Patent ID: 8490769

Claim:
A clutch assembly for use in a vehicle comprising: an input member; an output member; a friction clutch pack having a first plurality of clutch plates coupled for rotation with said input member and a second plurality of clutch plates interleaved with said first plurality of clutch plates and coupled for rotation with said output member, the friction clutch pack enabling coupling of torque applied to said input member to be transmitted to said output member; a solenoid coil; an actuator hub having an armature plate; and a cam lever assembly having a first end engaging said actuator hub, a second end engaging the friction clutch pack and a pivot point located between the first end and the second end such that the effective distance (D 1 ) between the first end and the pivot point is greater than the effective distance (D 2 ) between the second end and the pivot point; wherein when electrical current is applied to said solenoid coil, the armature plate moves the actuator hub, the actuator hub engages the cam lever and causes said cam lever to compress the interleaved first and second plurality of clutch plates, thereby, resulting in the coupling of the input and output members.