Device for automatic compensation of wear in friction drive clutches of motor vehicles

Device for automatically compensating for wear in a friction clutch of a motor vehicle, comprising a driver-operable control lever for effecting clutch disengagement, said control lever having a rest position, an intermediate element articulated to the control lever, clutch release mechanism, an operating cable having one end attached to the control lever and its other end connected to the release mechanism, means for interlocking the control lever and the intermediate element to prevent their relative rotation, and disengagement means for counteracting the interlocking means to disengage the intermediate element from the control lever when the latter is in its rest position,

• wherein the improvements consist in the interlocking means comprising:
• a toothed circular sector formed on the intermediate element,
• a support structure pivoted on the intermediate element about an axis which coincides with the axis of the toothed sector,
• a pinion rotatably mounted on the support structure and having teeth adapted to mesh with the corresponding teeth of the toothed sector,
• stop means carried by the control lever for engagement with the pinion to prevent rotation thereof during clutch-operating movement of said lever,
• resilient engagement means urging the stop means into engagement with the pinion,
• resilient biasing means acting upon the control lever in opposition to said resilient engagement means to return the control lever to its said rest position, and
• means cooperating with said biasing means for limiting the return movement of the pinion support structure, to effect disengagement of said pinion from the stop means upon return of the control lever to said rest position.