JPH11125279A - Clutch device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent balls from moving from a cam groove by the centrifugal force. SOLUTION: A clutch device comprises a main clutch 61 and a pilot clutch 71, a pressing member 63, a cam ring 65 to which the rotational driving force of a coupling shaft 53 is transmitted when the pilot clutch 71 is coupled, and a cam 69 installed between the pressing member 63 and the cam ring 65, wherein the cam 69 is composed of a pressing member 63 side can groove 64 furnished in the pressing member 63, a can ring side cam groove 64 furnished in the cam ring 65, and balls 67 interposed between these grooves 64, and when the rotational driving force is transmitted to the cam ring 65 by engagement of the pilot clutch 71, the balls 67 rotate together with the cam ring 65, and the cam 69 generates a can force to put the pressing member 63 in movement so as to cause engagement of the main clutch 61. In this clutch device 19, a restricting wall 66 to restrict movement of the balls 67 in the centrifugal direction is furnished outside the cam groove 64 the radial direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a clutch device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional differential device shown in FIG.
03 is applied with a transmission torque to generate a cam force. The cam force is applied to the carrier 30 of the planetary gear type differential mechanism 305.
7 to press and engage the main clutch 309,
The differential mechanism 305 is configured to limit the differential.

The cam 303 includes a ball 315, a cam groove on the carrier 307 side, and a cam groove on a cam ring 317 on the pilot clutch 301 side. The ball 315 is interposed between the cam grooves. Further, an inclined surface is formed in each cam groove, and the movement distance of the carrier 307 in the axial direction is controlled by moving the ball on the inclined surface.

[0004] When the pilot clutch 301 is engaged, the carrier 307 is pressed against the main clutch 309 by rolling on the inclined surface of the cam groove by the rotation of the cam ring 317, thereby generating a cam force. Further, the engagement force (slip) of the main clutch 309 is controlled by the position where the ball rolls on the inclined surface in the cam groove.

[0005]

However, when the main clutch 309 is engaged (slid), the ball 31
5 rotates together with the rotating shafts 319 and 321 and the rotating shaft 31
A centrifugal force to move to the outside of 9, 321 is applied.
Therefore, when the rotating shafts 319 and 321 rotate at high speed (during high-speed running of the vehicle), the centrifugal force also increases, so that the ball moves outward from between the cam grooves by centrifugal force to maximize the carrier 307. The main shaft 309 is moved directly in the axial direction, and the main clutch 309 is directly connected to the main body.
21 may be in a locked state.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a clutch device that can prevent a ball from moving from within a cam groove due to centrifugal force.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a main clutch and a pilot disposed between an input shaft to which a rotational driving force is transmitted and an output shaft to which the rotational driving force of the input shaft is intermittent. A clutch, a pressing member axially movably connected to one side member of the main clutch, a cam ring to which a rotational driving force of the input shaft is transmitted when the pilot clutch is connected, the pressing member; A cam provided on the pressing member, a cam groove provided on the pressing member, a cam groove provided on the cam ring facing the cam groove, and a cam provided on the cam ring. Consisting of a ball interposed between the cam grooves of
When a rotational driving force is transmitted to the cam ring by connection of the pilot clutch, the cam generates a cam force and rotates together with the cam ring to move the pressing member to fasten the main clutch. A regulating wall for regulating the movement of the ball in the centrifugal direction is provided radially outside the cam groove.

In this clutch device, the movement of the ball from between the cam grooves is restricted by providing the restricting wall on the radially outer side of the cam groove. As a result, even when the input shaft is rotating at a high speed, no engagement force is generated in the main clutch between the input shaft and the output shaft.

3. The clutch device according to claim 1, wherein said regulating wall is provided on said pressing member.

In this clutch device, since the regulating wall is provided on the pressing member, the movement of the ball from between the cam grooves is regulated. As a result, the same operation as the first aspect is obtained.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a clutch device of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a four-wheel drive (4W) using the clutch device.
D) shows the power system of the car. The right side in FIG. 1 corresponds to the front of this vehicle (upper side in FIG. 2).

First, the configuration of this power system will be described with reference to FIG.

The power system includes an engine 1, a transmission 3, a front differential 5 (a front-wheel-side differential), front axles 7, 9, left and right front wheels 11, 13, a transfer 15, a propeller shaft 17, and a clutch of this embodiment. Device 19, rear differential 21 (differential device on the rear wheel side), rear axles 23 and 25, left and right rear wheels 27 and 29
It is composed of Next, the clutch device 19 will be described.

The connecting shaft 31 passes through the front end of a differential carrier 33 that houses the rear differential 21, is supported by the carrier 33 by a bearing 35, and is connected to the propeller shaft 17 by a spline portion 37. The propeller shaft 17 is transferred from the transfer 15 to the front differential 5
Is connected to the engine 1 side via a differential case 39. Thus, the connection shaft 31 is driven to rotate by the driving force from the engine 1.

A clutch drum 41 is provided at the rear end of the connecting shaft 31.
Are integrally fixed by the flange portion 43. A hub 45 (one side member) is disposed inside the drum 41, and is supported by the drum 41 by a shaft support 47 and a bearing 49.

A drive pinion shaft 53 is spline-connected to the boss 51 of the hub 45. The shaft 53 is supported by the carrier 33 by bearings 55, 55, and a drive pinion gear 59 meshed with a ring gear 57 of the rear differential 21 is integrally formed at the rear end.

A multi-plate type main clutch 61 for connecting the clutch drum 41 and the hub 45 is arranged between the clutch drum 41 and the hub 45. The main clutch 61 includes a clutch drum 41
Friction plates 61a spline-connected to the inner wall of the vehicle
And friction plates 61b alternately arranged with the friction plates 61a and spline-connected to the hub 45. The friction plate 61a is connected to a pressing member 63 disposed between the clutch drum 41 and the hub 45.

The pressing member 63 is formed by a pressing wall 63a to which the friction plate 61a is connected, and a supporting wall 63b movably supported on the boss 51 of the hub 45. Press wall 6
A stop ring 62 is fixed to the inner wall of the clutch drum 41 at the distal end side of 3a. This retaining ring 62
The contact of the pressing member 63 restricts the movement of the pressing member 63. The rear end side of the pressing wall 63a is
Are spline-connected so that they can move in the axial direction. A cam ring 65 is arranged on the front side of the pressing member 63. As shown in FIG. 1B, the support walls 63b of the pressing member 63 and the cam ring 65 have inclined surfaces 63C, 63c, 65c.
A cam groove 64 composed of c and 65c is formed, and a ball 67 is inserted into the cam groove 64. A cam 69 is formed by the cam groove 64 and the ball 67.

The cam 69 is formed on the inclined surface 6 in the cam groove 64.
By moving between 3C and 65C, thrust force 8
1 and 83, and presses the pressing member 63 to the main clutch 61.
Move to the side. In this case, the cam ring 65 is in contact with the clutch ram 41 via the washer 87, and only the pressing member 63 moves by the thrust force generated by the ball 67 moving in the cam groove 64.

The supporting wall 63b of the pressing member 63 includes
A regulating wall 66 protrudes radially outside the cam groove 64. The restriction wall 66 protrudes beyond the radius of the ball 67 in the cam groove 64. As a result, a centrifugal force is applied to the ball 67 and the ball 6
Even if 7 moves, the movement is regulated by the regulating wall 66.

The cam ring 65 includes a pressing member 63.
A wall portion 65a is provided so as to face the regulation wall 66.
The movement of the ball 67 to the outside due to the centrifugal force is also restricted by the wall portion 65a.

Between the cam ring 65 and the clutch drum 41, a multi-plate type pilot clutch 7 for connecting them is provided.
1 is arranged. An armature 73 is disposed behind the clutch 71. Flange 43 of drum 41
A ring-shaped electromagnet 75 is arranged in front of the. The electromagnet 75 is fixed inside the carrier 33 by bolts 77. A non-magnetic ring 7 is provided on the flange 43 to prevent the magnetic force of the electromagnet 75 from short-circuiting and to guide the armature 73 to the non-magnetic ring 7.
9 is embedded.

When the electromagnet 75 attracts the armature 73, the pilot clutch 71 is pressed and fastened, and the cam ring 65 is connected to the drum 41 via the clutch 71.
Connection shaft 31 side (front wheel side) and drive pinion shaft 5
3 (rear wheel side) means the clutch 71, the cam 69, the pressing member 6
3. Via the hub 45, the clutch 71 is connected with a strength corresponding to the fastening force of the clutch 71.

When the pilot clutch 71 is engaged, the driving force of the engine 1 acts on the cam 69 and the thrust force 8
1, 83 (cam force) is generated, and the pressing member 63 is moved in the axial direction by the thrust force 81 in the rear direction so that the main clutch 61
And the coupling force between the front wheel side and the rear wheel side by the pilot clutch 71 is strengthened. The forward thrust force 83 is applied to the clutch drum 4 via the bearing 85 and the washer 87.
1 and is canceled by the thrust force 81.

As described above, since the cam force does not act on the pilot clutch 71, the engagement force (slip) can be accurately controlled, and the engagement force of the main clutch 61 can be adjusted by adjusting the cam force. Therefore, each clutch 61, 71
Can accurately control the coupling force.

Further, since the main clutch 61 is operated by the cam force, a strong operating force source and an operating system as in the conventional example are not required, and the cost is low.

Further, since the pressing member 63 is separate from the hub 45 (torque transmitting member) and is connected to the hub 45 so as to be movable in the axial direction (pressing direction), the movement is smooth and the operation response is good.

Since the connecting shaft 31 and the drive pinion shaft 53 are arranged in series, the clutch device 1
9 can be shortened in the radial direction, so that downsizing and compactness can be achieved.

Further, since the cam force acts on the main clutch 61 without passing through the pilot clutch 71, the engagement force of the pilot clutch 71 can be accurately controlled, and thus the torque of the main clutch 61 can be adjusted. .

Further, by arranging the pilot clutch 71, the pressing member 63, and the main clutch 61 in this order, there is no protrusion in the radial direction, so that the outer surface of the clutch device 19 has no irregularities. Further, since the differential rotation of the connection shaft 31 and the drive pinion shaft 53 is directly the relative rotation of the main clutch 61, the driving force of the connection shaft 31 can be directly transmitted to the drive pinion shaft 53 when the main clutch 61 is engaged. Thus, the operation response can be further improved.

Furthermore, since the operating directions of the pressing member 63 and the cam ring 65 operate in opposite directions, the pressing directions are reversed, so that they can operate independently.

The above-described clutch torque control by the electromagnet 75 can be manually operated from the driver's seat, or can be automatically operated according to road surface conditions, vehicle steering conditions, and the like.

Thus, the clutch device 19 is configured. Next, the function of the clutch device 19 will be described based on the power performance of the vehicle shown in FIG.

The driving force of the engine 1 is distributed from the transmission 3 to the front wheels 11 and 13 via the front differential 5, and rotates the propeller shaft 17 via the transfer 15.

At this time, when the clutch device 19 is released, the rear wheels 27 and 29 are disengaged, so that the characteristics of a front-wheel drive vehicle can be obtained and the fuel efficiency can be improved.

When the clutch device 19 is connected, the driving force transmitted by connecting the rear wheel side is transmitted via the rear differential 21 to the rear wheel 2.
The vehicle is distributed to 7, 29 and the vehicle is in the 4WD state. Therefore,
Even when the front wheels are idling on a rough road or the like, the running performance is maintained by the driving force on the rear wheels.

Further, as the coupling force of the clutch device 19 is larger, the differential limiting force between the front and rear wheels is larger, and the straight running stability of the vehicle is improved.

When the pilot clutch 71 is released or the slip is adjusted appropriately to allow the differential between the front and rear wheels, smooth turning can be performed and the tight corner braking phenomenon can be prevented.

Due to the good response of the clutch device 19, the response of each of the above operations is improved, and the operability is enhanced.

According to this embodiment, since the regulating wall 66 is provided radially outside the cam groove 64, the movement of the ball 67 in the centrifugal direction from inside the cam groove 64 is regulated.
Even when the connecting shaft (input shaft) 31 is rotating at high speed,
The ball 67 does not come out of the cam groove 64 due to the centrifugal force, and the pressing member 63 does not move the maximum amount. As a result, the main clutch 61 is not directly connected, and the connecting shaft 31 and the drive pinion shaft (output shaft)
53 is not locked. Therefore, it is possible to avoid four-wheel lock during high-speed running.

Further, since there is no interference with the control of the engagement force of the main clutch 61 by the pilot clutch 71 based on the magnetic force of the electromagnet 75, accurate automatic operation becomes possible.

In the above embodiment, the regulating wall 66 is provided on the pressing member 63. However, the regulating wall 66 may be formed by projecting the wall 65a of the cam ring 65.

[0043]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the regulating wall is provided on the outer side in the radial direction of the cam groove, the movement of the ball in the centrifugal direction from the inside of the cam groove is regulated. Even when rotating at a high speed, no engagement force is generated in the main clutch between the input shaft and the output shaft.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the same effect as the first aspect can be obtained by providing the regulating wall on the pressing member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1A and 1B are cross-sectional views illustrating a clutch device according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a skeleton mechanism diagram showing a power system of a vehicle using the clutch device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a conventional differential device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 45 hub (one side member) 61 main clutch 63 pressing member 66 regulating wall 69 cam 71 pilot clutch 81 thrust force (cam force)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A main clutch and a pilot clutch disposed between an input shaft to which a rotational driving force is transmitted and an output shaft to which the rotational driving force of the input shaft is intermittent, and one side member of the main clutch. A pressing member connected movably in the axial direction, a cam ring to which a rotational driving force of the input shaft is transmitted when the pilot clutch is connected, and a cam provided between the pressing member and the cam ring. ,
The cam includes a cam groove on the pressing member provided on the pressing member, a cam groove on the cam ring provided on the cam ring opposed to the cam groove, and a ball interposed between these cam grooves. A clutch device that, when a rotational driving force is transmitted to the cam ring by coupling of the pilot clutch, generates a cam force and rotates together with the cam ring to move the pressing member to fasten the main clutch. A clutch device, wherein a regulating wall for regulating the movement of the ball in the centrifugal direction is provided radially outside the cam groove. 2. The clutch device according to claim 1, wherein
The clutch device, wherein the regulating wall is provided on the pressing member.