Dog Clutch Actuator

Abstract

An actuator for connecting and disconnecting a dog clutch having an axially movable sleeve (3), the actuator (4) comprising an electric motor (6). A rotor (61) of the motor is connected to an actuator rod (7). An eccentric pin (5) is provided at the end of the actuator rod (7). The eccentric pin (5) is configured to cooperate with the clutch sleeve (3) such that a rotation of the actuator rod (7) by the motor of 180° or less from a rotational position corresponding to one axial end position of the clutch sleeve (3) to a rotational position corresponding to the other axial end position of the clutch sleeve (3) results in the connection or disconnection of the dog clutch.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an actuator that operates an electric motor to move a clutch sleeve in the axial direction to connect (couple) and disconnect a dog clutch. The present invention also relates to an electric motor for a dog clutch actuator, a dog clutch including the actuator, and a vehicle including the dog clutch. [Background technology]

[0002] Dog clutches of the type described herein can be used in many applications, typical examples of which include AWD (All Wheel Drive) vehicles, such as:

[0003] The drive system of an AWD vehicle may have an engine, a front axle with a differential, an intermediate shaft or cardan shaft, and a rear axle with a differential. In order to control the distribution of torque to the rear axle as well as the front axle depending on the driving conditions, a disk coupling, which is often used, is placed on the intermediate shaft close to the differential in the drive system to the rear axle.

[0004] The function of the coupling when driving the vehicle in AWD mode is described elsewhere, for example in WO2011 / 043722.

[0005] When it is desired to drive an AWD vehicle in FWD (Forward Wheel Drive) mode, the disc coupling is disengaged, i.e. its discs are separated so that no torque is transmitted. The coupling can be said to be in disengaged mode. To enhance this disengaging effect, the oil normally provided in the coupling for lubrication and cooling of the coupling discs can be removed from the coupling. In order to reduce the acceleration of the rotating mass of the intermediate propulsion shaft and to eliminate drag torques on the bearings and sealings, a clutch may be provided, preferably close to the front axle differential, to stop the intermediate shaft in FWD mode of the vehicle.

[0006] The clutch is preferably a dog clutch having two distinct positions for connection or disconnection. The two coaxial shafts to be connected or disconnected may be provided with end splines. An axially movable clutch sleeve may be used for the mechanical engagement of the clutch.

[0007] It is important that the operation of such an axially movable clutch sleeve be reliable and preferably smooth. Such characteristics are ultimately determined by the interface between the actuator and the axially movable clutch sleeve, as well as the actuator itself. Many actuator controlled dog clutches today have problems related to variations in the actuator force applied to the axially movable sleeve, and therefore have reliability problems associated therewith. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The object of the teaching of the present invention is to provide a dog clutch actuator that allows to alleviate some of the problems of the prior art. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an electric motor for use in a dog clutch actuator, a dog clutch with said actuator and finally a vehicle comprising a dog clutch, which are improved over the prior art. This object is achieved by a concept having the characteristics set forth in the independent claims. Preferred embodiments thereof are defined in the associated dependent claims.

[0009] According to a first aspect, there is provided an actuator for connecting and disconnecting a dog clutch, the actuator having an axially movable sleeve. The actuator comprises an electric motor, the rotor of which is connected to a rotatable actuator rod. An eccentric pin is provided at the end of the actuator rod. The eccentric pin is configured to cooperate with the clutch sleeve such that a rotation of the actuator rod by the motor of 180° or less from a rotational position corresponding to one axial end position of the clutch sleeve to a rotational position corresponding to the other axial end position of the clutch sleeve leads to connecting or disconnecting the dog clutch. The electric motor of the actuator is configured to reduce the variation of a linear axial force transmitted by the eccentric pin to the clutch sleeve during rotation of the actuator rod. The reduction of the variation of the linear axial force allows for a more reliable actuation of the dog clutch. Preferably, the variation of the linear axial force is less than 10%, or even less than 5%. If the maximum thrust is in the range of 25N, then in such an embodiment the linear axial force will always be within the range of 25±2.5% N, i.e. 25±0.3125N.

[0010] In some applications, the difference between the maximum and minimum axial forces can limit the use of a rotary actuator, i.e. the minimum axial force is too low, but when the motor torque is increased the maximum axial force becomes too high. This situation is largely avoided by the present invention.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the coils of the electric motor are connected in series. The electric motor configuration mitigates the amplification of axial forces inherently present in rotary actuators when rotary motion is converted to axial motion.

[0012] The electric motor may be arranged relative to the actuator such that it has only one torque output maximum between the two axial end positions of the clutch sleeve for each current direction provided to the electric motor.

[0013] In an embodiment, the torque output of the electric motor decreases symmetrically around a torque output maximum in both directions of actuator rod rotation, thus providing a torque output profile that essentially matches and mitigates the effects of axial force amplification.

[0014] The first axial end position of the clutch sleeve may equate to a position of the actuator rod between -80° and 65°. The second axial end position of the clutch sleeve may equate to a position of the actuator rod between 65° and 80°. A rotation range of the actuator less than 180° improves the reliability of operation since the motor torque output decreases with increasing / decreasing rotation distance from the 0° position. As the actuator rod approaches 90° or -90°, the torque decreases significantly or even disappears completely, so such positions of the actuator rod, and more specifically of the rotor of the electric motor, are preferably avoided.

[0015] The maximum torque output of the electric motor may be located at an actuator rod position between -10° and 10°, preferably at about 0°, which means that the electric motor and actuator are positioned such that the maximum torque output corresponds to a rotational position substantially in the middle of the rotational end positions of the actuator rod.

[0016] An actuator rod position of about 0° may equate to an axial position of the clutch sleeve substantially midway between its axial end positions.

[0017] In one embodiment, the eccentric radius of the eccentric pin is between 2.5 mm and 4 mm, and preferably is about 3.15 mm.

[0018] In a second aspect, there is provided an electric motor configured for use in a dog clutch actuator according to the first aspect. The electric motor is a two-pole brushless DC motor.

[0019] In one embodiment, the electric motor includes a centrally located permanent magnet rotor connected to an actuator rod and an outer stationary armature.

[0020] In one embodiment, the coils of the electric motor are connected in series.

[0021] In a third aspect, there is provided a dog clutch for connecting and disconnecting two shafts in a drive line of a vehicle, the dog clutch comprising an actuator according to the first aspect driven by an electric motor according to the second aspect.

[0022] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a vehicle comprising a dog clutch according to the third aspect.

[0023] The invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a dog clutch according to an embodiment. [Figure 2a] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electric motor according to an embodiment. [Figure 2b] FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a prior art electric motor. [Figure 2c] FIG. 2c illustrates the torque output of the prior art electric motor of FIG. 2b. [Figure 3a] 1 is a circuit diagram of an electric motor according to an embodiment. [Figure 3b] FIG. 4 is a diagram of torque output from an electric motor according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of certain components of an actuator according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating amplification of an eccentric force of the actuator according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram of the linear force of an actuator according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] The disclosed embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like elements throughout, and in which specific embodiments of the invention are shown.

[0026] Drive systems for AWD (All Wheel Drive) vehicles are well known in the art. A typical example is shown in WO 2011 / 043722, as mentioned above in the Background section. The present invention relates to a dog clutch for use in such a system, for example.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a general view of a dog clutch 100 journalled for rotation for connecting or disconnecting a normal shaft 1 and a hollow shaft 2. The normal shaft 1 is provided with an external spline which cooperates with an internal spline of a clutch sleeve 3 which is also provided with external teeth which cooperate with internal teeth of the hollow shaft 2. When the clutch sleeve 3 is in the left position as shown in FIG. 1, the dog clutch 100 is in an engaged mode. On the other hand, when the clutch sleeve 3 is moved to the right side of FIG. 1, the dog clutch is disengaged.

[0028] The invention relates to an actuator 4 for effecting axial movement of the clutch sleeve 3 between an engaged and disengaged position.

[0029] The rotary type clutch actuator 4, or rotary clutch actuator for short, is fixed in a housing surrounding the dog clutch and is axially terminated by an eccentric pin 5. This pin 5 extends in the illustrated embodiment in a shift bush 8, which is guided in the housing and located in a circumferential groove in the clutch sleeve 3. The shift bush 8 has an oblong hole in which the eccentric pin 5 moves. This eccentric pin 5 is eccentrically mounted on the end of a cylindrical actuator rod 7 journalled in the actuator housing.

[0030] Other practical solutions for converting the rotational movement of the eccentric pin 5 into the axial movement of the clutch sleeve 3 are feasible. When the rod 7 with the eccentric pin 5 rotates less than 180° from the position of FIG. 1 (where the pin 5 is in the full left position and the dog clutch is fully engaged), the pin 5 reaches the full right position with the dog clutch fully disengaged. However, it is preferred that the rotation of the eccentric pin 5 is less than 180°. The span between the rotational positions α1 and α2 (shown in FIG. 4) is preferably in the range of 170°-130°, more preferably about 150°-140°, and most preferably about 144°. The preferred range of the rotational angles α1-α2 is explained more fully in connection with FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. It should be noted that for clarity of explanation of the actuator 4, the rotational position angle α3 of the actuator rod 7 is 0°, which preferably corresponds to the axial position of the clutch sleeve 3 approximately in the middle between its axial end positions.

[0031] At the top of Figure 1, an electric motor 6 is shown. The electric motor 6 provides a rotational drive force or torque that is then converted into axial motion of the clutch sleeve 3. The electric motor 6 is fixedly attached to the housing of the dog clutch 100. The electric motor 6 is preferably a two-pole brushless DC motor, although other electric motor configurations are feasible and considered within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0032] Referring to Figure 2a, a cross-sectional view of an electric motor 6 is shown. As can be seen, the electric motor 6 comprises an outer fixed armature 62 in the form of a permanent magnet and an inner rotor 61. It should be noted that the motor 6 could also have an outer permanent magnet rotor and an inner fixed armature in an opposing arrangement. The following description is based on the configuration shown in Figure 2a, but is equally applicable to the opposite configuration.

[0033] As can be seen, the armature comprises three coils or windings 63, 64, 65. As is common knowledge in the art, each of the coils 63, 64, 65 generates a magnetic field depending on the direction of current passing through them. A problem with existing electric motors in the context of being used to drive rotary actuators for dog clutches is that under normal operation as shown in Figure 2b, they provide a more or less uniform torque during a full revolution of the rotor 61 as shown in Figure 2c. Each phase contributes a total torque which is more or less constant as the motor rotates.

[0034] Usually, and in most applications, this is desirable. However, in the context of the present invention, when converting the rotational motion of the eccentric pin 5 into the axial motion of the clutch sleeve 3, the constant torque output from the electric motor 6 results in a non-uniform axial force over the axial translation of the clutch sleeve 3. This is because there is an amplification of the axial force when the eccentric pin 5 or the actuator rod 7 approaches its rotational end point, i.e. for high (i.e. close to 90°) or low (i.e. close to -90°) angles α1, α2, i.e. when the clutch sleeve 3 approaches either of its axial end positions. In other words, the axial force applied by the eccentric pin 5 to the clutch sleeve 3 is lowest for the actuator rod position angle α3 of 0° in the case of the prior art solution, and then increases for higher or lower angles α1, α2.

[0035] To solve this problem, and referring now to Figure 3a, the coils 63, 64, 65 in the electric motor 6 of the present invention are instead connected in series. The coils are arranged circumferentially around the rotor 61 and are essentially equally spaced approximately 120° apart. Current flows through each of the coils 63, 64, 65, resulting in a total current I = I1 = -I2 = -I3.

[0036] It is desirable to counteract the above-mentioned amplifying effect of the eccentric pin 5 by providing a decreasing torque output from the electric motor 6 as the actuator rod 7 approaches its end position of rotation. However, it is undesirable to have to use sophisticated control systems, sensors, etc. to achieve this.

[0037] In the present invention, the wiring of the electric motor 6 shown in Figure 3a is such that as the motor 6 rotates away from the center position, the torque output decreases as shown in Figure 3b. With an angle offset of 0°, maximum torque is obtained.

[0038] The rotor 61 is connected to the actuator rod 7 as previously described, preferably directly, but may involve intervening components or gears. In any event, the position of the rotor 61 shown in Figure 2a preferably corresponds to a position of the actuator rod 7 of about 0° (i.e., when the angle α3 is about 0°). As the rotor 61 rotates in either direction away from the position shown, the torque output decreases until it reaches its maximum rotation of the actuator rod 7, i.e., 90° on either side of the maximum torque position, or preferably less.

[0039] 4, there is shown a schematic diagram of how the movement of the actuator rod 7 and the eccentric pin 5 attached thereto relates to the electric motor 6, and more specifically to the coils 63, 64, 65 of the electric motor 6. The axial movement, or stroke S, of the clutch sleeve 3 is indicated by the arrow. The orientation of the electric motor 6 with respect to the intended axial movement of the clutch sleeve 3 is important in order to ensure that the maximum torque output of the motor 6 corresponds to a rotation angle α3 of the actuator rod 7 of 0°, and similarly, that the axial position of the clutch sleeve 3 corresponds essentially to a midpoint between its axial end positions. However, it is possible to use other configurations, for example offset from the 0° rotational position α3 of the actuator rod 7 where the torque output is maximum, and / or where the axial position of the clutch sleeve 3 is not midpoint between its two axial end positions, but is equivalent to a rotational position α3 of the actuator rod 7 being 0°.

[0040] The stroke S of the axially movable clutch sleeve 3 is preferably between 2 mm and 10 mm, more preferably between 4 mm and 8 mm, and further preferably about 6 mm.

[0041] The eccentric radius, i.e., the distance from the center of the eccentric pin 5 to the center of the actuator rod 7 (more specifically, the rotation axis of the eccentric pin 5), is preferably 1 mm to 5 mm, more preferably 2 mm to 4 mm, and even more preferably about 3.15 mm.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the range of positions α1 to α2 of the actuator rod 7 is approximately 144° (-72° to 72°), and the eccentric radius is approximately 3.15 mm. The stroke S of the clutch sleeve 3 from one axial end position to the other is approximately 6 mm.

[0043] 5-6 show all figures with simulated values ​​for this preferred embodiment, other embodiments provide different values, but the same reasoning may be applied nonetheless. These values ​​are applicable for either current direction, but one skilled in the art will recognize that the direction of torque, etc., is reversed. FIGS. 5 and 6 relate to FIG. 3b and show the actuator torque output as the actuator rod 7 rotates from -72° to 72°. As seen in FIG. 3b, the torque output has a maximum value near the actuator position angle α3 of 0°. Then, as the actuator rod 7 approaches its rotation end position, the torque decreases substantially symmetrically on either side of the torque maximum value.

[0044] Figure 5 shows the amplification of eccentric forces, which is the undesired behavior that the electric motor 6, i.e. actuator 4, of the present invention is intended to mitigate. The amplification effect occurs when the rotational movement of the actuator rod 7 in increasing / decreasing angles α1, α2 is translated into decreasing axial movement of the clutch sleeve 3.

[0045] 6 is the linear axial force measured on the clutch sleeve 3 shown from one rotational endpoint of the actuator rod 7 to the other. As can be seen, the variation in torque supplied by the motor 6 and the proper relationship between the electric motor 6 and the actuator 4 produces an essentially constant linear force over the entire angular range of the actuator rod 7. This represents an improved dog clutch 100 over prior art dog clutches that use rotary actuators, increasing the number of applications in which rotary actuator dog clutches can be used.

[0046] It should be mentioned that the inventive concept is not limited to the embodiments described herein, but several modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. An actuator for engaging and disengaging a dog clutch having an axially movable clutch sleeve (3), comprising: the actuator (4) comprises an electric motor (6), the rotor (61) of which is connected to a rotatable actuator rod (7), the end of which is provided with an eccentric pin (5), the eccentric pin (5) being configured to cooperate with the clutch sleeve (3) such that a rotation of the actuator rod (7) by the electric motor (6) of not more than 180° from a rotation position corresponding to one axial end position of the clutch sleeve (3) to a rotation position corresponding to the other axial end position of the clutch sleeve (3) results in engagement or disengagement of the dog clutch, the electric motor (6) of the actuator is configured to have a reduced torque output as it rotates away from a center position; The actuator (4) has an inherent amplification effect in that the axial force associated with the axial movement of the clutch sleeve (3) is amplified as the actuator rod (7) approaches its axial end position, An actuator configured to generate a constant linear axial force over the entire angular range of the actuator rod (7) by offsetting the amplifying effect with a reducing torque output from the electric motor (6) as the actuator rod (7) approaches its axial end position.

2. 2. The actuator of claim 1, wherein the electric motor (6) comprises an outer fixed armature (62) in the form of a permanent magnet and an inner rotor (61), the fixed armature comprising three coils or windings (63, 64, 65) connected in series and equally spaced circumferentially at 120° intervals around the rotor (61), the rotor (61) being connected to the actuator rod (7) to which the eccentric pin (5) is attached.

3. 3. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the electric motor (6) is arranged relative to the actuator (4) such that for each direction of current supplied to the electric motor (6), the electric motor (6) has only one maximum torque output between the two axial end positions of the clutch sleeve (3).

4. 4. An actuator according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the torque output of the electric motor (6) decreases symmetrically around a maximum value of the torque output in both directions of rotation of the actuator rod (7).

5. The actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a first axial end position of the clutch sleeve (3) is equal to a position (α1) of the actuator rod (7) between -80° and -65°, and a second axial end position of the clutch sleeve (3) is equal to a position (α2) of the actuator rod (7) between 65° and 80°.

6. The actuator according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the maximum value of the torque output of the electric motor (6) is located at a position (α3) between -10° and 10° of the actuator rod (7).

7. 7. The actuator according to claim 6, wherein the 0° position (α3) of the actuator rod (7) is equivalent to the axial position of the clutch sleeve (3) being substantially midway between its axial end positions.

8. An actuator according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the eccentric radius of the eccentric pin (5) is between 2.5 mm and 4 mm.

9. 9. An electric motor configured to be used in the actuator according to claim 1, wherein the electric motor is a two-pole brushless DC motor having a rotor with two poles.

10. 10. Electric motor according to claim 9, characterized in that the electric motor (6) comprises a central permanent magnet rotor (61) connected to the actuator rod (7) and an outer fixed armature (62).

11. 11. Electric motor according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the coils (63, 64, 65) of the electric motor (6) are connected in series.

12. A dog clutch for connecting and disconnecting two shafts (1, 2) in a drive system of a vehicle, characterized in that the actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is driven by an electric motor according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

13. A vehicle comprising the dog clutch according to claim 12.

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