Motorcycle clutch pin structure

Abstract

A motorcycle clutch clamp pin structure comprises: a base plate; multiple shoes arranged on an inner side of the base plate and each having a clamp-pin hole, a spring being connected between adjacent shoes; a fixed plate arranged at an opposite side of the shoes to be opposite to the base plate, with the shoes being located therebetween; multiple clamp pins received in the clamp-pin holes and having one end fixed to the base plate and an opposite end penetrating out of the fixed plate and including a fitting groove; multiple fastener plates respectively received in the fitting grooves to abut against the fixed plate. The clamp pins are each axially recessed to form an inlet cleaning hole and have a middle section and a lower section respectively formed with an outlet cleaning hole in communication with the inlet cleaning hole. The fastener plates are of a heart-shape.

Description

MOTORCYCLE CLUTCH PIN STRUCTURESPECIFICATIONTECHNICAL FIELD OF THE UTILITY MODELThe present utility model relates to a clutch clamp pin, and more particularly to amotorcycle clutch clamp pin structure that allows a cleaning agent to be uniformlydistributed over the entire surface of a clamp pin and the entire surface of a clamp-pin hole of a shoe for lubrication and cleaning.DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ARTA known motorcycle clutch has a structure that mainly comprises shoes of whichtwo opposite sides are respectively provided with a fixed plate and a base plate thatare fixed together by means of rivets. When the clutch is driven by an engine torotate, with the rivets functioning as rotation centers, movable ends of the shoes willbe caused to swing outward and expand by centrifugal forces. The shoes soswinging outward will be brought into tight contact engagement with an inner side ofacup. The cup is connected to a hub of a wheel, so that when the shoes expandoutward to get tight contact engagement with the inner side of the cup, the wheel iscaused to rotate. When the rotational speed of the engine becomes low, the shoesthat are rotating are biased inward by springs arranged therein to reduce the diameterof the outer circumference of the shoes, making them no longer in contactengagement with the cup that is connected to the hub of the wheel. Due to no powertransmitted, the wheel of the motorcycle stops rotation for moving forward. However,ZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdfthe rivets that function as the axes about which the shoes are moved to expandoutward will get dust attached thereto over time and will become unsmooth. Thisaffects the sensitivity of expansion and collapse of the shoes. Regular serviceconducted in a garage requires separating and removing the rivets of the entire clutchand all components that are connected to the clutch, and consequently, operations ofcleaning, servicing, and maintaining simply takes a lot of time and labor. Althoughimprovements that are made on the rivets are known, such as Taiwan Utility ModelM640590U (allocated application number being 111213709), which discloses amotorcycle clutch structure that is mainly shoes arranged between a base plate anda fixed plate. The shoes are formed with pivot holes through which pivot axlespenetrate. The pivot axles have an end that is a riveting end riveted to the baseplate and an opposite end that is an oil feeding end extending out of the fixed plate.An oil passage Is formed in the pivot axle at a location midway of acenter thereof. Amiddle section of the oil passage is formed, at the same altitude, with oil exit holesthat are arranged in a crisscross form and in communication with each other. Theopposite end of the pivot axle is provided with a C-shaped clip. In the Known device,the oil exit holes are corresponding to each other and are not staggered or shiftedaway from each other in the height direction, so that oil filled therein is capable oflubricating only a portion around the middle section of the pivot hole and is notuniformly spread, and thus losing the effectiveness of lubrication. Further, the C-shaped clip is structured to include a side opening, and force does not uniformlydistribute during mounting and removing, making it time-consuming and labor-consuming and easily detaching. Further, a closure member provided at one end ofZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdfthe pivot axle is of a structure similar to a plug, which may easily detach when theshoes are rotated at a high speed, so that dust and foreign objects may easily gettherein to cause blocking. Further, in Taiwan Utility Model M611444U (allocatedapplication number being 110200399), which discloses a motorcycle clutch structure,which is mainly an end of a pivot axle being mounted to a base plate and the shoesincluding a pivot hole pivotally connected with the pivot axle, and an opposite end ofthe pivot axle being mounted to a fixed plate. The pivot axle is provided, in the centerthereof, with an oil feeding hole in a middle section. A sidewall of the pivot axle inon the middle section and an oil exit hole is arranged ta a bottom of the oil feedinghole and corresponding thereto. Oil may be fed for transmission wear between thepivot axle and the shoe. Similarly, a C-shaped clip is arranged at an opposite endof the pivotale. The known device is structured to have the oil feeding hole arrangedonly at a midway position of the middle section and in a corresponding manner at atail end of the center, and are similarly not in a staggered manner, so that oil so fedcan only lubricate a small portion of the middle section of the oil feeding hole anddoes not uniformly spread so as to lose the effectiveness of lubrication. Further, theC-shaped clip is structured to include a side opening, and force does not uniformlydistribute during mounting and removing, making it time-consuming and labor-consuming and easily detaching. Further, a closure member provided at one end ofthe pivot axle is of a structure similar to a plug, which may easily detach when theshoes are rotated at a high speed, so that dust and foreign objects may easily gettherein to cause blocking. Thus, the two known structures have various drawbacksZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdfand the utilization thereof is limited. This is the problem that the technicians and theconsumers of this field attempt to overcome.SUMMARY OF THE UTILITY MODELTo alleviate the above drawbacks of the prior art, the primary objective of thepresent utility model is to provide a motorcycle clutch clamp pin structure, whichprovides that shoes include clamp-pin holes that receive clamp pins therein, and theclamp pins have to ends respectively fixed to a base plate and a fixed plate, and theclamp pins have a center in which an inlet cleaning hole is formed and include amiddle section and a lower section that are respectively with outlet cleaning holesarranged to stagger or separate in an axial direction, and the clamp pins include athreaded opening formed in an end, and the threaded opening is provided with a caphaving a rod portion that is formed with a thread, and the clamp pins have an oppositeend that is formed with a fitting groove into which a heart-shaped fastener plate is, inorder to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art.A secondary objective of the present utility model is to provide a motorcycleclutch clamp pin structure, which provides that the clamp pins are provided with outletcleaning holes that are in communication with an inlet cleaning hole and are arrangedin a staggered form, so that a cleaning agent fed therein can be uniformly flow overthe clamp-pin holes of the shoes and uniformly distribute over the surfaces of theclamp pins to provide smoothness of fitting therebetween and to remove the dust andrusting therebetween, and the fastener plates that are fit into the fitting grooves of theZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdfclamp pins are of a heart shape that provides secureness of fitting and preventsundesired detachment.A further objective of the present utility model is to provide a motorcycle clutchclamp pin structure, which effectively enhances the easiness of cleaning, servicingand use and improves the sensitivity of the shoes for centrifugally induced expansionand collapse and extends the service life and reduces wear and abrasion.The problems that the present utility model is made to overcome is as follows.A known motorcycle clutch has a structure that mainly comprises shoes of which twoopposite sides are respectively provided with a fixed plate and a base plate that arefixed together by means of rivets. When the clutch is driven by an engine to rotate,with the rivets functioning as rotation centers, movable ends of the shoes will becaused to swing outward and expand by centrifugal forces. The shoes so swingingoutward will be brought into tight contact engagement with an inner side of a cup.The cup is connected to a hub of a wheel, so that wnen the shoes expand outward toget tight contact engagement with the inner side of the cup, the wheel is caused torotate. When the rotational speed of the engine becomes low, the shoes that arerotating are biased inward by springs arranged therein to reduce the diameter of theouter circumference of the shoes, making them no longer in contact engagement withthe cup that is connected to the hub of the wheel. Due to no power transmitted, thewheel of the motorcycle stops rotation for moving forward. However, the rivets thatfunction as the axes about which the shoes are moved to expand outward will getdust attached thereto over time and will become unsmooth. This affects thesensitivity of expansion and collapse of the shoes. Regular service conducted in aZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdfgarage requires separating and removing the rivets of the entire clutch and allcomponents that are connected to the clutch, and consequently, operations ofcleaning, servicing, and maintaining simply takes a lot of time and labor. Althoughimprovements that are made on the rivets are Known, such as Taiwan Utility ModelM640590U (allocated application number being 111213709), which discloses amotorcycle clutch structure, and Taiwan Utility Model M611444U (allocatedapplication number being 110200399), which discloses a motorcycle clutch structure.Such known devices are structured such that the oil feeding hole is arranged at alocation midway of a middle section and in a manner of corresponding at a tail of acenter and are similarly not in a staggered manner, so that oil so fed can only lubricatea small portion of the middle section of the oil feeding hole and does not uniformlyspread so as to lose the effectiveness of lubrication. Further, the C-shaped clip isstructured to include a side opening, and force does not uniformly distribute duringmounting and removing, making it time-consuming and labor-consuming and easilydetaching. Further, a closure member provided at one end of the pivot axle is of astructure similar to a plug, which may easily detach when the shoes are rotated at ahigh speed, so that dust and foreign objects may easily get therein to cause blocking.Thus, the two known structures have various drawbacks and the utilization thereof islimited.To achieve the above objectives, for the technical solution adopted to resolve theissues, the present utility model provides a motorcycle clutch clamp pin structure,which comprises:ZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdfa base plate, which is of a flat annular form having an inner side on which multiplecushioning members are arranged;multiple shoes, which are arranged on the inner side of the base plate and are inabutting engagement with and supported on the cushioning members, wherein the5 shoes are connected in series to form an annular configuration, the shoes being eachformed, at one end of a side surface thereof, with a clamp-pin hole to function as arotation center, a spring being arranged between adjacent ones of the shoes forcollapse thereof,a fixed plate, which is arranged on an opposite side of the shoes, the base plate10 being opposite to the fixed plate to have the shoes located therebetween;multiple clamp pins, which are respectively arranged in the clamp-pin holes ofthe shoes, each having one end fixed to base plate, an opposite end of the clamp pinbeing extended to project out of the fixed plate and formed with a fitting groove; andmultiple fastener plates, which are respectively received in the fitting grooves of15 the clamp pins, the fastener plates being set to abut against an outer side of the fixedplate,wherein the clamp pins are each axially recessed in a center thereof to form aninlet cleaning hole, and the clamp pins each comprise a middle section and a lowersection that are respectively formed, in a radial direction, with at least one outlet20 cleaning hole arranged in a staggered manner, the outlet cleaning holes being incommunication with the inlet cleaning hole.In the above structure of the present utility model, the inlet cleaning hole of theclamp pins has an upper end in which a threaded opening is formed.ZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdfIn the above structure of the present utility model, the threaded opening of theinlet cleaning hole of the clamp pins is provided with a cap, and an inner end of thecap is extended to form a rod portion that corresponds to the inlet cleaning hole, therod portion being formed with a thread corresponding to the threaded opening of theinlet cleaning hole.In the above structure of the present utility model, the fastener plates are of aheart-shape.The efficacy of the present utility model as compared with the prior art techniquesis as follows. The present utility model provides that the clamp pins are received inthe clamp-pin holes of the shoes in such a way that one end of each of the clamp pinsis fixedly connected to the base plate, while an opposite end penetrates through andfixed to the fixed plate, and also, the clamp pins are each centrally recessed to formthe inlet cleaning hole, and the middle section and the lower section of the clamp pinare respectively formed with the outlet cleaning holes that are staggered in the axialdirection, wherein the end of the inlet cleaning hole is formed with the threadedopening, and the threaded opening of the clamp pin is provided with the cap thatincludes the rod portion that includes the thread and is receivable in the inlet cleaninghole, and further, the opposite end of the clamp pin is formed with the fitting grooveinto which the heart-shaped fastener plate is fit to engage therewith, whereby bymeans of the outlet cleaning holes that are in communication with the inlet cleaninghole and staggered, a cleaning agent filled in the clamp pin can uniformly flow intoand through the clamp-pin hole of the shoe and then flow out thereof to uniformlydistribute over the surface of the clamp pin and to provide smooth fitting engagementZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdftherebetween and to remove dusts and rusting therebetween, and further, the heart-shaped fastener plate that is fit in the fitting groove of the clamp pin provides securedconnection and prevents undesired detachment, and consequently, easiness of use,cleaning and servicing is enhanced to thereby improve sensitivity of centrifugallyinduced expansion and collapse of the shoe and also to extend the service life thereofand reduce wear and abrasion.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 is an exploded view of the present utility model.FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present utility model in an assembled form.FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the present utility model taken from a differentview angle.FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a pin according to the present utility model.FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of the present utility model inan assembled form.FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing a clamp pin according to the present utilitymodel, with a cap mounted thereto.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTReferring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, which are respectively an exploded viewof the present utility model, a perspective view of the present utility model in anassembled form, a perspective view of the present utility model taken from a differentview angle, a perspective view showing a pin according to the present utility model,ZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdfa cross-sectional view showing a portion of the present utility model in an assembledform, and an exploded view showing a clamp pin according to the present utility model,with a cap mounted thereto, a motorcycle clutch clamp pin structure according to apreferred embodiment of the present utility model comprises a base plate 1, multipleshoes 2, a fixed plate 3, multiple clamp pins 4, and multiple fastener plates 44.The base plate 1 is of a flat annular form having an inner side on which multiplecushioning members 10 are arranged (as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3).The multiple shoes 2 are arranged on the inner side of the base plate 1 and arein abutting engagement with and supported on the cushioning members 10. Theshoes 2 are connected in series one by one to form an annular configuration. Theshoes 2 are formed, at one end of a side surface thereof, with a clamp-pin hole 21that functions as a rotation center. A spring 22 is arranged between each shoe 2and an adjacent shoe 2 in a cascade connecting manner for collapsing the shoes (asshown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3).The fixed plate 3 is arranged on an opposite side of the shoes 2. The base plate1 is arranged opposite to the fixed plate 3 to have the shoes 2 located therebetween(as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3).The multiple clamp pins 4 are arranged in the clamp-pin holes 21 of the shoes 2and have one end fixed to the base plate 1. The clamp pins 4 have an opposite endextending to project out of the fixed plate 3 and including a fitting groove 40 formedthereon (as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3).ZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdfThe multiple fastener plates 44 are received in the fitting grooves 40 of the clamppins 4. The fastener plates 44 are set to abut against an outer side of the fixed plate3 (as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3).The novel feature of the present utility model is as follows (see FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4,5, and 6). The clamp pins 4 is axially recessed in a center thereof to form an inletcleaning hole 41, and the clamp pins 4 have a middle section and a lower section thatare respectively formed, in a radial direction, with an outlet cleaning hole 42 arrangedin astaggered manner. The outlet cleaning holes 42 are in communication with theinlet cleaning hole 41 (as show in FIG. 4). A threaded opening 43 is formed in anupper end of the inlet cleaning hole 41 of the clamp pin 4 (as shown in FIG. 5), andthe threaded opening 43 of the inlet cleaning hole 41 of the clamp pin 4 is providedwith a cap 5. An inner end of the cap 5 is extended to form a rod portion 500 thatcorresponds to the inlet cleaning hole 41. The rod portion 500 is formed with athread 50 corresponding to the threaded opening 43 of the inlet cleaning hole 41 (asshown in FIG. 6). According to the present utility model, the fastener plates 44 areshaped to show a heart-shaped configuration (as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5).In the present utility model, to remove rust, it only needs to feed a cleaning agentinto the inlet cleaning holes 41 of the clamp pins 4, and the cleaning agent fill up fromone end of the clamp pin 4 to an opposite end, and also overflows through the outletcleaning holes 42, which are arranged in the middle section and the lower section tobe staggered with each other, to enter the clamp-pin hole 21 of the shoe 2. After thecleaning agent is so introduced, rusting that forms obstacle between the clamp-pinhole 21 of the shoe 2 and the clamp pin 4 will be driven out and a lubrication interfaceZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdfis established therebetween, such that a movement of the shoe 2 that is put into fastrotation about a rotation center defined by the clamp pin 4 to expand out would notbe stuck and jammed, and when the speed of the shoe 2 in rotation is slowed down,the shoe 2 is fast pulled in by the spring 22 and becomes collapsed. Further, afterthe cleaning carried out according to the present utility model, the threaded opening43 at one end of the clamp pin 4 can be closed by screwing the cap 5 of which therod portion 500 includes a thread 50 therein so as to securely fix together due to thescrewing fastening achieved between the thread 50 and the threaded opening 43 ofthe clamp pin 4. Also, the threaded opening 43 and the thread 50 are arranged tofasten in a direction opposite to the rotational direction of the shoe 2, so that thefastening gets even tightened during rotation and would not become loosened. Thisensures the cleaning agent is held inside the inlet cleaning hole 41 and the outletcleaning holes 42 and also prevents foreign object from entering the inlet cleaninghole 41 to thereby keep the inlet cleaning hole 41 and the outlet cleaning holes 42 ofthe clamp pin 4 in an unimpeded condition. Further, the present utility modelprovides the fastener plates 44 that are of a heart-shape to fit in and combine with thefitting grooves 40 of the clamp pins 4, and this alleviates the drawback that the priorart C-shaped fastener plate may get detached and lost. The present utility modelprovides the heart-shaped fastener plates 44 to fit into the fitting grooves 40 of theclamp pins 4 in a fully enclosed manner for retaining, so that there is no concern ofgetting loosened and detached.The present utility model provides that the clamp pins 4 are received in theclamp-pin holes 21 of the shoes 2 in such a way that one end of each of the clampZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdfpins 4 is fixedly connected to the base plate 1, while an opposite end penetratesthrough and fixed to the fixed plate 3, and also, the clamp pins 4 are each centrallyrecessed to form the inlet cleaning hole 41, and the middle section and the lowersection of the clamp pin 4 are respectively formed with the outlet cleaning holes 42that are staggered in the axial direction, wherein the end of the inlet cleaning hole 41is formed with the threaded opening 43, and the threaded opening 43 of the clamppin 4 is provided with the cap 5 that includes the rod portion 500 that includes thethread 50 and Is receivable in the inlet cleaning hole 41, and further, the opposite endof the clamp pin 4 is formed with the fitting groove 40 into which the heart-shapedfastener plate 44 is fit to engage therewith, whereby by means of the outlet cleaningholes 42 that are in communication with the inlet cleaning hole 41 and staggered, acleaning agent filled in the clamp pin 4 can uniformly flow into and through the clamp-pin hole 21 of the shoe 2 and then flow out thereof to uniformly distribute over thesurface of the clamp pin 4 and to provide smooth fitting engagement therebetweenand to remove dusts and rusting therebetween, and further, the heart-shaped fastenerplate 44 that is fit in the fitting groove 40 of the clamp pin 4 provides securedconnection and prevents undesired detachment, and consequently, easiness of use,cleaning and servicing is enhanced to thereby improve sensitivity of centrifugallyinduced expansion and collapse of the shoe 2 and also to extend the service lifethereof and reduce wear and abrasionZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdf

Claims

1.CLAIMSA motorcycle clutch clamp pin structure, comprising:a base plate, which is of a flat annular form having an inner side onwhich multiple cushioning members are arranged;multiple shoes, which are arranged on the inner side of the base plateand are in abutting engagement with and supported on the cushioningmembers, wherein the shoes are connected in series to form an annularconfiguration, the shoes being each formed, at one end of a side surfacethereof, with a clamp-pin hole to function as a rotation center, a springbeing arranged between adjacent ones of the shoes for collapse thereof;a fixed plate, which is arranged on an opposite side of the shoes, thebase plate being opposite to the fixed plate to have the shoes locatedtherebetween;multiple clamp pins, which are respectively arranged in the clamp-pinholes of the shoes, each having one end fixed to base plate, an oppositeend of the clamp pin being extended to project out of the fixed plate andformed with a fitting groove; andmultiple fastener plates, which are respectively received in the fittinggrooves of the clamp pins, the fastener plates being set to abut againstan outer side of the fixed plate,wherein the clamp pins are each axially recessed in a center thereofto form an inlet cleaning hole, and the clamp pins each comprise a middlesection and a lower section that are respectively formed, in a radialZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdfdirection, with at least one outlet cleaning hole arranged in a staggeredmanner, the outlet cleaning holes being in communication with the inletcleaning hole.The motorcycle clutch clamp pin structure according to claim 1, whereinthe inlet cleaning hole of the clamp pins has an upper end in which athreaded opening is formed.The motorcycle clutch clamp pin structure according to claim 2, whereinthe threaded opening of the inlet cleaning hole of the clamp pins is providedwith a cap, and an inner end of the cap is extended to form a rod portionthat corresponds to the inlet cleaning hole, the rod portion being formedwith a thread corresponding to the threaded opening of the inlet cleaninghole.The motorcycle clutch clamp pin structure according to claim 1, whereinthe fastener plates are of a heart-shape.The motorcycle clutch clamp pin structure according to claim 2, whereinthe fastener plates are of a heart-shape.The motorcycle clutch clamp pin structure according to claim 3, whereinthe fastener plates are of a heart-shape.ZNK12YL13L620231N9 13 Dec 2023 05:58:16 AMP30651 Response to Office Action Paper No.3_transmittal.pdf