KR20200032112A - Clutch actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention rotates around the casing (2), the electric motor (8) fastened to the casing (2) and having a rotating shaft (17) of the axis (A), and an axis (B) parallel to the axis (A) A clutch actuator (1) comprising a rotational linear type motion conversion device (25, 53) having a possible input member (25) and an output member (53) movable in translation along an axis (B), the input member 25 is rotationally driven by the shaft 17 of the electric motor 8 via the reduction gears 18, 19, 24, and the reduction gear is a first toothed gear wheel 18 fixed to the shaft 17 of the motor ), A second toothed gearwheel 19 freely mounted around the splines 20 parallel to the axes A and B and engaged with the first gearwheel 18 and fixed to the input member 25 In the clutch actuator 1, wherein the second gear wheel 19 is provided with a third toothed gear wheel 24 engaged with the second gear wheel 19, the second gear wheel 19 is the first gear wheel and the third gear wheel amount Interlocking fit and relates to a clutch actuator that characterized in that a single value with a set of male part.

Description

Clutch actuator

The present invention particularly relates to a clutch actuator for a vehicle transmission system.

The present invention is not exclusive, but in particular the operation of a single or dual clutch, the rest of which can be normally engaged or released normally, to the above operation, to the operation of the manual gearbox synchronization, to the operation of the semi-automatic gearbox, double It relates to the operation of the clutch manual gearbox, or, if it is part of the propulsion chain of a hybrid vehicle, to the operation of the clutch to couple the combustion engine to the electric machine.

The clutch actuator allows the shifting system to change from an engaged state that allows transmission of torque or motion to an unengaged state in which such transmission is not performed. The clutch actuator also allows the system to remain engaged or disengaged.

In International Publication No. WO 2015/090316, a casing, an electric motor mounted on the casing, the output shaft of which is coupled in connection with rotation to the first gearwheel, and an electric motor, engaged with the first gearwheel and equipped with a nut Disclosed is a clutch actuator comprising a rotational-type motion converting device having a screw supporting a second gear wheel. The nut cooperates with the screw and is coupled to the thrust member with respect to both rotation and translation. The thrust member is capable of actuating the movement of the piston of the master cylinder to displace a large amount of oil.

Thus, the rotation of the shaft of the motor drives the motion of the piston via a gearwheel and motion conversion device.

Such actuators are referred to as hydrostatic pressure in that they allow displacement of a volume of fluid, but without generating hydraulic fluid flow, the fluid volume ultimately remains unchanged over time.

Such actuators are also disclosed in the applicant's European Patent No. 2 860 869.

In this document, the shaft of the motor is fixed to the first gearwheel, that is, engaged with a second gearwheel freely mounted to rotate freely about the spindle mounted on the casing, and the screw of the rotational linear type motion conversion device is second It is fixed to the third gear wheel that meshes with the gear wheel. In this document, the second gearwheel has two sets of teeth, which are axially offset from each other and have different diameters and number of teeth from one set of teeth to another set of teeth. have. Thus, the first set of teeth of the second gearwheel meshes with the first gearwheel, and the second set of teeth of the second gearwheel meshes with the third gearwheel. Therefore, the second gear wheel has a complicated structure and a large axial space requirement. Further, the spindle of the second gear wheel is supported only on one of its ends by a casing. Therefore, it becomes difficult to keep the spindles of the second gearwheel parallel to the spindles of the first and third gearwheels, thereby risking premature wear of the gearwheels.

The present invention relates to providing a clutch actuator for a vehicle transmission system.

In this regard, the present invention relates to a casing, an electric motor fastened to the casing and having a rotating shaft of axis A, an input member rotatable about axis B parallel to axis A, and an axis ( A clutch actuator comprising a rotational linear type motion conversion device having an output member movable in translation along B), wherein the input member is rotationally driven by a shaft of an electric motor via a reducer, the reducer being connected to a shaft of the motor. A fixed first toothed gearwheel, a second toothed gearwheel freely mounted around a spline parallel to the axis (A, B) and engaged with the first gearwheel, and a second gearwheel fixed to the input member A clutch actuator having a third toothed gearwheel engaged with the second gearwheel, wherein the second gearwheel has a single set of teeth engaged with both the first gearwheel and the third gearwheel. It is characterized by.

A single tooth of the second gearwheel according to the present invention, compared to the prior art, wherein the second gearwheel or the idling gearwheel has two separate sets of teeth, each engaged with a first gearwheel and a third gearwheel The set is less complex, which can reduce cost. In addition, the second gearwheel also has much smaller axial space requirements. Finally, the diameter of the first gear wheel and / or the third gear wheel can be increased as needed to change the reduction ratio.

The set of teeth of the gearwheel has, for example, helical or spur teeth.

The casing may define a housing in which the cover is fastened to the casing, the gearwheels are received in the housing, and the spindle of the second gearwheel is supported by the casing at the first end and by the cover at the second end. .

Thus, the spindles of the second gearwheel are supported at both ends to ensure that the spindles of different gearwheels are parallel. In this way, any premature wear of the gearwheel is avoided.

The spindle of the second gearwheel is mounted in the hole in the casing and in the hole in the cover, and the spindle is mounted in the hole without play.

In this way, the spindle can center or position the cover on the casing before the cover is fastened to the casing, for example by welding.

A washer, for example a metal washer, is mounted around the spindle of the second gearwheel axially between the second gearwheel and the casing.

A washer, for example a metal washer, is mounted around the spindle of the second gearwheel axially between the second gearwheel and the cover. Each washer is, for example, a metal washer.

The metal washer can be secured to the second gear wheel or casing, for example by fitting or overmolding.

The metal washer can be fixed to the second gearwheel or cover, for example by fitting or overmolding.

The actuator has a guide member fixed relative to the casing, and the output member is coupled to the guide member in relation to rotation, and can be moved in translation relative to the guide member along the axis B.

The output member and the guide member have complementary splines that can cause coupling with respect to rotation between the elements, allowing relative motion of the translation.

The input member of the motion conversion device is a screw, and the output member can be formed by a nut cooperating with the screw.

The output member has a thrust member coupled to the nut in relation to rotation and translation.

The actuator may have a movable piston and may have a hydraulic emitter that is actuated by movement of the output member of the motion converting device along the axis B.

The actuator according to the invention can also have one or more of the following features:

-The actuator has an electronic board housed in the electronic housing, the electronic housing being oriented parallel to the axis (A) and to the axis (B). Such a structure can reduce the space requirement, in particular the radial space requirement, ie the space requirement in the direction perpendicular to the axes A, B.

-The electronic housing has a connector directly connected to the complementary connector of the electric motor. These features can reduce space requirements and limit electromagnetic interference. Therefore, the use of shielding means can be avoided and the cost can be reduced.

-The electronic housing is spaced from the motor away from the area with the connector. Thus, thermal bridges are avoided, and heating of the electronic housing by conduction is limited.

-The electronic housing is fastened to the casing.

-The electronic housing and / or the electronic board are provided with heat dissipation means.

-The electronic housing has a body and a cover.

-The body of the electronic housing is made of, for example, reinforced thermoplastics, and the cover of the electronics housing is made of, for example, reinforced thermoplastics.

The casing comprises a first part forming a housing and defining an interior volume, and a second part of a full cylindrical shape extending along the axis B from the first part.

-The second part leads to the internal volume of the first part.

-The first part has an opening of the axis B.

-The interior volume of the first part is closed by a cover which can be fastened to the first part, for example by snap-fastening, screwing or welding.

-The casing and cover are made of plastic and welded together by laser welding or ultrasonic welding.

The casing has at least one area that is permeable to air but impermeable to liquids, eg water or oil and impermeable to grease.

-The permeable region is formed on the cover of the casing.

-The permeable region is formed by a porous membrane, which is a hydrophobic membrane made of PTFE.

-The membrane is located at one end of the orifice in the casing, in particular the orifice in the cover.

-The partition wall or fin extends from the radially outer surface of the second part of the casing.

-The partition wall or pin extends along the axis B and in the circumferential direction.

-The casing of the actuator is fastened to the casing of the gearbox via a support, for example.

-The electric motor is a brushless permanent magnet motor.

-The motor has a body or stator forming a mounting plate or fastening flange, the mounting plate or fastening flange to fasten the motor body to the casing via, for example, a screw inserted into a tapping hole in the second part of the casing. Enable.

-The main body has a cylindrical centering portion inserted into the opening of the axis A in the casing and centered in the opening.

-An O-ring seal is provided between the opening in the casing and the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion of the body.

-The body is provided with at least one electrical connector having one or more pins.

-The shaft of the motor extends along the axis (A) through the opening of the casing and leads to the internal volume of the first part of the casing.

-The first gear wheel has a plurality of teeth (Z1), the third gear wheel has a number of teeth (Z2), the reduction ratio, that is, the ratio of the reducer formed by the first gear wheel and the third gear wheel Z1 / Z2 is between 1 and 5.

-The spindle of the second gear wheel is formed by the stem.

-Gear wheels are lubricated with oil or grease.

-The third gearwheel is fastened to the rear end of the screw, ie the end located by the cover, via a screw and washer.

-The third gear wheel can be fastened to the rear end of the screw by fitting and crimping.

-The screw has a smooth cylindrical rear part and a threaded part.

-The screw thread has a pitch and profile compatible with the use of balls introduced into the screw thread.

-The casing and / or cover is made of aluminum, steel or plastic.

-Gear wheels are made of plastic.

-The screw is supported by a bearing close to the first end, for example a ball bearing.

-The bearing has an inner ring surrounding the screw and an outer ring housed in the guide member.

-The guide member is made of steel, aluminum or plastic.

-The guide member has a first end located by the first part of the casing, and a second end opposite the first end, the guide member is a radially inner cylindrical part connected by a radially extending linkage zone And a radially outer cylindrical portion at its first end.

-Centering studs extend radially outward from the radially outer cylindrical portion.

-Each centering stud has two lateral surfaces oblique to the axis B, and the stud is narrowed forward.

-The guide member has a lug extending radially outward from the link connection zone at its first end.

-The lug is provided with a hole for insertion of a screw.

-The screw is inserted into the hole in the fastening plate which is mounted in the internal volume of the first part, for example in the shape of a whole square.

-Each screw is inserted into the thread of the casing.

-The guide member is fixed to the casing.

-The guide member has a second cylindrical portion of the axis B having a spline, in front of the first portion, ie on the side opposite from the cover with respect to the first portion.

-Each spline has a flank in the form of an involute to the circle.

-The guide member is provided in front of the second part, has a whole cylindrical shape, and has a third part having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the second part.

-The annular radial shoulder is defined between the second part and the third part.

-The opening is provided on the shoulder, for example, the four openings are uniformly distributed around the circumference.

-Each opening has an elongated shape.

-The outer ring is received with minimal clearance in the radially inner cylindrical portion of the first portion of the guide member.

-The radially outer surface of the stud abuts against the inner surface of the second part of the casing.

-The linking zone provides some flexibility to provide satisfactory centering of the radially inner and outer cylindrical parts of the guide member.

-The inner ring is mounted axially between the inner ring of the bearing and the front end of the thread.

-The outer ring is mounted axially between the outer ring of the bearing and the nut.

-The nut has an internal thread, and the pitch and profile of the nut is compatible with the use of balls introduced with screw threads.

-The radially outer periphery of the nut has a groove oriented along the axis (B).

-The groove has a circular arc-shaped cross section.

-The threads of the balls and screws and the internal threads of the nuts are lubricated with grease.

-The thrust member has a first portion of the entire cylindrical shape located at the rear, and a second portion of the smaller diameter than the first portion having the entire cylindrical shape located at the front.

-Thus, the first part and the second part of the thrust member define an annular shoulder extending radially.

The first part of the thrust member has a spline that cooperates by cooperation of shape with the spline of the guide member.

-The nut is received in the first part of the thrust member.

-The first part of the thrust member has a nut and a rib inserted into the groove of the nut to couple the thrust member with respect to rotation.

-The front end of the nut abuts against the radial shoulder.

-The shoulder has a protruding stud, for example, there are four studs uniformly distributed around the circumference.

-The stud has a shape similar to the shape of the opening of the guide member, and can be passed through the opening.

-The second part of the thrust member is inserted into the third part of the guide member at its front end.

-The diameter of the second part of the thrust member substantially corresponds to the diameter of the third part of the guide member.

-The front end of the thrust member is provided with linking means for connecting the interior volume of the second part and the space located between the casing, in particular the second part of the casing and the guide member.

-The hydraulic emitter is a master cylinder and has a body fastened to the casing, in particular through the fastening ring, to the front end of the second part of the casing.

-The piston of the hydraulic emitter can be moved along the axis B with respect to the body.

-The piston is returned to the rear by a return spring axially interposed between the corresponding end of the piston and the body.

-The body also has a connection zone for connection to the pipe.

-The movement of the piston causes displacement of the volume of hydraulic fluid in the pipe, for example oil, thereby actuating a hydraulic receiver capable of actuating the clutch itself.

-The connection zone extends parallel to the axis B and in an offset manner with respect to the axis B.

-The front end of the thrust member is in flat contact with the rear end of the piston.

-The surface of the front end of the thrust member and the surface of the rear end of the piston are radially oriented surfaces.

The front end surface of the thrust member passes through at least one vent orifice, e.g. two radially opposite vent orifices, which at one end lead to the internal volume of the second part of the thrust member, At the other end leads to a channel or groove connecting each orifice to the outer periphery of the front end surface.

-The surface has radial grooves, for example six.

-The surface has a channel in the form of a circular arc connecting at least part of the groove.

-The electronic board and housing are provided with connectors for electrically connecting the board to the electric motor and to at least one member of the vehicle.

-At least one connector of the housing connects the electronic board to a source of electrical energy, for example a battery in the vehicle's on-board network and / or a CAN (Controller Area Network) bus to control the vehicle's motor control unit (ECU) And / or control of the electric motor from the clutch control unit (CCU), which can implement software for monitoring the vehicle's shift system.

-One of the connectors is also at least one sensor of the vehicle, for example a sensor providing information about the position of the clutch pedal, a sensor providing information about the position of the gearshift lever, information about the position of the elements of the gearbox It can be connected to a sensor that provides information about the position of the sensor and / or hydraulic emitter 62 or related hydraulic receiver.

-The cover of the electronic housing is fastened or snap-fastened to the body of the housing.

-The heat dissipation means of the electronic housing is located in the area of the cover.

-The heat dissipation means include protruding elements such as fins and cones, for example.

-The electronic housing is located in the area of the actuator spaced from the casing of the gearbox.

-The rotation linear type motion conversion device has a conventional screw / nut type system, or a system using a ball screw or roller screw.

-The reducer has a first gearwheel coupled to the shaft of the motor in connection with rotation, and a second gearwheel coupled to the screw in connection with rotation, the first gearwheel directly engaging the second gearwheel .

-The reducer has at least one deceleration stage, for example two deceleration stages.

-The opening in the casing, which acts to mount the motor, has an area oriented along axis C forming an angle between 5 ° and 25 ° with axis A, and a bearing surface oriented along axis A It is provided.

The invention will be better understood, and further details, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, which is provided as a non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 are perspective views of a clutch actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view of the actuator in the axial section.
4 and 5 are exploded perspective views of the actuator.
6 and 7 are perspective views of the thrust member.
8 is a view of the thrust member in the axial section.
9 is a perspective view of the guide member.
10 to 12 are views showing different consecutive positions of the motor while being mounted to the casing of the clutch actuator according to another embodiment.

1 to 9 show a clutch actuator 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. The clutch actuator 1 has a first portion 2a which defines a housing having an opening 3 of the axis A and defines an internal volume, and the whole extending along the axis B from the first portion It has a casing (2) comprising a second portion (2b) of a cylindrical shape. The second part 2b leads to the internal volume of the first part 2a. The axis B is parallel to the axis A, and is offset with respect to the axis A.

The interior volume of the first part 2a is closed by the cover 4 so that it can be fastened to the first part 2a by snap-fastening, screwing or any other suitable means. The casing 2 and the cover 4 are made of plastic, for example, and these elements 2 and 4 can be welded together by laser welding or by ultrasonic welding.

The cover 4 and / or the casing 2 can be provided with at least one region 5 which is permeable to air but impermeable to liquids, eg water or oil and impermeable to grease. For example, this region 5 is realized by a porous membrane (shown in FIG. 3), for example a hydrophobic membrane made of expanded PTFE, which is located at one end of the orifice 6 in the cover 4 do.

The partition wall or pin 7 extends from the radially outer surface of the second portion 2b. The partition 7 extends along the axis B and / or in the circumferential direction.

The casing 2 of the actuator 1 is configured to be fastened to the casing of the gearbox, for example, via a support (not shown).

The actuator 1 also has an electric motor 8 mounted on the casing 2, in particular a brushless permanent magnet motor. The motor 8 has a body 9 or stator that forms a mounting plate or fastening flange 10, the mounting plate or flange 10 being for example in the second part 2b of the casing 2 The main body 9 of the motor 8 can be fastened to the casing 2 through the screw 11 inserted into the positioned tapping hole 12 (FIG. 5). The body 9 also has a cylindrical centering portion 13 inserted into the cylindrical opening 3 of the casing 2 and centered in the cylindrical opening. The O-ring 14 can be provided between the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 13 of the body 9 and the opening 3.

The body 9 also has at least one electrical connector 15 having one or more pins 16 (FIG. 5).

The motor 8 also has a rotating shaft 17 fixed to the rotor of the motor 8. The shaft 17 extends along the axis A through the opening 3 and leads to the internal volume of the first part 2a of the casing 2. The shaft 17 supports the first gear wheel 18 having a plurality of teeth Z1. The second gear wheel 19 is mounted to rotate freely, ie freely, about the spindle or stem 20. The spindle 20 is mounted at the first end to the hole 21 in the first part 2a of the casing 2 and at the second end (FIG. 3) to the hole 22 in the cover 4. The spindle 20 can be mounted in the holes 21, 22 without play. The second gear wheel 19 is engaged with the first gear wheel 18 supported by the motor 8.

The first washer 23, for example a metal washer, is mounted around the spindle 20 between the first part 2a of the casing 2 and the second gear wheel 19. A second washer, for example a metal washer, can be fitted around the spindle 20 between the cover 4 and the gear wheel 19.

The third gear wheel 24 of the axis B is rotated integrally with the first end 26 of the screw 25. The third gear wheel 24 is directly engaged with the second gear wheel 19, and has a plurality of teeth Z2. The three gear wheels 18, 19, 24 are accommodated in the interior volume of the housing 2a. The reduction ratio, that is, the ratio Z1 / Z2 is, for example, between 1 and 5 in this embodiment. The gear wheels 18, 19, 24 can be lubricated with oil or grease.

Each of the gear wheels 18, 19, 24 has a set of teeth with helical teeth. Of course, other types of teeth sets (with spur teeth, etc.) can be considered.

The third gearwheel 24 is fastened to the rear end 26 of the screw 25, ie the end located next to the cover 4, via a screw 27 and washer 28.

The screw 25 has a smooth cylindrical rear portion 26 and a threaded front portion 29.

In this case, the thread of the screw 25 has a pitch and profile compatible with the use of the ball 30 introduced into the screw thread.

The casing 2 and / or the cover 4 can be made of, for example, aluminum, steel or plastic. The gear wheels 18, 19, 24 are made of plastic or steel, for example.

The screw 25 is supported by a bearing close to the first end 26, in this case a ball bearing 31. The bearing 31 has an inner ring 32 surrounding the screw 25 and an outer ring 33 accommodated in the guide member 34.

The guide member 34 is made of, for example, steel, aluminum or plastic. The guide member has a first part 35 positioned by the first part 2a of the casing 2 and a second part 36 opposite the first part 35.

The guide member 34 has a radially inner cylindrical portion 37 and a radially outer cylindrical portion 38 connected by a radially extending link connecting zone 39 (FIG. 4) to its first portion 35. I have it. The centering stud 40 (see in particular FIG. 9) extends radially outward from the radially outer cylindrical portion 38. Each centering stud 40 has two lateral surfaces 41 oblique to the axis B, and the stud 40 is narrowed forward. In a variant, the stud 40 can be narrowed towards the rear.

The guide member 34 also has a lug 42 extending in the radially outward direction from the link connection zone 39 in its first portion 35, which lug 42 inserts the screw 44. A hole 43 is provided. The screw 44 is also inserted into a hole in the fastening plate 45, which in this case is of a whole square shape, mounted in the inner volume of the first portion 2a. Each screw 44 is inserted into the thread of the casing 2. Therefore, the guide member 34 is fixed to the casing 2.

The second part 36 is cylindrical in the axis B, and has a spline 46. Each spline 46 has a flank 47 in the form of an involute to a circle. Other shapes are also conceivable.

The guide member 34 is also located in front of the second portion 36 and is also provided with a third portion 48 having a total cylindrical shape and having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the second portion 36. Thus, the annular radial shoulder 49 is defined between the second portion 36 and the third portion 48. The openings 50 are provided on the shoulder 49, in which case the four openings 50 are uniformly distributed around the circumference, and each opening 50 has an elongated shape.

The outer ring 33 of the bearing 31 is received with a minimum clearance in the radially inner cylindrical portion 37 of the first portion 35 of the guide member 34. In addition, the radially outer surface of the stud 40 abuts against the inner surface of the second portion 2b of the casing 2. The linking zone 39 provides some flexibility to provide satisfactory centering of the radially inner and outer cylindrical portions 37, 38 of the guide member 34.

The inner ring 51 is mounted axially between the inner ring 32 of the bearing 31 and the front end of the thread 29. The outer ring 52 is mounted axially between the outer ring 38 of the bearing 31 and the nut 53. The nut 53 has an internal thread, and the pitch and profile of the nut is compatible with the use of the ball 30 introduced into the screw thread. The radially outer periphery of the nut 54 has a groove 54 (FIG. 4) oriented along the axis B. The groove 54 has a circular arc-shaped cross section.

Thus, the assembly formed by the nut 53, the screw 25 and the ball 30 forms a rotational linear type motion conversion system, that is, the rotational motion of the screw 25 has a minimum friction, that is, a nut with maximum performance. (53). The balls 30, the threads of the screws 25 and the internal threads of the nuts 53 can be lubricated with grease.

The nut 53 is coupled to the thrust member 55 in relation to rotation. The thrust member 55 has a first portion 56 of an all-cylindrical shape located at the rear, and a second portion 57 of an all-cylindrical shape located at the front and smaller diameter than the first portion 56. Thus, the first portion 56 and the second portion 57 of the thrust member 55 define an annular shoulder 58 extending radially.

The first part 56 is provided with a spline 59 which cooperates with the shape of the spline 46 of the guide member 34. In this way, the thrust member 55 is coupled to the guide member 34 with respect to rotation, with which it can slide along the axis B.

The nut 53 is received in the first portion 56. The first portion 56 has a rib 60 (FIG. 6) inserted into the groove 54 of the nut 53 to couple the nut 53 and the thrust member 55 with respect to rotation. In addition, the front end of the nut 53 abuts against the radial shoulder 58.

The shoulder 58 has a protruding stud 61, in which there are four studs 61 uniformly distributed around the circumference. The stud 61 has a shape similar to the shape of the opening 50 of the guide member 34 and can be passed through the opening 50.

The second part 57 of the thrust member 55 is inserted into the third part 48 of the guide member 34 at its front end. In particular, the diameter of the second portion 57 of the thrust member 55 substantially corresponds to the diameter of the third portion 48 of the guide member 34.

The front end of the thrust member 55 provides the interior volume of the second part 57 and the space located between the casing 2, in particular the second part 2b of the casing 2 and the guide member 34. It is provided with a link connecting means that can be connected.

The actuator 1 also has a hydraulic emitter 62 which is in this case a master cylinder. The hydraulic cylinder has a body 63 fastened to the front end of the second part 2a of the casing 2 to the casing 2, in particular via a fastening ring 64. The hydraulic emitter also has a piston 65 (FIG. 3) that can be moved along axis B with respect to the body 63. The piston 65 is returned rearward by a return spring 66 axially interposed between the front end of the piston 65 and the body 63. The body 63 also has a connection zone 66a for connecting to a pipe. The movement of the piston 65 causes displacement of the volume of hydraulic fluid in the pipe, for example oil, thereby actuating a hydraulic receiver that can actuate the clutch itself itself.

The front end of the thrust member 55 abuts against the rear end of the piston 65 in a plane. The surface of the front end of the thrust member 55 and the surface of the rear end of the piston are radially oriented surfaces. This flat abutment can potentially be offset so that the piston and thrust member 55 do not stress the piston and avoid any risk of leakage between the piston and the body.

The front end surface of the thrust member 55 passes through at least one vent orifice 67, in this case two radially opposite vent orifices 67 (FIG. 7), which orifice 67 is one Channels 68 or grooves that extend from the end to the interior volume of the second portion 57 of the thrust member 55 and connect each orifice 67 at the other end to the radially outer periphery of the front end surface 70 (69). In particular, the surface 70 has six radial grooves 69 here and a channel 68 in the form of a circular arc connecting at least a portion of the grooves 69.

Further, the actuator 1 has a housing 71 for receiving electronic power and / or a control board, which is fastened to the casing 2 via, for example, a screw.

The electronic board and housing 71 have connectors 72, 73 (FIG. 4) for electrically connecting the board to the electric motor 8 and / or to at least one member of a vehicle (not shown). The connector 72 of the housing 71 is directly connected to the connector 15 of the motor 8 to reduce space requirements and limit electromagnetic interference. The connector 72 is oriented perpendicular to the housing 71 and to the electronic board.

This can save cost by avoiding the use of shielding means.

In addition, the connector 72 connects the mass of the motor to the mass of the clutch control unit (CCU), for example, in addition to the phase of the motor 8 and the position and switching signal of the motor 8. You can.

The additional connector 73 connects the electronic board to a source of electrical energy, for example to a battery and / or a controller area network (CAN) bus in the vehicle's on-board network, thereby controlling the vehicle's motor control unit (ECU) and / or Alternatively, it is possible to control the electric motor from the clutch control unit (CCU), which can implement software for monitoring the vehicle's shift system. One of the connectors also provides information about the position of the elements of the gearbox, sensor providing information about the position of the gearshift lever, sensor providing information about the position of at least one sensor of the vehicle, for example the clutch pedal. It can be connected to a sensor that provides information about the position of the sensor and / or hydraulic emitter 62 or associated hydraulic receiver.

Also, apart from the areas of the housing 71 and the connector 72 of the motor 8, the housing 71 is spaced apart to avoid thermal bridges and to limit heating by conduction of the housing 71 and electronic board. It is done.

The housing 71 is oriented in a plane extending parallel to the axes A and B to improve the radial compactness of the actuator 1.

The housing 71 has a body 74 and a cover 75 fastened or snap-fastened to the body 74. The housing 71 is provided with heat dissipation means in the area of the cover in this case. The heat dissipation means include fins or protruding elements, for example cones 76, to increase the area of heat exchange with the surrounding air.

The housing 71 is located in the region of the actuator 1 spaced from the casing of the gearbox, which casing forms a source of heat.

In operation, the electric motor 8 is controlled with the help of an electronic board to drive the rotation of the shaft 17 and the first gear wheel 18. Next, the first gear wheel rotates the second gear wheel 19, the third gear wheel 24, and the screw 25. The rotation speed of the screw 25 depends on the rotation speed of the motor 8 and the reduction ratio Z1 / Z2.

The rotation of the screw 25 drives the movement of the nut 53 along the axis B. Since the nut 53 is axially abutting against the shoulder 58, the thrust member 55 is then the first limit shown in FIG. 3 in which the nut 53 abuts against the outer ring 52. The stud 61 of the thrust member 55 is moved along the axis B between the second extreme position abutting against the rear radial face of the body 63 of the hydraulic emitter. These two extreme positions correspond, for example, to the engaged position and the separated position of the clutch.

The hydraulic emitter 62 used may be a standard emitter commercially available.

The translational motion along the axis (b) of the nut (53) and the thrust member (55) causes movement of the piston (53) and displacement of hydraulic fluid to control the hydraulic receiver (62).

During the axial movement of the nut 53, air can pass through the vent orifice 67, the groove 69, and the channel 68, so that the internal volume of the second portion 57 of the thrust member 55 The trapped air may escape outwards, particularly through the space located between the second part 2B of the casing 2 and the guide member 34 and through the air permeable area 5 of the cover 4. This avoids the situation where this air passes and contaminates the grease to lubricate the ball 30.

According to an embodiment not shown, the assembly formed by screws 25, balls 30 and nuts 53 can be replaced by conventional screw / nut type systems with smaller or larger pitches. In this case, it is necessary to adjust the reduction ratio.

The appearance pitch may be smaller (more screw threads), but the actual pitch (or helical pitch) is generally larger to ensure accurate performance.

The ball screws 25, 30 can also be replaced by roller screws.

In addition, the reducer consisting of three gear wheels 18, 19, 24 comprises a first gear wheel coupled to the shaft 17 of the motor 8 in connection with rotation, and a screw 25 in connection with rotation. It can be replaced by a reducer having a second gearwheel coupled to the rear end 26, the first gearwheel directly engaging the second gearwheel.

The reducer may have one or more deceleration stages, for example two deceleration stages, for example as disclosed in European Patent No. 2 860 869.

10 to 12 show another embodiment according to the invention, wherein the opening 3 in the casing is oriented along the axis C forming an angle between 5 ° and 25 ° with the axis A Area 3a and bearing surface 3b oriented along axis A.

While mounting the motor 8 on the casing 2, the motor 8 is introduced from the front to the rear along the axis C, resulting in a shaft 17 supporting the first gear wheel 18 and The cylindrical centering portion 13 of the body 9 is introduced into the opening 3 (FIGS. 10 and 11). Next, the motor 8 is inclined to extend along the axis A, and then the cylindrical portion 13 of the body 9 is placed on the bearing surface 3b of the casing 2.

Next, the screw 11 can be fastened to the casing 2, in particular to the tapping hole 12 provided in the second part 2a of the casing 2.

Regardless of the envisioned embodiment, this actuator has a compact structure with small space requirements along the axes A and B and in a direction perpendicular to the axes. In addition, many commercially available elements such as hydraulic emitters 62 or ball screws 25, 30 can be used. In addition, the cost of such actuators is relatively low and can be easily integrated into existing propulsion systems.

Claims (10)

The casing 2, the electric motor 8 which is fastened to the casing 2 and has a rotating shaft 17 of the axis A, and an input member rotatable about an axis B parallel to the axis A (25), and a clutch actuator (1) comprising a rotational linear type motion conversion device (25, 53) having an output member (53) movable in translation along an axis (B), the input member (25) Is rotationally driven by the shaft 17 of the electric motor 8 via the reducers 18, 19, 24, the reducer is a first toothed gear wheel 18 fixed to the shaft 17 of the motor, Freely mounted around the spline 20 parallel to the axes A and B, the second toothed gearwheel 19 engaged with the first gearwheel 18, and fixed to the input member 25 and the second In the clutch actuator (1) having a third toothed gear wheel (24) engaged with the gear wheel (19),
The second gear wheel 19 is characterized by having a set of single teeth that engage with both the first gear wheel and the third gear wheel.
Clutch actuator. According to claim 1,
The casing (2) defines a housing in which the cover (4) is fastened to the casing (2), the gear wheels (18, 19, 24) are accommodated in the housing, the spindle of the second gear wheel (19) 20 characterized by being supported by the casing 2 at the first end and by the cover 4 at the second end
Clutch actuator. According to claim 2,
The spindle 20 of the second gear wheel 19 is mounted in the hole 21 in the casing 2 and in the hole 22 in the cover 4, and the spindle 20 is free from the hole 21 , 22)
Clutch actuator. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
For example, the washer 23, which is a metal washer, is mounted around the spindle 20 of the second gear wheel 19 in the axial direction between the second gear wheel 19 and the casing 2.
Clutch actuator. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The washer, for example a metal washer, is characterized in that it is mounted around the spindle 20 of the second gear wheel 19, axially between the second gear wheel 19 and the cover 4.
Clutch actuator. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A guide member 34 fixed to the casing 2 is provided, and the output member 53 is coupled to the guide member 34 with respect to rotation, and the guide member 34 along the axis B Characterized by being able to be translated into translation
Clutch actuator. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The input member of the motion conversion device is a screw (25), and the output member is formed by a nut (53) cooperating with the screw (25).
Clutch actuator. The method of claim 7,
The output member (53) is characterized in that it comprises a thrust member (55) coupled to the nut (53) with respect to rotation and translation.
Clutch actuator. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
It is provided with a movable piston (65), characterized in that it comprises a hydraulic emitter (62) operated by the movement of the output member (53) of the motion converting device along the axis (B)
Clutch actuator. The method of claim 4,
The metal washer 23 is characterized in that it is fixed to the second gear wheel 19 or the casing 2
Clutch actuator.

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