An externally mounted clutch actuator

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of automobile parts, in particular to an externally-hung clutch actuator, which comprises a shell one and a shell two, the shell one and the shell two are mutually spliced and fixed, a guide rod is fixedly connected to the middle part of one side surface of a piston, a guide groove for sliding insertion of the guide rod is arranged in the interior of the shell two; an elastic pad corresponding to the opening of a receiving groove is covered on the opening of the receiving groove, the cavity formed by the elastic pad and the receiving groove is filled with gas, and the elastic pad is in a semicircular arc shape; beneficial effects are that: the two elastic pads inside are subjected to initial exchange of gas, the elastic pad on the other side of the piston is expanded, the piston is buffered after sliding to the stroke end, the piston extrudes the elastic pad at the position, the gas inside the two elastic pads is subjected to secondary exchange through the damping hole, the buffering time of the elastic pad to the piston is prolonged, and the buffering effect to the piston is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive parts technology, specifically to an external clutch actuator. Background Technology

[0002] The car clutch is located inside the flywheel housing between the engine and the transmission. The clutch assembly is fixed to the rear surface of the flywheel with screws. The output shaft of the clutch is the input shaft of the transmission.

[0003] In the prior art, the clutch control actuator controls the intake and exhaust of compressed gas through a solenoid valve, thereby driving the piston to move and push the push rod, which in turn pushes the clutch disc to achieve clutch disengagement and engagement.

[0004] Currently, to improve the response speed and reduce delay of actuators, the air pressure inside the actuator cavity is usually high. The piston inside the actuator slides rapidly under this air pressure, thus possessing significant kinetic energy. When the piston slides to the end of the actuator, it generates a large impact force. Prolonged use can easily lead to piston deformation and damage, affecting the piston's sealing performance and resulting in a decrease in the actuator's response speed and an increase in delay. Therefore, this invention proposes an external clutch actuator to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an external clutch actuator to solve the problem mentioned in the background art that the piston generates a large impact force when sliding rapidly, which leads to damage to itself and affects the sealing performance.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an external clutch actuator, comprising:

[0007] The housing consists of a first housing and a second housing, which are spliced ​​and fixed together. A piston adapted to the first housing is slidably installed in the inner cavity of the first housing. A guide rod is fixedly connected to the middle of one side of the piston. A guide groove is provided inside the second housing for the guide rod to slide into.

[0008] The piston has a ring-shaped storage groove on both sides of its edge. The opening of the storage groove is covered with a corresponding elastic pad. The cavity formed by the elastic pad and the storage groove is filled with gas. The elastic pad is semi-circular. The piston has multiple damping holes arranged in a ring array inside. The damping holes are arranged in an "L" shape, and the openings at both ends are located at the bottom of the two storage grooves.

[0009] Preferably, the interior of the housing 2 is provided with a PCB circuit board located above the guide groove. The surface of the PCB circuit board is provided with a solenoid valve and a pressure sensor, and both the solenoid valve and the pressure sensor are controlled by the PCB circuit board. The lower end of the solenoid valve and the lower end of the pressure sensor are both connected to the inner cavity of the guide groove.

[0010] Preferably, a mounting base is fixedly installed on the surface of the housing two by fastening bolts, and the inner wall of the mounting base is provided with a mounting groove for fixing the PCB circuit board. A control connector electrically connected to the PCB circuit board is provided on one side of the mounting base.

[0011] Preferably, a displacement sensor is fixedly installed at the bottom of the guide groove, one end of the guide rod is provided with an insertion hole, and a matching magnet post is inserted into the inner cavity of the insertion hole. A retaining spring groove is provided on the inner wall of the opening end of the insertion hole, and a retaining spring for positioning the magnet post is provided at the bottom of the retaining spring groove.

[0012] Preferably, a top rod is movably inserted into one end of the housing 1 away from the housing 2. A bellows is sleeved on the outside of the top rod. One end of the bellows is fixedly connected to the top rod, and the other end is fixedly connected to the end of the housing 1. Two one-way valves are fixedly installed at the end of the housing 1.

[0013] Preferably, a connecting ring is sleeved on the outer side of the end of the push rod near the piston, a connecting groove for the push rod to be inserted is opened in the middle of the piston, an annular limiting groove is opened at the bottom of the connecting groove, and the connecting ring is located in the inner cavity of the limiting groove and is engaged with it.

[0014] Preferably, the outer side wall of the piston is fitted to the inner side wall of the housing, and a sealing ring is provided on the outer side wall of the piston. A return spring is provided on one side of the piston, and the return spring is movably sleeved on the outside of the guide rod and its two ends are respectively fixedly connected to the housing and the piston.

[0015] Preferably, a pressure-bearing ring one and a pressure-bearing ring two are respectively provided on both sides of the piston, and the pressure-bearing ring one and the pressure-bearing ring two are respectively fixed to the inner wall of the housing one and the port of the housing two, and the inner diameter of the pressure-bearing ring one and the pressure-bearing ring two is smaller than the outer diameter of the piston.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0017] This invention features receiving grooves on both sides of the piston, with corresponding elastic pads covering the openings of these grooves. The piston contains multiple damping holes arranged in a ring array, each shaped like an "L" with its ends located at the bottom of one of the receiving grooves. When the air pressure on one side of the piston increases, pushing it to slide, the elastic pad on that side is flattened by the air pressure. The initial exchange of gas between the two elastic pads causes the elastic pad on the other side of the piston to expand. This expansion then buffers the piston as it slides to the end of its stroke. At this point, the piston compresses the elastic pad at that point, causing the gas inside the two elastic pads to exchange again through the damping holes. Because the damping holes have a small diameter, they dampen the gas flow, thus extending the buffering time of the elastic pads on the piston and improving the buffering effect. This reduces the impact force on the piston, preventing damage and ensuring a proper seal. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a half-sectional schematic diagram of the piston structure of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the mounting base structure of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the top rod structure of the present invention.

[0023] In the diagram: 1. Housing 1; 2. Housing 2; 3. Piston; 4. Guide rod; 5. Storage groove; 6. Elastic pad; 7. Damping hole; 8. Guide groove; 9. PCB circuit board; 10. Solenoid valve; 11. Pressure sensor; 12. Mounting base; 13. Mounting groove; 14. Control connector; 15. Fastening bolt; 16. Displacement sensor; 17. Socket; 18. Magnet post; 19. Snap ring groove; 20. Push rod; 21. Bellows; 22. Check valve; 23. Connecting ring; 24. Connecting groove; 25. Limiting groove; 26. Sealing ring; 27. Pressure ring 1; 28. Pressure ring 2; 29. ​​Return spring. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clear and complete, the embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only some, not all, embodiments of the present invention, and are merely illustrative of the embodiments of the present invention. They are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "middle," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," "top," "bottom," "side," "vertical," and "horizontal," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. Furthermore, the terms "a," "first," "second," "third," "fourth," "fifth," and "sixth" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0026] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0027] For purposes of simplicity and illustration, the principles of the embodiments are described primarily by way of example. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these embodiments may not be limited to these specific details in practice. In some instances, well-known methods and structures have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring these embodiments. Furthermore, all embodiments can be used in combination with each other.

[0028] Please see Figures 1 to 5 The present invention provides a technical solution:

[0029] Example 1: An external clutch actuator, comprising:

[0030] The housing consists of a first housing 1 and a second housing 2, which are spliced ​​and fixed together by bolts. They can be disassembled and repaired when needed. A piston 3 is slidably installed in the inner cavity of the first housing 1, which divides the inner cavity of the first housing 1 into two spaces. When the air pressure in the two spaces of the piston 3 creates a pressure difference, the piston 3 can slide accordingly. A guide rod 4 is fixedly connected to the middle of one side of the piston 3. The interior of the second housing 2 is provided with a guide groove 8 for the guide rod 4 to slide into. The guide groove 8 is used to guide the sliding of the guide rod 4 and prevent the piston 3 from tilting.

[0031] Secondly, a receiving groove 5 is annularly formed on both sides of the piston 3. The opening of the receiving groove 5 is covered with a corresponding elastic pad 6. The cavity formed by the elastic pad 6 and the receiving groove 5 is filled with gas. Figure 3 As shown, the elastic pad 6 itself has elasticity. After the cavity formed by the receiving groove 5 and the elastic pad 6 is filled with air, the elastic pad 6 expands and its cross-section is semi-circular. When the piston 3 slides to the end of its stroke, the elastic pad 6 is compressed, and the compression of the gas can buffer the sliding of the piston 3. The piston 3 has multiple damping holes 7 arranged in a ring array inside. The damping holes 7 are set in an "L" shape, and the openings at both ends are located at the bottom of the two receiving grooves 5 respectively. The damping holes 7 are set to connect the inner cavities of the two elastic pads 6. When the air pressure on one side of the piston 3 is greater than the air pressure on the other side, the elastic pad 6 on one side of the piston 3 will be flattened, and the gas will be blocked through the damping holes. The gas is fed into the inner cavity of the elastic pad 6 on the other side of the piston 3 through the damping hole 7. The elastic pad 6 will expand further and increase the internal gas density. After the piston 3 slides to the end of its stroke, the expanded elastic pad 6 can play a good buffering role for the piston 3. When the elastic pad 6 is compressed, it will exchange the gas through the damping hole 7 to the inner cavity of the other elastic pad 6. Since the diameter of the damping hole 7 is small, it will have a damping effect on the gas flow, thereby improving the buffering effect of the elastic pad 6 on the piston 3. In addition, setting the damping hole 7 into an "L" shape can extend the gas flow path and increase the resistance encountered by the gas flow, thereby maximizing the buffering effect on the piston 3.

[0032] In order to detect the air pressure inside the guide groove 8, this application also has a PCB circuit board 9 located above the guide groove 8 inside the housing 2. The surface of the PCB circuit board 9 is provided with a solenoid valve 10 and a pressure sensor 11, and both the solenoid valve 10 and the pressure sensor 11 are controlled by the PCB circuit board 9. The lower end of the solenoid valve 10 and the lower end of the pressure sensor 11 are connected to the inner cavity of the guide groove 8. External compressed gas can enter the inner cavity of the guide groove 8 through the solenoid valve 10 to push the guide rod 4, and then push the piston 3 to slide. The pressure sensor 11 is used to detect the air pressure inside the guide groove 8 and feed it back to the vehicle computer.

[0033] In order to electrically connect the PCB circuit board 9, this application also has a mounting base 12 fixedly installed on the surface of the housing 2 by fastening bolts 15. The inner wall of the mounting base 12 is provided with a mounting groove 13 for fixing the PCB circuit board 9. A control connector 14 electrically connected to the PCB circuit board 9 is provided on one side of the mounting base 12. The control connector 14 is provided for connecting external cables, which on the one hand supply power to the PCB circuit board 9, and on the other hand transmit signals.

[0034] To detect the displacement of piston 3, this application further includes a displacement sensor 16 fixedly installed at the bottom of guide groove 8, a insertion hole 17 at one end of guide rod 4, and a matching magnet post 18 inserted into the inner cavity of insertion hole 17. A retaining ring groove 19 is provided on the inner wall of the opening end of insertion hole 17, and a retaining ring for positioning magnet post 18 is provided at the bottom of retaining ring groove 19. The retaining ring can prevent magnet post 18 from detaching from the inner cavity of insertion hole 17. Displacement sensor 16 is used to detect the displacement of magnet post 18, thereby detecting the displacement of piston 3.

[0035] To control the air pressure in the inner cavities at both ends of housing 1, this application also includes a push rod 20 movably inserted at the end of housing 1 furthest from housing 2, such as... Figure 2 As shown, when the piston 3 slides, it can drive the push rod 20 to move. The push rod 20 can disengage and engage the clutch by pushing the clutch plate of the clutch. A bellows 21 is sleeved on the outside of the push rod 20. One end of the bellows 21 is fixedly connected to the push rod 20, and the other end is fixedly connected to the end of the housing 1. The bellows 21 can deform to cooperate with the sliding of the push rod 20. Two one-way valves 22 are fixedly installed at the end of the housing 1. The two one-way valves 22 are respectively used to vent and inflate the inner cavity of the housing 1 at the corresponding position, thereby realizing the control of the air pressure in the inner cavity of the housing 1. By controlling the air pressure at both ends of the inner cavity of the housing 1, the sliding of the piston 3 can be controlled. In addition, the air pressure acting on the elastic pad 6 can also control whether the elastic pad 6 expands or not.

[0036] To drive the push rod 20 to reciprocate, this application further includes a connecting ring 23 sleeved on the outer side of the end of the push rod 20 near the piston 3. A connecting groove 24 for the push rod 20 to insert into is provided in the middle of the piston 3. An annular limiting groove 25 is provided at the bottom of the connecting groove 24. The connecting ring 23 is located within the limiting groove 25 and engages with it. Figure 5 , Figure 3 and Figure 2 As shown, the piston 3 and the push rod 20 remain relatively fixed. When the piston 3 slides back and forth, it can drive the push rod 20 to push the clutch or move away from the clutch.

[0037] To further buffer the sliding of piston 3, the outer side wall of piston 3 in this application is fitted with the inner side wall of housing 1, and a sealing ring 26 is provided on the outer side wall of piston 3 to improve the sealing between piston 3 and housing 1. A return spring 29 is provided on one side of piston 3. The return spring 29 is movably sleeved on the outside of guide rod 4 and its two ends are fixedly connected to housing 2 and piston 3 respectively. The return spring 29 can further buffer the sliding of piston 3 and reset the sliding of piston 3.

[0038] In order to compress the elastic pad 6, this application also has a pressure ring 27 and a pressure ring 28 respectively provided on both sides of the piston 3, and the pressure ring 27 and the pressure ring 28 are respectively fixed to the inner wall of the housing 1 and the port of the housing 2. The inner diameter of the pressure ring 27 and the pressure ring 28 is smaller than the outer diameter of the piston 3. The pressure ring 27 and the pressure ring 28 correspond to the elastic pad 6 on both sides of the piston 3, and are used to compress the elastic pad 6, thereby achieving buffering of the piston 3.

[0039] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An external clutch actuator, characterized in that: include: The first shell (1) and the second shell (2) are spliced ​​and fixed together. The inner cavity of the first shell (1) is slidably installed with a piston (3) that is compatible with it. A guide rod (4) is fixedly connected to the middle of one side of the piston (3). The inner cavity of the second shell (2) is provided with a guide groove (8) for the guide rod (4) to slide into. The piston (3) has a ring-shaped storage groove (5) on both sides of its edge. The opening of the storage groove (5) is covered with a corresponding elastic pad (6). The cavity formed by the elastic pad (6) and the storage groove (5) is filled with gas. The elastic pad (6) is semi-circular. The piston (3) has multiple damping holes (7) arranged in a ring array inside. The damping holes (7) are set in an "L" shape, and the openings at both ends are located at the bottom of the two storage grooves (5).

2. An external clutch actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interior of the housing 2 (2) is provided with a PCB circuit board (9) located above the guide groove (8). The surface of the PCB circuit board (9) is provided with a solenoid valve (10) and a pressure sensor (11). The solenoid valve (10) and the pressure sensor (11) are both controlled by the PCB circuit board (9). The lower end of the solenoid valve (10) and the lower end of the pressure sensor (11) are both connected to the inner cavity of the guide groove (8).

3. An external clutch actuator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The surface of the housing (2) is fixedly mounted with a mounting base (12) by fastening bolts (15). The inner wall of the mounting base (12) is provided with a mounting groove (13) for fixing the PCB circuit board (9). A control connector (14) electrically connected to the PCB circuit board (9) is provided on one side of the mounting base (12).

4. An external clutch actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: A displacement sensor (16) is fixedly installed at the bottom of the guide groove (8). One end of the guide rod (4) is provided with a socket (17), and a matching magnet post (18) is inserted into the inner cavity of the socket (17). A snap ring groove (19) is provided on the inner wall of the opening end of the socket (17), and a snap ring for positioning the magnet post (18) is provided at the bottom of the snap ring groove (19).

5. An external clutch actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: A top rod (20) is movably inserted into one end of the housing (1) away from the housing (2). A bellows (21) is sleeved on the outside of the top rod (20). One end of the bellows (21) is fixedly connected to the top rod (20), and the other end is fixedly connected to the end of the housing (1). Two one-way valves (22) are fixedly installed at the end of the housing (1).

6. An external clutch actuator according to claim 5, characterized in that: A connecting ring (23) is sleeved on the outer side of the end of the push rod (20) near the piston (3). A connecting groove (24) for the push rod (20) to be inserted is opened in the middle of the piston (3). An annular limiting groove (25) is opened at the bottom of the connecting groove (24). The connecting ring (23) is located in the inner cavity of the limiting groove (25) and is engaged with it.

7. An external clutch actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer side wall of the piston (3) is in contact with the inner side wall of the housing (1), and the outer side wall of the piston (3) is provided with a sealing ring (26). A return spring (29) is provided on one side of the piston (3). The return spring (29) is movably sleeved on the outside of the guide rod (4) and its two ends are respectively fixedly connected to the housing (2) and the piston (3).

8. An external clutch actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The piston (3) is provided with a pressure ring one (27) and a pressure ring two (28) on both sides respectively. The pressure ring one (27) and the pressure ring two (28) are fixed to the inner wall of the housing one (1) and the port of the housing two (2) respectively. The inner diameter of the pressure ring one (27) and the pressure ring two (28) is smaller than the outer diameter of the piston (3).

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