JP2590018B2 - Control device for hydraulic clutch - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control apparatus for a hydraulic clutch, and more particularly to a hydraulic clutch which is automatically controlled by switching from automatic control to manual control by depressing a clutch pedal. The present invention relates to a hydraulic clutch control device capable of disconnecting and connecting a hydraulic clutch.

2. Description of the Related Art As an automatic transmission, there is a so-called torque converter that transmits rotational torque using the viscosity of oil, and the torque converter is suitable for transmitting relatively small torque, such as a bus or a truck. To 10
To be able to transmit a large torque of 0 to 200 kgm,
The device is large, heavy, expensive to manufacture and difficult to use. As such a transmission for large torque, there is known a mechanical automatic transmission that selects and switches a transmission gear using an actuator. In the clutch of the mechanical automatic transmission, a hydraulic cylinder operated by hydraulic pressure controlled by a computer presses a pressure plate against a rotating clutch cover to connect / disconnect (disconnect or connect) the clutch. . However, in the conventional hydraulic clutch, since all operations are controlled by a computer, the time from when the necessity of the clutch connection / disconnection is detected to when the clutch connection / disconnection is completely completed is reduced by the conventional manual operation. In some cases, the clutch may be slightly longer than that of the clutch described above, and there is an advantage that the operation can be performed without a shock, but there is a problem that the connection and disconnection of the clutch are slow. Further, there is a problem that the driver cannot arbitrarily perform sudden acceleration or sudden start, which is sometimes required in an emergency during driving. Furthermore, there is room for improvement in driving operation in that the gearshift operation cannot be performed at any timing desired by the driver.

Purpose The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic clutch in which clutch connection and disconnection are automatically performed by computer-controlled hydraulic pressure. A manually operable clutch pedal is provided so that the control device for the hydraulic clutch can be switched from automatic control to manual control when the clutch pedal is depressed. Is to be able to be changed by the driver arbitrarily, and this allows the driver to freely change gears as needed, even though the transmission is an automatic transmission. . It is another object of the present invention to perform a manual shift operation of a clutch in an emergency to perform a rapid acceleration, a sudden start, and the like arbitrarily without using computer control so that a dangerous situation or the like can be avoided. Still another object is to provide a switching valve that is operated by depressing a clutch pedal to cut off a pipeline between a hydraulic control valve and a hydraulic control solenoid valve, and the switching valve is connected to the clutch pedal. By switching with a connecting member including a cable and a link, the structure is simplified and the reliability is improved. In addition, by providing a clutch sensor that detects depression of the clutch pedal and switches to manual control, a conventional automatic switch is provided. An object of the present invention is to make it possible to use the hydraulic clutch by switching to automatic control or manual control by simply adding a simple and small device to the control device.

In short, the present invention (Claim 1) provides a hydraulic cylinder formed on a clutch cover, and a ring-shaped cylinder which is slidably housed in the hydraulic cylinder and has a pressure plate fixed to a side surface on the clutch disk side. A piston, a space formed around the clutch disc and surrounded by the clutch cover and filled with oil so that low-pressure hydraulic pressure is generated, an oil passage for supplying low-pressure oil to the space, and the hydraulic pressure An oil passage for supplying high-pressure oil to the cylinder chamber of the cylinder, and a hydraulic control valve and a hydraulic control solenoid valve for automatically controlling the oil pressure of the oil supplied to these oil passages to connect or disconnect the clutch. Automatic control means including a clutch for automatically engaging or disengaging the clutch without a clutch pedal. In the control apparatus for a hydraulic clutch, a manually operable clutch pedal, a switching valve that cuts off a pipeline between the hydraulic control valve and the hydraulic control solenoid valve by depressing the clutch pedal, and depressing the clutch pedal. A clutch sensor for detecting, and switching means for switching the hydraulic clutch from automatic control to manual control based on an output signal from the clutch sensor, wherein the clutch pedal and the switching valve are connected by a connecting member including a cable and a link. It is characterized by the following.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a hydraulic clutch control device 1 according to the present invention.
Are automatic control means 2, clutch pedal 3, switching valve 4
, A clutch sensor 5, switching means 6, and a cable 64 as an example of a connecting member.

The automatic control means 2 further includes a hydraulic cylinder 8, a piston 9, a low-pressure oil passage 10, a high-pressure oil passage 11, a hydraulic control valve 12, and a hydraulic control solenoid valve 13.

The hydraulic cylinder 8 is for disengaging or connecting the clutch 14 together with the piston 9, and is provided with a left clutch cover 15 and a right clutch cover
A ring-shaped groove is formed in a part of the clutch cover 18 to which the fixing member 16 is fixed. The left clutch cover 15 is fixed to a crankshaft constituting an output shaft of an engine (not shown) and a screw (not shown) screwed to a female screw 15a via a flex plate (not shown). It is configured to rotate with. Also, the boss 15 on the center side of the left clutch cover 15
A concave portion 15c is formed in b, and a tip portion 19a of an input shaft 19 of a transmission (not shown) is supported via a bearing 20 in the concave portion 15c. A friction member 21 is fixed to a side surface 15d of the left clutch cover 15 on the clutch disk 22 side, so that the clutch disk 22 of the clutch 14 is pressed. A female spline 23a is formed on the boss 23 on the center side of the clutch disk 22, and the spline 23a is
The shaft is slidable in the axial direction on the input shaft 19 by meshing with a male spline 19b formed in the shaft.

A ring-shaped hydraulic cylinder 8 is formed in the right clutch cover 16, and a low-pressure oil passage 10 and a high-pressure oil passage
11 and an oil drain passage 24 are formed. These passages 10,1
Numerals 1 and 24 are respectively connected to respective parts of a hydraulic control circuit 25 described later.

The piston 9 slides and moves in the hydraulic cylinder 8,
It is for pressing the clutch disc 22 against the friction member 21 and is formed in a ring shape, and has grooves 9a and 9b for accommodating the seal members 26 and 28 on its inner and outer peripheral surfaces.
Are formed. It is slidably accommodated in the hydraulic cylinder 8 together with the seal member to prevent oil leakage. Also the clutch disc of piston 9
A pressure plate 29 is fixed to the side surface 9c on the 22 side, and the clutch disk 22 is pressed against the friction member 21.

Next, the switching valve 4, the hydraulic control valve 12, and the hydraulic control solenoid valve 13
The configuration of the hydraulic control circuit 25 including the above will be described. The oil pump 30 communicates with the oil tank 31 via a pipe 32a, sucks and pressurizes the oil 33 in the oil tank 31, and feeds the oil 33 to a pipe 32b which connects the oil pump and the hydraulic control system 12. I have.

The pipe 32b communicates with the pipe 32a and the pipe 32c via a flow control valve 34 for maintaining a constant flow rate of the oil 33 to be pumped, so that excess oil 33 is returned to the pipe 32a.

First port 12a and second port 12b of hydraulic control valve 12
The flow of the oil 33 is switched by moving the spool 35 in the axial direction. Normally, the spool 35 is pressed rightward in FIG.
Port 12a is closed, and the second port 12b opens the passage to the pipe 32d.

The first port 12a is connected to a low-pressure oil passage by a pipe 32e.
A space 38 communicated with 10 and surrounded by the clutch cover 18
Is supplied with low-pressure oil.

The second port 12b communicates with the supply port 39a of the auxiliary hydraulic switching valve 39 via a pipe 32d, and a pipe 32f branched from the pipe 32d communicates with a shift cylinder (not shown). The output port 39b of the auxiliary hydraulic switching valve 39
Communicates with the high-pressure oil passage 11 by a pipe 32g. The auxiliary hydraulic switching valve 39 is provided with a spool 41 urged rightward in FIG. 1 by a compression spring 40 in the same manner as the hydraulic control valve 12, and in a normal state, the supply port 39a and the output port 39b are connected to each other. Communicating.

The oil discharge passage 24 formed in communication with the space 38 communicates with an oil cooler 43 through a pipe 32h in which a relief valve 42 is provided in the middle of the pipe, and after cooling the oil 33 by the oil cooler, the oil tank 31 The oil is filtered by a filter 44 disposed therein, and the oil 33 is returned into the oil tank 31.

The switching valve 4 is operated by depressing the clutch pedal 5 to cut off a pipeline between the hydraulic control valve 12 and the hydraulic control solenoid valve 13 to switch the hydraulic control valve 12.
The flow path is switched by the operation of the spool 46 urged upward in FIG. 1 by the compression spring 45. The two supply ports 4a and 4b of the switching valve and the hydraulic control valve 12
The control room 12c has an orifice 48 inside and a pipe 3
They are connected by a pipe 32i branched from 2b. The output port 4c of the switching valve 4 is connected to the hydraulic control solenoid valve 13
Is connected to the supply port 13a.

Further, an operating rod 46a fixed to the spool 46 has a lever rotatable around a pin 61 fixed to the support plate 60.
One end 62a of 62 is attached by a pin 63. The other end 62b is a cable 64 such as a push-pull cable.
Accordingly, the clutch pedal 3 is connected to the clutch pedal 3, and the movement of the clutch pedal 3 is transmitted to the lever 62.

The hydraulic control solenoid valve 13 is actuated by an output signal from the switching means 6 to open and close the supply port 13a.
The valve body 50 for controlling the hydraulic pressure supplied to the control room 12c of the second and opening and closing the supply port 13a includes a compression spring 51.
Is biased in the direction to open the supply port 13a,
The supply port 13a is closed by operating the valve body 50 in the direction of compressing the compression spring 51 by an actuator, for example, a solenoid 52, which is operated by an output signal from the switching means 6.

Similarly, between the supply port 39a of the auxiliary hydraulic pressure switching valve 39 and the control chamber 39c, a solenoid valve 56 including a valve body 53, a compression spring 54, and a solenoid 55 has a pipe 32 in which an orifice 58 is disposed.
They are connected by k.

Further, the respective drain ports 4d, 12d, 13b, 39d, 42a and 56a of the switching valve 4, the hydraulic control valve 12, the hydraulic control solenoid valve 13, the auxiliary hydraulic switching valve 39, the relief valve 42 and the solenoid valve 56 drain oil. Although the piping is arranged to return to the oil tank 31, the oil tank 31 is schematically depicted in each part in the figure for easy understanding, and is denoted by the same reference numeral.

The clutch pedal 3, which is newly added, is a known pedal that is operated by a driver prior to a shift operation to cut off power transmission between an engine (not shown) and a transmission. The pedal is connected to the lever 62 by the cable 64 as described above, and is configured to transmit the movement of the clutch pedal 3 to the spool 46. The connecting member is not limited to the cable 64, but may be a link (not shown).

The micro switch 5, which is an example of a clutch sensor, is for detecting that the clutch pedal 3 has been operated, and is electrically connected to the switching means 6 and the conducting wire 59, and outputs a signal when the clutch pedal 3 is operated. Switching means 6
To be sent.

The switching means 6 is a so-called microcomputer (CP
U), which is electrically connected to the hydraulic control solenoid valve 13 and operates the solenoid 52 in response to an output signal from the microswitch 5 to supply the supply port 13a
Is closed by a valve body 50.

The present invention is configured as described above, and its operation will be described below. 1 and 2, when an engine (not shown) is started, the clutch cover 18 starts rotating via a crankshaft and a flex plate, and the oil pump 30 is operated to operate the oil tank.
The oil 33 in the inside 31 is sucked and pressure-fed to the pipe 32b (in the direction of arrow A). In FIG. 2, when the clutch pedal 3 is automatically operated without being operated and there is no output signal from the switching means 6, the valve body 50 of the hydraulic control solenoid valve 13 is pressed by the elastic force of the compression spring 51. Since the supply port 13a is opened and the spool 46 of the switching valve 4 is also pressed upward by the elastic force of the compression spring 45, the oil 33 flowing into the pipe 32i is throttled by the orifice 48, Since the oil returns to the oil tank 31 from the oil discharge port 13b of the hydraulic control electromagnetic valve 13 through the supply port 4a and the output port 4c of the switching valve 4 (in the direction of arrow B), the pressure (back pressure) in the control chamber 12c is substantially zero. Becomes
Accordingly, the spool 35 of the hydraulic control valve 12 is moved rightward in FIG. That is, the second port 12b communicating with the high-pressure passage 11 is opened. At this time, since the solenoid 55 of the solenoid valve 56 is also in a non-operating state, the oil 33 flowing into the solenoid valve 56 through the orifice 58 returns to the oil tank 31 from the oil discharge port 56a, and the control chamber of the auxiliary hydraulic switching valve 39 Since the back pressure of 39c is almost 0, the spool 41
Is moved rightward in the figure by the compression spring 40, and the output port
Release 39b. Accordingly, the oil 33 pressure-fed from the oil pump 30 passes through the second port 12b of the hydraulic control valve 12 and the output port 39b of the auxiliary hydraulic switching valve 39, and the high-pressure oil passage 11
(In the direction of arrow C), is guided to the hydraulic cylinder 8, acts on the piston 9 to move it, and presses the clutch disc 22 between the friction member 21 and the pressure plate 29. The clutch rotates together with the clutch, the torque of the engine is transmitted to the input shaft 19, and the clutch is connected.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, when a signal for clutch disengagement is output from the switching means 6, the solenoid of the hydraulic control solenoid valve 13 is turned on.
Direction in which 52 operates to compress compression spring 51 (arrow D direction)
Is moved to close the supply port 13a. Then, the pressure of the oil 33 flowing into the pipe 32i increases and the control room 1
2c (in the direction of arrow E), the spool 35 is pressed and moved to the left in the drawing to compress the compression spring 36 and switch the flow path to the first port 12a. Therefore, oil 33 is supplied to the first port 1
It flows from 2a in the direction of arrow F, passes through the low-pressure oil passage 10, and flows into the space 38 surrounded by the clutch cover 18. At this time, since the pipe 32d communicates with the oil discharge port 12d, the high-pressure oil 33 in the hydraulic cylinder 8 is returned to the oil tank 31 so that the pressure becomes substantially zero, and the piston 9 is pressed rightward in FIG. Then, the clutch disk 22 that has been pressed between the friction member 21 and the pressure plate 29 is released, and the clutch 14 is disconnected. Oil 33 flowing into the space 38
The oil is cooled by the oil cooler 43 through the oil drain passage 24, the foreign matter is filtered by the filter 44, returns to the oil tank 31, is sucked again by the oil pump 30, and the operation of being pumped is repeated.

The automatic control of the disconnection and connection of the clutch 14 is performed by turning on or off the hydraulic control electromagnetic valve 13 according to the signal from the switching means 6 as described above.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, a method for manually disconnecting or connecting the clutch 14 will be described. When the driver steps on the clutch pedal 3 in the direction of the arrow G, the cable 64 connected to the clutch pedal is pulled, and the lever 62 is rotated about the pin 61 in the direction of the arrow H, and attached to one end 62a of the lever 62. Operating rod 46a
Is moved in the direction of arrow I, so that the spool 46
It is pushed down while compressing 45, closing the supply port 4a and the oil discharge port 4d. Then, as described in FIG. 3, the pressure in the control chamber 12c increases, so that the spool 35 is moved leftward in the figure to open the first port 12a. Therefore, the oil 33 passes through the low-pressure oil passage 10 and
Then, the cylinder 9 is moved rightward in FIG. 1 to release the crimping of the clutch disk 22 to bring the clutch 14 into a disconnected state. The depression of the clutch pedal 3 is also detected by the microswitch 5, and the detection signal is transmitted to the switching means 6, and the command to the switching means cuts off the power to the solenoid 52 of the hydraulic control solenoid valve 13. The body 50 moves by the resilient force of the compression spring 51, and the supply port
The oil 33 in the middle of the pipeline is returned to the tank 31 by communicating the oil drain port 13b with the 13a, and the pressure in the pipeline is reduced to substantially zero.

As described above, when the clutch pedal 3 is depressed, the crimping of the clutch disk 22 can be immediately released and the clutch 14 can be disconnected regardless of the state of the automatically controlled hydraulic clutch control device 1. Gear change can be performed arbitrarily.

When the depression of the clutch pedal 3 is stopped, as described with reference to FIG. 2, the hydraulic control valve 12 switches again to the state in which the second port 12b is opened, and again the clutch disc 22 is connected to the friction member 21 and the pressure plate 29. And the clutch 14 is connected, and the clutch pedal 3
Until is depressed, the clutch 14 is disconnected and connected by automatic control based on the command of the switching means 6.

Effect The present invention provides a manually operable clutch pedal on a hydraulic clutch in which the clutch is automatically connected and disconnected by the hydraulic pressure controlled by the computer as described above, and depresses the clutch pedal control device. In such a case, the automatic control can be switched from the manual control to the manual control, so that the effect that the driver can arbitrarily change the shift timing when necessary or according to the driver's preference is obtained. Although the transmission is of the type, an effect is obtained in which the driver can freely perform a shift operation as needed. Further, in an emergency, the clutch can be manually shifted to perform rapid acceleration, sudden start, and the like arbitrarily without using computer control, so that a dangerous situation or the like can be avoided. Further, the switching valve is mechanically connected to the clutch pedal by a connecting member including a cable and a link so as to operate by depressing the clutch pedal to cut off a pipeline between the hydraulic control valve and the hydraulic control solenoid valve. Since the switching valve is switched when is depressed,
The structure is simplified and the reliability is improved. In addition, a clutch sensor that detects depression of the clutch pedal and switches to manual control is provided, so that a simple and small device is added to the conventional automatic control device. With only this, an effect is obtained that the hydraulic clutch can be switched to automatic control or manual control for use.

[Brief description of the drawings]

The drawings relate to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the entire configuration of a hydraulic clutch control device, FIG. 2 is an enlarged main part showing a state in which the clutch is automatically controlled and the clutch is connected, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a state in which the clutch is disengaged, FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a state in which the clutch is disengaged by manual control, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a main part block diagram showing a transmission path of information when the information is transmitted. 1 is a control device for a hydraulic clutch, 2 is an automatic control means, 3 is a clutch pedal, 4 is a switching valve, 5 is a microswitch as an example of a clutch sensor, 6 is a switching means, 8 is a hydraulic cylinder, and 9 is a ring-shaped piston. , 10 is a low pressure oil passage,
11 is a high pressure oil passage, 12 is a hydraulic control valve, 13 is a hydraulic control solenoid valve, 18 is a clutch cover, 22 is a clutch disc, 29
Is a pressure plate, 33 is oil, 38 is a space, and 64 is a cable as an example of a connecting member.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A hydraulic cylinder formed on a clutch cover, a ring-shaped piston slidably accommodated in the hydraulic cylinder and having a pressure plate fixed to a side surface on a clutch disk side thereof; A space formed around the periphery of the clutch cover and filled with oil so that low-pressure hydraulic pressure is generated; and
An oil passage for supplying low-pressure oil to the space, an oil passage for supplying high-pressure oil to the cylinder chamber of the hydraulic cylinder, and a clutch for automatically controlling the oil pressure of the oil supplied to these oil passages. A hydraulic clutch including automatic control means including a hydraulic control valve for making or disengaging and a hydraulic control solenoid valve, and capable of automatically making or disengaging the clutch without a clutch pedal. The control device detects a depression of the clutch pedal, a switching valve that cuts off a pipeline between the hydraulic control valve and the hydraulic control solenoid valve by depression of the clutch pedal, and depression of the clutch pedal. A clutch sensor, and switching means for switching the hydraulic clutch from automatic control to manual control based on an output signal from the clutch sensor, Control device for a hydraulic clutch, characterized in that the serial clutch pedal and said switching valve is connected by a connecting member including a cable and link.