DOG CLUTCH

Abstract

A dog clutch for the controllable positive connection of two drive components situated coaxially around an axis of rotation. Two ring parts form the connection, including an inner ring and an outer ring that are movable axially relative to each other under external control to selectively make and break the connection therebetween. To produce the dog clutch simply and economically, the ring parts include teeth to form radial gearing with each other. At least one of the two ring parts is produced without machining, while its toothed part that forms the radial gearing is produced by punching and stamping.

Claims

1. A dog clutch for a controllable positive connection of two drive components situated coaxially around an axis of rotation, said clutch comprising: two ring parts that form the controllable connection, including an inner ring and an outer ring that are movable axially relative to each other under external control to selectively make and break the connection, wherein the ring parts each include respective interengageable teeth to form a radial gearing connection with each other, and wherein at least one of the two ring parts is produced without machining and includes a respective toothed part that forms the radial gearing connection and is produced by a punching and stamping process.

2. A dog clutch according to claim 1, wherein the teeth of the toothed ring parts include a stamped-on insertion slope facing a joining direction of the connection.

3. A dog clutch according to claim 2, wherein in each of an axially directed push and pull direction of the ring parts of the dog clutch the teeth have respective tooth flanks that face each other and contact each other when the ring parts are engaged.

4. A dog clutch according to claim 3, wherein the teeth of the ring parts have respective insertion slopes that are offset relative to a plane that is mounted perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

5. A dog clutch according to claim 4, wherein on each single tooth of each of the ring parts a single insertion slope is included that is directed into a single tooth flank.

6. A dog clutch according to claim 4 wherein a pair of insertion slopes are formed on each of the teeth of the ring parts and are directed at an opposed tooth flank of an opposed ring part during connection of the ring parts.

7. A dog clutch according to claim 4, wherein the insertion slopes and adjacent tooth flanks of the respective ring parts have an involute transition

8. A dog clutch according to claim 1, wherein the teeth of the respective ring parts are designed in a free shape.

9. A dog clutch according to claim 1, wherein the outer ring part includes external teeth on its outer circumference.

10. A dog clutch according to claim 3, wherein when the dog clutch is in a shifted state with the ring parts in driving contact with each other the tooth flanks of the respective ring parts at least partially overlap each other on axial surfaces to provide transmission forces that operate exclusively in the circumferential direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The present invention will be explained in further detail on the basis of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 6. The drawing figures show the following:

[0017] FIG. 1 is an end view of an inner ring of the dog clutch in accordance with the present invention,

[0018] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the inner ring of FIG. 1 taken along the cutting line A-A of FIG. 1,

[0019] FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the portion designated detail X of the inner ring shown in FIG. 1,

[0020] FIG. 4 is an end view of an outer ring of the dog clutch in accordance with the present invention,

[0021] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the outer ring of FIG. 4 taken along the cutting line B-B of FIG. 4,

[0022] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the portion designated detail Y of the outer ring of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] FIGS. 1 and 2 in combination show the ring part 1 designed as inner ring 3, and FIGS. 4 and 5 show the ring part 2 designed as outer ring 4. The rings are positioned concentrically around the axis of rotation d and thereby form the dog clutch in accordance with the present invention. The dog clutch is disengaged and engaged by moving the ring parts 1, 2 axially relative to each other. To that end, one of the two ring parts 1, 2, in that case for example, the inner ring 3, is held axially fixed and non-rotating with a rotatable drive component, for example a shaft, and the outer ring 4 is connected non-rotatingly and axially movably by means of the external teeth 5 to another drive component, for example held on an idler gear. The axially movable outer ring part 4 is moved axially by means of an actuator, for example by means of an electric motor and a gear unit, a hydraulic or pneumatic piston/cylinder unit or the like (not shown).

[0024] The ring parts 1, 2 are produced without machining, for example from sheet metal. Both ring parts 1, 2 have mutually complementary toothed parts 6, 7, that have radially extending teeth 8, 9. The teeth 8, 9 are produced by means of a stamping process, and they form the radial gearing 15 of the ring parts 1, 2 when the dog clutch is engaged.

[0025] FIG. 3 shows in an enlarged representation detail X of the ring part 1 of FIG. 1. The form of the stamped teeth 8 is clear from detail X. The teeth 8 have insertion slopes 10 that are situated at an acute angle relative to an imaginary plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation d of the ring part (FIG. 1), and that are positioned between the two tooth flanks 11, 12. The insertion slopes 10 give way at the transitions 13 of involute design to the tooth flanks 12, so that an optimized and low-friction transition with a positive lock with the teeth 9 of the ring part 2 (FIGS. 3 and 6) occurs.

[0026] FIG. 6 shows in an enlarged representation detail Y of the ring part 2 of FIG. 4 with a correspondingly complementary design of the teeth 9 to the teeth 8 of the ring part 1. The teeth 9 have correspondingly complementary insertion slopes 14 and tooth flanks 16, 17.

[0027] The combination of FIGS. 3 and 6 explains the operation of the proposed dog clutch. When the outer ring 4 is moved axially toward the inner ring 3, the insertion slopes 14 of outer ring 4 enter into contact with the insertion slopes 10 of the inner ring 3. Because of the resulting relative rotation of the outer ring 4 relative to the inner ring 3, the insertion slopes 10, 14 slide on each other in the circumferential direction until the tooth flanks 12, 16 contact each other. A positive lock is formed between the teeth 8, 9 by means of a further axial movement of the outer ring 4 relative to the inner ring 3. As that occurs, the tooth flanks 12, 16 form a positive lock in the pull direction of the clutch, and the tooth flanks 11, 17 form a positive lock in the push direction. Because of the different sizes of the tooth flanks 11, 16 on the one hand and the tooth flanks 12, 17 on the other hand, an optimized contact surface of the tooth flanks 11, 12, 16, 17 occurs by positioning the outer ring 4 appropriately relative to the inner ring 3.