Clutch and speed change device including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10378615-B2
Application number	US-201515529751-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2015
Priority date	Dec 26, 2014
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

A clutch that includes a friction plate; a separator plate; a clutch hub; and a piston that presses the friction plate and the separator plate, wherein the clutch hub includes a hub on which an inner peripheral portion of the friction plate or the separator plate is fitted, a tubular shaft that movably supports the piston, and an engagement oil chamber defining wall that together with the piston defines an engagement oil chamber to which an engagement oil pressure is supplied, the hub is spline-fitted on a gear of a planetary gear so as to rotate with the gear, and the tubular shaft is rotatably supported by a central shaft and is fitted by a spigot joint in the gear.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A clutch comprising:
a friction plate;
a separator plate;
a clutch hub; and
a piston that presses the friction plate and the separator plate, wherein
the clutch hub includes a hub member on which an inner peripheral portion of the friction plate or the separator plate is fitted, a tubular shaft that movably supports the piston, and an engagement oil chamber defining wall that together with the piston defines an engagement oil chamber to which an engagement oil pressure is supplied,
the hub member is spline-fitted on a gear of a planetary gear mechanism so as to rotate with the gear, and
the tubular shaft is rotatably supported by a central shaft and the tubular shaft and the gear are formed together to form a spigot joint.

2. The clutch according to claim 1 , wherein
splines located between the hub member and the gear are located radially outside of where the tubular shaft and the gear contact each other.

3. The clutch according to claim 2 , further comprising:
an annular sleeve member that is fitted between the hub member and the tubular shaft to support the hub member in a radial direction.

4. The clutch according to claim 3 , wherein
the annular sleeve member has a radial support surface supporting an inner peripheral surface of the hub member, and an axial support projecting radially outward from the radial support surface and supporting the hub member in an axial direction.

5. The clutch according to claim 4 , wherein
the hub member has a tubular wall on which the friction plate or the separator plate is fitted, and an annular wall formed integrally with the tubular wall so as to extend radially inward from one end of the tubular wall,
the annular wall is supported in the radial direction by the annular sleeve member,
the annular wall has a tubular projecting wall located radially outside the annular sleeve member and projecting away from the tubular wall, and
an inner peripheral wall of the tubular projecting wall is spline-fitted on the gear.

6. The clutch according to claim 5 , wherein
the tubular shaft has a recess that extends in the axial direction, and the gear has a projection that is loosely fitted in the recess of the tubular shaft to form the spigot joint.

7. The clutch according to claim 6 , wherein
the tubular shaft and the engagement oil chamber defining wall are formed as a single-piece member.

8. The clutch according to claim 7 , wherein
one of the piston and the engagement oil chamber defining wall has at least one projection that projects toward the other of the piston and the engagement oil chamber defining wall, and the other of the piston and the engagement oil chamber defining wall has a recess that engages with the projection.

9. The clutch according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a return spring that is disposed between the piston and the hub member and that biases the piston so as to separate the piston from the friction plate and the separator plate; and
a movement restricting member that is placed so as to adjoin the spigot joint in the axial direction and that restricts such movement of the hub member relative to the tubular shaft such that the hub member is separated from the engagement oil chamber defining wall.

10. The clutch according to claim 9 , wherein
the gear is a sun gear of the planetary gear mechanism,
the hub member is spline-fitted on a shaft of the sun gear, and
the shaft of the sun gear has a central hole in which a distal end of the tubular shaft of the clutch hub is fitted.

11. A speed change device that includes the clutch according to claim 10 and that shifts power transmitted to the central shaft to transmit the shifted power to an output, comprising:
the planetary gear mechanism that is a Ravigneaux type planetary gear mechanism having an input element, a fixable element, and a first output element and a second output element;
a first planetary gear mechanism having a plurality of rotary elements;
a second planetary gear mechanism having a plurality of rotary elements and placed closer to the Ravigneaux type planetary gear mechanism than the first planetary gear mechanism;
a first brake that connects the fixable element of the Ravigneaux type planetary gear mechanism to a stationary member to hold the fixable element stationary and disconnects the fixable element from the stationary member;
a first clutch that connects and disconnects the first output element of the Ravigneaux type planetary gear mechanism and at least one of the rotary elements of the first and second planetary gear mechanisms to and from each other; and
a second clutch that connects and disconnects the second output element of the Ravigneaux type planetary gear mechanism and at least one of the rotary elements of the first and second planetary gear mechanisms to and from each other, wherein
when the fixable element is held stationary by the first brake, the Ravigneaux type planetary gear mechanism increases a speed of power transmitted to the input element so that a rotational speed of the second output element becomes higher than that of the first output element, and transmits the resultant power to the first and second output elements, and
the clutch is the second clutch, and the gear is the second output element of the Ravigneaux type planetary gear mechanism.

12. The speed change device according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a third clutch; a fourth clutch; and a second brake, wherein
the plurality of rotary elements of the first planetary gear mechanism includes a first sun gear, a first carrier, and a first ring gear,
the plurality of rotary elements of the second planetary gear mechanism includes a second sun gear, a second carrier, and a second ring gear,
the first sun gear of the first planetary gear mechanism and the second sun gear of the second planetary gear mechanism are constantly coupled together,
the first carrier of the first planetary gear mechanism is constantly coupled to the input and the input element of the Ravigneaux type planetary gear mechanism,
the second carrier of the second planetary gear mechanism is constantly coupled to the output,
the first clutch connects and disconnects the first output element of the Ravigneaux type planetary gear mechanism and the first and second sun gears constantly coupled together to and from each other,
the second clutch connects and disconnects the second output element of the Ravigneaux type planetary gear mechanism and the first and second sun gears constantly coupled together to and from each other,
the third clutch connects and disconnects the first output element of the Ravigneaux type planetary gear mechanism and the second ring gear of the second planetary gear mechanism to and from each other,
the fourth clutch connects and disconnects the first ring gear of the first planetary gear mechanism and the second carrier of the second planetary gear mechanism to and from each other, and
the second brake connects the second ring gear of the second planetary gear mechanism to the stationary member to hold the second ring gear stationary and disconnects the second ring gear from the stationary member.

13. The clutch according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an annular sleeve member that is fitted between the hub member and the tubular shaft to support the hub member in a radial direction.

14. The clutch according to claim 13 , wherein
the annular sleeve member has a radial support surface supporting an inner peripheral surface of the hub member and an axial support projecting radially outward from the radial support surface and supporting the hub mem

Assignees

• Aisin Aw Co

Inventors

• Jinnai Naoya
• Otake Masahiro
• Ikeda Shota
• Todo Minoru
• Nakajima Takuya

Classifications

• F16H2045/0221

  with damping means · CPC title

• F16D25/0638

  with more than two discs, e.g. multiple lamellae · CPC title

• F16D25/123

  in view of cooling and lubrication · CPC title

• F16H2200/2023

  using a Ravigneaux set with 4 connections · CPC title

• F16H3/663 Primary

  with conveying rotary motion between axially spaced orbital gears, e.g. a stepped orbital gear or Ravigneaux · CPC title