JP4839162B2 - Clutch device for riding type vehicle and riding type vehicle provided with the clutch device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a clutch device for a riding type vehicle such as a motorcycle and a riding type vehicle equipped with the clutch device.

  In a clutch device for a riding type vehicle such as a motorcycle, a clutch lever provided on a handlebar and a release mechanism for a clutch provided in an engine case are generally coupled to each other so that a clutch operating force can be transmitted by a clutch cable. Yes.

  As a first conventional example of this type of clutch device, there is a clutch device described in Patent Document 1, which includes a rotating rod having a cam surface as a member for driving a release bearing of a release mechanism, The rotating rod penetrates the outer wall of the crankcase and protrudes from the crankcase to the outside of the crankcase. Then, the cam surface in the crank case of the rotating rod is engaged with the release bearing of the release mechanism, a rotating lever is provided on the rotating rod outside the crank case, and one end of the clutch cable is connected to the rotating lever. is doing. As an operation, by grasping the clutch lever, the rotation rod is rotated via the clutch cable and the rotation lever, the release bearing is moved to the cam action of the cam surface, and the clutch is released.

FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of the clutch cable of the second conventional example. A rotating rod 201 having a cam surface 201a is housed in a generator chamber 203 of a crankcase, and an outer wall (upper wall) of the generator chamber 203 is shown. A cable insertion hole 205 is formed in 204, and a clutch cable 208 is inserted into the cable insertion hole 205. Then, the end portion of the inner wire 208a of the clutch cable 208 in the generator chamber 203 is connected to the rotating lever 210 of the rotating rod 201 via the connecting fitting 209, and the portion of the clutch cable 208 outside the generator chamber 203 is connected. It extends to a clutch lever of a handle bar (not shown). The cam surface 201a is in contact with, for example, a release rod 211 inserted into an input shaft of a gear type transmission mechanism (not shown), and the distal end portion of the release rod 211 is connected to a release bearing of the clutch.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-17776

The conventional example 1 has the following problems.
(1) In a structure in which a rotating rod having a cam surface protrudes outside the crankcase and the clutch cable is connected to a rotating lever provided at the protruding portion, the rotating lever can rotate around the rotating lever. Therefore, the parts arranged around the crankcase, such as the cell motor and the oil strainer, must be arranged so as not to interfere with the rotating lever. Placement is limited.

(2) Since the turning lever is arranged in an upward projecting manner, for example, the clutch cable is arranged substantially horizontally in the vicinity of the turning lever in order to turn the turning lever in a predetermined direction. Therefore, in order to extend the clutch cable to the upper clutch lever, it is necessary to change the direction of the clutch cable with a small curvature radius. Then, when the clutch release operation is performed, friction between the outer tube of the clutch cable and the inner wire increases, and the clutch operation becomes heavy. In addition, the appearance around the engine also deteriorates.

  On the other hand, in Conventional Example 2, since the rotating rod 201 is housed in the generator chamber 203 in FIG. 7, the area around the crankcase can be effectively used for arranging various parts. However, since the outer tube 208b having a resin-coated surface is merely inserted through the cable insertion hole 205, the outer tube 208b is transmitted through the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 208b and the outer tube to enter the generator chamber 203 from the outside. And mud may enter. In particular, in a four-cycle engine, since oil for lubrication and cooling is stored in the generator chamber 203, water and mud may be mixed with the oil.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is possible to secure a space for arranging various parts around an engine case constituted by a crankcase or the like, and to arrange a clutch cable layout, for example, in a straight line. It is an object of the present invention to provide a clutch device for a riding type vehicle that can be simplified and thereby can reduce the clutch operating force.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application includes a clutch lever provided in a handlebar, a clutch provided in an engine case for interrupting power from a crankshaft, and in the engine case. A release mechanism configured to release the clutch, wherein the clutch case and the release mechanism are coupled to transmit the clutch operating force. A rod support hole that communicates the inside and the outside of the pipe, and a pull rod is slidably fitted in the rod length direction in the rod support hole, and a portion of the pull rod outside the engine case and the clutch lever are connected to a clutch cable. connected by a portion in said engine case of the pull rod, coupled to the release mechanism To have.

  According to the above configuration, as in the first conventional example 1, the rotating rod does not protrude from the outer wall of the engine case such as the crankcase and the rotating lever is not exposed outside the engine case. Space for arranging various components can be secured. In addition, by selecting the opening direction of the pull rod support hole, the clutch cable can be extended from the pull rod to the clutch lever with a small number of curved portions. In addition, the appearance around the engine can be improved. Furthermore, since the pull rod is fitted into the rod support hole, water and mud can be prevented from entering the engine case from the rod support hole.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the clutch device for the riding type vehicle according to the first aspect, the clutch lever, the rod support hole and the pull rod are arranged on the same side in the vehicle width direction.

  According to the above configuration, the clutch cable does not need to be arranged across the vehicle in the left-right direction, the arrangement of the clutch cable is further simplified, and the clutch operating force can be further reduced.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the clutch device for a riding type vehicle according to the first aspect, an end portion of the rod support hole outside the engine case is opened toward a handlebar.

  According to the above configuration, the clutch cable can be arranged substantially linearly from the pull rod to the handle bar, the length of the clutch cable can be shortened, and the clutch operating force can be further reduced.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the clutch device for a riding type vehicle according to any one of the first to third aspects, the pull rod is fitted into the rod support hole via a seal.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent water and mud from entering the engine case from the rod support hole.

    According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the clutch device for a riding type vehicle according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, an end portion of the pull rod in the engine case is open to the generator chamber.

  According to the above configuration, the generator chamber is normally formed on the side of the crank chamber in the crankshaft direction. For example, the pull rod and the release mechanism can be easily inspected from the outside by removing the generator cover. In addition, by fitting the pull rod into the rod support hole, it is possible to prevent water and the like from being mixed into the lubricating oil stored in the generator chamber.

  The invention according to claim 6 is a riding type vehicle including the clutch device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. According to this, in the riding type vehicle, the same effects as in the above claims 1 to 5 are provided. In particular, the vehicle itself can be made compact.

  1 to 6 show a motorcycle provided with a clutch device according to the present invention, and an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on these drawings. For convenience of explanation, the left and right direction viewed from the rider will be described below as the left and right direction of the vehicle.

[Outline of motorcycle]
FIG. 1 is a partial left side view of a motorcycle, in which an engine 3 is disposed between a front wheel 1 and a rear wheel 2, and the engine 3 includes a plurality of engine mounting portions 5 provided on a main frame 4. It is attached with bolts.

  The engine 3 is a four-cycle engine, and a cylinder 11 and a cylinder head 12 are sequentially coupled to the upper side of the crankcase 10, and a transmission case portion 15 is integrally formed at the rear portion of the crankcase 10. A generator cover 16 is fastened. A cell motor 13 is disposed on the right side of the upper surface of the transmission case 15. The crankcase 10, the transmission case portion 15, and the generator cover 16 constitute an engine case together with a clutch case and a clutch cover that will be described later.

  Rear frames 20, 20 extending rearward toward the upper side of the rear wheel 2 are fixed to the rear portion of the main frame 4, and a head pipe 21 is integrally formed at the front upper end portion of the main frame 4.

  A steering shaft 22 is rotatably fitted in the head pipe 21, and a pair of upper and lower steering brackets 24, 25 are fixed to the upper and lower ends of the steering shaft 22, and the steering brackets 24, 25 are fixed. A pair of left and right front forks 26 are fixed to the left and right ends of the left and right ends. A handle bar 27 is fixed to the upper surface of the upper steering bracket 24 by a clamp member 28. A left grip 29 is provided at the left end of the handle bar 27 and a clutch lever 30 is provided via a clutch lever holder 30a. It has been.

[Clutch device]
FIG. 3 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view of the inside of the transmission case portion 15. A transmission chamber 33 is formed on the rear side of the crank chamber 32, and a clutch case (not shown) is located to the right of the crank chamber 32 and the transmission chamber 33. ) And a clutch cover (not shown), and a generator chamber 35 surrounded by the generator cover 16 (FIG. 1) is formed on the left side of the crank chamber 32 and the transmission chamber 33. ing.

  The transmission chamber 33 accommodates a gear-type transmission mechanism (only part of which is shown). An input shaft 36 of the gear-type transmission mechanism is disposed in parallel with the crankshaft 37 and the right end portion is in the clutch chamber 34. The clutch 40 is attached to the right end portion of the input shaft 36.

  The clutch 40 is a multi-plate friction clutch that interrupts power transmission between the crankshaft 37 and the input shaft 36, and has a known structure. That is, the clutch 40 includes an inner hub 41 that is fixed to the input shaft 36 in the axial direction and the rotational direction, and an outer case 42 that is rotatably fitted to the input shaft 36 via the bearing 45 and the like and is fixed in the axial direction. A plurality of friction plates disposed alternately between the pressing members 49 and the flange portions 41a of the inner hub 41, and the pressing members 49 facing the outer peripheral flange portions 41a of the inner hub 41 with an interval in the axial direction. 43, the clutch plate 44, and a clutch spring 46 that urges the pressing plate 49 toward the clutch connection side (arrow R2 side) in the axial direction. The clutch plate 44 engages with a groove 42 a formed in the outer peripheral cylindrical portion of the outer case 42 and rotates integrally with the outer case 42. The friction plate 43 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral portion of the inner hub 41. Spline fitting is performed so as to rotate integrally with the inner hub 41. The outer case 42 is coupled to the clutch input gear 50, and the clutch input gear 50 is engaged with the crank gear 39.

  In the clutch 40, the pressing member 49 is normally biased toward the clutch connection side (arrow R2 side) by the elastic force of the clutch spring 46, so that the pressing member 49 and the outer peripheral flange portion 41a of the inner hub 41 are connected. The two plates 43 and 44 are sandwiched between them, so that the power is transmitted from the outer case 42 to the inner hub 41 via the plates 43 and 44 (clutch connection state).

  As a release mechanism for disengaging the clutch 40, a release rod 48 that abuts the inner peripheral end of the pressing member 49 via a release bearing 47, and a left end of the release rod 48 are connected to be able to move integrally in the axial direction. An intermediate rod 52 inserted into the axial hole 51 of the input shaft 36 so as to be axially movable is provided. By pressing the release rod 48 and the release bearing 47 to the axial release side (arrow R1 side) by the intermediate rod 52, the pressing member 49 is moved to the release side (arrow R1 side) against the clutch spring 46, The clamping state of both plates 43 and 44 is released, and the power is cut by the clutch 40.

  The left end portion of the intermediate rod 52 extends to the left end portion of the shaft core hole 51 of the input shaft 36 and is connected to a bottomed cylindrical cam follower 54 so as to be capable of integrally moving in the axial direction. It protrudes into the generator chamber 35 on the left side from the left end, and abuts against the cam surface 55a of the rotating rod 55 disposed in the generator chamber 35. The rotating rod 55 is rotatably supported by a support wall 56 formed in the generator chamber 35 via a bearing and extends forward in a forward and downward direction. The lever 57 is fixed.

  6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 3. The cam surface 55a of the rotating rod 55 has a shape obtained by cutting the rotating rod 55 into a semicircular shape, and is formed at the lower end of the cam surface 55a. Is formed with a flank 55b inclined to the left. The state shown in FIG. 6 is a state when the shutter is not released. From this state, the rotating rod 55 is rotated by a predetermined angle in the direction of the arrow A1, and the cam is formed by the convex portion P1 at the boundary between the cam surface 55a and the flank 55b. The follow 54 is configured to push and move to the release side (arrow R1 side).

  FIG. 2 is a left side view (partially sectional view) of the crankcase 10 shown with the generator cover 16 (FIG. 1) removed, and the rotation rod 55 extends substantially downward toward the crankshaft 37. The rotating lever 57 fixed to the front end portion of the rotating rod 55 includes a bifurcated connecting bracket 61 having an upper wall, an intermediate wire 62, a pull rod 63, and a clutch cable 65 shown in FIG. The clutch lever 30 of the handle bar 27 is connected to the clutch lever 30 so that the clutch operating force can be transmitted.

  4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2. The rotation lever 57 extends rightward from the rotation rod 55, and a connecting fitting 61 is rotatably connected to the right end portion thereof via a pin 68. Has been. A boss portion 69 protruding upward is formed on the upper wall 35a of the generator chamber 35, and a rod support hole 64 penetrating in a substantially vertical direction from the generator chamber 35 to the outside of the generator chamber 35 is formed in the boss 69. The pull rod 63 is fitted in the rod support hole 64 so as to be slidable in the rod length direction. The rod support hole 64 is inclined to the left so that the annular seal 59 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface at the upper end portion, and the lower extension portion of the hole center line O3 passes through the pin 68 in general.

  The connection fitting 61 extends from the pin 68 toward the pull rod 63, and the upper end portion of the connection fitting 61 and the lower end portion of the pull rod 63 are connected by the intermediate wire 62. Locking fittings 62a are respectively provided at the upper and lower end portions of the intermediate wire 62, and the lower end portion of the intermediate wire 62 is laterally formed in a groove 72 formed on the upper wall of the connecting fitting 61 as shown in FIG. The lower end locking fitting 62 a is connected to the connecting fitting 61 by engaging the upper wall of the connecting fitting 61. On the other hand, the upper end portion of the connecting wire 62 is connected to the pull rod 63 by engaging the upper end locking fitting 62a with the engaging recess 73 formed in the lower end portion of the pull rod 63, as shown in FIG. .

  The upper end portion of the pull rod 62 protrudes upward from the seal 59, and the engagement metal fitting 78 formed at the lower end portion of the inner wire 77 of the clutch cable 65 is engaged with the engagement recess portion 74 formed at the upper end portion of the pull rod 63. Thus, the pull rod 63 and the inner wire 77 are connected.

  The clutch cable 65 includes an outer tube 76 and the inner wire 77 inserted into the outer tube 76 so as to be movable in the tube length direction. A male threaded pipe part 76a is provided at the lower end of the outer tube 76. The male threaded pipe 76a is screwed into a female threaded hole 80a of a holding metal fitting 80 fixed to the side wall of the cylinder head 12, and a pair of upper and lower lock nuts. It is locked by 82. That is, by loosening the lock nut 82 and rotating the external thread pipe 76a, the fixing position of the outer tube 76 can be adjusted, and the tension of the clutch cable 65 can be adjusted.

  A boot (bellows) 60 made of an elastic material is interposed from the lower end portion of the external thread 76a to the upper end portion of the boss portion 69, and by this boot 60, the downward projecting portion of the inner wire 77 and the upper end of the pull rod 63 are interposed. Covers the part.

  In FIG. 2, the rod support hole 64 is tilted forward so as to be substantially perpendicular to the axis O2 of the rotating rod 55 in a side view, and above the center line O3 of the rod support hole 64. As shown in FIG. 1, the extension portion is opened generally toward the handle bar 27.

  In FIG. 1, the clutch cable 65 extends from the upper end of the pull rod 63 to the handlebar 27 in a substantially straight front and upward direction, reaches the side of the main frame 4, and clamps 81 to the side of the main frame 4. , 81 and further along the head pipe 21 and the handle bar 27 to the clutch lever 30, the upper end of the outer tube 76 is fixed to the holder 30a of the clutch lever 30, and the upper end of the inner wire 77 is the clutch lever 30. It is connected to.

[Action]
At the time of non-release, that is, when the clutch lever 30 is not gripped, the in-wire 77 keeps the rotating lever 57 in the non-release state as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the convex portion P1 of the cam surface 55a does not push the cam follower 54, whereby the clutch 40 of FIG. 3 is kept in the connected state.

  When the clutch lever 30 of FIG. 1 is gripped, the pull rod 63 of FIG. 4 is pulled upward by the inner wire 77, and the rotating lever 57 is integrated with the rotating rod 55 via the intermediate wire 62 and the connecting fitting 61. It rotates in the direction of arrow A1.

When the rotation rod 55 rotates in the direction of arrow A1, in FIG. 6, the cam follow 54 is pushed and moved to the release side (arrow R1 side) by the convex portion P1 of the cam surface 55a, whereby the intermediate rod 52, FIG. The release rod 48 and the release bearing 47 are integrally moved to the release side (arrow R1 side), the pressing member 49 is moved to the release side (arrow R1 side), and the power is cut by the clutch 40.

[Effect of the embodiment]
(1) In FIG. 2, the rotating rod 55 and the rotating lever 57 are accommodated in the generator chamber 35 of the crankcase 10, and the rod length direction slide is inserted into the rod support hole 64 formed in the upper wall 35 a of the generator chamber 35. Since the rotation lever 57 in the generator chamber 35 and the inner wire 77 of the clutch cable 65 outside the generator chamber 35 are connected via the pull rod 63 that is movably fitted, the upper wall 35a of the generator chamber 35 is connected. Can be secured widely as a space for arranging various parts, and the starter motor 13 and the like can be easily arranged. Further, the engine 3 can be made compact and the appearance of the engine 3 can be improved.

(2) In FIG. 1, since the upper end portions of the rod support hole 64 and the pull rod 63 are generally directed to the handlebar 27 in a side view, the clutch cable 65 is disposed substantially linearly to the vicinity of the head pipe 21. As a result, the disposition work of the clutch cable 65 is facilitated, and the clutch operating force can be reduced as compared with the conventional example 1 or the like.

(3) In FIG. 4, a rod support hole 64 is formed in the upper wall 35a of the generator chamber 35, and a pull rod 63 fitted in the rod support hole 64 so as to be slidable in the rod length direction is used to rotate the generator chamber 35. Since the moving lever 57 and the clutch cable 65 outside the generator chamber 35 are connected, it is possible to prevent water and mud from entering the generator chamber 35 from the outside. In particular, when the seal 59 is attached to the rod support hole 64, the entry of water or the like can be prevented more effectively. In the four-cycle engine, it is possible to prevent water and the like from being mixed into the lubricating oil stored in the generator chamber 35.

(4) In FIG. 4, since the upper end portion of the pull rod 63 and the lower end portion of the inner wire 77 connected to the upper end portion are covered with the boot 60, water and the like enter the generator chamber 35 more effectively. Can be prevented.

(5) In FIG. 1, since the clutch lever 30, the rod support hole 64 and the pull rod 63 are arranged on the same side (left side) in the vehicle width direction, the clutch cable 65 traverses the vehicle in the left-right direction. This is not necessary, and the arrangement of the clutch cable 65 is further simplified, and the clutch operating force can be further reduced.

[Other embodiments]
(1) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the lower end portion of the pull rod 63 and the rotation lever 57 are connected by the connecting fitting 61 and the intermediate wire 62, but the lower end portion of the pull rod 63 is extended and rotated. It is also possible to form a long hole at the end of the moving lever 57 and connect the lower end of the pull rod 63 directly to the rotating lever 57 with a pin.

(2) The position where the rod support hole 64 is formed is not limited to the upper wall 35a of the generator chamber 35 of the crankcase 10, and may be formed, for example, on the upper wall of the clutch chamber. In addition to the crankcase, cases or covers such as the generator cover 16, a clutch case, or a clutch cover can be used as a constituent member of the engine case that forms the rod support hole 64.

(3) The present invention is not limited to the structure of each of the embodiments described above, and includes various modifications within the scope of the contents described in the claims.

  The present invention is not limited to a motorcycle, but can be applied to a vehicle such as a riding type four-wheeled vehicle or a three-wheeled vehicle.

1 is a partial left side view showing an embodiment of a motorcycle including a clutch device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the crankcase of FIG. 1 with a generator cover removed. It is a horizontal sectional view of a clutch and a release mechanism. FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2. It is a left view similar to FIG. 2 which shows the state before the assembly | attachment of a pull rod. FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 3. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

3 Engine 10 Crankcase (an example of engine case components)
27 Handlebar 30 Clutch lever 35 Generator chamber 35a Upper wall of generator chamber (an example of outer wall of engine case)
40 Multi-plate friction clutch 47, 48, 51 Release bearing, release rod, intermediate rod (release mechanism)
55 Rotating rod 57 Rotating lever 63 Pull rod 64 Rod support hole 65 Clutch cable 76 Outer tube 77 Inner wire

Claims (6)

A clutch lever provided on the handlebar; a clutch provided in the engine case for connecting / disconnecting power from a crankshaft; and a release mechanism provided in the engine case for releasing the clutch. In a clutch device for a riding type vehicle in which a lever and the release mechanism are coupled so as to transmit a clutch operating force,
A rod support hole that communicates the inside and outside of the engine case is formed on the outer wall of the engine case,
A pull rod is fitted into the rod support hole so as to be slidable in the rod length direction,
A portion of the pull rod outside the engine case and the clutch lever are connected by a clutch cable,
A clutch device for a riding type vehicle, wherein a portion of the pull rod in the engine case is connected to the release mechanism.   The clutch device for a riding type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the clutch lever, the rod support hole, and the pull rod are arranged on the same side in the vehicle width direction.   2. The clutch device for a riding type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an end portion of the rod support hole outside the engine case is opened toward a handlebar side.   The clutch device for a riding type vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pull rod is fitted into the rod support hole via a seal.   The end portion of the pull rod in the engine case is open to the generator chamber, and the clutch device for the riding type vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   A riding type vehicle comprising the clutch device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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