US 11,084,375 B2Granted

Drive force transmission apparatus

AssigneeJtekt Corporation

InventorsTomohiro Nozu, Tsutomu Matsumoto, Tomoaki Kato, Akiyoshi Kakita, Kenta Taniguchi

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Abstract

A drive force transmission apparatus is mountable on a four-wheel drive vehicle switchable between a four-wheel drive mode that transmits a drive force of an engine to front wheels and rear wheels, and a two-wheel drive mode that transmits the drive force to only the front wheels. The drive force transmission apparatus allows adjustment of the drive force to the rear wheels, and includes a multi-plate clutch, a piston for axially pressing the multi-plate clutch, an actuator for axially moving the piston, and a control unit for controlling the actuator. Upon satisfaction of a predetermined condition that indicates a high probability of the vehicle needing to be switched from the two-wheel drive mode to the four-wheel drive mode, the control unit causes the actuator to displace the piston by a predetermined amount with respect to an initial position of the piston toward the multi-plate clutch.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A drive force transmission apparatus mountable on a four-wheel drive vehicle that is switchable between a four-wheel drive mode and a two-wheel drive mode, the four-wheel drive mode transmitting a drive force of a drive source to main drive wheels and auxiliary drive wheels, the two-wheel drive mode transmitting the drive force to only the main drive wheels, the drive force transmission apparatus configured to allow adjustment of the drive force that is transmitted to the auxiliary drive wheels, the drive force transmission apparatus comprising:

a multi-plate clutch having a plurality of clutch plates aligned with each other in an axial direction;
a pressing member that presses the multi-plate clutch in the axial direction;
an actuator that moves the pressing member in the axial direction;
and
a control unit configured to
determine how many of a plurality of predetermined conditions are satisfied with the four-wheel drive vehicle in the two-wheel drive mode, each of the predetermined conditions indicating an increased probability that the four-wheel drive mode is to be engaged, and
control the actuator to displace the pressing member by a predetermined amount with respect to an initial position of the pressing member toward the multi-plate clutch, the predetermined amount increasing in proportion to a number of predetermined conditions that are satisfied, and the predetermined amount is less than a displacement amount to engage the four-wheel drive mode.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/001,373Filed 6 Jun 2018
Priority: JP JP2017-11706014 Jun 2017
Published: US 2018/0361851 A120 Dec 2018
Granted: 10 Aug 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification28 codes

B60K 23/0808
For changing number of driven wheels , for switching from driving one axle to driving two or more axles: for varying torque distribution between…
B60K 17/344
For driving both front and rear wheels, e.g. four wheel drive vehicles: having a transfer gear
B60K 17/3515
Including arrangements for suppressing or influencing the power transfer, e.g. viscous clutches: with a clutch adjacent to traction wheel, e.g.…
F16D 13/52
With flat clutching surfaces, e.g. discs: clutches with multiple lamellae ; Clutches in which three or more axially moveable members are fixed…