Wedge friction one-way clutch with controllable clutch locking function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9464675-B1
Application number	US-201514683619-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 10, 2015
Priority date	Apr 10, 2015
Publication date	Oct 11, 2016
Grant date	Oct 11, 2016

Abstract

A wedge friction clutch with controllable clutch locking function, having an axis of rotation, an inner race, an outer race located radially outward of the inner race, and, a wedge assembly including a wedge plate located between the inner and outer races in a radial direction, a first piston arranged to displace the wedge plate in a first circumferential direction, a second piston arranged to displace the wedge plate in a second circumferential direction, opposite the first circumferential direction, and, a hydraulic circuit arranged to control the first and second pistons.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wedge friction clutch with controllable clutch locking function, comprising:
an axis of rotation;
an inner race;
an outer race located radially outward of the inner race; and,
a wedge assembly including:
a wedge plate located between the inner and outer races in a radial direction;
a first piston arranged to displace the wedge plate in a first circumferential direction; and,
a second piston arranged to displace the wedge plate in a second circumferential direction, opposite the first circumferential direction.

2. The wedge friction clutch of claim 1 , wherein:
the first piston is arranged to displace the wedge plate to initiate a locked mode in which the inner and outer races are non-rotatably connected; and,
the second piston is arranged to displace the wedge plate to initiate a free-wheel mode in which the inner and outer races are independently rotatable with respect to each other.

3. The wedge friction clutch of claim 2 , further comprising a hydraulic circuit arranged to extend the first piston in the first circumferential direction.

4. The wedge friction clutch of claim 3 , wherein the first piston is arranged to displace the wedge plate in the first circumferential direction to retract the second piston.

5. The wedge friction clutch of claim 2 , further comprising a hydraulic circuit arranged to extend the second piston in the second circumferential direction.

6. The wedge friction clutch of claim 5 , wherein the second piston is arranged to displace the wedge plate in the second circumferential direction to retract the first piston.

7. The friction wedge clutch of claim 1 , wherein:
the inner race has:
a portion extending furthest in the radial direction toward the outer race;
an inner circumference; and,
first and second chambers connected to the inner circumference by first and second through-bores, respectively;

the first piston is housed within the first chamber; and,
the second piston is housed within the second chamber.

8. The friction wedge clutch of claim 1 , wherein:
the inner race has:
a portion extending furthest in the radial direction toward the outer race;
a hydraulic circuit; and,
first and second chambers connected to the hydraulic circuit by first and second through-bores, respectively;

the first piston is housed within the first chamber; and,
the second piston is housed within the second chamber.

9. The friction wedge clutch of claim 8 , wherein:
the wedge plate includes first and second circumferential ends; and,
the hydraulic circuit is arranged to supply fluid to the first chamber through the first through-bore to displace the first piston in the first circumferential direction to contact the first circumferential end of the wedge plate, and to supply fluid to the second chamber through the second through-bore to displace the second piston in the second circumferential direction to contact the second circumferential end of the wedge plate.

10. The friction wedge clutch of claim 1 , wherein:
the wedge plate has first and second circumferential ends; and,
a dimension of the wedge plate, in the radial direction, decreases moving from the first circumferential end to the second circumferential end.

11. The friction wedge clutch of claim 1 , wherein:
the wedge plate has first and second circumferential ends; and,
the inner race includes an extended portion:
extending furthest in the radial direction toward the outer race; and,
disposed between the first and second circumferential ends such that a line, in the first or second circumferential direction, passes through the extended portion and the first and second circumferential ends.

12. The friction wedge clutch of claim 1 , wherein:
the inner race includes a first radially outermost surface;
the outer race includes a first radially innermost surface;
the wedge plate includes a second radially outermost surface and a second radially innermost surface; and,
for a locked mode:
respective portions of the first radially innermost surface and the second radially outermost surface are in contact and non-rotatably connected; and,
respective portions of the first radially outermost surface and the second radially innermost surface are in contact and non-rotatably connected.

13. The friction wedge clutch of claim 1 , wherein for a locked mode, the wedge assembly is arranged to non-rotatably connect the inner and outer races for any respective rotation or lack of respective rotation of the inner and outer races.

14. The friction wedge clutch of claim 1 , wherein to switch from a locked mode to a free-wheel mode, the wedge plate is arranged to displace the first piston in the second circumferential direction.

15. The friction wedge clutch of claim 1 , wherein to switch from a free-wheel mode to a locked mode, the wedge plate is arranged to displace the second piston in the first circumferential direction.

16. A method of operating a wedge clutch including an axis of rotation, an inner race,
an outer race located radially outward of the inner race, and a wedge assembly including a first piston, a second piston, and a wedge plate located between the inner and outer races, the method comprising:
displacing the wedge plate in a first circumferential direction with the first piston;
non-rotatably connecting the inner and outer races and the wedge plate;
displacing the wedge plate in a second circumferential direction, opposite the first circumferential direction, with the second piston; and,
separating, in a radial direction, respective surfaces of the inner and outer races and the wedge plate to enable independent rotation of the inner and outer races.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
controlling the first and second pistons with a hydraulic circuit.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein:
the first piston is located in a first chamber in an extended portion of the inner race, the extended portion extending furthest in the radial direction toward the outer race;
the second piston is located in a second chamber in the extended portion of the inner race; and,
displacing the wedge plate in the first circumferential direction includes:
supplying fluid to the first chamber from a hydraulic circuit through a first through-bore;
displacing the first piston in the first circumferential direction in response to the fluid in the first chamber; and,
displacing a first circumferential end of the wedge plate with the first piston.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein displacing the wedge plate in the second circumferential direction includes:
supplying fluid to the second chamber from the hydraulic circuit through a second through-bore;
displacing the second piston in the second circumferential direction in response to the fluid in the second chamber; and,
displacing a second circumferential end of the wedge plate with the second piston.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• He Simon Xunnan

Classifications

• F16D41/063 Primary

  the intermediate members wedging by moving along the inner and the outer surface without pivoting or rolling, e.g. sliding wedges (F16D41/061 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16D15/00

  Clutches with wedging balls or rollers or with other wedgeable separate clutching members (freewheels, freewheel clutches F16D41/00) · CPC title

• F16D25/062

  the clutch having friction surfaces · CPC title

• F16D41/082

  the intermediate coupling members wedging by movement other than pivoting or rolling · CPC title