Enhanced fan and fan drive assembly
US6358010B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 8, 2001 |
| Grant date | Mar 19, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 8, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF05D2300/43
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A fan drive assembly including a cooling fan (11) and a fluid coupling device (13). The cooling fan includes a fan hub (17), a spider (15), and a plurality of fan blades (19). The coupling device has an output coupling assembly (21) including a body (23) and a cover (25). The body (23) includes preferably only three mounting portions (67), each being disposed immediately adjacent an outer periphery of the body. Each of the mounting portions (67) defines the necessary machining chucking surfaces (73), and a spider mounting surface (75) including a pilot surface (77) engaging the pilot diameter (79) of the spider (15). The body (23) includes cooling fins (61) covering substantially all of the rearward surface (59) of the body not covered by the mounting portions. The fan hub (17) also includes a rearwardly extending air dam portion (81), limiting localized radial air flow. The fan drive is able to improve the radial air flow through the body cooling fins and achieve subatantially greater heat dissipation from the fan drive assembly, thus permitting greater fan speed for a given input speed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.