JP2001050304A - Coupling - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coupling with simple structure capable of fastening with sufficiently enlarging attraction by a controlling electromagnet. SOLUTION: This coupling is provided with a rotating case 5, a shaft 7 supported by an axial center part of the rotating case 5 so as to be relatively rotatable, a clutch 9 placed between both members 5, 7, an armature 17 connected to an end plate 19 of the rotating case 5 at one side through a coned disc spring 37, an electromagnet 11 opposingly placed at the other side of the armature 17, a pressure plate 33 placed at one side of the clutch 9 for pressing the clutch 9 to fasten, and a swinging lever mechanism 8 enlarging attraction of the electromagnet 11 to transmit to the pressure plate 33 when the electromagnet 11 attracts the armature 17 against restoring force of the coned disc spring 37.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coupling which is arranged in a power transmission path and whose connection is electromagnetically controlled.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art "Gaia New Car Manual (issued by Toyota Motor Corporation Service Department on May 29, 1998) 0-
On page 22, a coupling 401 as shown in FIG. 5 is described.

[0003] The coupling 401 is rotatably supported in an input portion of a differential carrier 403 that accommodates a rear differential of a four-wheel drive vehicle, and performs connection and disconnection on the rear wheel side.

[0004] As shown in the figure, the differential carrier 403 comprises a carrier main body 403a and a front cover 403b. The driving force of the engine is input to the coupling 401 via a transmission, a transfer, and a propeller shaft, and further transmitted to a rear differential.

[0005] The coupling 401 is connected to the housing 40.
5, a shaft 407, a multi-plate type main clutch 409 and a control clutch 411, an armature 413, an electromagnet 415, a cam ring 417 and a pressing member 421 constituting a cam mechanism 419 using a ball, a controller, and the like. Is filled with oil and sealed.

The housing 405 of the coupling 401
The left end is supported in the differential carrier 403 via a seal bearing 423, the flange member 425 is bolted to the housing 405, and the driving force of the engine is input to the housing 405 via the flange member 425.

On the other hand, at the right end of the housing 405, a rotor 427 is screwed and joined to the inner periphery of the housing 405 to be integrated, and the rotor 427 (housing 405) is connected via a bearing 429 to a core 431 of an electromagnet 415 described later.
(Diff carrier 403).

The housing 40 is integrated with the housing 405 and the rotor 427 and a sealing member 439 described later.
5 is hermetically sealed. And the housing 405
An air chamber is formed between the differential carrier 403 and the differential carrier 403 that accommodates the air chamber.

The output shaft 4 of the coupling 401
Reference numeral 07 is coaxially supported by the axial center of the housing 405 via a radial bearing 433 and a bush 435. A drive pinion shaft 437 is connected to an output end of the shaft 407, and a drive pinion gear 437a formed at the output end is engaged with a ring gear on the rear differential side.

A seal member 439 is provided between the outer periphery of the output end of the shaft 407 and the inner periphery of the rotor 427 to seal the inside as described above.

An oil seal 441 is provided between the outer periphery of the output side end of the shaft 407 and the carrier body 403a (diff carrier 403). The oil seal 441 seals the rear differential so that oil does not leak into the coupling 401. ing.

The main clutch 409 is connected to the housing 40
This is a wet multi-plate clutch arranged between the shaft 5 and the shaft 407. The control clutch 411 disposed adjacent to the main clutch 409 is disposed between the housing 405 and the cam ring 417. A cam mechanism 419 is arranged between the main clutch 409 and the control clutch 411.

The electromagnet 415 is disposed outside the housing 405, and its core 431 is fitted to the differential carrier 403 to perform positioning in the radial direction and is prevented from rotating by a detent member 443. The lead wire 445 of the electromagnet 415 is extended outwardly in the radial direction of the core 431.
Grommet 4 which is taken out of the front cover 403b and provided in a take-out hole 403c of the coupling flange portion of the front cover 403b.
It is taken out through 47. Extraction hole 403c
An adhesive 449 is embedded in the open end of the lead wire 44.
5 is fixed, and this part is sealed.

The controller excites the electromagnet 415, controls the excitation current, stops excitation, and controls the torque transmitted to the rear wheels.

When the electromagnet 415 is excited, the armature 413 is attracted, the control clutch 411 is engaged, and the engagement torque is converted and expanded into a thrust force by the cam mechanism 419. Then, the pressing member 421 receives the thrust force and presses the main clutch 409 to be fastened. When the coupling 401 is connected in this manner, the driving force of the engine is output to the drive pinion shaft 437 via the shaft 407, and the driving force is sent to the rear wheels, so that the vehicle is driven in a four-wheel drive state, and the vehicle runs on a rough road. And stability of the vehicle body are improved.

When the exciting current of the electromagnet 415 is controlled, the thrust of the cam mechanism 419 changes due to the slip of the control clutch 411, and the driving force of the rear wheel is adjusted by changing the fastening force of the main clutch 409. You.
In this way, the driving force distribution ratio between the front and rear wheels is controlled.

When the excitation of the electromagnet 415 is stopped, the control clutch 411 is released, and the cam mechanism 419 is released.
, The main clutch 409 is released, the coupling of the coupling 401 is released, and the vehicle enters a two-wheel drive state.

[0018]

However, the cam mechanism 419 that converts and expands the engagement torque of the control clutch 411 into a thrust force has a problem that it is difficult to set the enlargement ratio to a sufficiently large value.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a coupling which can be fastened with a simple structure by sufficiently increasing the attractive force of the control electromagnet.

[0020]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a case-like torque transmitting member, which is rotatably supported by an axial center of the case-like torque transmitting member. A shaft-shaped torque transmitting member, a clutch disposed between the two torque transmitting members, an armature having one side connected to the case-shaped torque transmitting member via a biasing member, and an armature connected to the other side of the armature. An electromagnet arranged oppositely, a pressing member arranged on one side of the clutch to press and fasten the clutch, and the attraction force is increased when the electromagnet attracts the armature against the urging force of the urging member. And a lever mechanism for transmitting to the pressing member.

Therefore, for example, by enlarging the lever ratio of the lever mechanism, it is possible to improve the expansion rate of the attraction force of the electromagnet, so that the exciting current of the electromagnet can be suppressed, and the power consumption can be reduced. Become.

Further, unlike the structure using the control clutch as in the above-mentioned conventional example, since the structure is simple and the enlargement ratio can be improved by the lever mechanism, the coupling can be reduced in size and weight, and the cost can be reduced. Reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coupling according to the first aspect, wherein the armature moves in the direction of the rotation axis when attracted by the electromagnet.

Therefore, the same operation and effect as the first aspect of the invention can be obtained, and since the movement of the armature is in the direction of the rotation axis, the coupling can be downsized in the radial direction.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coupling according to the first or second aspect, wherein the lever mechanism comprises:
A swing fulcrum is provided at a position axially away from the armature.

Therefore, the same operation and effect as those of the first or second aspect of the present invention can be obtained, and since the swing fulcrum is located at a position axially away from the armature, for example, it is easy to set a large lever ratio of the lever mechanism. Therefore, it is easy to improve the magnification of the attraction force of the electromagnet.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coupling according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the lever mechanism has long and short arms extending to one side and the other side of the swing fulcrum. Wherein each of the long and short arm portions comes into contact with each of the inclined portions provided on the armature and the pressing member, respectively.

Therefore, the same operation and effect as those of any of the first to third aspects of the invention can be obtained, and good transmission and expansion of suction force can be obtained by using the inclined portions of the armature and the pressing member. .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coupling according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the lever mechanism is provided on the shaft-shaped torque transmitting member. .

Accordingly, the same operation and effect as those of the first to fourth aspects of the invention can be obtained, and the coupling can be downsized in the radial direction since the lever mechanism is provided on the shaft-shaped torque transmitting member. be able to.

The invention according to claim 6 is the coupling according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the biasing member is a disc spring.

Therefore, the same operation and effect as those of any of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention can be obtained, and the disc spring can perform the initial positioning of the armature and can also serve as the return spring, thereby saving space. And the layout becomes easy.

[0033]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a cross section of an upper half part of a coupling 1 according to the present embodiment used in a power transmission system of a vehicle. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of members.

The coupling 1 is accommodated in a fixed case (not shown) fixed to the vehicle body. The fixed case is filled with oil.

As shown in FIG. 1, the coupling 1 includes a rotating case 5 (case-like torque transmitting member), a shaft 7
(Shaft torque transmitting member), a multi-plate clutch 9, a ring-shaped electromagnet 11, an armature 17, a swing lever mechanism (lever mechanism) 8, a controller, and the like.

The rotary case 5 has a cylindrical portion 5a and a left end wall 5b, and is rotatably supported by a fixed case (not shown). An input-side member (not shown) is connected to the wall 5b, and the driving force is input to the wall 5b. A spline portion 5c is formed on the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 5a, and an opening 5 is formed on the right end.
d. An end plate 19 is spline-fitted to the inner periphery of the opening 5d, is centered, and is prevented from falling off by a retaining ring 21.

The shaft 7 has bearings 23, 25
And is coaxially supported by the rotating case 5 through the shaft and positioned in the axial direction. A plurality of grooves 27 extending in the axial direction are provided on the outer periphery between the two support portions, and the swing lever mechanism 8 is housed in each groove 27.

That is, the J-shaped lever 29 is provided in the groove 27.
Is fixed to a pin (swinging fulcrum) 31 at the left end in the figure. Long arm 29a and short arm 29b of lever 29
Are swingable about the pin 31 as a fulcrum. The long arm 29a (length L ₁ ) and the short arm 29b (length L
₂ ), when the clutch 9 is released (when the electromagnet 11 is not excited and the armature 17 is in the initial state), a tapered surface (inclined portion) 1 of the armature 17 described later
7a, and are in contact with the tapered surface (inclined portion) 33a of the pressure plate (pressing member) 33, respectively. Shaft 7
An output-side member (not shown) is spline-connected to the right end.

The multi-plate clutch 9 is arranged between the outer periphery of the shaft 7 and the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 5a of the rotating case 5. A pressure plate 33 is arranged between the clutch 9 and the left end wall 5 b of the rotating case 5. The pressure plate 33 is spline-fitted on the shaft 7 so as to be movable in the axial direction. A tapered surface 33a is formed on the inner peripheral portion of the back surface (left side surface) of the pressure plate 33 as shown in FIG.

The electromagnet 11 is supported on the shaft 7 via a bearing 14, and is prevented from rotating by the above-mentioned fixed case by a fixing tool (not shown). And the electromagnet 11
The armature 17 is disposed between the rotating case 5 and the end plate 19. Armature 17
Is formed with a tapered surface 17a whose diameter increases toward the electromagnet 11 as shown in the figure.

Further, on the end face of the armature 17 on the clutch 9 side, the two halves 35, 35 as shown in FIG.
A spring (biasing member) 37 made of
At a, it is fixed by the screw 39. On the other hand, the inner peripheral edge 35b of the disc spring 37 is
a. A predetermined amount of gap 15 is set between armature 17 and core 13 of electromagnet 11 when disc spring 37 is in a free state. The armature 17 rotates integrally with the rotating case 5 by being connected by the disc spring 37.

The controller controls the excitation of the electromagnet 11,
Controls the excitation current and stops excitation.

Next, the operation of the coupling 1 will be described.

When the electromagnet 11 is excited, the electromagnet 11 attracts the armature 17 against the restoring force of the disc spring 37,
The armature 17 moves to the right. With this movement, the lever 2 with which the tapered surface 17a of the armature 17 is in contact
9 is pressed inward in the radial direction. The pressing force is converted into a thrust force acting in the axial direction at the short arm portion 29b of the lever 29, and the short arm portion 29b presses the pressure plate 33, which is in contact, to the right. Thereby, the clutch 9 is engaged. At this time, the thrust force for pressing the pressure plate 33 rightward is increased by the arm ratio (L ₁ / L ₂ ) between the long arm portion 29a and the short arm portion 29b.

By adjusting the exciting current of the electromagnet 11, the pressing force of the clutch 9, that is, the fastening torque of the clutch 9 is adjusted, and the driving force transmitted to the output shaft 7 is adjusted. When the excitation of the electromagnet 11 is stopped, the armature 17 is pulled to the left by the restoring force of the disc spring 37, moves to the left, the force pressing the long lever portion 29a disappears, the clutch 9 is released, and the coupling 1 Is disconnected.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, the electromagnet 1
The direction of the attraction force of the lever 29 is changed by leverage of the lever 29 and is enlarged to become a force for pressing and engaging the clutch 9. Therefore, it is possible to improve the expansion rate of the attraction force of the electromagnet, and to increase the exciting current of the electromagnet. , The size and weight of the electromagnet can be reduced, and the power consumption can be reduced.

Further, unlike the configuration using the control clutch as in the conventional example, the enlargement ratio can be improved by a simple configuration in which the arm ratio of the swing lever mechanism 8 is set to be large, and the coupling 1 can be made compact. -Lighter weight is possible and cost is reduced.

Further, since the swing lever mechanism 8 is provided on the shaft 7, the size of the coupling 1 can be reduced.

Further, since the armature 17 is moved in the direction of the rotation axis, the coupling can be reduced in size in the radial direction.

Also, by utilizing the tapered surfaces 17a, 33a of the armature 17 and the pressure plate 33, a good suction force expansion transmission performance can be obtained.

Further, since the disc spring 37 performs the initial positioning of the armature 17 and also serves as a return spring, the space can be saved and the layout can be facilitated.

The arrangement of the lever 29 is not limited to the shaft 7 but may be arranged on the outer periphery of the clutch 9.

[Second Embodiment] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the upper half part of the coupling 101 of the present embodiment used in the power transmission system of the vehicle. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a member.

This embodiment differs greatly from the first embodiment in that the inside of the coupling 101 is sealed.
Others have almost the same configuration. Therefore, only the differences will be described, and redundant description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rotating case 105 (case-like torque transmitting member) has a cylindrical portion 105a and a left end wall portion 105b, and is rotatably supported in a fixed case (not shown). . An input member (not shown) is connected to the wall 105b, and the driving force is input to the wall 105b. Further, an oil filling port 106 is provided in the wall portion 105b, and the filling port 106 is sealed after oil filling.

A spline portion 105 is provided on the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 5a.
c is formed, and has an opening 105d at the right end.
A rotor 108 is screw-coupled to the inner periphery of the opening 105d, and is locked by a lock nut 110. This part is sealed by an O-ring 112.

In the recess of the rotor 108, an electromagnet 111 mounted on a fixed case is supported via a bearing 114. Thereby, the core 11 of the electromagnet 111
The gap 115 between the rotor 3 and the rotor 108 is maintained at a predetermined amount. In the figure, reference numeral 116 denotes a ring-shaped non-magnetic material. A seal ring 118 is arranged on the inner periphery of the rotor 108,
A seal is formed between a shaft (shaft torque transmitting member) 107 to be described later.

A plurality of grooves 127 extending in the axial direction are provided on the outer periphery of the shaft 107 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the swing lever mechanism 108 is accommodated in each groove 127.

That is, the J-shaped lever 12 is inserted into the groove 27.
9 is fixed to a pin (swinging fulcrum) 131 at the left end of the drawing. An oil reservoir 107a extending in the axial direction is provided at the shaft center.

The armature 117 is a multi-plate clutch 10
9 is disposed in the recess of the end plate 119 of the electromagnet 1
11 with the rotor 113 interposed therebetween. Then, each hole 135a on the outer peripheral side of the disc spring (biasing member) 137 shown in FIG. 4 is riveted 139 to the armature 117, and each hole 135 on the inner peripheral side of the disc spring 137.
b is fixed to the end plate 119 by a rivet 119a. As a result, the armature 117 is
Is used for initial positioning.

With this configuration, according to this embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the provision of the rotor 108 makes it easy to seal the inside of the coupling 101. Become.

[0062]

As is clear from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to increase the attraction rate of the electromagnet by increasing the lever ratio of the lever mechanism, for example. Therefore, the exciting current of the electromagnet can be suppressed, and the power consumption can be reduced while reducing the size and weight of the electromagnet.

Further, unlike the configuration using the control clutch as in the conventional example, the enlargement ratio can be improved with a simple configuration in which the lever ratio of the lever mechanism is set large, and the size and weight of the coupling can be reduced. Possible and cost reduced.

According to the invention described in claim 2, according to claim 1
The same effect as that of the invention can be obtained, and since the movement of the armature is in the direction of the rotation axis, the coupling can be reduced in size in the radial direction.

According to the invention described in claim 3, according to claim 1
Alternatively, the same effects as those of the second aspect can be obtained, and since the swing fulcrum is located at a position axially away from the armature, for example, it is easy to set the lever ratio of the lever mechanism to a large value. Can be easily improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the first aspect is provided.
The same effect as any one of the inventions of (1) to (3) is obtained,
Use of the inclined portions of the armature and the pressing member can provide good suction force expansion transmission performance.

According to the invention set forth in claim 5, according to claim 1,
The same effects as those of any of the inventions 4 to 4 can be obtained,
Since the lever mechanism is provided on the shaft-shaped torque transmitting member, the coupling can be reduced in size in the radial direction.

According to the invention of claim 6, according to claim 1,
And an effect equivalent to that of any one of the inventions is obtained.
The disc spring performs initial positioning of the armature and can also serve as a return spring, so that space can be saved and layout can be facilitated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an upper half section of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of members of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an upper half section of a coupling according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a member according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5,105 Rotating case (case-shaped torque transmitting member) 7,107 Shaft (axial-shaped torque transmitting member) 8,108 Swing lever mechanism (lever mechanism) 9,109 Clutch 11,111 Electromagnet 13,113 Core 17,117 Armature 17a, 33a Tapered surface (inclined portion) 19, 119 End plate 27, 127 Groove 29, 129 Lever 29a Long arm portion 29b Short arm portion 31, 131 Pin (oscillation fulcrum) 33 Pressure plate (pressing member) 37, 137 Plate Spring (biasing member)

Claims (6)

[Claims] A case-like torque transmitting member; an axial torque transmitting member rotatably supported on an axis of the case-like torque transmitting member; and a clutch disposed between the two torque transmitting members. An armature having one side connected to the case-shaped torque transmitting member via a biasing member; an electromagnet disposed opposite to the other side of the armature; and a clutch disposed on one side of the clutch to press and fasten the clutch. A coupling, comprising: a pressing member for causing the armature to attract the armature against the urging force of the urging member, and a lever mechanism for expanding the attracting force to transmit the armature to the pressing member. 2. The coupling according to claim 1, wherein the armature moves in a rotation axis direction when attracted by the electromagnet. 3. The coupling according to claim 1, wherein the lever mechanism has a swing fulcrum at a position axially away from the armature. 4. The coupling according to claim 1, wherein the lever mechanism has long and short arms extending to one side and the other side of the swing fulcrum. A coupling, wherein each arm portion is in contact with each of the inclined portions provided on the armature and the pressing member. 5. The coupling according to claim 1, wherein the lever mechanism is provided on the shaft-shaped torque transmitting member. 6. The coupling according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member is a disc spring, and performs initial positioning of the armature.