The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 20, 2026
Filed:
May. 17, 2024
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (US);
Nicholas Patrick Bira, Cambridge, MA (US);
Joseph Ryan Davidson, Corvallis, OR (US);
Pallavi Dhagat, Corvallis, OR (US);
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (US);
Abstract
Clutch assemblies and associated methods are disclosed herein. In an example, a clutch assembly comprise a first terminal, a second terminal, a clutch body enclosing a torque transfer fluid, and one or more electropermanent magnets (EPMs), each configured to generate a respective EPM magnetic field. The clutch assembly is configured to transmit a torque between the first terminal and the second terminal with a torque capacity that is at least partially based on the EPM magnetic fields. In an example, a method of operating a clutch assembly comprises transitioning each of one or more EPMs to a fully depolarized state, a fully polarized state, or an intermediate polarization state. In an example, a method of operating a clutch assembly comprises controlling each of one or more EPMs of the clutch assembly to vary a total EPM magnetic flux generated by the one or more EPMs.