JPH09119454A - Clutch interrupting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a sense of incompatibility when the operation is shifted to the manual operation by providing a three-way valve switching the first oil pressure feed path from a master cylinder to a hydraulic operating valve and the second oil pressure feed path from an air master cylinder to the hydraulic operating valve, and providing a relief valve on the first oil pressure feed path. SOLUTION: When a clutch 8 is automatically released, oil pressure is fed from an air master cylinder 42, a control valve section 7a is opened to feed air pressure to a booster 7, and the clutch 8 is released. When a pedal 9 is depressed by a play in this state, a selector valve 78 is turned off, and air pressure is discharged from the air master cylinder 42. When the pedal 9 is further depressed, oil pressure is generated by a master cylinder 10, the valve element of a three-way valve 69 is moved to the opposite side, a hydraulic pipe 54 is kept at a high pressure, and the operation is shifted to the manual operation. A relief valve 77 is provided on the pipe 54, the depressing force is increased to discharge the operating oil, and the operating feeling is increased.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention relates to a clutch connecting / disconnecting device, and more particularly to a clutch connecting / disconnecting device capable of automating a vehicle clutch.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, there has been an increasing demand for automatic shifting of large vehicles such as buses and trucks. Since these vehicles generally have a large vehicle weight and a large payload, and use of a fluid torque converter such as that employed in a passenger car as a clutch type causes a large loss and is disadvantageous in terms of fuel efficiency, so in such a large vehicle, In particular, the friction clutch is turned on and off by automatic operation, the output of which is sent to a transmission, and this transmission is also automatically operated, thereby achieving automatic transmission. As a clutch intermittent device for automatically operating the clutch, a device provided with a booster (clutch booster) for intermittently operating the friction clutch by supplying and discharging air pressure is generally used.

On the other hand, when the vehicle is started, the operation of the clutch is delicate, and if the operation is to be performed by automatic control, the device becomes complicated and expensive. Therefore, only in this case, a manual operation using a clutch pedal is required. ) There is a system which can be operated so as to simplify the device and reduce the price (so-called semi-auto clutch system). In this case, the hydraulic pressure is supplied and discharged from the master cylinder by operating the clutch pedal, and the supply and discharge of the hydraulic pressure is performed to supply and discharge the pneumatic pressure to and from the booster.

[0004] By the way, at the time of automatic shifting except at the time of starting, air pressure is supplied / discharged to the booster without operating the clutch pedal. Further, when the air pressure is supplied, the booster pushes an internal power piston to operate the clutch in a disconnecting direction.

In the conventional configuration, a passage for sending hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder communicates with a hydraulic cylinder of a booster whose volume changes according to the movement of the power piston. That is, when clutch separation control is performed by the power piston without operating the clutch pedal, when the hydraulic piston (hydraulic piston) moves due to the pushing of the power piston, a negative pressure is generated in the hydraulic passage and air bubbles are mixed in, so that the clutch is disengaged. There is a possibility that the accurate operation of the is difficult.

In order to prevent such a negative pressure from occurring, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-8023 discloses a mechanism for canceling a manual operation and an automatic operation at a hydraulic output portion of a booster.
The change in volume in the hydraulic passage during automatic operation is prevented. However, such a structural change of the booster has to employ a complicated structure with a small space in order to ensure the completeness of the seal and the like, which leads to an increase in cost, reliability and durability. Problems arise.

Therefore, the applicant of the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by not changing the structure of the booster and operating the master cylinder not only by the clutch pedal but also by another driving means (pneumatic or hydraulic). I made a proposal for a clutch engagement and disengagement device. (Japanese Patent Application No. 7-176353)

[0008]

In order to solve the above problems, an air master cylinder for supplying hydraulic pressure by introducing air pressure is provided in addition to a normal master cylinder that works in conjunction with a clutch pedal. It is also conceivable to perform automatic clutch on-off control by controlling the introduction of air pressure into the cylinder.

If a mechanical three-way valve as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-8023 is used for switching the hydraulic pressure supply passages from the master cylinder and the air master cylinder, automatic switching can be achieved with a simple structure. it can.

However, according to this structure, when both master cylinders interfere with each other, that is, when the clutch is automatically disengaged by the air master cylinder, the clutch pedal is depressed to operate the master cylinder, and the manual operation is started. In such a case, the clutch pedal can be depressed only by the amount of pressurization in the hydraulic supply passage before the three-way valve and the amount of movement of the valve element of the three-way valve, but since it is smaller than the normal depression stroke, the driver is There is a problem that makes you feel uncomfortable. Further, although the clutch is disengaged even if the depression amount is small, the clutch is engaged by the returning operation on the contrary, which causes a feeling of strangeness.

[0011]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a booster for dividing and operating a clutch by supplying air pressure, a hydraulically operated valve for opening and closing an air pressure supply path to the booster, and a clutch pedal operation. A master cylinder that interlocks to supply hydraulic pressure to the hydraulically actuated valve, an air master cylinder that supplies pneumatic pressure to the hydraulically actuated valve by introducing air pressure by pneumatic pressure supply control by a controller, the master cylinder and the air The valve body is moved based on the hydraulic pressure difference from the master cylinder, and a first hydraulic pressure supply path from the master cylinder to the hydraulically operated valve and a second hydraulic pressure supply path from the air master cylinder to the hydraulically operated valve are provided. The three-way valve to be switched and the first hydraulic pressure supply path extending from the master cylinder to the hydraulically operated valve are provided, and the hydraulically operated valve is opened by a hydraulic pressure exceeding the hydraulic pressure for opening the hydraulically operated valve. It is obtained by a relief valve for discharging the hydraulic oil from the first hydraulic pressure supply passage.

When shifting to the manual operation when the clutch is automatically disengaged by the air master cylinder, the second hydraulic pressure supply passage on the air master cylinder side is already at a high pressure, so even if the clutch pedal is stepped on, it will not be depressed. It is regulated on the way. At the same time, the air master cylinder is turned off at the same time as it is depressed to discharge air pressure and stop hydraulic pressure supply. In this way, the three-way valve switches the hydraulic pressure supply path, whereby the hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder maintains a high pressure, and the transition to manual disconnection is achieved. At this time, by depressing the clutch pedal slightly strongly against the hydraulic pressure, a higher hydraulic pressure is generated from the master cylinder,
As a result, the relief valve is opened and the hydraulic oil is discharged, so that the normal clutch pedal stroke can be secured.

[0013]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a clutch connecting / disconnecting device according to the present invention. The clutch connecting / disconnecting device 1 has pneumatic supply means 2 for supplying pneumatic pressure. The pneumatic supply means 2
A compressor 3 which is driven by an engine (not shown) to generate air pressure (air pressure); an air dryer 4 for drying air from the compressor 3; an air tank 5 for storing air sent from the air dryer 4; 5
And a check valve 6 provided on the inlet side of the valve.
The air pressure from the air pressure supply means 2 is sent to a booster (clutch booster) 7, and the booster 7 operates the friction clutch 8 to the separating side (right side) A by supplying the air pressure. ing. The booster 7 will be described in detail later,
The hydraulic pressure is also supplied from the master cylinder 10 or the air master cylinder 42.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing details of the booster 7. The booster 7 is configured in the same manner as the conventional one. As shown, the booster 7 has a cylinder shell 12 connected to its body 11,
2, a piston plate (power piston, booster piston) 13 is provided by a return spring 14 and urged toward the pneumatic pressure introduction side (left side in the figure). A pneumatic nipple 15 is attached to one end of the cylinder shell 12,
The air pressure nipple 15 forms an air pressure inlet to introduce air pressure from the air tank 5 through the air pressure pipe 34 (FIG. 1).
When air pressure is introduced, the piston plate 13 is pushed to the right, and when this happens, the piston plate 13 pushes the piston rod 16, the hydraulic piston 17, and further the push rod 18 to move the clutch lever 8a (Fig. 1). Push to the disengagement side A to disengage the clutch 8.

On the other hand, a hydraulic path 20 is formed inside the body 11, and a hydraulic pressure inlet of the hydraulic path 20 is formed by a hydraulic nipple 19. One end of a hydraulic pipe 54 is connected to the hydraulic nipple 19. The hydraulic passage 20 includes a hole 21 formed at one end (lower end) of the body flange portion 11a, a hydraulic cylinder (hydraulic cylinder) 22 that accommodates the hydraulic piston 17 (formed on the body cylinder portion 11b), and a hydraulic cylinder. It is mainly formed by the control hole 23 on the other end (upper end) side communicating with the lick cylinder 22 via the small hole 23a. When the hydraulic pressure is introduced from the hydraulic nipple 19, the hydraulic pressure reaches the control hole 23 through the passage and pushes the control piston 24 rightward along the control cylinder 25. As described in detail later, the control valve portion 7a (hydraulic valve) for controlling the pneumatic supply to the booster 7 is provided on the upper end side of the body flange portion 11a.
Is formed.

The control valve section 7a is defined by a control body section 26 projecting rightward. The control body portion 26 is formed with a control chamber 27 and a pneumatic port 28 that coaxially communicate with the control cylinder 25. The control section 27 of the control piston 24 is provided in the control chamber 27.
However, a poppet valve 30 is slidably accommodated in the pneumatic port 28. Nipple 3 in pneumatic port 28
The nipple 31 is provided with a pneumatic piping 67.
(FIG. 1) is connected and air pressure is always supplied.

Normally, the poppet valve 30 is urged to the left by pneumatic pressure and a poppet spring 32, and closes a communication port 33 that connects the control chamber 27 and the pneumatic port 28. Therefore, the air pressure from the nipple 31 is cut off at the position of the poppet valve 30. However, when hydraulic pressure is supplied from the hydraulic pipe 54, the control unit 29 of the control piston 24 pushes the poppet valve 30 to the right to open the communication port 33 (that is, the control valve unit 7a is opened). In this case, the air pressure that has entered the control chamber 27 through the communication port 33 enters the aforementioned cylinder shell 12 through the pneumatic pipe 34 (shown in phantom line) that communicates with the control chamber 27, and the pneumatic pressure on the left side of the piston plate 13 is increased. It acts on the action surface 13a and pushes it to the right side to operate the clutch 8 to the disengagement side.

Here, the booster 7 can operate the clutch 8 for a predetermined stroke in accordance with the magnitude of the supplied hydraulic pressure. That is, for example, when the hydraulic pressure is increased by a relatively small value, the piston plate 13 is pushed to the right by the above-described pneumatic action, and in conjunction with this, the hydraulic piston 17 is pushed to the right by a predetermined stroke. . Then, the volume of the hydraulic passage 20 increases and the hydraulic pressure in the control hole 23 decreases. When this happens, a balance state occurs in which the poppet valve 30 closes the communication port 33 while the control unit 29 of the control piston 24 presses the poppet valve 30. The control room 27 and the pneumatic piping 3
4, and a predetermined air pressure is maintained in the air pressure introducing chamber 12b on the air pressure acting surface 13a side of the piston plate 13, the piston plate 13 is held at a predetermined stroke position, and the clutch 8 is set at a predetermined half clutch position. Hold.

When the hydraulic pressure is completely released, the control holes 2
3, the control piston 24 is returned to the leftmost home position as shown. In this case, the poppet valve 30 also moves to the left to close the communication port 33 (that is, the control valve portion 7a is closed), the control portion 29 separates from the poppet valve 30, and the open port provided inside the control portion 29. 36 comes into communication with the control chamber 27 and the like. Then, most of the air pressure retained is from the open port 36 to the atmospheric pressure port 3.
The air pressure introduced into the atmosphere chamber 12a on the opposite side of the air pressure introducing chamber 12b through 9 thereby pushing the piston plate 13 to the right side, in cooperation with the return spring 14, pushes it to the left side on the opposite side, The clutch 8 is operated to the connecting side (left side) B. And the remaining air pressure is breather 37
Is released to the atmosphere through.

In the booster 7, 38 is a seal member that oil-tightly separates the cylinder chamber 12a and the hydraulic cylinder 22, 40 is an atmospheric pressure port, and 41 is a bleeder for the working oil when loosened. Be a breeder.

As shown in FIG. 1, the hydraulic pipe 54 includes a shuttle valve which is a three-way valve or a double check valve (hereinafter referred to as D.
CV) 69, and two more hydraulic lines 43, 44 extend from the DCV 69, one 43 for the master cylinder 10 and the other 44 for the air master cylinder 4
2 is connected. Especially master cylinder 10 and booster 7
The hydraulic pipes 43 and 54 that connect to each other form a first hydraulic pressure supply passage, and the hydraulic pipes 44 and 54 that connect the air master cylinder 42 and the booster 7 form a second hydraulic supply passage. Then, these hydraulic pressure supply paths are appropriately switched by the DCV 69.

The master cylinder 10 has a normal structure, that is, when the driver operates the clutch pedal 9, the internal piston moves via the push rod 49, thereby supplying / discharging the hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic pressure supply section 53. To do.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing the structure of the air master cylinder 42. This is similar to the booster 7 above,
The pneumatic pressure sent from the pneumatic pipe 62 pushes the internal pneumatic piston 45. As a result, the hydraulic piston 46 is pushed through the rod 48, the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic chamber 50 is compressed, and the hydraulic pressure is supplied to the hydraulic pipe 44. Since the pneumatic piston 45 has a larger diameter than the hydraulic piston 46, a boosting effect is exerted. The pneumatic piston 45 is biased toward the return side by the return spring 47, and the inside of the pushing side (right side) chamber of the pneumatic piston 45 is breathed to the outside by the exhaust port 51.

A check valve mechanism 55 is provided between the rod 48 and the hydraulic piston 46, and a rear side (left side) of the hydraulic piston 46 is an oil chamber in which hydraulic oil of normal pressure (about atmospheric pressure) is stored. It is 56. The oil chamber 56 is the oil passage 60.
Is connected to an oil supply nipple 57 that forms an oil supply port. The check valve mechanism portion 55 is provided in the hydraulic chamber 50 when the hydraulic piston 40 is located at the original position on the left side as shown in the figure.
When the pressure is normal pressure, the oil chamber 56 and the hydraulic chamber 50 are communicated with each other, and the supply and discharge of the hydraulic oil between the oil chamber 56 and the hydraulic chamber 50 are allowed. On the other hand, when the hydraulic piston 46 is pushed to the right, the oil chamber 5
6 and the hydraulic chamber 50 are shut off to allow the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic chamber 50 to be pressurized.

The oil supply nipple 57 is connected to the oil supply pipe 5
9b, and supplies or replenishes the hydraulic oil in the reservoir tank 58 shown in FIG. 1 to the oil passage 60 and the oil chamber 56 through the pipe 59b. Although the volume of the oil chamber 56 changes due to the movement of the hydraulic piston 46, the hydraulic oil is appropriately supplied and discharged in the oil supply nipple 57 in accordance with the change in the volume.

A pressure mechanism 71 is attached to the oil supply nipple 57.
And the pressurizing mechanism 71 appropriately pressurizes the hydraulic oil in the oil passage 60 and the oil chamber 56 only when the hydraulic piston 46 is in the original position. The rod 48 is slidably inserted into the seal member 61, and the seal member 61 is press-fitted and fixed to seal the oil chamber 56 and the pneumatic piston 45 pushing side chamber.

As shown in FIG. 1, a reservoir tank 58
Is also connected to the oil supply nipple 10a of the master cylinder 10 via another oil supply pipe 59a. This allows
The reservoir tank 58 is connected to both the master cylinder 10 and the air master cylinder 42, and supplies hydraulic oil to both of them appropriately.

The DCV 69 utilizes the hydraulic pressure difference from the master cylinder 10 and the air master cylinder 42,
The hydraulic pressure supply path is automatically and mechanically switched. The structure is as shown in FIG. DCV 69 is
A spool type valve body 65 is slidably provided inside the valve body 64. The valve body 64 has a divided structure, that is, the first and second end bodies 64a and 64b are screwed and attached to opposite ends of the central body 64c.

Here, “first” and “a” are members on the master cylinder 10 side on the right side in the figure, and “second” and “b” are members on the air master cylinder 42 side on the left side in the figure, “Third” and “c” indicate the central member between them.

The first end body 64a has a first hydraulic port 68a, and the second end body 64b has a second hydraulic port 6a.
8b are formed coaxially. A hydraulic pipe 43 reaching the master cylinder 10 is connected to the first hydraulic port 68a, and a hydraulic pipe 44 reaching the air master cylinder 42 is connected to the second hydraulic port 68b. The first and second hydraulic ports 68 are provided inside the central body 64c.
A valve accommodating chamber 70 that communicates with a and 68b, and a third hydraulic port 68c that communicates orthogonally to the valve accommodating chamber 70 are defined. The hydraulic pipe 54 leading to the booster 7 is connected to the third hydraulic port 68c. The valve body accommodating chamber 70 has a central bulge portion 70c connected to the third hydraulic port 68c,
The first and second end bodies 6 are provided on both sides of the bulging portion 70c.
First and second bore portions 70 coaxially extending to 4a and 64b
a, 70b.

In particular, the first bore portion 70a and the second bore portion 70
It is formed to have the same diameter as b, and the valve element 65 sliding on these is also formed to have a constant diameter.

Inside the valve body 65, there are independent first
The second oil passages 74a and 74b are sectioned. The oil passages 74a, 74b are composed of center holes 75a, 75b bored from the opposite side toward the center side, and radial holes 76a, 76b penetrating in the radial direction.

In this DCV 69, the hydraulic pressure supply path is switched as follows. The illustrated state is when hydraulic pressure is sent from the master cylinder 10. At this time, the valve body 65 is moved to the left side by hydraulic pressure and the second end body 64 is moved.
abut on b. In this case, the first hydraulic port 68a communicates with the first bore portion 70a, the first oil passage 74a, the bulging portion 70c and the third hydraulic port 68c, whereby the hydraulic pipes 43 and 54 are connected to each other and the master cylinder 10 The hydraulic pressure from actuates the booster 7 to the dividing side A. On the other hand, at this time, since the diameter hole 76b of the second oil passage 74b is closed by the second bore portion 70b, the second and third hydraulic ports 68b, 68 are provided.
The hydraulic pressure does not move due to the interruption between c.

On the other hand, when the hydraulic pressure is sent from the air master cylinder 42, the valve body 65 is moved to the right and is brought into contact with the first end body 64a. This connects the second and third hydraulic ports 68b, 68c, and
The hydraulic port 68a is shut off, the hydraulic pipes 44, 54 are connected, and the hydraulic pressure from the air master cylinder 42 is sent to the booster 7.

If the clutch pedal 9 is operated to operate the master cylinder 10, the manual disengagement of the clutch 8 is achieved. On the other hand, if the air pressure supply to the air master cylinder 42 is controlled, the clutch 8 is automatically disengaged. Is achieved.

This pneumatic pressure supply control is achieved by controlling ON / OFF of the electromagnetic switching valve 78 provided in the pneumatic pipe 62 by the controller 72 incorporated in the computer. Switching valve 78
Means that when it is ON, the upstream side (air tank 5 side) and the downstream side (air master cylinder 42 side) are connected to allow air pressure supply, and when it is OFF, the upstream side is shut off and the downstream side is opened to the atmosphere, The air pressure of the air master cylinder 42 is discharged to the outside. Therefore, when the switching valve 78 is turned on, the hydraulic pressure is supplied from the air master cylinder 42 to disconnect the clutch 8, and when the switching valve 78 is turned off, the hydraulic pressure is returned to the air master cylinder 42 and the clutch 8 is connected. .

As described above, the master cylinder 10, the hydraulic pipes 43, 54, the DCV 69, the booster 7, the pneumatic supply means 2, and the pneumatic pipes 62, 67, 34 are operated by the clutch pedal 9 to operate the clutch. 8 constitutes a manual interrupting means for performing manual interrupting.

On the other hand, the pneumatic supply means 2 and the pneumatic pipes 62, 6
7, 34, air master cylinder 42, hydraulic piping 44, 5
The DCV 69, the booster 7, the switching valve 78, and the controller 72 constitute an automatic connecting / disconnecting means for automatically connecting / disconnecting the clutch 8.

The pneumatic pipe 67 is branched at the branch 63 between the air tank 75 and the switching valve 78 of the pneumatic pipe 62 connecting the air tank 5 and the air master cylinder 42. The air tank 75 branches 63, the control valve portion 7a,
Pneumatic piping 62, 67, 34 connecting the pneumatic nipples 15 in order
Form an air pressure supply path to the booster 7.

Here, in particular, a relief valve 77 is provided in the middle of the hydraulic pipe 54. The relief valve 77 has a valve body 79 therein, and normally this valve body 79 closes an oil discharge pipe 81 branched from the hydraulic pipe 54 by an urging force from a valve spring 80. However, when the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic pipe 54 is pressurized and its pressure (hydraulic pressure value) exceeds a predetermined pressure, that is, the pressure (hydraulic pressure value) for opening the control valve portion 7a by a predetermined pressure, the hydraulic pressure causes the valve spring to move. Oil drain pipe 8 against the urging force of 80
1, the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic pipe 54 is discharged and returned to the oil supply pipe 59b through the return pipe 82.
In this way, the oil drain pipe 81 and the return pipe 82 are connected to the hydraulic pipe 5
An oil discharge passage for discharging the hydraulic oil of No. 4 to the oil supply pipe 59b is formed.

A pedal switch 87 provided near the clutch pedal 9 is connected to the controller 72. The pedal switch 87 is OFF when the clutch pedal 9 is in the complete return position, and is ON when the clutch pedal 9 is depressed even slightly.
The ON signal is sent to the controller 72.

In addition, the controller 72 is connected to a clutch stroke sensor 88 provided in the clutch 8, an emergency switch 73 for stopping the control when a control trouble occurs, and the like.

The clutch connecting / disconnecting device 1 is adapted to interlock with a transmission (not shown) provided separately therefrom. The transmission is configured to perform automatic shifting, that is, when the shift position is selected by the manual shift lever, the shift signal by the electric switch is transmitted to the controller 7.
2, the actuator (not shown) is operated,
Substantial gear shifting operation is performed instead of the driver's operation.

Next, the operation of the above apparatus will be described.

First, the clutch 8 is included in the outline of automatic shifting.
Automatic intermittent operation will be described. When the driver performs a shift operation, a shift signal is input to the controller 72, and the controller 72 turns on the switching valve 78 accordingly.
Then, the air master cylinder 42 is passed through the pneumatic piping 62.
Pneumatic pressure is supplied to the clutch 8. As a result, the clutch 8 is disengaged as described above. After that, the shift operation of the transmission is completed by the actuator, the switching valve 78 is turned off, the air pressure of the air master cylinder 42 is released to the atmosphere, and the clutch 8 is released.
Perform the connection operation of to complete the shift.

In particular, in the above structure, the clutch 8 is automatically disengaged by operating the air master cylinder 42, which is different from the master cylinder 10, to prevent the generation of negative pressure in the hydraulic passage. doing.

That is, referring to FIG. 2, there is conventionally no air master cylinder 42, and another pneumatic pipe is connected to the pneumatic nipple 15 of the booster 7, and the pneumatic pressure from this pneumatic pipe is used. By the supply control, the piston plate 13 is pushed without operating the master cylinder 10. However, in this case, the hydraulic piston 17 is moved to the right in conjunction with the piston plate 13, so that the volume of the hydraulic cylinder 22 filled with the hydraulic oil is increased, which causes the hydraulic passage 20 and the hydraulic pipe 54 to have a larger volume. Negative pressure is generated in the above (collectively referred to as hydraulic path), air bubbles are mixed in the hydraulic oil, and there arises a problem that accurate manual operation of the clutch 8 becomes difficult.

Therefore, in the present apparatus 1, when the clutch 8 is automatically disengaged, the air master cylinder 42 is operated to pressurize the inside of the hydraulic passage to supply pneumatic pressure to the booster 7. As a result, it is possible to prevent the pressure in the hydraulic passage from becoming negative, and to prevent trouble.

Next, the manual on-off operation of the clutch 8 is performed by depressing or returning the clutch pedal 9 to supply or discharge the hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder 10 and operate the booster 7 as described above. Here, an ON signal is output from the pedal switch 87 at the same time when the clutch pedal 9 is stepped on, whereby the switching valve 78 is
It is turned off and the air master cylinder 42 is not operated.
Also at this time, since the inside of the hydraulic passage is pressurized, the negative pressure does not occur.

In this way, the automatic and manual engagement / disengagement of the clutch 8 is achieved. With this configuration, the above-mentioned conventional problems are solved as follows.

That is, in such a semi-automatic clutch system, it is preferable to prioritize the manual operation when the manual operation and the automatic operation interfere with each other in consideration of fail-safe and the like. In such a configuration, this is done as follows.

When the clutch 8 is automatically disengaged, hydraulic pressure is supplied from the air master cylinder 42, and this hydraulic pressure supplies air pressure to the booster 7 by opening the control valve portion 7a to disengage the clutch 8.

In this state, when the clutch pedal 9 is depressed to shift to the manual operation, first, the switching valve 78 is actuated at the moment when the clutch pedal 9 is depressed by the amount of play.
The air master cylinder 42 is turned off and the air pressure is discharged from the air master cylinder 42. In this case, the hydraulic pressure from the air master cylinder 42 is released, and the movement or switching of the DCV 69 to the opposite side of the valve body 65 is allowed.

When the clutch pedal 9 is further depressed, hydraulic pressure is generated from the master cylinder 10,
The pressure inside the hydraulic pipe 43 before V 69 is increased to move the valve body 65 of the DC V 69 to the opposite side, and DC which is already high pressure
The inside of the hydraulic pipe 54 on the downstream side of V 69 is maintained at the high pressure. As a result, the shift to the manual disengagement is achieved while maintaining the disengaged state of the clutch 8.

However, at this time, since the amount of compression of the hydraulic oil is smaller than usual, that is, the amount of pressurization in the hydraulic pipe 43 and the DC
If the relief valve 77 is not provided in order to operate the master cylinder 10 only for the amount of movement of the valve body 65 of V 69, the depression of the clutch pedal 9 is restricted midway by the hydraulic reaction force, and its stroke is shorter than usual. That is, an unnatural state occurs in which the clutch 8 is completely disengaged even if the driver does not fully press the pedal, which causes the driver to feel uncomfortable.

Even when the clutch 8 is engaged by performing the returning operation from the stepped-in position on the way,
The returning stroke is small and it is of course uncomfortable. In particular, the returning speed of the hydraulic pressure equivalent to that in the hydraulic pipe 54 is determined by the returning flow rate to the reservoir tank 58 through the oil supply port inside the master cylinder 10. Since the oil supply port generally has a small diameter, the clutch connection speed from the half clutch may be slow.

Therefore, in such a configuration, the hydraulic pipe 5
4 is provided with a relief valve 77, and hydraulic oil is discharged from the hydraulic pipe 54 to allow further depression of the clutch pedal 9 to eliminate the uncomfortable feeling.

That is, if this is not the case, the clutch pedal 9
The depression of is regulated when the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic pipes 43, 54 (first hydraulic pressure supply passage) reaches the hydraulic pressure for opening the control valve portion 7a as described above, but when the relief valve 77 is provided. Further, by slightly strengthening the pedal force (strongly stepping on) to increase the hydraulic pressure, the relief valve 77 is opened, and the hydraulic oil is discharged, whereby the complete stepping can be achieved. When the forced depression is performed, the operation feeling becomes slightly heavier than usual, but the operation feeling is surely enhanced by ensuring the normal clutch pedal stroke.

The clutch connection after fully depressing can be performed in the same manner as the normal manual connection, which improves the operation feeling and facilitates the clutch connection, and at the same time, the clutch connection speed can be increased. Problems can be resolved.

The hydraulic pressure for opening the control valve portion 7a, that is, the valve opening pressure is determined mainly based on the sum of the air pressure for closing the poppet valve 30 and the pressure of the poppet spring 32. Further, if the valve opening pressure of the relief valve 77 exceeds the valve opening pressure of the control valve portion 7a and is as close as possible,
It is possible to reduce the feeling of stepping in the operation feeling.
In addition, in the present device 1, the discharged operating oil is returned to the oil supply pipe 59b which is an oil supply passage to the air master cylinder 42 to ensure the operating oil balance on the air master cylinder 42 side.

That is, when the automatic division is switched to the manual division, even if the air pressure is discharged from the air master cylinder 42 at the same time when the clutch pedal 9 is depressed, the DCV 69
Therefore, the supplied hydraulic oil does not return from the hydraulic pipe 44 to the hydraulic chamber 50 of the air master cylinder 42. In other words, the return amount is small with respect to the supply amount of hydraulic oil, and it is not preferable that they are not balanced. Therefore, in the present device 1, the oil drain pipe 81 and the return pipe 82
By connecting the hydraulic pipe 54 and the oil supply pipe 59b with a relief valve 77, the discharged hydraulic oil is returned to the oil supply pipe 59b particularly on the air master cylinder 42 side to operate the air master cylinder 42. The oil is replenished from the oil supply side so that the balance of the amount of hydraulic oil is immediately secured. This configuration is also effective when a reservoir tank is individually provided for each master cylinder 10, 42. Further, the discharged hydraulic oil may be directly returned to the reservoir tank 58.

Although the relief valve 77 can be provided in the hydraulic pipe 43, the relief valve 77 is provided in the hydraulic pipe 54 particularly in the present device 1 for the following reason.

That is, when the clutch pedal 9 is rapidly depressed in a short time during the automatic disconnection by the air master cylinder 42, there is a time delay in the operation of the air master cylinder 42 on the clutch return side or the release of the hydraulic pressure. Then, assuming that the relief valve 77 is provided in the hydraulic pipe 43, the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic pipe 43 is opened before the DCV 69 is switched by the hydraulic pressure on the master cylinder 10 side and the hydraulic pipe 43 is opened, that is, during the delay time. When the valve pressure or more is reached, the hydraulic oil on the master cylinder 10 side is discharged from the relief valve 77. On the other hand, in the process of depressing the clutch pedal 9, the oil pressure on the air master cylinder 42 side is eventually released, the DCV 69 is switched, and the manual cutting operation by the master cylinder 10 is started. However, the hydraulic oil has already been discharged by a predetermined amount, and the hydraulic oil is insufficient for the discharged amount. Therefore, even if the clutch pedal 9 is fully depressed, the hydraulic pressure is sufficient to completely disengage the clutch 8. Does not rise, and as a result, the clutch 8 is in a semi-engaged state, and complete disconnection is not performed.

Therefore, when the relief valve 77 is provided in the hydraulic pipe 54, this problem is solved all at once. That is, even if the time delay as described above occurs, DCV is generated by the hydraulic pressure from the air master cylinder 42, for example, during the delay time.
Since 69 keeps closing the hydraulic pipe 43, the depression of the clutch pedal 9 is restricted and the hydraulic oil is not discharged. Alternatively, even when the DCV 69 is switched to open the hydraulic pipe 43 and the hydraulic pressure becomes equal to or higher than the valve opening pressure by forcibly depressing the clutch pedal 9, the hydraulic oil is discharged as usual as described above. Then, only the transition from automatic cutting to manual cutting is done. In this way, the initial amount of hydraulic oil can be secured, and the clutch 8 can be completely disengaged by fully depressing the clutch pedal 9. And the above-mentioned trouble will be solved certainly.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be implemented in various forms other than the above-mentioned forms.

[0067]

The present invention exhibits the following excellent effects.

(1) When shifting to the manual operation when the clutch is automatically disengaged, the normal clutch pedal stroke can be secured, and the discomfort of the operation can be eliminated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a clutch connecting / disconnecting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a booster.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing an air master cylinder.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing a three-way valve.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Clutch connecting / disconnecting device 7 Booster device 7a Control valve section (hydraulic actuated valve) 8 Clutch 9 Clutch pedal 10 Master cylinder 34, 62, 67 Pneumatic piping (pneumatic supply path) 42 Air master cylinder 43, 44, 54 Hydraulic piping (First and second hydraulic pressure supply paths) 65 valve body 69 double check valve (three-way valve) 72 controller 77 relief valve

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] November 2, 1995

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG.

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Figure 3

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Figure 3]

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 4

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 4

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A booster device that divides and operates a clutch by supplying air pressure, a hydraulically actuated valve that opens and closes an air pressure supply path to the booster device, and a hydraulically actuated valve that operates in conjunction with clutch pedal operation. A master cylinder that supplies oil pressure, an air master cylinder that supplies air pressure to the hydraulically actuated valve by introducing air pressure by air pressure supply control by a controller, and a hydraulic pressure difference between the master cylinder and the air master cylinder. A three-way valve for moving the valve body to move a first hydraulic pressure supply path from the master cylinder to the hydraulically operated valve and a second hydraulic pressure supply path from the air master cylinder to the hydraulically operated valve; Is provided in the first hydraulic pressure supply passage extending from the hydraulic pressure control valve to the hydraulic pressure control valve, and is opened by a hydraulic pressure exceeding the hydraulic pressure for opening the hydraulic pressure control valve.
And a relief valve for discharging the hydraulic oil from the hydraulic pressure supply passage of the clutch. 2. The clutch connecting / disconnecting device according to claim 1, wherein the relief valve has an oil discharge passage connected to an oil supply passage to the air master cylinder. 3. The clutch engagement / disengagement device according to claim 1, wherein the relief valve is provided in a portion of the first hydraulic pressure supply passage extending from the three-way valve to the hydraulically operated valve.