KR20040072035A - Clutch operating mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A clutch operating mechanism is provided to decrease load applied to the crankshaft from the flywheel by transmitting load to the pressure plate through the moving member and applying offset load through the operating member to the clutch cover. CONSTITUTION: A clutch operating mechanism(8) is composed of an operating member(83), a moving member(84) and a driving unit(82). The operating member has a female screw part(83a) rotating relatively to a clutch cover(71), and the moving member comprises a male screw part(84a) moving axially without rotating to a front wall(11a). A transfer screw unit(81) axially moves the moving member to the clutch cover. Load is applied through the moving member to a pressure plate(72). The offset load opposite to push load is applied through the operating member to the clutch cover, and load is reduced from a flywheel(3) to a crankshaft(2).

Description

Clutch operating mechanism {CLUTCH OPERATING MECHANISM}

The present invention relates to a clutch operating mechanism, in particular a device for releasably transmitting torque between a flywheel coupled to a crankshaft and an input shaft of a transmission and configured to apply a pushing load to a pressure plate in the clutch device. A clutch operating mechanism. The clutch device includes a clutch disc assembly and a clutch cover assembly. The clutch disc assembly has a friction coupling near the flywheel and is coupled to the input shaft. The clutch cover assembly has a clutch cover secured to the flywheel and a pressure plate for pressing the friction coupling against the flywheel.

Conventional clutch devices are attached to the crankshaft of the engine of the vehicle to releasably transmit torque of the engine to the transmission. The clutch device includes, by way of example, a flywheel, a clutch disc assembly, a clutch cover assembly, and a clutch operating mechanism. The flywheel is fixed at the end of the crankshaft. The clutch disc assembly has a friction coupling portion near the friction surface of the flywheel and is coupled to the input shaft of the transmission. The clutch cover assembly is attached to the flywheel to push the friction coupling towards the flywheel. The clutch operating mechanism applies an actuation load to the clutch cover assembly to perform the clutch operation.

Among the various types of clutch cover assemblies used in such a clutch device, a clutch cover assembly of a direct push type is configured such that the clutch operating mechanism applies a push load to perform a clutch engagement operation. The clutch cover assembly of the direct push type is formed of a clutch cover, a pressure plate, and a lever plate. The clutch cover is fixed to the flywheel. The pressure plate is disposed inside the clutch cover (between the clutch cover and the flywheel) and is adjacent to the friction coupling portion. The lever plate is supported by the clutch cover and makes contact with the pressure plate. In the above structure, the clutch operating mechanism applies the pressing load to the pressure plate by pressing the lever plate.

The clutch operating mechanism is formed of a hydraulic cylinder and a piston disposed axially movable in the housing. The hydraulic cylinder is for example formed as a ring-shaped housing and is fixed to the wall of the transmission housing. The piston can apply an operating load to a portion of the clutch cover assembly and is axially moveable according to the hydraulic pressure applied from the outside to the hydraulic chamber in the annular housing.

In the structure using the direct press type clutch cover assembly, the clutch operating mechanism continuously applies the pressing load to the clutch cover assembly in the clutch engagement state. Thus, the clutch operating mechanism applies a pressing load to the flywheel for many hours.

The pressing load applied from the clutch operating mechanism is transmitted from the flywheel to the crankshaft, and the thrust bearing of the crankshaft generates the reaction force of the pressing load. Therefore, the thrust bearing of the crankshaft is subjected to a large load when the load applied from the clutch actuation buckles is large or when it is applied for a long time.

In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that there is a need for an improved clutch operating mechanism. The present invention addresses these and other needs that will become apparent from the description to those skilled in the art.

It is an object of the present invention to reduce the load applied to the crankshaft when the clutch operating mechanism applies a pressing load to the clutch cover assembly.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the clutch operating mechanism is used for the following clutch device. The clutch device is provided to releasably transmit torque between the flywheel coupled to the crankshaft and the input shaft extending through the front wall of the transmission. The clutch device includes a clutch disc assembly and a clutch cover assembly. The clutch disc assembly has a friction coupling portion adjacent the flywheel and coupled to the input shaft. The clutch cover assembly has a clutch cover fixed to the flywheel and a pressure plate for pressing the friction coupling against the flywheel. The clutch operating mechanism is provided to apply a pressing load to the pressure plate, and includes an operating member, a moving member, and a driving mechanism. The actuating member is rotatably disposed with respect to the clutch cover assembly and has a first threaded portion. The movable member is arranged to be rotatable and axially movable relative to the front wall. The moving member has a second threaded portion engaged with the first threaded portion to form a feed screw mechanism. The drive mechanism is configured to apply the push load to the pressure plate via the moving member by rotating the operating member relative to the moving member to move the moving member axially with respect to the clutch cover assembly. The drive mechanism is also configured to apply a balancing load in the opposite direction to the push load via the actuating member to the clutch cover assembly to reduce the load applied from the flywheel on the crankshaft.

In such a clutch operating mechanism, the drive mechanism rotates the operation member relative to the moving member so that the feed screw mechanism moves the moving member axially with respect to the clutch cover. Thus, the pressing load is applied to the pressure plate via the moving member, and the offset load opposite to the pressing load is applied to the clutch cover via the operating member, so that the load applied from the flywheel to the crankshaft can be reduced. In addition, the actuation member is rotatable relative to the clutch cover and the movable member is not rotatable relative to the front wall. Thus, the operating member and the moving member are arranged not to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the clutch cover when the drive mechanism does not rotate the operating member. Thus, the actuation member and the moving member remain stationary with respect to the front wall of the transmission. Therefore, the drive mechanism can apply a predetermined pressing load to the pressure plate only by performing a simple control determined by considering only the relative rotation between the operating member and the moving member without considering the rotation of the clutch cover.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the clutch operating mechanism of the first aspect is arranged between the actuation member and the clutch cover assembly such that a first bearing supports the actuation member relatively rotatably by the clutch cover assembly. It is further provided with the following features.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the clutch operating mechanism of the first or second aspect further comprises a cylindrical shaft disposed around the input shaft and fixed to the front wall. The movable member is rotatably supported relative to the cylindrical shaft and axially movable.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the clutch operating mechanism of the first, second or third aspect has a lever plate supported by the clutch cover assembly such that the clutch cover assembly contacts the pressure plate. . A second bearing is disposed between the moving member and the lever plate.

The clutch operating mechanism according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is a device for applying a pressing load to a pressure plate in a clutch device provided to transmit torque between a flywheel coupled to a crankshaft and an input shaft of a transmission. The clutch device includes a clutch disc assembly and a clutch cover assembly. The clutch disc assembly has a friction coupling portion near the flywheel and coupled to the input shaft. The pressure plate also presses the friction coupling against the flywheel. The clutch operating mechanism includes a drive mechanism, a deceleration mechanism, and a movement direction change mechanism. The reduction mechanism has a worm gear rotated by the drive mechanism and a worm wheel disposed around the input shaft and engaged with the worm gear. The movement direction change mechanism is configured to apply the pressing load to the pressure plate according to the axial movement of the moving member, and to apply the offset load in the opposite direction to the pressing load to the clutch cover assembly. The operating member is rotatably disposed on the clutch cover via a bearing between the clutch cover and is fixed to the worm wheel. The moving member moves in the axial direction in accordance with the rotation of the operating member.

In such a clutch operation mechanism, the drive mechanism rotates the operation member to move the moving member axially with respect to the clutch cover, so that the pressing load is applied to the pressure plate via the moving member, and the clutch can be engaged. In the clutch engagement state, the pressing load can be applied to the pressure plate via the moving member, and the offset load in the opposite direction to the pressing load can be applied to the clutch cover via the operating member, so that the load applied from the flywheel to the crankshaft. Can be reduced.

Further, in the clutch operating mechanism, the rotation of the drive mechanism is applied to the movement direction changing mechanism via a reduction mechanism composed of a worm gear and a worm wheel. Therefore, even when the drive mechanism does not apply rotational force to the movement direction change mechanism, the self-locking function of the reduction mechanism formed by the worm gear and the worm wheel maintains the axial position of the moving member of the movement direction change mechanism to maintain the clutch engagement state. Is maintained. Therefore, after the clutch engagement operation, it is not necessary to maintain the rotational force applied from the drive mechanism to the movement direction change mechanism in order to maintain the axial position of the moving member. Therefore, the power loss in the drive mechanism of the clutch operating mechanism can be reduced.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the clutch operating mechanism of the fifth aspect has the feature that the actuating member comprises a first threaded portion. Furthermore, the moving member has a second threaded portion engaged with the first threaded portion to form the conveying screw mechanism.

Since the clutch operating mechanism uses the movement direction changing mechanism formed by the conveying screw mechanism, the self-locking mechanism of the conveying screw mechanism makes the shaft of the moving member even when the drive mechanism does not apply rotational force to the movement direction changing mechanism after the clutch engagement operation. Maintain the direction position.

The actuation member is relatively rotatably supported on the clutch cover via a bearing. Thus, rotation of the clutch cover may be transmitted to the operating member due to the slip resistance, or unexpected vibration may rotate the operating member. Thus, without self-locking, the moving member can move in the direction of releasing the clutch engagement state. However, even in such a situation, the rotation of the operating member is locked by the self-locking function of the reduction mechanism according to the clutch operating mechanism of this feature. Therefore, the axial position of the moving member can be reliably maintained even after the drive mechanism stops applying the rotational force to the movement direction change mechanism.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the clutch operating mechanism of the fifth or sixth aspect has a lever plate configured such that the clutch cover assembly contacts the pressure plate and is pressed toward the pressure plate according to the axial movement of the moving member. It has the features to be provided.

A clutch operating mechanism according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is a device for releasably transmitting torque between a flywheel coupled to a crankshaft and an input shaft of a transmission by applying a pressing load to a pressure plate in a clutch device. The clutch device includes a clutch disc assembly and a clutch cover assembly. The clutch cover assembly has a friction coupling portion adjacent the flywheel and coupled to the input shaft. The clutch disc assembly has a clutch cover secured to the flywheel and a pressure plate for pressing the friction coupling against the flywheel. The clutch operating mechanism includes a cylinder member, a piston, a pressure actuating mechanism, and a connecting member. The cylinder member is fixed to the clutch cover. The piston forms a fluid chamber formed between the cylinder member and filled with a working fluid, and may move axially to apply the pressing load to the pressure plate in accordance with a change in the pressure of the working fluid in the fluid chamber. . A pressure actuating mechanism is provided to actuate the pressure of the working fluid in the fluid chamber. A connecting member is connected to the pressure actuating mechanism, is rotatable relative to the cylinder member, and connects the pressure actuating mechanism to the fluid chamber so that the working fluid can flow between the pressure actuating mechanism and the fluid chamber. .

According to the clutch operating mechanism, when the pressure actuating mechanism supplies the working fluid to the fluid chamber in the cylinder member, the piston moves axially with respect to the clutch cover to apply a press load to the pressure plate to engage the clutch. In the clutch engagement state, the piston can apply the pressing load to the pressure plate, and the cylinder member can also apply the offset load to the clutch cover opposite to the pressing load. Thus, the load applied from the flywheel to the crankshaft can be reduced.

In addition, in the clutch operating mechanism, the cylinder member is fixed to the clutch cover and connected to a pressure actuating mechanism disposed externally via a relatively rotatable connecting member. Thus, the piston is not rotatable relative to the clutch cover assembly. Thus, no bearing is required between the piston and the clutch cover assembly, thereby preventing failures such as grease leakage, abnormal noise and breakage that may be caused by excessive use of the bearing.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the clutch operating mechanism of the eighth aspect includes a lever plate configured such that the clutch cover assembly contacts the pressure plate and is pressed toward the pressure plate according to the axial movement of the piston. Have The piston is in direct contact with the lever plate.

(Effects of the Invention)

As described above, according to the clutch operating mechanism of the first aspect, the drive mechanism is configured to rotate the operating member with respect to the moving member, and thus, by the feed screw mechanism, the moving member is axially with respect to the clutch cover. Move it. Thus, the drive mechanism applies the pressing load to the pressure plate via the moving member, and also applies the offset load in the opposite direction to the pressing load to the clutch cover via the operating member, so that the load applied from the flywheel to the crankshaft can be reduced. .

According to the clutch operating mechanism of the fifth aspect, the rotation of the drive mechanism is applied to the movement direction changing mechanism via a reduction mechanism composed of a worm gear and a worm wheel. Therefore, even when the drive mechanism stops applying rotational force to the movement direction change mechanism, the self-locking function of the reduction mechanism formed by the worm gear and the worm wheel maintains the axial position of the moving member of the movement direction change mechanism, and the clutch The coupled state can be maintained. Therefore, the power loss in the drive mechanism of the clutch operating mechanism can be reduced in the clutch engagement state.

In the clutch operating mechanism of the eighth feature, the cylinder member is fixed to the clutch cover and connected to an externally actuated pressure actuating mechanism via a relatively rotatable connecting member. Thus, the piston is not rotatable relative to the clutch cover assembly. Therefore, in the conventional clutch operating mechanism, it is possible to remove the bearing inserted between the piston and the clutch cover assembly, so that the clutch operating mechanism can realize improved durability and reliability.

These and other objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which describes preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. will be.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a clutch device using a clutch operating mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the clutch operation mechanism of FIG. 1 and the structure around it on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the clutch operation mechanism of FIG. 1 and the structure around it on an enlarged scale.

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the clutch device using the clutch operating mechanism according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the clutch operation mechanism shown in FIG. 4 and the structure around it on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the clutch operation mechanism shown in FIG. 4 and the structure around it on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 8 is a schematic sectional view of the clutch device using the hydraulic pressing device as the clutch operating mechanism according to the third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the hydraulic cylinder of FIG. 8 and the structure around it on an enlarged scale.

10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the hydraulic cylinder of FIG. 8 and the structure around it on an enlarged scale.

Selected embodiments of the clutch device using the clutch operating mechanism of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of the embodiments of the invention is provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. something to do.

First embodiment

(1) structure of clutch device

1 shows a clutch device 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 1, O-O represents the axis of rotation of the clutch device 1. The clutch device 1 has an input shaft 4 on the transmission side (right side in FIG. 1) in the axial direction from a flywheel 3 coupled to the crankshaft 2 on the engine side in the axial direction (ie on the left side in FIG. 1). Is provided to release the torque remarkably.

In the first embodiment, the flywheel 3 has an annular shape and is fixed to the end of the crankshaft 2 via a disk-shaped or disk-shaped elastic plate 5. More specifically, the inside of the flywheel 3 in the radial direction is fixed to the outside in the radial direction of the stretchable plate 5 by a plurality of bolts 51. In addition, the inside of the elastic plate 5 in the radial direction is fixed to the end of the crankshaft 2 by a plurality of bolts 52. Thus, the torque of the crankshaft 2 is transmitted to the flywheel 3 via the elastic plate 5. The stretchable plate 5 has a smaller thickness than the crankshaft 2 and the flywheel 3. Therefore, the stretchable plate 5 has sufficient strength in the rotational direction but relatively low strength in the bending direction.

The transmission housing 11 is arranged on the transmission side of the clutch device 1. The transmission housing 11 has a front wall 11a disposed on the transmission side with respect to the clutch device 1. The bell-shaped cylindrical portion 11b surrounding the outer circumference of the clutch device 1 extends from the outer circumference of the front wall 11a. In addition, a cylindrical shaft 12 extending axially around the input shaft 4 is fixed to the front wall 11a.

The clutch device 1 is mainly formed of a clutch disc assembly 6, a clutch cover assembly 7 and a clutch operating mechanism 8. The clutch disc assembly 6 has a friction coupling 61, a damper mechanism 62, and a hub flange 63. The friction coupling portion 61 is disposed at a radially outer position and is formed of friction facings or the like. The damper mechanism 62 is composed of a clutch plate, a retaining plate, a coil spring and other parts fixed to the friction coupling portion 61. The hub flange 63 is elastically coupled to the damper mechanism 62. The friction coupling portion 61 is arranged near the friction surface 3a of the flywheel 3. The inner circumference of the hub flange 63 is splined with the input shaft 4.

The clutch cover assembly 7 is a mechanism attached to the flywheel 3 to press the friction coupling portion 61 of the clutch disc assembly 6 against the flywheel 3 and release it from the flywheel 3. The clutch cover assembly 7 is mainly formed of the clutch cover 71, the pressure plate 72, and the lever plate 73. The clutch cover 71 is a disc-shaped member having a large center opening. The radially outer end of the clutch cover 71 is fixed to the flywheel 3 by a plurality of bolts 74. The clutch cover 71 is also provided with a cylindrical portion 71a adjacent to the clutch operating mechanism 8 to be described later in its radial direction. In this embodiment, the cylindrical portion 71a is formed of a cylindrical portion extending toward the transmission. The pressure plate 72 is disposed in the clutch cover 71. In other words, the pressure plate 72 is disposed between the clutch cover 71 and the flywheel 3. Thus, the surface on the transmission side of the pressure plate 72 is covered by the clutch cover 71. The pressure plate 72 has a pressing face 72 that is axially opposed to the friction coupling portion 61 of the clutch disc assembly 6. The pressure plate 72 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 72b extending therein in the radial direction toward the transmission (i.e., opposite the pressing surface 72a) in the axial direction. Several circumferentially spaced portions of the pressure plate 72 are coupled to the clutch cover 71 by strap plates 75 to allow axial movement within a predetermined range while preventing relative rotation. With the clutch engaged, the strap plate 75 deflects the pressure plate 72 toward the transmission.

The lever plate 73 is an annular member provided with a central opening. A plurality of slits extending radially outward from its inner circumference and a plurality of slits extending radially inward from its outer circumference are provided at alternate positions in the circumferential direction of the lever plate 73. Due to the large number of slits provided, the lever plate 73 is configured to have only the minimum strength necessary when the inside thereof is moved axially while fixing the axial position of the outer circumference. When the lever plate 73 is moved as described above, the lever plate 73 stores relatively little elastic energy therein so that the lever plate 73 is circumferentially coupled so that each lever portion provides an integrated structure. It works similarly to an independent lever. The outer circumference of the lever plate 73 is engaged with the pin fixed to the clutch cover 71 so that the lever plate 73 rotates together with the clutch cover 71. The radially outer end of the lever plate 73 is in axial contact with the surface of the engine side of the clutch cover 71. The middle portion in the radial direction of the lever plate 73 is in contact with the protrusion 72b of the pressure plate 72.

The clutch operating mechanism 8 is provided to apply the pressing load to the clutch cover assembly 7, and more particularly, to apply the pressing load to the pressure plate 72 via the lever plate 73. The clutch operating mechanism 8 also has a function of applying to the clutch cover 71 a canceling load in a direction opposite to the pressing load when applying the pressing load. As described above, the clutch actuation load is balanced with the internal force of the clutch device 1, so that the load acting on the engine side is reduced or eliminated. This can reduce the load on the thrust bearing of the crankshaft 2 of the engine.

The clutch operating mechanism 8 is arranged around the input shaft 4 and is located on the transmission side with respect to the interior in the radial direction of the lever plate 73. The clutch operating mechanism 8 is mainly formed of a feed screw mechanism 81 and a drive mechanism 82. The conveying screw mechanism 81 is disposed radially between the operating member 83 and the moving member 84. The actuating member 83 is an annular member disposed radially between the cylindrical portion 71a of the clutch cover 71 and the cylindrical shaft 12. The operating member 83 is rotatably supported on the cylindrical portion 71a of the clutch cover 71 via the first bearing 85. In this embodiment, the operation member 83 is provided with an internal threaded portion 83a (first threaded portion) having a trapezoidal cross section on its inner circumferential surface. The moving member 84 is an annular member disposed radially inside the operating member 83 and is splined to the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical shaft 12 to the cylindrical shaft 12 (that is, the front wall 11a). } Not rotatable and axially movable. The moving member 84 is provided with the external thread part 84a (2nd thread part) couple | bonded with the female thread part 83a on the outer peripheral surface. The female screw portion 83a and the male screw portion 84a thus joined form a feed screw mechanism 81 such that the moving member 84 is axially rotated when the operating member 83 rotates with respect to the clutch cover 71. Move.

The second bearing 86 is disposed between the moving member 84 and the inner circumference of the lever plate 73. The second bearing 86 has a function of transmitting the axial load applied from the moving member 84 to the lever plate 73 without transmitting the rotation of the lever plate 73 to the moving member 84. More specifically, the inner race of the second bearing 86 is in contact with the inner side of the transmission side in the radial direction of the lever plate 73, and the outer race of the second bearing 86 is pressure-fitted. And the like are fixed to the moving member 84.

The drive mechanism 82 is configured to rotate the operation member 83 with respect to the moving member 84. In this embodiment, the drive mechanism 82 is mainly an electric motor (not shown), a pulley 87 fixed to the operating member 83, and a belt for transmitting rotation of the motor to the pulley 87 ( 88). In this embodiment, the belt drive type drive mechanism 82 is used, but the drive mechanism is not limited to this form and other structures capable of driving and rotating the actuation mechanism 83 may be used.

(2) operation of clutch device

Operation of the clutch device 1 will now be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows the structure of the clutch operating mechanism 8 and the structure around it on an enlarged scale, in particular a state in which no push load is applied to the pressure plate 72. 3 shows the structure of the clutch operating mechanism 8 and the structure around it on an enlarged scale, in particular showing a state in which a push load is applied to the pressure plate 72.

(2-1) clutch engagement

Before the clutch engagement, the lever plate 73 and the second bearing 86 are in the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 1, and the moving member 84 and the second bearing 86 are in the position shown in FIG. 2. In this state, the second bearing 86 does not apply a pressing load to the inner end in the radial direction of the lever plate 73, so that the pressure plate 72 does not press the friction coupling portion 61 against the flywheel 3. Do not.

When the driver operates the clutch pedal as an example, the drive mechanism 82 of the clutch operating mechanism 8 rotates the operating member 83 in accordance with the driver's driving. Since the actuating member 83 is supported by the cylindrical portion 71a of the clutch cover 71 via the first bearing 85, the actuating member 83 remains until the rotation of the drive mechanism 82 is transmitted to itself. It does not move relative to the front wall 11a of the transmission (ie, relative to the moving member 84) and will rotate relative to the front wall 11a when driven to rotate by the drive mechanism 82.

As shown by arrow X in FIG. 3, the transfer screw mechanism 81 moves the moving member 84 toward the engine, and the second bearing 86 moves toward the engine together with the moving member 84. Accordingly, the second bearing 86 applies the pressing load to the inner end in the radial direction of the lever plate 73, so that the lever plate 73 changes its angular position. In this embodiment, the pressure plate 72 is under load, the load being greater than the pressing load applied from the moving member 84 and corresponds to the leverage implemented through the lever plate 73. . As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1, the second bearing 86 is in contact with the lever plate 73, and the lever plate 73 presses the pressure plate 72. The lever plate 73 is disposed between the front cover 71 and the pressure plate 72 to amplify the force applied to itself by the second bearing 86 through the ratio of the lever to the pressure plate 72. Accordingly, the pressing surface 72a of the pressure plate 72 presses the friction coupling portion 61 toward the engine to frictionally couple the friction coupling portion 61 with the flywheel 3. Thus, the torque applied from the flywheel 3 is transmitted to the clutch disc assembly 6 and then to the input shaft 4.

In the clutch engagement state, reaction force generated in the conveying screw mechanism 81 biases the clutch cover 71 toward the transmission. Thus, the cylindrical portion 71a of the clutch cover 71 is subjected to a load directed to the transmission.

As described above, the flywheel 3 receives a press load toward the engine from the pressure plate 72 and the friction coupling portion 61, and at the same time, receives a load (offset load) from the clutch cover 71 toward the transmission, The load applied from the flywheel 3 to the crankshaft 2 is reduced.

(2-2) Clutch Removal

In the above clutch engagement state, when the drive mechanism 82 of the clutch operation mechanism 8 rotates the operation mechanism 83 in the reverse direction to the clutch engagement operation, the feed screw mechanism 81 turns the moving member 84. As indicated by arrow Y at 2, it moves towards the transmission, so that the second bearing 86 moves towards the transmission. As a result, the pressing load applied therein from the second bearing 86 in the radial direction of the lever plate 73 is released. In this operation, the pressure plate 72 released from the pressing load is moved towards the transmission by the biasing force applied from the strap plate 75. Thus, the friction coupling portion 61 of the clutch disc assembly 6 is spaced apart from the flywheel 3 to release or disengage the clutch.

(3) Features of clutch operation mechanism

In the clutch operation mechanism 8 described above, the pressing load applied from the lever plate 73 to the pressure plate 72 carries a load applied to the inside of the lever plate 73 in the radial direction from the moving member 84. Depends on the value obtained by multiplying by Thus, the push load can be controlled by simply controlling the rotation applied to the actuating member 83 from the motor of the drive mechanism 82. This improves the reliability of the clutch control.

As described above, the operation member 83 is rotatable with respect to the clutch cover 71, and the movable member 84 is not rotatable with respect to the front wall 11a. Therefore, when the drive mechanism 82 does not drive the operation member 83, the operation member 83 and the moving member 84 do not rotate in accordance with the rotation of the clutch cover 71. Thus, the operating member 83 and the moving member 84 are held at rest with respect to the front wall 11a of the transmission. Accordingly, the drive mechanism 82 applies a predetermined pressing load to the pressure plate 72 by simply performing a simple rotational control for the relative rotation between the operating member 83 and the moving member 84 without considering rotation of the clutch cover 71. ) Can be applied.

Another embodiment

Other embodiments will now be described. In view of the similarity between the first and other embodiments, parts of another embodiment that are identical to the parts of the first embodiment may be given the same reference numerals as the parts of the first embodiment. In addition, the description of the parts of another embodiment that are the same as the parts of the first embodiment may be omitted for brevity.

Second embodiment

(1) structure of clutch device

4 shows a clutch device 101 according to a second embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 4, O-O represents the rotation axis of the clutch device 101. The clutch device 101 is an input shaft 104 on the transmission side (right side in FIG. 4) in the axial direction from a flywheel 103 coupled to the crankshaft 102 on the engine side (ie left side in FIG. 4) in the axial direction. Is provided to release the torque remarkably.

In the second embodiment, the flywheel 103 has an annular shape and is secured to the end of the crankshaft 102 via a disc or disc shaped stretchable plate 105. More specifically, the inside of the flywheel 103 in the radial direction is fixed to the outside in the radial direction of the elastic plate 105 by a plurality of bolts 151. In addition, the inside of the elastic plate 105 in the radial direction is fixed to the end of the crankshaft 102 by a plurality of bolts 52. Thus, the torque of the crankshaft 102 is transmitted to the flywheel 103 via the elastic plate 105. The stretch plate 105 has a smaller thickness than the crankshaft 102 and the flywheel 103. Therefore, the stretchable plate 105 has sufficient strength in the rotational direction but relatively low strength in the bending direction.

The transmission housing 111 is arranged on the transmission side of the clutch device 101. The transmission housing 111 has a front wall 111a disposed on the transmission side with respect to the clutch device 101. The bell-shaped cylindrical portion 111b surrounding the outer circumference of the clutch device 101 extends from the outer circumference of the front wall 111a. In addition, a cylindrical shaft 112 extending axially around the input shaft 104 is fixed to the front wall 111a.

The clutch device 101 is mainly formed of the clutch disk assembly 106, the clutch cover assembly 107, and the clutch operating mechanism 108. The clutch disk assembly 106 has a friction coupling 161, a damper mechanism 162, and a hub flange 163. The friction coupling 161 is disposed radially outward and is formed of friction facings and other components. The damper mechanism 162 is composed of a clutch plate, a holding plate, a coil spring, and other components fixed to the friction coupling portion 161. The hub flange 163 is elastically coupled to the damper mechanism 162. The friction coupling portion 161 is disposed near the friction surface 103a of the flywheel 103. The inner circumference of the hub flange 163 is splined with the input shaft 104.

The clutch cover assembly 107 is attached to the flywheel 103 to press the friction coupling portion 161 of the clutch disc assembly 106 against the flywheel 103 and release it from the flywheel 103. The clutch cover assembly 107 is mainly formed of the clutch cover 171, the pressure plate 172, and the lever plate 173.

The clutch cover 171 is a disk-shaped member having a large center opening. The radially outer end of the clutch cover 71 is secured to the flywheel 103 by a plurality of bolts 174. Further, the clutch cover 171 is provided with a cylindrical portion 171a adjacent to the clutch operating mechanism 108 which will be described later in its radial direction. In this embodiment, the cylindrical portion 171a is formed of a cylindrical portion extending toward the transmission.

The pressure plate 172 is disposed in the clutch cover 171. In other words, the pressure plate 172 is disposed between the clutch cover 171 and the flywheel 103. Thus, the surface on the transmission side of the pressure plate 172 is covered by the clutch cover 171. The pressure plate 172 has a pressing surface 172 that is axially opposed to the friction coupling portion 161 of the clutch disk assembly 106. The pressure plate 172 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 172b extending therein in the radial direction toward the transmission (i.e., opposite the pressing surface 172a) in the axial direction. Several circumferentially spaced portions of the pressure plate 172 are coupled to the clutch cover 171 by strap plates 175 to allow axial movement within a predetermined range while preventing relative rotation. With the clutch engaged, the strap plate 175 deflects the pressure plate 172 toward the transmission.

The lever plate 173 is an annular member provided with a central opening. The lever plate 173 is provided with a plurality of slits extending radially outward from its inner circumference and a plurality of slits extending radially inward from its outer circumference at alternate positions in the circumferential direction. Due to the number of slits provided, the lever plate 173 is configured to have only the minimum strength necessary when the inside thereof is moved in the radial direction while fixing the axial position of the outer circumference. When the lever plate 173 is moved as described above, the lever plate 173 stores only a small amount of elastic energy therein so that the lever plate 173 is independent even if each lever part is circumferentially coupled to provide an integrated structure. It works like a lever. The outer circumference of the lever plate 173 is coupled with a pin fixed to the clutch cover 171 so that the lever plate 173 rotates together with the clutch cover 171. The radially outer end of the lever plate 173 is in axial contact with the surface of the engine side of the clutch cover 171. The middle portion in the radial direction of the lever plate 173 is in contact with the protrusion 172b of the pressure plate 172.

The clutch operating mechanism 108 is provided to apply the press load to the clutch cover assembly 107, and more specifically, to apply the press load to the pressure plate 172 via the lever plate 173. The clutch operating mechanism 108 also has a function of applying a balancing load in a direction opposite to the pressing load to the clutch cover 171 when applying the pressing load. As described above, the clutch operating load is balanced with the internal force of the clutch device 101, so that the load acting on the engine side is reduced or eliminated. This may reduce the load on the thrust bearing of the crankshaft 102 of the engine.

The clutch operating mechanism 108 is disposed around the input shaft 104 and is located on the transmission side with respect to the interior in the radial direction of the lever plate 173. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the clutch operating mechanism 108 is mainly formed of the drive mechanism 181, the deceleration mechanism 182, and the movement direction change mechanism 183. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. Still referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the drive mechanism 181 is formed of an electric motor located below the input shaft 104, arranged perpendicularly to the axis centerline OO, of the worm gear 191, which will be described later. Coupled to the end. The drive mechanism 181 can operate in the reverse direction. In other words, the drive mechanism can preferably operate in at least two directions. In FIG. 5, the P-P line represents the rotation axis of the drive mechanism 181. The drive mechanism 181 is not limited to the motor, but may be formed in another structure capable of driving and rotating the speed reduction mechanism 182.

The deceleration mechanism 182 is configured to reduce the rotational speed of the drive mechanism 181. The reduction mechanism 182 mainly includes a worm gear 191 driven by the drive mechanism 181, and a worm wheel 192 engaged with the worm gear 191. The worm gear 191 is disposed in the cylindrical housing 193 extending along the front wall 111a of the transmission housing 111. The housing 193 is provided at its top with an opening 193a positioned to correspond to the engagement position of the worm gear 191 and the worm wheel 192. The housing 193 is fixed to the front wall 111a by the bolt 194 or the like. The worm wheel 192 is a gear that changes the rotational movement of the worm gear 191 around the axis P-P to the rotational movement around the axis O-O (i.e., the input shaft 104). The worm wheel 192 is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the operation member 201, which will be described later. The movement direction changing mechanism 183 is provided for changing or converting the rotational movement of the worm wheel 192 of the reduction mechanism 182 into the axial movement along the axis O-O. The movement direction change mechanism 183 is mainly formed of the operation member 201 and the moving member 202.

The operation member 201 is a ring-shaped member disposed radially between the cylindrical portion 171a of the clutch cover 171 and the cylindrical shaft 112. The operation member 201 is rotatably supported on the cylindrical portion 171a of the clutch cover 171 via the first bearing 184. In this embodiment, the operation member 201 is provided on its inner circumferential surface with a female screw portion 201a (first threaded portion) having a trapezoidal cross section. The worm wheel 192 is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the operating member 201 so that the rotation of the drive mechanism 181 is transmitted to the operating member 201.

The moving member 202 is an annular member disposed radially inside the operation member 201. The moving member 202 is splined with the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical shaft 112, so that it is not rotatable and axially movable relative to the cylindrical shaft 112 (ie, relative to the front wall 111a). The movable member 202 is provided with an external threaded portion 202a (second threaded portion) engaged with the female threaded portion 201a on its outer circumferential surface. The female threaded portion 201a and the male threaded portion 202a thus coupled form the feed screw mechanism 203 so that the movable member 202 has the actuating member 201 with respect to the cylindrical shaft 112 (ie, the front wall ( Relative to 111a), move axially when rotating.

The second bearing 185 is disposed between the movable member 202 and the inner circumference of the lever plate 173. The second bearing 185 carries the axial load applied from the movable member 202 of the lever plate 173. It has a function of transmitting the rotation to the lever plate 173 without transmitting the rotation to the moving member 202. More specifically, the outer race of the second bearing 185 is in contact with the inner side of the transmission side in the radial direction of the lever plate 173, and the inner race of the second bearing 185 is moved by a pressure fit or the like. It is fixed to the member 202.

This embodiment uses the conveying screw mechanism 203 as the movement direction changing mechanism 183, but is not limited to this, and other structures capable of changing the rotation of the worm wheel 192 to the axial movement may be used. .

(2) operation of clutch device

Operation of the clutch device 101 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. FIG. 6 shows the structure of the clutch operating mechanism 108 and the structure around it on an enlarged scale, in particular a state in which no push load is applied to the pressure plate 172. Fig. 7 shows the structure of the clutch operating mechanism 10 (8) and the structure around it on an enlarged scale, in particular showing a state in which a push load is applied to the pressure plate 172.

(2-1) clutch engagement

Before the clutch engagement, the lever plate 173 and the second bearing 185 are in the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 4, and the moving member 202 and the second bearing 185 are in the position shown in FIG. 6. In this state, the second bearing 185 does not apply a pressing load to the inner end in the radial direction of the lever plate 173, so that the pressure plate 172 does not press the friction coupling portion 161 against the flywheel 103. Do not.

When the driver operates the clutch pedal as an example, the drive mechanism 181 of the clutch operating mechanism 108 is activated to rotate the worm gear 191 of the deceleration mechanism 182. This rotation is transmitted to the worm wheel 192 and is changed to rotation around the axis O-O. In this operation, the rotational speed is reduced in accordance with the gear ratio between the worm gear 191 and the worm wheel 192. The worm wheel 192 thus rotated rotates the operation member 201.

As shown by arrow X in FIG. 7, the transfer screw mechanism 203 moves the moving member 202 toward the engine, and the second bearing 185 moves with the moving member 202 toward the engine. Accordingly, the second bearing 185 applies the pressing load to the inner end in the radial direction of the lever plate 173, so that the lever plate 173 changes its angular position. In this embodiment, the pressure plate 172 is under load, the load being greater than the pressing load applied from the moving member 202 and corresponding to the ratio of levers implemented through the lever plate 173. This device is shown in FIG. 4 by pressure plate 172, lever plate 173, and second bearing 185, shown by a dashed line, and exhibits a lever ratio similar or identical to that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the pressing surface 172a of the pressure plate 172 presses the friction coupling portion 161 toward the engine to frictionally couple the friction coupling portion 161 with the flywheel 103. Thus, the torque applied from the flywheel 103 is transmitted to the clutch disk assembly 106 and then provided to the input shaft 104.

In the clutch engagement state, reaction force generated in the conveying screw mechanism 203 biases the clutch cover 171 toward the transmission. Thus, the cylindrical portion 171a of the clutch cover 171 is under load directed to the transmission.

As described above, the flywheel 103 receives a push load toward the engine from the pressure plate 172 and the friction coupling portion 161, and at the same time, receives a load (offset load) from the clutch cover 171 toward the transmission, The load applied to the crankshaft 102 from the flywheel 103 is reduced.

(2-2) Clutch engagement

After performing the clutch engagement operation as described above, the drive mechanism 181 is deactivated to stop the application of the rotational force from the drive mechanism 181 to the movement direction change mechanism 183. In this operation, the operation member 201 is prevented from rotating due to the self-locking function of the reduction mechanism 192 formed of the worm gear 191 and the worm wheel 192. In other words, unless the worm gear 191 rotates the worm wheel 192, the worm wheel 192 cannot cause the actuating member 201 to move the moving member 202 because all are interconnected. Because Thus, the moving member 202 is held in the axial position even after the drive mechanism 181 is deactivated to maintain the clutch engagement state.

This embodiment also uses the feed screw mechanism 203 as the movement direction change mechanism 183. Therefore, the self-locking function of the feed screw mechanism 203 can maintain the axial position of the moving member 202, and the self-locking function of the deceleration mechanism 182 formed of the worm gear 191 and the worm wheel 192. Can prevent rotation of the operation member 201. Thus, the situation where torque is transmitted from the clutch cover 171 to the operation member 201 due to the sliding resistance of the first bearing 184 and the situation where the operation member 201 rotates due to unexpected vibration can be prevented. Therefore, either of these situations can move the movable member 202 in the axial direction. Thus, the axial position of the moving member 202 can be reliably maintained when the drive mechanism 181 is deactivated after the clutch engagement operation.

(2-3) Clutch Removal

In the above clutch engagement state, when the drive mechanism 181 of the clutch operating mechanism 108 is activated to rotate the worm gear 191 in the reverse direction to the clutch engagement operation, the worm wheel 192 is also in the reverse direction of the clutch engagement operation. By rotating, the operation member 201 rotates in the reverse direction to the clutch engagement operation. Thus, the feed screw mechanism 203 moves the moving member 202 toward the transmission as indicated by arrow Y in FIG. 6, so that the second bearing 185 moves toward the transmission. As a result, the pressing load applied therein from the second bearing 185 in the radial direction of the lever plate 173 is released. In this operation, the pressure plate 172 released from the pressing load is moved towards the transmission by the biasing force applied from the strap plate 175. Thus, the friction coupling portion 161 of the clutch disc assembly 106 is spaced apart from the flywheel 103 to release or disengage the clutch.

(3) Features of clutch operation mechanism

The clutch operating mechanism 108 of this embodiment has the following features.

(3-1) In the clutch operating mechanism 108, the rotation of the drive mechanism 181 is transmitted to the movement direction change mechanism 183 via the reduction mechanism 182 formed of the worm gear 191 and the worm wheel 192. Is approved. Therefore, even after the drive mechanism 181 stops applying the rotational motion to the movement direction change mechanism 183 in the clutch engagement state, the reduction mechanism 182 formed of the worm gear 191 and the worm wheel 192 is used. The self-locking mechanism maintains the axial position of the moving member 202 of the movement direction change mechanism 183, so that the clutch engagement state is completely maintained. Therefore, the power loss of the drive mechanism 181 of the clutch operating mechanism 108 in the clutch engagement state can be reduced.

(3-2) In the clutch operating mechanism 108, the pressing load applied from the lever plate 173 to the pressure plate 172 is a load applied to the inside of the lever plate 173 from the moving member 202 in the radial direction. Depends on the value obtained by multiplying by. As described above, the clutch operating mechanism 108 utilizes a structure in which the torque of the drive mechanism 181 is transmitted to the moving member 202 via the reduction mechanism 182 formed of the worm gear 191 and the worm wheel 192. Thus, the power of the drive mechanism 181 can be reduced when operating the clutch, and the required capacity of the drive mechanism 181 can be reduced.

(3-3) Since the clutch operating mechanism 108 uses the movement direction changing mechanism 183 formed of the feed screw mechanism 203, the self-locking mechanism of the feed screw mechanism 203 is basically the drive mechanism 181. Maintains the axial position of the moving member 202 even when is deactivated after the clutch engagement operation. However, the operation member 201 is supported on the clutch cover 171 so as to be relatively rotatable via the bearing 184. Thus, rotation of the clutch cover 171 may be transmitted to the operation member 201 due to the sliding resistance, or unexpected vibration may rotate the operation member 201. Therefore, in the conventional structure, the moving member 202 can move in the direction of releasing the clutch engagement state.

Even in such a situation, the rotation of the operation member 201 is locked by the self-locking function of the deceleration mechanism 182 in accordance with the clutch operating mechanism 108. Thus, the axial position of the moving member 202 can be reliably maintained even after the drive mechanism 181 is deactivated.

Third embodiment

(1) structure of clutch device

8 shows a clutch device 301 according to a third preferred embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 8, O-O represents the rotation axis of the clutch device 301. The clutch device 301 is an input shaft 304 on the transmission side (right side in FIG. 8) in the axial direction from a flywheel 303 coupled to the crankshaft 2 on the engine side (ie left side in FIG. 8) in the axial direction. Is provided to release the torque remarkably.

In the third embodiment, the flywheel 303 has an annular shape and is secured to the end of the crankshaft 302 via a disk- or disk-shaped stretch plate 5. More specifically, the inside of the flywheel 303 in the radial direction is fixed to the outside in the radial direction of the elastic plate 305 by a plurality of bolts 351. In addition, the inside of the elastic plate 305 in the radial direction is fixed to the end of the crankshaft 302 by a plurality of bolts 352. Thus, the torque of the crankshaft 302 is transmitted to the flywheel 303 via the elastic plate 305. The stretch plate 305 has a smaller thickness than the crankshaft 302 and the flywheel 303. Therefore, the stretchable plate 305 has sufficient strength in the rotational direction but relatively low strength in the bending direction or the axial direction.

The transmission housing 311 is arranged on the transmission side of the clutch device 301. The transmission housing 311 has a front wall 311a disposed on the transmission side with respect to the clutch device 301. The bell-shaped cylindrical portion 311b surrounding the outer circumference of the clutch device 301 extends from the outer circumference of the front wall 311a.

The clutch device 301 is mainly formed of the clutch disk assembly 306, the clutch cover assembly 307, and the hydraulic pressing device 308 (clutch operating mechanism). The clutch disc assembly 306 has a friction coupling portion 361, a damper mechanism 362, and a hub flange 363. The friction coupling portion 361 is disposed radially outward and is formed of friction facings and other components. The damper mechanism 362 is composed of a clutch plate, a holding plate, a coil spring, and other components fixed to the friction coupling portion 361. Hub flange 363 is elastically coupled to damper mechanism 362. The friction coupling part 361 is disposed near the friction surface 303a of the flywheel 303. The inner circumference of the hub flange 363 is splined with the input shaft 304.

The clutch cover assembly 307 is a mechanism attached to the flywheel 303 to press the friction coupling portion 361 of the clutch disc assembly 306 against the flywheel 303 and release it from the flywheel 303. The clutch cover assembly 307 is mainly formed of the clutch cover 371, the pressure plate 372, and the lever plate 373. The clutch cover 371 is a disc-shaped member having a large center opening. The radially outer end of the clutch cover 371 is secured to the flywheel 303 by a plurality of bolts 374. The clutch cover 371 is also provided with a cylindrical portion 371a adjacent to the clutch operating mechanism 308 which will be described later in its radial direction. In this embodiment, the cylindrical portion 371a is provided with a plurality of slit openings 371b.

The pressure plate 372 is disposed in the clutch cover 371. The pressure plate 372 is inserted axially between the clutch cover 371 and the flywheel 3. Thus, the surface on the transmission side of the pressure plate 372 is covered by the clutch cover 371. The pressure plate 372 has a pressing surface 372 that is axially opposed to the friction coupling portion 361 of the clutch disk assembly 306. The pressure plate 372 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 372b extending therein in the radial direction toward the transmission (i.e., opposite the pressing surface 372a) in the axial direction. Several circumferentially spaced portions of the pressure plate 372 are coupled to the clutch cover 371 by strap plates 375 to allow axial movement within a predetermined range while preventing relative rotation. With the clutch engaged, the strap plate 375 deflects the pressure plate 372 toward the transmission.

The lever plate 373 is an annular member provided with a central opening. The lever plate 373 is provided with a plurality of slits extending radially outward from its inner circumference and a plurality of slits extending radially inward from its outer circumference at alternate positions in the circumferential direction. Due to the large number of slits provided, the lever plate 373 is configured to have only the minimum strength required when its interior is moved in the radial direction while fixing the axial position of the outer circumference. When the lever plate 373 is moved as described above, the lever plate 373 stores only relatively little elastic energy therein so that the lever plate 373 is circumferentially coupled so that each lever portion provides an integrated structure. It works similarly to an independent lever. The outer circumference of the lever plate 373 is engaged with the pin fixed to the clutch cover 371 so that the lever plate 373 rotates together with the clutch cover 371. The radially outer end of the lever plate 373 is in axial contact with the surface of the engine side of the clutch cover 371. The middle portion in the radial direction of the lever plate 373 is in contact with the protrusion 372b of the pressure plate 372.

The hydraulic pressing device 308 is provided to apply the pressing load to the clutch cover assembly 307, and more particularly, to apply the pressing load to the pressure plate 372 via the lever plate 373. The hydraulic pressing device 8 also has a function of applying a balancing load in a direction opposite to the pressing load to the clutch cover 371 when applying the pressing load. As above, the clutch actuation load is balanced with the internal force of the clutch device 301 so that the load acting on the engine side is reduced or eliminated. This may reduce the load on the thrust bearing of the crankshaft 302 of the engine.

As shown in FIG. 9, the hydraulic pressing device 308 is disposed around the input shaft 304 and is located on the transmission side with respect to the interior in the radial direction of the lever plate 373. The hydraulic pressing device 308 is mainly formed by the hydraulic cylinder 381. The hydraulic cylinder 381 is mainly formed of an annular housing 382 (cylindrical member), an annular piston 383 (piston) and a passage connecting member 384 (connection member). FIG. 9 shows the hydraulic cylinder 381 of FIG. 8 and the structure around it on an enlarged scale, in particular showing a state in which no push load is applied to the pressure plate 372.

Referring to FIG. 8, the annular housing 382 is fixed to the clutch cover 371 to rotate with the clutch cover assembly 307 and is coaxial with the rotational shaft O-O of the clutch device 301. The annular housing 382 mainly has an inner wall portion 382a and an outer wall portion 382b, which wall portions 382a and 382b form an annular space extending therebetween. The annular space is closed at the axial end on the transmission side but open in the opposite direction. The annular housing 382 has an annular portion 382c extending radially outward from an axial end on the engine side of the outer wall portion 382b. In this embodiment, annular portion 382c has a plurality of claws 382d at its radially outer end. The claw 382d is fixed to the hook 371a by inserting the claw 382d into the slit opening 991b in the hook 371a of the clutch cover 371 and bending the claw 382d.

The annular piston 383 has a cylindrical shape extending in the axial direction and is disposed in the annular space with the end protruding toward the engine. Annular piston 383 is axially movable relative to annular housing 382. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the end 383a of the engine side of the annular piston 383 is in direct contact with the surface of the inner transmission side in the radial direction of the lever plate 373.

Two annular sealing members 385a and 385b are fixed to the end of the transmission side of the annular piston 383. The sealing members 385a and 395b respectively contact the inner surfaces of the inner wall portion 382a and the outer wall portion 382b for sealing on the opposite side. Thus, the oil chamber 386 (fluid chamber) located axially on the transmission side with respect to the sealing members 385a and 385b is secured in the annular housing 382. Oil openings 382e and oil grooves 382f are formed in portions of the outer wall portion 382b that are radially external to the oil chamber 386 for supplying and discharging the working fluid. Oil opening 382e extends radially outward from oil chamber 386. The oil groove 382f is an annular groove formed on the outer circumferential surface of the outer wall portion 382b and has a portion communicating with the oil opening 382e.

Referring to FIG. 8, the passage connecting member 384 is an annular member covering the inner side and the outer side and the transmission side in the radial direction of the annular housing 382, between the oil chamber 386 and the hydraulic supply portion 392. In order to allow the working fluid to flow, the hydraulic supply 392 will be described later. The passage connecting portion 384 is mainly formed of an annular portion 384a, an inner cylindrical portion 384b, and an outer cylindrical portion 384c. The annular portion 384a is located on the transmission side with respect to the annular housing 382 and is axially spaced therefrom. The surface of the transmission side of the annular portion 384a is in contact with the radial interior of the front wall 311a of the transmission housing 311.

The inner cylindrical portion 384b extends from the radially inner end of the annular portion 384a toward the engine side and is disposed radially between the input wall 304 and the inner wall 382a of the annular housing 382. . The bearing 387 is disposed between the inner cylindrical portion 384b and the inner wall 382a of the annular housing 382. In this embodiment, the bearing 387 is preferably a needle bearing. The sealing member 388 is disposed on the end of the inner cylindrical portion 384b near the engine to prevent leakage of the working fluid through the gap between the inner cylindrical portion 384b and the inner wall 382a to the outside. The outer cylindrical portion 384c extends toward the engine from the radially outer end of the annular portion 384a. The sealing member 389 is disposed on the end of the outer cylindrical portion 384c near the engine to prevent leakage of the working fluid through the gap between the outer cylindrical portion 384c and the outer wall 382b.

The passage connecting portion 384 is provided with a connecting passage 384d and a discharge passage 384e as shown in FIG. 8. A connecting passage 384d is provided for communication between the oil groove 382f and the oil supply pipe 310 on the annular housing 382. In this embodiment, the connecting passage 384d is formed in the outer cylindrical portion 384c and is located at a position corresponding to the axial position of the oil groove 382f on the annular housing 382. The annular sealing member 390 located on the axially opposite side of the oil groove 382f has an annular housing 382 and a passage connecting member (3) for axially sealing the oil groove 382f and the connecting passage 384d. 384). A discharge passage 384e is provided for returning the working fluid through the oil discharge pipe 312 to the hydraulic supply 392, where the working fluid leaks around the sealing member 390 to allow the annular housing 382 and the passage connecting member. Enter the space between 384. In this embodiment, the discharge passage 384e includes a first discharge passage 384f connecting the gap near the sealing member 389 to the oil discharge tube 312, and a gap near the annular portion 384a. And a second discharge pipe 384g connecting to 312.

As above, the passage connecting member 384 is located radially by the annular housing 382 and axially by the front wall 311a. The passage connecting member 384 is rotatably disposed with respect to the annular housing 382 via the bearing 387 and the sealing member 390. Thus, even when the annular housing 382 rotates together with the clutch cover 371, the state in which the movement of the passage connecting member 384 in the rotational direction is limited with respect to the transmission housing 311 is maintained.

The hydraulic pressing device 308 also includes a hydraulic control device 309 (pressure actuating mechanism). The hydraulic control device 309 is provided for controlling the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the hydraulic cylinder 381, and thus controls the load applied from the clutch cover assembly 307 to the clutch disk assembly 306. The hydraulic control device 309 is a hydraulic pressure for determining the load applied to the controller 391 formed of a microcomputer and other components, the hydraulic supply portion 392 formed of a master cylinder, a hydraulic pump, and the like, and the pressure plate 372. It is formed of a pressure sensor 393 which detects the hydraulic pressure in the cylinder 381. The controller 391 may control the pressure of the working fluid supplied from the hydraulic pressure supply 392 based on the detected value provided from the pressure sensor 393.

(2) operation of clutch device

Operation of the clutch device 301 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. FIG. 10 shows the hydraulic cylinder 381 shown in FIG. 8 and the structure around it on an enlarged scale, in particular showing a state in which a push load is applied to the pressure plate 372.

(2-1) clutch engagement

When the driver operates the clutch pedal as an example, the controller 391 of the hydraulic control device 309 sends a signal in response to the pedal operation, so that the hydraulic supply 392 passes through the oil supply pipe 310 and passes through the passage connecting member 384. The working fluid is supplied to the connecting passage 384d in the cavities, and the working fluid is also supplied to the oil chamber 386 in the hydraulic cylinder 381 via the oil groove 382f and the oil opening 382e. In this operation, the annular housing 382 rotates with the clutch cover 371 and thus rotates against the passage connecting member 384 which does not rotate relative to the transmission housing 311. However, the oil groove 382f is an annular groove and has a portion connected to the connecting passage 384d so that the hydraulic supply portion 392 can stably supply the working fluid to the oil chamber 386. In the operation of supplying the working fluid to the oil chamber 386, the working fluid leaks around the sealing member 390 and enters the gap between the passage connecting member 384 and the annular housing 382. However, the leaked working fluid is returned to the hydraulic supply portion 392 via the discharge passage 384e and the oil discharge pipe 312.

Thus, the annular piston 383 moves axially towards the engine to apply a predetermined load to the radially inner end of the lever plate 373 so that the lever plate 373 is at its angular position (see arrow X in FIG. 10). ). In this operation, the pressure plate 372 is under load, the load being greater than the load applied from the annular piston 383 by a multiple corresponding to the lever ratio, which is similar or identical to the lever arrangement of the previous embodiment. Accordingly, the pressing surface 372a of the pressure plate 372 frictionally couples the friction coupling portion 361 with the flywheel 303 by pressing the friction coupling portion 361 axially toward the engine. Thus, the torque applied from the flywheel 303 is transmitted to the clutch disk assembly 306, which is then supplied to the input shaft 304. Since the annular piston 383 rotates together with the annular housing 382, the annular piston 383 has a lever plate 373 despite the end 383a being in direct contact with the radial inside of the lever plate 373. Without rotating relative to), the annular piston 383 can apply a load from its end 383a to the radially interior of the lever plate 373.

In the clutch engagement state, the annular housing 382 of the hydraulic cylinder 381 is axially deflected toward the transmission by the hydraulic pressure generated in the oil chamber 386. Accordingly, the load axially directed toward the transmission is applied to the annular portion 371a of the clutch cover 371 via the annular portion 382c of the annular housing 382. As described above, the flywheel 303 receives an axial load (operating load) from the pressure plate 372 and the friction coupling portion 361 to the engine, and at the same time, the axial load (from the clutch cover 371 to the engine). Under load), the load applied from the flywheel 303 to the crankshaft 302 is reduced.

(2-2) Clutch Removal

When the driver operates the clutch pedal as an example, a signal is sent to the controller 391 in response to the pedal operation, so that the hydraulic pressure that pushes the annular piston 383 toward the engine causes the oil chamber 386 in the hydraulic cylinder 381. Is released from Accordingly, the lever plate 373 no longer applies the pressing load to the pressure plate 372. In this operation, strap plate 375 deflects and moves pressure plate 372 toward the transmission. Thus, the friction coupling portion 361 of the clutch disc assembly 306 is spaced apart from the flywheel 303 to release the clutch engagement (see arrow Y in FIG. 9). In the clutch release state as described above, the annular housing 382 releases the biasing force from the clutch cover 371.

(3-3) Features of Hydraulic Press Device

According to the hydraulic pressing device 308 described above, the pressing load applied from the lever plate 373 to the pressure plate 372 is applied to the load applied from the annular piston 383 to the radially inner end of the lever plate 373. Depends on the value obtained by multiplying the ratio. Thus, the push load can be controlled by simply controlling the oil pressure of the working fluid supplied from the oil pressure supply 392 of the oil pressure control device 309. This improves the reliability of the clutch control.

In the hydraulic pressing device 308, the annular housing 382 forming the hydraulic cylinder 381 is fixed to the clutch cover 371 and is external hydraulic control device 309 via a relatively rotatable passage connecting member 384. ) This prevents relative rotation between the annular piston 383 disposed in the annular space of the annular housing 382 and the clutch cover assembly 307 (specifically, the lever plate 373). Thus, it is possible to remove the bearings required in conventional hydraulic pressing devices and inserted between the annular piston and the clutch cover assembly. Therefore, it is possible to prevent failures such as grease leakage, abnormal noise and breakage, which may be caused by the use of the bearing, and the durability and reliability of the hydraulic pressing device can be improved.

As used herein, the terms "forward, rear, up, down, vertical, horizontal, down and transverse" and in any other similar direction indicating the following direction refer to those of a vehicle equipped with the present invention. Refers to the direction. Therefore, these terms used to describe the present invention should be interpreted for the vehicle on which the present invention is mounted.

The term "configured," used to describe a part or section of a device, includes hardware and / or software that is configured and / or programmed to perform a desired function.

Furthermore, the term expressed as a "means-plus function" in the claims should include any structure that can be used to perform the functions of such parts of the present invention.

The terms "substantially" and "approximately" as used herein refer to a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified condition so that the end result is not severely altered. By way of example, such term may be considered to include a deviation of at least ± 5% of the modified condition unless the deviation of at least ± 5% negates the meaning of the word.

This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. The entire contents of the Japanese Patent Application No .--- are incorporated herein by reference and form part of this specification.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Moreover, the foregoing description of the embodiments according to the present invention is provided for the purpose of illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Thus, the scope of the invention is not limited to the described embodiments.

As described above, according to the clutch operating mechanism of the first aspect of the present invention, the drive mechanism is configured to rotate the operating member with respect to the moving member, and thus, by the feed screw mechanism, the moving member with respect to the clutch cover. Move in the axial direction. Thus, the drive mechanism applies the pressing load to the pressure plate via the moving member, and also applies the offset load in the opposite direction to the pressing load to the clutch cover via the operating member, so that the load applied from the flywheel to the crankshaft can be reduced. .

According to the clutch operating mechanism of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the rotation of the drive mechanism is applied to the movement direction changing mechanism via a deceleration mechanism composed of a worm gear and a worm wheel. Therefore, even when the drive mechanism stops applying rotational force to the movement direction change mechanism, the self-locking function of the reduction mechanism formed by the worm gear and the worm wheel maintains the axial position of the moving member of the movement direction change mechanism, and the clutch The coupled state can be maintained. Therefore, the power loss in the drive mechanism of the clutch operating mechanism can be reduced in the clutch engagement state.

In the clutch operating mechanism of the eighth aspect of the present invention, the cylinder member is fixed to the clutch cover and connected to an externally actuated pressure actuating mechanism via a relatively rotatable connecting member. Thus, the piston is not rotatable relative to the clutch cover assembly. Therefore, in the conventional clutch operating mechanism, it is possible to remove the bearing inserted between the piston and the clutch cover assembly, so that the clutch operating mechanism can realize improved durability and reliability.

Claims (20)

A flywheel coupled to the crankshaft, A clutch disc assembly having a friction coupling configured to contact and disconnect the flywheel, the clutch disc assembly being coupled to an input shaft extending through the front wall of the transmission; A pressure plate configured to contact a side surface of the friction coupling portion opposite the flywheel, A clutch cover assembly fixed to the flywheel and the pressure plate, and Clutch operating mechanism configured to apply a pushing load to the pressure plate for releasably transmitting torque between the flywheel and the input shaft. Including; The clutch operation mechanism An actuating member rotatably disposed with respect to said clutch cover assembly, said actuating member having a first threaded portion, A movable member having a second threaded portion that is not rotatable relative to the front wall and capable of axial movement, the second threaded portion being engaged with the first threaded portion to form a feed screw mechanism; and Rotate the actuating member relative to the movable member to move the movable member axially relative to the clutch cover assembly and apply the push load to the pressure plate via the movable member and press through the actuating member A drive mechanism configured to apply a balancing load in the opposite direction of the load to the clutch cover assembly Containing Clutch device. The method of claim 1, And a first bearing disposed between the operating member and the clutch cover assembly to support the operating member relatively rotatably by the clutch cover assembly. The method of claim 2, A cylindrical shaft disposed around the input shaft and fixed to the front wall, And the movable member is not rotatable relative to the cylindrical shaft and is capable of supporting movement in the axial direction. The method of claim 3, The clutch cover assembly has a lever plate supported by the clutch cover assembly to contact the pressure plate, A clutch device wherein a second bearing is disposed between the moving member and the lever plate. The method of claim 2, The clutch cover assembly has a lever plate supported by the clutch cover assembly to contact the pressure plate, A clutch device wherein a second bearing is disposed between the moving member and the lever plate. The method of claim 1, A cylindrical shaft disposed around the input shaft and fixed to the front wall, And the movable member is not rotatable relative to the cylindrical shaft and is capable of supporting movement in the axial direction. The method of claim 1, The clutch cover assembly has a lever plate, The lever plate is Radially outer contacting the clutch cover of the clutch cover assembly, A radial middle part in contact with the protrusion of the pressure plate, and Radially in contact with the clutch operating mechanism Clutch device having a. A flywheel coupled to the crankshaft, A clutch disc assembly having a friction coupling configured to contact and disconnect the flywheel, the clutch disc assembly being coupled to an input shaft extending through the front wall of the transmission; A pressure plate configured to contact a side surface of the friction coupling portion opposite the flywheel, A clutch cover assembly fixed to the flywheel and the pressure plate, and Clutch operating mechanism configured to apply a pushing load to the pressure plate for releasably transmitting torque between the flywheel and the input shaft. Including; The clutch operation mechanism Drive mechanism, A deceleration mechanism having a worm gear rotated by the drive mechanism and a worm wheel disposed around the input shaft and engaged with the worm gear; Direction change mechanism Including, The movement direction change mechanism An actuating member rotatably disposed on the clutch cover assembly via a bearing between the clutch cover assembly and fixed to the worm wheel, and A moving member axially moved in accordance with the rotation of the operating member Equipped with The movement direction change mechanism is configured to apply the pressing load to the pressure plate according to the axial movement of the moving member, and to apply the offset load in the opposite direction to the pressing load to the clutch cover assembly. Clutch device. The method of claim 8, The operating member has a first threaded portion, And the moving member has a second threaded portion engaged with the first threaded portion to form a conveying screw mechanism. The method of claim 9, And the clutch cover assembly includes a lever plate configured to contact the pressure plate and to be pressed toward the pressure plate according to the axial movement of the moving member. The method of claim 8, And the clutch cover assembly includes a lever plate configured to contact the pressure plate and to be pressed toward the pressure plate according to the axial movement of the moving member. The method of claim 11, The lever plate is Radially outer contacting the clutch cover of the clutch cover assembly, A radial middle part in contact with the protrusion of the pressure plate, and Radially in contact with the clutch operating mechanism Clutch device having a. A flywheel coupled to the crankshaft, A clutch disc assembly having a friction coupling configured to contact and disconnect the flywheel, the clutch disc assembly being coupled to an input shaft extending through the front wall of the transmission; A pressure plate configured to contact a side surface of the friction coupling portion opposite the flywheel, A clutch cover assembly fixed to the flywheel and the pressure plate, and Clutch operation mechanism configured to apply a pushing load to the pressure plate for releasably transmitting torque between the flywheel and the input shaft. Including; The clutch operation mechanism A cylinder member fixed to the clutch cover assembly, A piston configured to form a fluid chamber with the cylinder member, the piston configured to move axially to apply the pressing load to the pressure plate in accordance with a change in the pressure of the working fluid in the fluid chamber, A pressure actuating mechanism configured to actuate a pressure of the working fluid in the fluid chamber, and A connecting member connected to the pressure actuating mechanism and rotatable relative to the cylinder member and configured to connect the pressure actuating mechanism to the fluid chamber such that the working fluid flows between the pressure actuating mechanism and the fluid chamber. Clutch device comprising a. The method of claim 13, The clutch cover assembly includes a lever plate configured to contact the pressure plate and to be pressed toward the pressure plate according to the axial movement of the piston, And the piston is in direct contact with the lever plate. The method of claim 14, The lever plate is Radially outer contacting the clutch cover of the clutch cover assembly, A radial middle part in contact with the protrusion of the pressure plate, and Radially in contact with the clutch operating mechanism Clutch device having a. The method of claim 13, And the piston is radially formed in the recess of the connecting member. The method of claim 16, The pressure actuating mechanism A controller with a microcomputer, A hydraulic supply having a master cylinder, and A pressure sensor for determining the push load applied to the pressure plate Clutch device comprising a. The method of claim 17, And the working fluid is supplied to the fluid chamber via an oil supply pipe by the hydraulic supply part. The method of claim 18, And an oil discharge pipe for returning the working fluid from the fluid chamber to the hydraulic supply portion. The method of claim 19, And the oil discharge pipe is connected to a discharge passage connected to the fluid chamber.