JPH06323341A - Forced release mechanism for clutch - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve clutch release performance by separating a hub flange or clutch disc forcibly from a flywheel simultaneously with performing clutch release operation. CONSTITUTION:Forced release mechanism for a clutch is provided with an elastic engaging means 20 for fitting a release bearing 12 engagedly to a hub flange 27 for supporting a clutch disc 3 in the release direction sliding end position of the release bearing 12 for releasing the pressing force of a diaphragm spring 8 to a pressure plate 6, and at the same time, sliding the hub flange 27 in the direction of being separated from a flywheel 5.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clutch forcibly disengaging mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a clutch device mounted on an automobile generally includes a clutch disc supported by a clutch shaft (transmission input shaft) and a flywheel in which the clutch disc is supported by an engine-side drive shaft (crankshaft). And a pressure plate for pressing in the axial direction with respect to.

The pressure plate is supported so as to be movable in the axial direction with respect to a clutch cover which is integrally rotated with the flywheel, and presses the clutch disc toward the flywheel to rotate the flywheel. It is configured to transmit to the clutch shaft. A biasing force is applied to the pressure plate toward the clutch disc by a diaphragm spring, for example. Further, a release bearing, which is slidably supported in the axial direction of the clutch shaft and faces the diaphragm spring, is provided laterally on the side opposite to the clutch disc of the diaphragm spring, and a predetermined axial movement with respect to the release bearing. A clutch release lever for performing the operation is arranged.

In the case of a pedal-operated clutch, for example, the clutch release lever connected to the clutch pedal via a clutch operating cable or the like is swung by a predetermined amount by depressing the clutch pedal, whereby The clutch release bearing that is interlocked with is slid in the axial direction of the clutch shaft and presses the inner peripheral portion of the diaphragm spring to elastically deform it in the releasing direction of the biasing force to the clutch disc. ing.

By such an operation, the pressure contact state between the clutch disc and the flywheel is released, and the clutch is disengaged. When the clutch pedal is released, the diaphragm spring elastically returns to its original state, whereby the clutch disc is pressed against the flywheel and the clutch is reconnected.

[0006]

As described above, when the clutch is disengaged, the pressing force of the pressure plate on the clutch disc is released, and the flywheel and the clutch disc are separated from each other so that the relative rotation is performed. Being movable.

However, in the clutch-engaged state, the clutch disc is integrally rotated while being pressed against the flywheel. Therefore, if the pressing force of the pressure plate on the clutch disc is released, It may not be possible immediately for the clutch disc to separate from the surface of the flywheel.

For this reason, the so-called clutch disengagement performance may be deteriorated, and it may not be possible to smoothly perform the gear shifting operation. Further, when the clutch disc is rotated relative to the flywheel in a state of being in contact with the flywheel, abrasion of the clutch disc is increased and the life of the cut latch is shortened.

In order to solve the above-mentioned inconvenience, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 11-118828, a hub flange for supporting the clutch disc is placed in the clutch releasing direction when the pressing force of the pressure plate is released. An invention has been proposed for forcibly moving to.

However, in the invention described in the above publication, the force for separating the hub flange from the flywheel is generated by utilizing the relative rotation between the flywheel and the clutch disc. While the is rotating integrally with the flywheel, the force for separating the hub flange from the flywheel is not generated.

For this reason, the clutch disc cannot be reliably separated from the flywheel at the same time when the pressing force of the pressure plate is released.

Further, in the invention described in the above publication, the clutch disc is supported on the clutch shaft through the hub flange having a double structure of the inner hub and the outer hub, and the structure is complicated, Manufacturing costs are high.

The present invention has been devised under the above-mentioned circumstances, and solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and at the same time when the clutch releasing operation is performed, the hub flange or the clutch disc is forced from the flywheel. It is an object of the present invention to provide a forcible disengagement mechanism of a clutch that can improve the disengagement performance of the clutch by mechanically separating.

[0014]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.

That is, according to the present invention, there is provided a clutch disc supported on an outer peripheral portion of a hub flange which is inserted into a clutch shaft so as to be relatively non-rotatable and axially slidable.
A pressure plate that axially presses the clutch disc against a flywheel supported by a drive shaft on the engine side, a diaphragm spring that elastically urges the pressure plate toward the clutch disc side, and a slide plate that slides in the axial direction of the clutch shaft. A forced disengagement mechanism of a clutch including a release bearing that is moved to press the inner peripheral portion of the diaphragm spring to release the pressing force on the pressure plate of the diaphragm spring, and to the pressure plate of the diaphragm spring. At the slide end position of the release bearing in the release direction for releasing the pressing force, the release bear rig and the hub flange are engaged with each other, and the hub flange is slid in the direction of separating from the flywheel. Characterized in that a resilient engaging means that.

[0016]

The action and effect of the present invention is such that the clutch forcibly disengaging mechanism is configured to forcibly separate the clutch disc from the flywheel when the clutch is disengaged by utilizing the movement of the release bearing. .

That is, according to the present invention, the release bearing and the hub flange are engaged with each other at the sliding end position in the release direction of the release bearing for releasing the pressing force of the diaphragm spring against the pressure plate, and the hub flange is attached. Is provided with an elastic engaging means for sliding in a direction of separating the flywheel from the flywheel.

The release bearing is slid in the axial direction of the clutch shaft by a release lever that is swung by operating a clutch pedal or the like. That is, the release bearing is supported coaxially with the hub flange and is slid so as to approach or separate from the hub flange.

According to the present invention, when the release bearing is positioned at the sliding end position, the release bearing and the hub flange are engaged with each other by utilizing the elastic force accumulated in the sliding stroke. The force is applied to the hub flange in the direction away from the flywheel.

Therefore, at the same time that the release bearing is positioned at the sliding end position for releasing the clutch, a force is applied from the release bearing to the hub flange in the direction away from the flywheel, and the clutch disc is moved. It can be reliably separated from the flywheel.

Further, the forced disengagement mechanism of the clutch according to the present invention can apply a force in the direction of separating the hub flange from the flywheel at the same time when the clutch is released. Therefore, the clutch disengagement performance can be significantly improved and the reliable operation can be performed.

Further, in the process of sliding the release bearing to the slide end position in the releasing direction, that is, in the process of accumulating the elastic force, the hub flange is pressed toward the flywheel side, and the hub flange and the pressure are applied. Separation from the plate can also be promoted. Therefore, not only can the clutch disc be reliably separated from the flywheel, but also the clutch disc can be reliably separated from the pressure plate, and the clutch disengagement performance can be significantly improved.

[0023]

Description of Embodiments Embodiments according to the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

The clutch device 1 according to this embodiment includes a clutch disc 3 supported at the tip of a clutch shaft 2.
And a pressure plate 6 for axially pressing the clutch disc 3 against a flywheel 5 supported by a drive shaft on the engine side.

The pressure plate 6 is axially movably supported inside a clutch cover 7 which is integrally rotated with the flywheel 5. In the present embodiment, the pressure plate 6 and the clutch cover 7 are supported. A diaphragm spring 8 interposed between and provides a biasing force to the clutch disc 3 side.

The clutch disc 3 is constructed by attaching friction materials 3b and 3b to both side surfaces of a disk-shaped plate member 3a, and is inserted in the tip end portion of the clutch shaft 2 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. It is supported on the outer peripheral portion of the hub flange 27. The hub flange 27 is spline-fitted to the outer periphery of the end portion of the clutch shaft 2, so that the hub flange 27 is fitted onto the clutch shaft 2 such that the hub flange 27 cannot rotate relative to the clutch shaft 2 but can slide in the axial direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the diaphragm spring 8 is in the shape of a disk having a central hole 8a, and its radial middle portion is pivotally attached to the clutch cover 7 via a pair of wire rings 9,9. ing. The outer peripheral edge of the diaphragm spring 8 is configured to constantly bias the pressure plate 6 toward the flywheel 5 with the wire ring 9 as a fulcrum.

At the side of the diaphragm spring 8 opposite to the clutch disc 3, there is provided a hollow sliding shaft 11 extending from the inner surface of the clutch housing 10 so as to be inserted into the clutch shaft 2. It is provided. A release bearing 12 is axially slidably supported on the sliding shaft 11 so as to face the inner peripheral portion of the diaphragm spring 8. A clutch release lever 13 for engaging and disengaging the clutch by axially moving the release bearing 12 is attached to one side of the release bearing 12.

The end surface of the release bearing 12 is brought into contact with the inner peripheral edge of the diaphragm spring 8,
An outer ring portion 14 that deforms the diaphragm spring 8 in the clutch releasing direction, and an inner ring portion 16 that is supported radially inward of the outer ring portion 14 via a rolling element 15 so as to be rotatable relative to the outer ring portion 14. It is supported on the outer peripheral portion of a sleeve 17 which is slidably inserted in the sliding shaft 11 in the axial direction.

The sleeve 17 is formed with a collar portion 18 extending radially outward from the outer periphery of the axially intermediate portion, and the release bearing 12 is provided between the side surface of the collar portion 18 on the flywheel side and the outer peripheral portion. It is supported by fitting.

On the other hand, an engaging body 19 for engaging the clutch release lever 13 is fitted on the side of the flange 18 opposite to the side on which the release bearing 12 is fitted.

In the above structure, when a clutch pedal (not shown) is depressed to pull the clutch operating cable,
The clutch release lever 13 presses the engaging body 19 toward the flywheel side to slide the clutch release bearing 12 along with the sleeve 17 along the sliding shaft 11. As a result, the release bearing 12 moves toward the diaphragm spring 8,
The outer surface of the outer ring 14 presses the inner peripheral edge of the diaphragm spring 8 so that the diaphragm spring 8 is swung about the wire ring 9 to release the elasticity of the pressure plate 6. As a result, the pressure contact state between the clutch disc 3 and the flywheel 5 is released and the clutch is disengaged.

In this embodiment, the release bearing 12 and the hub flange 27 are engaged with each other at the slide end position of the release bearing 12 for releasing the pressing force of the diaphragm spring 8 against the pressure plate 6. Together with the hub flange 2
There is provided an elastic engagement means 20 for sliding 7 in the direction of separating it from the flywheel 5.

The elastic engaging means 20 according to this embodiment is
The sleeve 17 includes an engaging member 21 embedded in the end portion of the sleeve 17 and an engaging portion projection 22 provided on the outer periphery of the end portion of the hub flange 27.

The engaging member 21 is formed of a strip-shaped leaf spring material, and as shown in FIG. 2, the base end portion 21b is fixed to the end surface of the sleeve 17 in an embedded manner and the clutch shaft. 2 is extended toward the hub flange 27 substantially in parallel with 2. Further, the tip portion 21a of the engaging member 21 is bent in a substantially arc shape that bulges outward in the radial direction.

The engaging projection 22 is formed on the hub flange 2
7, a convex portion corresponding to the arc shape of the engaging member 21 is provided on the outer periphery of the end portion on the release bearing 8 side.

In the elastic engaging means 20 having the above structure,
As shown in FIG. 2, the release bearing 12 is released by the release lever 13 in the clutch releasing direction (arrow P).
Direction) and the engagement member 21 comes close to the engagement protrusion 22.

Then, the tip portion 21a of the engaging member 21.
Comes into contact with the outer slant surface 26a of the engaging projection 22 and is further elastically displaced outward in the radial direction so as to ride on the engaging projection 22. The elastic engaging means 20 is
When the release bearing 12 is slid to the sliding end position in the clutch releasing direction, the tip 21a of the engaging member 21 is slid to a position slightly above the top 25 of the engaging convex portion 22. Is configured.

Since the engaging member 21 is formed of a leaf spring material, it is elastically stored inward in the radial direction by being displaced outward in the radial direction. When the tip end portion 21a shown in FIG. 3 is displaced to a position slightly past the top portion 25 of the engagement projection portion 22, the tip end portion of the engagement member 21 is attached to the inner slope 26b of the engagement projection portion 22. As shown in FIG. 4, the hub flange 27 causes the flywheel 5 to move, as shown in FIG.
Is slid in the direction away from, that is, in the direction of arrow Q in FIG. Then, the engaging member 21 is completely engaged with the engaging convex portion 22, and the release bearing 12 and the hub flange 27 are engaged with each other via the elastic engaging means 20.

As a result, the hub flange 27 and the clutch disc 3 are separated from the flywheel 5, and the clutch can be securely disconnected.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the tip end portion 21a of the engaging member 21 rides on the engagement convex portion 22, that is, in the process of accumulating the elastic force, the tip end portion 21a. Pushes the hub flange 27 toward the flywheel. Therefore, a force acts on the hub flange 27 in a direction away from the pressure plate 6. As a result, not only the clutch disc 3 can be separated from the flywheel 5 but also the pressure plate 6 can be separated from the pressure plate 6 quickly and reliably, and the clutch disengagement performance can be significantly improved.

On the other hand, when the release bearing 12 is slid in the clutch connecting direction from the sliding end position, the hub flange 27 is moved to the release bearing 1.
2, the clutch disc 3 comes into contact with the pressure plate 6 and is prevented from moving, so that the engagement member 21 and the engagement protrusion 22 are engaged with each other. The relationship is released, and the release bearing 12 and the hub flange 27 are separated from each other. Then, the pressure plate 6 again presses the clutch disc 3 to bring the clutch into the connected state.

In the forced disengagement mechanism of the clutch according to this embodiment, the hub flange 27 is slid in the direction away from the flywheel 5 by utilizing the axial sliding of the release bearing 12, so that the pressure plate 6 is used. The clutch disc 3 can be reliably separated from the flywheel 5 at the same time when the pressing force of is released. As a result, the clutch disengagement performance can be significantly improved.

Further, the clutch forcible disengagement mechanism is constituted only by providing the engaging convex portion 22 on the outer peripheral portion of the hub flange 27 and providing the engaging member 21 on the sleeve 17 for sliding the release bearing 12. You can Therefore, the forced disengagement mechanism of the clutch can be configured with an extremely simple configuration. Further, the device does not become complicated and the number of parts does not increase significantly. Therefore, a reliable clutch forcible disengagement mechanism can be configured with almost no increase in manufacturing cost.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

In the embodiment, while the engagement member 21 is provided on the release bearing side and the engagement projection 22 is provided on the hub flange, the engagement member 21 is provided on the hub flange side.
It is also possible to provide an engaging projection on the outer circumference of the sleeve of the release bearing.

Further, in the embodiment, the engaging member 2
Although 1 is embedded in the sleeve 17 that slidably supports the release bearing 12, it may be directly provided on the inner ring of the release bearing 12.

In the embodiment, only one engaging member 21 is provided, but a plurality of engaging members may be provided in the circumferential direction.

Further, the means for providing the engaging member 21 is not limited to the embodiment, and may be connected to the sleeve 17 by a screw or the like, for example.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a forcible disengagement mechanism of a clutch according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part for explaining the operation of the forced disengagement mechanism for a clutch according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part for explaining the operation of the forced disengagement mechanism for a clutch according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an essential part for explaining the action of the clutch forcibly disengaging mechanism according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 clutch shaft 3 clutch disc 4 engine side drive shaft 5 flywheel 6 pressure plate 8 diaphragm spring 12 release bearing 20 elastic engagement means 27 hub flange

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A clutch disc supported on an outer peripheral portion of a hub flange which is inserted into a clutch shaft so as to be relatively non-rotatable and axially slidable, and a flywheel which supports the clutch disc on an engine side drive shaft. With respect to the axial direction, a diaphragm spring that elastically urges the pressure plate toward the clutch disc, and an inner peripheral portion of the diaphragm spring that is slid in the axial direction of the clutch shaft. A release bearing for releasing the pressing force of the diaphragm spring on the pressure plate, and a release direction sliding end of the release bearing for releasing the pressing force of the diaphragm spring on the pressure plate. position A clutch forcible disengagement mechanism is characterized in that the release bear rig and the hub flange are engaged with each other, and elastic engagement means for sliding the hub flange in a direction separating from the flywheel is provided. .