Clutch Device and Methods
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A fan clutch device to be mounted to a drive pulley, the fan clutch device comprising:
- an input portion that is removably mountable with a drive pulley so that the input portion rotates with the drive pulley;
an output portion including;
a hub that is selectively movable relative to the input portion, and a piston adjustable in an axial direction relative to the input portion, the piston being adjustable between first and second positions;
a frusto-conical clutch ring coupled to one of the input portion and the output portion, the clutch ring including a frusto-conical surface that engages an opposing friction surface when the piston is in the first position so that the output portion is rotates at a first speed with the input portion; and
an eddy current drive system that urges the output portion to rotate at a second speed different from the first speed when the piston is in the second position, the eddy current drive system including;
permanent magnets coupled to one of the output portion and the input portion, and a ring of generally nonmagnetic material coupled to the other the output portion and the input portion so that a radial gap is defined between the permanent magnets and the ring of generally nonmagnetic material.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Some embodiments of a clutch system may drive an output member to rotate at a first speed when the opposing clutch surfaces are engaged and to rotate at a second speed when the clutch surfaces are shifted to a disengaged position. In particular embodiments, the multi-speed clutch system may employ an eddy current drive system that causes the output portion to rotate even when the opposing clutch surfaces are disengaged.
96 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A fan clutch device to be mounted to a drive pulley, the fan clutch device comprising:
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an input portion that is removably mountable with a drive pulley so that the input portion rotates with the drive pulley; an output portion including;
a hub that is selectively movable relative to the input portion, and a piston adjustable in an axial direction relative to the input portion, the piston being adjustable between first and second positions;a frusto-conical clutch ring coupled to one of the input portion and the output portion, the clutch ring including a frusto-conical surface that engages an opposing friction surface when the piston is in the first position so that the output portion is rotates at a first speed with the input portion; and an eddy current drive system that urges the output portion to rotate at a second speed different from the first speed when the piston is in the second position, the eddy current drive system including;
permanent magnets coupled to one of the output portion and the input portion, and a ring of generally nonmagnetic material coupled to the other the output portion and the input portion so that a radial gap is defined between the permanent magnets and the ring of generally nonmagnetic material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A fan clutch device to be mounted to a drive pulley, the fan clutch device comprising:
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an input portion that is removably mountable to a drive pulley so that the input portion rotates with the drive pulley; an output portion including;
a hub that is selectively movable relative to the input portion, and a piston adjustable in an axial direction relative to the input portion, the piston being adjustable between first and second positions, wherein the output portion rotates at a first speed with the input portion when the piston is in the first position; andan eddy current drive system that urges the output portion to rotate at a second speed different from the first speed when the piston is adjusted to the second position, the eddy current drive system including;
permanent magnets coupled to the output portion, and an electrically conductive ring coupled to the input portion and arranged radially outward from the permanent magnets so that a radial gap is defined between the permanent magnets and the ring,wherein the electrically conductive ring comprises radially extending cooling fins to dissipate heat, the cooling fins being rotated with the drive pulley at all times when the input portion is mounted to the drive pulley. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification