JPH0529136Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a hub clutch, and particularly has a manual operation knob that allows switching between four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive by manual operation. Regarding the hub clutch.

PRIOR ART

Japanese Patent Application No. 188295 (1983) for a hub clutch with a conventional manual operation knob
43831). The hub clutch shown in this publication has both an automatic lock mechanism and a manual lock mechanism, and the centering of the case fixed to the wheel hub and the axle shaft is achieved by a protrusion protruding from the center inside the knob. The drive gear is connected to the drive gear fixed on the outer periphery of the tip of the axle shaft via a bearing arranged in the radial direction of the axle shaft.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, with conventional hub clutches, the radial vibration of the axle shaft caused by vehicle vibration is transmitted to the knob via the bearing, and this vibration is transmitted to the radial engagement surface between the knob and the housing. As a result, there was a fear that uneven wear would occur on the radial engagement surface, which would eventually lead to deterioration of the sealing performance and centering performance between the knob and the housing.

[Means and actions for solving problems]

The present invention was developed in view of the above, and in order to prevent the effects of radial vibrations occurring on the axle shaft from being transmitted to the radial engagement surface between the knob and the housing, the thrust direction between the housing and the knob is The present invention provides a hub clutch in which positioning is performed via a plate-like elastic body.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the hub clutch according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of the structure of the first embodiment of the present invention, showing a hub clutch having both an automatic lock mechanism and a manual lock mechanism.
This hub/clutch includes a drive gear 2 that is fixedly spline-coupled on the outer periphery of the tip end of the axle shaft 1 and has a gear portion 2a and a spline portion 2b for coupling the clutch on the outer periphery, and is movable in the axial direction on the spline portion 2b. A cam member 4 is spline-coupled to the cam member 4 and has a V-shaped cam portion 4a projecting from its axially inner edge, and a cam member whose rotation is suppressed by a fixing system (consisting of a spindle, lock nut, etc. not shown). A brake outer 8 has a plurality of V-groove-shaped cam parts 8a on the axially outer edge into which the outer diameter side thick part of the cam part 4a of No. 4 fits, and the inner diameter of the cam part 4a on the axially outer edge. A V-shaped groove-shaped first cam portion 9a into which the side thick portions fit and the first cam portion 9a
The brake inner 9 has second cam portions 9b located on both sides of the brake inner 9, and slides on the inner peripheral surface of the brake outer 8 via the brake ring 16 on the outer peripheral surface side to generate the required braking force. A brake ring 16 which has a curved section 16a having a letter-shaped cross section and which is disposed between the inner circumferential surface of the brake outer 8 and the brake inner 9 and whose both ends are bent inward, and which generates braking force; A bent portion 16a of the brake ring 16 is fixed to the outer periphery of the gear 2 by the circlip 12 and the stepped portion of the drive gear 2.
a release plate 11 that can be engaged with the brake inner 9; a projection 9d that engages with a projection 9c formed on the inner circumference of the brake inner 9 and a bent portion 16a of the brake ring 16 to expand the brake ring 16; A donut disk-shaped thrust washer 14 is disposed via a thrust bearing 13 between the axially inner end of the brake outer 8 and the axially outer surface of the brake outer 8. A C ring 4 as a locking member that is locked between the two brake members and unitizes both brake members.
0, a housing 24 that is fixed to a wheel hub (not shown) with a bolt 20 and has a spline portion 22 on its inner peripheral surface and an opening 23 on its end surface; Spline 25 that engages in a direction movable manner
a, and has a gear part 25b on its inner periphery that meshes with the gear part 2a of the drive gear 2, a retainer arm 26a whose rotation is suppressed by the spline part 22, and an axially inner side of the retainer arm 26a. Bent portion 26 in the inner diameter direction
b and retainer 26 at the outer periphery.
A spring holder 50 having an L-shaped cross section that supports the inner periphery of the bent portion 26b of the drive gear 2 and contacts the cam member 4 on the axially inner side, and the spring holder 50 and the stepped portion 2c on the outer periphery of the drive gear 2. It has a return spring 27 and a cyst spring 28 which is stretched between the bent portion 26b of the retainer 26 and the axially inner wall surface of the slide gear 25 and biases the slide gear 25 axially outward (in the clutch-on direction). The return spring 27 is configured to have a stronger expansion force than the shift spring 28. A knob 30 is manually rotatably attached to the opening 23 of the housing 24, and a boss portion 31 is formed to protrude from the inner center of the knob 30. A centering member 60 is disposed at the tip of the axle shaft 1. The tip of the drive gear 2 protrudes from the axle shaft 1, and its inner periphery is supported by a centering member 60. Knob 3 on the outer peripheral surface of the centering member 60
A bearing 29 is attached between the inner circumferential surface of the boss portion 31 and the housing 24 and the axle shaft 1 are centered. The release plate 11 is disposed so as to protrude above the outer periphery of the drive gear 2, and has a positional relationship such that the arm 11a can engage with the inner bent portion 16a of the brake ring 16.

A recess 9 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the brake inner 9 as a space for installing the C-ring 40 along the entire circumference.
On the other hand, a groove 4 for fitting the C-ring 40 is also formed on the inner peripheral surface of the brake outer 8 over the entire circumference.
2 is formed. The recess 9e has a wide and deep shape, and the groove 42 has a narrow and shallow shape that allows about half of the cross-sectional area of the C-ring 40 to be seated tightly. The groove 42 is formed along the axially inner bottom of the cam portion 8a of the brake outer 8.
The C ring 40 is a C-shaped ring-shaped spring that has an expanding force in the outer diameter direction, and engages with the axially inner inner wall of the recess 9e to expand the brake inner 9 axially outward. It defines the limits of movement.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the axially outer end of the retainer arm 26a of the retainer 26 is a claw portion 26c bent toward the inner diameter side. A cam surface 31a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the boss portion 31. The cam surface 31a is a surface that is continuously inclined from the inner side to the outer side in the axial direction, and is configured to be engageable with the claw portion 26c of the retainer 26. The axially inner side of the cam surface 31a is open so that the claw portion 26c can enter and exit, and a recess as a lock position is formed on the axially outer side of the cam surface 31a. When the claws 26c of the retainer 26 are moved axially inward along the cam surface 31a by the rotation of the knob 30, and the claws 26c are disengaged from the cam surface 31a (Fig. 5). 26 in A
When the pawl 26c moves axially outward along the cam surface 31a and is locked in the lock position (position 26c in FIG. '' position), it enters the manual lock state (Fig. 2).

Further, a sealing member 33 is provided on the radial engagement surface 32 of the operation knob 30 with the opening 23, so that the radial engagement part A between the knob 30 and the opening 23 is held watertight and centered. ing.
A radial groove 34 is formed in the engagement surface 32, and a stepped portion 35 formed on the end surface of the housing 24
A plate-shaped elastic body 36 is disposed between the housing 24 and the housing 24, and the operating knob 30 is fixed to the housing 24 so as to be positioned in the thrust direction. . The plate-like elastic body 36 is attached to the stepped portion 3 of the housing 24.
A locking ring 37 fixedly provided in the locking ring 5 prevents the locking ring from coming off. Due to the biasing force of the plate-like elastic body 36, the operating knob 30 is pressed and held toward the housing 24 at the thrust direction engagement surface B with the housing 24.

In the above configuration, the claw portion 26c of the retainer 26 moves inward in the axial direction along the cam surface 31a by the rotation operation of the knob 30, and the claw portion 26c is in the auto state in which it is not engaged with the cam surface 31a. In (1st
Figures 3A and 3B and Figure 5A) From the clutch-off state (two-wheel drive state) shown in Figure 1 to Figure 4A,
The operation for transitioning to the clutch-on state (four-wheel drive state) shown in (b) will be explained. First, when driving force from an engine (not shown) is transmitted to the axle shaft 1, the drive gear 2 and the cam member 4
and start rotating as one. In the clutch-off state, the cam portion 4a of the cam member 4 is connected to the groove-shaped cam portion 8a of the brake outer 8 and the first groove-shaped cam portion 8a of the brake inner 9.
However, when the cam member 4 starts rotating due to the rotation of the axle shaft 1, the cam part 4a is inserted into the cam part 9a by the axial outward thrust force generated on each cam surface. is displaced axially outward along each cam surface of each cam portion 8a and 9a. At this time, the brake inner 9 rotates together with the cam member 4 while being pressed axially inward by the cam member 4. When the brake inner 9 rotates, the protrusion 9d of the brake inner engages with the bent portion 16a of the brake ring 16, and by expanding the brake ring 16, the inner part of the brake ring 16 and the brake outer 8 are separated. A braking force is generated between the circumferential surfaces C. Due to this braking, the cam portion 4
When a crosses over the grooved cam parts 8a and 9a, next,
It rides on the second cam portion 9b of the brake inner and is displaced axially outward along this. Cam member 4
When the return spring 27 is bent by the axial movement of the slide gear 25, the slide gear 25 is displaced axially outward by the shift spring 28, and the gear portion 25b and the gear portion 2a are completely engaged. When the clutch is fully engaged, the arm 11a of the release plate 11
The brake ring 16 is engaged with the bent portion 16a of the brake ring 16.
By turning directly, the rotational torque is transmitted while releasing the braking force. This achieves four-wheel drive.

Next, when changing from a four-wheel drive state to a two-wheel drive state, the return spring 27 Due to the expansion force, the cam portion 4a of the cam member 4 is displaced axially inward along the cam portion 9b, and finally falls into the cam portion 7a of the brake outer 8 and the cam portion 9a of the brake inner 9. It's crowded. In this way, a clutch-off condition is achieved. In the process of axially inward displacement of the cam member 4, the gear portion 25b of the slide gear 25 is disengaged from the gear portion 2a.

On the other hand, by rotating the knob 30, the retainer 2
When the claw portion 26c of No. 6 moves axially outward along the cam surface and is locked in the lock position (Fig. 2), the manual lock state is established, and a four-wheel drive state can be obtained by manual operation. .

In either two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive mode (including both auto and manual lock modes), vibrations during driving cause the axle shaft 1 to swing in the radial direction, and the vibrations are transmitted from the operation knob 30 to the housing 24 via the bearing 29. However, these vibrations are absorbed by the thrust direction engagement surface B due to the biasing force of the plate-shaped elastic body 36. Therefore, vibrations are not input to the radial engagement portion A, and uneven wear does not occur.

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention;
This embodiment differs from the embodiment in the manner in which the plate-shaped elastic body is locked between the knob 30 and the housing 24. In this embodiment, the radial engagement surface 32 of the knob 30
A plate-shaped elastic body 360 is located between the housing 24 and the knob 30, and is prevented from coming off by a locking ring 350 located on the knob 30 side. This second embodiment also provides the same effects as the first embodiment.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, according to the hub clutch according to the present invention, since the positioning of the housing and the knob in the thrust direction is performed via the elastic body, the radial vibrations generated in the axle shaft are absorbed by the thrust direction engagement surface. Therefore, the durability of the sealing performance and centering performance between the knob and the housing can be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 5 A and B show the first model according to the present invention.
Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the overall configuration in the automatic state, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration in manual locking, and Fig. 3 A and B are illustrations of the engagement of each cam part in the free state. An explanatory diagram of the state, Fig. 4 A and B, an explanatory diagram corresponding to Fig. 3 in the auto-lock state, Fig. 5 A and B are explanatory diagrams of the cam surface of the knob, and Fig. 6 shows the second embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration explanatory diagram of main parts. Explanation of symbols, 1...Axle shaft, 2...
Drive gear, 2a, 25b...gear part, 2b,
22... Spline part, 2c... Step part, 4... Cam member, 4a, 8a... Cam part, 8... Brake outer, 9... Brake inner, 9a... First cam part, 9b... Second cam part, 9c...protrusion,
9d... Protrusion, 9e... Recess, 11... Release plate, 11a... Arm, 12... Circlip, 13... Thrust bearing, 14...
Thrust washer, 16... Brake ring, 1
6a, 26b...bent portion, 20...bolt, 23
... opening, 24 ... housing, 25 ... slide gear, 25a ... spline, 26 ... retainer, 26a ... retainer arm, 26c ... claw section, 27 ... return spring, 28 ... shift spring, 29...Bearing, 30...Knob,
31... Boss portion, 31a... Cam surface, 32... Engaging surface, 33... Seal member, 34... Radial groove, 35... Step portion, 36, 360... Plate-like elastic body, 37 , 350...Lock ring, 40...C ring, 42...Groove, 50...Spring holder,
60...Centering member.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A housing fixed to a wheel hub and having a tip opening on an end face, an operating knob rotatably disposed in the tip opening, and a housing located within the housing and having a tip opening at an end surface; A hub having a slide gear that can be slid in the axial direction by rotating an operation knob, and a drive gear that is coupled to a drive shaft and that engages with or disengages from the slide gear by sliding the slide gear in the axial direction.
A hub clutch, characterized in that the clutch includes an elastic body disposed between the housing and the operating knob, and pressingly engaging the housing and the operating knob in a thrust direction.