JP5717025B2 - Clutch release mechanism in clutch device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a clutch release mechanism for releasing a driving force transmission state in a clutch device that arbitrarily and intermittently transmits a driving force of a driving shaft to a driven shaft.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a clutch device that is arranged between a driving shaft that is rotated by a prime mover and a driven shaft that is rotationally driven by the prime mover, and arbitrarily and intermittently transmits the driving force of the driving shaft to the driven shaft. Some of these clutch devices include a clutch release mechanism that releases the transmission state of the driving force in conjunction with a shift-up operation and a shift-down operation with respect to the transmission.

  For example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a movable cam having a movable cam recess that rotates in a rotational direction corresponding to a change pedal shift-up operation and a shift-down operation by a driver of a motorcycle and is recessed in a conical shape. A clutch release mechanism is disclosed that includes a plate and a fixed cam plate disposed on the movable cam plate via a cam sphere and having a fixed cam recess similar to the movable cam recess. Yes. The clutch release mechanism transmits and shuts off the driving force in the clutch device by using the displacement in the thrust direction of the movable cam plate that is rotated by the shift change operation of the change pedal by the driver of the motorcycle. Yes.

JP 2007-177873 A

  However, in a clutch device having a clutch release mechanism that is linked to a shift change operation for such a transmission device, the transmission force transmission state is completely the same and the same when the transmission device is shifted up and down. The release of the transmission state, that is, the contact and separation of the drive friction plate and the driven plate in the clutch device are performed. For this reason, according to the sensory test by the present inventors, the connection or disconnection of the driving force differs depending on whether the driver of the motorcycle is upshifting or downshifting the transmission. The test result that the driving operation is difficult to perform because the driving force is suddenly connected or cut off at either the upshifting operation or downshifting operation.

  The present invention has been made to cope with the above-described problem, and its object is to suppress the vehicle driver from receiving a strong sense that the driving force is suddenly connected or disconnected when the transmission is shifted up or down. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a clutch release mechanism in a clutch device that can facilitate the operation of a vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, a feature of the present invention is a clutch release mechanism that releases a driving force transmission state in a clutch device that arbitrarily and intermittently transmits a driving force from a driving shaft to a driven shaft, and is recessed in a conical shape. The movable side cam plate has a movable side cam recess and is opposed to the movable side cam plate, which rotates in opposite directions corresponding to the respective operations in conjunction with the upshifting and downshifting operations of the transmission. The fixed-side cam plate having a fixed-side cam concave portion having a conical shape recessed at a position corresponding to the movable-side cam concave portion, and fitted into the movable-side cam concave portion and the fixed-side cam concave portion, and fixed to the movable-side cam plate. A cam sphere that is held by the side cam plate, and the movable side cam recess and the fixed side cam recess are used for shifting up and shifting the transmission. Has upshift inclined surface and downshifting inclined surface spherical cam is displaced to follow each time of each operation of the down operation, the inclined surfaces at each shift-up in the movable cam recess and the fixed side cam recess inclined plane Each of the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface formed on the outside of the first inclined surface with an inclination angle smaller than that of the first inclined surface. The down inclined surface is formed with an inclination angle smaller than the inclination angle of each first inclined surface in the up inclined surface .

According to the feature of the present invention configured as described above, the movable cam plate and the fixed cam plate constituting the clutch release mechanism are the inclined surfaces at the time of upshifting in which the cam sphere is displaced following the upshifting operation with respect to the transmission. And an inclined surface at the time of downshifting in which the cam sphere follows the displacement during the downshifting operation, and one of the inclined surfaces at the time of upshifting and the inclined surface at the time of downshifting is smaller than the other inclination angle. Is formed. As a result, when the cam sphere is displaced following the up-shifted inclined surface or the down-shifted inclined surface formed with a small inclination angle, the thrust per rotational displacement amount in the circumferential direction of the movable cam plate is reduced. The amount of displacement in the direction is reduced. For this reason, release of the transmission state of the driving force in the clutch device and formation of the transmission state are gradually performed. Therefore, the inclination angle of the inclined surface at the time of upshifting or the inclined surface at the time of downshifting on the side where the driving force is suddenly connected or cut off during the upshifting operation and the downshifting operation in the transmission, that is, the other inclined surface, By making it smaller than the inclination angle of the inclined surface at the time of downshift or the inclined surface at the time of shift-up, the vehicle driver is strongly affected by the feeling that the driving force is suddenly connected or disconnected at the time of shifting up and down of the transmission. As a result, the driving operation of the vehicle can be facilitated.

Another feature of the present invention is that, in the clutch release mechanism, each second inclined surface in each upshifted inclined surface is formed with an inclination angle smaller than the inclined angle of each downshifted inclined surface. is there.

Another feature of the present invention is that in the clutch release mechanism, each inclined surface at the time of downshifting is formed outside the inclined surface at the time of downshifting with an inclination angle larger than the inclined angle of the inclined surface at the time of downshifting. It has a large angle inclined surface.

In place of these, the clutch release mechanism is a clutch release mechanism that releases the transmission state of the driving force in a clutch device that arbitrarily and intermittently transmits the driving force from the driving shaft to the driven shaft, and is recessed in a conical shape. A movable side cam recess having a movable side cam recess, which is arranged opposite to the movable side cam plate, each of which rotates in opposite directions corresponding to each operation in conjunction with the upshifting and downshifting operations of the transmission, A fixed cam plate having a fixed cam recess having a conical shape in a position corresponding to the movable cam recess, and the movable cam plate and the fixed side are fitted into the movable cam recess and the fixed cam recess. A cam sphere held by the cam plate, and the movable side cam recess and the fixed side cam recess are provided for upshifting operation on the transmission and The cam sphere has an inclined surface at the time of up-shifting and an inclined surface at the time of down-shifting, and each of the movable-side cam recessed portion and the fixed-side cam recessed portion is inclined at the time of up-shifting. In addition, the inclined surface at the time of downshifting can be formed with an inclination angle of one of the inclined surface at the time of upshifting and the inclined surface at the time of downshifting being smaller than the other inclination angle. According to this, the movable side cam plate and the fixed side cam plate constituting the clutch release mechanism include an inclined surface at the time of shift up in which the cam sphere is displaced following the shift up operation to the transmission, and a cam for the shift down operation. The sphere is provided with an inclined surface at the time of downshifting that is displaced following the sphere, and the inclined surface at the time of upshifting and the inclined surface at the time of downshifting are formed so that one inclination angle is smaller than the other inclination angle. As a result, when the cam sphere is displaced following the up-shifted inclined surface or the down-shifted inclined surface formed with a small inclination angle, the thrust per rotational displacement amount in the circumferential direction of the movable cam plate is reduced. The amount of displacement in the direction is reduced. For this reason, release of the transmission state of the driving force in the clutch device and formation of the transmission state are gradually performed. Therefore, the inclination angle of the inclined surface at the time of upshifting or the inclined surface at the time of downshifting on the side where the driving force is suddenly connected or cut off during the upshifting operation and the downshifting operation in the transmission, that is, the other inclined surface, By making it smaller than the inclination angle of the inclined surface at the time of downshift or the inclined surface at the time of shift-up, the vehicle driver is strongly affected by the feeling that the driving force is suddenly connected or disconnected at the time of shifting up and down of the transmission. As a result, the driving operation of the vehicle can be facilitated.

In this case, in the clutch release mechanism, the inclined surface at the time of downshifting can be formed with an inclination angle smaller than that of the inclined surface at the time of upshifting. According to this, at least one of the movable-side cam recess and / or the fixed-side cam recess has an inclined surface at the time of downshift in which the cam sphere is displaced following the shift-down operation with respect to the transmission. It is formed with an inclination angle smaller than the angle of the inclined surface at the time of upshifting. As a result, the clutch release mechanism can suppress a strong sense that the driving force is suddenly connected or disconnected at the time of downshifting, compared to at the time of upshifting by the speed change mechanism.

Further, in these cases, in the clutch release mechanism, the inclined surface at the time of upshifting and the inclined surface at the time of downshifting in the movable cam recessed portion and the fixed side cam recessed portion are inclined surfaces at the time of upshifting and inclined surfaces at the time of downshifting, respectively. Can be formed with an inclination angle smaller than the other inclination angle. According to this, both the movable-side cam recessed portion and the fixed-side cam recessed portion are each formed with an inclination angle that is smaller than one of the other inclination angles on the inclined surface at the time of upshifting and the inclined surface at the time of downshifting. Thereby, with respect to one of the movable side cam concave portion and the fixed side cam concave portion, compared with the case where one of the inclined angle at the time of upshifting and the inclined surface at the time of downshifting is formed smaller than the other inclined angle, Release of the transmission state of the driving force in the clutch device and formation of the transmission state are performed more gently.

Further, in these cases, in the clutch release mechanism, the inclined surface at the time of upshifting or the inclined surface at the time of downshifting where the small inclination angle is formed is the same as the outside of the small angle inclined surface formed at the small inclination angle. A large-angle inclined surface formed with an inclination angle larger than the inclination angle can be provided. According to this, on the inclined surface at the time of upshifting or the inclined surface at the time of downshifting where the small inclination angle is formed, an inclination angle larger than the small inclination angle is formed outside the small angle inclined surface formed at the small inclination angle. The large-angle inclined surface is formed. Therefore, when the cam sphere is displaced following the up-shifted or down-shifted inclined surface formed with the small-angle inclined surface and the large-angle inclined surface respectively, the rotational displacement in the circumferential direction of the movable cam plate The amount of displacement in the thrust direction per unit changes on the way. Specifically, when the cam sphere is displaced along the small angle inclined surface, the thrust per rotational displacement amount in the circumferential direction of the movable cam plate is greater when displaced along the large angle inclined surface. The amount of displacement in the direction increases. Thus, when the distance between the drive friction plate and the driven plate in the clutch device is more than a predetermined distance, the separation operation and the proximity operation between the drive friction plate and the driven plate can be performed quickly. Further, the drive friction plate and the driven plate can be gradually brought into contact with and separated from each other while the separation interval between the drive friction plate and the driven plate is ensured to be equal to or greater than a predetermined interval.

It is sectional drawing which shows the outline of the whole structure of a clutch apparatus provided with the clutch release mechanism which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a principal part expanded sectional view which expands and shows the movable cam recessed part of the movable cam plate which comprises the clutch release mechanism in the clutch apparatus shown in FIG. 1, (B) comprises the clutch release mechanism. It is a principal part expanded sectional view which expands and shows the fixed side cam recessed part of the fixed side cam plate to perform. It is sectional drawing which shows the operating state at the time of the upshift operation with respect to the clutch release mechanism in the clutch apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a relationship between a rotation amount of a movable cam plate and a slide displacement amount in a thrust direction of a pressure body at the time of a shift change operation of a clutch release mechanism in the clutch device shown in FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing which shows one operation state at the time of downshift operation with respect to the clutch release mechanism in the clutch apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows another one operating state at the time of downshift operation with respect to the clutch release mechanism in the clutch apparatus shown in FIG. (A), (B) has shown a part of clutch release mechanism which concerns on the modification of this invention, (A) expands and shows the movable side cam recessed part of the movable side cam plate which comprises a clutch release mechanism. It is a principal part expanded sectional view, (B) is a principal part expanded sectional view which expands and shows the stationary cam recessed part of the stationary cam plate which comprises the clutch release mechanism. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the relationship between the amount of rotation of the movable cam plate and the amount of slide displacement in the thrust direction of the pressure body during the shift change operation of the clutch release mechanism according to the modification of the present invention shown in FIG. 7. .

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a clutch release mechanism in a clutch device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an overall configuration of a clutch device 100 including a clutch release mechanism 200 according to the present invention. Note that each drawing referred to in the present specification is schematically represented by exaggerating some of the components in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention. For this reason, the dimension, ratio, etc. between each component may differ. The clutch device 100 is a mechanical device for arbitrarily and intermittently transmitting a driving force of an engine (not shown) as a prime mover in a motorcycle (motorcycle) to a wheel (not shown) as a driven body. It is arranged between the engine and a transmission (transmission) (not shown). Needless to say, the clutch device 100 including the clutch release mechanism 200 according to the present invention can also be applied to an automatic four-wheeled vehicle such as a so-called buggy or an automatic three-wheeled vehicle.

(Configuration of clutch release mechanism 200)
The clutch device 100 includes an outer case 101 made of an aluminum alloy. The outer case 101 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape and is a part that constitutes a part of the casing of the clutch device 100. An input gear 102 is integrally fixed to the left side surface of the outer case 101 by a rivet 102a. The input gear 102 is rotationally driven by meshing with a drive gear provided on a crankshaft (not shown) that is rotationally driven by driving of the engine.

  On the inner peripheral surface of the outer case 101, a plurality of (three in the present embodiment) drive friction plates 103 are provided in a state where a fitting groove 101a is formed and meshed with the fitting groove 101a. ing. The fitting groove 101 a is a groove cut out along the axial direction of the outer case 101, and a plurality of fitting grooves 101 a are formed along the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the outer case 101.

  The driving friction plate 103 is a flat plate annular member made of a steel plate provided with a friction material that is pressed against a driven plate 106 described later to make frictional contact. In the present embodiment, the drive friction plate 103 is configured by forming a friction material and an oil groove on a cored bar formed by punching a thin plate material made of a cold rolled steel plate material into a substantially annular shape. The driving friction plate 103 is displaceable along the axial direction with respect to the outer case 101 by engaging the outer peripheral portion formed in a trapezoidal tooth shape into the fitting groove 101a of the outer case 101 and meshing with each other. And it is hold | maintained in the state which can rotate integrally with the outer case 101. FIG.

  Inside the outer case 101, a plate holder 104 formed in a substantially disc ring shape is disposed concentrically with the outer case 101. A large number of spline grooves are formed in the inner peripheral surface of the plate holder 104 along the axial direction of the plate holder 104, and the driven shaft 105 is spline-fitted with the spline grooves. The driven shaft 105 is a solid round shaft, and one end (the right side in the drawing) rotatably supports the input gear 102 and the outer case 101 via the bush 105a, and the plate holder 104 that engages with the spline. Is fixedly supported via a nut 105b. That is, the plate holder 104 rotates together with the driven shaft 105. On the other hand, the other end (left side in the figure) of the driven shaft 105 is connected to a transmission (not shown) in the two-wheeled vehicle.

  On the outer peripheral surface of the plate holder 104, a plurality of (two in this embodiment) driven plates 106 are disposed between the drive friction plates 103, and can be displaced along the axial direction of the plate holder 104. The plate holder 104 and the plate holder 104 are respectively held by spline fitting so as to be rotatable. The driven plate 106 is a flat plate annular member made of a steel plate against which the driving friction plate 103 is pressed. In the present embodiment, the driven plate 106 is formed by punching a thin plate material made of a cold-rolled steel plate into an annular shape.

  Further, inside the outer case 101, a pressure body 107 formed in a substantially disk ring shape in a state of facing the plate holder 104 is disposed concentrically with the outer case 101. The pressure body 107 is a member for pressing the drive friction plate 103 and the driven plate 106, and is formed to have an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the driven plate 106, and against the drive friction plate 103. It is assembled so as to be slidable along the contact and separation direction (axial direction of the driven shaft 105). The pressure body 107 is pressed in a direction (right side in the drawing) in which the drive friction plate 103 is pressed by the ring spring 110 via the pressing plate 108.

  The pressing plate 108 is a flat ring-shaped aluminum alloy member that is integrally assembled to the pressure body 107 with bolts 109. The outer peripheral end portion of the pressing plate 108 is pressed to the right side in the figure by the inner end portion of the ring spring 110 disposed on the outer side surface of the plate holder 104. A release bearing 111 is fitted on the inner peripheral surface of the pressing plate 108. The ring spring 110 is a ring-shaped spring member for pressing the pressure body 107 against the drive friction plate 103, and always presses the pressure body 107 via the pressing plate 108, and constitutes a clutch release mechanism 200 described later. The movable cam plate 210 is temporarily pressed according to the position. The release bearing 111 is a bearing member that rotatably holds the push portion 211 of the movable cam plate 210 constituting the clutch release mechanism 200 with respect to the pressing plate 108.

  A clutch release mechanism 200 is provided on the right side of the pressing plate 108 in the figure. The clutch release mechanism 200 is a mechanism for switching the clutch device 100 between a transmission state of the driving force and a cutoff state of the transmission, and mainly includes the movable cam plate 210, the clutch arm 221, the holding sleeve 223, and the adjustment shaft 224. The cam sphere 226 and the fixed cam plate 230 are configured.

Among these, the movable cam plate 210 is a substantially flange-shaped member formed by extending a plate-like cam portion 212 around the push portion 211 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. The push portion 211 of the movable cam plate 210 is composed of two cylindrical portions having different outer diameters, and a small-diameter cylindrical portion constituting the tip portion is fitted to the release bearing 111. On the other hand, the cylindrical portion of larger outer diameter than the small-diameter cylindrical portion is slidably and rotatably slide in the circumferential direction of the retaining sleeve 223 on the outside of the cylindrical holding sleeve 223 in the axial direction of the retaining sleeve 223 It fits freely.

  The cam portion 212 is a portion that holds the cam sphere 226 together with the fixed-side cam plate 230, and three movable-side cam recesses 213 (only one is shown) are equally provided on a plane facing the fixed-side cam plate 230. It is formed in an arranged state. The three movable-side cam recesses 213 are substantially conical recesses into which the cam spheres 226 are respectively fitted. These movable-side cam recesses 213 are constituted by a deep portion 214, an inclined surface 215 at the time of upshifting, and an inclined surface 216 at the time of downshifting, and are formed in the same shape.

Of these, the deep portion 214 is a spherical portion that forms the deepest position in the movable cam recess 213, and is formed with a curvature that is substantially equal to or less than the curvature of the surface of the cam sphere 226. The up-shifting inclined surface 215 is an inclined surface on which the cam sphere 226 is displaced while rolling (hereinafter also referred to as “rolling”) by a shift-up operation with respect to the transmission (not shown). Thus, the movable cam plate 210 is formed on the downstream side ( upper side in the drawing) of the movable cam plate 210 during the upshift operation. The up-shifted inclined surface 215 includes an annular first inclined surface 215a formed with an inclination angle θ1 and an annular first inclined surface 215a formed with an inclination angle θ2 smaller than the inclination angle θ1 outside the first inclined surface 215a. 2 inclined surfaces 215b. Note that the inclination angles θ1 and θ2 and inclination angles θ3 and θ4 described later are angles with respect to an axis parallel to a plane in which the movable cam plate 210 and the fixed cam plate 230 face each other.

On the other hand, the down-shifting inclined surface 216 is an inclined surface on which the cam sphere 226 rolls by a shift-down operation on the transmission, and is downstream of the deep portion 214 in the rotational direction of the movable cam plate 210 during the shift-down operation. ( Lower side in the figure). The inclined surface 216 at the time of downshift is formed with an inclination angle θ3 smaller than the inclination angle θ1. In the present embodiment, the inclination angle θ1 is 20 °, the inclination angle θ2 is 10 °, and the inclination angle θ3 is 17 °. In the present embodiment, the tilt angle θ3 is formed to be larger than the tilt angle θ2, but if the tilt angle θ3 is smaller than the tilt angle θ1, the tilt angle is smaller than the tilt angle θ2. It may be. Note that each of these inclination angles θ1 to θ3 and an inclination angle θ4 described later is appropriately determined within the above conditions according to the specifications of the clutch device 100, and is not limited to the present embodiment. .

  A part of the outer peripheral portion of the cam portion 212 is formed so as to extend downward in the figure, and is connected to the clutch arm 221 via a connecting pin 220 in a rotatable state. The clutch arm 221 is a member that connects the movable cam plate 210 and a change shaft 222 that extends from a shift change pedal (not shown) of a motorcycle (not shown) on which the clutch device 100 is mounted. The change shaft 222 can be directly (for example, operation of a change pedal) or indirectly (for example, automatic operation linked to another operation such as an accelerator operation) resulting from the driving operation of the motorcycle by the driver. The shaft body rotates in two rotation directions (indicated by arrows U and D in the figure) corresponding to each operation by a shift-up operation and a shift-down operation. 1, 3, 5, and 6, in order to facilitate understanding of the movable-side cam recess 213 and the fixed-side cam recess 231, the movable-side cam recess 213 and the fixed-side cam recess 231 are connected to the clutch device 100. The cross-sectional position is different from that of the main body portion.

  The holding sleeve 223 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and supports the movable cam plate 210 in a slidable state on the outer peripheral surface thereof and fixedly supports the fixed cam plate 230. A female screw (not shown) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the holding sleeve 223 and is assembled to the adjustment shaft 224 in a state of being engaged with a male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface of the adjustment shaft 224. The adjustment shaft 224 is a rod-like member that is attached to a side cover 225 that covers the clutch device 100 and the transmission (not shown) and supports the movable cam plate 210 and the fixed cam plate 230. The cam sphere 226 is a steel ball that is displaced by following its surface (the movable cam recess 213 and the fixed cam recess 231) while being held by the movable cam plate 210 and the fixed cam plate 230. is there. The cam spheres 226 are arranged in a state of being fitted in the movable cam recess 213 and the fixed cam recess 231 formed in the movable cam plate 210 and the fixed cam plate 230, respectively.

The fixed cam plate 230 is a member formed in a flat ring shape that holds the cam sphere 226 together with the movable cam plate 210, and has three fixed cam recesses 231 on a plane facing the movable cam plate 210. (Only one is shown) Each is formed in an evenly arranged state. The three fixed-side cam recesses 231 are substantially conical recesses into which the cam spheres 226 are fitted, respectively, like the movable-side cam recess 213. These fixed-side cam recesses 231 include a deep portion 214 in the movable-side cam recess 213, a deep portion 232 corresponding to the up-shift slope 215, and a down-shift slope 216 , an up-shift slope 233, and a down-shift slope, respectively. Each of the surfaces 234 is formed in the same shape.

That is, the deep portion 232 is a spherical portion that forms the deepest position in the fixed-side cam recess 231, and is formed with a curvature that is substantially equal to the curvature of the surface of the cam sphere 226. In addition, the up-shifting inclined surface 233 is an inclined surface on which the cam sphere 226 rolls by an up-shifting operation on the transmission, and is upstream of the deep portion 232 in the rotational direction of the movable cam plate 210 during the up-shifting operation. ( Lower side in the figure). The up-shifted inclined surface 233 includes an annular first inclined surface 233a formed with the inclination angle θ1 and an annular formed with the inclination angle θ2 smaller than the inclination angle θ1 outside the first inclined surface 233a. The second inclined surface 233b.

On the other hand, the down-shifting inclined surface 234 is an inclined surface on which the cam sphere 226 rolls by a down-shifting operation on the transmission, and is upstream of the deep portion 232 in the rotational direction of the movable cam plate 210 during the down-shifting operation. ( Upper side in the figure). The down-gradient inclined surface 234 is formed at an inclination angle smaller than the inclination angle θ3, that is, the inclination angle θ1.

  The fixed-side cam plate 230 is fixedly fitted to and supported by the outer peripheral surface of the holding sleeve 223, and a part of the outer peripheral portion of the fixed-side cam plate 230 extends upward in the figure. , And is fixed to the side cover 225 via a fixed convex portion 227. In other words, the fixed cam plate 230 is assembled to the movable cam plate 210 in a fixed state in which it cannot be displaced in the axial direction, radial direction, and circumferential direction of the fixed plate 230.

(Operation of clutch release mechanism 200)
Next, the operation of the clutch release mechanism 200 configured as described above will be described. As described above, the clutch device 100 including the clutch release mechanism 200 is disposed between the engine and the transmission in the motorcycle. The clutch device 100 is driven by a driving force of the engine in conjunction with a shift change (gear change) operation by a direct or indirect shift-up operation or shift-down operation resulting from a driving operation performed by a driver of the motorcycle. A series of operations of releasing the transmission state to the transmission and returning to the transmission state is executed.

  First, a case where the driver performs a shift-up operation during traveling of the motorcycle will be described. When the motorcycle driver travels without operating the shift change pedal, the clutch device 100 is driven by the elastic force of the ring spring 110 so that the pressure body 107 presses the drive friction plate 103. The driving force of the engine is transmitted to the driven shaft 105 by frictional contact with the plate 106.

  In this case, the cam sphere 226 in the clutch release mechanism 200 has a movable cam recess 213 on each of the deep portions 214 and 232 in the movable cam recess 213 of the movable cam plate 210 and the fixed cam recess 231 of the fixed cam plate 230. And the stationary cam recess 231 are in a stationary state. More specifically, the cam sphere 226 is pressed by the first inclined surface 215a of the inclined surface 215 at the time of upshifting on the deep portions 214 and 232, and the first inclined surface 215a and the first inclined surface 233 at the time of upshifting. Positioning is performed between the inclined surface 233a (see FIG. 1).

  When the driver shifts up the shift change pedal in such a traveling state, the change shaft 222 connected to the shift change pedal rotates in the rotation direction (direction of the arrow U in the figure) corresponding to the shift up operation. As a result, the movable cam plate 210 rotates in the same rotation direction as the change shaft 222 (in the direction of the arrow U in the figure). In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the cam spheres 226 held on the deep portions 214 and 232 of the movable cam recess 213 and the fixed cam recess 231 are the first inclined surfaces of the inclined surfaces 215 and 233 at the time of upshifting. 215a and 233a are moved on and displaced onto the second inclined surfaces 215b and 233b, respectively.

  As a result, the movable cam plate 210 slides and displaces to the pressing plate 108 side (the left side in the drawing) and presses the pressing plate 108 to the input gear 102 side (the left side in the drawing), and therefore the pressure body 107 connected to the pressing plate 108. Is displaced to the input gear 102 side (the left side in the figure) while resisting the elastic force of the ring spring 110 and is separated from the drive friction plate 103. In this case, in the range in which the cam sphere 226 rolls on the first inclined surfaces 215a and 233a, the slide displacement amount of the movable cam plate 210 relative to the rotational displacement amount of the movable cam plate 210, in other words, the movable cam As shown in FIG. 4, the displacement amount of the pressure body 107 in the thrust direction with respect to the rotational displacement amount of the plate 210 is larger than that at the time of downshift described later. For this reason, the clutch device 100 during the upshift operation is released from the driving force transmission state earlier than during the downshift operation. Along with the releasing operation of the transmission state of the driving force in the clutch device 100, a shift change (shift up) operation in a transmission (not shown) is performed to shift the motorcycle.

  After the shift change operation, when the driver finishes the shift up operation for the shift change pedal, the change shaft 222 connected to the shift change pedal reverses and returns to the original rotational position before the rotational displacement. The cam plate 210 also returns to the original rotational position before the rotational displacement. Accordingly, the cam sphere 226 is displaced on the first inclined surfaces 215a and 233a of the inclined surfaces 215a and 233a of the up-shifted inclined surfaces 215a and 233a toward the deep portions 214 and 232. Return. As a result, in the clutch device 100, since the pressure body 107 presses the drive friction plate 103 by the elastic force of the ring spring 110, the drive friction plate 103 and the driven plate 106 are brought into friction contact with each other to drive the driving force of the engine. The transmission state transmitted to the shaft 105 is restored. Even in this case, since the displacement amount of the pressure body 107 with respect to the rotational displacement amount of the movable cam plate 210 is larger than that at the time of downshift described later (see FIG. 4), the clutch device 100 at the time of upshifting operation It returns to the transmission state of the driving force at an earlier stage than at times.

  Next, a case where the driver performs a downshift operation during traveling of the motorcycle will be described. When the driver downshifts the shift change pedal while the motorcycle is running, the change shaft 222 connected to the shift change pedal rotates in the rotation direction (arrow D direction in the figure) corresponding to the downshift operation. As a result, the movable cam plate 210 rotates in the same rotation direction as the change shaft 222 (in the direction of arrow D in the figure). In this case, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cam spheres 226 held on the deep portions 214 and 232 of the movable cam recess 213 and the fixed cam recess 231 are placed on the inclined surfaces 216 and 234 during the downshift. Follow the displacement.

  In this case, the inclined surfaces 216 and 234 at the time of downshifting are formed so that the inclination angle θ3 is smaller than the inclination angle θ1 of the first inclined surfaces 215a and 233a of the inclined surfaces 215 and 233 at the time of upshifting. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, in the range in which the cam sphere 226 rolls on the inclined surfaces 216 and 234 at the time of downshifting, the slide displacement amount relative to the rotation amount of the movable side cam plate 210 is the movable side cam at the time of upshifting. Less than the amount of slide displacement relative to the amount of rotation of the plate 210. Therefore, the movable cam plate 210 is slid and displaced slowly toward the pressing plate 108 (left side in the drawing) as compared with the shift-up operation, and presses the pressing plate 108 toward the input gear 102 (left side in the drawing).

  As a result, in the clutch device 100, since the pressure body 107 is displaced more slowly than the shift up and is separated from the drive friction plate 103, transmission of the driving force of the engine is gradually cut off. As a result, the driver of the motorcycle can continue driving without receiving a large sense that the driving force is suddenly cut during the downshift operation. Along with the releasing operation of the transmission state of the driving force in the clutch device 100, a shift change (shift down) operation in a transmission (not shown) is performed to shift the motorcycle.

  After the shift change operation, when the driver finishes the downshift operation for the shift change pedal, the change shaft 222 connected to the shift change pedal reverses and returns to the original rotational position before the rotational displacement. The cam plate 210 also returns to the original rotational position before the rotational displacement. Also in this case, since the inclination angle θ3 of the inclined surfaces 216, 234 at the time of downshifting is formed with an inclination angle smaller than the inclination angle θ1 of the first inclined surfaces 215a, 233a, the cam sphere 226 is In comparison with this, after slowly shifting down the inclined surfaces 216 and 234 toward the deep portions 214 and 232 during the downshift, the stationary state is restored on the deep portions 214 and 232.

  Even in this case, in the clutch device 100, since the pressure body 107 presses the driving friction plate 103 more slowly than in the shift-up operation, the driving friction plate 103 and the driven plate 106 are gradually brought into frictional contact with each other. The transmission state is gradually returned to the transmission state in which the driving force is transmitted to the driven shaft 105. As a result, the driver of the motorcycle can continue the driving without feeling that the driving force is suddenly connected at the time of downshifting, that is, the shift shock.

As can be understood from the above description of the operation, according to the above embodiment, the movable cam plate 210 and the fixed cam plate 230 that constitute the clutch release mechanism 200 are rotated by the cam sphere 226 during the shift-up operation with respect to the transmission. The up-shifting inclined surfaces 215, 233 and the down-shifting inclined surfaces 216, 234 on which the cam sphere 226 rolls during the down-shifting operation, and these down-shifting inclined surfaces 216, 234, It is formed with an inclination angle smaller than the first inclined surfaces 215a and 233a constituting the inclined surfaces 215 and 233 at the time of upshifting. As a result, when the cam sphere 226 rolls on the inclined surfaces 216 and 234 during downshifting, the amount of displacement in the thrust direction per the amount of rotational displacement in the circumferential direction of the movable cam plate 210 is reduced. For this reason, release of the transmission state of the driving force in the clutch device 100 and formation of the transmission state are gradually performed. As a result, it is possible to make it easier for the driver of the vehicle to perform a driving operation by preventing the driver from receiving a large sense that the driving force is suddenly connected or disconnected when the transmission is downshifted.

  Furthermore, in carrying out the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the object of the present invention. In addition, in each modification shown below, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the component similar to the clutch apparatus 100 in the said embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the inclination angle θ3 of the inclined surfaces 216 and 234 at the time of downshifting when the cam sphere 226 rolls during the downshifting operation with respect to the transmission device, and the cam sphere 226 at the upshifting operation with respect to the transmission device. The inclination angle is smaller than the inclination angle θ1 of the first inclined surfaces 215a and 233a in the inclined surfaces 215 and 233 at the time of upshifting. However, in the movable side cam recess 213 and the fixed side cam recess 231, the driving force is abruptly determined which of the inclined surfaces 215, 233 at the time of upshifting and the inclined surfaces 216, 234 at the time of downshifting are formed smaller. Or it corresponds to the side that wants to suppress the feeling of cutting.

That is, in the above-described embodiment, when a vehicle equipped with a clutch device having a clutch release mechanism is a motorcycle, a shift shock (shift shock) is often felt when shifting down compared to when shifting the transmission. Therefore, the inclination angle θ3 of the inclined surfaces 216 and 234 at the time of downshifting is set to be smaller than the inclination angle θ1 of the first inclined surfaces 215a and 233a at the inclined surfaces 215 and 233 at the time of upshifting. However, when it is desired to suppress the feeling that the driving force is suddenly connected or disconnected when the transmission is shifted up, the inclination angle θ1 of the first inclined surfaces 215a and 233a on the inclined surfaces 215 and 233 at the time of upshifting is inclined at the time of downshifting. What is necessary is just to form in the inclination angle smaller than 216,234 inclination-angle (theta) 3.

  In the above-described embodiment, the inclined surfaces 215 and 233 at the time of up-shifting are configured by the first inclined surfaces 215a and 233a having the inclination angle θ1 and 215b and 233b having the inclination angle θ2. However, the inclined surfaces 215 and 233 at the time of up-shifting can also be configured with one inclination angle θ1.

  In the above-described embodiment, the down-shifting inclined surfaces 216 and 234 having an inclination angle smaller than that of the up-shifting inclined surfaces 215 and 233 are configured as one inclined surface having an inclination angle θ3. However, the inclined surfaces 216 and 234 at the time of downshifting can be configured by two inclined surfaces having two inclination angles, similarly to the inclined surfaces 215 and 233 at the time of upshifting.

  Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the inclined surfaces 216 and 234 at the time of downshift are inclined at an inclination angle θ3 that is smaller than the inclination angle θ1 of the first inclined surfaces 215a and 233a of the inclined surfaces 215 and 233 at the time of upshifting. A small-angle inclined surface 216a, 234a composed of a surface, and a large-angle inclined surface 216b, 234b composed of an inclined surface having an inclination angle θ4 larger than the inclination angle θ3 outside the small-angle inclined surface 216a, 234a. it can.

  According to this, when the cam sphere 226 rolls on the down-gradient inclined surfaces 216 and 234 formed with the small-angle inclined surfaces 216a and 234a and the large-angle inclined surfaces 216b and 234b, respectively, The amount of slide displacement in the thrust direction per amount of rotational displacement in the circumferential direction changes midway. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, when the cam sphere 226 rolls on the large-angle inclined surfaces 216b and 234b compared to the case where the cam sphere rolls on the small-angle inclined surfaces 216a and 234a, the movable cam plate 210 is moved. The slide displacement amount per rotational displacement amount in the circumferential direction increases. Thus, when the distance between the drive friction plate 103 and the driven plate 106 in the clutch device 100 is more than a predetermined distance, the separation operation and the proximity operation between the drive friction plate 103 and the driven plate 106 can be quickly performed. Further, the drive friction plate 103 and the driven plate 106 can be gradually brought into contact with and separated from each other while the separation distance between the drive friction plate 103 and the driven plate 106 is secured to a predetermined distance or more.

In the above-described embodiment, the first inclined surfaces 215a and 233a of the inclined surfaces 215 and 233 at the time of upshifting are set to the inclination angles θ3 of the inclined surfaces 216 and 234 at the time of downshifting of the movable cam plate 210 and the fixed cam plate 230, respectively. The inclination angle is smaller than the inclination angle θ1. However, the inclined surfaces 216 and 234 at the time of downshifting are not necessarily formed so that the inclined surfaces 216 and 234 at the time of downshifting are smaller than the inclination angle θ1 of the first inclined surfaces 215a and 233 in the inclined surfaces 215 and 233 at the time of upshifting. do not have to. That is, the inclined surfaces 216 and 234 at the time of downshifting are inclined by either one of the inclined surface 216 at the time of downshifting or the inclined surface 234 at the time of downshifting by the first inclined surfaces 215a and 233a of the inclined surfaces 215 and 233 at the time of upshifting. The tilt angle may be smaller than the tilt angle θ1. Also by this, the separation displacement and the press displacement of the pressure body 107 with respect to the drive friction plate 103 can be made gentle, and the same effect as the above embodiment can be expected.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Clutch apparatus, 101 ... Outer case, 101a ... Fitting groove, 102 ... Input gear, 102a ... Rivet, 103 ... Drive friction plate, 104 ... Plate holder, 105 ... Drive shaft, 105a ... Bush, 105b ... Nut, 106 ... follower plate, 107 ... pressure body, 108 ... pressure plate, 109 ... bolt, 110 ... ring spring, 111 ... release bearing,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 200 ... Clutch release mechanism, 210 ... Movable cam plate, 211 ... Push part, 212 ... Cam part, 213 ... Movable cam recessed part, 214 ... Deep part, 215 ... Inclined surface at the time of upshifting, 215a ... First inclined surface, 215b 2nd inclined surface, 216 ... Downward inclined surface, 216a ... Small angle inclined surface, 216b ... Large angle inclined surface, 220 ... Connection pin, 221 ... Clutch arm, 223 ... Holding sleeve, 224 ... Adjustment shaft, 225 ... Side cover 226 ... Sphere for cam, 227 ... Fixed convex part, 230 ... Fixed side cam plate, 231 ... Fixed side cam concave part, 232 ... Deep part, 233 ... Inclined surface during shift up, 234 ... Inclined surface during shift down, 234a ... Small angle Inclined surface, 234b ... large angle inclined surface.

Claims (3)

A clutch release mechanism for releasing the transmission state of the driving force in a clutch device that arbitrarily and intermittently transmits the driving force from the driving shaft to the driven shaft;
A movable cam plate having a movable cam recess recessed in a conical shape and rotating in opposite directions corresponding to each operation in conjunction with a shift-up operation and a shift-down operation on the transmission;
A fixed cam plate having a fixed cam recess in a conical shape at a position corresponding to the movable cam recess and disposed opposite to the movable cam plate;
A cam sphere that fits into the movable cam recess and the fixed cam recess and is held by the movable cam plate and the fixed cam plate;
The movable side cam recess and the fixed side cam recess are
The cam sphere has an inclined surface at the time of shifting up and an inclined surface at the time of downshifting, in which each of the cam spheres is displaced following each of the shifting up operation and the shifting down operation with respect to the transmission,
The inclined surfaces at the time of each upshift in the movable side cam recess and the fixed side cam recess are:
A first inclined surface made of an inclined surface and a second inclined surface formed at an inclination angle smaller than the first inclined surface on the outside of the first inclined surface,
The inclined surfaces at the time of each downshift in the movable side cam recess and the fixed side cam recess are:
The clutch release mechanism is characterized in that it is formed with an inclination angle smaller than the inclination angle of each of the first inclined surfaces on the inclined surface during each upshift . In the clutch release mechanism according to claim 1,
Each of the second inclined surfaces in the inclined surface at the time of each upshift is
A clutch release mechanism characterized in that the clutch release mechanism is formed with an inclination angle smaller than the inclination angle of the inclined surface during each downshift . In the clutch release mechanism according to claim 1 or 2,
Each of the downshift slopes is
A clutch release mechanism comprising a large-angle inclined surface formed at an inclination angle larger than the inclination angle of the inclined surface at the time of downshifting on the outside of the inclined surface at the time of downshifting .

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