Electromagnetic coupling having an end mounted field

Claim 2

An electromagnetic coupling comprising a longitudinally extending housing, a single piece end section member for enclosing an end of said housing including a first portion having a substantially cylindrical configuration and longitudinally extending with said longitudinally extending housing and having an end portion disposed substantially perpendicularly to said first portion, means for connecting said first portion of said end section to one end of said longitudinally extending housing to establish a contiguous relation therebetween, a motor inside said housing, an eddy current drum rotatable by said motor, a load output shaft extending through said end section of said housing, a rotor assembly affixed to said load output shaft to rotate therewith, a field coil assembly mounted proximately to said rotor assembly and said eddy current drum to electromagnetically couple said drum and said rotor assembly by establishing a flux path from said field coil assembly through said end section, through said rotor assembly, through said eddy current drum, through said rotor assembly and through said end section to said field coil assembly, said field coil assembly when energized providing rotation of said load output shaft in response to rotation of said eddy current drum, said end section of said housing having formed therein a pair of annular spaced apart shoulder portions extending substantially parallel with said longitudinal housing to form an annular cavity in said end section, and said annular shoulder portions supporting said field coil assembly in said annular cavity with said field coil assembly being mounted directly to said end section of said housing.

Claim 3

An electromagnetic coupling as set forth in claim 1 wherein said end section is formed to provide an air inlet passage to said annular cavity for providing an air flow path for cooling said field coil assembly of said coupling.

Claim 4

An electromagnetic coupling as set forth in claim 2 including an impeller mounted to the shaft of said rotor to induce air flow through the air inlet of said end cover to dissipate the heat generated in the annular cavity of said end section by said field coil assembly.

Claim 5

An electromagnetic coupling as set forth in claim 3 wherein said end section is formed from a permeable magnetic material having a high heat conductivity.

Claim 6

An electromagnetic coupling comprising longitudinally extending housing having a longitudinal axis, a rotatable eddy current drum mounted inside said housing, a load output shaft, a rotor assembly affixed to said load output shaft to be rotatable therewith, an annular field coil assembly mounted proximately to said rotor assembly and said eddy current drum to electromagnetically couple said drum and said rotor, and an end section for enclosing one end of said housing, said end section having a first portion extending substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said housing, a second portion extending from one end of said first portion to be substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said housing, a third portion extending from the other end of said first portion to be substantially perpeNdicular to said longitudinal axis of said housing, said first, second and third portions cooperating to form an annular cavity for supporting said field coil assembly therein, said first, second and third portions cooperating to support said annular field coil assembly in said annular cavity in a relationship with said rotor assembly and said eddy current drum whereby energization of said field coil assembly electromagnetically couples said drum and said rotor assembly to provide rotation of said rotor assembly in response to rotation of said drum, and a passageway extending through said second portion of said end section to the annular cavity formed in said end section for cooling said coil assembly mounted therein.

Claim 7

An electromagnetic coupling comprising longitudinally extending housing having a longitudinal axis, a rotatable eddy current drum mounted inside said housing, a load output shaft, a rotor assembly affixed to said load output shaft to be rotatable therewith, an annular field coil assembly mounted proximately to said rotor assembly and said eddy current drum to electromagnetically couple said drum and said rotor, and an end section for enclosing one end of said housing, said end section having a first portion extending substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said housing, a second portion extending from one end of said first portion to be substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said housing, a third portion extending from the other end of said first portion to be substantially perpeNdicular to said longitudinal axis of said housing, said first, second and third portions cooperating to form an annular cavity for supporting said field coil assembly therein, said first, second and third portions cooperating to support said annular field coil assembly in said annular cavity in a relationship with said rotor assembly and said eddy current drum whereby energization of said field coil assembly electromagnetically couples said drum and said rotor assembly to provide rotation of said rotor assembly in response to rotation of said drum, and a passageway extending through said second portion of said end section to the annular cavity formed in said end section for cooling said coil assembly mounted therein.

Claim 8

An electromagnetic coupling as set forth in claim 5 wherein said first portion of said end section is in heat conduction relationship with said housing through said third portion of said end section.

Claim 9

An electromagnetic coupling as set forth in claim 5 wherein said end section is directly mounted to said housing to allow heat conduction between said end section and said housing.

Claim 10

An electromagnetic coupling comprising a longitudinally extending housing having a longitudinal axis, a rotatable eddy current drum mounted inside said housing, a load output shaft, a rotor assembly affixed to said load output shaft to be rotatable therewith, an annular field coil assembly mounted proximately to said rotor assembly and said eddy current drum to electromagnetically couple said drum and said rotor, and an end section for enclosing one end of said housing, said end section having a first portion extending substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said housing, a second portion extending from one end of said first portion to be substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said housing, a third portion extending from the other end of said first portion to be substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said housing, said first, second and third portions cooperating to form an annular cavity for supporting said field coil assembly therein, said first, second and third portions cooperating to support said annular field coil assembly in said annular cavity in a relationship with said rotor assembly and said eddy current drum whereby energization of said field coil assembly electromagnetically couples said drum and said rotor assembly to provide rotation of said rotor assembly in response to rotation of said drum and wherein said end section further includes a fourth portion substantailly parallel to said first portion but spaced therefrom, said fourth portion cooperating with said first, second and third portions to define said annular cavity, said first, second, third and fourth portions cooperating with said field coil assembly to establish a flux path therethrough from said field coil assembly to electromagnetically couple said rotor and drum when said field coil assembly is energized.

Claim 11

An electromagnetic coupling comprising a longitudinally extending housing having a longitudinal axis, a rotatable eddy current drum mounted inside said housing, a load output shaft, a rotor assembly affixed to said load output shaft to be rotatable therewith, an annular field coil assembly mounted proximately to said rotor assembly and said eddy current drum to electromagnetically couple said drum and said rotor, and an end section for enclosing one end of said housing, said end section having a first portion extending substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said housing, a second portion extending from one end of said first portion to be substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said housing, a third portion extending from the other end of said first portion to be substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said housing, said first, second and third portions cooperating to form an annular cavity for supporting said field coil assembly therein, said first, second and third portions cooperating to support said annular field coil assembly in said annular cavity in a relationship with said rotor assembly and said eddy current drum whereby energization of said field coil assembly electromagnetically couples said drum and said rotor assembly to provide rotation of said rotor assembly in response to rotation of said drum and wherein said end section further includes a fourth portion substantailly parallel to said first portion but spaced therefrom, said fourth portion cooperating with said first, second and third portions to define said annular cavity, said first, second, third and fourth portions cooperating with said field coil assembly to establish a flux path therethrough from said field coil assembly to electromagnetically couple said rotor and drum when said field coil assembly is energized.

Claim 12

An electromagnetic coupling as set forth in claim 8 wherein said eddy current drum and said third portion of said end section extend over said rotor assembly in close proximity therewith to establish a flux path through said rotor assembly, said eddy current drum, and said end section.

Claim 13

An electromagnetic coupling as set forth in claim 9 wherein said flux path is established around said end section, said rotor assembly, and said drum by flux lines extending from said fourth portion of said end section to said rotor assembly, therefrom to said drum and then back to said rotor assembly and therefrom to said third portion of said end section to extend back to said fourth portion by way of said first and second portions.