Wear limiter for centrifugal clutch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11788587-B2
Application number	US-202117301401-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2021
Priority date	Apr 13, 2020
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

A centrifugal clutch of a transport refrigeration unit incorporating a wear limiter includes a drum, a hub, at least two friction pad assemblies, and at least one spring (e.g., leaf or coil) between each respective friction pad assembly. The wear limiter may be configured as part of the leaf spring, as part of the friction pad assemblies, and/or as a standalone component. The wear limiter is configured to prevent the radially outward facing surface of at least one friction pad assembly from engaging the internally facing surface of the drum when the centrifugal clutch is in the extended position and the friction material of at least one friction pad assembly is worn to a worn thickness. This may prevent the centrifugal clutch from engaging when the friction pad is worn.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A centrifugal clutch of a transport refrigeration unit, the centrifugal clutch comprising:
a drum comprising an internally facing surface;
a hub disposed within the drum, the hub configured to be rotatably driven by an engine configured to power the transport refrigeration unit;
at least two friction pad assemblies connected to the hub, each friction pad assembly comprising a heel, a toe, and a radially outward facing surface, the radially outward facing surface comprising a friction material for contacting the internally facing surface of the drum, the friction material comprising an installed thickness; and
at least one leaf spring configured between each respective friction pad assembly, each leaf spring comprising an internally facing surface, the internally facing surface comprising a wear limiter, wherein the wear limiter is unified with the leaf spring, the wear limiter configured to prevent the radially outward facing surface of at least one friction pad assembly from engaging the internally facing surface of the drum when the centrifugal clutch is in an extended position and the installed thickness is worn to a worn thickness, and wherein the wear limiter is configured to engage the heel when the centrifugal clutch is in the extended position.

2. The centrifugal clutch of claim 1 , wherein the centrifugal clutch is in an extended position when the hub is rotatably driven at 400 RPMs or greater.

3. The centrifugal clutch of claim 1 , wherein the worn thickness is approximately 10% of the installed thickness.

4. The centrifugal clutch of claim 1 , wherein the centrifugal clutch is configured to transmit a torque from the engine to a compressor within the transport refrigeration unit.

Assignees

• Carrier Corp

Inventors

• Conway Richard

Classifications

• F16D43/18 Primary

  with friction clutching members · CPC title

• F16D13/68

  Attachments of plates or lamellae to their supports {(one or more discs connected to the linings transmitting torque to one or more discs connected to the hub by helical springs in windows in the discs, i.e. rotary vibration dampers F16F15/12)} · CPC title

• F16D13/75

  Features relating to adjustment, e.g. slack adjusters · CPC title

• F16D13/14

  with outwardly-movable clutching members co-operating with the inner surface of a drum or the like (F16D13/02, F16D13/06, F16D13/12 take precedence; similar brakes F16D51/00) · CPC title

• F16D2300/02

  Overheat protection, i.e. means for protection against overheating · CPC title