Automatic wear adjuster for Belleville spring clutches
AssigneeBorg-Warner Corporation
InventorAlbion W. Palmer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automatic wear adjuster for a vehicle clutch actuated by a diaphragm or Belleville spring to compensate for the normal wear of the clutch friction faces during use and maintain optimum spring characteristics. The adjustment is accomplished by retaining the fulcrum surface for the spring on the pressure plate at a substantially constant position in the clutch assembly and thus maintain the installed diaphragm spring position. The fulcrum surface is provided on a separate ring operatively connected to the pressure plate and adjusted through a series of camming ramps.
Claims12
An automatic wear compensator for use in a diaphragm spring-actuated clutch assembly having a flywheel and a friction clutch disc with friction facings adapted for engagement by a pressure plate and subject to wear during use, a clutch cover, an annular pressure plate having a friction surface and a diaphragm spring pivotally mounted in said cover and adapted to urge the pressure plate into engagement, the wear compensator comprising a fulcrum ring on the pressure plate having a rearwardly extending annular flange providing a fulcrum edge cooperating with said diaphragm spring, said pressure plate having an annular recess receiving said fulcrum ring, camming means interposed between said pressure plate and said fulcrum ring to alter the distance between the pressure plate friction surface and the fulcrum edge upon relative rotation therebetween, and means sensing wear by sensing the extent of pivotal movement of the diaphragm spring comprising a peripheral tab on said diaphragm spring, a worm member operatively connected to the fulcrum ring, and an actuator drum actuating said worm member and having a recess receiving said spring tab.
An automatic wear compensator for use in a diaphragm spring-actuated clutch assembly having a flywheel and a friction clutch disc with friction facings adapted for engagement by a pressure plate and subject to wear during use, a clutch cover, an annular pressure plate having a friction surface and a diaphragm spring pivotally mounted in said cover and adapted to urge the pressure plate into engagement, the wear compensator comprising a fulcrum ring on the pressure plate having a toothed segment on its outer periphery and a rearwardly extending annular flange providing a fulcrum edge cooperating with said diaphragm spring, said pressure plate having an annular recess receiving said fulcrum ring, camming means interposed between said pressure plate and said fulcrum ring to alter the distance between the pressure plate friction surface and the fulcrum edge upon relative rotation therebetween, and means sensing wear by sensing the extent of pivotal movement of the diaphragm spring and operatively connected to the fulcrum ring, said sensing means including a worm member meshing with said toothed segment, an actuator drum axially aligned with said worm member and adapted to be actuated by pivotal movement of the diaphragm spring, and a one-way spring clutch joining said actuator drum and worm member in one direction of rotation.
An automatic wear compensator for use in a diaphragm spring-actuated clutch assembly having a flywheel and a friction clutch disc with friction facings adapted for engagement by a pressure plate and subject to wear during use, a clutch cover, an annular pressure plate having a friction surface and a diaphragm spring pivotally mounted in said cover and adapted to urge the pressure plate into engagement, the wear compensator comprising a fulcrum ring on the pressure plate having a rearwardly extending annular flange providing a fulcrum edge cooperating with said diaphragm spring, said pressure plate having an annular recess receiving said fulcrum ring, camming means interposed between said pressure plate and said fulcrum ring to alter the distance between the pressure plate friction surface and the fulcrum edge upon relative rotation therebetween and comprising an advancing ring received in the annular recess of and staked to said pressure plate, said advancing ring and said fulcrum ring having two or more sets of complementary symmetrically segmented ramps, and means sensing wear by sensing the extent of pivotal movement of the diaphragm spring and operatively connected to the fulcrum ring.
An automatic wear compensator for use in a diaphragm spring-actuated clutch assembly having a flywheel and a friction clutch disc with friction facings adapted for engagement by a pressure plate and subject to wear during use, a clutch cover, an annular pressure plate having a friction surface and a diaphragm spring pivotally mounted in said cover and adapted to urge the pressure plate into engagement, the wear compensator comprising a fulcrum ring on the pressure plate having a rearwardly extending annular flange providing a fulcrum edge cooperating with said diaphragm spring and a base portion joining the annular flange with a toothed segment on the outer periphery thereof, said pressure plate having an annular recess receiving said fulcrum ring, camming means interposed between said pressure plate and said fulcrum ring to alter the distance between the pressure plate friction surface and the fulcrum edge upon relative rotation therebetween, and means sensing wear by sensing the extent of pivotal movement of the diaphragm spring including an actuator shaft secured on said clutch cover and having an integral flange adjacent one end, a worm member rotatably mounted on said shaft and meshing with said toothed segment, said worm member having a central passage receiving said shaft and counterbored at both ends, said actuator shaft flange having a recess therein facing said worm member, a one-way spring clutch encompassing said shaft and received in the counterbore at one end of said worm member and said flange recess, an actuator drum rotatably mounted on said shaft and having a central passage receiving said shaft and counterbored at one end facing said worm member, a second one-way spring clutch encompassing said shaft and received in the counterbore in the actuator drum and the counterbore at the opposite end of the worm member, said one-way clutch springs being wound in opposite directions, said actuator drum having a peripheral recess, a peripheral tab on said diaphragm spring received in said peripheral recess, said drum recess allowing movement of said spring tab during a normal clutch cycle, but said tab engages the drum where there is wear of the clutch facings, said first mentioned spring clutch joining said shaft flange and worm member to prevent backlash, and said second spring clutch joining the actuator drum and worm member for adjustment of the fulcrum ring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.