Patent ID: 6012559
Filing Date: 2000-01-11
Classification: F16F

Abstract:
A coupling mechanism for coupling a crankshaft of an engine and an input shaft of a transmission, comprising:a flywheel assembly configured to be non-rotatably coupled to the crankshaft of the engine;a clutch disk assembly having a frictional engagement portion, a coupling portion configured to be coupled to the input shaft of the transmission and a damper arranged between said frictional engagement portion and said coupling portion for dampening a torque variation of the engine, said damper having an allowable maximum operation angle of (.theta..sub.max);a clutch cover assembly fixedly coupled to said flywheel assembly for pressing said frictional engagement portion of said clutch disk assembly toward said flywheel assembly and thereby frictionally engaging said flywheel assembly with said frictional engagement portion of said clutch disk assembly; andan inertia adding assembly having a mass portion configured to be operatively coupled to rotate in accordance with rotation of the input shaft of the transmission, and a sub-clutch configured to be operatively coupled between said mass portion and the input shaft of the transmission to release an interlocked relationship between the input shaft of the transmission and said mass portion when said flywheel assembly and said frictional engagement portion of said clutch disk assembly are disengaged from each other,said sub-clutch having a torque transmission capacity (T) smaller than a torque transmitted between the frictional engagement portion of said clutch disk assembly and said coupling portion of said clutch disk assembly when said damper of said clutch disk assembly attains said angle of (.theta..sub.max) so that said inertia adding assembly is not completely interlocked with the input shaft of said transmission upon said damper of said clutch disk assembly attaining said angle of (.theta..sub.max), but said torque transmission capacity (T) of said sub-clutch reliably interlocks said inertia adding assembly with the input shaft of said transmission when said damper of said clutch assembly operates within said angle of (.theta..sub.max).