WO2019172122A1

WO2019172122A1 - Clutch release bearing device

Info

Publication number: WO2019172122A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/008111
Authority: WO
Inventors: 翔平深間
Original assignee: Ntn株式会社
Priority date: 2018-03-06
Filing date: 2019-03-01
Publication date: 2019-09-12
Also published as: JP6923468B2; JP2019152297A

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of reducing wear of a cushioning material sandwiched between a diaphragm spring and a release bearing in a clutch release bearing device. This clutch release bearing device is provided with a release bearing 2 which presses, by way of a cushioning material 31 made of resin, a diaphragm spring 40 having a plurality of spring teeth 40b in a circumferential direction, and is characterized in that when the release bearing 2 is not pressing the diaphragm spring 40, a gap S3 is provided between the cushioning material 31 and the release bearing 2.

Description

Clutch release bearing device

The present invention relates to a clutch release bearing device that is disposed between an engine and a transmission of an automobile and transmits / cuts power from the engine to the transmission.

The automobile clutch mechanism is located between the engine and the transmission, and functions to transmit or disconnect the engine output to the drive system after the transmission.

In the case of a manual transmission (MT), as shown in FIG. 5, there is a flywheel 33 on the engine side, a pressure plate 42 on the transmission side, and a clutch disk 44 with a friction material attached between them. The pressure force of the diaphragm spring 40 causes the pressure plate 42 to press the clutch disc 44 against the flywheel 33 to generate a frictional force, and the power from the engine output shaft 50 is transmitted. When the diaphragm spring 40 is pushed, the clutch disc 44 is separated from the flywheel 33 and the clutch is cut off. The clutch release bearing device A functions to push the diaphragm spring 40 when the clutch is cut off.

As shown in FIG. 5, the clutch release bearing device A slides on the front cover 34 by a release fork 32 interlocked with a clutch pedal (not shown). The front cover 34 is attached to a transmission clutch case 36, and an input shaft 38 of the transmission passes through the inside of the front cover 34. Normally, the clutch release bearing device A is separated from the diaphragm spring 40, and the pressure plate 42 is pressed against the clutch disc 44 of the flywheel 46 by the action of the diaphragm spring 40, that is, the output shaft of the engine. The power from 50 is transmitted. When the clutch pedal is depressed, the release fork 32 swings counterclockwise in FIG. 5 and presses the clutch release bearing device A against the diaphragm spring 40. As a result, the diaphragm spring 40 is bent, the pressure plate 42 is separated from the clutch disk 44, the clutch is disengaged, and the power from the engine output shaft 50 is cut off.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the diaphragm spring 40 has an annular circular base portion 40a that abuts on the pressure plate 42, and is gradually curved from the circular base portion 40a toward the transmission side so as to end on the transmission side. Consists of a plurality of spring teeth 40b provided radially so as to surround the front cover 34.

There are self-aligning type clutch release bearing devices A (Patent Documents 1 to 5).

The self-aligning type clutch release bearing device A includes a sleeve 27 that slides on the front cover 34 in the axial direction, and a release bearing 28 that is attached to the outer periphery of the sleeve 27. The release bearing 28 includes an inner ring 28a, an outer ring 28b, a rolling element 28c, and a cage 28d.

JP 2000-55079 A JP 2006-38159 A JP 2009-68537 A JP 2006-118708 A JP-T 2009-501299

By the way, when the clutch release bearing device comes into contact with the diaphragm, there is a possibility that a stick-slip noise is generated, and in the clutch release bearing device, there is a possibility that wear occurs on the contact surface that comes into contact with the diaphragm. Patent Documents 4 and 5 describe that a diaphragm spring is pressed by a pressing member (buffer material) fixed to a release bearing. And it is disclosed that a plastic material is used as the pressing member.
Here, as described above, the diaphragm spring 40 is configured by a plurality of spring teeth 40b radially provided so as to surround the front cover. However, there is a variation in the axial position of the tip between the spring teeth 40b. Has occurred. Therefore, there is a dimensional difference between the spring teeth 40b in the axial height of the spring teeth 40b with respect to the outer peripheral edge of the diaphragm spring 40. If the pressing member 310 is brought into contact with the spring teeth 40b in a state where this dimensional difference exists, the entire dimensional difference cannot be absorbed, and the contact portion between some of the spring teeth 40b and the pressing member 310 is excessive. A load may be generated, and the pressing member 310 may be worn early. This problem occurs not only in the diaphragm spring but also in the case where a dimensional difference occurs on the pressing surface of the release bearing that presses the diaphragm spring.

Therefore, the present invention is intended to reduce the wear of the cushioning material sandwiched between the diaphragm spring and the release bearing.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a clutch release bearing device including a release bearing that presses a diaphragm spring having a plurality of spring teeth in the circumferential direction in the axial direction through a resin cushioning material. A gap is provided between the material and the inner ring.

The buffer material can be attached to a pressing member that presses the diaphragm spring of the release bearing.

It is preferable that the cushioning material is prevented from rotating in the circumferential direction with respect to the release bearing.

The gap between the cushioning material and the inner ring is located at the position closest to the outer peripheral edge and the axial height of the spring teeth located farthest from the outer peripheral edge of the diaphragm spring with respect to the outer peripheral edge. It is set to be larger than the difference between the axial height of a certain spring tooth with respect to the outer peripheral edge.

As described above, in the clutch release bearing device, by providing a gap between the cushioning material and the release bearing, when the diaphragm bearing is pressed against the diaphragm spring, a large surface pressure is hardly generated on the cushioning material. Wear can be suppressed.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the clutch release bearing device according to the embodiment of the present invention cut along A-A ′ of the side plate shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the periphery of an inner ring that presses a diaphragm spring in the clutch release bearing device of FIG. 1. It is a side view of the inner ring | wheel of a release bearing among the clutch release bearing apparatuses of FIG. It is a top view of a side plate among the clutch release bearing apparatuses of FIG. It is a simplified sectional view showing a peripheral part of a clutch device of a car. (A) is sectional drawing of the XX line of (b), (b) is a side view of a diaphragm spring. It is sectional drawing of the conventional self-aligning type clutch release bearing apparatus. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the clutch release bearing device of FIG. 7 in which the inner ring is pressed against the diaphragm by a cushioning material. It is an enlarged view which shows the inner ring periphery which presses the diaphragm spring in the clutch release bearing apparatus of the reference example relevant to this invention.

Hereinafter, a clutch release bearing device A according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, in FIG. 5, the right side of the drawing may be referred to as one axial side (transmission side), and the left side of the drawing may be referred to as the other axial side (engine side).

As shown in FIG. 5, the clutch release bearing device A is attached to the outer periphery of the front cover 34 of the clutch case 36 through which the input shaft 38 of the transmission penetrates so as to be slidable in the axial direction. As a result, the front cover 34 is slid in the axial direction toward the other side (engine side) in the axial direction and the diaphragm spring 40 of the clutch device B is pressed, whereby the diaphragm spring 40 is bent and the pressure plate 42 is clutched. The clutch is disengaged away from the disk 44, and the power from the engine output shaft 50 is cut off.

In the clutch release bearing device A according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a sleeve 1, a release bearing 2 fitted on the sleeve 1, and a clutch release fork 32 (see FIG. 5) abut. A substantially disc-shaped side plate 3, an elastic member 4 that applies a predetermined axial load to the release bearing 2, and a sleeve 1, the release bearing 2, the side plate 3, and a cover 5 that holds the elastic member 4 are provided.

As will be described later, the clutch release bearing device A according to this embodiment causes the release bearing 2 to move in the radial direction according to the amount of displacement when a displacement occurs between the engine-side shaft center and the transmission-side shaft center. It is a self-aligning type that automatically aligns the misalignment between the two axes by sliding.

The sleeve 1 is a sleeve that is slidable in the axial direction on the front cover 34 protruding from the clutch cover 36 of the transmission, and has a cylindrical shape. The sleeve 1 is made of a resin, for example, a thermoplastic synthetic resin such as PA (polyamide) 66. The resin material forming the sleeve 1 may contain 5 to 25 wt% of a reinforcing material such as carbon fiber.

The release bearing 2 includes an outer ring 6, an inner ring 7, a cage 8, and rolling elements 9. The release bearing 2 is externally fitted to the sleeve 1 via a predetermined radial gap S1. The outer ring 6 has an outer raceway surface 6a on the inner periphery. The inner ring 7 is provided on the inner diameter side of the outer ring 6, and has an inner raceway surface 7a facing the outer raceway surface 6a on the outer periphery. The inner ring 7 is cylindrical. The inner ring 7 is formed with an extended portion 7 b that extends outward in the axial direction from the axial end surface (protective cover 5) of the outer ring 6 at the axial end on the diaphragm spring 40 side.

As described above, the inner ring 7 has the inner ring raceway surface 7a and the main body portion having substantially the same axial dimension as the outer ring 6, and the other axial end side of the main body portion (the other axial end surface of the outer ring 6). And an extended portion (a protruding portion protruding to the other side in the axial direction (engine side)). Between the outer raceway surface 6 a of the outer ring 6 and the inner raceway surface 7 a of the inner ring 7, a plurality of rolling elements (balls) 9 are accommodated via a cage 8 so as to be able to roll.

Seals

10 and 11 are attached to both ends of the outer ring 6. The

seals

10 and 11 prevent leakage of the lubricating grease sealed inside the bearing and intrusion of rainwater and dust from the outside into the bearing.

The inner ring 7 is externally attached to the sleeve 1, and when a clutch pedal (not shown) is stepped on, an extension portion 7 b extending in the axial direction toward the diaphragm spring 40 side is provided radially so as to surround the front cover 34. The spring teeth 40b of the diaphragm spring 40 are pressed in the axial direction via a cushioning material 31 to be described later, the pressure plate 42 is separated from the clutch disk 44 by the bending of the diaphragm spring 40, and the power from the engine output shaft 50 is transmitted to the transmission. Temporarily disconnected from. In the present embodiment, the inner ring 7 is a pressing member that presses the diaphragm spring 40. The pressing member may be an outer ring or may be a separate member that is press-fitted into the inner ring inner diameter.

The diaphragm spring 40 is a disk-shaped member disposed between the pressure plate 42 and the clutch cover 45. The diaphragm spring 40 has an annular circular base portion 40a that contacts the pressure plate 42, and spring teeth 40b that extend radially inward from the inner peripheral portion of the circular base portion 40a. The circular base 40a abuts the pressure plate 42 on the flywheel 33 side. A slit is formed between the spring teeth 40b. When the clutch is disengaged, the tip of the spring tooth 40b is pressed by the inner ring 7 of the release bearing 2 through the cushioning material 31 and moves in the axial direction (flywheel side), so that the urging force on the pressure plate 42 is released. .

As shown in FIG. 4, the side plate 3 is a substantially circular plate and is formed by pressing a steel plate material. The side plate 3 uses a carburized steel plate as a steel plate material. In this embodiment, the material of the steel plate forming the side plate 3 is SCM (chromium molybdenum steel). The cold-rolled steel sheet made of SCM is formed into a predetermined shape by pressing.

The side plate 3 is integrated with the resin sleeve 1 by insert molding. The side plate 3 is formed with a main body portion 3a that engages with and guides the clutch release fork 32.

The side plate 3 has a flange 3c that extends from the inner diameter edge of the main body 3a to one side in the axial direction (transmission side). The collar portion 3 c is embedded in the sleeve 1. An inner diameter portion 3b embedded in the sleeve 1 is constituted by a part of the main body portion 3a and the flange portion 3c. The collar portion 3c is provided with a notch portion 3d having a function of preventing the side plate 3 from rotating with respect to the sleeve 1.

The flange portion 3c may extend from the inner diameter edge of the main body portion 3a to the other side in the axial direction (engine side).

The elastic member 4 is, for example, a disc spring of a steel plate press-formed product. Specifically, the elastic member 4 is composed of a plurality of end rings having a flat cross section, for example, 3 to 5 waves, and corrugated and rounded from a wire such as a steel wire (JIS standard SW, SWP system). After being molded and subjected to strain relief annealing by heat treatment, age hardening treatment is performed.

The cover 5 is formed in a cylindrical shape that covers the release bearing 2 by pressing a steel plate having corrosion resistance, for example, a cold rolled steel plate (JIS standard SPCC system) or an austenitic stainless steel sheet (JIS standard SUS304 system). Is formed. The cover 5 has an inner flange 5a for accommodating the elastic member 4 at one end, and tongues 5b at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction at the other end. The tongue piece 5b is crimped to the outer diameter portion of the side plate 3 and is held so that the elastic member 4, the outer ring 6, and the side plate 3 are not separated.

Since the elastic member 4 does not slide between the inner flange 5a of the cover 5, the cover 5 will not be unevenly worn. Therefore, a predetermined holding force can be maintained and the release bearing 2 can be stably held at the alignment position for a long period of time.

That is, the outer ring 6 of the release bearing 2 is elastically held by the elastic member 4 formed of a ring having a plurality of waves, and the release bearing 2 is fitted on the sleeve 1 via a predetermined radial gap. ing.

A radial clearance S1 is provided between the outer periphery of the sleeve 1 and the inner periphery of the inner ring 7 of the release bearing 2, and between the outer periphery of the outer ring 6 of the release bearing 2 and the inner periphery of the cover 5, A radial clearance S2 smaller than the radial clearance S1 is provided. The outer ring 6 is elastically pressed against the end surface of the side plate 3 by the biasing force of the elastic member 4 interposed between the outer ring 6 and the inner side surface of the cover 5. Thereby, the release bearing 2 is elastically held between the outer periphery of the sleeve 1 and the end face of the side plate 3 so as to be slidable in the radial direction, that is, floatable. The release bearing 2 can be aligned in the radial direction with respect to the sleeve 1 and the side plate 3 by the radial clearances S1 and S2, and the alignment movement amount is regulated by the smaller radial clearance S2. Therefore, there is an error in assembling between the shaft center of the sleeve 1 and the shaft center of the output shaft 50, and even if a center shift occurs between the rotation center of the diaphragm spring 40 and the rotation center of the clutch release bearing device A, When the release bearing 2 moves in alignment according to the amount of deviation, the center deviation is automatically adjusted.

Next, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, in the self-aligning clutch release bearing device A of the present invention, the extension provided at the axial end of the inner ring 7 of the release bearing 2 on the diaphragm spring 40 side. An annular cushioning material 31 is provided between 7 b and the spring teeth 40 b of the diaphragm spring 40.

The buffer material 31 is a resin material made of polyamide resin, and is attached to the extension portion 7b of the inner ring 7 by vulcanization adhesion. The cushioning material 31 has an annular portion 31a that contacts the diaphragm 40, and a convex portion 31b that engages with a concave portion 7c of an extension portion 7b described later. Since the inner diameter of the cushioning material 31 is smaller than the inner diameter of the inner ring 7, the thickness of the convex portion 31b becomes equal to the thickness of the annular portion 31a, and the cushioning material 31 is easily vulcanized and bonded to the extension portion 7b.

When the clutch disc 44 is in contact with the flywheel 33 and the clutch is engaged (when the diaphragm spring 40 is not pressed against the release bearing 2), the axial direction between the cushioning material 31 and the extension 7b of the inner ring 7 is maintained. A gap S3 is provided. The gap S3 includes an axial height Lmax of the spring tooth 40b1 that is farthest from the outer peripheral edge of the diaphragm spring 40 (the circular base part 40a) of the plurality of spring teeth 40b, and the circular base part 40a. This is larger than the difference between the spring tooth 40b2 located closest to the outer peripheral edge and the axial height Lmin relative to the outer peripheral edge. In this specification, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the distance from the imaginary line V extending in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction through the outer peripheral edge of the circular base 40a to the tip edges of the spring teeth 40b1 and 40b2 is expressed as “ It is defined as "the axial height of the spring teeth 40b". When the clutch disc 44 is separated from the flywheel 33 and the clutch is disengaged, the axial clearance between the cushioning material 31 and the extension 7b of the inner ring 7 is smaller than the clearance S3 when the clutch is engaged. Become. That is, when the release bearing 2 presses the diaphragm spring 40 and the clutch is disengaged, the axial gap between the cushioning material 31 and the extension 7b absorbs the dimensional difference in the axial height of the spring teeth 40b. Therefore, it becomes smaller than the gap S3. Since the cushioning material 31 is attached to the inner ring 7 that presses the diaphragm spring 40, wear of the cushioning material 31 can be prevented with a simple and compact structure. The buffer material 31 may be attached to the diaphragm spring 40 side.

Thus, by providing the clearance S3 between the extension portion 7b of the inner ring 7 of the release bearing 2 and the cushioning material 31 when the clutch is engaged, there is a dimensional difference in the axial height of each spring tooth 40b. When the release bearing 2 presses the diaphragm spring 40 to release the clutch, the dimensional difference is absorbed by the gap S3, so that the cushioning material 31 is against the axial end surface of the extension 7b. Apply a uniform load. Thereby, since it becomes difficult to produce a big surface pressure in the shock absorbing material 31, abrasion of the shock absorbing material 31 can be suppressed. Further, when the clutch is engaged, the clearance S3 is provided between the buffer material 31 and the inner ring 7, so that wear of the buffer material 31 due to vibration can be suppressed. Here, if the clearance S 3 is provided between the buffer material 31 and the inner ring 7 when the clutch is engaged, the buffer material 31 may rotate in the circumferential direction with respect to the inner ring 7. In order to prevent the cushioning material 31 from rotating (sliding) with respect to the inner ring 7, the extension part 7 b of the inner ring 7 is provided with a recess 7 c for preventing rotation. The recess 7c is formed by denting a part of the inner peripheral surface of the extension 7b to the outer diameter side. The projection 31b protruding from the inner diameter side portion of the annular portion 31a of the cushioning material 31 facing the inner ring 7 in the axial direction engages with the depression 7c, so that the cushioning material 31 is prevented from rotating. In the present embodiment, the inner ring 7 is provided with a plurality of recesses 7c so as to face each other across the center O. In addition, the convex part provided in the extension part 7b may be engaged with the concave part provided in the buffer material 31, or both the concave part and the convex part are provided in the buffer material 31 and the extension part 7b, respectively. You may make it match.

The reference example based on FIG. 9 discloses the invention appended below.
The clutch release bearing device shown in FIG. 9 has a release bearing 2A that presses a diaphragm spring 40 having a plurality of spring teeth 40b in the circumferential direction in the axial direction, and an extension 7Ab provided on the inner ring 7 of the release bearing 2A. In the clutch release bearing device in which the buffer material 31A is provided between the diaphragm spring 40 and the diaphragm spring 40, the buffer material 31A is a rubber material.

In the clutch release bearing device shown in FIG. 9, a separate cushioning material 31 A is provided between the diaphragm spring 40 and the inner ring 7. The buffer material 31 A has a ring shape, and the buffer material 31 A is vulcanized and bonded to the extension 7 Ab of the inner ring 7. The buffer material 31A is, for example, a rubber material such as nitrile rubber (NBR), acrylic rubber (ACM), or vinylidene fluoride rubber (FKM).

In the clutch release bearing device shown in FIG. 9, since the cushioning material 31 that is a rubber material is sandwiched between the diaphragm spring 40 and the extension portion 7Ab of the release bearing 2A, the circumferential height of the spring teeth 40b of the diaphragm spring 40 Since the rubber material 31 absorbs the variation and the load is uniformly applied to the extension portion 7Ab of the release bearing 2A, the occurrence of vibration can be suppressed. Further, since the frictional force of the rubber material 31 makes it difficult to slip in the circumferential direction, wear of the diaphragm spring 40 and the contact surface 7Ab of the release bearing 2A can be suppressed. Furthermore, generally, the spring teeth 40b and the extension portion 7Ab of the release bearing 2A are designed so that one is a line and the other is an arc so as to be in line contact with each other in the circumferential direction. Since it deforms along both shapes, the design can be made independent of the shape.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and is merely an example. Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be implemented.

1: Sleeve 2: Release bearing 6: Outer ring 7: Inner ring 7b: Extension part 31: Buffer material 40: Diaphragm spring 40b: Spring tooth A: Self-aligning clutch release bearing device B: Clutch device S3: Clearance

Claims

In a clutch release bearing device provided with a release bearing that presses a diaphragm spring having a plurality of spring teeth in the circumferential direction through a resin cushioning material, when the diaphragm bearing is not pressed against the diaphragm spring, the cushioning material and the A clutch release bearing device, wherein a gap is provided between the release bearing and the release bearing.
The clutch release bearing device according to claim 1, wherein the cushioning material is attached to a pressing member that presses the diaphragm spring of the release bearing.
The clutch release bearing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cushioning material is prevented from rotating in a circumferential direction with respect to the release bearing.
Of the plurality of spring teeth, the axial height of the spring tooth that is farthest from the outer peripheral edge of the diaphragm spring with respect to the outer peripheral edge and the outer periphery of the spring tooth that is closest to the outer peripheral edge The clutch release bearing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gap is made larger than a difference between the height in the axial direction relative to a peripheral edge.