Clutch apparatus

A clutch apparatus to transmit a rotational driving force of an input shaft to an output shaft or cut off the rotational driving force, the clutch apparatus comprising:

• a clutch center housed in a clutch housing holding input-side rotary plates to be rotationally driven in response to rotational driving of the input shaft, the clutch center holding some of output-side rotary plates positioned alternately with the input-side rotary plates, the clutch center being rotationally drivable together with the output shaft;
• and
• a pressure plate movable toward or away from the clutch center and configured to hold a remaining one or more output-side rotary plates and to push the input-side rotary plates and the output-side rotary plates;
• wherein
• the clutch center includes:
• a center-side outer peripheral wall having an annular shape extending in a movement direction, where a direction in which the pressure plate is movable toward and away from the clutch center is the movement direction;
• center-side fitting teeth holding the output-side rotary plates, protruding outward in a radial direction from an outer peripheral surface of the center-side outer peripheral wall, and arranged in a circumferential direction;
• and
• center-side spline grooves each provided between adjacent ones of the center-side fitting teeth;
• the pressure plate includes:
• a pressure-side outer peripheral wall having an annular shape extending in the movement direction;
• pressure-side fitting teeth holding the output-side rotary plates, protruding outward in the radial direction from an outer peripheral surface of the pressure-side outer peripheral wall, and arranged in the circumferential direction;
• and
• pressure-side spline grooves each provided between adjacent ones of the pressure-side fitting teeth;
• when viewed in an axial direction of the output shaft, a center-side annular portion at least partially overlaps with a pressure-side annular portion, the center-side annular portion having an annular shape bounded in the radial direction by a center-side tooth tip circle passing through tooth tips that are outermost portions of the center-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, and a center-side tooth bottom circle passing through tooth bottoms that are innermost portions of the center-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, the pressure-side annular portion having an annular shape bounded in the radial direction by a pressure-side tooth tip circle passing through tooth tips that are outermost portions of the pressure-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, and a pressure-side tooth bottom circle passing through tooth bottoms that are innermost portions of the pressure-side fitting teeth in the radial direction;
• where a direction in which the pressure plate is movable toward the clutch center is a first direction and a direction in which the pressure plate is movable away from the clutch center is a second direction, an end of the pressure-side fitting teeth facing in the first direction is provided with pressure-side protrusions extending in the first direction;
• and
• during at least part of a half-clutch state, at least portions of the pressure-side protrusions overlap with the center-side spline grooves when viewed in the radial direction of the output shaft.

A clutch apparatus to transmit a rotational driving force of an input shaft to an output shaft or cut off the rotational driving force, the clutch apparatus comprising:

• a clutch center housed in a clutch housing holding input-side rotary plates to be rotationally driven in response to rotational driving of the input shaft, the clutch center holding some of output-side rotary plates positioned alternately with the input-side rotary plates, the clutch center being rotationally drivable together with the output shaft;
• and
• a pressure plate movable toward or away from the clutch center and configured to hold a remaining one or more output-side rotary plates and to push the input-side rotary plates and the output-side rotary plates;
• wherein
• the clutch center includes:
• a center-side outer peripheral wall having an annular shape extending in a movement direction, where a direction in which the pressure plate is movable toward and away from the clutch center is the movement direction;
• and
• center-side fitting teeth holding the output-side rotary plates, protruding outward in a radial direction from an outer peripheral surface of the center-side outer peripheral wall, and arranged in a circumferential direction;
• center-side spline grooves each provided between adjacent ones of the center-side fitting teeth;
• and
• center-side cam portions including center-side assist cam surfaces to, upon rotation of the clutch center relative to the pressure plate, produce a force in a direction from the pressure plate toward the clutch center to increase a pushing force for the input-side rotary plates and the output-side rotary plates;
• the pressure plate includes:
• a pressure-side outer peripheral wall having an annular shape extending in the movement direction;
• pressure-side fitting teeth holding the output-side rotary plates, protruding outward in the radial direction from an outer peripheral surface of the pressure-side outer peripheral wall, and arranged in the circumferential direction, pressure-side spline grooves each provided between adjacent ones of the pressure-side fitting teeth;
• and
• pressure-side cam portions including pressure-side assist cam surfaces to, upon rotation of the pressure plate relative to the clutch center, produce a force in the direction from the pressure plate toward the clutch center to increase the pushing force for the input-side rotary plates and the output-side rotary plates;
• when viewed in an axial direction of the output shaft, a center-side annular portion at least partially overlaps with a pressure-side annular portion, the center-side annular portion having an annular shape bounded in the radial direction by a center-side tooth tip circle passing through tooth tips that are outermost portions of the center-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, and a center-side tooth bottom circle passing through tooth bottoms that are innermost portions of the center-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, the pressure-side annular portion having an annular shape bounded in the radial direction by a pressure-side tooth tip circle passing through tooth tips that are outermost portions of the pressure-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, and a pressure-side tooth bottom circle passing through tooth bottoms that are innermost portions of the pressure-side fitting teeth in the radial direction;
• where a direction in which the pressure plate is movable toward the clutch center is a first direction and a direction in which the pressure plate is movable away from the clutch center is a second direction, an end of the center-side fitting teeth facing in the second direction is provided with center-side protrusions extending in the second direction;
• and
• with the center-side assist cam surfaces and the pressure-side assist cam surfaces in contact with each other, at least portions of the center-side protrusions overlap with the pressure-side spline grooves when viewed in the radial direction of the output shaft.

A clutch apparatus to transmit a rotational driving force of an input shaft to an output shaft or cut off the rotational driving force, the clutch apparatus comprising:

• a clutch center housed in a clutch housing holding input-side rotary plates to be rotationally driven in response to rotational driving of the input shaft, the clutch center holding some of output-side rotary plates positioned alternately with the input-side rotary plates, the clutch center being rotationally drivable together with the output shaft;
• and
• a pressure plate movable toward or away from the clutch center and configured to hold the remaining one or more output-side rotary plates and to push the input-side rotary plates and the output-side rotary plates;
• wherein
• the clutch center includes:
• a center-side outer peripheral wall having an annular shape extending in a movement direction, where a direction in which the pressure plate is movable toward and away from the clutch center is the movement direction;
• center-side fitting teeth holding the output-side rotary plates, protruding outward in a radial direction from an outer peripheral surface of the center-side outer peripheral wall, and arranged in a circumferential direction, center-side spline grooves each provided between adjacent ones of the center-side fitting teeth;
• and
• center-side cam portions including center-side assist cam surfaces to, upon rotation of the clutch center relative to the pressure plate, produce a force in a direction from the pressure plate toward the clutch center to increase a pushing force for the input-side rotary plates and the output-side rotary plates;
• the pressure plate includes:
• a pressure-side outer peripheral wall having an annular shape extending in the movement direction;
• pressure-side fitting teeth holding the output-side rotary plates, protruding outward in the radial direction from an outer peripheral surface of the pressure-side outer peripheral wall, and arranged in the circumferential direction, pressure-side spline grooves each provided between adjacent ones of the pressure-side fitting teeth;
• and
• pressure-side cam portions including pressure-side assist cam surfaces to, upon rotation of the pressure plate relative to the clutch center, produce a force in the direction from the pressure plate toward the clutch center to increase the pushing force for the input-side rotary plates and the output-side rotary plates;
• when viewed in an axial direction of the output shaft, a center-side annular portion at least partially overlaps with a pressure-side annular portion, the center-side annular portion having an annular shape bounded in the radial direction by a center-side tooth tip circle passing through tooth tips that are outermost portions of the center-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, and a center-side tooth bottom circle passing through tooth bottoms that are innermost portions of the center-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, the pressure-side annular portion having an annular shape bounded in the radial direction by a pressure-side tooth tip circle passing through tooth tips that are outermost portions of the pressure-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, and a pressure-side tooth bottom circle passing through tooth bottoms that are innermost portions of the pressure-side fitting teeth in the radial direction,
• where a direction in which the pressure plate is movable toward the clutch center is a first direction and a direction in which the pressure plate is movable away from the clutch center is a second direction, an end of the pressure-side fitting teeth facing in the first direction is provided with pressure-side protrusions extending in the first direction;
• and
• with the center-side assist cam surfaces and the pressure-side assist cam surfaces in contact with each other, at least portions of the pressure-side protrusions overlap with the center-side spline grooves when viewed in the radial direction of the output shaft.

A clutch apparatus to transmit a rotational driving force of an input shaft to an output shaft or cut off the rotational driving force, the clutch apparatus comprising:

• a clutch center housed in a clutch housing holding input-side rotary plates to be rotationally driven in response to rotational driving of the input shaft, the clutch center holding some of output-side rotary plates positioned alternately with the input-side rotary plates, the clutch center being rotationally drivable together with the output shaft;
• a pressure plate movable toward or away from the clutch center and configured to hold the remaining one or more output-side rotary plates and to push the input-side rotary plates and the output-side rotary plates;
• and
• a stopper plate secured to the pressure plate to come into contact with the clutch center and to prevent the pressure plate from moving away from the clutch center in a second direction by a predetermined distance or more, where a direction in which the pressure plate is movable toward and away from the clutch center is a movement direction, a direction in which the pressure plate is movable toward the clutch center is a first direction, and a direction in which the pressure plate is movable away from the clutch center is the second direction;
• wherein
• the clutch center includes:
• a center-side outer peripheral wall having an annular shape extending in the movement direction;
• and
• center-side fitting teeth holding the output-side rotary plates, protruding outward in a radial direction from an outer peripheral surface of the center-side outer peripheral wall, and arranged in a circumferential direction;
• the pressure plate includes:
• a pressure-side outer peripheral wall having an annular shape extending in the movement direction;
• and
• pressure-side fitting teeth holding the output-side rotary plates, protruding outward in the radial direction from an outer peripheral surface of the pressure-side outer peripheral wall, and arranged in the circumferential direction;
• when viewed in an axial direction of the output shaft, a center-side annular portion at least partially overlaps with a pressure-side annular portion, the center-side annular portion having an annular shape bounded in the radial direction by a center-side tooth tip circle passing through tooth tips that are outermost portions of the center-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, and a center-side tooth bottom circle passing through tooth bottoms that are innermost portions of the center-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, the pressure-side annular portion having an annular shape bounded in the radial direction by a pressure-side tooth tip circle passing through tooth tips that are outermost portions of the pressure-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, and a pressure-side tooth bottom circle passing through tooth bottoms that are innermost portions of the pressure-side fitting teeth in the radial direction;
• an end of the center-side fitting teeth facing in the second direction is provided with center-side protrusions extending in the second direction;
• with the clutch center and the stopper plate in contact with each other, a clearance is created between each of the center-side protrusions and the pressure plate in the movement direction when viewed in the radial direction of the output shaft;
• and
• a length of the clearance in the movement direction is shorter than a length of each of the output-side rotary plates in the movement direction.

A clutch apparatus to transmit a rotational driving force of an input shaft to an output shaft or cut off the rotational driving force, the clutch apparatus comprising:

• a clutch center housed in a clutch housing holding input-side rotary plates to be rotationally driven in response to rotational driving of the input shaft, the clutch center holding some of output-side rotary plates positioned alternately with the input-side rotary plates, the clutch center being rotationally drivable together with the output shaft;
• a pressure plate movable toward or away from the clutch center and configured to hold a remaining one or more output-side rotary plates and to push the input-side rotary plates and the output-side rotary plates;
• and
• a stopper plate secured to the clutch center to come into contact with the pressure plate and to prevent the pressure plate from moving away from the clutch center in a second direction by a predetermined distance or more, where a direction in which the pressure plate is movable toward and away from the clutch center is a movement direction, a direction in which the pressure plate is movable toward the clutch center is a first direction, and a direction in which the pressure plate is movable away from the clutch center is the second direction;
• wherein
• the clutch center includes:
• a center-side outer peripheral wall having an annular shape extending in the movement direction;
• and
• center-side fitting teeth holding the output-side rotary plates, protruding outward in a radial direction from an outer peripheral surface of the center-side outer peripheral wall, and arranged in a circumferential direction;
• the pressure plate includes:
• a pressure-side outer peripheral wall having an annular shape extending in the movement direction;
• and
• pressure-side fitting teeth holding the output-side rotary plates, protruding outward in the radial direction from an outer peripheral surface of the pressure-side outer peripheral wall, and arranged in the circumferential direction;
• when viewed in an axial direction of the output shaft, a center-side annular portion at least partially overlaps with a pressure-side annular portion, the center-side annular portion having an annular shape bounded in the radial direction by a center-side tooth tip circle passing through tooth tips that are outermost portions of the center-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, and a center-side tooth bottom circle passing through tooth bottoms that are innermost portions of the center-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, the pressure-side annular portion having an annular shape bounded in the radial direction by a pressure-side tooth tip circle passing through tooth tips that are outermost portions of the pressure-side fitting teeth in the radial direction, and a pressure-side tooth bottom circle passing through tooth bottoms that are innermost portions of the pressure-side fitting teeth in the radial direction;
• an end of the pressure-side fitting teeth facing in the first direction is provided with pressure-side protrusions extending in the first direction;
• with the pressure plate and the stopper plate in contact with each other, a clearance is created between each of the pressure-side protrusions and the clutch center in the movement direction when viewed in the radial direction of the output shaft;
• and
• a length of the clearance in the movement direction is shorter than a length of each of the output-side rotary plates in the movement direction.