FIELD OF INVENTION:
[001] The present subject matter described herein, relates to clutch release bearing assembly used in a clutch of a vehicle and, in particularly, to clutch release bearing assembly with another sub-assembly to avoid generation of metal 5 to metal contact noise when clutch diaphragm contacts metal surface of the clutch release bearing.
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART:
[002] Generally, a clutch release bearing device is fitted to a clutch mechanism arranged between an engine and a transmission of a vehicle. When a clutch pedal 10 is operated, the clutch release bearing device is moved in an axial direction via a release cylinder and a release fork or via a direct cylinder. Thus, a diaphragm spring is pressed to cancel press-contact between a clutch disc and a flywheel. As a result, transmission of power from the engine to the transmission is interrupted.
[003] Generally, the clutch release bearing assembly comprises an outer ring 15 (fixed ring), an inner ring (rotating ring), and a plurality of rolling elements such as bearing balls arranged in between the outer ring and the inner ring. The inner ring has radially extending flange which is adapted to a make a contact (abut) with a diaphragm spring of the clutch. Further, sealing elements are provided to avoid entry of dust particles inside the plurality of rolling elements. 20
[004] Technical problem in the existing clutch release bearing assembly is generation of metal contact noise between the diaphragm spring of the clutch and the radial flange of the inner ring. The metal contact noise originates when the clutch release bearing assembly traverses free play zone and surface Of Diaphragm spring of clutch cover contacts the inner ring flange of the clutch 25 release bearing then due to presence of drag torque in the clutch release bearing slippage occur at contact which produces metal to metal noise.
[005] Therefore, there is a need in the art to modify the structure of the clutch release bearing to avoid generation of metal contact noise. In view of the above, it
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is beneficial to have some means which can avoid metal to metal contact at first instance.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
[006] The principal object of the present invention is to provide a clutch release bearing assembly with sub-assembly of plastic and rubber to avoid metal contact 5 noise.
[007] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide a plastic and rubber sub-assembly having vertical plastic portion and horizontal rubber portion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
[008] The present subject matter disclosed herein relates to a clutch release 10 bearing assembly for avoiding generation of metal to metal contact noise. The clutch release bearing assembly comprises an inner ring having radially extending flange, an outer ring, a plurality of rotating elements is disposed in between the inner ring and the outer ring. Further a sub-assembly of plastic and rubber is positioned on outer peripheral surface of the radially extending flange. The sub-15 assembly of plastic and rubber is adapted to abut with a diaphragm spring of clutch to make metal and plastic contact at initial stage to avoid metal -metal contact.
[009] To further understand the characteristics and technical contents of the present subject matter, a description relating thereto will be made with reference 20 to the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are illustrative only but not used to limit scope of the present subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be 25 considered for limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same
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numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0011] Fig. 1, 2, and 3 illustrate cross section view of clutch release bearing, in 5 accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0012] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the purposes of illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles 10 of the disclosure described herein.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:
[0013] It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate the principles of the present subject matter. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily 15 utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present subject matter. It should also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that by devising various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter and are included within its scope. Furthermore, all examples recited herein 20 are principally intended expressly to be for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present subject matter and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present subject matter, both 25 as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures.
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[0014] These and other advantages of the present subject matter would be described in greater detail with reference to the following figures. It should be noted that the description merely illustrates the principles of the present subject matter. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described herein, embody the 5 principles of the present subject matter and are included within its scope.
[0015] Figure 1, 2, and 3 illustrate cross section view of the clutch release bearing assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The clutch release bearing assembly 100 comprises coaxially arranged inner ring 101 (rotating ring) and an outer ring 102. Further a plurality of rotating elements 103 10 is disposed in between the inner ring 101 and the outer ring 102. A retainer 104 is provided to hold the plurality of rotating elements 103 in between the inner ring 101 and the outer ring 102. The plurality of rotating elements 103 may have balls which roll inside the inner ring 101 and the outer ring 102 and grooves formed in them between. The inner ring 101 has radially extending flange 101a which is 15 adapted to a make a contact (abut) with a diaphragm spring of the clutch. The extended flange 101a act as abutment portion which abuts against a diaphragm spring. A pair of seals 105 are provided between the inner peripheral edges of the outer ring 102 and the corresponding areas on the outer periphery of the inner ring 101. 20
[0016] The clutch release bearing 100 is provided in casing having anvil 106 and sleeve 107. The sleeve 107 defines a centrally axial opening 108 to receive shaft of the clutch. The clutch release bearing 100 is mounted on input clutch shaft 111 which is driven by engine. The input clutch shaft 111 is concentrically aligned with and disposed for axial rotation with the engine crankshaft. The clutch release 25 bearing 100 rotates along with the rotation of the input clutch shaft 111. The sleeve 107 is rotatably fixed with outer surface of the input clutch shaft 111. The anvil 106 is made of metal and extending radially outwardly from the sleeve 107 as shown in the figure 1. The bearing case is integrally coupled to the sleeve 107 and the anvil 106 and holding the bearing 10 for a self-centering function, and a 30
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spring is provided for biasing the bearing axially. Further, construction, assembly, and working of the clutch release bearing is well known to person skilled in the art, therefore, to avoid ambiguity and to clearly illustrate the present subject matter, the present description is limited only to improvements and changes made in the clutch release bearing assembly. A person skilled in the art would 5 appreciate that other components (not shown) are also used in addition to the ones shown to form a complete clutch release bearing assembly.
[0017] Referring to figure 1, the radially extending flange 101a has T shape slot 109 at complete outer periphery facing the diaphragm spring of the clutch. In the T shape slot 109, the vertical portion is provided in X direction and base portion 10 or head portion is provided in Y direction. Referring to figure 2 and 3, a sub-assembly of plastic and rubber 110 is positioned in the T shape slot 109. The sub-assembly of plastic and rubber 110 has a plastic part 110b and a rubber part 110a. The plastic part (110b) is connected with the rubber part (110a) to form T shape sub-assembly of the plastic and rubber. In the T shape sub-assembly of the plastic 15 and rubber 100, the rubber part 110a is base member and the plastic part 110b is vertical member. The T shape sub-assembly of the plastic and rubber 110 is positioned inside the T shape slot 109 of the inner ring 101. Accordingly, the plastic part 110b is positioned along X direction and the rubber part 110a is positioned in Y direction along the T shape slot 109. 20
[0018] The plastic part 110b forwardly project towards the diaphragm spring of the clutch. The plastic part 110b is disposed along vertical portion of the T shape slot 109 where one end contacts the diaphragm spring of the clutch and other end contacts the rubber part 110a. The rubber part 110a is disposed in base of the T shape slot 109 and receives other end of the plastic part 110b. The plastic and the 25 rubber part can be connected in multiple ways like: 1) Interference/positive locking between rubber part and plastic part. 2) Over moulding of the rubber part and the plastic part. 3) Adhesive bonding between the rubber part and the plastic part. 4) Any arrangement that has a locking mechanism which can connect both rubber and plastic ring can be used in the present structure. 30
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[0019] Some portion of the plastic part 110b extend beyond outer surface of the radially extending flange 101a. The plastic part 110b extends outward from outer surface of the radially extending flange 101a of the inner ring 101. Accordingly, the diaphragm spring touches the plastic part 110b first then metal surface of the radially extending flange 101a of the inner ring 101. 5
[0020] The rubber part and the plastic part can be locked inside the CRB inner ring by 1) Snap Fit; 2) Inter locking in groove; and 3) Adhesive bonding between Rubber and inner ring.
[0021] The rubber part 110a has elastic properties which allows inward movement of the plastic part 110b in X’ direction upon application of axial force 10 in X’ direction by the diaphragm spring. When there is no axial force in X’ direction, the rubber part 110a pushes the plastic part 110b in X direction due to elasticity to regain its original position.
[0022] Working principal: When drive pressed clutch pedal, the clutch release bearing gets sufficient axial force with the help of cable and mechanical arm-shaft 15 linkages to transfer force from clutch pedal to the diaphragm spring fingers. Upon application of axial force, the diaphragm spring moves towards the outer surface of the radially extending flange 101a of the inner ring 101. The radially extending flange 101a has projecting plastic part 110b which touches the diaphragm spring first and moves toward inner side, i.e., toward the rubber part 110a side. The 20 rubber part 110a compresses by the plastic part 110b and the plastic part 110b moves toward inner side to allow metal -metal contact, i.e., outer surface of the radially extending flange 101a and the diaphragm spring. Accordingly, in lower axial force range, the plastic part 110b is in contact with the diaphragm spring (first) and in higher Axial force range, Metal-metal contact will work. 25
[0023] Once clutch release bearing is free from diaphragm spring axial force, the rubber part 110a regain its original position and pushes the plastic part 110a to regain its original position. Accordingly, the sub-assembly of plastic and rubber part 110, avoid direct contact of metal and metal and hence generation of metal contact noise is avoided. Further, the present sub-assembly of the plastic and 30
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rubber part 110 allows metal to metal contact in higher axial force range for proper functioning of the clutch release bearing assembly.
[0024] The term “vehicle” or “Automobile” as used throughout this detailed description and in the claims refers to any moving vehicle that is capable of carrying one or more human occupants or Goods and is powered by any form of 5 energy. The term “vehicle” is a motor vehicle which includes, but is not limited to: cars, trucks, vans, minivans, hatchback, sedan, MUVs, and SUVs.
[0025] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should 10 be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such 15 recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such 20 introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, 25 even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention 30
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analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). 5 In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, 10 B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the 15 possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
[0026] It will be further appreciated that functions or structures of a plurality of components or steps may be combined into a single component or step, or the functions or structures of one-step or component may be split among plural steps or components. The present invention contemplates all of these combinations. 20 Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the invention, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. In addition, while a feature of the present invention may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of 25 other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present invention. The present invention also encompasses intermediate and end products resulting from the practice of the methods herein. The use of “comprising” or “including” also 30
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contemplates embodiments that “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the recited feature.
[0027] Although embodiments for the present subject matter have been described in language specific to structural features, it is to be understood that the present subject matter is not necessarily limited to the specific features described. Rather, 5 the specific features and methods are disclosed as embodiments for the present subject matter. Numerous modifications and adaptations of the system/component of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and thus it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and adaptations which fall within the scope of the present subject matter. 10

We claim:
1. A clutch release bearing assembly (100) for avoiding metal to metal contact noise, the clutch release bearing assembly (100) comprising:
an inner ring (101) having radially extending flange (101a); 5
an outer ring (102);
a plurality of rotating elements (103) disposed in between the inner ring (101) and the outer ring (102);
characterized in that
a sub-assembly of plastic and rubber (110) positioned on the 10 radially extending flange (101a) and adapted to abut with a diaphragm spring of clutch.
2. The clutch release bearing assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radially extending flange (101a) has T shape slot (109) at outer peripheral 15 surface.
3. The clutch release bearing assembly (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sub-assembly of the plastic and rubber (110) is disposed in the T shape slot (109) of the radially extending flange (101a). 20
4. The clutch release bearing assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sub-assembly of plastic and rubber (110) comprises:
a rubber part (110a); and
a plastic part (110b) connected with the rubber part (110a) and 25 form T shape sub-assembly of the plastic and rubber (110), wherein the rubber part (110a) is base and the plastic part (110b) is vertical member of the T shape sub-assembly of the plastic and rubber (110).
5. The clutch release bearing assembly (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the plastic part (110b) extend in forward direction from the T shape slot (109) of the radially extending flange (101a).
6. The clutch release bearing assembly (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein a 5 portion of the plastic part (110b) extends beyond outer surface of the radially extending flange (101a) to receive the diaphragm spring of clutch.
7. The clutch release bearing assembly (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the rubber part (110a) compresses to allow inward movement of the plastic pat 10 (110b) during application of axial force by a diaphragm spring of clutch.
8. The clutch release bearing assembly (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein connecting of the rubber part (110a) and the plastic part (110b) is selected from Interference/positive locking, over moulding, and adhesive bonding.