Clutch Detent Assembly for Faster Pre-Assembled Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Previous clutch assemblies require sequential installation of separate components on a shaft, which is time-consuming, laborious, and prone to improper or incomplete installation due to component misplacement or loss.
Innovation Solution
A clutch assembly design featuring a sleeve that partially surrounds a hub with a detent assembly, including a ball and spring retained by a circlip or bushing, allowing for pre-assembly and efficient installation as a unit, reducing the likelihood of misplacement and increasing manufacturing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If separate clutch components are installed sequentially on a shaft, then the clutch assembly can be constructed with individual components, but the installation process becomes time-consuming, laborious, and prone to improper installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the ball and spring into a single pre-assembled detent assembly unit that is installed together with the hub. This merging of components eliminates the need for sequential installation of separate parts, thereby reducing installation time and labor while minimizing the risk of component misplacement or loss during the assembly process.
Solution Approach 2:
The ball and spring are pre-assembled into the hub before the hub is installed on the shaft. This preliminary action ensures that the detent components are already in their correct positions and orientations, eliminating the need for time-consuming and error-prone sequential installation of these small components during final assembly.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate clutch components are installed sequentially, then individual components can be replaced or adjusted, but the process is prone to component misplacement or loss
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the ball and spring into a pre-assembled unit within the hub, the patent reduces the number of discrete components that can be misplaced or lost during installation. The combined unit maintains reliability while still allowing for replacement of the entire detent assembly if needed.
3Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate components are assembled sequentially, then each component can be independently manufactured, but the overall manufacturing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The ball and spring are pre-assembled into the hub during hub manufacturing, allowing the detent assembly to be completed as part of the hub production process. This preliminary action eliminates the need for separate assembly steps later, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency without sacrificing the ability to manufacture components independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the manufacturing processes by integrating the detent assembly creation into the hub manufacturing workflow. This combination reduces the total number of assembly operations required and improves overall manufacturing efficiency while maintaining manufacturing flexibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables faster, more reliable installation of clutch components, enhancing manufacturing efficiency and confidence by maintaining the ball and spring in their intended positions within the hub.
Implementation Method 1
an opening with a ball and a spring positioned therein
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for a clutch assembly. The clutch assembly includes, in one example, a sleeve that is configured to at least partially circumferentially surrounds a hub a detent assembly positioned in the hub and configured to hold the sleeve and the hub in a defined axial position. The detent assembly includes an opening with a ball and a spring positioned therein and a retaining device that maintains the spring and the ball in the opening, where the ball mates with a detent in the sleeve.