GB2091812A - Motor vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle having an internal combustion engine, has an engine output shaft (12) which is connected by shaft 15 to a flywheel (31) through a driven clutch friction plate (30). The friction plate 30 is gripped between opposed surfaces of flywheel 31 and an annular piston 35 when hydraulic fluid under pressure is admitted to chamber 34. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Motor vehicles This invention relates to motor vehicles and in particular to motor vehicles in which in the drive line between the engine and gearbox there is placed a flywheel operatively connected to the engine through a clutch. The clutch is controlled to enable the engine to be disconnected from the flywheel and stopped, the energy in the flywheel being subsequently utilised for restarting the engine on reengagement of the clutch and reconnection of the flywheel to the engine. Such a vehicle is described in detail in British Patent Application 2 006 702A.

The present invention is related to vehicles as described above and which preferably utilises a gearbox as described in our co-pending application 80 05376.

Accordingly there is provided a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, an engine output drive shaft, a flywheel connected with and driven by the shaft, a gearbox receiving the drive from the output shaft and a clutch located in the drive line between the flywheel and the engine, wherein the flywheel is located on the side of the gearbox remote from the engine.

Preferably the engine output shaft also drives a torque converter located between the gearbox and the engine, said torque converter driving gear trains in the gearbox, wherein the flywheel is connected to the engine output shaft by a drive shaft concentric with and housed within the torque converter output shaft.

The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a gearbox as described in our co-pending application number 80 05376 in which a gearbox input shaft for first and thrid gears is driven by a torque converter, and a separate co-axial input shaft for second and fourth is driven off the engine via a friction clutch located at the opposite end of the gearbox from the torque converter. Only that portion of the gearbox related to the invention is illustrated in detail.

Referring to the drawings a torque converter 11 is driven by a crankshaft 12 of a vehicle internal combustion engine. The torque converter has a hollow output shaft 13 forming part of an hollow input shaft of a gearbox 14. The shaft 13 drives the gear trains for first and third gears. The crankshaft 12 is also directly splined to a drive shaft 15 concentric with and located within the centre of the hollow input shaft 13. The drive shaft 15 passes through the gearbox 14to a friction clutch 16 located at the opposite end of the gearbox 14 to the torque converter 11. The friction clutch 16 controls the power transmission from the drive shaft 15 to a second gearbox input shaft 17. The second gearbox input shaft 17 drives the gear trains for second and fourth gears.A gearbox such as the gearbox 14 is described in detail in our co-pending application numbered 80 05376.

The friction clutch 16 comprises a plate driving member 18 connected directly by the drive shaft 15, a housing member 19, and a friction clutch driven plate 21. The plate member 18 has a central hub 22 that fixes the plate member 18 rotationally and axially to the shaft 15. The housing member 19 is slidable axially on the hub 22 and surrounds the plate member 18 so as to form a fluid chamber 23 therebetween on one side of the member 18, and opposed friction surfaces on the other side of the plate member 18. The driven plate 21 is gripped between the opposed friction surface by a load exerted by fluid pressure in the chamber 23. Fluid pressure is fed to the chamber 23 via a fluid passageway 24 in the hub 22.

The hub 22 is rotationally coupled with a second friction clutch driven plate 30 forming a clutch in the drive between the drive shaft 15 and a flywheel 31.

The flywheel 31 is located on an internal spigot 32 of a surrounding casing 33. The spigot 32 contains internal fluid passageways that feed the chamber 23 ofthefriction clutch 16, and a similar fluid chamber 34 in the flywheel 31. The chamber 34 contains an annular piston 35 that serves to grip the driven plate 30 between opposed surfaces of the flywheel 31 and piston 35. The transmission of drive between the friction plate 30 and the flywheel is thus controlled by the hydraulic fluid pressure in chamber 34 so that the connection between the flywheel and the vehicle engine can be braken reducing the fluid pressure in the chamber 34.

Whilst the invention has been illustrated with an gearbox having some gear trains driven by a torque converter it can be applied in its broadest concept to conventional gearboxes driven via conventional friction clutches.

1. A vehicle having an internal combustion engine, an engine output drive shaft, a flywheel connected with and driven by the shaft, a gearbox receiving the drive from the output shaft and a clutch located in the drive line between the flywheel and the engine, wherein the flywheel is located on the side of the gearbox remote from the engine.

2. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 1 in which the vehicle engine output shaft also drives a torque converter located between the gearbox and the engine, said torque converter driving gear trains in the gearbox, wherein the flywheel is connected to the engine output shaft by a drive shaft concentric with and housed within the torque converter output shaft.

3. Avehicle as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the flywheel clutch is connected directly onto a driving member of a second friction clutch located on the opposite side of the gearbox to the torque converter, and also driving gear trains in the gearbox, such that the second friction clutch drives gear trains of a second and fourth gear, and the torque converter drives gear trains for first and third gear.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (4)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Motor vehicles This invention relates to motor vehicles and in particular to motor vehicles in which in the drive line between the engine and gearbox there is placed a flywheel operatively connected to the engine through a clutch. The clutch is controlled to enable the engine to be disconnected from the flywheel and stopped, the energy in the flywheel being subsequently utilised for restarting the engine on reengagement of the clutch and reconnection of the flywheel to the engine. Such a vehicle is described in detail in British Patent Application 2 006 702A. The present invention is related to vehicles as described above and which preferably utilises a gearbox as described in our co-pending application 80 05376. Accordingly there is provided a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, an engine output drive shaft, a flywheel connected with and driven by the shaft, a gearbox receiving the drive from the output shaft and a clutch located in the drive line between the flywheel and the engine, wherein the flywheel is located on the side of the gearbox remote from the engine. Preferably the engine output shaft also drives a torque converter located between the gearbox and the engine, said torque converter driving gear trains in the gearbox, wherein the flywheel is connected to the engine output shaft by a drive shaft concentric with and housed within the torque converter output shaft. The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a gearbox as described in our co-pending application number 80 05376 in which a gearbox input shaft for first and thrid gears is driven by a torque converter, and a separate co-axial input shaft for second and fourth is driven off the engine via a friction clutch located at the opposite end of the gearbox from the torque converter. Only that portion of the gearbox related to the invention is illustrated in detail. Referring to the drawings a torque converter 11 is driven by a crankshaft 12 of a vehicle internal combustion engine. The torque converter has a hollow output shaft 13 forming part of an hollow input shaft of a gearbox 14. The shaft 13 drives the gear trains for first and third gears. The crankshaft 12 is also directly splined to a drive shaft 15 concentric with and located within the centre of the hollow input shaft 13. The drive shaft 15 passes through the gearbox 14to a friction clutch 16 located at the opposite end of the gearbox 14 to the torque converter 11. The friction clutch 16 controls the power transmission from the drive shaft 15 to a second gearbox input shaft 17. The second gearbox input shaft 17 drives the gear trains for second and fourth gears.A gearbox such as the gearbox 14 is described in detail in our co-pending application numbered 80 05376. The friction clutch 16 comprises a plate driving member 18 connected directly by the drive shaft 15, a housing member 19, and a friction clutch driven plate 21. The plate member 18 has a central hub 22 that fixes the plate member 18 rotationally and axially to the shaft 15. The housing member 19 is slidable axially on the hub 22 and surrounds the plate member 18 so as to form a fluid chamber 23 therebetween on one side of the member 18, and opposed friction surfaces on the other side of the plate member 18. The driven plate 21 is gripped between the opposed friction surface by a load exerted by fluid pressure in the chamber 23. Fluid pressure is fed to the chamber 23 via a fluid passageway 24 in the hub 22. The hub 22 is rotationally coupled with a second friction clutch driven plate 30 forming a clutch in the drive between the drive shaft 15 and a flywheel 31. The flywheel 31 is located on an internal spigot 32 of a surrounding casing 33. The spigot 32 contains internal fluid passageways that feed the chamber 23 ofthefriction clutch 16, and a similar fluid chamber 34 in the flywheel 31. The chamber 34 contains an annular piston 35 that serves to grip the driven plate 30 between opposed surfaces of the flywheel 31 and piston 35. The transmission of drive between the friction plate 30 and the flywheel is thus controlled by the hydraulic fluid pressure in chamber 34 so that the connection between the flywheel and the vehicle engine can be braken reducing the fluid pressure in the chamber 34. Whilst the invention has been illustrated with an gearbox having some gear trains driven by a torque converter it can be applied in its broadest concept to conventional gearboxes driven via conventional friction clutches. CLAIMS

1. A vehicle having an internal combustion engine, an engine output drive shaft, a flywheel connected with and driven by the shaft, a gearbox receiving the drive from the output shaft and a clutch located in the drive line between the flywheel and the engine, wherein the flywheel is located on the side of the gearbox remote from the engine.

2. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 1 in which the vehicle engine output shaft also drives a torque converter located between the gearbox and the engine, said torque converter driving gear trains in the gearbox, wherein the flywheel is connected to the engine output shaft by a drive shaft concentric with and housed within the torque converter output shaft.

3. Avehicle as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the flywheel clutch is connected directly onto a driving member of a second friction clutch located on the opposite side of the gearbox to the torque converter, and also driving gear trains in the gearbox, such that the second friction clutch drives gear trains of a second and fourth gear, and the torque converter drives gear trains for first and third gear.

4. A vehicle having a flywheel connected to the internal combustion engine in a manner substantially as described herein and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.