Latching spring disconnect clutch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9816568-B2
Application number	US-201514838413-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2015
Priority date	Sep 29, 2014
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A disconnect clutch includes a wedge carrier, a wedge plate, an inner hub and a latching diaphragm spring. The wedge carrier has a pair of inwardly facing tapered rings. The wedge plate has a pair of outwardly facing tapered ring portions for mating engagement with the wedge carrier inwardly facing tapered rings, a plurality of inner ramp portions with respective tapered inner surfaces, and a radially flexible middle portion connecting the outwardly tapered ring portions and plurality of inner ramp portions. The inner hub has a plurality of outer ramp portions with tapered outer surfaces for engagement with the plurality of wedge plate ramp portion tapered inner surfaces. The latching diaphragm spring is for displacing the inner hub relative to the wedge carrier to radially expand the wedge plate.

First claim

What we claim is:

1. A disconnect clutch comprising:
a wedge carrier including a pair of inwardly facing tapered rings;
a wedge plate including:
a pair of outwardly facing tapered ring portions for mating engagement with the wedge carrier inwardly facing tapered rings;
a plurality of inner ramp portions with respective tapered inner surfaces; and,
a radially flexible middle portion connecting the outwardly tapered ring portions and plurality of inner ramp portions;

an inner hub including a plurality of outer ramp portions with tapered outer surfaces for engagement with the plurality of wedge plate ramp portion tapered inner surfaces; and,
a latching diaphragm spring for displacing the inner hub relative to the wedge carrier to radially expand the wedge plate.

2. The disconnect clutch of claim 1 wherein radially expanding the wedge plate includes engaging the wedge plate outwardly facing tapered ring portions with the wedge carrier inwardly facing tapered rings.

3. The disconnect clutch of claim 1 wherein the latching diaphragm spring is configurable to be convex or concave.

4. The disconnect clutch of claim 1 wherein the wedge carrier and the inner hub include respective inner spline portions for engaging respective transmission shafts.

5. The disconnect clutch of claim 1 wherein:
the wedge carrier includes a protrusion radially aligned with the wedge plate middle portion to limit axial displacement of the wedge plate; and
an outer portion of the latching diaphragm spring is engaged with the wedge carrier.

6. The disconnect clutch of claim 1 further comprising an electromagnet including:
a ferrous core including a c-shaped ring portion;
a ferrous armature for displacing the latching diaphragm spring, the armature being axially displaceable within the c-shaped ring portion;
a energizable coil for axially displacing the armature.

7. The disconnect clutch of claim 6 wherein the ferrous armature is an annular ring.

8. The disconnect clutch of claim 7 further comprising a ring segment fixed to the ferrous armature and axially fixed to the inner hub.

9. The disconnect clutch of claim 8 further comprising a thrust bearing disposed axially between the ring segment and the latching diaphragm spring.

10. The disconnect clutch of claim 6 further comprising a radial bearing disposed radially between the ferrous core and the inner hub.

11. The disconnect clutch of claim 6 further comprising a housing wherein the ferrous core is installed within the housing and the wedge carrier is rotatably supported in the housing.

12. The disconnect clutch of claim 6 wherein:
the latching diaphragm spring is configurable to be convex or concave; and,
axially displacing the armature displaces the latching diaphragm spring into the convex or the concave configuration.

13. An electrically actuated disconnect clutch comprising:
a latching diaphragm spring configurable to be concave or convex; and,
an electromagnet including an armature for displacing the latching diaphragm spring between the concave and convex configurations.

14. The electrically actuated disconnect clutch of claim 13 wherein:
the latching diaphragm spring includes a spring force that varies with displacement and includes an inflection point;
the electromagnet includes an actuating force that varies with displacement and includes an inflection point; and,
wherein the electrically actuated disconnect clutch is configured such that the latching diaphragm spring force inflection point is aligned with the electromagnet force inflection point.

15. The electrically actuated disconnect clutch of claim 14 wherein the electromagnet force is greater than and opposite to the latching diaphragm spring force for travel between the diaphragm spring concave and convex configurations.

16. The electrically actuated disconnect clutch of claim 14 wherein:
energizing the electromagnet displaces the latching diaphragm spring from one of the concave or convex configurations to its inflection point; and,
de-energizing the electromagnet as the latching diaphragm spring travel approaches the latching diaphragm spring inflection point allows the latching diaphragm spring to continue displacement to the other of the concave or convex configurations.

17. The electrically actuated disconnect clutch of claim 13 further comprising:
a wedge carrier including an inner spline;
an inner hub including an inner spline; and,
a wedge plate radially disposed between the wedge plate and the inner hub, wherein the latching diaphragm spring operates on the inner hub to engage or disengage the wedge plate with the wedge carrier.

18. The electrically actuated disconnect clutch of claim 17 wherein engaging the wedge plate with the wedge carrier rotationally connects the wedge carrier inner spline and the inner hub inner spline.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Lee Brian
• Bitar Justin
• Hinson Bobby

Classifications

• F16D15/00

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

• F16D27/102

  with radially movable clutching members (F16D27/105 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16D27/11

  with conical friction surfaces, e.g. cone clutches · CPC title

• F16D2027/007

  Bias of an armature of an electromagnetic clutch by flexing of substantially flat springs, e.g. leaf springs · CPC title

• F16D23/12 Primary

  Mechanical clutch-actuating mechanisms arranged outside the clutch as such (specific for combined clutches F16D21/00; mechanisms specific for synchronisation F16D23/02) · CPC title