Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Motoi Fujikawa

Tooru Kagata

A clutch assembly comprising a cylindrical body having first clutch teeth and fastened to a wheel hub. A sleeve member is fixed to an outer end of a drive axle and is located within the cylindrical body. A clutch member is formed with second clutch teeth and is axially slidably mounted on the sleeve member for rotation therewith. A cam ring operatively coupled with an outer end of a stationary axle tube for the drive axle is rotatable on the sleeve member. A cam follower ring is axially slidably mounted on the sleeve member for rotation therewith. The cam follower ring is cooperable with the cam ring to be displaced toward the clutch member in response to rotation of the drive axle. A connecting member is engaged with the cam follower ring and the clutch member to permit relatively axial movement between the cam follower ring and the clutch member. The cam ring has at least two stages of cam rise face cooperable with the cam follower ring.

Wheel hub clutch assembly

A wheel hub clutch assembly comprises a cylindrical body formed therein with a first set of clutch teeth and fastened to a wheel hub, a sleeve member fixed to the outer end of a drive axle and located within the body, a clutch member formed with a second set of clutch teeth and axially slidably mounted on the sleeve member for rotation therewith, a cam ring operatively coupled with the outer end of a stationary axle tube for the drive axle and rotatable on the sleeve member, a cam follower ring axially slidably mounted on the sleeve member for rotation therewith and cooperable with the cam ring to be displaced toward the clutch member in response to rotation of the drive axle, and a connecting member engaged with the cam follower ring and the clutch member to permit relatively inward movement between the cam follower ring and clutch member. The improvement comprises a first spring arranged between the cam follower ring and the clutch member for loading the cam follower ring toward the cam ring and cooperable with the connecting member for loading the clutch member for movement away from engagement with the first clutch teeth, and a second spring arranged in parallel with the first spring between the cam follower ring and the clutch member for loading the clutch member for movement toward engagement with the first clutch teeth.

An electrically operated wheel hub clutch assembly comprises a cylindrical body of magnetic material integrally formed therein with an internal spline and to be fastened to the outer end of a wheel hub, an inner sleeve member of non-magnetic material fixedly mounted on the outer end of an axle and located within the cylindrical body, a cylindrical clutch member of magnetic material integrally formed with an external spline to be engaged with the internal spline and axially slidably mounted on the sleeve member for rotation therewith; a spring for biasing the clutch member toward an unlocked position in which the external spline is disengaged from the internal spline, an annular core fixedly mounted on the outer end portion of an axle tube and having a cylindrical portion opposed to the inner end portion of the clutch member, and a magnetic coil fixedly coupled over the cylindrical portion of the core and being responsive to an electric control signal to produce an axial attraction force between the clutch member and the core.

Growing community of inventors

Anjo, Japan

Motoi Fujikawa