Vehicle clutch with variable lever ratio
AssigneeVolvo Lastvagnar AB
InventorsLars-Erik Carlsson, Fredrik Sjöqvist
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AssigneeVolvo Lastvagnar AB
InventorsLars-Erik Carlsson, Fredrik Sjöqvist
Estimating the term…
A vehicle clutch includes a clutch disc, a moveable pressure plate, a plurality of clutch levers, and an actuator to cause pressure plate to move by pivoting the clutch levers. Each of the clutch levers are pivotable around a first fulcrum, which is part of a clutch housing, a second fulcrum, which is part of the pressure plate, and a third fulcrum, which is part of the actuator. A pivot surface of each of the fulcrums around which the clutch levers pivot with a rolling action over the pivot surface is defined by a radius, which measures from a geometrical centre in each of the fulcrums and out to the pivot surface. A magnitude of the radius varies along the pivot surface in order to have a lever ratio of the clutch levers that varies as the clutch levers pivot.
A vehicle clutch comprising:
A vehicle clutch as in the preceding claim, characterized in that the magnitude of two of said three radii varies along said surface in order to further increase the lever ratio.
A vehicle clutch as in the preceding claim, characterized in that said radius where the magnitude varies is varied so that when following a contact point in said rolling action between said clutch lever and said belonging pivot surface during a clutch stroke from engaged to disengaged position said magnitude of said radius is continuously increasing.
A vehicle clutch as in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said clutch levers are fingers in a diaphragm spring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.