Clutch system and method

• US 7,201,267 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2006
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kit Masters Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kit Masters Incorporated
• Inventors: Swanson, Craig M., Jagger, Thomas M., Pieper, George S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lorence; Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US11/488,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20060254873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 266 Days
• Field of Search: 192/85.A, 192/91.A, 192/DIG.1
• US Class Current: 192/85.23
• 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 in a rotational direction relative to the drive member and substantially stationary in an axial direction relative to the drive member; and

a piston portion selectively movable in the axial direction relative to the hub portion and substantially stationary in the rotation direction relative to the hub portion;

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.

2. The device of claim 1, 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.

3. The device of claim 2, 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, 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.

5. 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.

6. The device of claim 5, 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.

7. 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.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the piston portion includes a second engagement surface that abuts the first engagement surface when in a first operative position and is spaced apart from the first engagement surface when in a second operative position.

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

10. The device of claim 9, further comprising a single set of bolts to removably mount the fan clutch device to the drive member.

11. A fan clutch device, comprising:

a first member having a first engagement surface;

a hub portion rotatably coupled to the first member;

a piston portion slidably coupled to the hub portion, the piston portion being selectively movable in an axial direction relative to the hub portion and substantially rotationally stationary relative to the hub portion;

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.

12. The device of claim 11, 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.

13. The device of claim 12, further comprising a fluid channel passing through the hub portion to deliver fluid to the fluid-receiving chamber, wherein the seal member provides a fluid seal along the periphery of the fluid-receiving chamber when the fluid channel delivers fluid to the fluid-receiving chamber.

14. The device of claim 12, further comprising a wiper seal member disposed between the ambient air and the seal member so as to restrict passage of contaminants to the seal member.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the fan clutch device is configured to be removably mounted to a drive member, the fan clutch device being removable from the drive member without disassembly of the hub portion from the piston portion.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the fan clutch device has a self-contained construction such that the hub portion and the piston portion remain assembled to one another when the fan clutch device is separated from the drive member.

17. The device of claim 16, 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.

18. 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 piston portion being selectively movable in the axial direction relative to the hub portion and substantially stationary in the rotation direction relative to the hub portion;

the fan clutch device being removed from the drive member without disassembly of the hub portion from the piston portion.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the fan clutch device has a self-contained construction such that the hub portion and the piston portion remain assembled to one another when the fan clutch device is removed from the drive member.

20. The method of claim 19, 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.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising separating a fan blade device from an exterior of the piston portion.