Power transmission for a cleaner

• US 4,434,865 A
• Filed: 08/31/1981
• Issued: 03/06/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maytag Corporation (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hoover Company (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Inventors: Morrow, Charles R., Tschudy, Donald B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pekar, John A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fugate, D. Lynn
• Application Number:
  US06/298,190
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 180/19 H, 192/70.12, 192/113 A, 15/340
• US Class Current: 180/19.3
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles

Abstract

The structure comprehends a power transmission for a power drive cleaner where the clutching arrangement is on the output shaft that provides a direct geared drive to the wheels.

Claims

1. A power driven cleaner including;

(a) a handle operated means for controlling a pivoted actuating lever,

(b) a transmission disposed adjacent said actuating lever,

(c) said transmission including a first input shafting,

(d) said input shafting driven by a motor for said cleaner,

(e) an output shaft in said transmission,

(f) gear engagement between said input and output shafts,

(g) clutching means on said output shaft for engaging said output shaft with said input shaft through said gear engagement,

(h) said output shaft including outboard gears that directly engage wheels for said cleaner to drive said wheels to propel said cleaner when said actuating lever is pivoted,

(i) said clutching means take the form of clutch plates disposed in the hub of at least an output gear,

(j) some of said clutch plates interengaging with and always rotating with said output gear and some of said clutch plates interengaging with and always rotating with said shaft,

(k) whereby movement of said clutch plates axially on said output shaft frictionally engage them to clutch said output gear to said shaft,

(l) cooling vanes are mounted with said output gear,

(m) said output gear always rotating with said input shaft,

(n) whereby said vanes supply cooling air to said clutch plates during rotation of said input shaft,

(o) said hub is slotted to provide ventilation for said clutch plates,

(p) said clutch plates and said hub have spaced locations therebetween to provide channels for the passage of ventilating air radially outwardly of the clutch disks, and

(g) said cooling vanes are mounted internally of said hub.

2. A power driven cleaner as set out in claim 1 wherein:

(a) slots are provided between said clutch disks, adjacent said output shaft to provide ventilation air radially inwardly of said clutch disks.

3. A power driven cleaner including:

(a) a handle operated means for controlling a pivoted actuating lever,

(b) a transmission disposed adjacent said actuating lever,

(c) said transmission including a first input shafting,

(d) said input shafting driven by a motor for said cleaner,

(e) an output shaft in said transmission,

(f) gear engagement between said input and output shafts,

(g) clutching means on said output shaft for engaging said output shaft with said input shaft through said gear engagement,

(h) said output shaft including outboard gears that directly engage wheels for said cleaner to drive said wheels to propel said cleaner when said actuating lever is pivoted,

(i) said clutching means includes a carriage movable axially along said output shaft,

(j) said carriage including at least one radially outwardly extending tab,

(k) said tab engaging a clutch actuator also movable axially relative to said output shaft,

(l) whereby clutching and declutching of said output shaft to said input shaft is occasioned by movement of said clutch actuator axially of said output shaft,

(m) said clutch actuator includes a pair of radially, inwardly extending tabs, and

(n) said tabs being of spring material and riding between a pair of ribs to tend to center said carriage and keep said transmission in neutral.

4. A power driven cleaner including;

(a) a handle operated means for controlling a pivoted actuating lever,

(b) a transmission disposed adjacent said actuating lever,

(c) said transmission including a first input shafting,

(d) said input shafting driven by a motor for said cleaner,

(e) an output shaft in said transmission,

(f) gear engagement between said input and output shafts.

(g) clutching means on said output shaft for engaging said output shaft with said input shaft through said gear engagement,

(h) said output shaft including outboard gears that directly engage wheels for said cleaner to drive said wheels to propel said cleaner when said actuating lever is pivoted,

(i) said clutching means take the form of clutch plates disposed in the hub of at least one output gear,

(j) some of said clutch plates interengaging with and always rotating with said output gear and some of said clutch plates interengaging with and always rotating with said shaft,

(k) whereby movement of said clutch plates axially on said output shaft frictionally engage them to clutch said output gear to said shaft,

(l) cooling vanes are mounted with said output gear,

(m) said output gear always rotating with said input shaft,

(n) whereby said vanes supply cooling air to said clutch plates during rotation of said input shaft,

(o) cooling impellers are mounted with said output shaft,

(p) said cooling impellers mounted with said output shaft rotating with said output shaft during driving thereof to thereby provide additional cooling air to said clutch plates,

(q) said cooling impellers extend inwardly towards said output shaft,

(r) splines mounted with said output shaft, and

(s) said cooling impellers at their inward extension engaging with said splines to form a driving connection therebetween.

5. A power drive cleaner including a transmission having;

(a) an input shaft,

(b) an output shaft,

(c) a gear mounted with one of said input shaft and said output shaft,

(d) a housing for said transmission,

(e) said gear disposed in said housing and including directly attached cooling vanes, within said gear, rotating with said gear as said gear rotates,

(f) slots through said gear permitting said cooling vanes to circulate cooling air,

(g) said cooling vanes disposed adjacent said slots, and

(h) rotation of said gear cooling and transmission.

6. A power drive cleaner including a transmission having;

(a) an output shaft,

(b) an input shaft,

(c) a gear mounted on one of said input shaft and said output shaft,

(d) said gear including a hub,

(e) cooling vanes mounted internally of said hub to provide a ventilation effect for said transmission.

(f) slots through said gear permitting said cooling vanes to circulate cooling air, and

(g) said cooling vanes disposed adjacent to said slots.

7. A power drive cleaner including a transmission having;

(a) an input shaft,

(b) an output shaft,

(c) a means for clutching and declutching said transmission including a carriage movable axially along one of said shafts and also including a clutch actuator movable axially relative to at least one of said shafts,

(d) said clutch actuator including a pair of radially, inwardly extending tabs, and

(e) said tabs being of spring material and riding between a pair of ribs to tend to center said carriage and keep said transmission in neutral.

8. A power drive cleaner including a transmission having;

(a) an input shaft,

(b) an output shaft,

(c) a means for clutching said transmission to engage or disengage it,

(d) said means for clutching including clutch plates disposed on at least one of said shafts,

(e) cooling impellers provided for said means for clutching, and

(f) said cooling impellers serving as the means forcing said clutch plates together to facilitate clutching action.

9. The power driven cleaner as claim 8 wherein;

(a) said cooling impellers rotating upon rotation of said output shaft to insure cooling air when the clutch plates are loaded.

10. A power drive cleaner including a transmission having;

(a) an input shaft,

(b) an output shaft,

(c) cooling impellers mounted with one of said shafts,

(d) said cooling impellers rotating with said one of said shafts,

(e) said cooling impellers extending inwardly towards said one of said shafts,

(f) splines at least on said one of said shafts, and

(g) said cooling impellers at their inward extension engaging with said splines to form a driving connection therebetween.

11. A cooling system for a clutching arrangement including;

(a) a hubbed gear,

(b) a plurality of clutch disks in said hubbed gear,

(c) cooling vanes in said hubbed gear,

(d) slots through said gear permitting said cooling vanes to circulate air to said clutch disks,

(e) said cooling vanes disposed totally within said hubbed gear, and

(f) said cooling vanes disposed adjacent said slots.