192 clutches and power-stop control – Clutches – Operators
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-08
2001-04-17
Bonck, Rodney H. (Department: 3681)
192 clutches and power-stop control
Clutches
Operators
C192S09900A
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216840
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a device with which a friction clutch of vehicles is to be operated and which is rotatably mounted between an internal combustion engine and a manual shift transmission. The device comprises a release bearing which is preferably supported on release levers of the friction clutch and which forms with a sliding sleeve a release unit. The device further includes a guide sleeve passing through the sliding sleeve and on which the release unit is axially displaceable and radially guided. Furthermore the device comprises a clutch lever for transferring operating forces of the clutch pedal to the release unit. In the installed state is the clutch lever is held for swivel movement in a locally fixed housing. All the component parts of the device are held safe against loss through a holding element to produce one structural unit.
A device of the structural type mentioned above is already known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,714. This device comprises a sliding sleeve which has at the end a radially aligned annular flange which is supported on a clutch lever. On the opposite side from the clutch lever the outer bearing ring of the release bearing is supported on the sliding sleeve. To this end the outer bearing ring is likewise provided with a radially aligned annular flange whose outer contour overlaps the annular flange of the sliding sleeve. By means of a spring which on one side engages in an end recess of the annular flange of the release bearing and on the other side is held in a recess of the clutch lever, the release unit—consisting of the sliding sleeve and release bearing—as well as the clutch lever are combined into one preassembled structural unit. The spring which is used as the holding means and is formed as a coil spring is thereby mounted radially outside on the clutch lever and thus increases the amount of structural space required. The spring protruding from the device furthermore demands extra care to be taken during fitting to ensure that a spring end is not lost. Furthermore the known holding means requires separate assembly which has a detrimental effect on costs.
Taking into account the drawbacks with the known device the object of the present invention is to provide an automatically operating holding means
with which all the component parts of the device are held together
which does not impede the assembling of the device; and
which has no effect on the function in the installed position of the device.
This is achieved according to the invention by a disc-like holding element supported on an annular flange of the guide sleeve. The holding element is provided with at least one axially aligned protruding spring clip which engages behind a component part of the device. A holding element according to the invention of this kind has no effect on the radial shaping of the device, whose assembly is likewise not impeded by the holding means. The design of the holding means thereby provides spring clips whose configuration effectively holds together all the component parts of the device. In order to prevent the holding means, from affecting the function of the device in the installed state the securing or holding action of the spring clip becomes inoperative in the installation position.
Further advantageous designs of the invention are the subject of the claims.
An advantageous design of the invention proposes arranging the holding means so that in the installation position it is inserted between the annular flange of the guide sleeve and the gearbox housing on which the guide sleeve is fastened.
For the spring clip it is proposed that this has at the end an angled edge which during pre-assembly automatically snap fits with an elastic retaining nose mounted on a component part of the device. By way of example the spring clip can interact with the sliding sleeve. For this purpose the sliding sleeve is provided with an end-side radially set shoulder which is guided through a free area or inner bore of the clutch lever and has an elastic retaining nose. During pre-assembly the angled edge of the spring clip snap-fits on the retaining nose whereby the spring clip is guided through a free area in the annular flange of the guide sleeve.
As an alternative the invention comprises a holding element whose spring clip or spring clips engage over the annular flange of the guide sleeve and snap-fit by way of example on an edge zone of the clutch lever. A holding element designed in this way creates an exact alignment of the clutch lever relative to the guide sleeve prior to assembling the device and thus makes it easier to fit the device.
A further design of the holding element proposes that this is provided with at least two spring clips arranged off-set by 180°. The retaining element according to the invention can furthermore be provided with additional spring clips spread out preferably symmetrical over the circumference in order to ensure that all the component parts are securely held together in the pre-assembled state of the device, which is particularly advantageous in the case of a device whose component parts have a relatively high inherent weight.
The holding element according to the invention is preferably made from a strip metal material without any stock-removal work. The basic disc-like shape of the holding element can thereby be produced by punching from a sheet metal strip. To form the spring clips it is proposed providing in the foundation body of the disc-like holding element radial cuts arranged parallel to each other and starting from the outer edge zone or inner diameter to form sheet metal tabs. By bending the edges at right angles and shaping the edge at the end it is possible to create the spring clips out of the sheet metal tabs.
According to the invention the holding action of the spring clips becomes inoperative in the installed state of the device. For this purpose the spring clips are shaped so that they protrude axially at least in areas out from the contact bearing face of the holding element on the gearbox housing. This shaping of the spring clips causes an automatic release of the securing action of the holding element as soon as the device is fixed on the gearbox housing. When the holding element bears against the gearbox housing the axially protruding area of the spring clips is shifted and occupies a position coinciding with the contact bearing face of the holding element. In synchronisation with this movement the angled edge of the spring clip swivels radially outwards and therefore no longer engages with the retaining nose. This action can also be achieved with an alternative design of holding element where the spring clips engage round the annular flange of the guide sleeve on the outside. For a holding element of this kind it is proposed providing the spring clips from the point of attachment to the foundation body of the holding element with a section which is first angled and then extends up to the outer contour of the annular flange of the guide sleeve. This design creates an axial spacing between the holding element and the annular flange of the guide sleeve. The at first slightly angled area of the spring clip is adjoined by an axially aligned section having an angled end edge which interacts with keyed engagement with a component part of the device. When fitting the device the holding element comes to adjoin the annular flange of the guide sleeve. When this is moved the slightly angled section starting from the connecting point of the spring clips is likewise displaced into the contact bearing surface, connected with a swivel movement of the free end of the spring clip so that the positive locking engagement between the spring clip and a component part of the device is released.
A further design of the invention provides a holding element whose size corresponds to the support surface area of the annular flange of the guide sleeve. This measure avoids any radial overlap in the area of the annular flange of the guide sleeve which can have a detrimental effect on the fitting of the device.
In order to achieve position-orien
Bonck Rodney H.
Darby & Darby
LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau GmbH
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