FRICTION CLUTCH FOR A DRIVETRAIN OF A MOTOR VEHICLE HAVING AT LEAST AN ACTUATING SURFACE FORMED BY AT LEAST ONE CONNECTING MEANS

Abstract

A friction clutch for a drivetrain of a motor vehicle includes and input part, an output part, a spring device, a pressure pot, and a connecting means connecting the pressure pot to the inner-plate carrier. The input part includes an outer-plate carrier which is rotatable about an axis of rotation by a drive motor, and an outer plate rotationally fastened to the outer-plate carrier. The input part includes a rotor carrier, an inner-plate carrier separate from the rotor carrier, and an inner plate rotationally fastened to the inner-plate carrier. The spring device is for bracing the outer plate and the inner plate together with a pressing force to close the friction clutch. The connecting means includes an actuating surface via which the friction clutch can be actuated by an actuating device.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A friction clutch for a drivetrain of a motor vehicle, comprising: an input part comprising: an outer-plate carrier which is rotatable about an axis of rotation by a drive motor; and an outer plate rotationally fastened to the outer-plate carrier; an output part comprising: a rotor carrier; an inner-plate carrier separate from the rotor carrier; and an inner plate rotationally fastened to the inner-plate carrier; a spring device for bracing the outer plate and the inner plate together with a pressing force to close the friction clutch; and a pressure pot; and a connecting means connecting the pressure pot to the inner-plate carrier, the connecting means comprising an actuating surface via which the friction clutch can be actuated by an actuating device.

12. The friction clutch of claim 11, further comprising: a spacer plate arranged to axially separate the outer plate and the inner plate from the rotor carrier; and a leaf spring: connected to the inner-plate carrier and the rotor carrier; and arranged to reinforce the pressing force with a reinforcing force when a torque is introduced to the input part by the drive motor.

13. The friction clutch of claim 11, wherein the connecting means is a rivet or a screw.

14. The friction clutch of claim 11, wherein the actuating surface is orthogonal to the axis of rotation.

15. The friction clutch of claim 11, wherein the actuating surface comprises an adjustable actuating surface height.

16. A method for producing the friction clutch of claim 11 comprising adjusting an actuating surface height of the actuating surface to a desired actuating surface height.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a connecting means length of the connecting means is selected to adjust the actuating surface height.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein a washer is placed under the connecting means to adjust the actuating surface height.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the connecting means is compressed to adjust the actuating surface height.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the connecting means is screwed into a thread to adjust the actuating surface height.

21. A friction clutch for a hybrid vehicle comprising: an axis of rotation; a first plate carrier arranged for driving engagement with a combustion engine; a first clutch plate rotationally fixed to the first plate carrier; a rotor carrier arranged for receiving a motor torque from an electric motor; a second plate carrier fixed to the rotor carrier and arranged for driving engagement a gearbox; a second clutch plate rotationally fixed to the second plate carrier; a rivet comprising a distal end with an actuating surface for receiving an actuating force from an actuating device to open the friction clutch; a pressure pot fixed to the second plate carrier by the rivet; a spring device arranged to apply a pressing force to the pressure pot to press the first clutch plate and the second clutch plate together to transmit a clutch torque; and a leaf spring rotationally connecting the second clutch plate to the rotor carrier and arranged to apply a reinforcing force to the first clutch plate and the second clutch plate to increase the clutch torque when an engine torque is provided by the combustion engine.

22. The friction clutch of claim 21 wherein the actuating surface is orthogonal to the axis of rotation.

23. The friction clutch of claim 21 wherein the actuating surface comprises an adjustable actuating surface height.

24. The friction clutch of claim 23 wherein the adjustable actuating surface height is adjustable by: selecting a length of the rivet; placing a washer between the actuating surface and the second plate carrier; or compressing the rivet.

25. The friction clutch of claim 21 further comprising a hub, wherein: the spring device is axially fixed relative to the hub in a first axial direction; and the rotor carrier is fixed to the hub.

26. The friction clutch of claim 21 wherein the spring device is disposed axially between the first plate carrier and the pressure pot.

27. The friction clutch of claim 21 wherein the spring device comprises a plurality of radially inwardly extending fingers and the rivet is arranged circumferentially between two of the plurality of radially inwardly extending fingers.

28. The friction clutch of claim 21 wherein the leaf spring is arranged to pull the pressure pot axially towards the rotor carrier when the engine torque is provided.

29. The friction clutch of claim 21 further comprising a spacer plate disposed axially between the first clutch plate and the rotor carrier.

30. The friction clutch of claim 29 wherein the spacer plate comprises: a flanged section orthogonal to the axis of rotation; and an axially extending, radially outer, tubular section.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] Both the disclosure and the technical field will be explained in more detail below, with reference to the FIGURE. It should be noted that the FIGURE shows an example variant of the disclosure, but is not limited thereto. In an exemplary and schematic manner, the single FIGURE shows a friction clutch in longitudinal section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The single FIGURE shows a friction clutch 1 in longitudinal section. The friction clutch 1 is a dry multi-plate clutch, for example. The friction clutch 1 has an input part 2 on the engine side 19 and an output part 6 on the gearbox side 20. The input part 2 includes an outer-plate carrier 4, which is rotatable about an axis of rotation 3 by a drive motor or internal combustion engine, not shown here, to which four outer plates 5 are rotationally fastened by a toothing, not shown here. The output part 6 includes an inner-plate carrier 8, which is arranged coaxially to the outer-plate carrier 4 and can also be rotated about the axis of rotation 3, to which four inner plates 9 are non-rotatably fastened by a toothing, also not shown here.

[0041] The outer plates 5 and the inner-plate carrier 8 can be tensioned by a spring device 10, which is a diaphragm spring here, to close the friction clutch 1. For this purpose, a pressing force of the spring device 10 can be transmitted to the inner-plate carrier 8 via a pressure pot 14 and a modulation spring 18. The pressing force is supported by a spacer plate 11. The spacer plate 11 is annular and has a tubular section 16 and a flanged section 17. Furthermore, the spacer plate 11 spaces apart the outer plates 5 and the inner plates 9 in the axial direction 12, i.e. parallel to the axis of rotation 3, from a rotor carrier 7 of the output part 6. In addition, the spacer plate 11 forms a mounting space 15 for a plurality of leaf springs 13. The plurality of leaf springs 13 are arranged in the circumferential direction 25 distributed about the axis of rotation 3 and each extend from a collar 26 of the inner-plate carrier 8, which is oriented in the radial direction 24, in the circumferential direction 25 and in the axial direction 12 to the rotor carrier 7, which is only partly shown here. The leaf springs 13 are riveted at a first longitudinal end of the leaf springs 13 to the inner-plate carrier 8 and at an opposite second longitudinal end of the leaf springs 13 to the rotor carrier 7. When the friction clutch 1 is closed, a torque of a drive motor can thus be transmitted to the rotor carrier 7 via the outer-plate carrier 4, the outer plates 5, the inner plates 9, the inner-plate carrier 8 and the leaf springs 13.

[0042] The leaf springs 13 are mounted between the inner-plate carrier 8 and the rotor carrier 7 in such a way or with a mounting angle that the torque introduced via the inner-plate carrier 8 into the leaf springs 13 as a tensile force generates a force with an axial directional component. The axial directional component of the force represents a reinforcing force that acts on the inner-plate carrier 8 in the axial direction 12 in the direction of the gearbox side 20 so that the pressing force of the spring device 10 is reinforced and pressing force losses are compensated.

[0043] The friction clutch 1, viewed from the gearbox side 20 rotates counterclockwise about the axis of rotation 3 in the direction of rotation 27, whereby the leaf springs 13 are loaded under tension in order to use the reinforcing function of the leaf springs 13. If, with the friction clutch 1 engaged, a torque in the direction of rotation 27 is applied by the internal combustion engine, not shown, to the inner plates 9 and the inner-plate carrier 8 via the outer-plate carrier 4 and the outer plates 5, coming from the engine side 19, the torque in the direction of rotation 27 ensures that the frictional connection between the outer plates 5 and inner plates 9 is reinforced by the tension-loaded leaf springs 13, as the collar 26 of the inner-plate carrier 8, which can be moved in the axial direction 12, is pulled in the direction of the rotor carrier 7. This increases the torque capacity of the friction clutch 1, allowing the friction clutch 1 to be designed smaller than it would have been without the reinforcing function of the leaf springs 13. In other words, pressing force losses can be compensated by the reinforcing function of the leaf springs 13.

[0044] The pressure pot 14 is of annular design and radially internally connected to the inner-plate carrier 8 by a plurality of circumferentially 25 distributed connecting means 28, which here are in the form of rivets, in a torsion-resistant manner. The connecting means 28 have a connecting means length 32 in the axial direction 12. In addition, an end face of the connecting means 28 at one end of the connecting means 28 on the longitudinal side in the axial direction 12 forms an actuating surface 29, via which an actuating force can be introduced against the pressing force of the spring device 10 for disengaging the friction clutch 1 in the direction of the engine side 19 by means of an actuating device 30, shown here only schematically.

[0045] The actuating device 30 is arranged at least partly in the radial direction 24 within the rotor carrier 7. The actuating device 30 is in direct contact with the actuating surface 29. The actuating surface 29 has an actuating surface height 31 that corresponds to a distance of the actuating surface 29 from an engine-side end face of a hub 21 of the friction clutch 1 in the axial direction 12. Here, the actuating surface height 31 was adjusted to a target actuating surface height by compressing the connecting means 28 in the axial direction 12. Alternatively or cumulatively, the rotor carrier 7 is rotatable about the axis of rotation 3 by the rotor 22 of an electric motor, not shown here. For this purpose, the rotor carrier 7 is non-rotatably connected to the rotor 22 via its circumferential surface 23. Furthermore, the rotor carrier 7 is non-rotatably connected to the hub 21 so that the hub 21, together with the rotor carrier 7, is rotatable about the axis of rotation 3.

[0046] The friction clutch 1, e.g., the dry multi-plate clutch, is designed for a hybrid module, not shown, for coupling and decoupling an internal combustion engine to and from the drivetrain of a motor vehicle, i.e. the friction clutch 1 forms a KO clutch. The hybrid module may be a hybrid module with a coaxial electric motor, the rotor of which surrounds the KO clutch, or a hybrid module with an electric motor parallel to the axis driving a pulley surrounding the KO clutch. In the latter case, this pulley of the rotor carrier 7 and the rotor 22 is constructed in one piece, or the pulley is supported by the rotor carrier 7, i.e. pulled at its outer circumference onto the rotor carrier 7.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0047] 1 Friction clutch [0048] 2 Input part [0049] 3 Axis of rotation [0050] 4 Outer-plate carrier [0051] 5 Outer plate [0052] 6 Output part [0053] 7 Rotor carrier [0054] 8 Inner-plate carrier [0055] 9 Inner plate [0056] 10 Spring device [0057] 11 Spacer plate [0058] 12 Axial direction [0059] 13 Leaf spring [0060] 14 Pressure pot [0061] 15 Mounting space [0062] 16 Tubular section [0063] 17 Flanged section [0064] 18 Modulation spring [0065] 19 Engine side [0066] 20 Gearbox side [0067] 21 Hub [0068] 22 Rotor [0069] 23 Circumferential surface [0070] 24 Radial direction [0071] 25 Circumferential direction [0072] 26 Collar [0073] 27 Direction of rotation [0074] 28 Connecting means [0075] 29 Actuating surface [0076] 30 Actuating device [0077] 31 Actuating surface height [0078] 32 Connection means length