JPH0117009B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION a. Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an actuator for an automatic clutch, and more particularly to a normally-closed first solenoid valve that supplies compressed air to a pressure chamber in a cylinder, and a first solenoid valve that supplies compressed air to a pressure chamber in a cylinder. A second normally closed solenoid valve discharges the compressed air in the pressure chamber to the outside, and a third normally open solenoid valve discharges the compressed air in the pressure chamber to the outside. The automatic system discharges the compressed air in the pressure chamber to the outside through the second solenoid valve, and discharges the residual pressure in the pressure chamber to the outside through the third solenoid valve after the clutch is connected. This invention relates to an actuator for a clutch.

b. Conventional technology The conventional actuator for automatic clutch is the 10th
This will be briefly explained based on the diagram. In the figure, 1 is a clutch lever, and 2 is a cylinder for operating the clutch lever 1. A piston (not shown) disposed in the cylinder 2 and the clutch lever 1 are connected to each other by a push rod 3. connected.

One end of a tube 4 that supplies and discharges compressed air to and from a pressure chamber within the cylinder 2 is connected to the cylinder 2 . At the other end of this tube 4,
A first solenoid valve 5 and a second solenoid valve 6 are connected in parallel, the first solenoid valve 5 is further connected to an air reservoir 8 by a passage 7, and the second solenoid valve 6 is An exhaust tube 9 is connected.

The first and second solenoid valves 5 and 6 are each constructed of a normally closed two-way solenoid valve, and are configured so that the solenoid valves 5 and 6 open only when the solenoid valves 5 and 6 are energized. It's summery. Therefore, the first solenoid valve 5
When energized, compressed air from the air reservoir 8 is supplied to the pressure chamber of the cylinder 2, and this pressure causes the piston within the cylinder 2 to move forward in the right direction in FIG. 6, thereby disengaging the clutch. Also the second
When the solenoid valve 6 is energized, the compressed air in the pressure chamber of the cylinder 2 is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 9, and the piston in the cylinder 2 moves back to the left in Fig. 6 to connect the clutch. ing.

The first and second solenoid valves 5 and 6 are controlled to open and close by a controller 10. This controller 10 includes two sensors 1 for detecting the stroke position of the push rod 3.
Detection signals from terminals 1 and 12 and a clutch engagement/disengagement command signal issued from a manual switch 13 are inputted. The sensors 11 and 12 are
Specifically, one sensor 11 is configured to detect the position of the push rod 3 immediately before the clutch is disengaged, and the other sensor 12 is configured to detect the position of the push rod 3 immediately before the clutch is engaged.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned automatic clutch actuator will be explained with reference to FIG. First, when disengaging the clutch, the manual switch 13 is operated to input a clutch disengagement command signal to the controller 10. When a clutch disengagement command signal is input to the controller 10, only the first solenoid valve 5 is energized (ON).
The valve is opened, and compressed air from the air reservoir 8 is supplied to the pressure chamber of the cylinder 2. When compressed air is supplied to the pressure chamber of the cylinder 2, the piston within the cylinder 2 moves to the right in FIG. 6, and the clutch is disengaged. At this time, push the push rod 3 until it reaches the position where it becomes a half-clutch state (indicated by symbol A in FIG. 11).
When the motor moves forward, the sensor 11 detects this, and this detection signal is input to the controller 10. When the detection signal of the sensor 11 is input to the controller 10, a timer built in the controller 10 is activated, and after about 0.3 seconds, the first solenoid valve 5 is de-energized (OFF) and closed.

When the clutch is disengaged in this manner, the transmission is operated, for example, from neutral to first gear. After operating the transmission, when the clutch is to be connected again, the manual switch 13 is operated to input a clutch connection command signal to the controller 10. The clutch connection command signal is sent to the controller 10.
When the second solenoid valve 6 is turned on and opened, the compressed air in the pressure chamber of the cylinder 2 is discharged from the exhaust port 9 to the outside. When the compressed air in the pressure chamber is discharged to the outside, the pressure rod 3
moves back to the left in FIG. 6, and the clutch is connected. At this time, when the push rod 3 moves back to a position where the clutch begins to be in a half-clutch state (indicated by reference numeral B in FIG. 11), the sensor 11 detects this and this detection signal is input to the controller 10. The detection signal of sensor 11 is sent to controller 1
When input to 0, the second solenoid valve 6 is turned ON alternately.
-OFF control, and the clutch is connected smoothly.

When the push rod 3 moves back to the position where the clutch connection is completed (indicated by C in FIG. 11), the sensor 12 detects this and this detection signal is input to the controller 10. When the detection signal of the sensor 12 is input to the controller 10, a timer built in the controller 10 is activated, and the second solenoid valve 6 is turned on for about 1.5 seconds and then turned off. While the second solenoid valve 6 is turned on, the residual pressure in the pressure chamber of the cylinder 2 is discharged to the outside, and the return movement of the push rod 3 is completed.

c. Problems to be Solved by the Invention Although the conventional automatic clutch actuator operates as described above, the following problems have been pointed out with this actuator. That is, since the automatic clutch actuator is required to have quick operational response, the first and second solenoid valves 5 and 6 are
A device with a fast response speed is used. but,
Generally, if the response speed of a solenoid valve is increased, the continuous energization time of the solenoid valve tends to be shortened.
It becomes difficult to take enough time to turn it on (approximately 1.5 seconds in Figure 11). Therefore, in some cases, residual pressure may remain in the pressure chamber of the cylinder 2, which may impede proper clutch operation. Therefore, in the conventional automatic clutch actuator, the continuous energization time of the second electromagnetic valve 6 is increased at the expense of some operational response.

The present invention has been devised to effectively solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an actuator for an automatic clutch that has good operational response and that does not cause residual pressure to remain in the pressure chamber of the cylinder. It is about providing.

d Means for Solving the Problems An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. 1 and 2 show a vertical cross-sectional view and a side view of an actuator for an automatic clutch, and as shown in the figures, this actuator is operated by a power cylinder 20, a hydraulic cylinder 21, and a solenoid valve unit 22. It is configured. The power cylinder 20 includes a cylindrical cylinder 24 attached to a housing 23 and a power piston 25 inserted into the cylinder 24 so as to be able to reciprocate. This power piston 2
5 is always energized in the backward motion direction (in the direction of arrow d in FIG. 1) by a return spring 27 disposed in the atmospheric pressure chamber 26, but when compressed air is supplied to the pressure chamber 28, The power piston 25 is configured to move forward in the direction of arrow e in FIG. 1 against the return spring 27.

Next, the hydraulic cylinder 21 consists of a cylindrical cylinder 31 screwed into the housing 23 and a first relay piston 33 slidably disposed within the cylinder 31. and the first
The second relay piston 32 is connected to a piston rod 34 of the power piston 25, and the second relay piston 33 is connected by a push rod 35 to a clutch lever (not shown). Compression springs 36 and 37 are disposed between the first relay piston 32 and the second relay piston 33, and the compression springs 36 and 37 constantly move the second relay piston 33 in the forward direction (in the forward direction). (towards the right in Figure 1). Further, an oil chamber 38 is formed between the first relay piston 32 and the second relay piston 33, and the push rod 3
The movement of the second relay piston 33 in the backward movement direction can be automatically absorbed by the change in the volume of the oil chamber 38. Therefore, there is no need to attach a manual length adjusting device such as a turnbuckle to the push rod 35, and there is an advantage that maintenance of the actuator requires almost no effort. Note that an air vent plug 39 is attached to the cylinder 31, and the oil chamber 38
If air accumulates inside, this air can be discharged to the outside from an air vent plug 39.

A passage 43 is formed inside the first relay piston 32 along its axial direction, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. This passage 43 is a passage 4 formed in the housing 23 as shown in FIG.
4, and the passage within this housing 23 is connected to an oil reservoir (not shown) by a tube 45. Note that an air vent plug 42 is attached to the upper part of the housing 23.
The air that has entered the passage 44 is removed by the air vent plug 42.
It is designed so that it can be discharged to the outside. A valve body 4 is located in the middle of the passage 43 of the first relay piston 32.
6 is disposed, and this valve body 46 is connected to the compression spring 4
7, it is always energized in the closing direction. On the other hand, a cylindrical part 48 is formed at the rear end of the first relay piston 32 (the left end in FIGS. 3 and 5), and the rear end of the relay piston 32 including this cylindrical part 48 A slit 49 is formed along the diameter direction. A U-shaped yoke 50 is inserted into the slit 49, and when the yoke 50 presses the rear end of the rod 52 connected to the valve body 46, the valve body 46 opens against the compression spring 47. It is configured as follows. A spring 51 is attached to the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 48.
is arranged so that the connecting pin 54 connecting the piston rod 34 and the first relay piston 32 cannot be pulled out. Note that a disk-shaped plug 53 is press-fitted into the inner circumference of the cylindrical portion 48 of the first relay piston 32, and this plug 53 prevents the yoke 50 from coming out from the slit 49. .

2 and 6 on the side of the housing 23.
As shown in the figure, a sensor 57 for detecting the stroke position of the power piston 25 is attached. As shown in FIG. 6, this sensor 57 is composed of a sliding variable resistor 58 and a detection rod 60 connected to a lever 59 of this variable resistor 58. It is inserted into the atmospheric pressure chamber 26 of the power cylinder 20 and comes into contact with the power piston 25. When the power piston 25 reciprocates, the lever 59 of the variable resistor 58 slides, and a predetermined stroke position of the power piston 25 is detected as a specific resistance value or current value, and this detected value is input to a controller (not shown). It's becoming like that. In addition, in FIG. 6, 61 is the lever 59 of the variable resistor 58.
This is a return spring for returning the .

Next, the configuration of the solenoid valve unit 22 will be explained. This solenoid valve unit 22 is attached to the unit base 6.
4 with a first solenoid valve 65, a second solenoid valve 66, and a third solenoid valve 67 attached, and the first
Compressed air is supplied to the pressure chamber 28 of the power cylinder 20 by the second solenoid valve 65, and the second solenoid valve 66
The compressed air is discharged to the outside, and the residual pressure in the pressure chamber 28 is discharged to the outside by the third solenoid valve 67. The first solenoid valve 65 is a normally closed solenoid valve, and more specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, a coil 69, a core 70, and a plunger 71 are housed in a case 68. The plunger 71 is always urged upward by a compression spring 72, and a seat portion 73 provided at the upper end of the plunger 71 is normally pressed into a valve seat hole 74 formed in the lower wall of the unit base 64. .
This valve seat hole 74 is connected through a vertical hole 75 and a horizontal hole 76 formed in the unit base 64 to a compressed air supply port 77 shown in FIG. and is connected to an air reservoir (not shown). On the other hand, another vertical hole 79 is formed in the unit base 64 on the side of the vertical hole 75, and the lower end of this vertical hole 79 opens at a position on the side of the valve seat hole 74. The upper end of the vertical hole 79 is connected through another horizontal hole 80 to a compressed air outlet 81 shown in FIG.
It is connected to the pressure chamber 28 of the power cylinder 20 by.

The second electromagnetic valve 66 is also a normally closed electromagnetic valve, and is configured in substantially the same manner as the first electromagnetic valve 65 described above. However, in this second solenoid valve 66, one side hole 76 is connected to the compressed air discharge hole 81, and the other side hole 80 is connected to the compressed air discharge hole 81.
is connected to the atmospheric pressure chamber 26 of the power cylinder 20 by a pipe 83 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The atmospheric pressure chamber 26 is connected to an atmospheric valve 84 attached to the upper part of the housing 23 through a passage (not shown). This atmospheric valve 84 is composed of a check valve that performs only an exhaust function, and is connected to a boot 85 attached to the hydraulic cylinder 21.
The interior of the atmosphere valve 84 is also connected to the atmosphere via the tube 86.
It is connected to the.

The third solenoid valve 67 is a normally open type solenoid valve, and more specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, a coil 88, a core 89, and a plunger 90 are housed in a case 87. There is an exhaust hole 91 inside the core 89.
is formed, and a groove 92 is formed on the side surface of the plunger 90. On the other hand, unit base 6
4 has a compressed air discharge hole 81 formed by a slot 100.
A valve chamber 93 is formed which is connected to the valve chamber 93, and a valve body 94 is disposed within the valve chamber 93. Valve chamber 93
At the bottom of the valve seat hole 9 communicating with the plunger 90 side.
5 is provided, and a valve body 94 and a plunger 90 are provided.
are interconnected by a rod 96 inserted through the valve seat hole 95. The plunger 90 is always urged upward by a compression spring 97, and the valve body 94
is constantly urged downward by a compression spring 98. The compression spring 97 on the plunger 90 side is connected to the valve body 94
A spring that is slightly stronger than the compression spring 98 on the side is used, and the valve body 94 is normally opened by the compression spring 97. Note that the opening degree of the valve body 94 can be adjusted using an adjustment screw 99.

e Function The automatic clutch actuator is constructed as described above, and includes the first, second and third solenoid valves 6.
5 to 67 are controlled to open and close by a controller (not shown). Similar to the conventional automatic clutch actuator, a detection signal from the sensor 57 and a clutch engagement/disengagement command signal from a manual switch (not shown) are input to this controller, and based on these signals, the first and second clutches are activated. The opening and closing of the second and third solenoid valves 65 to 67 are controlled. In FIG. 1, 104 is a cable of the solenoid valve unit 22, and a socket 105 of this cable 104 is connected to the controller. Further, in FIG. 6, 106 is a lead wire of the variable resistor 58, and this lead wire 106 is connected to the controller.

The opening/closing control of the solenoid valves 65 to 67 is detailed in the sixth
As shown in the figure, first, when disengaging the clutch, a manual switch is operated to input a clutch disengagement command signal to the controller. When the clutch disengagement command signal is input to the controller, the first solenoid valve 65 and the third solenoid valve 67 are turned on. The first solenoid valve 65
When turned ON, the plunger 71 is activated by the compression spring 72.
It moves downward in FIG. 7 against this, and the valve seat hole 74 is opened. When the valve seat hole 74 is opened, compressed air from the air reservoir flows from the compressed air supply port 77 to the side hole 76.
→ Vertical hole 75 → Valve seat hole 74 → Vertical hole 79 → Horizontal hole 80 →
Compressed air is supplied to the pressure chamber 28 of the power cylinder 20 via the path from the discharge port 81 to the tube 82, and this pressure causes the power piston 25 to move against the compression spring 2.
7 in the direction of arrow e in FIG.

On the other hand, when the third solenoid valve 67 is turned ON, the plunger 90 moves downward in FIG.
The valve seat hole 95 is closed by the valve body 94. Therefore, the power cylinder 20
The compressed air supplied to the pressure chamber 28 will not leak from the exhaust hole 91 of the third solenoid valve 67.

When the power piston 25 moves forward in the direction of arrow e in FIG. 1, the first relay piston 32 of the hydraulic cylinder 21 is pushed by the piston rod 34 and moves forward in the right direction in FIG.
The yoke 50 which is in contact with the rod 52 of the valve body 46 presses against the stopper 10 as shown in FIG.
Move away from 1. As a result, the valve body 46 is pressed against the valve seat 55 by the compression spring 47 as shown in FIG.
The passage 43 of the relay piston 32 is closed, and the oil chamber 38 is sealed. Therefore, the forward force of the first relay piston 32 is transmitted to the second relay piston 33 via the oil in the oil chamber 38, and the first and second relay pistons 32, 33 move forward integrally. Then the clutch is cut.

At this time, when the push rod 35 or the power piston 25 moves forward to a position immediately before the clutch is disengaged (indicated by the symbol A in FIG. 9), the sensor 57 detects this and this detection signal is input to the controller. When the detection signal from the sensor 57 is input to the controller, a timer built into the controller is activated, and after about 0.3 seconds, the first solenoid valve 65 is activated.
It is turned off. When the first solenoid valve 65 is turned off, the plunger 71 is moved upward by the compression spring 72 as shown in FIG. Air supply is cut off.

When the clutch is disengaged in this manner, the transmission is operated, for example, from neutral to first gear. After operating the transmission, when the clutch is to be connected again, the manual switch is operated and a clutch connection command signal is input to the controller. When the clutch connection command signal is input to the controller, the second solenoid valve 66 is turned on. On this occasion,
The third solenoid valve 67 maintains the ON state. Second
When the solenoid valve 66 is turned ON, the valve seat hole 74 is opened in the same way as in the case of the first solenoid valve 65 described above.
The compressed air in the pressure chamber 28 of the power cylinder 20 flows through the tube 82 → compressed air discharge hole 81 → side hole 76 →
It is discharged to the outside through the vertical hole 75 → valve seat hole 74 → vertical hole 79 → horizontal hole 80 → pipe 83 → atmospheric pressure chamber 26 → atmospheric valve 84.

When the compressed air in the pressure chamber 28 is discharged to the outside, the power piston 25 moves back in the direction of arrow d in FIG. 1 due to the return force from the clutch and the return spring 27, and the first relay piston 32 , the second relay piston 33 and the push rod 35 also move back in the same direction to connect the clutch. On this occasion,
Push the push rod 35 until the clutch begins to become partially engaged (indicated by B in FIG. 9).
When the power piston 25 moves back, the sensor 57 detects this, and this detection signal is input to the controller. When the detection signal from the sensor 57 is input to the controller, the second solenoid valve 66 is alternately controlled to turn on and off, and the clutch is smoothly connected.

When the push rod 35 or power piston 25 moves back to the position where the clutch connection is completed (indicated by the symbol c in FIG. 9), this is detected by the sensor 57.
is detected, and this detection signal is input to the controller. When the detection signal of the sensor 57 is input to the controller, the second solenoid valve 66 and the third solenoid valve 6
7 are turned off at the same time. The second solenoid valve 66
When turned OFF, the valve seat hole 74 opens as shown in FIG.
is closed by the plunger 71, and the atmospheric valve 84 is closed by the plunger 71.
The discharge of compressed air from the On the other hand, when the third solenoid valve 67 is turned off, the plunger 90
is moved upward by the compression spring 97 as shown in FIG. 8, and the valve body 94 is pushed up against the compression spring 98, thereby opening the valve seat hole 95. As a result, the residual pressure remaining in the pressure chamber 28 of the power cylinder 20 is reduced from the tube 82 → compressed air discharge port 81 → side hole 100 →
Valve chamber 93 → valve seat hole 95 → groove 9 of plunger 90
2→Exhaust to the outside through the exhaust hole 91 of the core 89. At this time, the third solenoid valve 67 is kept OFF and open until the next clutch operation, so the pressure chamber 2 of the power cylinder 20
There is no possibility that residual pressure will remain in the piston 8, and the power piston 25 moves completely back as shown in FIG.

Note that the time T until the residual pressure in the pressure chamber 28 is eliminated can be shortened from about 1.5 seconds to about half of the conventional value depending on the design conditions of the third electromagnetic valve 67.

Note that the actuator according to the present invention temporarily introduces the exhaust gas from the second solenoid valve 66 into the atmospheric pressure chamber 26 of the power cylinder 20 through the pipe 83,
Since the atmospheric pressure chamber 26 is discharged to the outside through the atmospheric valve 84, muddy water or the like may enter the exhaust port of the exhaust solenoid valve or the atmospheric communication hole of the power cylinder, and cause the actuator to become damaged. There is no risk that durability or reliability will be compromised.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways. For example, in the above embodiment, the opening and closing of the first, second, and third solenoid valves 65 to 67 are controlled by the sensor 57, manual switch, and controller; Control means may be adopted.

f. Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention provides a third solenoid valve which is a dedicated always-open type for discharging the residual pressure remaining in the pressure chamber of the power cylinder to the outside when the clutch is fully engaged. When the connection is completed, both the normally-closed second solenoid valve for exhaust and the third solenoid valve are de-energized to reduce the residual pressure in the pressure chamber to the third solenoid valve.
Since the current is discharged to the outside from the second solenoid valve, the energization time of the second solenoid valve can be significantly shortened.As a result, the continuous energization time as the second solenoid valve is short, but the response speed is low. It becomes possible to use a fast solenoid valve, and the operational response of the actuator can be significantly improved. Moreover,
Since the third solenoid valve remains open until the next clutch operation, there is no need to worry about residual pressure remaining in the pressure chamber of the power cylinder, ensuring proper and stable clutch operation at all times. can be done.

Furthermore, since the present invention requires only a third solenoid valve to be provided in a conventional actuator and a slight change in the control system of the solenoid valve, an actuator with excellent operational response can be provided at a low cost. . In addition, since a normally open type solenoid valve is used as the third solenoid valve, the third solenoid valve can be controlled relatively easily without using a timer, etc., so the control system of the solenoid valve can be reduced. The structure can be constructed at a low cost, and the reliability of the actuator can be improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 9 show one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an actuator for an automatic clutch, FIG. 2 is a right side view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the first relay piston in the hydraulic cylinder, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. The figure shows a longitudinal sectional view of the sensor, Fig. 7 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the first and second solenoid valves, Fig. 8 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the third solenoid valve, and Fig. 9 shows the control status of the solenoid valves. It is a time chart. 10 and 11 show a conventional actuator, with FIG. 10 being a conceptual diagram of the actuator, and FIG. 11 being a time chart showing the control status of the solenoid valve. 20...Power cylinder, 21...Hydraulic cylinder, 22...Solenoid valve unit, 24...Cylinder, 25...Power piston, 26...Atmospheric pressure chamber, 2
8... Pressure chamber, 32... First relay piston, 33...
Second relay piston, 34...Piston rod, 3
5... Push rod, 38... Oil chamber, 57... Sensor, 58... Variable resistor, 59... Lever, 60... Detection rod, 65... First solenoid valve, 66... Second solenoid valve, 67... Third solenoid valve. Solenoid valve, 77...Compressed air supply port, 81...Compressed air discharge port, 84...Atmospheric valve, 91
...Exhaust hole.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A cylinder into which a piston connected to a clutch lever is reciprocally inserted, and a normally closed first valve that supplies compressed air to a pressure chamber within the cylinder.
an automatic clutch comprising a solenoid valve, a normally closed second solenoid valve that discharges the compressed air in the pressure chamber to the outside, and a control means that controls opening and closing of the first and second solenoid valves. In the actuator for the invention, a third solenoid valve of a normally open type is provided for discharging the compressed air in the pressure chamber to the outside, and when the clutch is disengaged, the first and third solenoid valves are respectively energized by the control means. At the same time, the second solenoid valve is de-energized and compressed air is introduced into the pressure chamber through the first solenoid valve, and when the clutch is connected, the first solenoid valve is de-energized by the control means. At the same time, the second and third solenoid valves are respectively energized to discharge the compressed air in the pressure chamber to the outside through the second solenoid valve, and after the clutch connection is completed, the first and third solenoid valves are energized by the control means. An actuator for an automatic clutch, characterized in that the second and third solenoid valves are each de-energized so that residual pressure in the pressure chamber is discharged to the outside through the third solenoid valve.