192 clutches and power-stop control – Clutches – Plural clutch-assemblage
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-15
2003-10-21
Lorence, Richard M. (Department: 3681)
192 clutches and power-stop control
Clutches
Plural clutch-assemblage
C192S084310, C192S084961, C192S113230
Reexamination Certificate
active
06634476
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a magnet type fan clutch apparatus adapted to control the rotation of a cooling fan applied mainly to a vehicular internal combustion engine, operable with low noise and at a low fuel consumption and receiving a small shock during an initial period of the rotation thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
The fan clutches for controlling the rotation of a cooling fan applied to a vehicular internal combustion engine include a liquid fan clutch, a hydraulically driven type fan clutch and the like. A liquid clutch is generally of the type in which the driving torque of a driving disc is transmitted to a case by an oil supplied to a torque transmission chamber. Concerning the construction of such a type of liquid clutch, a coupling apparatus (liquid clutch) is known (refer to Japanese Patent Publication No. 21048/1988) which is formed by, for example, dividing the interior of a sealed case into a torque transmission chamber and an oil reservation chamber by a partition, and providing a driving disc in the torque transmission chamber so that the driving disc can be rotated freely by the driving of a driving part, in which liquid clutch an oil in the oil reservation chamber is supplied from an outflow regulating hole formed in the partition into the torque transmission chamber with the oil the torque transmission chamber returned to the oil reservation chamber through a circulating passage. According to this type of liquid clutch, the driving torque of the driving disc is transmitted to the case by the oil supplied from the oil reservation chamber to the torque transmission chamber, and a fan fixed to the case is rotated, the cooling of a radiator of, for example, an automobile engine being thereby carried out. This type of liquid clutch is adapted to detect an atmospheric temperature by a bimetal, and increase the degree of opening of the outflow regulating hole when this temperature increases, to increase the quantity of the oil in the torque transmission chamber, a rotational frequency of the case, and a cooling effect by rotating the fan at a high speed.
However, the above-mentioned liquid fan clutch and hydraulically driven type fan clutch have problems which will be described below.
Namely, when an engine is restarted with a large quantity of oil existing in a torque transmission chamber of a liquid fan clutch, or when an engine is suddenly accelerated during the travel of a vehicle, a sudden increase in the rotational frequency of a driven case (cooling fan) occurs, though it continues for a short period of time, due to the oil existing in a large quantity in the torque transmission chamber, following up the acceleration of a disc on the driving side. This phenomenon is generally called a phenomenon of “accompanied rotation”, which causes the noise of a fan and unpleasant sensation due to the noise to occur, and fuel consumption to lower.
The conspicuousness of the phenomenon of “accompanied rotation” in a related art liquid fan clutch occurring during the restarting of the engine increases in proportion to the quantity of the oil in the torque transmission chamber. As a method of solving this problem, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 21048/1988 proposes a liquid fan clutch formed so that an oil flowing out from an outflow regulating hole of a partition is once guided to a diametrically opposite side, from which the oil is supplied to the interior of a torque transmission chamber.
In such a structure, the oil does not flow from an oil reservation chamber into the torque transmission chamber when the engine is stopped with the oil substantially not existing in the torque transmission chamber but existing in large quantities in the oil reservation chamber, so that the phenomenon of “accompanied rotation” does not occur. However, this structure proves not effective in restarting an engine after the engine was stopped with a large quantity of oil existing in the torque transmission chamber, and in preventing the occurrence of the “accompanied rotation” when the engine is suddenly accelerated during the travel of the vehicle.
In the case of a hydraulically driven type fan clutch apparatus, a rotational frequency can be controlled to be at an arbitrary level but hydraulic devices, such as an oil reservoir tank, hydraulic pipes, an oil cooler, a relief valve, etc. are needed. Therefore, this fan clutch apparatus requires a large space, and costs much.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and provides a magnet type fan clutch apparatus in which the simplification of the construction and the reduction of the cost are attained by uniting a magnet coupling and an electromagnetic clutch with each other.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the magnet type fan clutch apparatus has a combination of a magnet coupling and an electromagnetic clutch with a fan fixed to the magnet coupling.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the magnet type fan clutch apparatus has an electromagnetic clutch formed of a clutch rotor supported on a driving shaft and having an exciting coil supported on an outer part and incorporated in the clutch rotor, and an armature fixed to a disc supported rotatably on the driving shaft via a bearing; and a magnet coupling which has a permanent magnet rotary body supported rotatably on the driving shaft via a bearing and provided at an outer circumference thereof with a fan fixed thereto, and a hysteresis member or a conductor fixed to the disc so that the hysteresis member or a conductor is opposed to the permanent magnet with a narrow clearance left therebetween, and which is formed so that the permanent magnet rotary body and disc are rotated together owing to an attraction working between the permanent magnet and the hysteresis member or conductor, the magnet coupling being ON/OFF controlled by the electromagnetic clutch.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, the magnet type fan clutch apparatus has an electromagnetic clutch formed of a clutch rotor supported on a driving shaft, an exciting coil provided in the interior of the clutch rotor and supported on an outer part, and an armature held longitudinally movably on the portion of a driven side housing supported rotatably on the clutch rotor via a bearing which is on the side of the exciting coil; and a magnet coupling which has a permanent magnet rotary body, to which a fan is fixed, supported rotatably via a bearing on a driven shaft made integral with the driven side housing, and a disc provided with a hysteresis member or a conductor opposed to the permanent magnet rotary body with a narrow clearance left therebetween, and mounted on the driven shaft, and which is formed so that the permanent magnet rotary body and disc are rotated together owing to an attraction working between the permanent magnet and the hysteresis member or conductor, the magnet coupling being ON/OFF controlled by the electromagnetic clutch.
According a further aspect of the present invention, the magnet type fan clutch apparatus has an electromagnetic clutch formed of a clutch rotor supported on a driving shaft, an exciting coil supported on a flange which is supported rotatably on the driving shaft via a bearing and fixed to an outer part, and an armature held longitudinally movably via a bearing on the portion of a driven side cylinder supported rotatably on the driving shaft which is on the side of the exciting coil; and a magnet coupling which is formed of a permanent magnet, to which a fan is fixed, supported rotatably on an outer circumference of the driven side cylinder via a bearing, a hysteresis member or a conductor opposed to the permanent magnet rotary body with a narrow clearance left therebetween, and fixed on an outer circumference of the driven side cylinder, and which is formed so that the permanent magnet rotary body and driven side cylinder are rotated together owing to an attraction working between the permanent magnet and
Inoue Hiroshi
Takikawa Kazunori
Usui Shoichiro
Lorence Richard M.
Usui Kokusai Sangyo Kaisha Limited
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