Clutch air compressor

Abstract

The present application relates to a clutch air compressor comprising: a clutch housing provided with a fulcrum bolt hole and defining a clutch extension length in a longitudinal direction; the air compressor shell is connected to the clutch shell through an installation interface, the installation interface is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the fulcrum distance between the fulcrum bolt hole and the installation interface in the longitudinal direction is smaller than 40% of the extension length of the clutch. According to the clutch air compressor, the mounting surface pressure distribution and the dynamic slip rate between the clutch shell and the engine mounting surface can be effectively improved, and the oil leakage phenomenon caused by a gap between the clutch shell and the engine mounting surface is prevented.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a clutch air compressor, which is mainly used for commercial vehicles. Background Art

[0002] An air compressor is a product used on commercial vehicles to provide a continuous supply of compressed air. The compressed air produced by the air compressor is used for vehicle braking, gear shifting assistance, clutch assistance, air suspension, air seats, door opening and closing, etc. The air compressor is installed on the engine and is also an accessory part driven by the engine transmission system of the engine. With the implementation of the National VI emission standard, the country's requirements for emissions are becoming increasingly strict, and the national policy is still further tightening the emission requirements. For traditional fuel vehicles using internal combustion engines, the tightening of emission standards means lower fuel consumption, reduced greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter emissions. The clutch air compressor is an air compressor technology that can achieve the best fuel-saving effect and the least carbon dioxide emissions at the present stage. Its working principle is to connect the driving gear and the air compressor crankshaft through the friction plates in the clutch pack, and realize the torque transmission and energy transmission between the driving gear and the air compressor crankshaft system through the friction force of the friction plates. When the air compressor is normally pumping air, the friction plates are in contact with each other, the air compressor gear drives the air compressor crankshaft system, and the air compressor delivers a continuous air flow; when the air compressor does not need to deliver air, the friction plates are disengaged, the air compressor gear continues to rotate, and the air compressor crankshaft system stops running due to the loss of transmission, the air compressor stops working, and the engine only needs to drive the air compressor gear to idle, reducing the engine power consumption to the lowest. By using a clutch air compressor, depending on the different displacements of the air compressor and the different road conditions of the vehicle, fuel savings of 600 to 1250 liters per year can be achieved, and at the same time, carbon dioxide emissions of 1.6 to 3.3 tons per year can be achieved.

[0003] The clutch air compressor is usually installed on the engine, for example, on the side surface of the engine crankcase of the engine transmission system housing or a dedicated mounting surface. The vibration experienced by the clutch air compressor during operation has a significant impact on the mounting surface pressure and slip rate of the clutch air compressor on the engine mounting surface, and oil leakage may occur at the engine mounting surface due to washer damage. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] The main purpose of the present application is to provide a clutch air compressor that can overcome the defects existing in the above-mentioned prior art.

[0005] An object of the present application is to provide a clutch air compressor that can avoid oil leakage at the engine mounting surface.

[0006] Another object of the present application is to provide a clutch air compressor, which can have an improved distribution of the mounting surface pressure on the engine mounting surface and the slip rate can be within the standard range.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present application, there is provided a clutch air compressor, comprising:

[0008] a clutch housing, the clutch housing being provided with pivot bolt holes and defining a clutch extension length in the longitudinal direction; and

[0009] an air compressor housing, the air compressor housing being coupled to the clutch housing through a mounting interface perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the pivot distance of the pivot bolt hole along the longitudinal direction to the mounting interface being less than 40% of the clutch extension length.

[0010] In some embodiments of the clutch air compressor, the pivot distance of the pivot bolt hole along the longitudinal direction to the mounting interface is less than 35% of the clutch extension length.

[0011] In some embodiments of the clutch air compressor, the pivot distance of the pivot bolt hole along the longitudinal direction to the mounting interface is 20% to 35% of the clutch extension length.

[0012] In some embodiments of the clutch air compressor, the pivot distance of the pivot bolt hole along the longitudinal direction to the mounting interface is 30% to 35% of the clutch extension length.

[0013] In some embodiments of the clutch air compressor, the pivot distance of the pivot bolt hole along the longitudinal direction to the mounting interface is 54 mm to 72 mm.

[0014] In some embodiments of the clutch air compressor, the pivot distance of the pivot bolt hole along the longitudinal direction to the mounting interface is 58 mm to 68 mm.

[0015] In some embodiments of the clutch air compressor, the pivot distance of the pivot bolt hole along the longitudinal direction to the mounting interface is 63 mm.

[0016] By reducing the pivot distance, the distribution of the mounting surface pressure and the dynamic slip rate between the clutch housing and the engine mounting surface can be effectively improved, and oil leakage caused by the gap between the clutch housing and the engine mounting surface can be prevented.

[0017] In some embodiments of the clutch air compressor, a boss is formed on the pivot bolt hole, and the boss is configured to extend the bolt engagement length of the pivot bolt hole.

[0018] In some embodiments of the clutch air compressor, a boss is formed on the fulcrum bolt hole, and the height of the boss is 10% to 50% of the height of the fulcrum bolt hole.

[0019] By providing a boss on the fulcrum bolt hole, the engagement length of the bolt is increased, the engagement area is enlarged, thereby increasing friction, improving the mounting surface pressure distribution around the fulcrum bolt hole, and enhancing the ability to resist slip during vibration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] After reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, various aspects of the present application will be better understood. In the drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a clutch air compressor according to some embodiments of the present application is shown; and

[0022] Figure 2 Another schematic diagram of a clutch air compressor according to some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0023] LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0024] Clutch air compressor 1;

[0025] Engine mounting surface 10;

[0026] Clutch housing 20; Clutch mounting surface 220; Fulcrum bolt hole 232; Bolt hole axis 233; Mounting bolt hole 234; Boss 240;

[0027] Air compressor housing 30; Air compressor mounting surface 320;

[0028] Mounting interface 400; Fulcrum distance A; Clutch extension length D. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which several embodiments of the present application are shown. However, it should be understood that the present application can be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below; in fact, the embodiments described below are intended to make the disclosure of the present application more complete and fully explain the scope of protection of the present application to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide more additional embodiments.

[0030] It should be understood that in all the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same elements. In the drawings, for clarity, the dimensions of some features may be distorted.

[0031] It should be understood that the terms in the specification are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present application. All terms used in the specification (including technical terms and scientific terms) have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art unless otherwise defined. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, well-known functions or structures may not be described in detail.

[0032] The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “said” used in the specification include the plural forms unless clearly specified. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” used in the specification indicate the presence of the claimed features, but do not preclude the presence of one or more other features. The term “and / or” used in the specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items. The terms “between X and Y” and “between about X and Y” used in the specification should be construed to include X and Y. The term “between about X and Y” used in this specification means “between about X and about Y,” and the term “from about X to Y” used in this specification means “from about X to about Y.”

[0033] In the specification, when an element is said to be “on,” “attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” to, or “in contact” with another element, etc., the element can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled to, or in contact with the other element, or there may be intervening elements. In contrast, when an element is said to be “directly” on, “directly attached” to, “directly connected” to, “directly coupled” to, or “directly in contact” with another element, there will be no intervening elements. In the specification, when a feature is arranged “adjacent” to another feature, it may mean that the feature has a part that overlaps with the adjacent feature or a part that is above or below the adjacent feature.

[0034] In the specification, spatial relationship terms such as “above,” “below,” “left,” “right,” “front,” “rear,” “high,” “low,” etc. may describe the relationship between one feature and another feature in the drawings. It should be understood that the spatial relationship terms include different orientations of the device during use or operation in addition to the orientations shown in the drawings. For example, when the device in the drawing is inverted, a feature originally described as “below” other features may then be described as “above” the other features. The device may also be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the relative spatial relationships will be interpreted accordingly at this time.

[0035] An air compressor is a product used in commercial vehicles to provide a continuous supply of compressed air. The compressed air produced by the air compressor is used for vehicle braking, shift assistance, clutch assistance, air suspension, air seats, door opening and closing, etc. The air compressor is installed on the engine and is also an accessory part driven by the engine drivetrain. With the implementation of the National VI emission standard, the country's requirements for emissions are becoming increasingly strict, and the national policy is still further tightening the emission requirements. For traditional fuel vehicles with internal combustion engines, the tightening of emission standards means lower fuel consumption, reduced greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides, and particulate emissions. The clutch air compressor is an air compressor technology that can achieve the best fuel-saving effect and the least carbon dioxide emissions at present. Its working principle is to connect the driving gear and the air compressor crankshaft through the friction plate in the clutch pack, and realize the torque transfer and energy transfer between the driving gear and the air compressor crankshaft system through the friction force of the friction plate.

[0036] The clutch air compressor is usually installed on the engine, for example, bolted to the engine mounting surface. During operation, there may always be a vibration effect on the clutch air compressor, which affects the installation structure between the clutch air compressor and the engine, that is, it affects the mounting bolts, and thus has a significant impact on the mounting surface pressure and slip rate of the clutch air compressor on the engine mounting surface, which may cause oil leakage at the engine mounting surface.

[0037] To avoid the occurrence of the above failure situations, the installation of the clutch air compressor can be improved, for example, increasing the pre-tightening force of the mounting bolts and improving the joint degree between the clutch air compressor and the engine mounting surface. However, there may be certain process limitations in both the bolt pre-tightening force and the mounting surface joint degree, making it difficult to overcome the above failure situations. Therefore, this application attempts to overcome the defects existing in the above prior art from another unconventional perspective by using other means.

[0038] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the clutch air compressor according to some embodiments of the present application will be described in detail. Those skilled in the art should understand that these descriptions and embodiments are merely exemplary and not restrictive.

[0039] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a clutch air compressor 1 according to some embodiments of the present application is shown. Figure 2 Another schematic diagram of the clutch air compressor 1 according to some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0040] The clutch air compressor 1 according to some embodiments of the present application includes a clutch housing 20 and an air compressor housing 30. The clutch housing 20 is mounted to the engine mounting surface 10, thereby fixedly mounting the clutch air compressor 1 to the engine mounting surface 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the engine mounting surface 10 is only schematically shown.

[0041] For the sake of description, in the illustration, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis orthogonal to each other are defined. The X-axis generally corresponds to the extension direction of the clutch housing 20, the Y-axis generally corresponds to the extension direction of the air compressor housing 30, the plane defined by the X-axis and the Y-axis is generally parallel to the engine mounting surface 10, and the Z-axis is perpendicular to the engine mounting surface 10.

[0042] The clutch housing 20 includes a clutch mounting surface 220. In the illustrated embodiment, the clutch mounting surface 220 can be in the form of a plane, generally parallel to the Y-axis and generally perpendicular to the X-axis. Similarly, the air compressor housing 30 includes an air compressor mounting surface 320. In the illustrated embodiment, the air compressor mounting surface 320 can be in the form of a plane, generally parallel to the Y-axis and generally perpendicular to the X-axis. The clutch mounting surface 220 and the air compressor mounting surface 320 are joined to each other to fixedly couple the clutch housing 20 and the air compressor housing 30 together, such that an installation interface 400 is formed between the clutch housing 20 and the air compressor housing 30. It can be understood that the installation interface 400 is in the form of a plane, generally parallel to the Y-axis and generally perpendicular to the X-axis.

[0043] The clutch housing 20 can be provided with a plurality of bolt holes for mounting the clutch air compressor 1 to the engine mounting surface 10 by bolts. The bolt holes generally extend along the Z-axis, that is, perpendicular to the engine mounting surface 10, such that the bolts for installation also extend perpendicular to the engine mounting surface 10. When the clutch housing 20 is mounted to the engine mounting surface 10 by the mounting bolts, the air compressor housing 30 is in a suspended state, that is, suspended from the clutch housing 20 at the installation interface 400. After the mounting bolts mount the clutch housing 20 to the engine mounting surface 10, through the pre-tightening force of the bolts, an installation surface pressure distributed along the contact surface can be generated between the clutch housing 20 and the engine mounting surface 10. Through this installation surface pressure, the clutch housing 20 and the engine mounting surface 10 are hermetically joined together to prevent, for example, oil leakage from within the clutch housing 20. The installation surface pressure needs to always be within a predetermined range. Once the installation surface pressure decreases below the predetermined range, there may be a risk of leakage.

[0044] After the clutch air compressor 1 is installed on the engine mounting surface 10, during operation, the air compressor part of the clutch air compressor 1 usually undergoes reciprocating vibrations along the extension direction of the air compressor housing 30, that is, reciprocating vibrations along the Y-axis direction. This reciprocating vibration is transmitted to the clutch housing 20 via the mounting interface 400, and then acts on the bolts in the bolt holes, affecting the fixation and sealing performance of the clutch air compressor 1 on the engine mounting surface 10. When the air compressor housing 30 of the clutch air compressor 1 undergoes reciprocating vibrations along the Y-axis direction, the vibration is transmitted to cause the entire clutch air compressor 1 to perform a reciprocating motion with a certain mounting bolt among multiple mounting bolts as the fulcrum, such as a sliding motion. This mounting bolt can be referred to as the fulcrum bolt, and the bolt hole where it is located can be referred to as the fulcrum bolt hole. The fulcrum bolt hole is usually a bolt hole that is closer to the mounting interface 400 and closer to the air compressor housing 30 along the extension direction of the air compressor housing 30. The above-mentioned reciprocating motion will cause the clutch housing 20 to slide relative to the engine mounting surface 10 to a certain extent. The slip rate of the clutch housing 20 relative to the engine mounting surface 10 needs to be within a predetermined range. Once the slip rate increases beyond the predetermined range, there may be a risk of leakage.

[0045] In the illustrated embodiment, the clutch housing 20 is provided with six bolt holes, including one fulcrum bolt hole 232 and five mounting bolt holes 234. The six bolt holes can be distributed approximately evenly around the clutch housing 20, such as Figure 1 shown. Relative to the mounting bolt holes 234, the fulcrum bolt hole 232 is closer to the mounting interface 400 and closer to the air compressor housing 30 in the Y-axis direction, as Figure 1 and 2 shown. During operation, the impact force on the fulcrum bolt in the fulcrum bolt hole 232 is greater. Therefore, the mounting surface pressure between the clutch housing 20 around the fulcrum bolt hole 232 and the engine mounting surface 10 is more likely to be affected. The reduction of this mounting surface pressure may cause a gap to appear between the clutch housing 20 and the engine mounting surface 10, resulting in oil leakage. At the same time, the slip rate at this location may also increase, which will also cause a gap to appear between the clutch housing 20 and the engine mounting surface 10, resulting in oil leakage.

[0046] According to some embodiments of the present application, the extension direction of the clutch housing 20 along the X-axis is defined as the longitudinal direction. The clutch housing 20 defines a clutch extension length D in this longitudinal direction, that is, the length of the clutch housing 20 extending along the X-axis, as Figure 1 and 2As shown. The pivot bolt hole 232 has a bolt hole axis 233 extending along its hole center, and the bolt hole axis 233 is substantially parallel to the Z-axis. According to some embodiments of the present application, the pivot bolt hole 232 defines a pivot distance A to the mounting interface 400 in the longitudinal direction, that is, the distance from the bolt hole axis 233 to the mounting interface 400, as Figure 1 and 2 shown.

[0047] According to some embodiments of the present application, the pivot distance A of the pivot bolt hole 232 to the mounting interface 400 in the longitudinal direction is defined to be less than 40% of the clutch extension length D of the clutch housing 20 in the longitudinal direction. Through finite element modeling analysis and multiple experimental demonstrations, the applicant noticed that by reducing the pivot distance A, the mounting surface pressure distribution and dynamic slip rate between the clutch housing 20 and the engine mounting surface 10 can be improved. For specific examples, reference can be made to the examples described later.

[0048] According to some embodiments of the present application, the pivot distance A of the pivot bolt hole 232 to the mounting interface 400 in the longitudinal direction can be defined to be less than 35% of the clutch extension length D of the clutch housing 20 in the longitudinal direction, such as less than 30%, 25%, etc.

[0049] According to some embodiments of the present application, the pivot distance A of the pivot bolt hole 232 to the mounting interface 400 in the longitudinal direction can be defined to be 20% to 35% of the clutch extension length D of the clutch housing 20 in the longitudinal direction.

[0050] According to some embodiments of the present application, the pivot distance A of the pivot bolt hole 232 to the mounting interface 400 in the longitudinal direction can be defined to be 30% to 35% of the clutch extension length D of the clutch housing 20 in the longitudinal direction.

[0051] According to some embodiments of the present application, the pivot distance A of the pivot bolt hole 232 to the mounting interface 400 in the longitudinal direction can be designed to be 54 mm to 72 mm.

[0052] According to some embodiments of the present application, the pivot distance A of the pivot bolt hole 232 to the mounting interface 400 in the longitudinal direction can be designed to be 58 mm to 68 mm.

[0053] According to some embodiments of the present application, the pivot distance A of the pivot bolt hole 232 to the mounting interface 400 in the longitudinal direction can be designed to be 63 mm.

[0054] According to some embodiments of the present application, a boss 240 can be provided on the pivot bolt hole 232. As Figure 2As shown, the boss 240 protrudes from the fulcrum bolt hole 232 in the Z-axis direction relative to the engine mounting surface 10. The boss 240 can be fixed to the fulcrum bolt hole 232 or can be integral with the fulcrum bolt hole 232.

[0055] The boss 240 can be configured to extend the threaded connection pressure cone or extend the engagement length of the bolt. When the boss 240 is provided, the bolt can also extend through the boss 240. At this time, both the bolt and the boss 240 are engaged, which is equivalent to increasing the bolt engagement length.

[0056] In some embodiments, the height of the boss 240 (the length extending in the Z-axis direction) is 10% to 50% of the height of the fulcrum bolt hole 232 (the length extending in the Z-axis direction). For example, it is 20% to 40%, 30%, etc.

[0057] By providing the boss 240 on the fulcrum bolt hole 232, the bolt engagement length is increased, the mounting surface pressure distribution around the fulcrum bolt hole 232 is improved, and the ability to resist slip during vibration is enhanced. After the applicant performed finite element modeling analysis on the structure with the added boss 240, the results showed that this improved structure significantly improved the mounting surface pressure distribution around the fulcrum bolt hole 232 and could effectively prevent the occurrence of gaps between the clutch housing 20 and the engine mounting surface 10.

[0058] Example 1

[0059] In the initial design of the clutch housing, the fulcrum distance from the fulcrum bolt hole to the mounting interface in the longitudinal direction is 80 mm, which is greater than 40% of the clutch extension length of the clutch housing in the longitudinal direction. For the clutch air compressor with this initial design, finite element modeling was performed. The clutch air compressor was installed on the engine mounting surface, bolt pre-tightening forces were applied to the mounting bolts and the fulcrum bolts, and then the clutch air compressor was in a normal operating state, such as applying in-cylinder working air pressure and water pressure, and CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) analysis and calculation were performed on this air compressor. The calculation results showed that near the fulcrum bolt hole, a blank area appeared in the mounting surface pressure, and a gap appeared between the clutch housing and the engine mounting surface.

[0060] Improve the above design according to the principle of this application. The distance from the fulcrum bolt hole to the fulcrum of the installation interface in the longitudinal direction is 63 mm, which is less than 40% of the clutch extension length of the clutch housing in the longitudinal direction. Perform finite element modeling on the clutch air compressor with this improved design, install the clutch air compressor on the engine mounting surface, apply bolt pre-tightening force to the mounting bolts and fulcrum bolts, and then make the clutch air compressor in a normal operating state, such as applying in-cylinder working air pressure and water pressure, and perform CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) analysis and calculation on this air compressor. The calculation results show that near the fulcrum bolt hole, there is no blank area in the installation surface pressure, there is no gap between the clutch housing and the engine mounting surface, and the overall installation surface pressure distribution is greater than the standard surface pressure value, with obvious improvement. The dynamic slip rate after improvement is within the standard range, and there is no gap between the clutch housing and the engine mounting surface. Overall, the simulation results show that there is no oil leakage between the clutch housing and the engine mounting surface.

[0061] Although the exemplary embodiments of this application have been described, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application in essence. Therefore, all changes and modifications are included in the protection scope of this application defined by the claims. This application is defined by the appended claims, and equivalents of these claims are also included.

Claims

1. A clutch air compressor, characterized in that: The clutch air compressor comprises: a clutch housing provided with a fulcrum bolt hole and defining a clutch extension length in a longitudinal direction; and An air compressor housing is connected to the clutch housing through a mounting interface, the mounting interface is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a fulcrum distance from the fulcrum bolt hole to the mounting interface along the longitudinal direction is less than 40% of an extension length of the clutch.

2. The clutch air compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that: A fulcrum distance from the fulcrum bolt hole to the mounting interface along the longitudinal direction is less than 35% of an extension length of the clutch.

3. The clutch air compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that: A fulcrum distance from the fulcrum bolt hole to the mounting interface along the longitudinal direction is 20% to 35% of the extension length of the clutch.

4. The clutch air compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that: A fulcrum distance from the fulcrum bolt hole to the mounting interface along the longitudinal direction is 30% to 35% of the extension length of the clutch.

5. The clutch air compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fulcrum distance from the fulcrum bolt hole to the mounting interface along the longitudinal direction is 54 mm to 72 mm.

6. The clutch air compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fulcrum distance from the fulcrum bolt hole to the mounting interface along the longitudinal direction is 58 mm to 68 mm.

7. The clutch air compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fulcrum distance from the fulcrum bolt hole to the mounting interface along the longitudinal direction is 63 mm.

8. The clutch air compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that: A boss is formed on the fulcrum bolt hole, and the boss is configured to extend a joining length of the fulcrum bolt hole.

9. The clutch air compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that: A boss is formed on the fulcrum bolt hole, and a height of the boss is 10% to 50% of a height of the fulcrum bolt hole.

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