Manual transmission

Abstract

To suppress the generation of noise in a differential mechanism at a start.SOLUTION: A manual transmission comprises an input shaft which is rotated by the transmission of a drive force from a drive source, an output shaft connected to the input shaft via a driven gear which is selected according to an operation of a shift lever, and transmitting the drive force toward drive wheels via a differential mechanism, and a clutch mechanism for switching a transmission state of the drive force from the drive source with respect to the input shaft. The clutch mechanism is provided with a release fork which is turnable between a fastening position in which the drive force is transmitted to the input shaft, and a fastening release position in which the drive force is not transmitted to the input shaft, and is rotated according to the operation of a clutch pedal, and a regulation body for regulating a turn of the release fork to the fastening position from the fastening release position in a state that the shift lever is operated to a neutral position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of manual transmissions used in vehicles such as automobiles.

Background Art

[0002] As transmissions mounted on vehicles, an automatic transmission that automatically switches the gear ratio according to the vehicle speed and the engine rotational speed, and a manual transmission that switches the gear ratio by the driver's operation are known. Generally, an automatic transmission has an automatic clutch mechanism, and the switching of the engagement state of the clutch mechanism during gear shifting is automatically performed. On the other hand, in a manual transmission, the engagement state of the clutch mechanism is switched while the driver operates the clutch pedal, and the driver operates the shift lever after operating the clutch pedal to select and switch a desired gear ratio from a plurality of gear ratios. As a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission, for example, Patent Document 1 can be cited.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when driving a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission, generally, the clutch pedal is not often operated when the shift lever is operated to the neutral position at a stop. At this time, since the clutch mechanism remains in the engaged state, the driving force from a driving source such as an engine is continuously transmitted to the input shaft of the manual transmission.

[0005] However, when starting from this state, if the clutch is engaged again, for example, immediately after the shift lever is operated to the first gear position, the driving force (torque) transmitted from the drive source to the input shaft will be suddenly transmitted to the output shaft, which may cause abnormal noise to come from the differential mechanism connected to the output shaft.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to suppress the generation of abnormal noise in a differential mechanism when starting. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The manual transmission according to the present invention includes an input shaft that is rotated by the transmission of driving force from a driving source, an output shaft that is connectable to the input shaft via a driven gear that is selected in response to the operation of a shift lever and that transmits the driving force to driving wheels via a differential mechanism, and a clutch mechanism that switches the transmission state of the driving force from the driving source to the input shaft, the clutch mechanism being provided with a release fork that is rotatable between an engagement position where the driving force is transmitted to the input shaft and an engagement release position where the driving force is not transmitted to the input shaft and that is rotated in response to the operation of a clutch pedal, and a regulating body that regulates the rotation of the release fork from the engagement release position to the engagement position when the shift lever is operated to a neutral position. , the restricting body includes a cam portion that is rotated by an operation of the shift lever, a rotation restricting portion that is movable between a restricting position for restricting the rotation of the release fork and a restricting release position for releasing the restriction of the rotation of the release fork and that is moved in accordance with the operation of the cam portion, and a guide portion for guiding the rotation restricting portion. A spring member is provided for biasing the rotation restricting portion in a direction from the restricting release position toward the restricting position. A portion to be acted upon is formed on the rotation restricting portion, an acting portion slidable with the portion to be acted upon is formed on the cam portion, and the rotation restricting portion is moved from the restricting position to the restricting release position by being pressed by the cam portion. It is something. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, when the shift lever is operated to the neutral position, the driving force from the drive source is not transmitted to the input shaft regardless of the operation of the clutch pedal, and rotation of the input shaft is suppressed when the vehicle is stopped. Therefore, the input shaft and output shaft are smoothly connected when starting, and the generation of abnormal noises in the differential mechanism connected to the output shaft can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the manual transmission of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] <Schematic Configuration of Vehicle> First, a schematic configuration of a vehicle equipped with the manual transmission will be described (see FIG. 1).

[0012] Vehicle 100 includes a drive source 101, a manual transmission 1, a differential mechanism 102, and drive wheels 103, 103.

[0013] The drive source 101 is, for example, an engine that drives the vehicle 100. It burns fuel to generate mechanical driving force (torque) on the crankshaft 101a which is the output shaft, and generates the driving force acting on the drive wheels 103, 103. In the case of an EV (Electric Vehicle) or an HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), instead of the engine, a motor or both the engine and the motor are used as the drive source.

[0014] The manual transmission 1 transmits the driving force transmitted from the crankshaft 101a to the differential mechanism 102. A clutch pedal 200 is connected to the manual transmission 1. By operating the clutch pedal 200, the clutch mechanism described later operates, and the transmission state of the driving force is switched. The manual transmission 1 can select the driven gear described later according to the operation of the shift lever 300, and the gear ratio of the driving force transmitted to the differential mechanism 102 is selected.

[0015] The differential mechanism 102 transmits the driving force transmitted from the manual transmission 1 to the drive wheels 103, 103 via each drive shaft. The differential mechanism 102 absorbs the rotational speed difference between the drive wheels 103, 103 that occurs when the vehicle 100 turns.

[0016] With the above configuration, in the vehicle 100, the driving force generated in the drive source 101 is transmitted to the drive wheels 103, 103 via the manual transmission 1, the differential mechanism 102, etc. As a result, the vehicle 100 can travel.

[0017] <Configuration of the manual transmission> Next, the configuration of the manual transmission 1 will be described (see FIGS. 2 to 8).

[0018] In the following description, the direction in which the drive source (engine) and the manual transmission are arranged side by side is defined as the front-rear direction, with the drive source being in the front and the manual transmission being in the rear, and the directions of front, rear, up, down, left, and right are indicated. However, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions shown below are for convenience of explanation and are not limiting in the implementation of the present invention.

[0019] The manual transmission 1 has various components arranged inside and outside the case 2, and includes an input shaft 3, a countershaft 4, an output shaft 5, and a clutch mechanism 6 connected to the crankshaft 101a, with the axial directions of each being the front-rear direction (see Fig. 2).

[0020] The input shaft 3 is arranged coaxially with the crankshaft 101a. The driving force is transmitted from the crankshaft 101a to the input shaft 3 via the clutch mechanism 6.

[0021] The countershaft 4 is arranged parallel to the input shaft 3 behind the input shaft 3. Different-diameter drive gears 7, 7,... are axially spaced and attached to the countershaft 4. The drive gears 7, 7,... rotate integrally with the countershaft 4.

[0022] The output shaft 5 is arranged coaxially with the input shaft 3 behind the input shaft 3. Driven gears 8, 8,... with different diameters are rotatably supported on the output shaft 5. The driven gears 8, 8,... are respectively positioned corresponding to the drive gears 7, 7,... and are meshed with the corresponding drive gears 7, 7,...

[0023] The driving force transmitted from the drive source 101 to the input shaft 3 via the driven gear 8 and the drive gear 7 is transmitted to the countershaft 4.

[0024] Between adjacent predetermined driven gears 8, 8, a sleeve 9 that rotates integrally with the output shaft 5 is provided. For example, two sleeves 9 are provided in the axial direction of the output shaft 5. The sleeves 9, 9 are connected to a shift lever 300 and are movable in the axial direction of the output shaft 5 in conjunction with the operation of the shift lever 300. When the sleeve 9 is moved and connected to the driven gear 8, the output shaft 5 rotates integrally with the driven gear 8.

[0025] In the manual transmission 1, when the driver operates the shift lever 300, a driven gear 8 corresponding to the operation is selected, and the driving force transmitted from the drive source 101 to the input shaft 3 is transmitted from the countershaft 4 to the output shaft 5 via the selected driven gear 8 and the drive gear 7 meshed with the selected driven gear 8. However, when the shift lever 300 is operated to the neutral position, the sleeve 9 is not connected to any of the driven gears 8, and the driving force is not transmitted to the output shaft 5.

[0026] The clutch mechanism 6 includes a flywheel 10, a clutch disk 11, a pressure plate 12, a diaphragm spring 13, a release bearing 14, a release fork 15, and a regulating body 16 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The flywheel 10, the clutch disk 11, the pressure plate 12, the diaphragm spring 13, and the release bearing 14 are each formed in an annular shape, and their central axes are aligned with the central axis of the crankshaft 101a.

[0027] The inner peripheral portion of the flywheel 10 is connected to the crankshaft 101a and rotates integrally with the crankshaft 101a.

[0028] The clutch disc 11 is positioned on the rear side of the flywheel 10 and is in a state of facing the flywheel 10. The front end of the input shaft 3 is coupled to the inner peripheral portion of the clutch disc 11, and the input shaft 3 rotates integrally with the clutch disc 11.

[0029] The pressure plate 12 is formed to have substantially the same diameter as the clutch disc 11 and is disposed to face the clutch disc 11 on the rear side of the clutch disc 11.

[0030] The diaphragm spring 13 is pressed against the rear end side of the pressure plate 12 from the rear. The diaphragm spring 13 is formed in a thin plate shape, and the input shaft 3 is inserted through the diaphragm spring 13. The outer peripheral portion of the diaphragm spring 13 is pressed against the portion near the outer periphery of the pressure plate 12 from the rear, and the pressure plate 12 is biased in a direction approaching the clutch disc 11 by the elastic force of the diaphragm spring 13.

[0031] The input shaft 3 is inserted through the release bearing 14. The outer peripheral portion of the release bearing 14 is disposed in contact with the inner peripheral portion of the diaphragm spring 13 from the rear.

[0032] The release fork 15 is pivotally supported by a fulcrum pin 17 provided on the case 2 on the rear side of the release bearing 14. The case 2 is a portion for housing the clutch mechanism 6 and the like, and the case 2 has a mounting portion 2a inside which each part such as the fulcrum pin 17 is mounted. The release fork 15 is provided with a fulcrum portion 18 that is supported by the fulcrum pin 17 at the intermediate portion in the vertical direction and serves as a rotation center, an upper end portion is provided as a force point portion 19, and a lower end portion is provided as an action point portion 20. The action point portion 20 is formed in a bifurcated shape and is in contact with the release bearing 14 from the rear in a state of being positioned on both sides of the input shaft 3.

[0033] The release fork 15 is rotated in the direction of arrow L shown in Fig. 4 by pressing the force point portion 19 with a release cylinder 21 operated in response to the depression operation of the clutch pedal 200. When the release fork 15 is rotated in the direction of L, the release bearing 14 is pressed forward by the action point portion 20 of the release fork 15.

[0034] The position where the release fork 15 is rotated by being pressed by the release cylinder 21 when the clutch pedal 200 is depressed is set as the release position (see Fig. 4), and the position where the clutch pedal 200 is not depressed and not pressed by the release cylinder 21 is set as the engaged position (see Fig. 3).

[0035] When the release fork 15 is in the engaged position, the pressure plate 12 is biased in the direction approaching the clutch disc 11 by the biasing force of the diaphragm spring 13 in the clutch mechanism 6, and the clutch disc 11 is pressed against the flywheel 10 (see Fig. 3). At this time, as the clutch disc 11 rotates integrally with the flywheel 10, the driving force transmitted from the drive source 101 to the flywheel 10 is transmitted to the input shaft 3.

[0036] On the other hand, when the release fork 15 is in the release position, the release bearing 14 is pressed by the action point portion 20 of the release fork 15, and the inner peripheral portion of the diaphragm spring 13 is pressed forward by the release bearing 14 (see Fig. 4). When the inner peripheral portion of the diaphragm spring 13 is pushed by the release bearing 14, the pressure plate 12 is moved rearward, and the pressing of the clutch disc 11 against the flywheel 10 by the biasing force of the pressure plate 12 is released, creating a gap between the flywheel 10 and the clutch disc 11. Therefore, the flywheel 10 rotates idly with respect to the clutch disc 11, and the driving force transmitted from the drive source 101 to the flywheel 10 is not transmitted to the input shaft 3.

[0037] In the following description, the state in which the driving force from the drive source 101 is transmitted to the input shaft 3 is the state in which the clutch mechanism 6 is engaged, and the state in which the driving force is not transmitted to the input shaft 3 is the state in which the engagement of the clutch mechanism 6 is released.

[0038] The restricting body 16 is disposed on one side (left or right) of the release fork 15 between the force point portion 19 and the fulcrum portion 18 of the release fork 15 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The restricting body 16 has a cam portion 22, a guide portion 23, a rotation restricting portion 24, and a spring member 25 (see FIGS. 5 to 8).

[0039] The cam portion 22 is formed in a plate shape facing the left-right direction. The surface on the release fork 15 side is formed as a side surface portion 26, and the surface on the side opposite to the side surface portion 26 is formed as a side surface portion 27 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The side surface portion 26 and the side surface portion 27 are each formed in a fan shape with an obtuse central angle, and the side surface portion 27 has a smaller area than the side surface portion 26. One end portion of a rotating shaft portion 28 is connected to a portion near the outer peripheral portion of the cam portion 22. The cam portion 22 is rotated about the rotating shaft portion 28 as a fulcrum. The other end portion of the rotating shaft portion 28 is connected to, for example, the case 2.

[0040] One end portion of a connecting member 29 extending substantially in the front-rear direction is connected to the central portion of the cam portion 22. The other end portion of the connecting member 29 is connected to the shift lever 300, and the cam portion 22 is rotated about the rotating shaft portion 28 as a fulcrum in accordance with the operation of the shift lever 300.

[0041] Portions of the outer peripheral surface of the cam portion 22 corresponding to the radius of the fan shape are formed as acting portions 30, 30 that are inclined so as to be displaced as they approach from the side surface portion 26 to the side surface portion 27 (see FIG. 7).

[0042] The guide portion 23 is disposed on the side opposite to the release fork 15 with the cam portion 22 interposed therebetween (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The guide portion 23 is fixed to, for example, the case 2 by a fixing member (not shown). A guide hole 31 opened on the release fork 15 side is formed in the guide portion 23 (see FIG. 8).

[0043] The rotation restricting portion 24 is movably supported by the guide portion 23 in a state where at least a part thereof is inserted into the guide hole 31, and is moved between a restricting position where a part thereof is located on the rotation locus of the release fork 15 and a restricting release position where it is not located on the rotation locus of the release fork 15.

[0044] At the tip of the rotation restricting portion 24, an actuated portion 32 that is inclined in a direction away from the release fork 15 as it goes upward is formed. Both the front and rear side edges of the actuated portion 32 are slid with the actuating portions 30, 30 of the cam portion 22 when the cam portion 22 rotates.

[0045] As the spring member 25, for example, a compression coil spring is used, and both ends are supported by the guide portion 23 and the rotation restricting portion 24 in the guide hole 31. Therefore, the rotation restricting portion 24 is biased by the spring member 25 in a direction from the restricting release position toward the restricting position.

[0046] <Operation of the restricting body> The operation in the manual transmission 1 will be described below (see FIGS. 9 to 12).

[0047] During traveling, for example, when the shift lever 300 is operated to the first speed position, the rotation restricting portion 24 is pressed by the cam portion 22 from the release fork 15 side, and the rotation restricting portion 24 is held at the restricting release position (see FIGS. 9 and 10). At this time, since the rotation restricting portion 24 is not located on the rotation locus of the release fork 15 and the restricting body 16 does not restrict the rotation of the release fork 15, when the clutch pedal 200 is depressed, the release fork 15 rotates from the engaged position toward the disengaged position, and when the depression of the clutch pedal is released, the release fork 15 rotates in a direction to return from the disengaged position to the engaged position.

[0048] On the one hand, for example, when the vehicle 100 is in a stopped state, the clutch pedal 200 is depressed and the shift lever 300 is operated to the neutral position, the cam portion 22 is rotated and the acting portion 30 is slid onto the actuated portion 32 of the rotation restricting portion 24, and the rotation restricting portion 24 is moved to the restricting position by the biasing force of the spring member 25 (see FIGS. 11 and 12). At this time, a part of the rotation restricting portion 24 is positioned on the rotation locus of the release fork 15, and the rotation of the release fork 15 from the release position to the fastening position is restricted by the rotation restricting portion 24.

[0049] Therefore, even if the depression of the clutch pedal 200 is released in this state, the released state of the clutch mechanism 6 is maintained. The input shaft 3 continues to rotate by inertia immediately after the clutch mechanism 6 is released, but since the driving force from the drive source 101 is no longer transmitted, the rotation stops.

[0050] Furthermore, in order for the vehicle 100 to start from this state, when the shift lever 300 is operated to the first gear position, the rotation restricting portion 24 is moved to the restriction release position, and the restriction on the rotation of the release fork 15 by the rotation restricting portion 24 is released. Therefore, the release fork 15 is rotated to the fastening position, the clutch mechanism 6 is in a fastened state, and the driving force from the drive source 101 is transmitted to the input shaft 2. At this time, as described above, since the rotation of the input shaft 3 is stopped, the sudden transmission of the driving force from the input shaft 3 to the output shaft 5 is suppressed.

[0051] As described above, in the manual transmission 1, when the shift lever 300 is operated to the neutral position, the rotation of the release fork 15 from the release position to the engaged position is restricted by the restricting body 16, so that the driving force from the drive source 101 is not transmitted to the input shaft 3 regardless of the operation of the clutch pedal 200. Therefore, since the rotation of the input shaft 3 at the time of stopping is suppressed, the input shaft 3 and the output shaft 5 are smoothly connected at the time of starting, and the generation of abnormal noise in the differential mechanism 102 connected to the output shaft 5 can be suppressed.

[0052] Further, in the manual transmission 1, the restricting body 16 includes a cam portion 22 that is rotated by the operation of the shift lever 300, a rotation restricting portion 24 that is movably disposed between a restricting position that restricts the rotation of the release fork 15 and a restricting release position that releases the restriction of the rotation of the release fork 15 and that is moved in response to the operation of the cam portion 22, and a guide portion 23 that guides the rotation restricting portion 24.

[0053] Thereby, by operating the shift lever 300, the rotation restricting portion 24 is guided by the guide portion 23 and moved between the restricting position and the restricting release position, so that the rotation of the release fork 15 can be restricted with a simple configuration.

[0054] Furthermore, a spring member 25 is provided that biases the rotation restricting portion 24 in a direction from the restricting release position toward the restricting position.

[0055] Thereby, the rotation restricting portion 24 is held at the restricting position by the biasing force of the spring member 25. Therefore, the rotation of the release fork 15 can be reliably restricted with a simple configuration.

[0056] Furthermore, a portion to be acted upon 32 is formed on the rotation restricting portion 24, an acting portion 30 that is slidable with respect to the portion to be acted upon 32 is formed on the cam portion 22, and the rotation restricting portion 24 is moved from the restricting position to the restricting release position by being pressed by the cam portion 22.

[0057] As a result, the working portion 30 of the cam portion 22 is slid on the worked portion 32 of the rotation restricting portion 24, so that the rotation restricting portion 24 is moved from the restricting position to the restriction releasing position against the biasing force of the spring member 25.

[0058] Therefore, it becomes possible to move the rotation restricting portion 24 from the restricting position to the restriction releasing position without providing a dedicated power source, and the configuration of the restricting body 16 can be simplified.

[0059] Furthermore, in the manual transmission 1 configured as described above, the release fork 15 has a force point portion 19 that is pressed in response to the operation of the clutch pedal 200, a fulcrum portion 18 that is the rotation center, and an action point portion 20 that is positioned closer to the input shaft 3 than the force point portion 19, and the restricting body 16 is positioned between the fulcrum portion 18 and the force point portion 19.

[0060] As a result, the restricting body 16 is positioned away from the action point portion 20 of the release fork. Therefore, since the restricting body 16 is positioned away from the input shaft 3, it is difficult for the restricting body 16 to interfere with the members around the manual transmission 1, and the layout space and the degree of freedom in layout design can be improved.

[0061] In addition, in the above, an example in which the cam portion 22 is rotated rearward by the operation of the shift lever 300 and the rotation restricting portion 24 is moved from the restricting position to the restriction releasing position by the front-side working portion 30 is shown. However, the cam portion 22 may be rotated in either the front or rear direction according to the operation of the shift lever 300, and the rotation restricting portion 24 may be moved from the restricting position to the restriction releasing position by either the front or rear working portion 30.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0062] 100 Vehicle 101 Drive source 101a Crankshaft 200 Clutch pedal 300 Shift lever 1 Manual transmission 3 Input shaft 4 Countershaft 5 Output Shaft 6 Clutch Mechanism 8 Driven Gear 15 Release Fork 16 Regulation Body 18 Fulcrum Portion 19 Power Point Portion 20 Point of Action Portion 22 Cam Portion 23 Guide Portion 24 Rotation Regulation Portion 25 Spring Member 30 Action Portion 32 Portion to be Actuated

Claims

1. An input shaft that is rotated by the transmission of driving force from a drive source, An output shaft that is connectable to the input shaft via a driven gear selected according to the operation of a shift lever and transmits the driving force to drive wheels via a differential mechanism, A clutch mechanism for switching the transmission state of the driving force from the drive source to the input shaft, The clutch mechanism includes, A release fork that is rotatable between an engaged position where driving force is transmitted to the input shaft and a disengaged position where driving force is not transmitted to the input shaft, and is rotated according to the operation of a clutch pedal, A restricting body is provided for restricting the rotation of the release fork from the disengaged position to the engaged position when the shift lever is operated to the neutral position, The restricting body includes, A cam portion that is rotated by the operation of the shift lever, A rotation restricting portion that is movable between a restricting position for restricting the rotation of the release fork and a restricting release position for releasing the restriction of the rotation of the release fork, and is moved according to the operation of the cam portion, A guide portion for guiding the rotation restricting portion, A spring member is provided for biasing the rotation restricting portion in a direction from the restricting release position to the restricting position, A portion to be acted upon is formed on the rotation restricting portion, An acting portion slidable with the portion to be acted upon is formed on the cam portion, The rotation restricting portion is moved from the restricting position to the restricting release position by being pressed by the cam portion A manual transmission.

2. The release fork has a force point portion that is pressed according to the operation of the clutch pedal, a fulcrum portion that is the center of rotation, and an acting point portion that is positioned closer to the input shaft than the force point portion, The restricting body is positioned between the fulcrum portion and the force point portion The manual transmission according to claim 1.

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