Planetary gearbox comprising a sliding coupling element and an actuator

A transmission including a ring gear engageable with clutch teeth. A shift fork connected to a cam roller is engageable with the ring gear. The cam roller includes at least one V-shaped groove, and an element is disposed between the V-shaped groove of the cam roller and a base of the shift fork such that rotation of the cam roller translates into displacement of the shift fork and the ring gear.

FIELD

The present teachings are directed to a shiftable planetary transmission with a displaceable coupling element. The coupling element is displaceable by means of a shift fork that is movable by an actuator. The actuator includes a motor and a cam that is driven by the motor via a shaft, wherein the shift fork includes an element that engages a groove of the cam. The coupling element is generally a positive coupling, wherein the coupling teeth can be radially and axially arranged. With a radial arrangement, the ring gear of the planetary transmission may be a coupling element.

BACKGROUND

Planetary transmissions, among others, are implemented in transfer cases of all-wheel-drive vehicles to make an on-road mode and an off-road mode available.

A planetary transmission of this kind is described in EP 659 605 B1. With this planetary transmission, the cam roller is driven by the supporting shafts over a torsion spring. This serves as an energy accumulator, if the positive coupling element does not quickly locate itself in the coupled position. This construction, however, is complex, the angular position of the cylindrical cam is never exactly known, and no stop is available. Hence, the disconnection in the end position is also unreliable.

Furthermore, a planetary transmission is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,110, in which a rotatable disc that forms the shift cam cooperates with a sensing member, which in turn is coupled to the coupling element via two springs. Here, the responsiveness of the interlock and the force distribution are dependent on the difference of the forces of the two springs, which suffer from tolerances.

SUMMARY

An object of the present teachings is to improve shifting so that it is simpler, more reliable, and more precise. It should establish a reproducible association between the angular position of the cam and the position of the shift fork, and should yield upon exceeding a predetermined actuating force. In accordance with the present teachings this is achieved in that the cam is, in cross-section, a V-shaped groove with sloping sidewalls. The element of the shift fork is pressed by a spring into the groove. In this arrangement, the shift fork can be displaceable or pivotable, and the cam can be disc- or barrel-shaped.

Through rotation of the cam, the rotational movement is transposed into a translational movement through the spring-biased element that engages the groove. This produces a precise guidance and positioning of the shift fork, and additionally an overload safeguard. That is to say, if a specific guidance force is exceeded, the element climbs up one of the sloping sidewalls against the force of the spring. This happens when both coupling components stand tooth-to-tooth. The cam can then rotate further until in its end position. If the teeth are marginally misaligned, they are brought into engagement by the energy stored in the spring. In this arrangement, the target position is precisely defined again by the bottom of the groove. Still a further advantage is achieved in that, if shifting at low speeds, or if one of the coupling elements to be coupled experiences a speed increase, the reaction force acting on the electric motor is also limited.

In an advantageous and space-saving embodiment, the cam is essentially a cylindrical cam roller with a groove disposed on its surface. In this way, it is possible to provide the sidewalls of the groove, which is V-shaped in cross-section with independent and different angles of inclination. In this manner, the threshold, at which the overload safeguard functions, can be provided differently for the two movement directions. In particular, a situation is achieved in that the effect only occurs upon engagement of the coupling element, but not with disengagement. Hence, disengagement is also possible even when the coupling is not completely torque-free. Furthermore, the effect can be doubled without increase of the required packaging space, if two grooves are provided on the cam roller and an element of the shift fork engages in each of the two grooves.

If, furthermore, the shift fork is not pivotably, in particular translatably, guided, a particularly advantageous and compact embodiment is provided in which the shift fork has a tubular base surrounding the cam roller, which, together with the cam roller, forms a rectilinear guide for the shift. Consequently, the drive and the guide are combined by a pairing of components.

If, with this construction, the grooves are phase-shifted about a centering angle of 180° and the elements of the shift fork lie opposite to one another, the force exerted by springs of the elements balance one another. In this manner, the friction between the cam roller and the base is reduced. As a result, higher precision, improved response of the interlock, and low force requirement occur.

In a compact and assembly friendly further development of the present teachings, the element of the shift fork is received within a spring containing cage, which is in turn mounted at a corresponding through hole of the tubular base.

The element of the shift fork is preferably a rotatably supported ball. This is not only kinematically ideal, it also reduces the friction and the demands on the performance of the electric motor. This in a particularly high measure, if the rotatable support of the ball is friction free.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

InFIG. 1, a planetary transmission is summarily indicated by1, a central axis by3and an actuator summarily by2. The planetary transmission1comprises a primary shaft4, a concentric secondary shaft5surrounded by a sun gear6, a planet carrier10including planetary gears11and a first set of clutch teeth12, and a ring gear15. One of the bearings7can be seen between the primary shaft4and the secondary shaft5, and one of the bearings8can be seen between the secondary shaft5and a housing9, of which only a fragment is shown. The ring gear15, corresponds to a gear step of the planetary transmission1, and engages the clutch teeth12of the planetary carrier10. In another position, illustrated in phantom, the ring gear15′ engages a second set of clutch teeth16of the housing9.

The ring gear15has a guide groove18, in which the slide ring21of a shift fork20engages. The guide groove18is formed on the ring gear15in the illustrated exemplary embodiment. It can, however, also be located on any other shift movable component of the planetary transmission1.

InFIG. 1andFIG. 2it can be seen that the shift fork20has a tubular base22, which surrounds a cam roller23, upon which it is movable along an axis. The cam roller23is rotatably fixedly connected to a shaft26, which is rotatable in the bearings24and25and is driven by a motor27. The motor27is a controlled electric motor with or without a gear reduction drive. A groove30with a V-shaped cross-section can be seen at the periphery of the cam roller23. The side walls36and37(FIG. 1) of this groove are helical surfaces, which is indicated by the phantom line31. The cross-sections of the groove30illustrated inFIG. 1at the opposing generatrices are consequently profiles of one and the same groove.

An element that cooperates with the groove30is mounted on the tubular base22. The element, as shown here for example, is a ball32which is disposed in a piston34in a particularly low friction manner. The piston34is guided in a cage33and loaded by a spring35. Thus, the ball32is pressed by the spring35into the groove30which brings about translation of the rotational movement of the shaft26to the displacement of the shift fork20.

As shown inFIG. 3, two balls132and132′ in cages133and133′ may be oppositely mounted at the tubular base of the shift fork120. InFIG. 4the grooves130and130′ phase-shifted by 180°. It is also recognizable that the side walls36and37of the groove130′ include angles40and41, which may be different from one another, relative to the generatrix of the cam roller23and with its central axis42, respectively.

The operating mode of the spring loaded balls in cooperation with the grooves is the following: as long as the actuation force required for the translational movement of the ring gear15is normal, the V-formed grooves function as a groove with orthogonal walls and they produce a precise relationship between the angular position of the shaft26and the shift position of the ring gear15(i.e., of the shift fork20). If, however, a hindrance occurs upon displacement of the ring gear, for instance when the teeth of the ring gear15do not engage with the clutch teeth16in the housing9, then the ball132(as seen inFIG. 4) climbs up the side wall36and37against the force of the spring acting on it.

The actuation force at which this “overload coupling” begins to act depends on the pitch40and41of the side walls36and37and naturally from the force of the spring acting on the ball132. When the described hindrance can only occur in one shift direction and not in the opposite direction, the angles40and41may be selected to be different from one another. The angles40and41also do not have to be constant over the entire length of the V-formed groove. They can be variably designed in accordance with the shift requirements.