JPS61180047A - Differential device with locking mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a differential gear case smaller by forming the lock mechanism from two clutching members having an engagement pawl, and by locating it in the place symmetrical to the case. CONSTITUTION:A lock mechanism 25 is composed of No.1 clutching member 26 of engagement type, which is fixed to the other end of a ring gear 20 with bolt, and No.2 clutching member 27, which is to advance and retract to/from said No.1 clutching member 26 with possibility of engagement therewith. The advancing end of this No.2 clutching member 27 is restricted by a stopper 29, and the member is pressed resiliently to the stopper 29 by a spring 30 situated behind. Thus the lock mechanism 25 is arranged symmetrical to the differential gear case 21 to assure that the case is made in small size.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to a small vehicle for running on rough terrain, which is equipped with three or four low-pressure tires and has a rider-type seat between them. In particular, it relates to a locking mechanism that temporarily stops the operation of a differential device equipped on such vehicles.

[Conventional technology, problems to be solved]

To improve turning performance by adding a differential to a rough terrain vehicle conventionally equipped with three or four low-pressure tires;
There is also known a vehicle in which a locking mechanism is provided in the differential device to stop the differential function (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-20730).

However, in a vehicle equipped with such a differential device, the circumference of the axle becomes large and the external shape becomes large, which may conversely reduce the performance on rough roads.

[Purpose and outline of the invention]

The purpose of this invention is to minimize the increase in the external size of the differential, and to obtain a differential that is simple in structure and operation, and has a locking mechanism that is reliable in operation. bearing the joined differential gear case, rotatably supporting a pair of opposing output bevel gears connected to the axle in the differential gear case, and an intermediate bevel gear interposed therebetween; In the differential device, a clutch including a first clutch member and a second clutch member that can be engaged and disengaged is provided between the first clutch member and one of the axles, and the first clutch member and the second clutch member are provided with engaging pawls. A dog clutch is constituted, and this second clutch member is slidably fitted onto a support tube spline-fitted onto one axle, and its forward end is restricted by a stopper, and the forward end is regulated by a rear spring. ) The supporting cylinder is connected to an external operator via a conductive member.

〔Example〕

This invention will be explained with reference to illustrated embodiments. In the figure, 1
is a four-wheeled vehicle for steering on rough terrain, and is equipped with low-pressure tires.
The vehicle has two wheels 2a and 2b, and a pair of left and right drive wheels 2a provided at the rear of the vehicle body are connected by an axle 3.

4 is a differential device provided between the wheels 3. A rider-type seat 5 is provided between the two drive wheels 2a, and an engine 6 is mounted on the lower front side of the seat 5. T is a propeller shaft that connects the engine 5 and the differential gear 4.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a steering/swing wheel for turning the two steering wheels 2b left and right, and an accelerator grip 8a for adjusting the output of the engine 4 is provided on the right hand side thereof. 9
are the steps attached to the left and right sides of the car body for the passengers' feet to rest on.
Numeral 11 is a gear shift pedal, and 12 is an operating handle for operating a locking mechanism 25 of the differential device 4, which will be described later, and is swingably locked to a pivot provided in the case of the engine 6 on the side of the accelerator grip 8a. .

As shown in FIG.
It is housed in a left and right halves-shaped case 16 which is sandwiched between 5 and 5. A hypoid-shaped small bevel gear 1T provided at the end of the propeller shaft 7, a ball bearing 18, and a needle bearing 19.
The ring gear 20, which is supported by the
A differential gear case 21 is fixed to the ring gear 20 with bolts. As is conventionally known, the differential gear case 21 is interposed between two output bevel gears 22 spline-fitted to the left and right axles 3 and a true output bevel gear 22.22, and is supported by the gear case 21 by a support shaft 23. It is composed of two intermediate bevel gears 24, and has substantially the same structure as a conventional gear. 25 is a locking mechanism that fixes either of the bevel gears 22 or 24 to stop the function of the differential device 4.

The locking mechanism 25 is non-rotatably supported by a meshing type first clutch member 26 bolted to the other side of the ring gear 20 and one of the axle shafts 3, and moves forward and backward with respect to the first clutch member 26 to engage. It includes a second clutch member 2T that is removably provided. That is, the second clutch member 27 is spline-fitted onto the support cylinder 28 spline-fitted to one side of the axle 3 so that it can only slide freely, and the front roadside is regulated by the stop horn <29. The spring 3QK behind me is firing towards the cyst collar 29.

The support cylinder 28 is moved by the operating knob 12 between a forward position and a retracted position. That is, the support cylinder 28 engages with the shifter 31 and connects the flexible wire 32, which is an external conductive member. The rod 34 is moved forward and backward by the arm 33. 35 is a conventionally known click mechanism.
This is to temporarily lock the shifter 31 in the forward position and the backward position.

According to this embodiment, to unlock the differential and drive the vehicle, the occupant releases the accelerator grip 7a and tilts the lower operating handle 12 backward. By this operation, the arm 33 rotates clockwise in FIG. 3, and the rod 34 moves to the left together with the support cylinder 28, so that the second clutch member 2T is moved by the stopper 29 as shown by the three-dot chain line. It is pulled back to the rear position and the engagement with the first clutch member 26 is released. The differential device 4 thus becomes functional.

K stops the function of the differential device 4 when the vehicle travels on a rough road. That is, when the operating handle 12 is tilted forward, the arm 33 rotates counterclockwise and the rod 34 moves to the right together with the support tube 28. At this time, the second clutch member 2T is allowed to move to the right, but if the phase does not match with the first clutch member 26, it remains in that position while compressing the spring 30, and then the phase changes. When they match, they move to the right by the elasticity of the spring 30 and engage with the first clutch member 26. Thus, the relationship between the ring gear 20 and the axle is fixed, and the differential function is stopped.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, in this invention, the locking mechanism is composed of the g1 clutch member and the second clutch member provided with engaging pawls, and is arranged symmetrically with the differential gear case, so that the outer diameter of the case can be prevented from becoming thick. In addition, it is possible to create a space for accommodating the clutch itself, the transmission member, etc., and the space outside the case can be used effectively. The second clutch member is slidably fitted onto a support cylinder fitted with a tin 2-in on the axle, and its forward end is regulated by a stopper, and the second clutch member is elastically pushed toward the stopper by a spring behind it. Therefore, once the operating handle 12 is operated to the lock position, even if the phases of the first clutch member and the second clutch member do not match, they will be locked when they match. This is advantageous when operating the steering wheel with one's hands removed, such as while the vehicle is running, and the structure of the case is also simple.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a side view of a four-wheeled vehicle for rough terrain steering, FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. It is a diagram. 4...Differential device, 20--...Ring gear, 21.
Fist: Differential gear case, 22 φ: Output bevel gear, 24
...Intermediate bevel gear, 25...Lock mechanism, 26.
...First clutch member, 2T...Second clutch member, 28...Support tube, 29...Middle stopper, 3G
- Spring, 31... Shifter.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A case bearing a differential gear case connected to a ring gear, a pair of opposing output bevel gears connected to an axle on the differential gear case, and an intermediate bevel gear interposed between them can be freely rotated. In the differential device, a clutch is provided between the ring gear and one of the axles, and includes a first clutch member and a second clutch member that are freely engageable and disengageable. A dog clutch is formed by providing a dog claw on the second clutch member, and the second clutch member is slidably fitted onto a support cylinder spline-fitted on one of the axles, and its forward end is regulated by a stopper. A differential device with a locking mechanism that springs toward a stopper by a spring at the back and connects the support tube to an external operator via a conductive member. (2) The differential gear with a locking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the conductive member includes a link device and a shifter. (3) The differential device with a locking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the first clutch member and the second clutch member are provided on opposite sides with respect to the ring gear.