US-12623534-B2 - Damper system for controlled engagement of a torque transfer mechanism

US12623534B2US 12623534 B2US12623534 B2US 12623534B2US-12623534-B2

Abstract

Apparatus and method for selectively controlling the response characteristics of a torque transfer mechanism such as an automobile clutch. A damper has an outer housing and an extendable piston rod connected between a linear bearing cartridge and a clutch arm. A retention pin is selectively extended to hold the bearing cartridge while the rod is extended as the clutch arm is moved from an engaged position to a disengaged position. Upon release of the clutch arm, the pin is retracted and the damper applies a damping force upon the clutch arm as the rod is retracted into the housing. The system is particularly suited for engagement of first gear in a drag racing car to provide optimum initial acceleration of the car.

Inventors

Garrett Patrick Leach

Assignees

Garrett Patrick Leach

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20250130

Claims (20)

1 . An apparatus, comprising: a damper comprising an outer housing and a piston rod configured to be extended from the outer housing and retracted into the outer housing in opposition to a damping force, the damper having opposing first and second ends; a rail system comprising a stationary track along which a moveable bearing block is configured to rollably advance and retract, the bearing block mechanically coupled to the first end of the damper, the second end of the damper configured to be coupled to a torque transfer element; and a retention pin configured to be selectively extended to secure the bearing block to the track in a fixed position while the piston rod is extended from the outer housing responsive to transition, by a user, of the torque transfer element between an engaged position to a disengaged position, wherein the retention pin is further configured to be maintained in mechanical engagement, via a friction interface, with the bearing block while the torque transfer element remains in the disengaged position, and wherein the retention pin is further configured to be retracted, via a pin biasing force, responsive to release by the user of the torque transfer element, the damper controlling a rate at which the torque transfer element returns to the engaged position.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the torque transfer element comprises a clutch arm of a motor vehicle that selectively engages and disengages an internal combustion engine (ICE) to and from a drive train responsive to depression of a clutch pedal by the user, wherein the clutch arm is biased by a clutch biasing element toward the engaged position, wherein the apparatus further comprises an attachment mechanism configured to affix the second end of the damper to the clutch arm, and wherein the damping force of the damper modulates the engagement of the ICE with the drive train in a selected gear of the drive train as the clutch arm advances the piston rod into the outer housing.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the outer housing of the damper is affixed to the bearing block and the piston rod is affixed to the torque transfer element.
4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the piston rod is affixed to the bearing block and the piston rod is affixed to the torque transfer element.
5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the damper is a hydraulic damper.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the damper is a pneumatic damper.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the damper comprises a spring configured to urge the piston rod to a selected one of an extended or a retracted position relative to the outer housing.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a limit stop surface to contactingly limit advancement of the bearing block along the stationary track upon release of the retention pin.
9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising an adjustment mechanism configured to adjustably advance and retract the limit stop surface relative to the stationary track, the adjustment mechanism comprising a user rotatable knob that uses a threaded shaft to advance and retract the limit stop surface along the stationary track.
10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an actuator configured to extend and retract the retention pin responsive to application and removal of electrical power from a power source.
11 . The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a user activatable switch connected in series between a solenoid of the actuator and a terminal of the power source, wherein upon activation of the user activatable switch the retention pin extends in a forward direction for mechanical engagement with at least a selected one of the bearing block or outer housing.
12 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first end of the damper is free to move, via the bearing block, along the stationary track responsive to the retention pin being in the retracted position, and wherein the first end of the damper is fixed relative to the stationary track responsive to the retention pin being in the extended position.
13 . A method of using the apparatus of claim 1 comprising steps of: using a first attachment mechanism to attach the first end of the damper to the bearing block and a second attachment mechanism to attach the second end of the damper to the torque transfer element; extending the retention pin to secure the bearing block to the track in the fixed position; transitioning, by a user, the torque transfer element from the engaged position to the disengaged position to extend the piston rod from the outer housing, the retention pin maintaining mechanical engagement, via the friction interface, with the bearing block while the torque transfer element remains in the disengaged position; and releasing, by the user, the torque transfer element from the disengaged position, thereby facilitating retraction of the retention pin by the pin biasing force responsive to release of the friction interface and retraction of the piston rod into the outer cylinder by transition of the torque transfer element to the engaged position.
14 . A method, comprising: securing a damping system to a moveable torque transfer element, the damping system having a damper, a rail system and a retention pin, the damper comprising an outer housing and a piston rod configured to be extended from the outer housing and retracted into the outer housing in opposition to a damping force, the rail system comprising a stationary track along which a moveable bearing block is configured to rollably advance and retract, the bearing block mechanically coupled to a first end of the damper, the torque transfer element mechanically coupled to an opposing second end of the damper; extending a retention pin to secure the bearing block to the track in a fixed position; transitioning, by a user, the torque transfer element from an engaged position to a disengaged position to extend the piston rod from the outer housing, the retention pin maintaining mechanical engagement, via a friction interface, with the bearing block while the torque transfer element remains in the disengaged position; releasing, by the user, the torque transfer element from the disengaged position, thereby facilitating retraction of the retention pin by a pin biasing force responsive to release of the friction interface and transition of the torque transfer element to the engaged position at a rate determined by the damping force of the damper as the piston rod is retracted, by the torque transfer element, into the outer cylinder.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the torque transfer element comprises a clutch arm of a motor vehicle that selectively engages and disengages an internal combustion engine (ICE) to and from a drive train responsive to depression of a clutch pedal by the user, wherein the clutch arm is biased by a clutch biasing element toward the engaged position, and wherein the damping force of the damper modulates the engagement of the ICE with the drive train in a selected gear of the drive train as the clutch arm advances the piston rod into the outer housing.
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the damper comprises at least a selected one of a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, or a spring.
17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein during the transition of the torque transfer element between the engaged and disengaged positions the piston rod is extended from the outer housing responsive to the bearing block being secured via the retention pin, and wherein the piston rod is retracted into the outer housing responsive to the bearing block engaging a limit stop surface at a distal end of the track.
18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising using an adjustment mechanism to adjustably position the limit stop surface relative to the stationary track, the adjustment mechanism comprising a user rotatable knob that uses a threaded shaft to advance and retract the limit stop surface along the stationary track.
19 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising using a solenoid to extend the retention pin and a spring to subsequently retract the retention pin.
20 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising activating a user activatable switch to extend the retention pin.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application makes a claim of domestic priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/626,766 filed Jan. 30, 2024, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. SUMMARY Various embodiments of the present disclosure are generally directed to a method and apparatus for controllably engaging a torque transfer element to transfer power/torque from an engine to a drivetrain, such as but not limited to a clutch mechanism in an automotive vehicle having an internal combustion engine (ICE) and a manual transmission. Without limitation, some embodiments provide a damper system apparatus having a damper, a rail system and a retention pin. The damper has an outer housing and a piston rod. The piston rod is configured to be extended from the outer housing and retracted into the outer housing in opposition to a damping force. The rail system includes a stationary track along which a moveable bearing block is configured to rollably advance and retract. The bearing block is mechanically coupled to a first end of the damper, and a second end of the damper is configured to be coupled to a torque transfer element. The retention pin is selectively extendable to secure the bearing block to the track in a fixed position. The securement of the bearing block to the track by the pin allows the piston rod to be extended from the outer housing responsive to transition, by a user, of the torque transfer element between an engaged position to a disengaged position. The extended pin remains in mechanical engagement, via a friction interface, with the bearing block while the torque transfer element remains in the disengaged position. The retention pin is further configured to be retracted, via a pin biasing force, responsive to release by the user of the torque transfer element. As the torque transfer element advances, the piston rod is retracted into the housing. In this way, the damper controls a rate at which the torque transfer element returns to the engaged position. Further embodiments are generally directed to a method of using the foregoing apparatus, including steps of extending the retention pin to secure the bearing block to the track in the fixed position; transitioning, by a user, the torque transfer element from the engaged position to the disengaged position to extend the piston rod from the outer housing; and releasing, by the user, the torque transfer element from the disengaged position, thereby facilitating retraction of the retention pin by the pin biasing force responsive to release of the friction interface and retraction of the piston rod into the outer cylinder by transition of the torque transfer element to the engaged position. These and other features and advantages of various embodiments can be understood from a review of the following detailed description in conjunction with a review of the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of clutch pedal damper system constructed and operated in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2A is a simplified cross-sectional representation of a hydraulic damper of the system of FIG. 1 in some embodiments, with the hydraulic damper being in a retracted (normal) state. FIG. 2B is a corresponding representation of the hydraulic damper of FIG. 2A in an extended state. FIGS. 3A and 3B show respective top plan and end views of a linear rail system of the system of FIG. 1 in further embodiments. FIG. 4A is a side-elevational schematic representation of the system of FIG. 1 in a clutch engaged condition. FIG. 4B shows the system of FIG. 4A in a clutch disengaged, non-damped condition. FIG. 4C shows the system of FIG. 4A in a clutch disengaged, damped condition. FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C show illustrations of the system of FIG. 1 in accordance with further embodiments. FIG. 6 shows further operation of aspects of the system of FIG. 1 in relation to the retractable pin thereof. FIG. 7 is a functional block representation of a motor vehicle of the related art in which various embodiments of the present disclosure can be advantageously practiced. FIG. 8 is a flow chart for a damped clutch activation routine illustrative of steps carried out in accordance with further embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to systems and methods for selectively controlling the response characteristics of a torque transfer mechanism used to transfer power/torque to a drive train. The various embodiments are described as being operative in the environment of an automotive clutch for an automobile or other vehicle with an internal combustion engine (ICE) and a manual transmission activated by a shifter handle (stick shift) selectable gear box, although other application environments can be used. The system is sometimes referred to herein as a torque transfer or clutch pedal damper system. It is contemplate