Denso Corporation

Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Other

Mazda Motor Corporation

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Akira Takagi

Takumi Sugiura

Ryo Ishibashi

Fuminori Suzuki

Shinya Sakaguchi

Kyohei Takahashi

Kazushi Nakatani

Masahiko Suzuki

Masayuki Imanishi

Akikazu Uchida

Hiroshi Tanimura

Fumiaki Murakami

Hironori Sato

Tomoyuki Goto

Atsushi Motoki

Hirohisa Noda

Souichirou Hayashi

Kazuma Matsui

Masatoshi Kuroyanagi

Toshihiro Takei

Masahiro Taguchi

Toshiki Sugiyama

Shotaro Nagai

Yasuhiro Horiuchi

Masaru Suzuki

Akihiro Mitani

Hiroshi Iwata

Takahiro Kimura

Masayuki Echizen

Keiichiro Sueshige

Masashi Nakagawa

Kazuyuki Natsume

Yoshimi Natsume

Hajime Yokoyama

Yuzuru Sudani

Ari Widodo

Masashi Honda

Jirou Asai

Kiyomitsu Kozawa

Takenori Kawano

Mikio Kanefusa

Masami Fujutsuna

Tsunehito Watanabe

Shigeki Hirakawa

Kougorou Nakagawa

Hajime Yokohama

A first drive cam groove extends from a drive cam specific position to one side in a circumferential direction. A second drive cam groove extends from the drive cam specific position to the other side in the circumferential direction, and an inclination angle of a groove bottom with respect to one end surface of the drive cam main body is larger than that of the first drive cam groove. A first driven cam groove extends from a driven cam specific position to one side in a circumferential direction. A second driven cam groove extends from the driven cam specific position to the other side in the circumferential direction, and an inclination angle of a groove bottom with respect to one end surface of the driven cam main body is larger than that of the first driven cam groove.

Clutch device

A housing is placed at an inside space of a case to be installed on a vehicle. The housing includes: a housing plate portion configured to contact a case plate portion of the case; and a receiving space located on one side of the housing plate portion which is opposite to the case plate portion. An electric motor is placed at the receiving space and is configured to output a torque. The housing includes: a housing ventilation hole that extends through the housing plate portion and communicates between an outside space of the housing and the receiving space; and a breathable filter that is placed on a side of the housing ventilation hole, at which the case plate portion is placed, to cover the housing ventilation hole, while the breathable filter is configured to perm it a gas to pass through the breathable filter.

Clutch actuator

A speed reducer is configured to reduce a rotational speed of rotation generated by torque received from a drive device and output the torque of the rotation of the reduced rotational speed. A drive cam has a plurality of drive cam grooves formed at one end surface of the drive cam and is rotated by the torque outputted from the speed reducer. A driven cam has a plurality of driven cam grooves formed at one end surface of the driven cam while each of the plurality of rolling elements is clamped between a corresponding one of the plurality of drive cam grooves and a corresponding one of the plurality of driven cam grooves. At least a part of each of the plurality of drive cam grooves overlaps with the speed reducer in the axial direction.

A normal-time drive cam groove extends from a drive cam specific point, which is defined as a specific point of the drive cam, toward one side in a circumferential direction of the drive cam. A groove bottom at the normal-time drive cam groove is sloped relative to one end surface of the drive cam such that a depth of the groove bottom continuously decreases from the drive cam specific point toward the one side in the circumferential direction of the drive cam. An emergency-time drive cam groove extends from the drive cam specific point toward another side in the circumferential direction of the drive cam.

At a drive cam slope groove, a groove bottom is sloped relative to one end surface of a drive cam such that a depth of the groove bottom continuously decreases from one side toward other side in a circumferential direction. At a drive cam planar groove, the groove bottom is parallel to the one end surface of the drive cam. A drive cam connection groove has: one end connected to an end of the drive cam slope groove located on the other side in the circumferential direction of the drive cam; and the other end connected to an end of the drive cam planar groove located on the one side in the circumferential direction. A slope angle of the groove bottom relative to the one end surface of the drive cam continuously changes from the one end to the other end of the drive cam connection groove.

Rolling element cam and clutch device using same

A rotational translation unit includes a rotation portion that rotates relative to a housing upon receiving an input of torque output from a speed reducer, and a translation portion that moves relative to the housing in an axial direction according to rotation of the rotation portion relative to the housing. A clutch is provided between a first transmission portion and a second transmission portion that are rotatable relative to the housing, and the clutch allows transmission of the torque between the first transmission portion and the second transmission portion in an engaged state of the clutch, and interrupts the transmission of the torque between the first transmission portion and the second transmission portion in a disengaged state of the clutch. A return spring is capable of urging the rotational translation unit in a direction away from the clutch relative to the housing.

Torque of a prime mover is input into a sun gear. A planetary gear revolves in a circumferential direction of the sun gear while rotating and meshing with the sun gear. A carrier has an annular shape, rotatably supports the planetary gear, and is rotatable relative to the sun gear. A first ring gear is fixed to a housing, and meshes with the planetary gear. A second ring gear meshes with the planetary gear, is different from the first ring gear in number of teeth of a tooth portion, and outputs torque to a rotation portion. At least a part of the sun gear in an axial direction is located radially inward of the carrier. At least a part of the first ring gear and at least a part of the second ring gear in the axial direction are located radially outward of the carrier.

A prime mover includes a stator fixed to a housing, and a rotor rotatable relative to the stator. The prime mover outputs torque from the rotor by being supplied with electric power. A speed reducer reduces the torque of the prime mover and outputs the reduced torque. The speed reducer includes a sun gear to which the torque from the rotor is input, and a planetary gear that revolves in a circumferential direction of the sun gear while rotating in a state of meshing with the sun gear. The rotor and the sun gear are formed separately, and are disposed coaxially so as to be integrally rotatable.

A state changing unit is provided radially outward of a translation portion and movable in an axial direction relative to the translation portion. The state changing unit is in contact with or separated from the clutch. The state changing unit receives a force in the axial direction from the translation portion such that the state changing unit is pressed against the clutch. The state changing unit is capable of changing a state of the clutch to an engaged state or a disengaged state according to a position of the translation portion in the axial direction relative to the housing. A movement restriction portion is provided on the translation portion and located between the state changing unit and the clutch. The movement restriction portion contacts the state changing unit and restricts movement of the state changing unit relative to the translation portion toward the clutch.

A housing includes an accommodation space for a prime mover and a speed reducer. A rotational translation unit includes a rotation portion that rotates relative to the housing upon receiving torque outputted from the speed reducer, and a translation portion that moves relative to the housing in an axial direction according to rotation of the rotation portion. The accommodation space is between the rotation portion and the housing. A clutch in a clutch space allows or interrupts transmission of torque between a first transmission portion and a second transmission portion. The rotation portion is between the clutch space and the accommodation space. A sealing member has an annular shape in contact with the rotation portion, and maintains an air-tight or liquid-tight state between the accommodation space and the clutch space.

A prime mover includes a stator fixed to the housing and a rotor rotatable relative to the stator. The prime mover outputs torque by being supplied with electric power. A speed reducer reduces the torque of the prime mover and outputs the reduced torque. A rotational translation unit includes a rotation portion that rotates relative to the housing upon receiving the torque from the speed reducer, and a translation portion that moves relative to the housing in an axial direction. A clutch allows torque transmission in an engaged state, and interrupts the torque transmission in a disengaged state. A state changing unit changes the state of the clutch by receiving a force along the axial direction from the translation portion. Cogging torque generated between the rotor and the stator is set to such a magnitude that the rotor is stoppable at any rotation position relative to the stator.

In a drive cam groove, a groove bottom is sloped such that a depth of the groove bottom continuously decreases from one end to the other end of the drive cam groove. The drive cam groove has: a first drive cam groove that is formed such that a distance between a center of a drive cam and the groove bottom at the first drive cam groove continuously changes from the one end toward the other end of the drive cam groove; and a second drive cam groove that is formed such that a distance between the center of the drive cam and the groove bottom at the second drive cam groove is constant from the first drive cam groove to the other end of the drive cam groove.

A critical state is assumed in which a position of one end of the opening of the input port in the axial direction and a position of the other end of the groove in the axial direction accord with each other with respect to the axial direction. In the critical state, when a straight line is extended in the axial direction as well as radially outward of the spool without changing a direction of the straight line in a circumferential direction of the spool from one end of the groove bottom in the axial direction with the same inclination as the inclination of the groove bottom at the one end of the groove in the axial direction relative to the axial direction, the straight line passes through the opening of the output port to contact a wall surface of the output port.

Spool valve

A spool valve includes a valve housing and a spool. The spool is slidable in an axial direction in the valve housing. A linear solenoid drives the spool against a spring. The valve housing has a feedback chamber to apply a force to the spool, an input port to receive a hydraulic pressure, an output port to produce an output pressure according to an axial position of the spool, and an drain port to exhaust oil to an outside. The spool valve has multiple supply paths to cause oil to flow from the input port to the output port and/or multiple exhaust paths to cause oil to flow from the output port to the drain port.

Solenoid spool valve

A first-type passage switching valve is in an oil supply line connecting a friction element to an N/H type pressure control valve and a second-type passage switching valve is in another oil supply line connecting another friction element to an N/L type pressure control valve. A working-pressure output valve outputs a hydraulic working pressure to each of the first-type and the second-type passage switching valves. The first-type passage switching valve changes communication condition from a first state connecting the friction element and the pressure control valve with each other to a second state connecting the friction element and a drain side with each other, or vice versa. The second-type passage switching valve changes communication condition from a first state connecting the friction element and the pressure control valve with each other to a third state connecting the friction element and a hydraulic pressure source with each other, or vice versa.

Growing community of inventors

Obu, Japan

Akira Takagi