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Cooling fan clutchCooling fan clutch description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20090155094, Cooling fan clutch. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0130422, filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 13, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. (a) Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clutch that controls a cooling fan, such as those used in automobile radiators to maintain a constant coolant temperature. (b) Description of the Related Art Generally, a cooling fan cools engine coolant that passes through the radiator. The cooling fan rotates quickly, and lowers the temperature of the coolant quickly, if the temperature of the coolant is higher than or equal to a specific temperature. The cooling fan rotates slowly, and lowers the temperature of the coolant slowly, if the temperature of the coolant is lower than the specific temperature. Operation of the cooling fan is controlled by a cooling fan clutch. A rotor is mounted between a cover and a housing, and the fan is mounted on the housing. Silicon oil is stored in an oil storage area between the cover and the housing, and is supplied by opening or closing the oil storage area. Opening or closing of the oil storage area is controlled by a bimetal valve on the cooling fan clutch, which expands or contracts with temperature of air passing through the radiator to open and close the oil storage area. The silicon oil is supplied, controlling the frictional force between the housing and the rotor to control the speed of the cooling fan. The bimetal valve expands or contracts by the temperature of the air, not the coolant, which provides less than ideal responsiveness to coolant temperature. The temperature of the coolant may thus quickly rise and the engine may overheat during high-speed travel. In addition, since the fan clutch maintains its operation state for a very long time, fuel mileage may be reduced. Further, since operation time of the cooling fan becomes longer, there may be unnecessary noise. The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art. A disk-shaped cover has a first toothed portion at a radially outward portion of one side surface thereof. A housing is coupled with the cover such that a space is defined therebetween. The housing has a second toothed portion at a radially outward portion of one side surface thereof, facing the first toothed portion. A shaft is rotatably disposed through a middle portion of the housing. A fan is fixedly connected to the housing and rotatable with the housing. A rotor is mounted in the space between the cover and the housing, engaged with and rotatable with the shaft, with third and fourth toothed portions at radially outward portions of both side surfaces thereof, engaged with the first and second toothed portions, respectively. An operation unit controls an amount of fluid supplied to the space between the cover and the housing to control a frictional force generated between the rotor, the housing, and the cover. A control unit controls the operation unit based on a coolant temperature. A bearing may be interposed between the shaft and the housing such that the housing can rotate relative to the shaft. The operation unit may include: a fluid storage area in a portion of the space between the cover and the housing, for storing the fluid; a screen for fluidly isolating the fluid storage area, with a passage through which the fluid in the fluid storage area can be supplied to another portion of the space between the cover and the housing; and a valve for closing and opening the passage by control of the control unit. The operation unit may also include: an electromagnet for receiving current and generating a magnetic force by the control of the control unit; a plate configured to be moved by the magnetic force of the electromagnet; and a valve rod connected to the plate and the valve, and moving the valve according to motion of the plate. The plate and the electromagnet may be exterior to the housing, and the valve rod may penetrate the housing. A bearing may be interposed between the shaft and the electromagnet. The control unit may open the valve and supply the fluid to the other portion of the space between the cover and the housing if the coolant temperature is higher than or equal to a predetermined temperature. A coolant temperature sensor may be provided for detecting the coolant temperature and transmitting a signal corresponding thereto to the control unit. The fluid may be silicon oil. Continue reading about Cooling fan clutch... Full patent description for Cooling fan clutch Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Cooling fan clutch patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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