Selectable clutch

Abstract

To provide a selectable clutch capable of smoothly switching operation modes and capable of realizing high functionality by switching the operation modes according to a usage condition.SOLUTION: A selectable clutch 100 is configured to be able to switch operation modes by guiding a first follower node 160 connected to an outer ring side cage ring 120 and a second follower node 170 connected to an inner ring side cage ring 130 through a cam groove 155 and moving them independently in an axial direction with rotation of a cylindrical cam 151 having the cam groove 155 formed on a peripheral surface, and by tilting one or both of a first cam 110a and a second cam 110b, which have different meshing directions. The cam groove 155 has a first follower node guide region L1 including an inclination part and a second follower node region L2 including an inclination part, and one region is configured to include the inclination part that is circumferentially out of phase with the inclination part of the other region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a selectable clutch configured to be able to switch its operating mode.

Background Art

[0002] As a selectable clutch, there is known one configured to be able to switch its operating mode by tilting a cam as a power transmission member by moving operating mode switching means in the axial direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the selectable clutch described in Patent Document 1, by tilting only one of the first cam and the second cam whose meshing directions with respect to the outer ring and the inner ring are different from each other, or by tilting both the first cam and the second cam, a two-way lock mode capable of power transmission in both forward and reverse directions, a one-way lock mode capable of power transmission in either one of the forward and reverse directions, and a two-way free mode that blocks power transmission in both forward and reverse directions can be switched.

[0003] On the other hand, for example, as a clutch switching mechanism, one using a cylindrical cam is known. For example, in Patent Document 2, an input shaft that inputs power from an engine via an automatic transmission or a manual transmission is connected to a rear wheel output shaft as a main output shaft arranged coaxially via a sub-transmission mechanism composed of a planetary gear mechanism provided with a sun gear in a power distribution device for a four-wheel drive vehicle. As a switching mechanism, by rotating a shift cylindrical cam fixed to the output shaft of an actuator that controls the shift mechanism of the sub-transmission mechanism, a shift pin is guided to move axially by a shift cam groove formed on its outer periphery, and the shift pin is switched between an L position where the shift gear meshes with the clutch gear and an H position where the sun gear is directly connected to the rear wheel output shaft.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

[0005] Therefore, in selectable clutches, it is often necessary to configure them to be switchable between four operating modes: bidirectional lock mode, forward rotation lock mode, reverse rotation lock mode, and bidirectional free mode. Consequently, the switching mechanism for switching the operating mode of the selectable clutch must also be configured to allow the selectable clutch to be switched between these four operating modes. However, the above-mentioned selectable clutch has a configuration in which the shapes of the first and second cams are changed to tilt them sequentially. As a result, the one-way lock mode can only realize one of either the forward rotation lock mode or the reverse rotation lock mode, and moreover, the cam configuration itself becomes complicated.

[0006] Regarding the switching mechanism, the switching mechanism described in Patent Document 2 above achieves simple linear motion of the driven link between two axial positions by the rotation of a cylindrical cam. Even when considering its application as a drive source for the operating mode switching means in the selectable clutch described in Patent Document 1 above, it is not possible to configure the selectable clutch to enable switching between four operating modes. Furthermore, in the switching mechanism described in Patent Document 2, since the cylindrical cam and the input shaft and main output shaft are located on different rotation axes, when used as a switching mechanism for a selectable clutch, the radial size of the selectable clutch becomes larger.

[0007] The present invention was made based on the circumstances described above, and aims to provide a selectable clutch that enables smooth switching of operating modes and achieves high functionality by allowing switching of operating modes according to the usage situation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention relates to a selectable clutch comprising a first cam and a second cam having different meshing directions with respect to an outer ring and an inner ring, respectively, held by an outer ring side cage ring and an inner ring side cage ring provided between the outer ring and the inner ring, and equipped with a switching mechanism to change the operating mode by forcibly tilting either one or both of the first cam and the second cam, wherein the outer ring side cage ring and the inner ring side cage ring are provided so as to be movable in the axial direction between a first axial position and a second axial position, the outer ring side cage ring is configured to change the posture of the first cam between a meshing standby position and a free-spinning position tilted away from the inner ring or the outer ring by moving between the first axial position and the second axial position, and the inner ring side cage ring is configured so as to be movable in the axial direction between the first axial position and the second axial position The first cam is configured to change its position between a meshing standby position and a free-spinning position tilted away from the inner ring or the outer ring by moving between directional positions. The switching mechanism comprises a cylindrical cam with a cam groove formed on its circumferential surface, and a first and second driven link coupled to the cylindrical cam. The first driven link is connected to the outer ring side cage ring, and the second driven link is connected to the inner ring side cage ring. The cam groove has a first driven link guide region including an inclined portion for axial movement of the first driven link, and a second driven link guide region including an inclined portion for axial movement of the second driven link. The problem is solved by configuring one of the first and second driven link guide regions to include an inclined portion formed with a circumferential phase shift from the inclined portion of the other region. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the invention of claim 1, the cam groove formed in the cylindrical cam has a first drive link guide region including an inclined portion for moving the first drive link in the axial direction, and a second drive link guide region including an inclined portion for moving the second drive link in the axial direction, and one region of the first drive link guide region and the second drive link guide region includes an inclined portion formed with a circumferential phase shift from the inclined portion of the other region, thereby enabling the first drive link and the second drive link to be moved independently in the axial direction. For this reason, by providing the outer ring side cage ring connected to the first drive link with a first cam attitude control function and the inner ring side cage ring connected to the second drive link with a second cam attitude control function, the cam can be tilted and the changed cam attitude can be maintained simply by moving one or both of the outer ring side cage ring and the inner ring side cage ring in the axial direction. Accordingly, a simple configuration enables smooth switching of operating modes, and enables switching of operating modes according to the usage situation, thereby achieving high functionality.

[0010] According to the invention of claim 2, the cylindrical cam is constructed by forming a cam groove on the circumferential surface of a cylindrical member, and the first driven link is constructed by an annular body provided so as to protrude inward from the inner circumferential surface and the driven element that engages with the cam groove is provided so as to protrude outward from the outer circumferential surface and the second driven link is constructed by an annular body provided so as to protrude outward from the outer circumferential surface, thereby enabling the cylindrical cam, the first driven link, and the second driven link to be arranged coaxially with the outer ring and the inner ring. As a result, the radial size of the selectable clutch can be reduced. Furthermore, since the first driven link guide region and the second driven link guide region can be arranged on the same circumference of the cylindrical cam, the axial size of the selectable clutch can also be reduced. Moreover, since power is transmitted coaxially, the generation of bending moment is almost eliminated, making it possible to avoid performance degradation due to deformation, and by using a single shaft, the number of parts can be reduced, thereby reducing the risk of failure and the need for maintenance.

[0011] According to the invention of claim 3, by forming the first and second driven joint guide regions, which are formed by shifting the inclined portion in the circumferential direction in phase, at positions spaced apart in the axial direction, the first and second driven joints can be moved independently in the axial direction, enabling switching of operating modes according to the usage situation and achieving high functionality.

[0012] According to the invention of claim 4, the rotation of the first and second driven links is prohibited in conjunction with the rotation of the cylindrical cam, so that the drive element is guided along the inclined portion of the cam groove, thereby reliably moving the first and second driven links in the axial direction and switching the operating mode.

[0013] According to the invention of claim 5, by restricting the degree of freedom of movement of the outer ring cage ring and the inner ring cage ring in the circumferential direction, it is possible to avoid "meshing" in which the first cam and the second cam both mesh with the outer ring and the inner ring when the orientation of the cam is changed, thereby enabling smooth operation and achieving high responsiveness. According to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to restrict the degree of freedom of circumferential movement of the outer ring cage ring and the inner ring cage ring with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is an exploded perspective view showing one example configuration of a selectable clutch according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a side view of the selectable clutch. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along line BB. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the selectable clutch, cut across a plane containing the rotation axis. [Figure 6A] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of the outer ring cage ring. [Figure 6B] Figure 6A is a partially unfolded view of the outer ring side cage ring. [Figure 7A] It is a perspective view showing the structure of the inner ring side cage ring. [Figure 7B] It is a partial development view of the inner ring side cage ring shown in Fig. 7A. [Figure 8A] It is a perspective view showing the structure of the position regulating cage ring. [Figure 8B] It is a partial development view of the position regulating cage ring shown in Fig. 8A. [Figure 9] It is a development view showing the structure of the cylindrical cam. [Figure 10] It is a perspective view showing the structure of the first driven link. [Figure 11] It is a perspective view showing the structure of the second driven link. [Figure 12] It is a perspective view showing the structure of the case. [Figure 13] It is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the cylindrical cam. [Figure 14] It is a schematic diagram roughly showing the states of the first cam and the second cam when the selectable clutch shown in Fig. Ⅰ is in the reverse rotation lock mode. [Figure 15A] It is a side view showing the state when the selectable clutch shown in Fig. Ⅰ is in the both-direction free mode. [Figure 15B] It is a schematic diagram roughly showing the states of the first cam and the second cam when the selectable clutch shown in Fig. Ⅰ is in the both-direction free mode. [Figure 16A] It is a side view showing the state when the selectable clutch shown in Fig. Ⅰ is in the both-direction lock mode. [Figure 16B] It is a schematic diagram roughly showing the states of the first cam and the second cam when the selectable clutch shown in Fig. Ⅰ is in the both-direction lock mode. [Figure 17A] It is a side view showing the state when the selectable clutch shown in Fig. Ⅰ is in the forward rotation lock mode. [Figure 17B] It is a schematic diagram roughly showing the states of the first cam and the second cam when the selectable clutch shown in Fig. Ⅰ is in the forward rotation lock mode. [Figure 18] This is an exploded view showing yet another configuration example of a cylindrical cam. [Figure 19] This is a timing chart to explain the operation of a cylindrical cam. [Figure 20] This is a perspective view showing one example configuration of a selectable clutch according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] Figure 20 shows an exploded perspective view of the selectable clutch. [Figure 22] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of the outer ring cage ring. [Figure 23] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of the inner ring cage ring. [Figure 24] This is a perspective view showing the structure of the first subordinate clause. [Figure 25] This is an exploded view showing the configuration of a cylindrical cam. [Figure 26] This is a timing chart to explain the operation of a cylindrical cam. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] <First Embodiment> As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the selectable clutch 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention comprises an outer ring 101 and an inner ring 105 that are rotatable relative to each other on the same axis, a plurality of cams 110 arranged at circumferential intervals in the annular space between the outer ring raceway surface 102 and the inner ring raceway surface 106 to transmit and interrupt torque between the outer ring 101 and the inner ring 105, a biasing means 115 that biases each of the plurality of cams 110 to contact the outer ring 101 and the inner ring 105, and the outer ring 101 and the inner ring 105 The system includes an outer ring side cage ring 120 and an inner ring side cage ring 130 that are rotatably mounted on the same axis with the outer ring 101 or inner ring 105 and hold each of the multiple cams 110, a position restricting cage ring 140 provided between the outer ring side cage ring 120 and the inner ring side cage ring 130 to restrict the degree of freedom of circumferential movement of the outer ring side cage ring 120 and the inner ring side cage ring 130, and a switching mechanism 150 for switching the operating mode of the selectable clutch 100. In Figures 1 to 5, C1 is the rotation axis.

[0017] Each of the multiple cams 110 includes a first cam 110a and a second cam 110b, which have different meshing directions with respect to the outer ring 101 and the inner ring 105. In this embodiment, the first cam 110a and the second cam 110b have, for example, the same external shape, with the first cam 110a being positioned with one end face of the cam 110 facing axially forward (towards the front in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 3), and the second cam 110b being positioned with the other end face of the cam 110 facing axially forward.

[0018] The first cam 110a and the second cam 110b are arranged, for example, alternately at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The arrangement of the first cam 110a and the second cam 110b is not particularly limited. The first cam 110a and the second cam 110b do not have to be arranged alternately in the circumferential direction, and the number of first cams 110a and the number of second cams 110b may be different.

[0019] The first cam 110a is configured to mesh with the outer ring 101 and the inner ring 105 by rotating the outer ring 101 in the forward direction (clockwise in Figure 3) or by rotating the inner ring 105 in the reverse direction (counterclockwise in Figure 3). The second cam 110b is configured to mesh with the outer ring 101 and the inner ring 105 by rotating the outer ring 101 in the reverse direction, or by rotating the inner ring 105 in the forward direction.

[0020] The biasing means 115 is composed of, for example, a ribbon spring. The biasing means 115 can be any elastic body capable of biasing the first cam 110a and the second cam 110b, respectively, so that they come into contact with the outer ring 101 and the inner ring 105. For example, multiple leaf springs or torsion springs may be used.

[0021] As shown in Figure 6A, the outer ring cage ring 120 has a cylindrical main body portion 121 extending in the axial direction and an outer flange portion 122 formed at the rear end of the main body portion 121, projecting radially outward over the entire circumference. The main body portion 121 is provided with a first cam holding portion 123 that receives the head portion of the first cam 110a and holds the first cam 110a, and a second cam holding portion 125 that receives the head portion of the second cam 110b and holds the second cam 110b, arranged alternately in the circumferential direction.

[0022] The first cam holding portion 123 of the outer ring side cage ring 120 is configured to have an opening width variable portion in which the opening width changes continuously in the axial direction. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6B, the first cam holding portion 123 includes a guide space portion 123a configured to have a constant opening width in the axial direction, a first posture fixing space portion 123b configured to have a smaller opening width than the guide space portion 123a and continuous with the axial forward side (right side in Figure 6B) of the guide space portion 123a, and a second posture fixing space portion 123c configured to have a smaller opening width than the guide space portion 123a and continuous with the axial rear side (left side in Figure 6B) of the guide space portion 123a. The first posture-fixing space 123b is continuous with the guide space 123a via a first opening width variation section 124a, which is formed so that the opening width increases continuously as it moves axially rearward, and the second posture-fixing space 123c is continuous with the guide space 123a via a second opening width variation section 124b, which is formed so that the opening width increases continuously as it moves axially forward. The first opening width variation portion 124a is configured such that the opening edge on the meshing direction side (upward in Figure 6B) of the first cam 110a protrudes inward, and the second opening width variation portion 124b is configured such that the opening edge on the disengagement direction side (downward in Figure 6B) of the first cam 110a protrudes inward.

[0023] The second cam holding portion 125 of the outer ring side cage ring 120 is rectangular in shape and is configured such that the opening width is constant in the axial direction.

[0024] The outer ring cage ring 120 is provided to be axially movable between a first axial position and a second axial position, independently of the rotational movement of the outer ring 101 and the inner ring 105. It is configured to hold the first cam 110a in a meshing standby position when positioned in the first axial position, and to hold the first cam 110a in a free-rotating position tilted away from the inner ring 105 when positioned in the second axial position. This makes it possible to change the position of the first cam 110a by tilting it while maintaining the position of the second cam 110b. Furthermore, the first cam holding portion 123 of the outer ring cage ring 120 is not a simple rectangular opening, but rather an irregularly shaped opening window with a narrower opening width at both axial ends. This allows for the release of slight jamming caused by manufacturing errors with minimal thrust, and by appropriately changing the opening shape of the first cam holding portion 123, it is possible to realize a wider range of operating modes and their switching.

[0025] On the inner surface of the main body portion 121 of the outer ring cage ring 120, an inner groove portion 126 extending in the axial direction is formed between the first cam holding portion 123 and the second cam holding portion 125 which is adjacent to the first cam holding portion 123 in the meshing direction of the first cam 110a. The inner groove portion 126 has a guide groove portion 127 that extends linearly from the axial rear end edge to the axial front end edge of the main body portion 121, and a slide groove portion 128 that is continuous with the axial rear end of the guide groove portion 127. The slide groove portion 128 is formed to extend in the circumferential direction in the direction of engagement with the first cam 110a, and is configured to allow circumferential movement of the outer projection portion 145 of the position-regulating cage ring 140, which will be described later, when the outer ring side cage ring 120 is in a position that puts the first cam 110a in a waiting position for engagement.

[0026] As shown in Figure 7A, the inner ring cage ring 130 has a cylindrical main body portion 131 that extends in the axial direction, and an inner flange portion 132 formed at the axial rear end of the main body portion 131 so as to protrude radially inward along the entire circumference. The main body 131 is provided with a first cam holding portion 133 that receives the leg portion of the first cam 110a and holds the first cam 110a, and a second cam holding portion 134 that receives the leg portion of the second cam 110b and holds the second cam 110b, arranged alternately in the circumferential direction.

[0027] As shown in Figure 7B, the first cam holding portion 133 of the inner ring cage ring 130 is rectangular in shape and configured to have a constant opening width in the axial direction.

[0028] The second cam holding portion 134 of the inner ring cage ring 130 is configured to have an opening width variable portion in which the opening width changes continuously in the axial direction. Specifically, the second cam holding portion 134 includes a guide space portion 134a configured to have a constant opening width in the axial direction, a first posture fixing space portion 134b configured to have a smaller opening width than the guide space portion 134a and continuous with the axial forward side (right side in Figure 7B) of the guide space portion 134a, and a second posture fixing space portion 134c configured to have a smaller opening width than the guide space portion 134a and continuous with the axial rear side (left side in Figure 7B) of the guide space portion 134a. The first posture-fixing space 134b is continuous with the guide space 134a via a first opening width variation section 135a, which is formed so that the opening width increases continuously as the axial rearward direction is approached. The second posture-fixing space 134c is continuous with the guide space 134a via a second opening width variation section 135b, which is formed so that the opening width increases continuously as the axial forward direction is approached. The first opening width variation portion 135a is configured such that the opening edge on the side of the second cam 110b in the meshing direction (downward in Figure 7B) protrudes inward, and the second opening width variation portion 135b is configured such that the opening edge on the side of the second cam 110b in the disengagement direction (upward in Figure 7B) protrudes inward.

[0029] The inner ring cage ring 130 is provided to be axially movable between a first axial position and a second axial position, independently of the rotational movement of the outer ring 101 and the inner ring 105. It is configured to hold the second cam 110b in a meshing standby position when positioned in the first axial position, and to hold the second cam 110b in a free-rotating position tilted away from the inner ring 105 when positioned in the second axial position. This makes it possible to change the position of the second cam 110b by tilting it while maintaining the position of the first cam 110a. Furthermore, the second cam holding portion 134 of the inner ring cage ring 130 is not a simple rectangular opening, but rather an irregularly shaped opening window with a narrower opening width at both axial ends. This allows for the release of slight jamming caused by manufacturing errors with minimal thrust, and by appropriately changing the opening shape of the second cam holding portion 134, it is possible to realize a wider range of operating modes and their switching.

[0030] On the outer surface of the main body portion 131 of the inner ring cage ring 130, an outer groove portion 136 extending in the axial direction is formed between the second cam holding portion 134 and the first cam holding portion 133 which is adjacent to the second cam holding portion 134 in the direction of disengaging the second cam 110b. The outer groove portion 136 has a guide groove portion 137 that extends linearly from the axial front end edge to the axial rear end edge of the main body portion 131, and a slide groove portion 138 that is continuous with the axial front end of the guide groove portion 137. The slide groove portion 138 is formed to extend in the circumferential direction in the direction of engagement with the second cam 110b, and is configured to allow circumferential movement of the inner projection portion 146 of the position-regulating cage ring 140, which will be described later, when the inner ring side cage ring 130 is in a position that engages with the second cam 110b.

[0031] Thus, the selectable clutch 100 in this embodiment is configured to include a position-restricting cage ring 140 that restricts the degree of freedom of circumferential movement of the outer ring cage ring 120 and the inner ring cage ring 130, as described above. This makes it possible to adjust the degree of freedom of circumferential movement of the outer ring cage ring 120 and the inner ring cage ring 130 relative to the position-restricting cage ring 140 to an appropriate degree of freedom according to each operating mode, and to maintain the first cam 110a and the second cam 110b in the correct position.

[0032] The position-regulating cage ring 140 is shown in Figure 8A. and Figure 8BAs shown, it consists of a pair of annular portions 141 arranged side by side in the axial direction and a plurality of connecting portions 142 that connect the annular portions 141 in the axial direction at predetermined intervals, and a pocket portion 143 is formed by the space between adjacent connecting portions 142 that can accommodate one first cam 110a and one second cam 110b. The pocket portions 143 are provided at equal intervals along the circumferential direction.

[0033] The position-regulating cage ring 140 has an outward projection 145 that protrudes radially outward from its axial front end and is slidably engaged with the inner groove 126 of the outer ring cage ring 120, and an inward projection 146 that protrudes radially inward from its axial rear end and is slidably engaged with the outer groove 136 of the inner ring cage ring 130.

[0034] The switching mechanism 150 comprises a cylindrical cam 151, a first driven link 160 and a second driven link 170 coupled to the cylindrical cam 151, and a case 180 that houses the first driven link 160 and the second driven link 170.

[0035] As shown in Figure 9, the cylindrical cam 151 in this embodiment has a cam groove 155 formed on the circumferential surface of a cylindrical member, and has a cylindrical shaft portion 152 and an outer flange portion 153 formed at the axial rear end of the shaft portion 152 so as to extend radially outward over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction and for transmitting power from a drive source as appropriate.

[0036] As shown in Figure 5, the cylindrical cam 151 is positioned on the rotation axis C1 with its shaft portion 152 inserted between the outer ring cage ring 120 and the inner ring cage ring 130, thereby reducing the radial size of the selectable clutch 100. Furthermore, because power is transmitted coaxially, bending moment generation is almost eliminated, preventing performance degradation due to deformation. Additionally, the single-axis design reduces the number of parts, thereby lowering the risk of failure and the need for maintenance.

[0037] The cam groove 155 has a first drive link guide region L1 which includes an inclined portion that engages with the first drive element 165 of the first drive link 160 and moves the first drive link 160 in the axial direction, and a second drive link guide region L2 which includes an inclined portion that engages with the second drive element 175 of the second drive link 170 and moves the second drive link 170 in the axial direction. The first driven link guide region L1 and the second driven link guide region L2 are positioned on the same circumference of the cylindrical cam 151, facing each other with the rotation axis C1 in between, thereby reducing the axial size of the selectable clutch 100.

[0038] The first driven joint guide region L1 has a first straight section 156a formed to extend circumferentially in the axial front portion, a first inclined section 156b formed to extend inclined toward the axial rear portion and continuous with the first straight section 156a, and a second straight section 156c formed to extend circumferentially in the axial rear portion and continuous with the first inclined section 156b.

[0039] The second driven joint guide region L2 includes a first straight section 157a formed to extend circumferentially in the axial front portion, a first inclined section 157b formed to extend inclined toward the axial rear and continuous with the first straight section 157a, a second straight section 157c formed to extend circumferentially in the axial rear portion and continuous with the first inclined section 157b, a second inclined section 157d formed to extend inclined toward the axial front and continuous with the second straight section 157c, and a third straight section 157e formed to extend circumferentially in the axial front portion and continuous with the second inclined section 157d.

[0040] As shown in Figure 10, the first driven link 160 is an annular body comprising an annular base portion 161 and a first driven element 165 that engages with the cam groove 155 of the cylindrical cam 151. A recess 162 is formed on the front end surface of the base portion 161, which is configured to accommodate the outer flange portion 122 of the outer ring side cage ring 120. When the rear surface of the outer flange portion 122 is in contact with the bottom surface of the recess 162, a C-shaped retaining ring 190, which is a cutout of a ring plate, is fitted into the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 163 that defines the recess 162, thereby connecting the outer ring side cage ring 120 and the first driven link 160. Furthermore, the outer circumferential surface of the base portion 161 is formed with a plurality of external teeth 164 arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, and a drive insertion hole is formed that extends through the base portion 161 in the thickness direction. The first drive element 165 is inserted into the drive element insertion hole such that its tip protrudes radially inward from the inner circumferential surface of the base element 161.

[0041] As shown in Figure 11, the second driven link 170 is an annular body comprising an annular base portion 171 and a second driven element 175 that engages with the cam groove 155 of the cylindrical cam 151. A thin-walled cylindrical extension 172 is formed on the front end surface of the base portion 171 such that its inner circumferential surface is continuous with the inner circumferential surface of the base portion 171. When the rear surface of the inner flange portion 132 of the inner ring side cage ring 130 is in contact with the front end surface of the base portion 171, a C-shaped retaining ring 191, which is a cutout of a ring plate, is fitted onto the outer circumferential surface of the extension 172, thereby connecting the inner ring side cage ring 130 and the second driven link 170. Furthermore, multiple internal teeth 173 are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the base portion 171 so as to be arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, and a drive insertion hole is formed that extends through the base portion 171 in the thickness direction. The second follower 175 is inserted into the follower insertion hole such that its tip protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the base 171.

[0042] As shown in Figure 12, case 180 is formed in a double cylindrical shape with a closed rear end and has an anti-rotation portion that prevents the first driven link 160 and the second driven link 170 from rotating together with the cylindrical cam 151. The anti-rotation section is composed of internal teeth 182 formed on the inner circumferential surface of the outer cylinder portion 181 of the case 180 and external teeth 186 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the inner cylinder portion 185. The internal teeth 182 are spline-coupled to the external teeth 164 of the first driven link 160, and the external teeth 186 are spline-coupled to the internal teeth 173 of the second driven link 170. This prevents the first driven link 160 and the second driven link 170 from rotating in conjunction with the rotation of the cylindrical cam 151. As a result, the first drive 165 and the second drive 175 are guided along the inclined portion of the cam groove 155, allowing the first driven link 160 and the second driven link 170 to move axially and switch the operating mode of the selectable clutch 100. In this embodiment, the anti-rotation portion is configured such that the first driven link 160 and the second driven link 170 are spline-coupled to the case 180. However, the first driven link 160 and the second driven link 170 may also be connected to the case 180 by key coupling or other methods. The outer cylinder portion 181 has a notch 187 that exposes a part of the outer flange portion 153 of the cylindrical cam 151 to the outside, allowing power from the drive source to be transmitted to the cylindrical cam 151 as appropriate.

[0043] In this switching mechanism 150, as shown in Figure 13, when both the outer ring cage ring 120 and the inner ring cage ring 130 are positioned at the first axial position P1 (see Figure 2), the first drive element 165 of the first drive link 160 and the second drive element 175 of the second drive link 170 are positioned at the second linear section 156c of the first drive link guide region L1 and the second linear section 157c of the second drive link guide region L2, respectively (region A in Figure 13). The solid lines in Figure 13 show the relationship between the circumferential phase of the first drive element 165 with respect to the cam groove 155 and the axial position of the outer ring cage ring 120, while the dashed lines show the relationship between the circumferential phase of the second drive element 175 with respect to the cam groove 155 and the axial position of the inner ring cage ring 130. At this time, as shown in Figure 14, the first cam 110a maintains a free-spinning position inclined so that its inner ring side engagement surface is separated from the inner ring raceway surface 106, and the second cam 110b maintains a meshing-waiting position in contact with the outer ring 101 and inner ring 105 so that when torque is applied to the outer ring 101 or inner ring 105, the second cam 110b immediately begins to mesh with the outer ring 101 and inner ring 105. Accordingly, the selectable clutch 100 is in a reverse-direction lock mode (Mode A1) that prohibits the relative rotation of the inner ring 105 with respect to the outer ring 101 in the reverse direction.

[0044] When the cylindrical cam 151 is rotated in the forward direction, the first drive element 165 is guided along the second linear section 156c of the first drive link guide region L1, and the outer ring side cage ring 120 maintains its position at the first axial position P1 (regions B and C in Figure 13). Meanwhile, the second drive element 175 is guided along the first inclined section 157b of the second drive link guide region L2, causing the second drive link 170 and the inner ring side cage ring 130 connected thereto to move axially forward (region B in Figure 13). Subsequently, the second drive element 175 is guided along the first linear section 157a, so that the inner ring side cage ring 130 is positioned at the second axial position P2, as shown in Figure 15A (region C in Figure 13). At this time, as shown in Figure 15B, the leg portion of the second cam 110b is pressed by the action of the second opening width variation portion 135b in the second cam holding portion 134 of the inner ring cage ring 130, thereby tilting the second cam 110b in the disengagement direction. Since the first cam holding portion 133 of the inner ring cage ring 130 is formed in a rectangular shape with a constant opening width in the axial direction, the position of the first cam 110a is maintained in a free-rotating position. This switches the operating mode of the selectable clutch 100 from the reverse-direction lock mode (Mode A1) to the bidirectional free mode (Mode A2), which allows relative rotation of the outer ring 101 and inner ring 105 in both the forward and reverse directions.

[0045] Furthermore, when the cylindrical cam 151 is rotated in the reverse direction, the first driven element 165 First Dependent Particle Guidance Region L1Guided along the first inclined portion 156b, the first driven link 160 and the outer ring side cage ring 120 connected thereto move axially forward (region D in Figure 13), and then the first driven element 165 is guided along the first straight portion 156a, so that the outer ring side cage ring 120 is positioned at the second axial position P2, as shown in Figure 16A (region E in Figure 13). Meanwhile, the second driven element 175 is guided along the second straight portion 157c of the second driven link guide region L2, and the inner ring side cage ring 130 maintains its position at the first axial position P1 (regions D and E in Figure 13). At this time, as shown in Figure 16B, the head portion of the first cam 110a is pressed by the action of the second opening width variation portion 124b in the first cam holding portion 123 of the outer ring side cage ring 120, thereby tilting the first cam 110a in the meshing direction. Since the second cam holding portion 125 of the outer ring side cage ring 120 is formed in a rectangular shape with a constant opening width in the axial direction, the position of the second cam 110b is maintained in the meshing standby position. This switches the operating mode of the selectable clutch 100 from the reverse-direction lock mode (Mode A1) to the bidirectional lock mode (Mode A3), which prohibits relative rotation of the outer ring 101 and inner ring 105 in both the forward and reverse directions.

[0046] When the cylindrical cam 151 is further rotated in the reverse direction, the first drive element 165 is guided along the first straight section 156a of the first drive link guide region L1, and the outer ring side cage ring 120 maintains its position at the second axial position P2 (regions F and G in Figure 13). Meanwhile, the second drive element 175 is guided along the second inclined section 157d of the second drive link guide region L2, causing the second drive link 170 and the inner ring side cage ring 130 connected thereto to move axially forward (region F in Figure 13). Subsequently, the second drive element 175 is guided along the third straight section 157e, so that the inner ring side cage ring 130 is positioned at the second axial position P2, as shown in Figure 17A (region G in Figure 13). At this time, as shown in Figure 17B, the leg portion of the second cam 110b is pressed by the action of the second opening width variable portion 135b in the second cam holding portion 134 of the inner ring cage ring 130, thereby tilting the second cam 110b in the disengagement direction. Since the first cam holding portion 133 of the inner ring cage ring 130 is formed in a rectangular shape with a constant opening width in the axial direction, the position of the first cam 110a is maintained in the engagement standby position. This switches the operating mode of the selectable clutch 100 from bidirectional lock mode (Mode A3) to forward-direction lock mode (Mode A4), which prohibits relative rotation of the inner ring 105 with respect to the outer ring 101 in the forward direction.

[0047] Thus, according to the selectable clutch 100 described above, the cam groove 155 formed in the cylindrical cam 151 has a first driven link guide region L1 including a first inclined portion 156b that moves the first driven link 160 in the axial direction, and a second driven link guide region L2 including a first inclined portion 157b and a second inclined portion 157d that moves the second driven link 170 in the axial direction. By including an inclined portion in one region of the first driven link guide region L1 and the second driven link guide region L2 that is formed with a circumferential phase shift from the inclined portion of the other region, it becomes possible to move each of the first driven link 160 and the second driven link 170 independently in the axial direction. Therefore, by providing the outer ring cage ring 120 connected to the first driven link 160 with a posture control function for the first cam 110a, and the inner ring cage ring 130 connected to the second driven link 170 with a posture control function for the second cam 110b, the cam 110 can be tilted and the changed posture of the cam 110 can be maintained simply by moving one or both of the outer ring cage ring 120 and the inner ring cage ring 130 in the axial direction. Thus, a simple configuration enables smooth switching of operating modes, and allows switching of operating modes according to the usage situation, thereby achieving high functionality.

[0048] The above describes a selectable clutch configured to allow switching between four operating modes. However, it may also be configured to allow switching between three operating modes, for example, a bidirectional lock mode, a bidirectional free mode, and a forward-rotation lock mode or a reverse-rotation lock mode.

[0049] In a selectable clutch with such a configuration, the cylindrical cam 151 constituting the switching mechanism is configured such that, as shown in Figure 18, for example, the first driven peg guide region L1 in the cam groove 155 has a first straight portion 156a formed to extend circumferentially in the axial forward portion, a first inclined portion 156b formed to extend inclined toward the axial rear and continuous with the first straight portion 156a, and a second straight portion 156c formed to extend circumferentially in the axial rear portion and continuous with the first inclined portion 156b. Furthermore, the second driven peg guide region L2 in the cam groove 155 is configured to include a first straight portion 157a formed to extend circumferentially in the axial forward portion, a first inclined portion 157b formed to extend inclined toward the axial rearward portion and continuous with the first straight portion 157a, and a second straight portion 157c formed to extend circumferentially in the axial rearward portion and continuous with the first inclined portion 157b. The first inclined portion 156b in the first driven joint guide region L1 and the first inclined portion 157b in the second driven joint guide region L2 are formed with a circumferential phase difference between them.

[0050] In a switching mechanism equipped with such a cylindrical cam 151, as shown in Figure 19, when both the outer ring cage ring 120 and the inner ring cage ring 130 are positioned in the first axial position P1, the first drive element 165 of the first drive link 160 and the second drive element 175 of the second drive link 170 are positioned in the second linear section 156c of the first drive link guide region L1 and the second linear section 157c of the second drive link guide region L2, respectively (region A in Figure 19). At this time, the first cam 110a is held in a free-rotating position, and the second cam 110b is held in a meshing standby position. Therefore, the operating mode of the selectable clutch 100 is set to a reverse-direction lock mode (Mode A1) that prohibits relative rotation of the inner ring 120 with respect to the outer ring 110 in the reverse direction.

[0051] When the cylindrical cam 151 is rotated in the forward direction, the first drive element 165 is guided along the second linear section 156c of the first drive link guide region L1, and the outer ring side cage ring 130 maintains its position at the first axial position P1 (regions B and C in Figure 19). On the other hand, the second drive element 175 is guided along the first inclined section 157b of the second drive link guide region L2, 2nd dependent clause 170 The inner ring cage ring 130 connected thereto moves axially forward (area B in Figure 19), and then the second drive 175 is guided along the first straight section 157a so that the inner ring cage ring 130 is positioned at the second axial position P2 (area C in Figure 13). As a result, the first cam 110a is held in the free-rotating position, and the second cam 110b is tilted from the engagement standby position to the free-rotating position, and thus the operating mode of the selectable clutch 100 is switched from the reverse-direction locked mode (Mode A1) to the bidirectional free mode (Mode A2), which allows relative rotation of the outer ring 101 and inner ring 105 in both the forward and reverse directions.

[0052] Furthermore, when the cylindrical cam 151 is rotated in the reverse direction, the first drive element 165 is guided along the first inclined portion 156b of the first drive link guide region L1, causing the first drive link 160 and the outer ring side cage ring 120 connected thereto to move axially forward (region D in Figure 19). Subsequently, the first drive element 165 is guided along the first straight portion 156a, causing the outer ring side cage ring 120 to be positioned at the second axial position P2 (region E in Figure 19). Meanwhile, the second drive element 175 is guided along the second straight portion 157c of the second drive link guide region L2, and the inner ring side cage ring 130 maintains its position at the first axial position P1 (regions D and E in Figure 19). As a result, the first cam 110a is tilted from the free-spinning position to the engagement-waiting position, and the second cam 110b is held in the engagement-waiting position. Consequently, the operating mode of the selectable clutch 100 is switched from the reverse-direction lock mode (Mode A1) to the bidirectional lock mode (Mode A3), which prohibits relative rotation of the outer ring 101 and inner ring 105 in both the forward and reverse directions.

[0053] <Second Embodiment> Figure 20 is a perspective view showing an example configuration of a selectable clutch according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 21 is an exploded perspective view of the selectable clutch shown in Figure 20. The selectable clutch 200 according to the second embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the selectable clutch 100 according to the first embodiment, except for a difference in the configuration of the switching mechanism. For convenience, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the selectable clutch 100 according to the first embodiment, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0054] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 22, the axial dimension of the main body portion 221 of the outer ring side cage ring 220 is larger than that of the main body portion 121 of the outer ring side cage ring 120 in the selectable clutch 100 according to the first embodiment. The first cam holding portion 123, the second cam holding portion 125, and the inner groove portion 126 are formed on the axially forward portion of the main body portion 221, and the first driven link mounting portion is formed at the axially rear end of the main body portion 221. The first driven link mounting portion is configured such that a groove 222a extending around the entire circumference is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the outer flange portion 222 provided at the rear end of the main body portion 221.

[0055] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 23, the inner ring cage ring 230 has a first cam holding portion 133, a second cam holding portion 134, and an outer groove portion 136 formed on the axial front portion of the main body portion 231, and a second driven link mounting portion formed on the axial rear end. The second driven link mounting portion is configured such that a groove 239a extending around the entire circumference is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the outer flange portion 239 provided at the rear end of the main body portion 231. The main body portion 231 is formed to have a larger axial dimension than the main body portion 221 of the outer ring cage ring 220, such that in the assembled state, the rear end portion protrudes rearward from the rear end surface of the outer ring cage ring 220. Consequently, the second driven link mounting portion of the inner ring cage ring 230 is positioned axially rearward and spaced apart from the first driven link mounting portion of the outer ring cage ring 220.

[0056] In this embodiment, the first driven link 260 and the second driven link 270 in the switching mechanism 250 have the same configuration, and the configuration of the second driven link 270 will not be described. As shown in Figure 24, the first driven link 260 has an engaging portion 266 and a bearing portion 268. The engaging portion 266 is formed in a C-shape with a part of the ring cut out, and has a pair of arm portions 267, which are elastically deformed to expand, thereby engaging the outer ring side cage ring 220 First Dependent Pole Mounting Unit The engagement portion of the second driven link 270 is designed to engage with the inner ring side cage ring 230. Second driven link attachment part It is configured to be engageable with. The bearing portion 268 is formed continuously with the engaging portion 266 so as to extend radially outward with respect to the center of the engaging portion 266, and has a cylindrical cam insertion hole 269 configured so as to allow the cylindrical cam 251 to be rotatably inserted. The bearing portion 268 has a drive element insertion hole formed to open to the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical cam insertion hole 269, and a rod-shaped first drive element 265 is arranged in the drive element insertion hole such that its tip protrudes inward from the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical cam insertion hole 269. The second drive element 275 is arranged in the second drive element 270 such that its tip protrudes inward from the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical cam insertion hole.

[0057] In the switching mechanism 250 of this embodiment, the cylindrical cam 251 has a cam groove 255 formed on the circumferential surface of a cylindrical member. As shown in Figure 20, the cylindrical cam 251 is inserted into the cylindrical cam insertion hole 269 of the first driven link 260 connected to the outer ring side cage ring 220 and the cylindrical cam insertion hole of the second driven link 270 connected to the inner ring side cage ring 230, and the first drive element 265 of the first driven link 260 and the second drive element 275 of the second driven link 270 are engaged with the cam groove 255, thereby coupling the first driven link 260 and the second driven link 270, and are arranged to rotate in both forward and reverse directions around a rotary drive shaft C2 that extends parallel to the rotation axis C1.

[0058] As shown in Figure 25, the cam groove 255 includes a first drive link guide region L1 which includes an inclined portion that engages with the first drive element 265 of the first drive link 260 and moves the first drive link 260 in the axial direction, and a second drive link guide region L2 which includes an inclined portion that engages with the second drive element 275 of the second drive link 270 and moves the second drive link 270 in the axial direction. In this embodiment, the second drive link guide region L2 is formed at a position spaced apart in the axial direction rearward from the first drive link guide region L1.

[0059] The first driven joint guide region L1 includes a first straight section 256a formed to extend in the circumferential direction, a first inclined section 256b formed to extend inclined toward the axial forward side and continuous with the first straight section 256a, and a second straight section 256c formed to extend in the circumferential direction and continuous with the first inclined section 256b.

[0060] The second driven joint guide region L2 includes a first straight section 257a formed to extend in the circumferential direction, a first inclined section 257b formed to extend inclined toward the axial forward side and continuous with the first straight section 257a, a second straight section 257c formed to extend in the circumferential direction and continuous with the first inclined section 257b, a second inclined section 257d formed to extend inclined toward the axial rear side and continuous with the second straight section 257c, and a third straight section 257e formed to extend in the circumferential direction in the axial rear portion and continuous with the second inclined section 257d.

[0061] In the cam groove 255, in the first driven peg guide region L1 First slope part 256b And in the second dependent segment guidance region L2 First slope part 257b and 2nd slope part 257d These are formed with a phase difference in the circumferential direction relative to each other, which allows the first driven link 260 and the second driven link 270 to be moved independently in the axial direction.

[0062] In this switching mechanism 250, as shown in Figure 26, when both the outer ring cage ring 220 and the inner ring cage ring 230 are positioned at the first axial position P1 (see Figure 20), the first drive element 265 of the first drive link 260 and the second drive element 275 of the second drive link 270 are positioned at the first straight section 256a of the first drive link guide region L1 and the first straight section 257a of the second drive link guide region L2, respectively (region A in Figure 26). The solid lines in Figure 26 show the relationship between the circumferential phase of the first drive element 265 with respect to the cam groove 255 and the axial position of the outer ring cage ring 220, while the dashed lines show the relationship between the circumferential phase of the second drive element 275 with respect to the cam groove 255 and the axial position of the inner ring cage ring 230. At this time, the first cam 110a maintains a free-spinning position with its inner ring side engagement surface tilted away from the inner ring raceway surface 106, and the second cam 110b maintains a meshing standby state in contact with the outer ring 101 and inner ring 105 so that when torque is applied to the outer ring 101 or inner ring 105, the second cam 110b immediately begins to mesh with the outer ring 101 and inner ring 105. Accordingly, the selectable clutch 200 is in a reverse-direction lock mode (Mode B1) that prohibits the relative rotation of the inner ring 105 with respect to the outer ring 101 in the reverse direction.

[0063] When the cylindrical cam 251 is rotated clockwise (forward direction) when viewed from the axial front side, First dependent 265 The first driven link guide region L1 is guided along the first straight section 256a, and the outer ring side cage ring 220 maintains its position at the first axial position P1 (regions B and C in Figure 26). Meanwhile, the second driven link 275 is guided along the first inclined section 257b of the second driven link guide region L2, 2nd dependent clause 270 And the inner ring side cage ring 230 connected thereto moves axially forward (region B in Figure 26), and then, Second dependent 275 As it is guided along the second straight section 257c, the inner ring side cage ring 220 is positioned at the second axial position P2 (region C in Figure 26). At this time, the leg portion of the second cam 110b is pressed by the action of the second opening width variation portion 135b in the second cam holding portion 134 of the inner ring cage ring 230, causing the second cam 110b to tilt in the disengagement direction and change to an idle position. Since the first cam holding portion 133 of the inner ring cage ring 230 is formed in a rectangular shape with a constant opening width in the axial direction, the position of the first cam 110a is maintained in an idle position. Therefore, the operating mode of the selectable clutch 200 is switched from the reverse-direction lock mode (Mode B1) to the bidirectional free mode (Mode B2), which allows relative rotation of the outer ring 101 and inner ring 105 in both the forward and reverse directions.

[0064] Cylindrical cam 251 If you rotate it further in the forward direction, First dependent 265It is guided along the first inclined portion 256b of the first driven link guide region L1, 1st driven clause 260 And the outer ring side cage ring 220 connected thereto moves axially forward (region D in Figure 26), and then, First dependent 265 As it is guided along the second straight section 256c, the outer ring side cage ring 220 is positioned at the second axial position P2 (region E in Figure 26). On the other hand, Second dependent 275 The inner ring cage ring 230 is guided along the second linear section 257c of the second driven link guide region L2, and maintains its position at the second axial position P2 (regions D and E in Figure 26). At this time, the head portion of the first cam 110a is pressed by the action of the second opening width variation portion 124b in the first cam holding portion 123 of the outer ring side cage ring 220, thereby tilting the first cam 110a in the meshing direction and changing it to a meshing standby position. Since the second cam holding portion 125 of the outer ring side cage ring 220 is formed in a rectangular shape with a constant opening width in the axial direction, the position of the second cam 110b is maintained in a free-rotating position. Therefore, the operating mode of the selectable clutch 200 is switched from the bidirectional free mode (Mode B2) to the forward rotation lock mode (Mode B3), which prohibits the relative rotation of the inner ring 105 with respect to the outer ring 101 in the forward direction.

[0065] Cylindrical cam 251 When the bearing is further rotated in the forward direction, the first drive element 265 is guided along the second linear section 256c of the first drive link guide region L1, and the outer ring side cage ring 220 maintains its position at the second axial position P2 (regions F and G in Figure 26). Meanwhile, the second drive element 275 is guided along the second inclined section 257d of the second drive link guide region L2, causing the second drive link 270 and the inner ring side cage ring 230 connected thereto to move axially rearward (region F in Figure 26). Subsequently, the second drive element 275 is guided along the third linear section 257e, causing the inner ring side cage ring 230 to be positioned at the first axial position P1 (region G in Figure 26). At this time, the leg portion of the second cam 110b is pressed by the action of the second opening width variable portion 135b in the second cam holding portion 134 of the inner ring cage ring 230, thereby tilting the second cam 110b in the meshing direction and changing it to the meshing standby position. Since the first cam holding portion 133 of the inner ring cage ring 230 is formed in a rectangular shape with a constant opening width in the axial direction, the position of the first cam 110a is maintained in the meshing position. Therefore, Selectable Clutch 200 The operating mode is switched from forward rotation lock mode (Mode B3) to bidirectional lock mode (Mode B4), which prohibits relative rotation of the outer ring 101 and inner ring 105 in both the forward and reverse directions.

[0066] The selectable clutch according to the second embodiment is not limited to one configured to allow switching between four operating modes, but may also be configured to allow switching between three operating modes, for example, a bidirectional lock mode, a bidirectional free mode, and a forward rotation lock mode or a reverse rotation lock mode.

[0067] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the present invention as described in the claims. In the above embodiment, a configuration was described in which the operating mode of the selectable clutch is set to the reverse direction lock mode when the outer ring side cage ring and the inner ring side cage ring are positioned in the first axial position. However, the relationship between the operating mode of the selectable clutch and the axial position of the outer ring side cage ring and the inner ring side cage ring is not particularly limited. For example, the operating mode of the selectable clutch may be configured to be the forward direction lock mode, the bidirectional lock mode, or the reverse direction lock mode when the outer ring side cage ring and the inner ring side cage ring are positioned in the first axial position. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 100, 200... Selectable clutch 101 ··· Outer ring 102 ··· Outer ring raceway 105 ··· Inner circle 106 ··· Inner raceway surface 110 ··· Cam 110a ··· First cam 110b ··· Second cam 115... biasing means 120,220 ··· Outer ring cage ring 121,221 ··· Main body 122,222 ··· Outer flange section 222a · · Concave groove 123 ··· First cam retaining part 123a ··· Guide space section 123b... Space for fixing the first posture 123c...Second posture fixing space 124a ··· First opening width variation section 124b ··· Second opening width variation section 125 ··· Second cam retaining part 126 ··· Inner groove section 127 ··· Guide groove section 128... Slide groove section 130,230 ··· Inner ring cage ring 131,231 ··· Main body 132 ··· Inner flange section 133 ··· First cam retaining part 134 ··· Second cam retaining part 134a ··· Guide space section 134b... Space for fixing the first posture 134c...Second posture fixing space 135a ··· First opening width variation section 135b ··· Second opening width variation section 136 ... External groove 137 ··· Guide groove section 138... Slide groove section 239 ··· Outer flange section 239a · · Concave groove 140 ··· Positioning Cage Ring 141 ··· Circular section 142... Connecting part 143 ··· Pocket section 145 ... outward protrusion 146 ... Inward protrusion 150, 250... Switching mechanism 151,251... Cylindrical cam 152 ··· Shaft 153 ··· Outer flange section 155, 255... Cam groove 156a,256a... 1st straight section 156b,256b... 1st slope 156c,256c... 2nd straight section 157a,257a... 1st straight section 157b,257b... 1st slope 157c,257c... 2nd straight section 157d,257d... 2nd slope 157e,257e... 3rd straight section 160 ,260 ... 1st dependent clause 161 ··· Base part 162 ··· recess 163 ... Peripheral wall part 164 ··· External teeth 165, 265 ··· First dependent 266 ··· Engaging part 267 ··· Arm section 268 · · Bearing section 269 ​​··· Cylindrical cam insertion hole 170 ,270 ... second dependent clause 171 ··· Base part 172 ··· Extension part 173 ··· Inner teeth 175, 275 ··· Second dependent 180 ··· Case 181 ··· Outer cylinder part 182 ··· Inner teeth 185 ··· Inner cylinder 186 ··· External teeth 187 ··· Notch 190 ··· Retaining ring 191 ··· Retaining ring C1...Rotation axis center C2 ··· Rotary drive shaft L1 ··· First Dependent Section Guidance Area L2 ··· Second Dependent Clamp Guidance Area

Claims

1. A selectable clutch comprising a first cam and a second cam having different meshing directions with respect to an outer ring and an inner ring, respectively, held by an outer ring side cage ring and an inner ring side cage ring provided between the outer ring and the inner ring, and equipped with a switching mechanism that changes the operating mode by forcibly tilting either one or both of the first cam and the second cam, The outer ring side cage ring and the inner ring side cage ring are provided so as to be movable in the axial direction between a first axial position and a second axial position. The outer ring side cage ring is configured to move between the first axial position and the second axial position, thereby allowing the first cam to be engaged and to change its orientation between a waiting position and a free-spinning position tilted away from the inner ring or the outer ring. The inner ring side cage ring is configured to be able to change its orientation between a waiting position for the second cam to engage and a free-spinning position tilted away from the inner ring or the outer ring by moving between the first axial position and the second axial position. The switching mechanism comprises a cylindrical cam with a cam groove formed on its circumferential surface, and a first and second driven link coupled to the cylindrical cam, wherein the first driven link is connected to the outer ring side cage ring and the second driven link is connected to the inner ring side cage ring. The selectable clutch is characterized in that the cam groove has a first drive link guide region including an inclined portion for moving the first drive link in the axial direction, and a second drive link guide region including an inclined portion for moving the second drive link in the axial direction, and one of the regions of the first drive link guide region and the second drive link guide region includes an inclined portion formed with a circumferential phase shift from the inclined portion of the other region.

2. The cylindrical cam is formed by having the cam groove formed on the circumferential surface of a cylindrical member. The first driven link is an annular body, and the first driven element that engages with the cam groove is arranged to protrude radially inward from the inner circumferential surface. The second driven link is an annular body, and the second driven element that engages with the cam groove is arranged to protrude radially outward from the outer circumferential surface. The selectable clutch according to claim 1, characterized in that the cylindrical cam, the first driven link, and the second driven link are arranged coaxially with the outer ring and the inner ring.

3. The cylindrical cam is formed such that the first driven joint guide region and the second driven joint guide region are formed at positions spaced apart in the axial direction on the circumferential surface of the cylindrical member. The selectable clutch according to claim 1, characterized in that the cylindrical cam is arranged on an axis extending parallel to the rotational axes of the inner ring and the outer ring.

4. The switching mechanism comprises a case housing the cylindrical cam, the first driven link, and the second driven link. The selectable clutch according to claim 2, characterized in that the case has a rotation-preventing portion that prevents the first driven portion and the second driven portion from rotating together with the cylindrical cam.

5. The selectable clutch according to claim 1, characterized in that a position-restricting cage ring that restricts the degree of freedom of circumferential movement of the outer ring side cage ring and the inner ring side cage ring is disposed between the outer ring side cage ring and the inner ring side cage ring.

6. The outer ring side cage ring has an inner groove portion extending in the axial direction on its inner surface, The inner ring side cage ring has an outer groove portion extending in the axial direction on its outer surface, The selectable clutch according to claim 5, characterized in that the position-regulating cage ring has an outward projection at one axial end that protrudes radially outward and is slidably engaged with the inner groove of the outer ring side cage ring, and an inward projection at the other axial end that protrudes radially inward and is slidably engaged with the outer groove of the inner ring side cage ring.

Images