Power-refrigeration apparatus for recreational vehicles and the like

Claim 2

Apparatus for powering accessory equipment aboard a vehicle having a main propulsion engine, comprising rotary hydraulic pumping means driven by said engine at the site thereof, a rotary hydraulic motor having an output shaft, means for supplying hydraulic fluid from said pumping Means to said hydraulic motor and rotating said shaft, an electric motor having an output shaft rotatable when said motor is energized from an outside source, an auxiliary internal-combustion engine having a rotatable output shaft, accessory-powering means including an electrical generator having a rotatable input shaft and producing electrical power for accessory equipment when said shaft thereof is rotated, a plurality of normally-disengaged mechanical clutches each having a first clutch portion which, when rotated, extends radially into driving engagement when a second cooperating driven clutch portion, means connecting the said first clutch portions for rotation with the output shafts of said hydraulic motor, electric motor and auxiliary engine, respectively, and means mechanically connecting said second clutch portions in rotary motiontransmitting relationship with said input shaft of said generator, whereby each of said hydraulic motor, electric motor and auxiliary engine automatically drives said generator without restraint by the others when brought into operation as a prime mover in said apparatus.

Claim 3

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first portions of each of said clutches include clutch shoes movable radially outwardly under influence of centrifugal force as they are rotated, and wherein said second portions of said clutches comprise clutch drum surfaces concentric with and rotatable about the axes of rotations of said first portions.

Claim 4

Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said clutches includes spring means yieldable urging said shoes thereof radially inwardly and out of engagement with the clutch drum surfaces thereof, and wherein each of said second portions includes bearing means mounting the clutch drum surfaces thereof for rotation about one of said output shafts.

Claim 5

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means mechanically connecting said second clutch portions comprises pulleys connected with different ones of said second clutch portions, and belting mated with said pulleys and connecting all of said second clutch portions in motion-transmitting relation with said generator shaft simultaneously.

Claim 6

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hydraulic motor, electric motor and auxiliary engine are in proximate relationship with one another at a site on said vehicle remote from the site of said main engine, wherein said pumping means and hydraulic motor comprise a substantially constant-speed drive producing rotation of said output shaft of said hydraulic motor at substantially a predetermined speed while speeds of said main engine vary, wherein said auxiliary engine and said electric motor power the rotations of said output shafts thereof at substantially said predetermined speed, and wherein said generator comprises an alternator, whereby the frequency of electrical output from said alternator is substantially the same as a commercial frequency at which said electric motor and said accessory equipment are to be energized, irrespective of which of the motors and auxiliary engine drives said alternator at any time.

Claim 7

Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein substantially constant-speed drive includes an electrical solenoid controlling by-pass valve means for diverting flow of fluid from said pumping means around said hydraulic motor when said hydraulic motor does not serve as a prime mover in said apparatus, and electrical switching means for independently energizing said solenoid to cause only said hydraulic motor to serve as the prime mover and for independently energizing said electrical motor from an outside electrical source to cause only said electric motor to serve as the prime mover and for independently supplying electrical operating power to electrical components of said auxiliary engine to cause only said auxiliary engine to serve as the prime mover.

Claim 8

Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said switching means comprises a mechanically-interlocked switch having independent switching circuits for independent connection of each of said prime movers for electrical excitation only one at any time.

Claim 9

Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said accessory-powering means further includes a refrigeration-system compressor at said remote site and at least one refrigeration-system evaporator coupled with said compressor and disposed for cooling aboard said vehicle at a different site, said compressor having a rotatable input shaft, and wherein said mechanically connecting means further connects said second clutch portions in rotary motion-transmitting relationship with said input shaft of said compressor.

Claim 10

Apparatus for powering accessory equipment aboard a vehicle having a main propulsion engine, comprising an electric motor having an output shaft rotatable when said motor is energized from an outside source, an auxiliary internal-combustion engine having a rotatable output shaft, and a shaft the rotation of which is powered by said main engine in response to electrical excitation associated with components at the site of said main engine, an electrical generator having a rotatable output shaft and producing electrical power for accessory equipment when said shaft thereof is rotated, a refrigeration-system compressor having a rotatable input shaft and at least one refrigeration-system evaporator coupled with said compressor and disposed for cooling aboard said vehicle, a plurality of normally-disengaged mechanical clutches each having a first clutch portion which, when rotated, extends radially into driving engagement with a second cooperating driven clutch portion, means connecting the said first clutch portions for rotation with the output shafts of said electric motor and auxiliary engine, respectively, and means mechanically connecting said second clutch portions in rotary motion-transmitting relationship with the input shafts of said generator and said compressor, whereby each of said electric motor and auxiliary engine automatically drives said generator without restraint by the other when brought into operation as a prime mover in said apparatus.

Claim 11

Apparatus for powering accessory equipment aboard a vehicle having a main propulsion engine, comprising an electric motor having an output shaft rotatable when said motor is energized from an outside source, an auxiliary internal-combustion engine having a rotatable output shaft, and a shaft the rotation of which is powered by said main engine in response to electrical excitation associated with components at the site of said main engine, an electrical generator having a rotatable output shaft and producing electrical power for accessory equipment when said shaft thereof is rotated, a refrigeration-system compressor having a rotatable input shaft and at least one refrigeration-system evaporator coupled with said compressor and disposed for cooling aboard said vehicle, a plurality of normally-disengaged mechanical clutches each having a first clutch portion which, when rotated, extends radially into driving engagement with a second cooperating driven clutch portion, means connecting the said first clutch portions for rotation with the output shafts of said electric motor and auxiliary engine, respectively, and means mechanically connecting said second clutch portions in rotary motion-transmitting relationship with the input shafts of said generator and said compressor, whereby each of said electric motor and auxiliary engine automatically drives said generator without restraint by the other when brought into operation as a prime mover in said apparatus.

Claim 12

Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said clutches are centrifugal clutches, wherein said means mechanically connecting said second clutch portions comprise pulleys and belting mated with said pulleys, and wherein bearing means mount said second clutch portions and the pulleys connected therewith for rotation relative to said output shafts of said electric motor and auxiliary engine, and further including electrical switching means for independently energizing said electric motor to cause only said electric motor to serve as the prime mover and for independently applying electrical power to electrical components of said auxiliary engine to cause only said auxiliary engine to serve as the prime mover in said apparatus.

Claim 13

Apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means connecting said first clutch portions connects one of said first portions for rotation by said shaft the rotation of which is powered by said main engine, and wherein said means mechanically connecting said second portions connects said second portion of the clutch for said last-named shaft in motion-transmitting relationship with said input shafts of said generator and compressor, and wherein said switching means includes means for independently providing said electrical excitation to cause only said main engine to serve as the prime mover in said apparatus.

Claim 14

Power-refrigeration apparatus for a recreational vehicle, comprising a refrigeration-system compressor and an alternator at a site remote from the main engine of the vehicle and each having a rotatable input shaft, at least one air-conditioner evaporator assembly remote from said compressor and coupled therewith in an air-conditioning system for a compartment of said vehicle, said alternator having electrical output terminals for supplying electrical power to accessory equipment aboard said vehicle, a substantially constant-speed electric motor at said site, a substantiAlly constant-speed auxiliary internal-combustion engine at said site, a substantially constant-speed drive including hydraulic pumping means disposed proximately with and driven by said main engine and a hydraulic motor at said site coupled with said pumping means to receive and to be rotated by hydraulic fluid pumped therefrom, each of said motors and said auxiliary engine having a rotatable output shaft, an electrical solenoid controlling by-pass valve means for diverting flow of fluid from said pumping means around said hydraulic motor, a plurality of normally-disengaged mechanical clutches each having a first clutch portion which, when rotated, extends radially into driving engagement with a second cooperating driven clutch portion, means connecting the said first clutch portions for rotation with the output shafts of said hydraulic motor, electric motor and auxiliary engine, respectively, bearing means mounting said second clutch portions for rotation relative to the cooperating first clutch portions and the output shafts connected therewith, means mechanically connecting said second clutch portions in rotary motion-transmitting relationship with the input shafts of said compressor and said alternator, and manually-actuated electrical switching means for independently energizing said solenoid to cause only said hydraulic motor to serve as the prime mover for said compressor and alternator and for independently energizing said electric motor from an outside electrical source to cause only said electric motor to serve as the prime mover and for independently supplying electrical operating power to electrical components of said auxiliary engine to cause only said auxiliary engine to serve as the prime mover, whereby each of said hydraulic motor, electric motor and auxiliary engine automatically drives said alternator and compressor without restraint by the others when brought into operation as a prime mover by manual actuation of said switching means.

Claim 15

Power-refrigeration apparatus for a recreational vehicle, comprising a refrigeration-system compressor and an alternator at a site remote from the main engine of the vehicle and each having a rotatable input shaft, at least one air-conditioner evaporator assembly remote from said compressor and coupled therewith in an air-conditioning system for a compartment of said vehicle, said alternator having electrical output terminals for supplying electrical power to accessory equipment aboard said vehicle, a substantially constant-speed electric motor at said site, a substantiAlly constant-speed auxiliary internal-combustion engine at said site, a substantially constant-speed drive including hydraulic pumping means disposed proximately with and driven by said main engine and a hydraulic motor at said site coupled with said pumping means to receive and to be rotated by hydraulic fluid pumped therefrom, each of said motors and said auxiliary engine having a rotatable output shaft, an electrical solenoid controlling by-pass valve means for diverting flow of fluid from said pumping means around said hydraulic motor, a plurality of normally-disengaged mechanical clutches each having a first clutch portion which, when rotated, extends radially into driving engagement with a second cooperating driven clutch portion, means connecting the said first clutch portions for rotation with the output shafts of said hydraulic motor, electric motor and auxiliary engine, respectively, bearing means mounting said second clutch portions for rotation relative to the cooperating first clutch portions and the output shafts connected therewith, means mechanically connecting said second clutch portions in rotary motion-transmitting relationship with the input shafts of said compressor and said alternator, and manually-actuated electrical switching means for independently energizing said solenoid to cause only said hydraulic motor to serve as the prime mover for said compressor and alternator and for independently energizing said electric motor from an outside electrical source to cause only said electric motor to serve as the prime mover and for independently supplying electrical operating power to electrical components of said auxiliary engine to cause only said auxiliary engine to serve as the prime mover, whereby each of said hydraulic motor, electric motor and auxiliary engine automatically drives said alternator and compressor without restraint by the others when brought into operation as a prime mover by manual actuation of said switching means.

Claim 16

Power-refrigeration apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein the said first portions of said clutches include clutch shoes movable radially outwardly at least partly under influence of centrifugal force as they are rotated, wherein said second portions comprise clutch drum surfaces concentric with the axes of rotation of said first portions, and wherein said means mechanically connecting said second clutch portions includes pulleys connected with different ones of said second clutch portions and pulleys connected with said input shafts and belting mated with said pulleys connecting all of said second clutch portions in simultaneous motion-transmitting relation with said input shafts of said alternator and compressor.

Claim 17

Power-refrigeration apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein said switching means ocmprises a mechanically-interlocked push-button switch having independent switching circuits for independent electrical connection of each of said hydraulic motor, electric motor and auxiliary engine for independent electrical excitation allowing their operation as the prime mover only one at a time.