Continuously variable transmission cooling fan

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9719591-B2
Application number	US-201514925717-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2015
Priority date	Aug 12, 2015
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A continuously variable transmission cooling fan includes a moveable sheave cover attached to a drive clutch assembly of a continuously variable transmission, with a plurality of fan blades molded into the moveable sheave cover and arranged around the perimeter of the moveable sheave cover. Each fan blade may have a different length, curvature and angle of position than the adjacent fan blades. The continuously variable transmission cooling fan also may include a plurality of openings in the moveable sheave cover located radially inwardly from the fan blades.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A continuously variable transmission cooling fan, comprising:
a plurality of fan blades molded into a sheave cover, each fan blade having a different length, curvature, and angle of position than each adjacent fan blade; and
a plurality of openings in the sheave cover between the fan blades and a center axis of the sheave cover.

2. The continuously variable transmission cooling fan of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fan blades are grouped in a plurality of sets that are repeated around the center axis of the sheave cover.

3. The continuously variable transmission cooling fan of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the fan blades is more than twice as long as another fan blade.

4. The continuously variable transmission cooling fan of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the fan blades has a compound, tangent curve between an outer perimeter of the sheave cover and the center axis.

5. A continuously variable transmission cooling fan, comprising:
a moveable sheave cover attached to a drive clutch assembly of a continuously variable transmission; and
a plurality of fan blades molded into the moveable sheave cover and arranged around the perimeter of the moveable sheave cover in a plurality of sets, each fan blade in a set having a different length, curvature and angle of position than the other fan blades in the same set.

6. The continuously variable transmission cooling fan of claim 5 , further comprising a plurality of openings in the moveable sheave cover located radially inwardly from the fan blades.

7. The continuously variable transmission cooling fan of claim 5 , wherein one of the fan blades in each set has an end positioned radially closer to a center axis of the moveable sheave cover than the other fan blades in the set.

8. The continuously variable transmission cooling fan of claim 5 , wherein each set has five blades.

9. A continuously variable transmission cooling fan, comprising:
a plurality of curved fan blades arranged around a perimeter of a sheave cover attached to a drive clutch assembly; each fan blade having a different shape than each adjacent fan blade; and
a plurality of openings in the sheave cover between the fan blades and a central opening in the sheave cover providing an air passage into the drive clutch assembly.

10. The continuously variable transmission cooling fan of claim 9 , wherein each fan blade has a different length than each adjacent fan blade.

11. The continuously variable transmission cooling fan of claim 9 , wherein each fan blade has a different radius of curvature than each adjacent fan blade.

12. The continuously variable transmission cooling fan of claim 9 , wherein the fan blades are molded into the sheave cover.

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Wade Jeremie A
• Yolitz Nathan
• Nakhla Hany K
• Narayana Shankar

Classifications

• F16H57/0416 Primary

  Air cooling or ventilation · CPC title

• F04D29/30

  Vanes · CPC title

• F04D25/02

  Units comprising pumps and their driving means · CPC title

• F04D27/004

  by varying driving speed · CPC title

• F16H57/0489 Primary

  with endless flexible members, e.g. belt CVTs · CPC title