Actuator for clutch ring

A connect-disconnect mechanism for a vehicle shiftable between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive comprising:

• a drive line for a vehicle chassis having front and rear wheel sets, said drive line extending between a transmission and one of the sets of front wheels and rear wheels of the vehicle and including a juncture between a drive component and a driven component of the drive liner said juncture located in close proximity to a non-rotating component of the vehicle's chassis;
• an annular clutch ring mounted in non-rotative relation to one of said drive and driven components and in surrounding relation thereto and being axially movable along the length of the drive line into engagement and in surrounding relation to the other of said drive and driven components;
• an annular bracket surrounding at least one of said drive and driven components and fixedly mounted to the non-rotating component of the vehicle's chassis, said bracket having circumferentially opposed sides, an electric motor mounted to said bracket at one circumferential side and a fork fulcrum provided on the bracket at the other circumferential side of the bracket, said electric motor including a driven member driven by said electric motor axially along the length of the drive line between first and second positions;
• a fork surrounding said annular clutch ring having circumferentially opposed sides, one side pivotally engaged with the fork fulcrum of the bracket and the other side coupled by a coupler to the axially movable member of the electric motor, said fork including opposed spring members having opposed nibs at a midway position between the electric motor and fork fulcrum that urge confinement of the clutch ring to the fork;
• and
• said axial movement of the driven member driven by said electric motor and due to the coupling of the fork to the driven member the driven member providing pivotal movement of the fork about the fulcrum, and through the urging by the spring member nibs urging axial sliding movement of the clutch ring, said spring member nibs permitting resisted delayed movement of the clutch ring as may be required for engagement of the clutch ring with the other of the drive or driven components.