US 2012/0103751 A1Published application

Drive system for vehicle

AssigneeAisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsMinoru IKEDA, Shinichi Ito

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Abstract

A drive system for a vehicle includes an engine, a transmission, a clutch mechanism including first and second clutch portions, the clutch mechanism being switchable between connected and disconnected states, and a clutch operation mechanism switching the clutch mechanism between the connected and disconnected states, the clutch operation mechanism including a clutch drum forming a drum chamber, a piston dividing the drum chamber into a spring chamber and a pressurizing chamber, a control valve, a biasing member arranged in the spring chamber and exerting a biasing force in a direction in which the first and second clutch portions are engaged with each other, and a bore formed in the clutch drum, the bore discharging oil of the spring chamber to an outer side of the spring chamber in a state where a counteracting force against a centrifugal force acting in the pressurizing chamber is generated in the spring chamber.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A drive system for a vehicle, comprising:

an engine including an output shaft;
a transmission including an input shaft to which a driving force of the output shaft of the engine is transmitted, the transmission transmitting the driving force to driving wheels of the vehicle;
a clutch mechanism including a first clutch portion arranged between the output shaft of the engine and the input shaft of the transmission and positioned at the output shaft, and a second clutch portion arranged at the input shaft, the clutch mechanism being switchable between a connected state where the first clutch portion and the second clutch portion are engaged with each other to transmit the driving force of the engine to the transmission and a disconnected state where the first clutch portion and the second clutch portion are disengaged from each other to block the transmission of the driving force of the engine to the transmission;
and
a clutch operation mechanism switching the clutch mechanism between the connected state and the disconnected state by supply and discharge of oil to and from the clutch mechanism,
the clutch operation mechanism including
a clutch drum supported by the input shaft or the output shall and having a cylindrical shape to form a drum chamber,
a piston dividing the drum chamber of the clutch drum into a spring chamber generating a driving force for engaging the first clutch portion and the second clutch portion with each other, and a pressurizing chamber generating a driving force for disengaging the first clutch portion and the second clutch portion from each other,
a control valve being switchable between a first position allowing the supply of the oil to the spring chamber and a second position allowing the supply of the oil to the pressurizing chamber,
a biasing member arranged in the spring chamber and exerting a biasing force in a direction in which the first clutch portion and the second clutch portion are engaged with each other, and
a bore formed in the clutch drum to establish a connection between inner and outer sides of the spring chamber, the bore discharging the oil of the spring chamber from the inner side to the outer side in a state where a counteracting force against a centrifugal force acting in the pressurizing chamber is generated in the spring chamber.

8 more elements

A drive system for a vehicle, comprising:

an input member rotatably connected to a drive source;
a shaft member arranged coaxially with the input member along a rotational axis of the input member and connected to a transmission;
first clutch portions movably engaged with one of the input member and the shaft member along the rotational axis;
second clutch portions arranged in an alternating manner with the first clutch portions and being engageable with and disengageable from the first clutch portions, the second clutch portions being movably engaged with the other one of the input member and the shaft member along the rotational axis;
a clutch drum supported by the input member or the shaft member and including a bore positioned away from the rotational axis by a predetermined length in a radial direction, the clutch drum connecting to an outer side via the bore;
a piston slidably fitted to the clutch drum along the rotational axis and including a pressing portion pressing the first clutch portions and the second clutch portions;
a biasing member arranged between the piston and the clutch drum and biasing the piston toward the first clutch portions and the second clutch portions, the biasing member firmly pressing the first clutch portions and the second clutch portions against one another by the pressing portion;
a pressurizing chamber defined between the clutch drum and a first axial end surface of the piston;
and
a spring chamber defined between the clutch drum and a second axial end surface of the piston,
the piston separating from the first clutch portions and the second clutch portions against a biasing force of the biasing member by a hydraulic pressure of oil supplied to the pressurizing chamber,
the oil being supplied to the spring chamber and discharged therefrmom through the bore of the clutch drum to an outer side of the spring chamber.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/240,329Filed 22 Sep 2011
Priority: JP 2010-2468642 Nov 2010
Published: 3 May 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

F16D 48/02
External control of clutches: control by fluid pressure
F16D 25/0638
With flat friction surfaces, e.g. discs: with more than two discs, e.g. multiple lamellae
F16D 2048/0233
Source of pressure producing the clutch engagement or disengagement action within a circuit; Means for initiating command action in power…
F16D 2048/0269
Hydraulic circuit layouts, i.e. details of hydraulic circuit elements or the arrangement thereof: single valve for switching between fluid supply…