Patent ID: 6209700
Filing Date: 2001-04-03
Classification: F16D

Abstract:
An electric clutch assembly for connecting a rotary drive shaft driven by a first drive source with a collinearly arranged driven shaft journaled in a housing, comprising:(a) an annular rotor collinearly arranged adjacent the end of the drive shaft that is adjacent the driven shaft;(b) first connecting means for connecting said rotor with the drive shaft, said first connecting means including:(1) a cylindrical flywheel collinearly arranged for connection with the drive shaft;(2) a plurality of circumferentially spaced drive pins arranged on said flywheel and extending axially within oversized bores contained in the adjacent face of said rotor, respectively;(3) resilient busing means supporting said drive pins within said oversized bores, respectively; and(4) resilient retaining clip means for connecting said rotor with said flywheel, said retaining clip means including a plurality of circumferentially spaced retaining clip members releasably connected with said flywheel for extending within corresponding retaining clip recesses contained in the face of said rotor that is adjacent said armature;(c) an annular driven member collinearly arranged adjacent the drive shaft;(d) second connecting means for connecting the driven member with the driven shaft;(e) an annular armature formed of ferromagnetic material, said armature being collinearly arranged between said rotor and said driven member, said armature and said driven member having corresponding adjacent parallel planar surfaces;(f) spring means for biasing said armature axially in the direction of said rotor toward an inactive de-energized position, said rotor and said driven member being so arranged that when said armature is in said de-energized position, said planar surfaces are spaced by an air gap of a given thickness;(g) normally de-energized electromagnetic means collinearly arranged on the opposite side of said driven member from said armature;(h) third connecting means for connecting said electromagnetic means with the housing; and(i) means for energizing said electromagnetic means to attract said armature against the restoring force of said spring means axially in the direction of said driven member toward an active energized position in which said armature and driven member faces are in frictional engagement, thereby to effect driving of the driven shaft by said drive shaft.