Clutch apparatus having a vibration dampensing mechanism, a reduced axial thickness and an undulated spring disposed within the vibration dampening mechanism

A clutch apparatus comprising:

• a damper mechanism including a drive rotation plate, a driven rotation plate and an elastic member elastically and circumferentially coupling said drive rotation plate and said driven rotation plate;
• a flywheel rigidly connected to said driven rotation plate;
• a clutch cover assembly having a clutch cover fixed to an outer peripheral portion of said flywheel, a pressure plate disposed between said clutch cover and said flywheel, and a biasing member supported by said clutch cover for biasing said pressure plate toward said flywheel;
• a clutch disk assembly having a frictional coupling portion disposed between said flywheel and said pressure plate;
• a cylindrical inertia member extending axially to surround outer peripheries of said damper mechanism, said clutch disk assembly, said flywheel and said clutch cover assembly;
• and
• fixing members disposed at a radially outer portion of said clutch cover assembly for fixing said drive rotation plate and said cylindrical inertia member together;
• and
• wherein said flywheel is provided with a plurality of projections which are circumferentially spaced from each other and are projecting radially outwardly;
• said clutch cover is formed with a plurality of engagement portions engaged with said projections;
• and
• wherein said fixing members include a plurality of bolts which are installed from an outer side of said clutch cover for fixing said input rotation plate and said cylindrical inertia member together.

A clutch apparatus to be mounted on a crankshaft of an engine, comprising:

• a flexible plate connected rigidly with a crankshaft at an outer circumferential portion thereof, having a rigidity in the rotational direction of said clutch apparatus and flexible in the bending direction of said crankshaft;
• a damper mechanism including a drive member connected to an outer periphery of said flexible plate, a driven member and an undulated plate spring extending in the rotational direction of said clutch apparatus and compressible between said drive member and said driven member in the rotational direction;
• a flywheel rigidly connected to an inner circumferential portion of said driven member and has a friction surface;
• a clutch disk assembly including a friction engagement portion adjacent to said friction surface;
• and
• a clutch cover assembly including a clutch cover having an outer periphery connected to said flywheel, a pressure plate disposed within a clutch cover and adjacent to said friction engagement portion of said clutch disk assembly and an urging member supported by said clutch cover and urging said pressure plate against said friction engagement portion.

A clutch cover assembly fixed to a flywheel and operable to engage and disengage a clutch, comprising:

• a flywheel provided at its outer peripheral portion with a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections projecting radially outwardly and having a clutch disc engaging surface on a first axial side thereof, said projections being spaced apart from a second axial side thereof defining an axially extending space between a radial outer edge of said second axial side and said projections;
• a clutch cover assembly having a clutch cover provided at its outer peripheral edge with a plurality of engagement portions which are engageable with said projections of said flywheel respectively to prevent axial relative movement toward said first axial side with respect to said flywheel, said clutch cover assembly further including fixing members fixing said flywheel and said clutch cover relatively unrotatably and being removable therefrom, a pressure plate disposed between said clutch cover and said flywheel, and a biasing member supported at an inner peripheral portion of said clutch cover for biasing said pressure plate toward said flywheel, said engagement portions being disposed in said axially extending space and said engagement portions being spaced apart from said radial outer edge of said second axial side of said flywheel;
• a clutch disk assembly having a frictional coupling portion disposed between said flywheel and said pressure plate, said friction coupling portion engaging said clutch disc engaging surface;
• a pressure plate disposed between said clutch cover and said flywheel;
• a first biasing member in a circular plate form carried by said clutch cover for biasing said pressure plate toward said flywheel;
• and
• a plate member unrotatably coupling an inner peripheral portion of said clutch cover to an inner peripheral portion of said pressure plate;
• wherein said plate member is formed of an annular portion fixed to said clutch cover and a plurality of coupling portions formed integrally with said annular portion, extending in a circumferential direction and fixed to said pressure plate.

A clutch cover assembly fixed to a flywheel and operable to engage and disengage a clutch, comprising:

• a flywheel provided at its outer peripheral portion with a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections projecting radially outwardly and having a clutch disc engaging surface on a first axial side thereof, said projections being spaced apart from a second axial side thereof defining an axially extending space between a radial outer edge of said second axial side and said projections;
• a clutch cover assembly having a clutch cover provided at its outer peripheral edge with a plurality of engagement portions which are engageable with said projections of said flywheel respectively to prevent axial relative movement toward said first axial side with respect to aid flywheel said clutch cover assembly further including fixing members fixing said flywheel and said clutch cover relatively unrotatably and being removable therefrom, a pressure plate disposed between said clutch cover and said flywheel, and a biasing member supported at an inner peripheral portion of said clutch cover for biasing said pressure plate toward said flywheel, said engagement potions being disposed in said axially extending space and said engagement portions being spaced apart from said radial outer edge of said second axial side of said flywheel;
• a clutch disk assembly having a frictional coupling portion disposed between said flywheel and said pressure plate, said friction coupling portion engaging said clutch disc engaging surface;
• a pressure plate disposed between said clutch cover and said flywheel;
• a first biasing member in a circular plate form carried by said clutch cover for biasing said pressure plate toward said flywheel;
• a plate member unrotatably coupling an inner peripheral portion of said clutch cover to an inner peripheral portion of said pressure plate, said plate member is formed of a plurality of plate members, fixed at one of its ends to said clutch cover, and fixed at the other end to an inner peripheral portion of said pressure plate;
• and
• a supporting mechanism disposed at the inner peripheral portion of said clutch cover connected to said plate member and supporting a radially middle portion of said first biasing member.