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US 12,460,686 B2Granted
Electromagnetic clutch
AssigneeZpe Licensing Inc.
InventorAndrew Jason Zimmer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pulley assembly having a body, a shaft mount and a plurality of bolts is disclosed. The body is aligned to the shaft mount by providing a tight tolerance between a shoulder portion of the bolt and a neck portion of a counter sunk hole formed in the body. Additionally, an outer surface of the body may have a pattern of friction lines or patches formed by fusing particulate matter to the outer surface with heat generated by a laser beam.
Claims19
An electromagnetic clutch comprising:
- a shaft attachable to a motor for imparting rotation to the shaft;
- a rotor fixedly attached to the shaft so that the rotor rotates in sync with the shaft, the rotor having a laser induced friction engaging surface, the laser induced friction engaging surface being flat and formed as a pattern;
- a spring;
- an armature attached to the spring, the armature being biased to a disengaged position under a force of the spring, the armature having an engaging surface which is disposed parallel to the laser induced friction engaging surface of the rotor, in the disengaged position, a gap exists between the engaging surface of the armature and the laser induced friction engaging surface of the rotor so that the armature remains stationary while the rotor is rotating, the armature being traversable to an engaged position wherein the engaging surface of the armature is in frictional engagement with the laser induced friction engaging surface of the rotor so that the armature rotates in sync with the rotor;
- a pulley attached to the armature so that the pulley rotates in sync with the armature, the rotor being rotatable while the pulley remains stationary when the armature is in the disengaged position, the pulley rotates in sync with the rotor when the armature is in the engaged position;
- an electrical coil electrically communicable with a power source, the electrical coil disposed adjacent to the laser induced friction engaging surface of the rotor, the electrical coil being energizable so as to form an electric field across the laser induced friction engaging surface of the rotor and the armature, when the electrical coil is de-energized, the spring biases the armature to the disengaged position, when the electrical coil is energized, a magnetic force of the electrical coil attracts the armature so as to overcome the spring force and to traverse the armature to the engaged position and transmit power from the rotor to the pulley and rotate the pulley.
3 more elements
An electromagnetic clutch comprising:
- a shaft attachable to a motor for rotating the shaft;
- a pulley attachable to the shaft so that the pulley is selectively rotatable in sync with the shaft, the pulley having an engaging surface;
- a spring;
- an armature fixedly attached to the shaft so that the armature rotates in sync with the shaft, the armature having a laser induced friction surface which is disposed parallel to the engaging surface of the pulley and formed as a pattern, the armature attached to the spring and biased to a disengaged position under a force of the spring, the armature being traversable to an engaged position;
- an electrical coil disposed adjacent to the engaging surface of the pulley, the electrical coil being energizable so as to form an electric field across the engaging surface of the pulley and the armature, when the electrical coil is de-energized, the spring biases the armature to the disengaged position, when the electrical coil is energized, a magnetic force of the electrical coil attracts the armature so as to overcome the spring force and to traverse the armature to the engaged position and transmit power from the armature to the pulley and rotate the pulley;
- wherein the laser induced friction surface of the pulley and the engaging surface of the armature are parallel to each other and has a gap when the electrical coil is de-energized.
3 more elements
A method of operating an electromagnetic clutch, the method comprising steps of:
- providing the electromagnetic clutch attached to a motor;
- energizing an electrical coil with a power source;
- forming an electromagnetic field through an armature;
- traversing the armature closer to a flat laser induced friction surface of a rotor the laser induced friction surface formed as a pattern;
- contacting an engaging surface of the armature with the flat laser induced friction surface of the rotor to rotate the pulley;
- deenergizing the electrical coil;
- traversing the armature to a disengaged position to form a gap between the engaging surface of the armature and the flat laser induced friction surface of the rotor to stop rotation of the pulley.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.