JP3426524B2 - Clutch release mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clutch release mechanism using a ball cam for turning off a clutch in a power unit of a motorcycle or a buggy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The conventional clutch release mechanism is
For example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-45852, a ball is interposed between a fixed cam plate and a movable cam plate which are opposed to each other, and a thrust force generated by relative rotation of both cam plates causes the clutch to move. The release plate is pressed to disengage the clutch.

[0003]

When such a clutch release mechanism is not operated, a small gap is generally provided between the fixed cam plate, the ball and the movable cam plate in order to ensure the ON state of the clutch. It is necessary to provide it and let the ball play.

However, in the above conventional structure,
If the ball is allowed to play between the fixed cam plate and the movable cam plate, the ball may vibrate and generate noise during engine operation. Further, since the fixed cam plate, the ball, and the movable cam plate are independent as parts, it is difficult to say that the number of parts is large and the assembling property is good.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and when the ball is not in operation, the ball can be idle to ensure the clutch is in the on state, but the vibration of the ball can be suppressed, and the number of parts is increased. It is an object of the present invention to provide a clutch release mechanism which has a small number of parts and is easy to assemble.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a movable cam plate in which a clutch release mechanism is rotatably connected to a release plate of a clutch via a release bearing, and this movable cam. An adjusting bolt that is supported coaxially with the plate by a fixed structure, a ball holder that is screwed into the adjusting bolt and faces the movable cam plate, and the ball holder is rotatable side by side in the circumferential direction. In addition , the ball holder is held irremovably, and each top is engaged with a plurality of cam recesses arranged in the circumferential direction of the movable cam plate. The ball holder rotates the balls.
Squeeze the opening to accommodate it freely and prevent its removal.
The first feature is that a spherical ball holding hole is provided.
The present invention also provides a clutch release mechanism that
Rotate through the release bearing on the release plate of the latch
A movable cam plate that is freely connected and coaxial with this movable cam plate
The adjustment bolt that is supported on the fixed structure above and the adjustment
Ball screw that is screwed into the belt and is opposed to the movable cam plate.
Luda and this ball holder, lined up in the circumferential direction
Each is rotatably and irremovably held, and each top
Engage with a plurality of cam recesses lined up in the circumferential direction of the movable cam plate
The ball holder, the ball holder
Bolt to be screwed to the rod and crimped to one end of this boss
Holder plate and one side surface of this holder plate
On the holder plate and the
The holder plate and the retainer.
, The ball can rotate freely and cannot be separated in cooperation with each other.
That a tapered holding hole for holding the
Characterize.

According to the above first and second characteristics, even if a gap is provided between the bottom surface of the cam concave portion of the movable cam plate and the ball of the ball holder, the ball is secured in order to ensure the ON state of the clutch. Is held by the ball holder fixed on the adjusting bolt, so that the vibration of the ball can be prevented. Then, when the movable cam plate is rotated with respect to the ball holder, the ball rolls up the slope of the cam concave portion and smoothly climbs to press the movable cam plate, so that the release plate is pressed through the movable cam plate. , The clutch can be easily turned off. In addition, the ball and the ball holder that holds the ball form a single component, and since the ball holder also serves as the conventional fixed cam plate, the number of components is reduced, the assemblability is improved, and the cost is reduced. Can be achieved.

According to the first feature, in particular, the ball holder is provided with a spherical ball holding hole having an opening narrowed so as to rotatably accommodate each ball and prevent the ball from being detached . The ball holding structure can be easily configured.

Further , according to the second feature, in particular, the ball holder is superposed on one side surface of the holder plate, the boss screwed to the adjusting bolt, the holder plate crimped and coupled to one end of the boss. , A holder plate and a retainer sandwiched between the bosses, and the holder plate and the retainer are provided with tapered holding holes that cooperate with each other to hold the ball rotatably and irremovably, respectively . It becomes possible to press each part of the ball holder, which can contribute to further cost reduction.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on an embodiment of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

1 to 4 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a motorcycle clutch and its peripheral portion, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. FIG. 3 shows 3 of FIG.
-3 line sectional view, FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a main part of the release mechanism, FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, a cross-sectional view of the main part of the release mechanism, and FIG. 6 is a third embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the release mechanism showing FIG.

First, a description will be given of the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a crankshaft 2 of an engine and an input shaft 3 of a transmission arranged in parallel with the crankshaft 2 of an engine are rotatably supported by ball bearings 4 and 5 in a casing 1 of a power unit of a motorcycle. The shafts 2 and 3 are connected to each other via a primary reduction gear 6 and a clutch 7.

The clutch 7 is provided with a bottomed cylindrical clutch outer 8 which is rotatably supported on the input shaft 3. An outer surface of an end wall 8a of the clutch outer 8 has a small-diameter drive gear fixed to the crankshaft 2. A large-diameter driven gear 6bb that meshes with 6a is attached, and the drive gear 6a and the driven gear 6b constitute the primary reduction gear 6.

Inside the clutch outer 8, there is provided a cylindrical clutch inner 10 which is spline-fitted to the input shaft 3 and fixed by a nut 9, and a spline engagement is slidably engaged with the peripheral wall of the clutch inner 10. Drive friction plates 1
1 and a plurality of driven friction plates 12 slidably engaged with the peripheral wall of the clutch outer 8 are alternately stacked.

A pressure receiving plate 13 integrally connected to the clutch inner 10 is opposed to the driving friction plate 11 located on the outermost side of the friction plates 11 and 12, and the driving friction plate 11 located on the innermost side is opposed to the pressure receiving plate 13. The pressure plate 14 slidably supported on the outer peripheral surface of the boss 10a of the clutch inner 10 is opposed to the clutch plate 10.

On one side surface of the pressure plate 14, a plurality of support bosses 15 (see FIG. 1) that penetrate the end wall of the clutch inner 10 are provided.
Shows only one of them. ) Are integrally projected, and the release plate 16 is fixed to the tips of the support bosses 15 with bolts 17. A clutch spring 18 is contracted between the release plate 16 and the end plate 10b of the clutch inner 10.

At the center of the release plate 16, a short shaft 20a fixed to the center of the movable cam plate 20 is rotatably mounted via a release bearing 21, and the ball holder 22 facing the movable cam plate 20 is , Is screwed into the adjusting bolt 23 arranged coaxially with the input shaft 3. This adjustment bolt 23
Is a flange 2 formed integrally with the bolt 23 on a side cover 24 (fixed structure) joined to the casing 1.
3a and a nut 25 that is screwed into the bolt 23 are fixed. A pin 27 slidably fitted in a stop hole 26 of a side cover 24 is fixedly mounted on the ball holder 22 to prevent the ball holder 22 from rotating.

As shown in FIG. 2, of the ball holder 22,
On the surface facing the movable cam plate 20, a plurality (three in the illustrated example) of spherical ball holding holes 29 arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction are formed. Is rotatably and irremovably held.

As shown in FIG. 4, the spherical holding hole 29 has
The ball 30 is formed slightly deeper than the hemisphere, and after inserting the ball 30 into the hemisphere, the aperture 29a of the ball holding hole 29 is given a restriction by caulking, which prevents the ball 30 from coming off the ball holding hole 29. It

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, on the movable cam plate 20, cam recesses 31 much shallower than the ball holding holes 29 are formed at positions corresponding to the balls 30. The top of the exposed waste ball 30 is engaged.

A fork-shaped driven arm 32 extending in the radial direction is integrally formed on the movable cam plate 20, and a fork portion of the driven arm 32 has a clutch arm fixed to one end of a change spindle 34. The tip of 33 is engaged. A roller 33a is pivotally supported at the tip of the clutch arm 33 so that the driven arm 32 can be smoothly rotated from the clutch arm 33. The change spindle 34 is supported by the casing 1 and the side cover 24 in parallel with the input shaft 3, and is rotatably operated by a change pedal (not shown).

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the ball 30 of the fixed ball holder 22 is replaced by the cam recess 31 of the movable cam plate 20.
The pressure plate 14 is in the clutch spring 18
Since the friction plates 11 and 12 are pressed against the pressure receiving plate 13 by the elastic force of (1) to frictionally couple the driving friction plate 11 and the driven friction plate 12 to each other, the clutch 7 is in the ON state. Therefore, the power of the engine is from crankshaft 2 to 1
It is transmitted to the input shaft 3 via the next reduction gear device 6 and the clutch 7, and further transmitted to the rear wheels via other transmission elements to drive it.

When the clutch 7 is in the ON state, in order to ensure frictional coupling between the driving friction plate 11 and the driven friction plate 12, a slight gap g is formed between the bottom surface of the cam recess 31 and the top surface of the ball 30. The gap g is adjusted by loosening the nut 25, rotating the adjusting ball 30 by an appropriate angle in the right or left direction, and moving the ball holder 22 forward and backward with respect to the movable cam plate 20. be able to.

Since the ball 30 is irremovably held in the ball holding hole 29 of the ball holder 22 supported on the adjusting bolt 23, it does not vibrate regardless of the existence of the gap g. In addition, it can contribute to noise prevention and improvement of durability.

When the change spindle 34 is rotated by a rotation operation of a change pedal (not shown) to shift gears, the movable cam plate 20 is first rotated by the clutch arm 33 that rotates together with the change spindle 34. . Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the balls 30 of the fixed ball holder 22 roll and the movable cam plate 2 moves.
Since it smoothly climbs the slope of the cam recess 31 of 0 and presses the movable cam plate 20, the movable cam plate 20 presses the release plate 16 via the release bearing 21. As a result, the release plate 16 retracts the pressure plate 14 while compressing the clutch spring 18, so that the frictional coupling between the driving friction plate 11 and the driven friction plate 12 is released, and the clutch 7 can be easily turned off. Power transmission from the crankshaft 2 to the input shaft 3 is cut off.

When the change spindle 34 further rotates, the change mechanism (not shown) is operated this time while maintaining the clutch 7 in the off state, so that the transmission can be smoothly shifted.

After the gear shift, if the change spindle 34 is returned to the original position, the clutch arm 33 also returns the movable cam plate 20 to the initial rotating position, and the elastic force of the clutch spring 18 causes the pressure plate 14 to move forward. , The friction plates 11 and 12 are pressed against the pressure receiving plate 13, and the release plate 16 is pushed back to accommodate the ball 30 in the cam concave portion 31, so that the clutch 7 can be returned to the ON state.

By the way, the ball 30 and the ball holder 22 for holding the ball 30 form one component, and the ball holder 22 also serves as a conventional fixed cam plate, so that the number of components is reduced and the assembly is performed. It is possible to improve the property and contribute to the cost reduction.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In the second embodiment, the opening 29a of the ball holding hole 29 of the ball holder 22 is previously squeezed, and the opening of the opening 29a is elastically expanded while the ball 30
Is inserted into the ball holding hole 29, and the other structure is the same as that of the previous embodiment. Therefore, the portions corresponding to those of the previous embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. To do.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In the third embodiment, the ball holder 22
Is a boss 40 that is screwed into the adjustment bolt 23 and the boss 4
Holder plate 4 which is caulked to one end 40a of 0
1 and the retainer 4 which is overlapped with the movable cam plate 20 of the holder plate 41 and sandwiched between the boss 40.
2, the holder plate 41 and the retainer 42 cooperate with each other to hold the balls 30 rotatably and irremovably, respectively, and have tapered ball holding holes 43, 44 that reduce in diameter toward the outside. Is provided.

In manufacturing the ball holder 22, first, the retainer 42 is superposed on the holder plate 41 while fitting the ball 30 into the ball holding holes 43 and 44, and these are fitted to the boss 40. The end is crimped.

Since the other construction is the same as that of the first embodiment, in the figure, the portions corresponding to those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

According to the third embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved, and in addition, since the constituent members of the ball holder 22 can be easily pressed, the ball holder 22 can be made relatively inexpensive. Can be provided.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0038]

As described above, the first and second aspects of the present invention are
According to each feature, the clutch release mechanism includes a movable cam plate that is rotatably connected to a release plate of the clutch via a release bearing, and an adjustment bolt that is supported by a fixed structure coaxially with the movable cam plate. A ball holder that is screwed to the adjustment bolt and faces the movable cam plate,
The ball holder is provided with balls that are rotatably and irremovably held side by side in the circumferential direction and that engage the tops of the plurality of cam recesses in the circumferential direction of the movable cam plate. Even if a gap is provided between the bottom surface of the cam recess of the movable cam plate and the ball of the ball holder in order to ensure the ON state of the ball, the ball holder suppresses the vibration of the ball to prevent noise and improve durability. Moreover, since the ball and the ball holder constitute one part and the ball holder also serves as the conventional fixed cam plate, the number of parts is reduced and the assemblability is improved, and the cost is reduced. be able to.

Further, according to the first feature, in particular, the ball holder is provided with a spherical ball holding hole whose opening is narrowed so as to rotatably accommodate each ball and prevent the ball from being detached. The ball holding structure can be easily configured.

According to the second feature, in particular, the ball holder is superposed on one side surface of the holder plate, a boss screwed to the adjustment bolt, a holder plate caulked and coupled to one end of the boss. A holder plate and a retainer sandwiched between the bosses, and the holder plate and the retainer are provided with tapered holding holes that cooperate with each other to hold the ball rotatably and irremovably. Each part of the ball holder can be pressed, and the cost can be further reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a motorcycle clutch including a clutch release mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a peripheral portion thereof.

2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a main part of a release mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a main part of a release mechanism showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a release mechanism showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

7 ... Clutch 16 ... Release plate 20 ... Movable cam plate 21 ... Release bearing 22 ... Ball holder 23 ... Adjusting bolt 24 ··· Fixed structure (side cover) 29 ... Ball holding holes 29a ... Opening 30 ... Ball 31 ... Cam recess 40 ... Boss 41 ... Holder plate 42 ... Retainer 43 ... Ball holding hole 44 ... Ball holding hole

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Higashi 1-4-1 Chuo, Wako-shi, Saitama, Ltd. Inside the Honda R & D Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akira Shigehara 1-4-1 Chuo, Wako-shi, Saitama Stock (72) Inventor Masahiro Ii 47 Yokoe, Tateyama-cho, Nakashinagawa-gun, Toyama Prefecture (72) Inventor Yasushi Yamashita 948 Fujiki, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture (56) Reference JP-A-55-33955 (JP, A) ) JP-A-62-233524 (JP, A) Real-open Sho-49-12356 (JP, U) Real-open Sho-53-131188 (JP, U) Real-open Sho-62-68029 (JP, U) Real-open Sho-49- 42346 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F16D 11/00-23/14 F16D 49/00-71/04 F16H 19/00-31/00

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A movable cam plate (20) rotatably connected to a release plate (16) of a clutch (7) via a release bearing (21), and fixed coaxially with the movable cam plate (20). An adjusting bolt (23) supported by a structure (24), and a ball holder (22) screwed to the adjusting bolt (23) and opposed to the movable cam plate (20).
And a plurality of cam recesses (31) which are rotatably and irremovably held side by side in the ball holder (22) in the circumferential direction thereof, and whose tops are lined in the circumferential direction of the movable cam plate (20). And a ball (30) engaging with the ball holder (22).
Opening part to rotatably accommodate
Spherical ball holding hole (29) narrowing (29a) is provided
The clutch release mechanism is characterized by being operated. 2. A release plate (16) for a clutch (7)
It is rotatably connected via a release bearing (21).
Movable cam plate (20) and the movable cam plate (20)
Adjustment bolt coaxially supported by the fixed structure (24)
(23) and the adjustment bolt (23) screwed together
Ball holder (22) opposed to the movable cam plate (20)
And line the ball holder (22) in the circumferential direction.
Each is held rotatably and irremovably, and
A plurality of covers whose tops are arranged in the circumferential direction of the movable cam plate (20).
A ball (30) that engages with a recess (31), the ball holder (22) includes the adjustment bolt (23).
Boss (40) that is screwed to and one end of this boss (40)
The holder plate (41) that is caulked and
Place the holder plate on one side of the rudder plate (41).
Retainer sandwiched between the boss (41) and the boss (40)
(42) and the holder plate (41) and the retainer (42),
The balls (30) can be freely rotated and separated in cooperation with each other.
Tapered ball holding holes (43, 44)
Characterized in that is provided, the clutch release device
Structure .