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US 12,460,685 B1Granted
Piston clutch
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorWilliam J. Vande Haar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hydraulic clutch of a work vehicle includes a clutch pack, a drum, a hub, a first piston, a piston guide, and a second piston. The first piston has a first end wall and a first engaging portion extending axially from the first end wall toward the clutch pack. The piston guide has a guide body extending axially from a closed end of the drum, passing through the first end wall of the first piston, and extending radially to an inner periphery of the first piston to form a chamber wall. The second piston is disposed on another side of the chamber wall and has a second end wall and a second engaging portion extending axially from the second end wall toward the clutch pack.
Claims19
A hydraulic clutch of a work vehicle, comprising:
- a clutch pack having a spacer plate and a friction disk;
- a drum configured to rotate about an axis with a first shaft coaxially mounted on and the drum being splined on an inner periphery of the drum to receive the spacer plates;
- a hub configured to rotate about the axis, disposed within an interior of the drum, coupled to a second shaft, and being splined to receive the friction disk arranged alternatively with the spacer plate;
- a first piston having a first end wall and a first engaging portion extending axially from the first end wall toward the clutch pack and configured to move toward the clutch pack to engage the spacer plate and the friction disk or configured to move away from the clutch pack to disengage the spacer plate and the friction disk;
- a piston guide having a guide body extending axially from a closed end of the drum, passing through the first end wall of the first piston, and extending radially to an inner periphery of the first piston to form a chamber wall, wherein the chamber wall and the first end wall of the first piston form a first chamber which is variable in response to a movement of the first piston;
- a second piston disposed adjacent to the chamber wall, having a second end wall and a second engaging portion extending axially from the second end wall toward the clutch pack, and configured to move toward the clutch pack to engage the spacer plate and the friction disk, wherein the second piston and the piston guide form a second chamber which is variable in response to a movement of the second piston;
- and
- a spring disposed between the first piston and the closed end of the drum and configured to bias the first piston toward the clutch pack to engage the first piston toward the spacer plate and the friction disk with a first slip torque;
- wherein when a first pressurized fluid enters the first chamber, a force from the first pressurized fluid acting on the first piston is opposite to a bias force from the spring acting on the first piston, and the first slip torque decreases.
6 more elements
A hydraulic clutch of a work vehicle, comprising:
- a clutch pack having a spacer plate and a friction disk;
- a drum configured to rotate about an axis with a first shaft coaxially mounted on and the drum being splined on an inner periphery of the drum to receive the spacer plates;
- a hub configured to rotate about the axis, disposed within an interior of the drum, coupled to a second shaft, and being splined to receive the friction disk arranged alternatively with the spacer plate;
- a first piston having a first end wall and a first engaging portion extending axially from the first end wall toward the clutch pack and configured to move toward the clutch pack to engage the spacer plate and the friction disk or configured to move away from the clutch pack to disengage the spacer plate and the friction disk;
- a piston guide having a guide body extending axially from a closed end of the drum, passing through the first end wall of the first piston, and extending radially to an inner periphery of the first piston to form a chamber wall, wherein the chamber wall and the first end wall of the first piston form a first chamber which is variable in response to a movement of the first piston;
- and
- a second piston disposed adjacent to the chamber wall, having a second end wall and a second engaging portion extending axially from the second end wall toward the clutch pack, and configured to move toward the clutch pack to engage the spacer plate and the friction disk, wherein the second piston and the piston guide form a second chamber which is variable in response to a movement of the second piston;
- wherein the first chamber is hydraulically connected to a first flow control valve and the second chamber is hydraulically connected to a second flow control valve, and a controller is configured to control the first flow control valve and second flow control valve to modulate a total slip torque generated by the first piston and the second piston.
5 more elements
A hydraulic clutch of a work vehicle, comprising:
- a clutch pack having a spacer plate and a friction disk;
- a drum configured to rotate about an axis with a first shaft coaxially mounted on and the drum being splined on an inner periphery of the drum to receive the spacer plates;
- a hub configured to rotate about the axis, disposed within an interior of the drum, coupled to a second shaft, and being splined to receive the friction disk arranged alternatively with the spacer plate;
- a first piston having a first end wall and a first engaging portion extending axially from the first end wall toward the clutch pack and configured to move toward the clutch pack to engage the spacer plate and the friction disk or configured to move away from the clutch pack to disengage the spacer plate and the friction disk;
- a piston guide having a guide body extending axially from a closed end of the drum, passing through the first end wall of the first piston, and extending radially to an inner periphery of the first piston to form a chamber wall, wherein the chamber wall and the first end wall of the first piston form a first chamber which is variable in response to a movement of the first piston;
- and
- a second piston disposed adjacent to the chamber wall, having a second end wall and a second engaging portion extending axially from the second end wall toward the clutch pack, and configured to move toward the clutch pack to engage the spacer plate and the friction disk, wherein the second piston and the piston guide form a second chamber which is variable in response to a movement of the second piston;
- and
- a driven component disposed on the drum for rotating the drum, and wherein the first shaft and the second shaft are output shafts;
- wherein the first shaft is a front drive shaft and the second shaft is a rear drive shaft.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.