Rotary shafts – gudgeons – housings – and flexible couplings for ro – Overload release coupling
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-13
2001-10-30
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Rotary shafts, gudgeons, housings, and flexible couplings for ro
Overload release coupling
C464S041000, C464S185000, C192S056100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309303
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to a device for cleaning a tube and more particularly to a flexible shaft for cleaning a tube, the flexible shaft being connected to a power source by a slip-clutch, in order to avoid damage to a power source or a flexible shaft, if the cleaning tool mounted on the flexible shaft hangs-up or gets stuck during a tube cleaning.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In many industries, it is quite common to use tubular mechanisms or assemblies to carry out reactions or perform other necessary functions. This is especially true in the heating, ventilating and air conditioning industry (commonly called HVAC). Such procedures are most efficiently run when the tubes are clear or clean. Sometimes, in fact usually and almost always, deposits form within the tubes during the course of the reactions and cause the tubes to fill with residue.
Shaft driven tube cleaners are known to be suitable for cleaning the tubes, which are customarily used in the HVAC industry. More particularly, a shaft driven tube cleaner may be used to carry out maintenance functions on a boiler or a chiller, or a related sheet and tube heat exchanger. Clean tube surfaces, especially interior surfaces are required for maximum designed heat transfer, thus insuring efficient operation of the heat transfer device, in the tubes are mounted.
Tube cleaning shafts suffer damage from over torquing, especially when the cleaning tool mounted on the end of the flexible shaft gets stuck in deposits within the tube. There is no good way to know, that the tube cleaning shaft is being over torqued, until after the damage is done, even to a point beyond repair. It is desirable to prevent this damage and to provide information and immediate activation by the operator of relief procedures as soon as the over torquing occurs.
It is also desired to provide for the cleaning shaft to be mounted easily to the power unit. If such mounting can be simplified, great advantages can be obtained. Not only is the tool more easily used, cleaning efficiency is greatly improved at reasonable expense. For example, a special power unit is not required.
One example of a prior art tube cleaning system
110
can be seen by considering FIG.
1
and
FIG. 2
together. The cleaning system
110
has a power unit
112
and flexible shaft assembly
114
. One prior art coupling unit
116
for use with power unit
112
, as shown in
FIG. 2
, has a drive shaft
120
, which receives standard coupling
122
in male/female relationship. Shaft anchor pin
124
passes through both standard coupling aperture
126
and the concentric drive shaft aperture
128
, locking drive shaft
120
and standard coupling
122
together.
When a cleaning tool
108
mounted on the flexible shaft assembly
114
locks up during a tube cleaning process for tube
106
, stress is put first on standard coupling
122
, and then on power unit
112
as well as flexible shaft assembly
114
. At least one of those parts may be ruined if power is not terminated immediately.
If over torquing can be avoided, both damage to power source and damage to the flexible shaft can be avoided. Thus, some manner of detecting over torquing before damage is done is extremely useful.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Among the many objectives of this invention is the provision of a spring-loaded slip clutch device for use with a tube cleaning device, which protects both the flexible tube cleaning shaft and the power supply, when the cleaning tool on the end of the flexible tube cleaning shaft becomes stuck.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a spring-loaded slip clutch device, which minimizes over torquing of a flexible shaft.
Yet another objective of this invention is to provide a spring-loaded slip clutch device, which minimizes damage to the power unit of a tube cleaning device.
Still another objective of this invention is to provide a spring-loaded slip clutch device, which causes a sound on the occurrence of over torquing.
Additionally, an objective of this invention is to provide a spring-loaded slip clutch device, which causes a visible recognition the occurrence of over torquing.
A further objective of this invention is to provide a spring-loaded slip clutch device, which causes an action on the occurrence of over torquing.
A still further objective of this invention is to provide an adjustable spring-loaded slip clutch device, which minimizes over damage to a flexible shaft.
Yet a further objective of this invention is to provide a method, which minimizes over torquing of a flexible shaft.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a method for cleaning an HVAC tube, which minimizes damage to a flexible shaft.
Yet another objective of this invention is to provide a method of minimizing damage to the power unit of a tube cleaning device.
Still another objective of this invention is to provide a method of causing a sound on the occurrence of over torquing.
Additionally, an objective of this invention is to provide a method for causing a visible recognition the occurrence of over torquing.
These and other objectives of the invention (which other objectives become clear by consideration of the specification, claims and drawings as a whole) are met by providing a clutch device adapted to fit onto a drive shaft of a standard water pressure cavity machine, the clutch device having a clutch body with a shaft receiving aperture at one end of the clutch body and a spring assembly at the other end of the clutch body, in order to permit holding of reciprocating jaws therein.
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patent: 1651585 (1927-12-01), Clair
patent: 1826798 (1931-10-01), Lee
patent: 2057842 (1936-10-01), Nielsen
patent: 2533973 (1950-12-01), Starkey
patent: 2601012 (1952-06-01), Wolff
patent: 2743803 (1956-05-01), Ferris
patent: 2757406 (1956-08-01), Decker
patent: 3869747 (1975-03-01), Richter
patent: 4280606 (1981-07-01), Taylor
patent: 4581787 (1986-04-01), Torigoe et al.
patent: 4846895 (1989-07-01), Rabe
patent: 5480015 (1996-01-01), Yang
patent: 5787644 (1998-08-01), Thomsen, Jr.
patent: 5845757 (1998-12-01), Csonka
Browne Lynne H.
Perrone, Jr. Matthew R. P.
Thompson Kenn
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