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US 4,069,906 AGranted
Fluid drive cooling apparatus
OwnerKenneth E. Handkeinventor
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OwnerKenneth E. Handkeinventor
Estimating the term…
Cooling apparatus is disclosed for drives of the type having a housing containing a sump for a fluid which is heated by the generation of heat energy during operation of the drive. The heat energy is generated by relatively moving torque transmitting members, such as clutch and brake units, connected between the drive input and output shafts. A centrifugal pump located within the housing below the level of the fluid is driven by the input shaft and circulates fluid to a heat exchanger disposed about the outside surface of the housing. The cooled fluid is returned to the fluid sump and a brake reservoir which assures an ample supply of fluid to the brake at a relatively low pressure. A fan carried by the input shaft blows ambient air over the heat exchanger and exterior surface of the housing to enhance the level of heat dissipation.
A drive of the type having a housing containing a sump for a fluid which is heated by the generation of heat energy in said fluid during torque transmission comprising torque transmitting means and fluid cooling means, said torque transmitting means including relatively movable torque transmitting members operably connected between an input shaft and an output member for torque transmission therebetween with the generation of heat energy in said fluid, said fluid cooling means including pump means located within said housing for directly drawing fluid from said sump and circulating the fluid externally of said housing through heat exchanger means for cooling the fluid and dissipating heat energy, and fluid channeling means for returning the cooled fluid to said sump, said pump means comprising a centrifugal pump including a pump intake port extending about said input shaft below the level of fluid in said sump and radially extending vanes operably connected to said input shaft for rotational fluid pumping movement therewith upon rotation of the input shaft in either angular direction.
In a torque transmitting unit including a housing containing a sump for a fluid which is heated by the generation of heat energy in said fluid upon transfer of torque between an input shaft and an output shaft operably connected by relatively movable torque transmitting members, the improvement comprising pump means located within said housing for drawing fluid from said sump and circulating the fluid externally of said housing through heat exchanger means for cooling the fluid and dissipating heat energy, and fluid channeling means for returning the cooled fluid to said sump, said pump means comprising a centrifugal pump including a pump intake port extending about said input shaft below the level of the fluid in said sump and radially extending vanes operably connected to said input shaft for rotational fluid pumping movement therewith upon rotation of the input shaft in either angular direction, said radially extending vanes being arranged for rotational movement within an annular pump chamber extending around said input shaft and connected between said pump intake port and a pump exhaust port, said annular pump chamber having a progressively increasing cross sectional area in angular directions extending along its arcuate length toward said pump exhaust port.
A drive having integral drive cooling means comprising a housing containing a sump of torque transmission fluid which is heated by the generation of heat energy upon torque transfer between an input shaft and an output member operably connected by torque transmitting means including relatively movable torque transmitting members, said integral drive cooling means including pump means located within said housing for directly drawing fluid from said sump and circulating the fluid externally of said housing through heat exchanger means for cooling the fluid and dissipating heat energy, and fluid channeling means for returning the cooled fluid to said sump, said pump means comprising a centrifugal pump including a pump intake port extending about said input shaft below the level of fluid in said sump for drawing fluid from the surrounding sump and radially extending vanes operably connected to said input shaft for rotational movement therewith, said radially extending vanes being disposed within an annular pump chamber communicating with said intake port and having oppositely extending volute portions for pumping fluid upon rotation of said vanes in either angular direction to a pump exhaust port communicating with said heat exchanger means, said heat exchanger means including a heat exchanger disposed about said housing and fan means operably connected to said input shaft for blowing ambient air into contact with said heat exchanger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.