Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Tractor Co.

David M Fee

Jonathan Matthew Baumann

Matthew W Dames

Perry G Cruce

Alan R Coutant

Craig W Riediger

Satish Savant

Stephen A Haytcher

Bradford Kough

Bryan G Lammers

Joseph D Tigue

John P Mackoway, Jr

Charles E Holzinger

George F Alexander

Matthew A Gregait

Nathan Benjamin Russell

A cable arrangement system for one or more sets of cables to an electric machine is provided. The cable arrangement system includes a terminal box, a compression plate, multiple glands, and a multipoint connector. The terminal box is disposed on a housing of the electric machine and includes a first side having a first set of openings. The compression plate is releasably engaged with the first side and defines a second set of openings axially aligned with the first set of openings. The glands are configured to receive the first set of cables. Each of the glands includes a first and a second portion received in the first and the second set of openings respectively. The multipoint connector is disposed within the terminal box and includes a first and a second set of terminals configured to engage with lugs associated with the first and a second set of cables.

Cable arrangement system

A permanent magnet rotor for an electrical generator includes a rotor shaft and a rotor core mounted coaxially upon the rotor shaft. The rotor core defines a plurality of longitudinal core passages which include a segment of a rotor cooling circuit, and further includes a permanent magnet outer core component mounted on an inner core component and including a plurality of permanent magnets. A cooling liquid containment mechanism for the permanent magnet rotor includes a first liquid containment cover coupled to the inner core component and a second liquid containment cover coupled to the inner core component. The liquid containment covers are configured to contain cooling liquid passed from an inlet segment of the rotor cooling circuit defined by the rotor shaft into the plurality of longitudinal core passages, and thenceforth into an outlet segment of the rotor cooling circuit also defined by the rotor shaft. The liquid containment covers are mounted on the inner core component at locations radially inward of a cylindrical outer surface thereof.

Assembly method for liquid cooled permanent magnet rotor

An electric motor/generator cooling mechanism is presented. The cooling mechanism includes a hollow cooling jacket having an inner and outer coaxial surface, where the inner surface defines a generally cylindric cavity for receiving a stator in heat transference contact with the inner surface, and the outer surface has a cast spiral groove section with jogged cooling passages. The disclosure includes an outer case having one or more inlet ports, an outlet port, and a vent for purging air, cooling fluid flowingly encased between the cooling jacket and the outer case, flowing through the jogged cooling passages, and a flanged end surface on an end of the outer case for boltingly connecting the cooling jacket to the outer case.

Cooling jacket and stator assembly for rotary electric device

An electric motor such as an AC induction electric motor includes a rotor having a rotor core and a rotor shaft. The rotor shaft defines an axially extending bore which has an electrical grounding ring positioned therein. The electrical grounding ring has an inertia insensitive configuration and forms a relatively low resistance electrical circuit segment between the rotor shaft and an electric motor housing to ground the electric motor rotor. The electric motor includes an oil lubricated bearing for the rotor shaft, and a sealing member such as a lip seal is positioned within the axially extending bore to inhibit lubricating oil intrusion therein. A non-rotating stub shaft may be mounted in the housing and extends into the axially extending bore to fluidly seal with the sealing member and electrically connect with the electrical grounding ring, which is fixed to rotate with the rotor shaft.

Grounding mechanism for electric motor

A flywheel includes a hub portion concentrically defined around a center of the flywheel. A body portion located peripherally around the hub portion has a driver-side face and a driven-side face. A plurality of passageways in the body portion extend through the flywheel and fluidly connect the driver-side face with the driven-side face. Each of the plurality of passageways is adapted to receive a flow of lubricant spilling onto the driver-side of the body portion when the flywheel is rotating, and to expel lubricant out of the driven-side face of the body portion.

Flywheel having lubrication-flow passageway

Liquid cooled permanent magnet rotor

Cast groove electric motor/generator cooling mechanism

A machine and electrical power system includes a generator having a speed range that includes a resonance speed associated with resonance vibrations of the system. A drive coupling is disposed between the generator and an engine configured to rotate the generator and is further configured to transmit torque from the engine to the generator, the drive coupling being configured to allow relative slip between first and second elements when the generator is rotated at its resonance speed. A machine operation method includes rotating a generator with an engine, and generating resonance vibrations of at least one of the engine and the generator by rotating the generator at a resonance speed. The method further includes inhibiting transmitting resonance vibrations between the generator and the engine by allowing relative rotational slip within a drive coupling disposed between the engine and the generator.

Machine having electrical power system and method

An implement control system for use with an article of construction machinery includes an implement adapted for mounting to an article of construction equipment, the implement including first and second ranges of motion, a hand support adapted for mounting to the article of construction equipment in the vicinity of an operator, the hand support including a base, an end portion upstanding at a first angle from the base and a hand grip extending outwardly from the end portion, the hand grip defining a distal end thereof and an opening between the hand grip and the base adapted for permitting an operator's fingers to extend therebetween in order to grip the hand grip, a first control lever movably mounted to the distal end of the hand grip, the first control lever being operably connected to the implement for controlling the first range of motion and adapted for movement thereof by an operator's thumb, a second control lever movably mounted to the base, the second control level being operably connected to the implement for controlling the second range of motion and adapted for movement thereof by an operator's fingers.

Implement hand support and control

An armrest adjusting mechanism is disclosed which includes a base plate mountable to an article of construction machinery and a first working plate movable relative to the base plate. First and second shafts are mounted to the first working plate. The first shaft is guided by first and second spherical bearings fixedly mounted to the base plate. The second shaft is guided by a third spherical bearing adjustably mounted to the base plate. The third spherical bearing is attached to a third shaft which is disposed normal to the first and second shafts. A cylindrical bearing guides the third shaft as it moves in response to misalignment between the first and second shafts. In a similar manner, fourth and fifth shafts are mounted to the first working plate. The fourth shaft is guided by fourth and fifth spherical bearings fixedly mounted to a second working plate. The fifth shaft is guided by a sixth spherical bearing adjustably mounted to the second working plate. The sixth spherical bearing is attached to a sixth shaft which is disposed normal to the fourth and fifth shafts. A second cylindrical bearing guides the sixth shaft as it moves in response to misalignment between the fourth and fifth shafts.

Armrest adjusting mechanism

A power transfer assembly with a one-piece retainer ring includes a housing, a plurality of alternating rotatable and non-rotatable friction discs, a power actuated piston, a spring washer, a cushion spring between the piston and the friction discs, and a retaining ring for retaining the spring washer in place. The one-piece retainer ring includes a first retainer portion positioned within a recessed groove in the housing and a second portion in contact with the spring washer. Prior art clutch and brake assemblies utilize several types of retaining rings and reaction type wear members to retain and react against a spring element. These prior art devices required two or more members to provide the retention and reaction functions. The subject combination retainer and wear ring is a one-piece member.

Power transfer assembly with one-piece retainer ring

Vehicle propulsion systems many times have a transmission with a directional control mechanism, right and left drive units, and a differential steer mechanism. In these vehicles, there is no way of independently stopping one of the drive units in order to provide a pivot turn for better control of the vehicle when maneuvering in tight areas and on slopes. In order to ensure that the operator has selective, independent control of applying one or the other of the right or left brakes for steering, a control and a logic system is provided in a propulsion system to automatically apply the right or left brake on the respective drive unit with respect to operator input conditions. In this arrangement, if the operator selects a clockwise steer of the vehicle, it will steer in the clockwise direction regardless of whether the vehicle is moving in the forward direction or the reverse direction. Likewise, the same is true if the operator selects a counterclockwise steer direction of the vehicle. This is accomplished by the control and logic systems sensing the travel direction of the vehicle, the steer direction of the vehicle, and automatically applying the proper brake based on the input conditions. The control and logic systems set forth herein provides a selective independent control of the respective right and left brakes to provide more precise control of the vehicle when operating in tight areas and on slopes.

Control system and logic system for independent control of vehicle brakes

In order to more easily control movement of a vehicle such as a tractor, an operator's left hand can twist a directional actuating member or a juxtaposed speed actuating member about an outstanding axis. These actuating members are rotatably mounted on a tiller arm extending radially from a housing assembly so that the operator can simultaneously use the actuating members and steer the vehicle by pushing or pulling the tiller arm and rotating the housing assembly in the desired direction about an upstanding axis. Push-pull controls are associated with each actuating member and protected within the housing assembly. A bearing assembly guidably supports and permits relative angular movement of each of the push-pull controls to prevent twisting thereof when the housing assembly is rotated.

Control mechanism for operating a vehicle

A control mechanism for operating a vehicle has a housing assembly mounted for swinging movement about an upstanding axis, and a brake actuating member is mounted on the housing assembly for swinging movement about a second axis. A push-pull control rod assembly is connected to the brake actuating member and depends within the housing assembly to move a brake control element between brake-off and brake-on positions. A transmission actuating member is mounted on the housing assembly and a coupling apparatus is provided for urging the transmission actuating member to a neutral position when the brake actuating member is moved to the brake-on position. This prevents inadvertent movement of the vehicle when the brake actuating member is subsequently placed in the brake-off position.

Control mechanism for applying a brake and neutralizing a transmission

Spring-applied, pressure-released brakes are useful, for example, in construction vehicles or other vehicles that require an automatic braking in the event of an engine failure. In order to tow the vehicle for service, the brakes must be released. Most brake release systems require an alternate pump and associated valves on each vehicle with the fluid from the alternate pump being controlled by the brake valve on the vehicle. The alternate pump on each vehicle add cost to the vehicle and the spool of the brake valve is a known path for fluid leakage thus requiring an alternate pump of a larger capacity than is actually needed. The present brake release mechanism provides an isolating mechanism that is effective to isolate a work port of a brake valve from a valving element in a housing. The isolating mechanism is adapted to connect with an alternate source of pressurized fluid and adapted to direct the pressurized fluid to a brake for release thereof. The isolating mechanism and the alternate source of pressurized fluid are adaptable to several vehicles thus eliminating the need of the alternate pump and associated valves on each vehicle. Furthermore, the alternate source is smaller in capacity since the leakage in the brake valve during towing is eliminated.

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Groveland, IL, United States of America

David M Fee