Patent Application
20070235280
The sole FIGURE is a schematic diagram of the relubrication system according to the invention.
The sole figure shows a clutch-release bearing 10 for a friction clutch 14 of the pull type, only part of which is shown, installed inside a housing 12 in a vehicle. The clutch-release device 10 comprises a guide tube 20, attached to the wall 16 of a gearbox 18, and a sliding sleeve 24, which can shift position on the tube and which functions as a carrier for a clutch-release bearing 22. For the transmission of the force required to actuate the friction clutch 14, the inner bearing ring 26 of the clutch-release bearing 22 is in working connection with the clutch-release element of the friction clutch 14, designed as a diaphragm spring 32, by way of a load ring 28 and a clutch-release ring 30. The outer bearing ring 34 of the clutch-release bearing 22 is mounted nonrotatably by means of several retaining clamps 36 on a bearing flange 38 of the sliding sleeve 24.
So that the clutch-release bearing 22 can be relubricated, it is provided with a relubrication unit 40. This device has, first, a lubricant channel 40a, which passes axially through the bearing carrier, i.e., the sliding sleeve 24. Second, it has a lubricant container 40b, installed outside the housing 12, which is connected to the clutch-release device 10 by a flexible lubricant line 40c. The lubricant container 40b is designed as a replaceable container, so that, after it become empty, it can be removed and replaced with a full one.
For the as-needed lubrication of the clutch-release bearing 22, the relubrication unit 40 has a freely controllable and automatically operating actuating unit 40d, which, together with the lubricant container 40b, forms an assembled, detachable structural unit. The actuating unit 40d is designed in the form of an electromechanical piston-cylinder assembly, the piston 40e of which is driven by an electric motor acting by way of a screw drive. When activated, the piston conveys lubricant 40f from the supply container 40b into the flexible line 40c and from there to the clutch-release bearing 22.
For the controlled dispensation of lubricant, the actuating unit 40d is also connected to an electronic control unit 42, by means of which the actuating unit 40d is supplied with energy via a switching device 39 and thus activated in any desired manner. The electronic control unit 42 is, in the present example, designed as part of the main vehicle control system 44 and, like the actuating unit 40d, takes the electrical energy necessary for operation from the vehicle's on-board electrical system 41. With respect to its functionality, the electronic control unit 42 is designed for universal application. For the time-controlled dispensation of a lubricant, it comprises, first, a timer element 43, which allows the control unit to activate the actuating unit 40d to dispense lubricant at scheduled times or at predetermined time intervals. Alternatively or in addition to time control, furthermore, the electronic control unit 42 can be designed for the event-controlled dispensation of lubricant, for which purpose this unit is connected by a signal line to at least one sensor for detecting a certain state of the vehicle. In the present exemplary embodiment, the control unit 42 is connected for this purpose to a temperature sensor 45, installed inside the clutch bell 12 and to a moisture sensor 46, also installed there. Signals can also be exchanged through appropriate connections with a driving time meter 48 and with a driving distance meter 50 of the vehicle. Thus, as a result of the design explained above, it is possible for lubricant to be dispensed in a controlled manner in many different ways, such as that described by way of example above.
The functional unit formed by the actuating unit 40d and the lubricant container 40b also comprises a level indicator 52, which can signal the driver either visually or acoustically that the lubricant supply is getting low and should be replenished.
Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2006 016 911.5 | Apr 2006 | DE | national |
