Clutch Lever Mechanism with Belleville Spring
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing clutch systems require a large force to maintain disengagement, leading to decreased operability due to uneven load distribution and increased torque at the pivot finish position, making it difficult to smoothly disengage and re-engage the clutch.
Innovation Solution
The clutch system incorporates a lever mechanism with a larger lever ratio at the pivot start position and a Belleville spring that reduces the force applied at the pivot finish position, allowing for a smaller torque and easier operation by using a relay member and hydraulic mechanism to manage the biasing force.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the lever ratio at the pivot start position is increased, then the torque required to start pivoting is reduced, but the lever ratio at the pivot finish position becomes smaller requiring larger force to maintain disengagement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different lever ratios at different positions of the cam operation - a larger lever ratio at the pivot start position to reduce the torque needed for initiation, and a smaller lever ratio at the pivot finish position to reduce the force needed to maintain disengagement. This local differentiation of mechanical advantage resolves the contradiction between ease of starting and ease of maintaining disengagement.
2Device complexity
If a compression coil spring is used as the clutch spring, then the clutch mechanism is simple, but the biasing force becomes large when the cam is pivoted to the finish position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a compression coil spring but compensates for its excessive biasing force at the pivot finish position by varying the cam's pivot radius - using a larger pivot radius at the finish position which reduces the torque generated from the spring's biasing force. This allows the use of a simple compression coil spring while avoiding the problem of large biasing force during operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces the effort required to disengage and maintain the clutch in a disengaged state, improving operability and smoothness by distributing the load more evenly and maintaining consistent performance across varying temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
a Belleville spring that reduces the force applied at the pivot finish position
Implementation Method 2
hydraulic mechanism to manage the biasing force
Data Source
AI summary
A clutching system comprises a lever mechanism portion and a clutch mechanism portion. The lever mechanism portion comprises a push lever. The push lever comprises a cam surface. The clutch mechanism portion comprises a push rod. The push rod comprises a cam follower. A Belleville spring functions as a clutch spring. The cam surface and the cam follower are formed such that a lever ratio of the push lever at a pivot start position is larger than a lever ratio of the push lever at a pivot finish position. The Belleville spring is formed such that a force required to move the push lever at the pivot finish position is smaller than a force required to move to the push lever at the pivot start position.