Multi-plate friction clutch
OwnerRudolf Frankeinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multi-plate friction clutch for a motor vehicle to automatically engage normally driven wheels with wheels which are not normally driven includes a fluid pressure piston/cylinder for engaging the plates connected to a pressure line and a discharge line through two rotary valves. One valve is formed by an inner plate carrier rotatable on a drive shaft through an angle .alpha. and the other valve is formed by a sleeve around the shaft and rotatable with respect to a fixed housing through an angle .beta.. The cylinder is selectively pressurized or de-pressurized through bores, ducts, ports and line systems in dependence or the relative rotary movements of the valves. An over-ride valve is provided.
Claims15
A multi-plate friction clutch for motor vehicles operable by fluid pressure and having an inner plate carrier and an outer plate carrier, wherein the inner plate carrier has a hub swivel-mounted on a shaft between two positions through a control angle .alpha. to form a rotary slide valve such that in one position a pressure cylinder for applying pressure to the clutch plates is in communication with a source of fluid pressure through a feed line, and in the other position the pressure cylinder is in communication with a fluid discharge line and is cut off from the feed line, wherein the shaft has at least one radial bore connectable to the feed line and at least one other radial bore connectable to the discharge line, and wherein the inner plate carrier has at least two radial bores leading to the pressure cylinder, the bores in either the shaft or the inner plate carrier being spaced apart by 90.degree. and the bores in the inner plate carrier or the shaft being correspondingly spaced apart by 90.degree..+-..alpha., a sleeve on the shaft rotatable with respect to a stationary housing of the clutch through a second control angle .beta., the sleeve forming a second rotary slide valve such that, in one direction of rotation in the shaft the feed line communicates through the sleeve with a duct in the shaft leading to said one of the radial bores and the discharge line communicates through the sleeve with another duct in the shaft leading to said one other of the radial bores, and in the other direction of rotation by the shaft the feed lines communicate through the sleeve with said one other of the radial bores through its duct and the discharge line communicates through the sleeve with the said one of the radial bores through its duct.
A multi-plate free-wheel clutch operable by fluid pressure for motor vehicles with optional all-wheel-drive for automatic change from all-wheel-drive to one-axle-drive and vice versa, a ratio of transmission of one axle relative to the other axle being so chosen that a driving side of said clutch in disconnected position is synchronously running with a driven side of said clutch when the wheels of one driven axle have a substantial slip on the road, comprising means which when the slip exceeds a given value engage the clutch to achieve all-wheel-drive and which when the slip falls below that value disconnect said clutch to achieve one-axle-drive, wherein an inner plate carrier has a hub rotatable on a shaft between first and second positions through a control angle (.alpha.) to form a rotary slide valve to control pressure for the clutch, the means comprising a pressure cylinder of said clutch which in the first position of the hub of the inner plate carrier is connected with a first pressure medium line in the shaft and is disconnected from a second pressure medium line in the shaft but in the second position of the hub the inner plate carrier is connected with the second pressure medium line in the shaft and is disconnected from the first pressure medium line in the shaft, said clutch including a sleeve on the shaft rotatable with respect to a stationary housing of the clutch through a second control angle B, the sleeve forming a second rotary slide valve such that, in one direction of rotation a feed line communicates through the sleeve with a first duct in the shaft and a discharge line communicates through the sleeve with a second duct in the shaft, and in the other direction of rotation the feed line communicates through the sleeve with the second duct and the discharge line communicates through the sleeve with the first duct.
A multi-plate free-wheel friction clutch operable by fluid pressure for motor vehicles with optional all-wheel-drive for automatic change from all-wheel-drive to one-axle-drive and vice versa, a ratio of transmission of one axle relative to the other axle being so chosen that a driving side of said clutch in disconnected position is synchronously running with a driven side of said clutch when the wheels of one driven axle have a substantial slip on the road, comprising means which, when the slip exceeds a given value, engage the clutch to achieve all-wheel-drive and which, when the slip falls below that value disconnects said clutch to achieve one-axle-drive, wherein an inner plate carrier has a hub rotatable on a shaft between two positions through a control angle .alpha. to form a rotary slide valve to control pressure for the clutch, the means comprising a pressure cylinder of said clutch which in one position of the hub of the inner plate carrier is connected with a first pressure medium line in the shaft, including auxiliary control means having an inoperative position and two operative positions, in one of which operative positions the pressure cylinder is connected to a feed line and not to a discharge line and in the other of which operative positions the pressure cylinder is connected to the discharge line and not to the feed line independently of the positions of the rotary slide valves.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.