Accessory drive and particle trap
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsThaddeus T. Litkenhus, Cornelius N. Opris, Craig R. Rust, William L. Short
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An accessory drive system to provide engagement between a driving input source and a driven accessory unit includes a housing attachable to the input source. A fluid suction port and a discharge port are defined by the housing and the suction port is in fluid communication with a fluid reservoir of the input source. The fluid discharge port is in fluid communication with the suction port and a gear assembly is rotatably supported by the housing. The accessory unit is operably engaged by the input source through the gear assembly and the gear assembly is structured and arranged within the housing to urge fluid away from the housing in response to movement of the gear assembly.
Claims19
An accessory drive system to provide engagement between a driving input source and a driven accessory unit, the accessory drive assembly comprising;
- a housing attachable to the input source;
- a fluid suction port defined by said housing and being in fluid communication with a fluid reservoir of the input source;
- a fluid discharge port defined by said housing and in fluid communication with said suction port;
- a gear chamber defined by said housing;
- a gear assembly rotatably supported by said housing, the accessory unit being operably engaged by said input source through said gear assembly, said gear assembly structured and arranged within said housing to urge fluid away from said housing and in response to movement of said gear assembly;
- and
- a portion of said housing being in an overlaying relation with a periphery of a first gear of said gear assembly to cause directed movement of fluid therebetween and other portions of said housing being in spaced relation to a second gear of said gear assembly;
- wherein fluid is purged from said gear chamber through movement of said first gear.
A method for operably engaging a fluid circulating accessory unit to an input source, the method comprising;
- driving a gear assembly attached to the input source through a housing;
- circulating fluid from a reservoir to the accessory unit through an overlaying relationship between a portion of the housing and a gear of the gear assembly;
- and
- removing substantially all of the fluid entering a gear chamber of the housing through movement of the gear assembly within the housing through the overlaying relationship between a portion of the housing and a gear of the gear assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.