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US 4,223,774 AGranted
Clutch unit
AssigneeG. M. Sommer Company, Inc.
InventorGordon M. Sommer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeG. M. Sommer Company, Inc.
InventorGordon M. Sommer
Estimating the term…
A clutch unit especially adapted for accurately controlling the transmission of high rotary forces with minimum residual drag. A servo control valve supplied with hydraulic fluid by a pump controls a first stage fluid amplifier supplied by a separate pump, this amplifier in turn controlling a second stage amplifier supplied by a third pump. The second stage amplifier supplies main and auxiliary inlet ports of the clutch unit. The oil shear type clutch has a plurality of interleaved plates and discs. Separate piston and cylinder means are provided for actuating the plates for each clutch disc by means of the main fluid supply, the pressure of which is varied in accordance with input signals to the servo control valve. The auxiliary supply to the clutch acts both to retract the piston and cylinder means, thus separating the plates and discs with a minimum of residual drag, and as a cooling medium. The clutch discs are segmented so as to permit economical fabrication in spite of the large size of the clutch, with the disc segments being mounted so as to permit convenient replacement without requiring complete disassembly of the unit.
A clutch unit comprising an input shaft, an output shaft, a plurality of clutch plate elements connected to one of said shafts, a plurality of clutch disc elements interleaved betwen said clutch plate elements and connected to the other shaft, and separate means for closing the gap between each clutch disc element and its adjacent clutch plate element, said means comprising piston and cylinder means associated with one of said plurality of clutch plate elements and clutch disc elements, and fluid pressure control means for simultaneously supplying pressurized fluid in parallel to all of said piston and cylinder means.
A clutch unit comprising an input shaft, an output shaft, a plurality of clutch plates connected to one of said shafts, a plurality of clutch discs interleaved between said clutch plates and connectd to the other shaft, means for decreasing the gap between the clutch discs and the clutch plates, said decreasing means including fluid pressure control means for applying fluid pressure to said decreasing means, means for increasing the gap between said clutch discs and clutch plates, and centrifugal fluid pumping passage means for supplying fluid under pressure exerted by the centrifugal forced produced by rotation of the unit to said increasing means whereby said increasing means are operative to increase the gap between said clutch discs and said clutch plates in response to release of fluid pressure on said decreasing means.
A clutch unit comprising an input shaft, an output shaft, a plurality of clutch plate elements connected to one of said shafts, a plurality of clutch disc elements interleaved between said clutch plate elements and connected to the other shaft, actuating means for moving said clutch plate elements and said clutch disc elements into torque transmitting relationship, and fluid pressure control means for controlling said actuating means, said fluid pressure control means including servo control valve means and fluid amplifier means, said fluid amplifier means include a first stage fluid amplifier connected to the output of said servo control valve and a second stage fluid amplifier connected to the output of said first stage fluid amplifier, said servo control valve means being operative to control the output of said fluid amplifier means, the output of said second stage fluid amplifier being connected to said actuating means so as to control operation thereof.
A clutch unit comprising an input shaft, an output shaft, a plurality of clutch plate elements connected to one of said shafts, a plurality of clutch disc elements interleaved between said clutch plate elements and connected to the other shaft, said disc elements and said plate elements defining gaps therebetween, primary fluid flow paths for supplying fluid to said gaps for cooling and lubricating said disc elements and said plate elements and auxiliary fluid flow paths for supplying fluid to said gaps independently of said primary fluid flow path, said auxiliary fluid flow paths being operative to supply fluid to said gaps during both operation and disengagement of said clutch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.