Patent ID: 6502680
Filing Date: 2003-01-07
Classification: F16D

Abstract:
A friction clutch for a motor vehicle, for releasably coupling a driving shaft with a driven shaft, and comprising: a reaction plate mounted on the driving shaft; a friction disc having an outer periphery and mounted in rotation on said driven shaft; friction liners carried on the outer periphery of the friction disc; a pressure plate; a cover plate fixed on the reaction plate; clutch engaging means operatively interposed between the cover plate and pressure plate, the cover plate defining primary abutment means and the pressure plate defining secondary abutment means, said primary and secondary abutment means being in engagement with said clutch engaging means; declutching means engaged with said clutch engaging means for controlling the clutch engaging means to act between the pressure plate and cover plate via said primary and secondary abutment means; means mounting the pressure plate and cover plate for rotation together while permitting axial displacement of the pressure plate with respect to the cover plate; elastic return means engaged with the pressure plate for biasing the pressure plate axially towards the cover plate, one of said abutment means of the clutch engaging means being axially displaceable; and a wear take-up device comprising a compensating means engageable with said displaceable abutment means for displacing the latter, wherein the wear compensating device further includes: actuating means connected with said compensating means for operating the latter; displacement means associated with the actuating means for controlling the actuating means; detection means for sensing wear in said liners and for controlling said actuating means in association with said displacement means, the detection means being arranged to act on at least one element selected from the group consisting of said actuating means, compensating means and displacement means, and wherein the clutch is so configured as to define a predetermined axial distance between said primary and secondary abutments when the clutch is engaged, adjustment means being further provided for adjusting the nominal position of the clutch engaging means defined by said predetermined distance.