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US 12,146,531 B2Granted
Clutch assembly
AssigneeMeans Industries, Inc.
InventorCarl Thomas Beiser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clutch assembly or module having multiple one-way clutches, each clutch operates independently of the others to control torque transmission to and from a common or shared notch plate. The assembly or module also controls rotation, including the direction thereof, of the common or shared notch plate. Depending upon the position of each one-way clutch, multiple modes of torque transfer and common or shared notch plate rotation can be achieved.
Claims17
A clutch assembly comprising:
- a housing;
- a rotatable input shaft fixed to a pocket plate;
- a rotatable output shaft fixed to a notch plate;
- a first selectable one-way clutch coupling the housing to the output shaft;
- a second selectable one-way clutch coupling the housing to the output shaft, the second selectable one-way clutch operating independently of the first selectable one-way clutch;
- a third selectable one-way clutch coupling the input shaft to the output shaft, the third selectable one-way clutch including a stator, a translator, and a locking element wherein the translator rotates with and moves axially relative to the pocket plate and affects movement of the locking element;
- a fourth selectable one-way clutch coupling the input shaft to the output shaft, the fourth selectable one-way clutch including a stator, a translator, and a locking element wherein the translator rotates with and moves axially relative to the pocket plate and affects movement of the locking element, the fourth selectable one-way clutch operating independently of the third selectable one-way clutch;
- and
- the first selectable one-way clutch includes a solenoid, a plunger, and a locking element wherein the plunger affects movement of the locking element, and the second selectable one-way clutch includes a solenoid, a plunger and a locking element wherein the plunger affects movement of the locking element.
6 more elements
A clutch assembly comprising:
- a housing;
- an input shaft;
- an output shaft;
- a first selectable one-way clutch coupling the housing to the output shaft;
- a second selectable one-way clutch coupling the housing to the output shaft, the second selectable one-way clutch operating independently of the first selectable one-way clutch;
- a third selectable one-way clutch coupling the input shaft to the output shaft;
- and
- a fourth selectable one-way clutch coupling the input shaft to the output shaft, the fourth selectable one-way clutch operating independently of the third selectable one-way clutch;
- the first selectable one-way clutch having a locking element;
- the second selectable one-way clutch having a locking element;
- the third selectable one-way clutch having a locking element;
- the fourth selectable one-way clutch having a locking element;
- and
- the locking elements of the first selectable one-way clutch, second selectable one-way clutch, third selectable one-way clutch, and fourth selectable one-way clutch engaging a common notch plate.
11 more elements
A multimode clutch system comprising:
- an input shaft;
- an output shaft;
- a housing;
- a first coupling member, the first coupling member connected to the input shaft;
- a second coupling member, the second coupling member connected to the output shaft;
- a first selectable one-way clutch acting between the housing and the second coupling member wherein the first selectable one-way clutch stops rotation of the second coupling member in a first direction and allows rotation of second coupling member in a second direction;
- a second selectable one-way clutch acting between the housing and the second coupling member wherein the second selectable one-way clutch stops rotation of the second coupling member in the second direction and allows rotation of the second coupling member in the first direction;
- a third selectable one-way clutch disposed between the first and second coupling members, the third selectable one-way clutch coupling the first and second coupling members in the first direction of rotation and allowing overrun between the first and second coupling members in the second direction of rotation;
- a fourth selectable one-way clutch disposed between the first and second coupling members, the fourth selectable one-way clutch coupling the first and second coupling members in the second direction of rotation and allowing overrun between the first and second coupling members in the first direction of rotation;
- and
- each of the first, second, third, and fourth selectable one-way clutches has its own independent actuation mechanism wherein each independent actuation mechanism controls engagement or disengagement of its corresponding selectable one-way clutch and wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth selectable one-way clutches acts on the second coupling member.
8 more elements
A multimode clutch module comprising:
- a housing;
- an input shaft;
- an output shaft;
- a first coupling member, the first coupling member connects to and rotates with the input shaft;
- a first locking element, and a second locking element, the first and second locking elements located on the first coupling member;
- a third locking element and a fourth locking element, the third and fourth locking elements located on the housing;
- a second coupling member connected to the output shaft;
- each of the first locking element, the second locking element, third locking element, and the fourth locking element independently engage the second coupling member, wherein the output shaft is selectively coupled and decoupled to the housing and input shaft;
- a first actuator that acts only on the first locking element;
- a second actuator that acts only on the second locking element;
- a third actuator that acts only on the third locking element;
- a fourth actuator that acts only on the fourth locking element;
- the second coupling member includes a single notch plate having a plurality of notches;
- and
- each of the first locking element, the second locking element, the third locking element, and the fourth locking element independently engage a notch in the notch plate.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.