Dana Corporation

Other

Eaton Corporation

J Michael Lewis

Richard A Flotow

Michael Lee Bassett

Troy Scott Reinoehl

Sergei F Kolomeitsev

Jeffrey E Miller

Rock LeRoy Hartshorn

Richard A Flowtow

Curtis L Fee

A motor vehicle clutch includes an axis of rotation, a pressure plate, a cover, an apply spring, a release bearing, a stator housing, a stator, a rotor, a rotor housing and a plurality of cam followers. The pressure plate is concentric with the axis of rotation. The cover extends radially over the pressure plate. The apply spring is disposed between the cover and the pressure plate and biases the pressure plate away from the cover. The release bearing is concentric with and axially displaceable along the axis of rotation and is connected to the apply spring for selectively deflecting the spring with axial movement. The stator housing is stationary and is concentric with the axis of rotation. The stator is fixed within the stator housing and has a plurality of poles with windings there about. The rotor is also concentric to the axis of rotation and is operably excited by the stator. The rotor housing is fixed to the rotor. The rotor housing has a plurality of cam ramps arcuately disposed about the axis. The cam ramps smoothly increase in axial height in a first arcuate direction of rotation. The cam followers are disposed between the rotor housing and the release bearing and are in axially engagement with the cam ramps.

Electrically operated clutch

An actuator for effecting engagement and disengagement of a friction clutch includes a bi-directional electric motor which is mounted on a bracket secured to a housing. The motor includes an output shaft which is connected through a flexible coupling to a ball screw shaft. A nut is mounted on the ball screw shaft such that rotational movement of the ball screw shaft causes axial movement of the nut. An enlarged collar is mounted on the nut for movement therewith. The collar is pivotably connected to a yoke secured to the upper end of a shift arm of the clutch. This pivotable connection is accomplished by a pair of posts connected to the collar which extend through respective slots formed in the legs of the yoke. The lower end of the shift arm is connected through a shift shaft to cause movement of the release bearing of the clutch in a known manner. Consequently, pivoting movement of the shift arm by operation of the motor causes engagement and disengagement of the clutch. Rotation of the output shaft of the motor in a first direction causes engagement of the clutch, while rotation of the output shaft of the motor in a second direction causes disengagement of the clutch. The operation of the motor can be controlled by an electronic control circuit.

Electric actuator assembly for clutch

An automatic panning device adapted for use with camcorders and similar equipment includes a bi-directional electric motor which is connected to rotate a mounting plate upon which the camcorder is secured. A control circuit controls the direction and speed of rotation of the mounting plate so as to pan the camcorder back and forth throughout a predetermined angular displacement. In a first embodiment, the amount of such angular displacement is controlled by a pair of limit arms which are pivotably secured to the mounting plate. A proximity sensor is provided for sensing panning movement of the limit arms with the mounting plate to a predetermined location. When this occurs, the proximity sensor generates a signal to the control circuit to reverse the direction of rotation. In a second embodiment, the proximity sensor is provided on the mounting plate and is moved relative to a pair of limit targets slidably mounted on a housing for the device. In a third embodiment, the amount of such angular displacement is controlled by an electronic rotational limit circuit connected to the control circuit. In a fourth embodiment, the amount of such angular displacement is controlled by an electronic rotational time circuit connected to the control circuit.

Automatic camcorder panning device

An apparatus for automatically sensing when the friction elements of a clutch are excessively worn and for generating a signal in response thereto is disclosed. The clutch includes a bearing housing which is adapted to be moved between engaged and disengaged positions. A shift assembly is provided for moving the bearing housing to the disengaged position. The shift assembly includes a pair of fingers which are normally spaced apart from the bearing housing when the clutch is engaged and the friction elements are not worn. However, when the friction elements become worn, the bearing housing engages the fingers of the shift assembly when the clutch is in the engaged position. A sensor is mounted in the bearing housing for generating a signal when the fingers are in contact therewith. The signal may be an electrical signal which is fed to a control circuit. The control circuit includes a timing and comparison circuit which activates an alarm device only when the signal from the sensor has been continuously generated for a predetermined period of time.

Clutch wear indicator apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Corunna, IN, United States of America

J Michael Lewis