide surface 59. You may make it provide from the area | region to the area | region in which the inclined side surface 57aII is formed. Further, the guide surface 59 may be provided over the entire circumference of the spiral groove 57.

  Further, in each of the embodiments, the groove 56 (the spiral groove 57 and the annular groove 58) into which the pin 69 of the locking member 61 is inserted is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the driven side rotating body 5. The present invention is not limited to this, and these grooves 56 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the driven-side rotator 5 so that the pin 69 of the locking member 61 inserted into the inner space of the driven-side rotator 5 moves to the outer peripheral side. It is good also as a structure inserted in the groove | channel 56.

  The number of the urging members SP can be arbitrarily changed. For example, the driven side rotating body 5 can be urged by one urging member. The urging member SP may be any member that urges the driven-side rotator 5 toward the lock position, and is not limited to the compression coil spring described above. For example, a tension spring that pulls the driven-side rotator 5 toward the lock position may be applied as the urging member.

  The actuator 62 is not limited to a self-holding solenoid. For example, the actuator 62 may be a solenoid in which the locking member 61 is inserted into the groove 56 only while the coil is energized. According to this configuration, since the clutch device 1 is in the released state only when the coil is energized, the clutch device 1 is in the engaged state when the coil cannot be energized. Accordingly, the water pump 8 can be driven even when the actuator 62 is malfunctioning.

  The actuator 62 is not limited to a solenoid, and may be an actuator other than a solenoid, such as a hydraulic actuator.

  The configuration of the clutch device 1 is not limited to the ball lock type. For example, a crimp type clutch device may be used.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to the clutch device 1 that switches the transmission state of power from the crankshaft 72 to the water pump 8 has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to a clutch device disposed between another auxiliary machine such as an oil pump and a compressor and the crankshaft 72. The present invention is not limited to switching the transmission state of power from the crankshaft 72 but may be applied as a clutch device that switches the transmission state of power from another power source.

  The present invention can be applied to a clutch device that switches between an engaged state where engine power is transmitted to a water pump and a disengaged state where engine power is not transmitted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Clutch apparatus 3 Clutch mechanism 4 Drive side rotary body 5 Driven side rotary body 57 Spiral groove 57a Side surface 57aII Inclined side surface 59 Guide surface 59a First guide surface (inclined portion)
61 Locking member 69 Pin

Claims (1)

A driving side rotating body that receives power from a power generation source;
A driven-side rotator movable between a connection position connected to the drive-side rotator and a release position where the connection is released;
A locking member inserted into a spiral groove formed in the driven side rotating body,
When the locking member is inserted into the spiral groove in a state where the driven-side rotating body is in the coupling position, the driven side is brought into contact with the inclined side surface provided in the spiral groove and the locking member. A clutch device in which a rotating body moves toward the release position along with its rotation,
The outer peripheral edge of the side surface of the spiral groove is a region where the locking member abuts when the locking member moves toward the spiral groove, thereby prohibiting insertion of the locking member into the spiral groove, and the locking A guide region for guiding the locking member toward the bottom surface of the spiral groove when the member moves toward the spiral groove;
The side surface of the spiral groove in the guide region has an inclined portion that is inclined toward the bottom surface of the spiral groove, and the position of the outer peripheral side end of the inclined portion is more than the end edge on the release position side of the locking member. Is further located on the release position side.

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