Clutch System and Method

• US 20070137974A1
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kit Masters Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kit Masters Incorporated
• Inventors: Swanson, Craig, Pieper, George, Jagger, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,311,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 192/85.510
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2300/12 Mounting or assembling
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 25/0635 with flat friction surfaces, e.g. discs
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 25/0638 with more than two discs, e.g. multiple lamellae
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 192/01 Removable members
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49815 Disassembling

Abstract

A clutch system may include in certain embodiments a clutch body attached to a drive member such as a drive pulley, wherein the clutch body may be removed from the drive member without disassembling the clutch body. In various embodiments, the clutch body may include two clutch plates which enclose a spring-loaded pneumatic reciprocating assembly that in operation causes the plates to selectively separate and engage one another. In certain embodiments, the clutch body may be readily attached to a associated drive pulley in a single step by installation of a single set of fasteners.

Claims

1. A fan clutch device to be removably mounted to a drive member, the fan clutch device comprising:

a hub portion that, when the fan clutch device is mounted to a drive member, is selectively movable relative to the drive member; and

a piston portion adjustable in an axial direction relative to the drive member when the fan clutch device is mounted to a drive member, the piston portion being adjustable between a first operative position and a second operative position;

a single spring device arranged between at least a portion of the hub portion and at least a portion of the piston portion to urge the piston portion toward one of the first position and the second position;

wherein the fan clutch device has a self-contained construction such that the hub portion, the piston portion, and the single spring device remain assembled to one another without a separate clamp device when the fan clutch device is separated from the drive member.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein, when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive member, the fan clutch device is removable from the drive member without disassembly of the hub portion from the piston portion.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one locking member mounted to the hub portion such that hub portion and the piston portion may be disassembled from one another upon removal of the at least one locking member.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein when the fan clutch device is mounted to a drive member, the hub portion is selectively movable in a rotational direction relative to the drive member and substantially stationary in an axial direction relative to the drive member.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the piston portion is selectively movable in the axial direction relative to the hub portion and is substantially rotationally stationary relative to the hub portion.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a fluid-receiving space located within the clutch device, the space being defined at least partially by surfaces of the hub portion and the piston portion.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein a single sealed leak path borders a periphery of the fluid-receiving space between the piston portion and the hub portion to seal the fluid-receiving space from ambient air.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising a seal member disposed in the sealed leak path along the periphery of the fluid-receiving space between the piston portion and the hub portion, the seal member being non-rotational relative to the piston portion and the hub portion.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a first engagement surface operable to fixedly couple with the drive member when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive member.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the piston portion includes a second engagement surface that abuts the first engagement surface when in the first position and is spaced apart from the first engagement surface when in the second position.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the fan clutch device is removably mounted to the drive member.

12. The device of claim 11, further comprising a single set of fasteners to removably mount the fan clutch device to the drive member.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the piston portion selectively engages the drive member when the fan clutch device is mounted to a drive member, and the piston portion receives an output device that is selectively rotated by the clutch device.

14. A fan clutch system, comprising:

a drive member;

a clutch device removably mounted to the drive member, the clutch device comprising;

a hub portion that is selectively movable relative to the drive member; and

a piston portion adjustable in an axial direction relative to the drive member between a first position and a second position; and

wherein, when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive member, the fan clutch device is removable from the drive member without disassembly of the hub portion from the piston portion.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the clutch device further comprises a single spring device arranged between at least a portion of the hub portion and at least a portion of the piston portion to urge the piston portion toward one of the first position and the second position.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the fan clutch device has a self-contained construction such that the hub portion and the piston portion remain assembled to one another without a separate clamp device when the fan clutch device is separated from the drive member.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the clutch device further comprises at least one locking member mounted to the hub portion such that hub portion and the piston portion may be disassembled from one another upon removal of the at least one locking member.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the hub portion is selectively movable in a rotational direction relative to the drive member and substantially stationary in an axial direction relative to the drive member.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the piston portion is selectively movable in the axial direction relative to the hub portion and is substantially rotationally stationary relative to the hub portion.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the clutch device further comprises a fluid-receiving chamber defined at least partially by surfaces of the hub portion and the piston portion, wherein a single sealed leak path borders a periphery of the fluid-receiving space between to seal the fluid-receiving space from ambient air.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising a seal member disposed in the sealed leak path along the periphery of the fluid-receiving chamber, the seal member being non-rotational relative to the piston portion and the hub portion.

22. The system of claim 14, further comprising a single set of fasteners to removably mount the clutch device to the drive member.

23. A method, comprising:

removing a fan clutch device from a drive member, the fan clutch device having a hub portion and a piston portion, the hub portion being selectively movable relative to the drive member when the fan clutch device is mounted to a drive member, and the piston portion being adjustable in an axial direction relative to the drive member when the fan clutch device is mounted to a drive member; and

maintaining the hub portion and the piston portion of the fan clutch device in an assembled condition without the use of a separate clamp device during removal of the fan clutch device so that the fan clutch device is removed from the drive member without disassembly of the hub portion from the piston portion.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising removing a single set of fasteners to remove the clutch device from the drive member.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising removing at least one locking member mounted to the hub portion so as to disassemble the hub portion from the piston portion after the clutch device is separated from the drive member.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising separating a fan blade device from an exterior of the fan clutch device.