JPH03181621A - Hub clutch - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To display pressure leakage by providing a movable jointing member, an actuator to move the jointing member through pressure, and an energizing member for the jointing member on a jointing position and a releasing position, and detecting pressure feeding time interval. CONSTITUTION:A pressure chamber 95 is formed in a housing 15, the pressure chamber 95 is expanded against the energizing force of a return spring 89 by supplying positive pressure, and a diaphragm 85 is bent to the right to move a slide gear 59 onto a jointing position through a plate 81. When a pressure feed device is stopped, the pressure chamber 95 is contracted by the energizing force of the return spring 89, and the slide gear 59 is returned onto a releasing position. An actuator is constituted in this way. A pressure switch 117 is provided on the circuit of a motor 109 as a pressure source. When leakage is generated in the pressure system, the time from on to off of the pressure switch 117 becomes short and the time from off to on becomes long. A controller 119 outputs this signal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a hub clutch that connects and disconnects a wheel side and a drive axle side.

(Prior Art) A "hub assembly" (hub clutch) is described in JP-A-56-25027. This is a device that connects and disconnects the wheel side and the drive axle side by operating a connecting member, and the moving operation of the connecting member is performed using a fluid drive device (actuator) that operates by receiving pressure from a pressure source.
carried out by. Hub clutch is 4 wheel drive (4WD)
It is placed on one of the front and rear wheels of a car, and when connected (locked), the vehicle becomes 4WD, and when disconnected, the vehicle becomes 2WD (2WD).
) state. Such operations improve maneuverability and drivability (when using 4WD) and improve fuel efficiency (when using 2WD).

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) When the pressure source starts supplying pressure to the actuator when switching to 4WD driving, the hub clutch is placed in the driver's seat as the pump and control valve device that constitute the pressure source operate. A lock display is performed. However, if there is a pressure leak due to a seal failure in the pressure system, there is a risk that the lock will be displayed but not actually locked. Therefore, 4WD driving is not possible, and there is a possibility that the vehicle may not be able to escape from a stuck state, for example, on a rough road. In addition, in such 4WD vehicles, the axle on the hub clutch side is switched to 4WDil-6 by a switching mechanism.
It is driven from time to time, but if it cannot be locked, it will continue to idle, causing unnecessary wear and tear on the bearings and seals that support Shigenobu.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a hub clutch that displays an indication when a pressure leak occurs.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The hub clutch of the present invention moves to a connecting position where the housing on the wheel side of the wheel and the axle side are connected and a release position where this connection is released. a possible coupling member, an actuator for moving the coupling member into one of the two positions by means of a pressure supply, and a pressure source for this pressure supply;
a biasing member that biases the connecting member toward the other of the two positions; a pressure switch that detects supply pressure to the actuator;
The present invention is characterized by comprising a controller which inputs the signal of this switch and operates a required device when the time interval of pressure supply exceeds a set range during pressure supply. (Operation) The communication member is moved by the actuator and the biasing member, and the housing and the axle are connected and disconnected.

If there is a leak in the pressure system, the pressure source is activated frequently to compensate for lost pressure and maintain a predetermined pressure, so the interval between activations becomes shorter and the time it takes for the pressure source to increase to the predetermined pressure becomes longer. When the controller detects that the pressure in the actuator exceeds the set range (the former is above the lower limit, the latter is below the upper limit) by turning the pressure switch ON-OFF, the controller will turn on an alarm device such as a lamp or buzzer (as required). device). In this way, pressure leaks are notified and corrective action is prompted.

(Example) A first example will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. This embodiment is provided on the front axle side of a part-time 4WD vehicle in which the front wheels are the disengagement side. Hereinafter, the left and right direction refers to the left and right direction in the figure, and corresponds to the axle direction of the vehicle. It should be noted that members that are not numbered are not shown.

First, the configuration will be explained.

Vehicle 1 has a bearing 5 inside a hollow spindle 3 on the vehicle body side.
It is rotatably supported by. A drive gear 7 is spline connected to the right end of the axle 1, and is prevented from falling off by a retaining ring 9 and a snap ring 11, and a steering knuckle 13 is formed at the left end. When switching to 2WD, the rotation of the front wheel drive system including the axle 1 is stopped by the disconnection operation.

The housing 15 consists of a bag-like top part 17 and a cylindrical base part 21 with one flange, and these parts 17.
21 are fixed together with bolts 23. The top portion 17 includes a cylindrical portion 25 and a cover 29 screwed onto the cylindrical portion 25 by a threaded portion 27. A filter 31 is installed between the cylindrical portion 25 and the cover 29 to prevent dust and dirt from entering from the outside. A right front wheel 33 is fixed to the flange 19 with bolts 35 and nuts 37, and a brake disc 39 is fixed with bolts 41 and nuts 43. The housing 15 is arranged on the outer periphery of the spindle 3 and the drive gear 7, and has a bearing 45.4.
It is rotatably supported on the spindle 3 by 7.

A protective cover 49 is fixed to the spindle 3 with bolts 51 to protect the stationary side from the rotation of the three brake discs. Also, a bearing 4 is installed on the outer periphery of the tip of the spindle 3.
A lock nut 53 of No. 7 is screwed on, and a rotation stopper 55 is fixed to the lock nut 53 with a bolt 57.

The slide gear 59 is a ring-shaped connecting member, and is supported by a spline portion 61 provided between the slide gear 59 and the cylindrical portion 25 of the housing 15 so as to be movable in the axial direction on the inner circumference of the housing 15 . A retaining ring 63 is fixed to the cylindrical portion 25,
The leftward movement range of the slide gear 59 is restricted.

On the outer periphery of the drive gear 7 and the inner periphery of the slide gear 59,
A spline portion 65 is provided that engages when the slide gear 59 moves to the right (connected position) and disengages when it moves to the left (disengaged position) (as shown in FIG. 1). In the connected position, the drive gear 7 and the housing 15 are connected via the slide gear 59 (locked state!), and in the released position, these connections are released (free state).

A center plate 67 is arranged between the drive gear 7 and the cylindrical portion 25. There are 6 retaining rings and a snap ring 71 on the drive gear 7 on the left side of the center plate 67.
is installed. The inner periphery of the center plate 67 is connected to the drive gear 7, and the outer periphery is connected to the groove 73 provided in the housing 15.
and are slidably abutted and engaged with each other in the rotational direction.

A rightward contact portion 75 is provided between the drive gear 7 and the center plate 67. Therefore, the center plate 67 performs centering between the drive gear 7 and the housing 15 to enable smooth engagement and disengagement (engagement and disengagement) of the spline portion 65, and also allows the groove 73 and the abutment portion 75 to
This restricts leftward movement of the drive gear 7 and axle 1. Further, the center plate 67 is provided with an open lower portion 7 which is an air passage port.

A plate 81 having a plurality of arms 79 is provided between the axle 1 and the cover 29 of the housing 15 so as to be movable in the axial direction. This arm 79 is movably inserted through a toothless portion 83 provided on the spline portion 61 and is fixed to the slide gear 59. In this way, the slide gallery and the plate 81 integrally move from side to side.

The diaphragm 85 is a flexible diaphragm that includes a ring 86 at its outer edge. The inner edge is airtightly sandwiched. A slide gear 5 is provided between the plate 87 and the cover 29.
Return spring 8 that moves 9 to the left release position
(biasing members) are arranged.

A seal 91 is provided between the left end of the housing 15 and the spindle 3, and a seal 91 is provided between the axle 1 and the spindle 3.
3 is attached to the housing 15, and an airtightly partitioned pressure chamber 95 is thus formed on the left side of the diaphragm 85 within the housing 15. When positive pressure is supplied, this pressure chamber 95 expands against the biasing force of the eight return springs.
The diaphragm 85 is bent to the right to move the slide gear 59 to the connected position via the plate 81. When the pressure supply is stopped, the pressure chamber 95 contracts due to the urging force of the return spring 89, and the slide gear 59 returns to the release position.

In this way, the actuator 96 is configured.

Between the outer periphery of the axle 1 and the inner periphery of the spindle 3 is a gap 9 that communicates with and is a part of the pressure chamber 95 on the right side and communicates with an orifice 97 provided in the spindle 3 on the left side.
9 is provided. Connecting vibe 1 is attached to orifice 97
An air hose 103 is connected via 01.

Air hose 103 is connected to pump 107 via valve 105.
It is connected to the. Motor 10 that drives pump 107
9 (constituting a pressure source together with pump 107) and valve 10
5 is connected in parallel to a battery 113 via a connector 111, and this battery circuit is opened and closed by a switch 115 provided at the driver's seat. When the switch 115 is turned off, the valve 105 opens the pressure system to the atmosphere. A pressure switch 117 is connected in series to the motor circuit. This signal from pressure switch 117 is input to controller 119 . Controller 119 is motor 1
09 and outputs a signal 121 for displaying a lock signal on the driver's seat.

As shown in Figure 2, the switch 117 is turned on when the pressure in the pressure system reaches P+ (the lower limit of supply pressure), and is turned off when the pressure increases further, and when it reaches P2 (the upper limit of supply pressure). This causes the motor 109 to stop. After that, when the pressure decreases to P, the switch 117 is turned on and the motor 109 is rotated to increase the pressure. Here, the time during which the pressure changes as P-p2-p, that is, the operation interval of the switch 117 (time from ON to ON) is T1.
Assuming that the time for the pressure to rise to p + ' force P2, that is, the operating time of switch 117 (time from ON to OFF), is T2, if a leak occurs in the pressure system, T1
Is it short?<T2 is long.

The controller 119 has T as the lower limit of normal T.
A normal range of , and a normal range of T2 whose upper limit is T2 at normal times are set, respectively. If T, T2 exceeds these ranges due to pressure system practices (T+ exceeds the lower limit and becomes shorter, and T2 exceeds the upper limit and becomes longer)
The controller 119 generates a signal 1 for operating necessary devices such as a warning buzzer and a warning lamp provided in the driver's seat.
23 to indicate that a pressure leak has occurred.

In this way, the hub clutch 125 is configured.

In this way, pressure leaks are displayed and inspection and repair of related parts is prompted, thereby preventing the leak from being overlooked until it becomes severe and preventing the hub clutch 125 from becoming unable to lock. Therefore, the feeling of discomfort in steering operation due to the fact that the lock is displayed but is not actually locked is also prevented. This embodiment uses only one pressure switch, whereas the second embodiment described below uses two pressure switches, and the configuration can be simplified accordingly.

Note that the switch 115 may be manually operated from the driver's seat as described above, but it may also be configured to be automatically operable depending on steering conditions and road surface conditions.

A brake hose 129 that connects the brake wheel cylinder and the hydraulic actuator 127 is arranged adjacent to the air hose 103 and tied together with a hose band 131 .

Next, the function of the hub clutch 125 will be explained.

During 2WD driving, when the switch 115 is turned off, the valve 105 is opened and the air in the pressure system is released into the atmosphere, the pressure chamber 95 contracts, and the hub clutch 125 becomes free. In this way, the vehicle enters the 2WD driving state, and the front wheel drive system is prevented from rotating along with the front wheels, thereby preventing noise, vibration, reduction in fuel consumption, and shortening of the life of the drive system.

When driving in 4WD, turn on switch 115 to close valve 1.
05 closes, the motor 109 drives the pump 107 to supply pressure to the pressure chamber 95 via the air hose 103, and the hub clutch 125 becomes locked. In this way, the vehicle's ability to escape from rough roads and straight-line stability are improved in 4WD driving conditions. Further, since the locking function can be maintained normally by the leakage display as described above, unnecessary wear and tear on the bear link 5 and the seal 93 is prevented, and errors in steering operation are also prevented.

Next, the second embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Hereinafter, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly explained while referring to the same members with the same numbers.

Pressure switches 117 and 133 are connected to the motor circuit. Controller 135 starts motor 109;
The switch 117 is turned on when the pressure in the pressure system drops to Pl shown in FIG. 4, causing the motor 109 to rotate and the pressure to decrease to P2.
When the temperature rises to P, the rotation of the motor 109 is stopped and the pressure of the pressure system is reduced to P.
Keep it within the range of l and P2. If a leak occurs in the pressure system, the pressure cannot be maintained within this range and the pressure decreases. The pressure switch 133 turns ON when the pressure decreases to PO, which is lower than Pl, and outputs a signal to the controller 135.

The controller 135 determines whether or not pressure is being supplied from the operating state of the motor 109, and if pressure is being supplied, switch 1 is turned on.
Based on the signal from 33, it outputs a signal 123 that activates a buzzer, lamp, etc., and indicates a pressure leak.

In contrast to the first embodiment, which detects pressure leaks based on an abnormality in the operating time of the pressure switch, this embodiment directly detects pressure leaks based on a drop in pressure, resulting in a quick reaction and high accuracy in detecting pressure leaks.

In contrast to these embodiments, the hub clutch may be configured to be locked by the biasing member and released by the actuator. Further, the pressure medium may be other gas or liquid in addition to air, and the pressure may be negative pressure.

[Effects of the Invention] The hub clutch of the present invention detects a leak in the pressure system by the pressure switch that detects an abnormality in the operating time of the pressure switch that operates the pressure source or detects a drop in pressure and displays the indication. Action can be taken quickly. Further, dangers in steering operation are prevented, and bearings and seals are not worn out unnecessarily.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment, Fig. 2 is a graph showing pressure changes in the pressure system and a graph showing the signal waveform of the corresponding pressure switch, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment. figure,
FIG. 4 is a graph showing pressure changes in the pressure system.
1...Axle 7...Drive gear 15...Housing 33...5 wheels...Slide gear 89...Return spring (biasing member) 95...
Pressure chamber 96...actuator 107...
Pump (pressure source) 109... Motor (pressure source) 117.133... Pressure switch 119.135... Controller

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A connecting member that is movable to a connecting position that connects the housing on the wheel side and the wheel side and a release position that releases this connection, and an actuator that moves the connecting member to one of the two positions by supplying pressure. , a pressure source that supplies this pressure, a biasing member that biases the connecting member toward the other of the two positions, a pressure switch that detects the supply pressure to the actuator, and a signal from this switch that inputs a signal to detect the pressure when supplying pressure. A hub clutch comprising: a controller that operates a required device when a supply time interval exceeds a set range. (2) A connecting member that is movable to a connecting position that connects the housing on the wheel side and the axle side and a release position that releases this connection, and an actuator that moves the connecting member to one of the two positions by supplying pressure. , a pressure source that supplies this pressure, a biasing member that biases the connecting member toward the other of both positions, a pressure switch that detects the supply pressure to the actuator, and a signal from this switch that inputs a signal to supply the pressure when supplying the pressure. A hub clutch comprising: a controller that operates a required device when pressure falls outside a set pressure range.