JPH06249260A - Power assist device of clutch for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a power assist device of a clutch for vehicle by which operability of a clutch pedal or a clutch lever is improved, and clutch operation of a clutch mechanism can be surely performed with light operation feeling. CONSTITUTION:In this power assist device of a clutch for vehicle, a reel consisting of a plurality of divided reel pieces is provided on a rotor 40 driven by a motor 33 capably of being slidably contacted, an operation cable 20 to operate a clutch mechanism 24 is windingly laid on the reel, and hence a clutch operation assist device 21 is constituted. The clutch operation assist device 21 is constituted so that the rotor 40 and the reel is frictionally engaged with each other by giving operation force to the operation cable 20, and the motor drive force is added to the operation cable 20 as a power assist quantity.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clutch power assist device for operating a clutch mechanism via an operation cable, and more particularly to a vehicle clutch power assist device in which the operating force of a clutch pedal or a clutch lever is reduced.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Automobiles and motorcycles are equipped with a clutch mechanism which is a device for connecting and disconnecting the rotational driving force of an engine to a drive system below a transmission when starting or shifting.

In this clutch mechanism, for example, a clutch pedal is depressed in an automobile, and a clutch lever is manually operated in a motorcycle. The clutch operating force is transmitted through an operating cable to disconnect the engine rotational force (clutch). It is designed to be operated. that time,
The lever principle is adopted for the clutch pedal and the clutch lever, and the operation feeling is reduced by increasing the pedal ratio and the lever ratio.

Further, in automobiles and motorcycles, there is a hydraulic power clutch in which an on / off operation of a clutch mechanism is performed with a light operation feeling. In this power clutch, the clutch mechanism is operated intermittently by using the negative pressure of the engine intake manifold and the hydraulic pressure generated by the oil pump, so that the operating force of the clutch pedal and the clutch lever is reduced.

[0005]

However, the conventional hydraulic power clutch cannot be applied to the clutch mechanism adopting the operation cable in which the clutch operation force is transmitted via the operation cable, and the existing hydraulic power clutch cannot be used. It is difficult to retrofit this hydraulic power clutch to a conventional motorcycle model. In order to retrofit a hydraulic power clutch to a conventional model, it is necessary to remake many related parts, which requires a lot of labor and time, resulting in cost increase.

Further, in the clutch mechanism employing the operation cable, the operation force of the clutch pedal or the clutch lever is reduced by increasing the pedal ratio or the lever ratio, but the operation force of the clutch pedal or the clutch lever is greatly reduced. It cannot be reduced. Especially in motorcycles,
When driving on a mountain road with many curves or slopes, or driving in a town where traffic is heavy and traffic is constantly congested, the shift operation must be frequently performed, and the lever operation of the clutch lever is required each time. However, when the clutch lever is operated frequently, the clutch operating force cannot be sufficiently reduced by the lever ratio alone, resulting in poor operation feeling and a heavy manual operation load, making it difficult to enjoy comfortable driving. It was

On the other hand, some drivers have a habit of keeping their feet on the clutch pedal lightly while driving or holding the clutch lever lightly. In this case, the clutch operating cable is always used. It was under tension.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and is a vehicle in which the operability of the clutch pedal or the clutch lever is improved and the clutch mechanism can be surely engaged and disengaged with a light operation feeling. An object of the present invention is to provide a power assist device for a vehicle clutch.

Another object of the present invention is to add a motor driving force as a power assist amount to an operation cable by a clutch operation assisting device to reduce an operation force of a clutch pedal or a clutch lever and increase an operation amount of a clutch. It is an object of the present invention to provide a power assist device for a vehicle clutch that can improve the clutch disengagement while setting the power assist amount arbitrarily.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle in which the driver does not inadvertently operate the clutch operation assisting device by means of notifying the operation status of the clutch operation assisting device, thereby reducing power consumption and improving durability. To provide a power assist device for a clutch.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a power assist device for a vehicle clutch in which clutch operation is not impaired even when the motor fails.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a power assist device for a vehicle clutch which can be easily and easily retrofitted to a conventional model of an automobile or a motorcycle.

[0013]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a power assist device for a vehicle clutch according to the present invention, as set forth in claim 1, is divided into a plurality of motor-driven rotating bodies. A reel consisting of a reel piece is slidably provided, and an operation cable for operating the clutch mechanism is wound around this reel to form a clutch operation assisting device.
In this clutch operation assisting device, an operating force is applied to an operating cable to frictionally engage a rotating body and a reel, and a motor driving force is added to the operating cable as a power assist amount.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, as described in claim 2, the power assist amount can be arbitrarily set by winding an operation cable for operating the clutch mechanism around the reel a plurality of times. Is.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the vehicle clutch power assist device according to the present invention, as described in claim 3, means for informing the driver of the operating condition of the clutch operation assisting device. It is equipped with.

Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the power assist device for a vehicle clutch according to the present invention is, as described in claim 4, a clutch for operating a vehicle clutch mechanism via an operation cable. ON linked to the initial clutch operation member such as pedal and clutch lever
-OFF switch is provided, and the ON / OFF switch controls the start / stop of the motor.
During the operation stroke of the initial clutch operating member, the switch
A clutch operation assisting device is provided on the output shaft of the motor, which is set to be ON in the idle section of the operation cable and OFF at the time of the maximum operation stroke.

[0017]

In the present invention having the above-described structure, a clutch operation assisting device is provided in the middle of the operation cable for operating the clutch mechanism, and the motor driving force is added to the operation cable as a power assist amount by the clutch operation assisting device. Therefore, the operation force of the operation cable required to operate the clutch mechanism can be greatly reduced, the operability of the clutch pedal and the clutch lever can be improved, and you can enjoy comfortable running with a light operation feeling. .

Further, in this power assist device, the motor driving force can be selectively added to the operation cable as the power assist amount by the clutch operation assisting device,
Since the clutch operation amount can be designed to be large, the clutch disengagement can be improved, while the power assist amount can be arbitrarily set by winding the operation cable for operating the clutch mechanism around the reel a plurality of times.

Further, even if the driver inadvertently operates the clutch operation assisting device, the driver can check the operating condition of the clutch operation assisting device, so that the power consumption of the clutch operation assisting device is reduced and the durability is improved. Can be achieved.

Further, even if the clutch operation assisting device fails, the operation force of the clutch pedal or the clutch lever is reliably transmitted to the clutch mechanism via the operation cable or reel, so that the clutch operation is a motor failure. Will not be damaged by.

Since a power assist device for a vehicle clutch can be constructed by providing a clutch operation assisting device in the middle of the operation cable, the related parts of the conventional model can be used as they are, and this power assisting device can be used in automobiles and motorcycles. It can be retrofitted easily and easily.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a left side view showing an example of a motorcycle to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a view showing a power assist device for a vehicle clutch in a developed state.

In FIG. 1, the motorcycle 1 has an engine 3 mounted on the lower center of a body frame 2 while
A fuel tank 4 is provided above the engine 3. A driving seat 5 is provided behind the fuel tank 4, and the driving seat 5 is installed on a seat rail 6 of the vehicle body frame 2.

A steering mechanism 8 is provided on the head pipe 7 of the vehicle body frame 2, and a front fork 10 for rotatably supporting the front wheels 9 is provided on the steering mechanism 8.

Handlebars 12 and 13 are attached to the left and right of the upper bracket 11 of the steering mechanism 8, while an instrument panel 14 is installed in front of and above the upper bracket 11, and pivots left and right together with the front fork 10. Be worn.

On the other hand, a swing arm 17 which rotatably supports a rear wheel 16 is pivotally attached to a pivot shaft 15 which is erected at the lower center of the body frame 2 so as to be rotatable around the pivot shaft 15.

The left handlebar 12 attached to the upper bracket 11 of the steering mechanism 8 is provided with a clutch lever 18 as an initial clutch operating member, and the right handlebar 13 is provided with a front brake lever 19.

As shown in FIG. 2, an operation cable 20 extends from the clutch lever 18 as a clutch cable, and a clutch operation assisting device 21 is provided in the middle of the operation cable 20. The other end of the operation cable 20 is connected to the clutch release lever 22.

The clutch release lever 22 is linked to the clutch mechanism 24 via a mechanical operation force transmission mechanism 23 such as a pinion rack mechanism, so that the clutch mechanism 24 operates the clutch against the spring force of the spring 25. ing. By the clutch operation of the clutch mechanism 24, the rotational driving force transmitted from the crankshaft 26 of the engine 3 is intermittently connected to the drive system below the transmission 27. The clutch mechanism 24 is configured such that the rotational driving force from the engine 3 is always transmitted to the transmission 27 by the spring force of the spring 25.

The operation cable 20 from the clutch lever 18 is guided along with the starter cable 28, the throttle cable 29 and the wire harness 30 by the cable guide 31 as shown in FIG. It is connected to the clutch release lever 22.

The clutch operation assisting device 21 provided in the middle of the operation cable 20 is a battery 3 as shown in FIG.
2 has an electric motor 33 driven, and the motor output is transmitted to a motor output shaft 35 via a speed reducer 34 as shown in FIG. A hub 37 housed in a main body casing 36 is rotationally and integrally attached to the motor output shaft 35 by taper or spline connection. Hub 3
7 is fixed to the motor output shaft 35 and constitutes a part of the motor output shaft 35. The speed reducer 34 attached to the electric motor 33 is attached and fixed to the main body casing 36. Reference numeral 38 is a case cover. A bearing 39 is provided on the case cover 38, and the rotation of the hub 37 is guided by the bearing 39.

On the other hand, a sleeve-shaped rotor 40, which constitutes a rotating body, is fitted to the boss portion 37a of the hub 37. An engaging pin 41 projecting in the axial direction is planted in the rotor 40, and the engaging pin 41 is engaged with an arc-shaped long hole 42 formed in the outer flange 37b of the hub 37 as shown in FIG. It The rotor 40 is rotated relative to the hub 37 by the stroke of the elongated hole 42.

A reel 43 is slidably provided on the outer periphery of the rotor 40. The reel 43 has a cable guide path 44 formed on the outer peripheral side, and has a split structure, and has a plurality of, for example, four arc-shaped split reel pieces 43a, 43b, 43.
c and 43d are arranged in the circumferential direction. The number of split reel pieces may be two or more.

The operation cable 20 is wound around the cable guide path 44 of the reel 43. Operation cable 2
The number of turns of 0 may be 1 or more.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the operation cable 2
0 is provided with end pieces 45 and 46 at both ends thereof, and the drive cable end piece 4 of the operation cable 20 is provided.
Reference numeral 5 is connected to the engagement hole 47 of the clutch lever 18, and the driven end piece 46 of the operation cable 20 is connected to the engagement hole 48 of the clutch release lever 22.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the clutch lever 18 is mounted on a lever holder 49 so that its center of rotation A can be detected.
It is provided so that it can rotate around. The lever holder 49
While being fixed to the left handlebar 12, a micro switch or the like is turned on near the rotation center A of the lever holder 49.
An OFF switch 50 is attached.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the ON-OFF switch 50 is provided with a fixed contact 51a on the lever holder 49 side and a movable contact 51b on the clutch lever 18 side, so that the clutch lever 18 has a movable contact 51b. It is turned on and off by the turning operation. When the clutch lever 18 is not operated, the ON-OFF switch 50 is set to the OFF state as shown in FIG. 6, and is turned on in the idle section of the operation cable 20 during the operation stroke of the clutch lever 18, and at the time of the maximum stroke. It is set to be OFF.

ON-O of this ON-OFF switch 50
Due to the FF operation, the power supply circuit 52 is turned off as shown in FIG.
The N-OFF operation is performed to start / stop the electric motor 33.

An indicator lamp 53 is connected between the ON-OFF switch 50 and the electric motor 33 in the middle of the power supply circuit 52, which is a means for informing the driver of the operating condition of the clutch operation assisting device 21. Further, a timer relay 54 for setting the lighting condition of the indicator lamp 53 may be provided between the power supply circuit 52 and the indicator lamp 53.

The indicator lamp 53 is shown in FIG.
The instrument panel 14 is installed as shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

When the clutch lever 18 is gripped with, for example, the left hand, the operation cable 20 is pulled. As soon as the operation cable 20 is pulled, the ON-OFF switch 50 is turned on and the electric motor 33 of the clutch operation assisting device 21 is activated. By driving the electric motor 33, the rotor 40 attached to the hub 37 of the motor output shaft 35 rotates.

On the other hand, when the operation cable 20 is pulled by the manual operation of the clutch lever 18, the pulling force of the operation cable 20 pushes the reel pieces 43a to 43d of the reel 43 of the clutch operation assisting device 21 against the rotor 40. Frictionally engages the rotor 40, and the rotor 40 is fastened to the reel pieces 43a to 43d of the reel 43 and
Giving rotational force to 3. As a result, the rotational driving force of the motor is applied to the operation cable 20 as power assist via the reel 43. Therefore, the clutch lever 18
The lever operation is very light because it requires the tightening operation force required to press the reel 43 to the rotor 40 side and make frictional engagement.

Since the power assist amount increases as the number of turns of the operation cable 20 wound around the cable guide path 44 of the reel 43 increases, the power assist amount can be arbitrarily set according to the situation.

When the clutch operation assisting device 21 is actuated by operating the clutch lever 18, the motor driving force is applied to the operation cable 20 together with the lever actuating force to actuate the clutch release lever 22.

The clutch mechanism 24 is operated by the above clutch operation.
The clutch is actuated to act as a clutch to prevent the rotational driving force of the engine 3 from being transmitted to the transmission 27.

Further, when the clutch lever 18 is operated and pulled by the maximum stroke, the ON-OFF switch 50
Is turned off, and the driving of the electric motor 33 is stopped.
As a result, it is possible to prevent the rotor 40 and the reel 43 of the clutch operation assisting device 21 from relatively sliding relative to each other in a frictional contact state.

When the clutch lever 18 is released, the spring force of the spring 25 of the clutch mechanism 24 acts on the clutch lever 18 via the operation cable 20 to return the clutch lever 18 to the original position. At this time, the hub 37 of the clutch operation assisting device 21 and the rotor 40 are held in a relationship in which the operating force of the operating cable 20 immediately acts.
Specifically, the engagement pin 41 of the rotor 40 and the elongated hole 42 of the hub 37 are engaged at the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 5, so that the operating force of the clutch lever 18 is immediately transmitted to the clutch mechanism 24 side. It has become.

Motor output shaft 35 side, hub 37, rotor 4
By maintaining the engagement relationship with 0 (the position of the engagement pin 41) as shown in FIG. 5, even if the electric motor 33 should fail, the manual operation of the clutch lever 18 causes the operation cable 20 to operate. The transmitted operating force is directly transmitted to the clutch release lever 22 via the reel 43, and the clutch operation of the clutch mechanism 24 can be performed.

The indicator lamp 53 is ON-O.
When the FF switch 50 is turned on and the power supply circuit 52 is energized, the light is turned on to inform the driver that the clutch operation assisting device 21 is operating. However, if the clutch operation is frequently performed depending on the driving situation, the indicator will be adjusted accordingly. Since the lamp 53 is frequently lit and the driver's distraction may be distracted, the indicator lamp 53 is used only when the clutch operation assisting device 21 is continuously operated for a long time, for example, 10 seconds or more, by using the timer relay 54. May be turned on.

Although the power assist device is applied to the motorcycle 1 in the above embodiment, it can be applied to a motorcycle or a four-wheeled vehicle.

FIG. 10 shows an example in which the power assist device for a vehicle clutch is applied to an automobile.

One end of an operation cable 56 is connected to a clutch pedal 55 as an initial clutch operation member of an automobile, and the other end of the operation cable 56 is connected to a clutch release lever 57. The clutch release lever 57 is connected to the clutch mechanism 59 via a mechanical operation force transmission mechanism 58 such as a worm gear mechanism.
The clutch 9 is operated.

A clutch operation assisting device 61 having an electric motor 60 is provided in the middle of the operation cable 56, and the electric motor 60 of the clutch operation assisting device 61 is also turned ON 0N-0FF in conjunction with the clutch pedal 55. -OF
It is started and stopped by an F switch (not shown).

The clutch operation assisting device 61 does not differ from the clutch operation assisting device 21 of the motorcycle 1 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and therefore its explanation is omitted.

In the above embodiment, the power assist device is applied to the clutch mechanism. However, the power assist device may be applied to a parking brake for a vehicle or a main stand power assist device for a motorcycle.

FIG. 11 shows an example in which this power assist device is applied to a parking brake of an automobile.

One end of an operation cable 63 is connected to a parking brake lever 62 as an initial parking brake operation member of an automobile, the other end of the operation cable 63 is connected to a parking brake mechanism 64, and this parking brake mechanism 64 is operated. It is like this.

A parking brake operation assisting device 66 having an electric motor 65 is provided in the middle of the operation cable 63, and the electric motor 6 of the parking brake operation assisting device 66 is provided.
5 is also ON-OFF which is 0N-0FF in conjunction with the ratchet release knob 67 provided on the parking brake lever 62.
It is started and stopped by a switch (not shown).

The parking brake operation assisting device 66 is the clutch operation assisting device 2 of the motorcycle 1 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
The description is omitted because it is not different from 1.

In this embodiment, the ON-OFF switch 50 is provided so as to interlock with the initial operation member such as the clutch lever 18, but the ON-OFF switch 50 is provided so as to interlock with the operation cable 20. Good.

[0063]

As described above, according to the power assist device for a vehicle clutch according to the present invention, the clutch operation assisting device is provided in the middle of the operation cable for operating the clutch mechanism, and the clutch operation assisting device is used to drive the motor. Since the driving force is added to the operation cable as the power assist amount, the operation force of the operation cable required to operate the clutch mechanism can be greatly reduced, and the initial clutch operation member such as the clutch pedal and the clutch lever can be significantly reduced. The operability can be improved and you can enjoy comfortable driving with a very light operation feeling.

In this power assist device, the motor driving force can be selectively added to the operation cable as the power assist amount by the clutch operation assisting device.
Since the clutch operation amount can be designed to be large, the clutch disengagement can be improved, while the power assist amount can be arbitrarily set by winding the operation cable for operating the clutch mechanism around the reel a plurality of times.

Further, even if the driver inadvertently operates the clutch operation assisting device, the driver can check the operating condition of the clutch operation assisting device, so that the power consumption of the clutch operation assisting device is reduced and the durability is improved. Can be achieved.

Further, even if the clutch operation assisting device should fail, the operating force of the clutch pedal or the clutch lever is reliably transmitted to the clutch mechanism via the operating cable or reel, so that the clutch operation is a motor failure. Will not be damaged by.

Since the power assist device for the vehicle clutch can be configured by providing the clutch operation assisting device in the middle of the operation cable, the related parts of the conventional model can be used as they are, and the power assisting device can be used in automobiles and motorcycles. It can be retrofitted easily and easily.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a left side view of a motorcycle to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a power assist device for a vehicle clutch according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a wiring relationship of operation cables of the power assist device shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a clutch operation assisting device incorporated in the power assist device for a vehicle clutch according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the clutch operation assisting device shown in FIG. 4, showing a coupling relationship between the clutch operation assisting device and an operation cable with a case cover removed.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a clutch lever of the motorcycle.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a lever holder for mounting the clutch lever shown in FIG. 6 from below.

8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 7, showing the structure of an ON-OFF switch attached to the lever holder of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a view showing the vicinity of an instrument panel.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the power assist device for a vehicle clutch according to the present invention is applied to an automobile.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example in which the operation assisting device of the power assist device for a vehicle clutch according to the present invention is applied to a parking brake mechanism of an automobile.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Motorcycle 2 Body Frame 3 Engine 12, 13 Handlebar 14 Instrument Panel 18 Clutch Lever (Initial Clutch Operating Member) 20,56 Operation Cable (Clutch Cable) 21,61 Clutch Operation Auxiliary Device 22,57 Clutch Release Lever 24,59 Clutch mechanism 27 Transmission 32 Battery 33, 60, 65 Electric motor 35 Motor output shaft 36 Main body casing 37 Hub (motor output shaft) 40 Rotor (rotating body) 41 Engaging pin 42 Long hole 43 Reel 43a to 43d Split reel piece 44 Cable Guide path 45,46 End piece 47,48 Engagement hole 49 Lever holder 50 ON-OFF switch 51a Fixed contact 51b Movable contact 52 Power circuit 53 Indicator lamp 55 Clutch pedal (first Dynamic clutch operating member) 62 Parking brake lever (initial parking brake operating member) 63 Operating cable (parking brake cable) 64 Parking brake mechanism 66 Brake operation assisting device

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Katsura Fukuyama, 300 Takatsuka-cho, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka, Suzuki Stock Company (72) Inventor Kunaki Ishibe, 300 Takatsuka-cho, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A clutch operation assisting device is constructed by winding a reel comprising a plurality of split reel pieces slidably on a motor-driven rotating body, and winding an operation cable for operating a clutch mechanism around the reel to construct a clutch operation assisting device. The operation assisting device frictionally engages a rotating body and a reel by applying an operation force to an operation cable to add a motor driving force to the operation cable as a power assist amount. Power assist device. 2. The power assist device for a vehicle clutch according to claim 1, wherein an operation cable for operating a clutch mechanism is wound around the reel a plurality of times to arbitrarily set the power assist amount. 3. The power assist device for a vehicle clutch according to claim 1, further comprising means for informing a driver of an operating condition of the clutch operation assisting device. 4. An ON-OFF switch interlocking with an initial clutch operation member such as a clutch pedal or a clutch lever for operating a vehicle clutch mechanism via an operation cable is provided.
The stop is controlled, and the ON-OFF switch is set to be ON in the idle section of the operation cable during the operation stroke of the initial clutch operation member and OFF at the time of the maximum operation stroke. A power assist device for a vehicle clutch, characterized in that the device is provided.