Ntn Corporation

Ntn Toyo Bearing Co., Ltd.

Aichi Kikai Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Kenichiro Ito

Hiromi Nojiri

Kenro Adachi

Makoto Yasui

Shiro Goto

Koichi Okada

Koji Akiyoshi

Isao Hori

Tsutomu Yasue

Atsushi Asano

Munehisa Imai

This invention pertains to a power transmission device suited for use in a hybrid car for selective transmission of its engine and motor powers. The power transmission device is used to transmit and cut off driving forces from an internal combustion engine or a motor of a hybrid car, and includes a two-way clutch having engaging elements, and a control mechanism for controlling the locking and freeing of the two-way clutch. The control mechanism includes an electromagnetic clutch having an electromagnet and an armature. By mounting such power transmission devices on the outputs of the engine and the motor, it is possible to easily transmit and cut off driving force by simply turning on and off the electromagnet.

Power transmission device for hybrid cars

A rotation transmission device including a clutch having an inner member, an outer ring, and engaging elements provided between the inner member and the outer ring for selective transmission and shutoff of rotation power between the inner member and the outer ring, and an electromagnetic clutch having an electromagnetic coil for locking and disengaging the clutch. When the clutch is not engaged, a current of a lower level than required to lock the clutch is supplied to the electromagnetic coil of the electromagnetic clutch to shorten the response time. In another method, when DIRECT-CONNECT 4WD mode is selected, a current is intermittently supplied to an electromagnetic coil to reduce power consumption and heat buildup.

Rotation transmission device

A power transmission changeover device for an automatic-transmission, four-wheel drive vehicle which can prevent rattling of gears while the gear position of the sub-transmission is being changed over. Air pipes extending from a negative pressure source for actuating an actuator for changing over gears of a sub-transmission, and electromagnetic valves have inner diameters of 4 mm or over. An accumulator is provided between the electromagnetic valves in the air pipes and the negative pressure source. This makes it possible to increase the operating speed and operating force of the actuator and, to shorten the duration of the neutral position when gears are changed over, and to increase the meshing force with new gears. It is thus possible to prevent rattling of gears due to improper meshing of gears.

Power transmission changeover devices for four-wheel drive vehicles

A control system for a 4WD vehicle has a rotation transmission device which can prevent a two-way clutch of the rotation transmission device from vibrating by repeatedly locking and unlocking when the vehicle is started in a cold environment. The rotation transmission device is mounted in the transfer. The transfer is provided with a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of oil in the transfer. If the oil temperature as measured by the temperature sensor is below a predetermined value when the vehicle is started with the drive mode set at the 2WD position, the hub clutches are engaged to reduce the idling speed of the two-way clutch and thus to prevent the two-way clutch from locking.

Four-wheel drive control system

A rotation transmitting device has an input shaft coupled to the transmission of the engine of a four-wheel drive vehicle and an output shaft coupled to the rear wheel differential. The input and output shafts are mounted rotatably and concentrically relative to each other. An outer ring is rotatably mounted around the input shaft and a cage is rotatably mounted between the opposed surfaces of the input shaft and the outer rink and formed with a plurality of pockets. Engaging elements are mounted in the pockets and adapted to engage the opposed surfaces when the cage and the input shaft rotate relative to each other. Resilient members are mounted in the pockets to keep the engaging elements out of engagement with the opposed surfaces. The cage and the output shaft are coupled to the input shaft with a gap left therebetween in the direction of rotation so as to be rotatable to,ether. The input and output shafts are kept in a neutral position of the above gap by a retaining member. The outer ring is provided with a connecting portion through which the outer ring is connected with a drive shaft coupled to the front wheel differential.

Rotation transmitting device for an interaxle gearless differential

A rotation transmitting device having an outer ring formed with a bore, a holder fixedly mounted in the bore and rolling elements mounted in the holder so as to be rollable as the outer ring rotates. A pair of input shafts are provided coaxially with an axis of rotation of the outer ring so as to sandwich the rolling elements from both sides thereof. Output shafts are rotatably mounted in the bore at both sides of the input shafts. Cages are rotatably mounted between the output shafts and the outer ring and formed with pockets. Engaging elements are mounted in the pockets and adapted to be engageable between opposite surfaces of the outer ring and the output shafts with relative rotation between the cages and the output shafts in either direction. Elastic members are mounted in the pockets to keep the engaging elements in a position where they are not engaged. The cages and the output shafts are coupled to the respective input shafts so that a driving force can be transmitted between the input shafts and the output shafts. The input shafts and the output shafts are coupled together with gaps formed therebetween in the direction of rotation.

Rotation transmitting device having differently rotating output shafts

A driving force transmission device for a vehicle has a homokinetic joint having an outer ring and a clutch device having an outer ring coupled to the outer ring of the homokinetic joint. An input shaft is rotatably inserted in the outer rings. A cage is rotatably mounted between opposed surfaces of the outer rings and the input shaft. The cage has pockets. Engaging elements are mounted in the pockets. They are adapted to engage the opposed surfaces when the input shaft and the cage rotate relative to each other either clockwise or counterclockwise. Elastic members are mounted in the pockets to keep the engaging elements in a not-engaged position. The cage and the input shaft are coupled together with a gap extending in the direction of rotation formed therebetween so as to be rotatable together. A differential member are mounted on the cage or the input shaft to produce a difference in rotation therebetween.

Device for transmitting driving force

Rotation transmitting device

A clutch having an outer ring, an inner shaft mounted in the outer member, a cage interposed between the outer ring and the inner shaft and cam members movably mounted in pockets formed in the cage. A torque-setting elastic member is provided between the cage and one of the outer ring and the inner shaft so that while the torque on the elastic member is smaller than a preset value, they will rotate in unison with some clearance left therebetween in the direction of rotation. When the torque on the elastic member gets larger than the preset value, the elastic member deforms to allow the cage to turn relative to the member engaged therewith. Now, the cam elements are pushed by the cage into engagement with both cam surfaces formed on the inner periphery of the outer member and the other periphery of the inner member, thus bringing the two members into engagement. This input shaft is rotatably mounted in the outer ring by means of two bearings so as to extend through the outer ring.

Clutch

The bidirectional differential clutch enables to transmit or cutoff both clockwise and counterwise rotation at the input side. The clutch comprises an input gear having a first cylindrical surface, an output gear having a second cylindrical surface disposed with a space to the first cylindrical surface so as to be relatively rotatable, a plurality of engaging members interposed in the space, a holding member inserted into the space, the holding member having a pocket storing the engaging members, the engaging members being for operation from a neutral position in which both cylindrical surfaces are not engaged with each other to an operational position in which both cylindrical surfaces are engaged with each other, a sub-gear producing differential velocity in correspondence to the rotation of the input gear, and the holding member being linked with the sub-gear to slide in a peripheral direction by the differential velocity to operate the engaging members to the operational position. The engaging members may be rollers or sprags.

Bidirectional differential clutch

Torque responsive engaging clutch

A clutch having an outer member, an inner member mounted in the outer member, a cage interposed between the outer and inner members and cam elements movably mounted in pockets formed in the cage. Torque-setting elastic members are provided between the cage and one of the inner and outer members so that while the torque on the elastic member is smaller than a preset value, they will rotate in unison with some clearance left therebetween in the direction of rotation. When the torque on the elastic member gets larger than the preset value, the elastic member deforms to allow the cage to turn relative to the member engaged therewith. Now, the cam elements are pushed by the cage into engagement with both cam surfaces formed on the inner periphery of the outer member and the outer periphery of the inner member, thus brining the two members into engagement.

An improved clutch for use with an electric power steering assembly is disclosed. The improved clutch has an outer member, and a cage mounted between the outer and inner members and formed with a plurality of pockets. The improved clutch further comprises a pair of rolling elements mounted in each pocket, and a spring mounted between the rolling elements so as to bias the rolling elements away from each other into wedge-like spaces in the pocket. In the event that an associated driving system fails, the improved clutch of this invention is disconnected from the steering wheel since the outer member coupled to the driving system becomes unlocked from the inner member which is coupled to the steering wheel.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka, Japan

Kenichiro Ito