Clutch system

• US 7,533,764 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2007
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kit Masters Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kit Masters Incorporated
• Inventors: Pieper, George S., Swanson, Craig M., Jagger, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lorence; Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US11/870,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20080029362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 192/85.A, 192/91.A, 192/DIG.1
• US Class Current: 192/85.21
• 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, the hub portion having a first spring-engaging surface; 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 first and second positions, the piston portion having a second spring-engaging surface that opposes the first spring-engaging surface;

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; and

a single spring device abutting against the first spring-engaging surface of the hub portion and the second spring-engaging surface of the piston portion to urge the piston portion toward one of the first position and the second position, wherein the single spring device is coaxially arranged with at least one of the hub portion and the piston portion.

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, 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 together without a separate clamp device when the fan clutch device is separated from the drive 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, 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.

7. The device of claim 6, 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.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the piston portion selectively couples with the drive member when the fan clutch device is mounted to a drive member, and the piston portion includes one or more connectors that receive an output device to be selectively rotated.

9. A fan clutch system, comprising:

a drive member that rotates about a rotational axis;

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, the hub portion having a spring-engaging surface;

a piston portion adjustable in an axial direction relative to the drive member between a first position and a second position, the piston portion having an opposing spring-engaging surface;

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; and

a single spring device arranged between the spring-engaging surface of the hub portion and the opposing spring-engaging surface of the piston portion to urge the piston portion toward one of the first position and the second position,

wherein the single spring device is axially aligned with the rotational axis of the drive member.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the fan clutch device is removable from the drive member without disassembly of the hub portion from the piston portion.

11. The system of claim 10, 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.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the single spring device comprises a biasing member selected from the group consisting of a coil spring, a leaf spring, and a gas spring.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the single spring device is coaxially arranged with at least one of the hub portion and the piston portion.

14. The system of claim 9, 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.

15. The system of claim 9, 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.

16. The system of claim 9, 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.

17. The system of claim 9, further comprising a single set of fasteners to removably mount the clutch device to the drive member.

18. A fan clutch system, comprising:

a drive member that rotates;

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;

a piston portion adjustable in an axial direction relative to the drive member between first and second positions, wherein the piston portion includes a clutch surface that selectively couples with the drive member; and

a fan blade device mounted to the piston portion, the fan blade device being rotated with the drive member when the clutch engagement surface of the piston portion selectively couples with the drive member.

19. The system of claim 18, 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.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the fan clutch device is removable from the drive member without disassembly of the hub portion from the piston portion.

21. A fan clutch device for removably mounting to a drive pulley, the fan clutch device comprising:

a mounting member that directly engages with a drive pulley when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive pulley;

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

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

an output surface engageable with a fan blade device, the output surface facing away from the drive pulley when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive pulley so that each of the hub and piston portions are arranged between the fan blade device and the drive pulley when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive pulley; and

an annular portion that is rotationally coupled with the output surface and positioned away from the output surface toward the drive pulley when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive pulley, the annular portion defining an inner circumferential surface arranged radially outward of an opposing outer circumferential surface defined by the mounting member,

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

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the piston portion includes a clutch surface that selectively couples with the drive pulley when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive pulley, and the piston portion including the output surface that is engageable with the fan blade device.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the clutch device further comprises a single spring device to urge the piston portion toward one of the first position and the second position, the single spring device being a coil spring that is coaxial with the hub portion and the piston portion.

24. The device of claim 21, wherein the mounting member attaches to the drive pulley with a set of bolts when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive pulley.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive pulley, the mounting member rotates with the drive pulley as the drive pulley rotates about a support shaft.

26. The device of claim 25, further comprising a first clutch surface coupled to the mounting member so that the first clutch surface rotates with the drive pulley when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive pulley, and further comprising a second clutch surface that selectively engages the first clutch surface in response to adjustment of the piston portion in the axial direction toward one of the first position and the second position.

27. The device of claim 21, wherein when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive pulley, the hub portion is selectively movable in a rotational direction relative to the drive pulley and substantially stationary in an axial direction relative to the drive pulley.

28. The device of claim 21, wherein the 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.

29. The device of claim 21, 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 pulley.

30. The device of claim 29, 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.

31. The device of claim 21, further comprising a fluid-receiving space located within the clutch device, the space being defined at least partially by a surface of the piston portion.

32. The device of claim 31, wherein the fluid-receiving space is in fluid communication with fluid channel that extends along a central axis away from the drive pulley and toward the piston portion.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the fluid channel is at least partially defined by a face seal that abuts with a support shaft of the drive pulley when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive pulley.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the fluid channel directs pressurized air into the fluid-receiving space so as to act upon the piston portion when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive pulley.

35. The device of claim 31, wherein a single sealed leak path borders a periphery of the fluid-receiving space to seal the fluid-receiving space from ambient air.

36. The device of claim 32, 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.

37. The device of claim 21, further comprising a spring device to urge the piston portion toward one of the first position and the second position, the spring device being arranged radially outward of a bearing coupled to the hub portion.

38. The device of claim 37, wherein the spring device is an individual coil spring that is positioned radially outward and coaxial with the bearing.

39. The device of claim 21, wherein the piston portion extends radially outward of the hub portion.

40. The device of claim 21, wherein the inner circumferential surface of the annular portion is arranged radially outward of a bearing coupled to the hub portion.

41. The device of claim 21, wherein the annular portion is at least partially defined by a spring-engaging member, the spring engaging member including a radial surface that engages a spring device.

42. The device of claim 41, wherein the piston portion comprises an assembly of at least the spring-engaging member that at least partially defines the annular portion and an output member that at least partially defines the output surface.

43. The device of claim 21, further comprising the fan blade device to engage with the output surface so that the fan blade device spins with the output surface.

44. A fan clutch device for removably mounting to a drive member, the fan clutch device comprising:

a hub portion that is selectively movable relative to a drive member when the fan clutch device is mounted 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 when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive member, wherein the piston portion includes a clutch surface that selectively couples with the drive member when the fan clutch device is mounted to the drive member, and the piston portion receives a fan blade device mounted thereto; 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.

45. The device of claim 44, wherein when the fan clutch device is mounted to the 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.

46. The device of claim 44, wherein the 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.

47. The device of claim 44, 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.