JPH08258585A - Hub clutch - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To integrate a sliding gear, a retainer, a plate and a diaphragm by dividing a housing into a hollow first member and a second member for closing the end part of the first member, and inserting the inner edge side of the diaphragm between the retainer of the sliding gear and the plate. CONSTITUTION: A housing 3 is formed into two-piece constitution of a housing body 5 that is a hollow first member, and a cover 7 that is a second member for closing the end part of the housing body 5, and both members are jointly fastened to a wheel hub by bolts 9. A sliding gear 31 is movably provided in a connecting position of the gear part 29 of the housing body 5 being meshed with a gear 15 and in a connection release position. A prate 41 is welded to the retainer 33 of the sliding gear 31 so as to be fixed, and the inner edge side of a diaphragm 39 is inserted between the retainer 33 of the sliding gear 31 and the plate 41. The sliding gear 31, retainer 33, plate 41 and diaphragm 39 can thereby be integrated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to four-wheel drive (4WD).
The present invention relates to a hub clutch that connects and disconnects a drive axle and wheels in a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A hub clutch 201 as shown in FIG. 2 is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-15322. This is because the slide gear 209 which can be engaged and disengaged with the drive gear 205 on the drive axle 203 side and the housing 207 on the wheel side is moved and operated by the actuator 211, the shift spring 213 and the return spring 215 to perform connection and disconnection operations. To do.

The actuator 211 is a diaphragm 21.
7 within the housing 207.
The outer edge side of the diaphragm 217 is airtightly fixed to the inner circumference of the housing 207, and the inner edge side is the slide gear 209.
It is sandwiched between the retainer 219 and the plate 221. The retainer 219 is provided with several flexible arms 223 formed by slitting a cylindrical portion, and a claw 225 is formed at the tip of each arm 223. on the other hand,
The plate 221 is provided with a cylindrical portion 227, and the claw 225 of the arm 223 is click-engaged with the top surface 229 of the cylindrical portion 227 to fix the retainer 219 and the plate 221 to each other while the inner edge side of the diaphragm 217. Press to maintain airtightness.

A cover 231 is screwed to the housing 207, and a filter 233 is supported between them. Further, the return spring 215 is disposed between the cover 231 and the plate 221, and the shift spring 213 includes the housing 207 and the slide gear 209.
It is located between and.

[0005]

However, as shown in FIG. 2, since the retainer 219 has the arm 223 (dimension A),
This is disadvantageous because the hub clutch 201 becomes longer outside the vehicle in the lateral direction. In addition, in the click engagement as described above, it is necessary to take measures such as increasing the rigidity sufficiently to prevent the arm 223 from falling and the sealing performance being deteriorated. It was getting longer outside the direction.

In addition to this, the housing 207 supports the filter 233 and the core metal 2 of the diaphragm 217.
Since there is a small diameter portion 237 for mounting the 35, the retainer 21
9, the plate 221, the diaphragm 217, the slide gear 209, the shift spring 213, etc. are assembled to the housing 207 from the left side of FIG. 2, and then the housing 207 is attached to the wheel hub and the drive axle 20 as indicated by an arrow 239.
Assemble with 3.

As described above, since each member to be assembled to the housing 207 cannot be assembled to the housing 207 from the cover 231 side, inspection, repair, replacement, etc. of these members are performed unless the housing 207 is removed from the wheel hub. Cannot be installed, and the assembling and disassembling properties are extremely poor.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a hub clutch which has a high sealing property at the holding portion of the diaphragm, is short in the axial direction, and is excellent in assembling property and disassembling property.

[0009]

A hub clutch according to a first aspect of the present invention is a housing comprising a hollow first member fixed to a wheel side of a wheel, and a second member attached to the first member and closing an end thereof. A drive gear on the drive axle side, a slide gear that is movable to a coupling position that meshes and couples a gear portion formed on the first member and the drive gear, and a coupling release position where the coupling is released; A retainer that holds a gear and moves integrally, a plate fixed to the retainer, an inner edge side between the retainer and the plate, and an outer edge side between the first member and the second member in an airtight manner. A diaphragm, an actuator that is defined inside the first member by the diaphragm, and that moves the slide gear to one of the two positions via a retainer and a plate, and a slide gear. A spring for urging the second gear to the other of the two positions, and an opening formed in the first member and capable of assembling the slide gear from the second member side to the gear portion of the first member. To do.

A hub clutch according to a second aspect of the present invention is the hub clutch according to the first aspect, in which the retainer and the plate are made of metal and are welded and integrated with the inner edge side of the diaphragm being sandwiched therebetween.

A hub clutch according to a third aspect of the present invention is the hub clutch according to the first aspect, wherein the retainer and the plate are made of resin, and these are bonded or welded together with the inner edge side of the diaphragm being sandwiched therebetween.

[0012]

According to each of the hub clutches of claims 1, 2, and 3, the housing is divided into two parts, that is, a hollow first member on the wheel hub side and a second member attached to the first member and closing an end thereof. By fixing the retainer and the plate of the slide gear and sandwiching the inner edge side of the diaphragm between them, the slide gear, the retainer, the plate and the diaphragm are integrated, and further these integrated members are attached to the second member side. The first member is provided with an opening that can be assembled.

Thus, the integrated member can be assembled and disassembled with the first member fixed to the wheel hub, and excellent assembling and disassembling properties can be obtained.

Further, unlike the conventional example, the inner edge side of the diaphragm is sandwiched by the force for fixing the retainer and the plate instead of the click engagement, and the outer edge side is between the first member and the second member of the housing. Since it is sandwiched between the two, a sufficient sealing property is obtained, air leakage of the actuator is prevented, and high reliability is obtained.

Further, since the retainer does not have the arm necessary for the click engagement as in the conventional example, the hub clutch can be constructed so as to be shorter in the axial direction.

A hub clutch according to a second aspect of the present invention is the hub clutch according to the first aspect, wherein the retainer and the plate are made of metal, and they are integrally welded together with the inner edge side of the diaphragm being sandwiched therebetween. Unlike the click engagement of (1), the retainer and the plate are firmly fixed. or,
The metal retainer and plate have high strength, and will not be deformed or damaged even if the operating force of the actuator is repeatedly applied.

A hub clutch according to a third aspect of the present invention is the hub clutch according to the first aspect, wherein the retainer and the plate are made of resin, and the inner edge side of the diaphragm is sandwiched and adhered or welded to integrate them. Unlike the conventional click engagement, the retainer and plate are firmly integrated, and the resin retainer and plate have high weather resistance and do not corrode even if rainwater enters from the outside for a long period of time. Keep the hub clutch functioning normally.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment has the features of claims 1 and 2. The left and right directions are the vehicle in which this embodiment is mounted and the left and right directions in FIG. 1, and members and the like not given reference numerals are not shown.

The hub clutch 1 of this embodiment is arranged on the front wheels of a 4WD vehicle. Below, hub clutch 1 for the right front wheel
Will be described as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 3 has a cylindrical housing body 5 (first member) and a cover 7 (second member) which are divided into two parts. Have been tightened together. An O-ring 11 for preventing air leakage is arranged between the housing body 5 and this wheel hub. The wheel hub is supported by bearings on the outer circumference of a hollow spindle, and this spindle is connected to the vehicle body via a suspension. The wheel wheel of the front right wheel and the brake disc are fixed to the wheel hub with bolts.

The right front axle 13 (driving axle) penetrates the spindle, and a drive gear 15 is spline-connected to the right end portion thereof. The axle 13 is supported on the inner circumference of the spindle via a bearing, and a seal for preventing air leakage is arranged between the axle 13 and the spindle. The drive gear 15 is supported on the inner periphery of the housing body 5 via a slide bearing 17 and a center plate 19. This center plate 19 and sliding bearing 1
7, the runout of the tip of the axle 13 is prevented, and the drive gear 15 and the housing body 5 are centered.

The center plate 19 is the drive gear 1
Positioning is performed between the retaining ring 21 and the stepped portion 23 on the No. 5 side through washers 25, and by a retaining ring 27 on the housing body 5 side.

A slide gear 31 is axially movably connected to the inner periphery of the housing body 5 via a spline portion 29 (gear portion). The slide gear 31 can be engaged with and disengaged from the drive gear 15, and when the slide gear 31 moves to a coupling position where it meshes with the drive gear 15 as depicted by a broken line, the hub clutch 1 locks and the right front wheel moves to the axle 1.
When the slide gear 31 is moved to the disengagement position where it is connected to the drive gear 15 and is disengaged from the drive gear 15, the hub clutch 1 becomes free and the right front wheel is disengaged from the axle 13 and becomes free rotation.

The spline portion 29 is provided with toothless portions in the circumferential direction, and these toothless portions are provided to the arm 35 of the retainer 33.
Has penetrated. Both ends of the slide gear 31 are sandwiched by these arms 35 and are integrated with the retainer 33.

The outer edge side of the diaphragm 39 is sandwiched between the housing body 5 and the cover 7 via a reinforcing ring 37 integral with the diaphragm 39, and is pressed by the tightening force of the bolt 9 to be airtightly fixed. . or,
The retainer 33 and the plate 4 are provided on the inner edge side of the diaphragm 39.
It is sandwiched between 1 and 1. A seal ring 43 is arranged between the reinforcing ring 37 and the housing body 5 to prevent air leakage. The retainer 33 and the plate 41 are both made of metal, and are spot-welded and integrated at the position of the arrow 45.

As shown in FIG. 1, the opening 47 of the housing body 5 in which the reinforcing ring 37 is mounted has a diameter larger than the outer circumference of the retainer 33 or the slide gear 31.

A diaphragm 39 is provided inside the housing 3.
The actuator 49 and the air chamber 51 are defined on the left and right sides thereof, respectively.

An opening 53 is provided in the cover 7 to communicate the air chamber 51 with the outside. A mesh filter 55 is attached to the opening 53 to prevent foreign matter from entering the air chamber 51 from the outside.

A shift spring 57 (spring) is arranged between the plate 41 and the cover 7, and the plate 4
The slide gear 31 is urged in the direction of the connection position via the retainer 33 and the retainer 33.

Pressure (positive pressure) is sent to the actuator 49 from an engine-driven air pump through an air passage provided between the axle 13 and the spindle and an orifice provided in the spindle. Actuator 4
When the pressure is sent to 9, the diaphragm 39 bends rightward against the urging force of the shift spring 57, and the slide gear 31 is moved to the connection release position as shown in FIG.
When the pressure supply to the actuator 49 is stopped, the shift spring 57 moves the slide gear 31 to the connecting position.

Thus, the hub clutch 1 is constructed.

The transfer of a 4WD vehicle equipped with the hub clutch 1 is provided with a 2WD-4WD switching mechanism, and the hub clutch 1 of the left and right front wheels is switched in conjunction with this switching mechanism. When the 2WD-4WD switching mechanism is switched to the 4WD side, each hub clutch 1
Is connected and the vehicle enters the 4WD state, which improves the running performance and escapeability on rough roads.

Further, the 2WD-4WD switching mechanism has a 2WD
When switched to the side, the connection of each hub clutch 1 is released and the vehicle enters the 2WD state, and vibration, noise, wear and the like of the front wheel side power transmission system due to accompanying rotation of the front wheels is prevented.

As described above, since the hub clutch 1 fixes the retainer 33 and the plate 41 by welding, unlike the conventional click engagement, the hub clutch 1 is firmly integrated. Also, the inner edge side of the diaphragm 39 is strongly pinched by the force that fixes the retainer 33 and the plate 41, and the outer edge side is strongly pinched by the force of the bolt 9 that tightens the housing body 5 and the cover 7 together. Since the airtightness is maintained and sufficient sealing performance is obtained, the reliability of the hub clutch 1 is significantly improved.

Further, a metal retainer 33 and a plate 41
Has a high strength, for example, the actuator 4 with the slide gear 31 not completely coming out of the drive gear 15.
Even if the movement operation force of 9 is repeatedly applied, the arm 35 of the retainer 33 is not deformed or damaged.

Further, since the retainer 33 does not have the arm 223 necessary for the click engagement as in the conventional example of FIG. 2, the hub clutch 1 becomes axially shorter by that amount, and the degree of freedom in vehicle body design increases.

In addition to this, the housing body 5 has an opening 47 having a diameter larger than the outer circumference of the retainer 33 and the slide gear 31.
Since it is provided, the integrated slide gear 31, retainer 33, plate 41, and diaphragm 39 can be assembled to the housing body 5 from the cover 7 side through the opening 47.

Therefore, at the time of assembly, these integrated members can be assembled from the opening 47 with the housing body 5 fixed to the wheel hub side.
When repairing, replacing parts, or cleaning, unlike the conventional example, these operations can be performed without removing the housing body 5 from the wheel hub.

Thus, the hub clutch 1 has excellent assembling and disassembling properties.

The metal retainer and the plate may be fixed by welding other than spot welding, or by caulking or screwing.

The retainer and the plate are not limited to those made of metal. The hub clutch of claim 3 is such an example,
The retainer and the plate are made of resin, and they are integrated by adhering or welding while sandwiching the inner edge side of the diaphragm.

Also in this case, unlike the conventional click engagement, the retainer and the plate are firmly integrated, and the resin retainer and the plate have high weather resistance, and rainwater and the like enter from the outside. It will not corrode and will keep the hub clutch functioning properly for a long time. Also, the retainer arm is
Sufficient strength can be obtained by increasing the number or increasing the thickness.

Although the hub clutch 1 of the above embodiment is constructed so that the connection is released when the actuator 49 is operated, in the present invention, the hub clutch is connected when the actuator is operated. You may comprise.

The cover (second member) may be fixed to the first member by screwing instead of bolting.

[0045]

According to each of the hub clutches of the present invention described in claims 1, 2, and 3, the housing has a hollow first member and a second member which is attached to the first member and closes an end thereof. By splitting into two, fixing the retainer and plate of the slide gear, and sandwiching the inner edge side of the diaphragm between them, the slide gear, the retainer, the plate, and the diaphragm are integrated, and these integrated members are further integrated. A large-diameter opening is provided in the first member so that the first member can be assembled from the second member side.

Therefore, it is possible to assemble and disassemble the integrated member with the first member fixed to the wheel hub, and it is possible to obtain excellent assembling and disassembling properties.

Further, unlike the conventional example, the inner edge side of the diaphragm is sandwiched by the force for fixing the retainer and the plate instead of the click engagement, and the outer edge side is sandwiched between the first member and the second member of the housing. By sandwiching them, sufficient sealing property can be obtained, air leakage of the actuator can be prevented, and high reliability can be obtained. Further, since the retainer does not have an arm as in the conventional example, the hub clutch becomes axially shorter by that amount.

Further, in the hub clutch according to the second aspect, the retainer and the plate are made of metal, and these are integrated by welding to firmly fix the retainer and the plate. Further, since the metal retainer and the plate have high strength, they are not deformed or damaged, and the durability of the hub clutch is improved.

In the hub clutch according to the third aspect of the invention, the retainer and the plate are made of resin, and the retainer and the plate are firmly fixed by adhering or welding them together. Further, since the resin retainer and the plate have high weather resistance, they do not corrode even if rainwater or the like enters, and the function of the hub clutch is kept normal for a long time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Hub Clutch 3 Housing 5 Housing Main Body (First Member) 7 Cover (Second Member) 13 Drive Axle 15 Drive Gear 29 Spline Part (Gear Part) 31 Slide Gear 33 Retainer 39 Diaphragm 41 Plate 47 Opening 49 Actuator 57 Shift Spring (spring)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A hollow first wheel fixed to the wheel side.
A housing that includes a member and a second member that is attached to the first member and closes an end thereof, a drive gear on the drive axle side,
A slide gear that is movable to a coupling position that meshes with a gear portion formed on the first member and a drive gear to couple them, and a coupling release position where this coupling is released, and a slide gear that holds the slide gear and moves integrally. The retainer, the plate fixed to the retainer, the diaphragm that is hermetically sandwiched between the retainer and the plate on the inner edge side and the first member and the second member on the outer edge side, and the first diaphragm. An actuator that is defined inside the member and that moves the slide gear to one of the two positions via a retainer and a plate; a spring that biases the slide gear to the other of the two positions; and a first member, A hub clutch, comprising: an opening capable of assembling the slide gear from the second member side to the gear portion of the first member. 2. The hub clutch according to claim 1, wherein the retainer and the plate are made of metal, and they are integrally welded to each other while sandwiching the inner edge side of the diaphragm. 3. The hub clutch according to claim 1, wherein the retainer and the plate are made of resin, and they are integrated by adhering or welding while sandwiching the inner edge side of the diaphragm.