Viscous clutch and associated electromagnetic coil

Abstract

A viscous clutch (20) includes an input member (26), an output member (24), a working chamber (30) defined between the input member and the output member, a reservoir (28) to hold a supply of a shear fluid, a valve (32) that controls a flow of the shear fluid between the reservoir and the working chamber along a fluid circuit that fluidically connects the reservoir and the working chamber, a bearing (48), and an electromagnetic coil (34) supported by the bearing. The electromagnetic coil includes a coil housing (34-1) and a winding (34-2) that forms multiple turns within an interior volume (34-3) of the coil housing, wherein the coil housing has a stepped configuration to at least partially accommodate the bearing within a first step (34-4). Selective energization of the electromagnetic coil actuates the valve.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.