Patent Description:
Engine-driven machines, for example, such as tractors, wheel loaders, etc., typically utilize one or more fans coupled to, or otherwise in proximity to, the engine to help cool the engine. In some machines, the fan is coupled to the engine, for example, via an adapter coupled to a hub or other portion of the engine, and the fan may be driven by a crankshaft, a dedicated fan drive, an auxiliary shaft, etc. The adapter often includes a base end to be coupled to the hub or other portion of the engine and a fan end, for example, to be coupled to the fan. However, different sizes of engines may require different sizes or types of fans, and/or different spacings between the hub or coupling portion of the engine and the fan. Based on these variances, different sizes of engines and/or different spacings may require different size and/or shape of adapters. Some adapters may include smaller distances between the base end and the fan end, which may increase the difficulty and/or complexity of coupling the adaptor and/or fan to the engine. For example, a smaller distance between the base end and the fan end may increase the difficulty in fitting coupling elements (e.g., bolts, screws, etc.) between the base end and the fan end to couple the adapter to the hub or other portion of the engine.

An exemplary fan adapter is disclosed in <CIT> The '<NUM> patent discloses an adapter for attaching a cooling fan to a motor in a cooling fan module for an automotive cooling system. In one embodiment, the adapter of the '<NUM> patent includes first and second parts to form a two-piece fan adapter, but the coupling of the first and second parts relies on a shaft of the driving motor. In this aspect, the first part of the fan adapter is preassembled with a portion of the rotor, which may require specific sizes and/or shapes of both the first and second parts relative to the shaft of the driving motor. Additionally, the coupling of the first and second parts of the fan adapter may not secure the respective orientations of the first and second parts to each other, may be susceptible to shear, and/or may otherwise increase the risk of breakage. While the adapter of the '<NUM> patent may be suitable for some applications, the adapter may not be suitable for other applications. The disclosed fan adapters of the present disclosure may solve one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art. The scope of the current disclosure, however, is defined by the attached claims, and not by the ability to solve any specific problem.

<CIT> describes a fan adapter according to the preamble of claim <NUM>. The apparatus comprises a spacer body with the base and a shaft extending therefrom having a reduced perimeter section over which the fan hub mounts. Engagement rods are inserted in the fan hub to retain the fan hub on the shaft.

According to the invention, a fan adapter as defined in claim <NUM> is provided.

Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the features, as claimed. As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "having," "including," or other variations thereof, are intended to cover a nonexclusive inclusion such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Moreover, in this disclosure, relative terms, such as, for example, "about," substantially," and "approximately" are used to indicate a possible variation of ±<NUM>% in the stated value. Furthermore, the terms "couple," "coupled," "coupled to," etc. are used to indicate that two or more components are physically joined, attached, or connected, either directly or indirectly, via one or more additional components.

<FIG> illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary fan adapter <NUM>, according to the present disclosure. In one aspect, fan adapter <NUM> may be used to couple a fan (e.g., an engine cooling fan), a fan impeller, or one or more fan blades to a rotational drive portion of an engine (not shown). Fan adapter <NUM> includes a base portion or first portion <NUM>, and a fan end portion or second portion <NUM>. Although not shown, adapter <NUM> may be configured to rotationally couple a fan, for example, a cooling fan, to a drive portion of an engine, for example, to a drive pulley or to a fan drive. For example, first portion <NUM> may be directly coupled to the drive portion (e.g., a drive pulley) of an engine (<FIG>), and second portion <NUM> may be directly coupled to a fan (<FIG>). In one aspect, first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM> are fixedly coupled to each other (e.g., directly coupled), and first portion <NUM> may be configured to be coupled to a fan drive pulley or a fan drive of the engine. The fan drive pulley or the fan drive may be belt driven, hydraulically driven, etc. In these aspects, fan adapter <NUM> fixedly couples a rotating or drive element of the engine to the fan such that rotation of the drive element of the engine (e.g., the fan drive pulley or fan drive) rotates fan adapter <NUM> and the fan, for example, to help cool the engine.

As shown in <FIG>, first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM> may be removably coupled via one or more coupling mechanisms, for example, a screw or a bolt <NUM>. In this manner, first portion <NUM> may be coupled to the engine, and then second portion <NUM> may be coupled to first portion <NUM>. Additionally, one or more dowel rods <NUM> and/or one or more washers <NUM> may also help couple first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>.

First portion <NUM> includes a mounting portion <NUM> and a coupling portion <NUM>. Mounting portion <NUM> may be substantially cylindrical, and may be configured to be coupled (e.g., directly coupled) to a portion of the engine (e.g., the fan drive pulley or the fan drive), for example, via one or more mounting elements (<FIG>), for example, screws, bolts, etc., through a plurality of mounting holes <NUM>. Mounting holes <NUM> may be circumferentially spaced around mounting portion <NUM>, for example, evenly or unevenly. Coupling portion <NUM> may be a substantially cylindrical extension from mounting portion <NUM>, for example, along axis A (<FIG>) and toward second portion <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, mounting portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> may be larger (e.g., in diameter relative to axis A) than coupling portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM>. Coupling portion <NUM> may also include a mating portion <NUM> (<FIG>). Mating portion <NUM> may be sized and/or shaped to be mated to (e.g., coupled to via an at least partially overlapping or interlocking engagement) a corresponding portion of second portion <NUM>. Additionally, first portion <NUM> may include one or more graduated surfaces <NUM>, for example, graduated annular surfaces, on coupling portion <NUM> between mounting portion <NUM> and mating portion <NUM>. Additionally, as shown in <FIG>, first portion <NUM> may include a cavity <NUM>, for example, in a central portion within mounting portion <NUM>, which may help couple first portion <NUM> to the drive portion or element of the engine.

Second portion <NUM> includes a mounting portion <NUM> and a coupling portion <NUM>. Mounting portion <NUM> may be substantially cylindrical, and may be configured to be coupled to a portion of the fan, for example, via one or more mounting elements (not shown), for example, screws, bolts, etc., through a plurality of mounting holes <NUM>. Mounting holes <NUM> may be circumferentially spaced around mounting portion <NUM>, for example, evenly or unevenly. Coupling portion <NUM> may be a substantially cylindrical extension from mounting portion <NUM>, for example, along axis A (<FIG>) and toward first portion <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, mounting portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM> may be larger (e.g., in diameter relative to axis A) than coupling portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM>. Coupling portion <NUM> may also include a mating portion <NUM> (<FIG>). Mating portion <NUM> may be sized and/or shaped to be mated to (e.g., directly coupled to via an at least partially overlapping or interlocking engagement) a corresponding portion (e.g., projection <NUM>) of first portion <NUM>. Additionally, second portion <NUM> may include one or more transition surfaces <NUM>, for example, one or more slanted, curved, or angled portions on coupling portion <NUM> between mounting portion <NUM> and mating portion <NUM>. Additionally, as shown in <FIG>, second portion <NUM> may include a mounting extension <NUM> and a cavity <NUM>, for example, in a central portion within mounting portion <NUM>, which may help couple second portion <NUM> to the fan.

As mentioned, first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM> may be coupled via bolt <NUM>, dowel rod <NUM>, and washer <NUM>. In this aspect, second portion <NUM> includes a through-hole <NUM>, for example, extending along axis A, through a central portion of second portion <NUM>. Through-hole <NUM> may be machined through the central portion of second portion <NUM>. At least a portion of bolt <NUM> may be threaded. Through-hole <NUM> may be threaded, or may be smooth. Bolt <NUM>, for example, with washer <NUM> surrounding a portion of bolt <NUM>, may be inserted (either threaded or slid) through through-hole <NUM>. Additionally, second portion <NUM> may include one or more abutment surfaces <NUM> to abut and/or block washer <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, a portion of bolt <NUM> may then be received within a hole <NUM> in mating portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM>. Hole <NUM> may be at least partially threaded, and may be machined in mating portion <NUM>, for example, along a central axis of mating portion <NUM> (e.g., coaxial with axis A). In this manner, tightening bolt <NUM> into hole <NUM> may help to couple second portion <NUM> to first portion <NUM>.

Moreover, mating portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> may include a dowel rod hole <NUM>, and mating portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM> may also include a dowel rod hole <NUM>. Dowel rod hole <NUM> may be a blind hole extending through a portion of first portion <NUM>, and dowel rod hole <NUM> may be a blind hole extending through a portion of second portion <NUM>. Dowel rod holes <NUM> and <NUM> may be machined and/or drilled out of respective portions of first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>. Dowel rod holes <NUM> and <NUM> may be smooth holes, or may be at least partially threaded or roughened, which may help retain dowel rod <NUM> within dowel rod holes <NUM> and <NUM>. Dowel rod holes <NUM> and <NUM> may be spaced away from and unaligned with central axis A, for example, along axis B. In this aspect, dowel rod hole <NUM> may be positioned the same distance from axis A in first portion <NUM> as dowel rod hole <NUM> is positioned in second portion <NUM>. Dowel rod <NUM> may be positioned within dowel holes <NUM> and <NUM> during the coupling of first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>. Dowel rod <NUM> may help to couple first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>, for example, by helping to prevent relative rotation, which may loosen bolt <NUM>. Dowel rod <NUM> may also help to protect fan adapter <NUM> against and/or reduce shear forces between first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>, which otherwise may loosen bolt <NUM> and/or damage fan adapter <NUM>. Although not shown, more than one bolt <NUM> and/or more than one dowel rod <NUM>, and corresponding holes through portions of first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>, may be used to couple first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM> and help protect against relative rotation and/or reduce shear forces.

As mentioned, mating portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> and mating portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM> may have corresponding shapes. For example, as shown in <FIG>, mating portion <NUM> may include a projection <NUM>, for example, a circular or cylindrical projection. Projection <NUM> may include a one or more graduated surfaces, and/or one or more rounded or curved surfaces, which may help couple mating portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> to mating portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM>. Correspondingly, as shown in <FIG>, mating portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM> may include a recess <NUM>, for example, a circular or cylindrical recess. Recess <NUM> may include one or more graduated surfaces, and/or one or more rounded or curved surfaces, which may help couple mating portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> to mating portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM>. In this aspect, at least a portion of projection <NUM> may be received within recess <NUM> when first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM> are coupled together. The portion of projection <NUM> being received within recess <NUM> forms axial contact between projection <NUM> and recess <NUM>, which may help stabilize and/or retain the coupling between first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>. For example, not only are first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM> in abutting contact (e.g., via surfaces of coupling portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> and coupling portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM>), but projection <NUM> extends into recess <NUM> in mating portion <NUM> to increase the surface area of the engagement between first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>. Projection <NUM> extending into recess <NUM> may also help the user align first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>, for example, during assembly of fan adaptor <NUM>. One or more of projection <NUM> and/or recess <NUM> may be machined out of first portion <NUM> or second portion <NUM>. It is noted that, although not shown, mating portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> may include a recess, and mating portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM> may include a projection.

One or more of first portion <NUM> or second portion <NUM> may be formed via casting. In this aspect, one or more of first portion <NUM> or second portion <NUM> may include one or more balance holes <NUM> (shown in first portion <NUM>), which may be formed via machining (e.g., drilling) after the casting in order to balance the casted element. For example, the location of balance holes <NUM> may be determined by dynamically balancing the casted element. In another aspect, one or more of first portion <NUM> or second portion <NUM> may be formed by machine from bar stock. For example, first portion <NUM> may be cast (and balanced), and second portion <NUM> may be machined from bar stock. Alternatively, both first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM> may be formed via separate castings, or both first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM> may be separately formed via machining from bar stock. One or more of first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM> may be formed of steel, aluminum, or another appropriate material. In some aspects, different formation techniques and/or materials may be more cost effective and/or efficient. In some other aspects, different formation techniques and/or materials may be more expensive, but may yield a stronger or more durable element.

<FIG> illustrate views of a fan adapter <NUM> (not covered by the claims), with similar elements of fan adapter <NUM> shown by <NUM> added to the reference numbers. As shown, a fan adapter <NUM> includes a first portion <NUM> and a second portion <NUM>. As discussed above, first portion <NUM> may be coupled to a portion of an engine via one or more mounting elements extending through one or more mounting hole(s) <NUM> in a mounting portion <NUM>. Additionally, first portion <NUM> includes a coupling portion <NUM> with a mating portion <NUM>, which may be coupled to a mating portion <NUM> of a coupling portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM>, and a bolt <NUM> and a washer <NUM> may help secure first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>, as discussed above. Moreover, as discussed above, more than one bolt <NUM> may be used to couple first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>. Second portion <NUM> may include a mounting portion <NUM>, which may include a plurality of mounting holes <NUM>. Furthermore, one or more of first portion <NUM> or second portion <NUM> may include one or more balancing holes <NUM> (shown in first portion <NUM>).

Moreover, in the aspect shown in <FIG>, coupling portion <NUM> and <NUM> may include mating portions <NUM> and <NUM> with non-circular shapes or configurations (which is not according to the invention). For example, as shown, mating portion <NUM> may include a projection <NUM> that is rectangular or square, and mating portion <NUM> may include a recess <NUM> that is rectangular or square. In this aspect, mating portions <NUM> and <NUM> may help to couple first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>, for example, by helping to prevent relative rotation, which may loosen bolt <NUM>. Non-circular mating portions <NUM> and <NUM> may also help to protect fan adapter <NUM> against shear forces between first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>, which otherwise may loosen bolt <NUM> and/or damage fan adapter <NUM>. Although not shown, fan adapter <NUM> may also include one or more dowel rods and dowel rod holes in coupling portions <NUM> and <NUM>.

Furthermore, it is noted that mating portion <NUM> and mating portion <NUM> may include other non-circular shapes or configurations. For example, mating portions <NUM> and <NUM> may include triangular shapes, pentagonal shapes, hexagonal shapes, etc. Moreover, mating portions <NUM> and <NUM> may include trapezoidal shapes, star shapes, or irregular shapes.

<FIG> illustrate views of an alternative example of a fan adapter according to the present disclosure, with similar elements of fan adapter <NUM> shown by <NUM> added to the reference numbers. As shown in <FIG>, a fan adapter <NUM> includes a first portion <NUM> and a second portion <NUM>. <FIG> shows a schematic view of an engine <NUM> and a fan <NUM> coupled together via fan adapter <NUM> (i.e., first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>), and <FIG> shows a schematic view of engine <NUM>, fan <NUM>, and fan adapter <NUM> uncoupled. It is noted that <FIG> are not to scale. As discussed above, first portion <NUM> may be directly coupled to a rotating or drive element <NUM> (e.g., a drive shaft, a fan drive pulley, a fan drive, etc.) of engine <NUM> via one or more mounting elements <NUM> extending through one or more mounting hole(s) (not shown) in a mounting portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM>. Although not shown, drive element <NUM> may include one or more mounting holes that correspond to the mounting holes in mounting portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> such that one or more mounting elements <NUM> may extend through one or more portions of mounting portion <NUM> and into one or more portions of drive element <NUM>. Additionally, as discussed above, first portion <NUM> includes a coupling portion <NUM>, which may be directly coupled to a coupling portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM>, as discussed above. Although not shown in <FIG>, one or more bolts, washers, dowel rods, etc. may help secure first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>, as discussed above. Second portion <NUM> may be directly coupled to a portion of fan <NUM> via one or more mounting elements <NUM> extending through one or more mounting hole(s) (not shown) in a mounting portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM>. Although not shown, fan <NUM> may include one or more mounting holes that correspond to the mounting holes in mounting portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM> such that one or more mounting elements <NUM> may extend through one or more portions of mounting portion <NUM> and into one or more portions of fan <NUM>. As mentioned above, fan adapter <NUM> rotationally couples drive element <NUM> of engine <NUM> to fan <NUM> such that rotation of drive element <NUM> of engine <NUM> (e.g., the fan drive) rotates fan adapter <NUM> and fan <NUM>, for example, to help cool engine <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, when coupled together, first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM> may be spaced apart by a distance X. Distance X may be a distance between mounting portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> and mounting portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM>. In some embodiments discussed herein, distance X may be a standard distance between first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>, even if different first portions <NUM> and second portions <NUM> are used to couple fan <NUM> to engine <NUM>. Alternatively, distance X may vary depending on the size and/or shape of a selected first portion <NUM> and/or the size and/or shape of a selected second portion <NUM>. In either aspect, as shown in <FIG>, one or more mounting elements <NUM> may include a distance, or length, Y. Distance Y may be greater than distance X. In this aspect, the one or more mounting elements <NUM> that couple first portion <NUM> to engine <NUM> are not limited in length and may be longer than distance X between mounting portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> and mounting portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM> when fan adapter <NUM> is assembled. Accordingly, the user may use mounting elements <NUM> that are longer than distance X when coupling first portion <NUM> of fan adapter <NUM> to engine <NUM>.

The disclosed aspects of fan adapter <NUM> may be used in any machine that includes an engine that includes requires cooling and/or air circulation. Fan adapter <NUM> described herein may provide a durable and versatile connection to couple a fan to the engine, with a limited number of components, easier and/or faster installation, and/or easier and/or faster access for maintenance or replacement. Therefore, the disclosed fan adapter <NUM> may be reliable and low cost, without sacrificing performance.

In one example, first portion <NUM> may be a predetermined size and/or shape. First portion <NUM> may be coupled to the engine, for example, during assembly, before shipment, after shipment, etc. For example, one or more mounting elements (e.g., one or more bolts <NUM>) may be extended through mounting hole(s) <NUM> to couple first portion <NUM> to the engine (e.g., to a fan pulley or to a fan drive). Then, second portion <NUM> may be coupled to first portion <NUM>, for example, via bolt <NUM>, dowel rod <NUM>, and washer <NUM>. In this aspect, second portion <NUM> does not interfere with the initial mounting of first portion <NUM> on the engine. In the embodiments described herein, the one or more mounting elements that couple first portion <NUM> to the engine are not limited in length and may be longer than the distance between mounting portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> and mounting portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM> when fan adapter <NUM> is assembled. In other words, as discussed above, for example, with respect to <FIG>, because first portion <NUM> is mounted on the engine before second portion <NUM> is coupled to first portion <NUM>, the final spacing between mounting portion <NUM> and mounting portion <NUM> does not limit the length of the one or more mounting elements that couple first portion <NUM> to the engine, or otherwise interfere with the coupling of first portion <NUM> to the engine. Furthermore, in some aspects, dowel rod <NUM> may help to couple first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>, for example, by helping to prevent relative rotation, which may loosen bolt <NUM>. As mentioned, dowel rod <NUM> may also help to protect fan adapter <NUM> against and/or reduce shear forces between first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>, which otherwise may loosen bolt <NUM> and/or damage fan adapter <NUM>. The non-circular mating portion configuration, as shown in <FIG> and discussed above, may also help to prevent relative rotation between first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>, while also helping to protect fan adapter <NUM> against and/or reduce shear forces between first portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM>.

Additionally, one or more different second portions <NUM> may be coupled to first portion <NUM>, for example, to couple different types, sizes, etc. of fans to the engine. In this aspect, coupling portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> and coupling portion <NUM> of second portion <NUM> may be a standard shape and size (e.g., "commonized"), but different second portions <NUM> may include mounting portions <NUM> that are sized and/or shaped for different sizes, types, etc. of fans. For example, first portion <NUM> may be configured to be coupled to a variety of engines, and depending on the type and/or size of the engine, a different second portion <NUM> (and a different fan) may be coupled to first portion <NUM>. In this aspect, when one second portion <NUM> is mounted to first portion <NUM>, mounting portion <NUM> may be spaced from mounting portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> by a first spacing. Then, when another second portion <NUM> is mounted to first portion <NUM>, mounting portion <NUM> of the another second portion <NUM> may be spaced from mounting portion <NUM> of first portion <NUM> by a second spacing. Likewise, different second portions <NUM> may include larger or smaller mounting portions <NUM>, and/or other different sizes, shapes, features, etc. in order for different sizes, types, etc. of fans to be coupled to second portion <NUM>, and thus to the engine.

Moreover, because the coupling portions <NUM> of the different first portions <NUM> and the coupling portions <NUM> of the second portion <NUM> may be standard shapes and sizes, the different first portions <NUM> and the different second portions <NUM> may be coupled together, for example, to couple any type and/or size of fan to any type and/or size of engine. For example, different first portions <NUM> may include mounting portions <NUM> that are sized and/or shaped for different sizes, types, etc. of engines. Similarly, different second portions <NUM> may include mounting portions <NUM> that are sized and/or shaped for different sizes, types, etc. of fans. In some aspects, different first portions <NUM> and/or different second portions <NUM> may include similar mounting portions <NUM>, <NUM>, but may include different coupling portions <NUM> or <NUM> (e.g., longer longitudinal lengths). In some examples, first portion <NUM> may be a standard size and/or shape, for example, that is common to all or most engines, and second portions <NUM> may include different sizes and/or shapes for different sizes, types, etc. of fans. Furthermore, the selected first portion <NUM> and/or second portion <NUM> may not only correspond to the selected engine and/or the selected fan, but also may correspond to the desired spacing between the selected engine and the selected fan.

In one example, depending on the type and/or size of the engine, a different first portion <NUM> may be coupled to the engine. For example, a user may have an inventory or supply of a plurality of engines of different sizes, types, etc., and may also have an inventory or supply of a plurality of different first portions <NUM> of different sizes, shapes, etc. The user may select one of the plurality of engines (e.g., based on the type of machine, desired implementation, etc.), and may then select one of the plurality of different first portions <NUM> based on the selected engine (and/or a desired spacing between the selected engine and a fan). The selected first portion <NUM> may be coupled to the selected engine, as discussed herein.

Similarly, depending on the type and/or size of the fan, a different second portion <NUM> may be coupled to the fan and to first portion <NUM>. For example, a user may have an inventory or supply of a plurality of fans of different sizes, types, etc., and may also have an inventory or supply of a plurality of different second portions <NUM> of different sizes, shapes, etc. The user may select one of the plurality of fans (e.g., based on the selected engine, desired implementation, etc.), and may then select one of the plurality of different second portions <NUM> based on the selected fan (and/or the desired spacing between the selected engine and the selected fan). The selected second portion <NUM> may be coupled to the selected fan and to the selected first portion <NUM>, as discussed herein, for example, with coupling portion <NUM> of the selected first portion <NUM> being coupled to coupling portion <NUM> of the selected second portion <NUM>. One or more of the plurality of engine, the plurality of first portions <NUM>, the plurality of second portions <NUM>, and/or the plurality of fans may be grouped as a kit, a system, etc. In these aspects, the commonality and interchangeability of first portion <NUM> and second portions <NUM> of fan adapter <NUM> may allow for different fans to be coupled to different engines, and may also help to provide for easier, simpler, and/or less time-consuming assembly of the selected fan to the selected engine.

This commonality and interchangeability may also help to provide for easier, simpler, and/or less time-consuming disassembly (e.g., by removing bolt <NUM> and, if applicable, dowel rod <NUM>) in order to couple a different second portion <NUM>, inspect, repair, and/or replace the fan, etc. Moreover, various aspects discussed herein may help to reduce material costs, as one type of first portion <NUM> (or different types of first portions <NUM>) may be used with different types of second portions <NUM> and different types of fans.

Claim 1:
A fan adapter (<NUM>), comprising:
a base (<NUM>), including a mounting portion (<NUM>) and a coupling portion (<NUM>), wherein the base (<NUM>) is configured to be coupled to a portion of an engine; and
a fan end portion (<NUM>), wherein the fan end portion (<NUM>) includes a mounting portion (<NUM>) and a coupling portion (<NUM>),
wherein the coupling portion (<NUM>) of the fan end portion (<NUM>) is configured to be coupled to the coupling portion (<NUM>) of the base (<NUM>), and wherein the fan end portion (<NUM>) is removably couplable to the base (<NUM>) via one or more coupling elements (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) to prevent relative rotation between the base (<NUM>) and the fan end portion (<NUM>), the one or more coupling elements (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) comprise a bolt (<NUM>) and a dowel rod (<NUM>);
the base (<NUM>) is configured to be coupled to a fan drive pulley or a fan drive, and wherein the coupling portions (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the base (<NUM>) and the fan end portion (<NUM>) include complementary mating portions (<NUM>, <NUM>);
the mating portion (<NUM>) of the base (<NUM>) includes a male configuration, and wherein the mating portion (<NUM>) of the fan end portion (<NUM>) includes a female configuration;
characterized in that a radially central portion of the fan end portion (<NUM>) includes a through-hole (<NUM>) configured to receive a portion of the bolt (<NUM>), and wherein a radially central portion of the coupling portion (<NUM>) of the base (<NUM>) includes a threaded blind hole (<NUM>) configured to receive another portion of the bolt (<NUM>) to couple the fan end portion (<NUM>) to the base (<NUM>), wherein the coupling portion (<NUM>) of the fan end portion (<NUM>) includes a blind hole (<NUM>) configured to receive a portion of the dowel rod (<NUM>), and wherein the base (<NUM>) includes another blind hole (<NUM>) configured to receive another portion of the dowel rod (<NUM>).