CA2162624C - Self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit including drive system having multi-drive plate - Google Patents
Self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit including drive system having multi-drive plate Download PDFInfo
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- CA2162624C CA2162624C CA 2162624 CA2162624A CA2162624C CA 2162624 C CA2162624 C CA 2162624C CA 2162624 CA2162624 CA 2162624 CA 2162624 A CA2162624 A CA 2162624A CA 2162624 C CA2162624 C CA 2162624C
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Abstract
A self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit including a refrigeration unit housing, a refrigeration unit drive system having a driving device that is separate from a driving device for a vehicle on which the refrigeration unit is mounted, an evaporator section and a condensing section. The drive system, the evaporator section and the condensing section are mounted within the unit housing so that none of the components of the vehicle refrigeration unit protrudes into a payload or cargo space of a vehicle body. The drive system includes a multi-drive plate for securedly mounting and accurately positioning a plurality of drive system components on a single support structure. The drive system also has a single drive belt for being driven by at least one driving member. The multi-drive plate supports and aligns pulleys connected to the driving member and the driven component so that the single drive belt drives at least one driven component. The driving device may include a clutch for allowing the drive system to be driven by a main driving device or by an auxiliary drive device. The driving device and the at least one driven component are mounted on the same side of the multi-drive plate. The pulleys attached to the driving device and the at least one driven component and the serpentine belt are mounted on another side of the multi-drive plate so that the serpentine belt is easily accessible. The single serpentine belt is provided with a spring-mounted tension pulley for maintaining a desired tension in the belt.
Description
2162E~24 SELF-CONTAINED VEHICLE REFRIGERATION UNIT
INCLUDING DRIVE SYSTEM HAVING MULTI-DRIVE PLATE
The present invention relates to a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit, and more particularly, to a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit having a relatively compact construction and an evaporator section located in the same housing as a vehicle refrigeration unit drive system so that the evaporator section does not protrude into a payload space or cargo space of a vehicle body.
The present invention also relates to a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit including a drive system for driving at least one and preferably, a plurality of components, and more particularly to a drive system having a multi-drive plate for securedly mounting and accurately positioning a plurality of drive system components on a single member: The present invention also relates to a drive system having a single drive belt for being driven by at least one driving member and a multi-drive plate for supporting and aligning the driving member and the driven component.
Conventional vehicle refrigeration units typically include a refrigeration unit drive system mounted within a unit housing attached to a vehicle body above a vehicle cab. The conventional refrigeration unit drive systems have a driving motor connected to at least one driven component via several belts and a plurality of pulleys mounted on the driven component and the driving motor. Because a plurality of pulleys and belts are used, the refrigeration unit drive system occupies a relatively large amount of space in the refrigeration unit housing. This relatively large space requirement prevents all of the components of the vehicle refrigeration unit from being mounted on the outside of the vehicle body and within the unit housing.
As a result, the evaporator section of conventional vehicle refrigeration units must be mounted within a vehicle body thereby reducing the amount of payload or cargo space of the vehicle body. This is disadvantageous because of the wasted payload space and because the components of the evaporator section increase the difficulty of loading of the vehicle body because the evaporator section inside of the vehicle body must be avoided. In fact, people loading objects in the vehicle body often strike their heads and/or shoulder on the components of the evaporator section.
Furthermore, the conventional vehicle refrigeration units are not easily accessible for maintenance and repair. Because the evaporator section is located within the vehicle body and the remaining elements of the refrigeration unit are located in the unit housing, a repair person may have to gain access to both the vehicle body and the refrigeration unit housing to complete a maintenance or repair operation. In some cases, a repair may require that one repair person work in the unit housing while another person works in the vehicle body, thereby increasing the amount of time and expense of repairing or maintaining the refrigeration unit.
SPF.C~133659 One conventional refrigeration unit has overcome the problem with the evaporator section protruding into the payload space of the vehicle body.
Welch, U.S. Patent No. 4,811,569, teaches a transport refrigeration unit in which an evaporator 150 is located in the same housing as the other refrigeration unit components so that an evaporator blower does not protrude into the payload space of the vehicle body.
However, the drive system of this refrigeration unit is complicated and requires a plurality of pulleys and drive belts. This increases the time and difficulty involved in assembling the refrigeration unit, as well as, making it more difficult to service the unit. Also, both the evaporator blower 122 and the condenser fan 120 are driven by a main drive shaft 116 which extends along the length of the refrigeration unit housing thereby increasing the space requirements of the drive system.
Also, if one of the driven components driven by the main drive shaft 116 seizes suddenly, the drive shaft 116 may be damaged by the extreme torque created by the stoppage of the seized drive component. Then, the drive shaft 116 would have to be replaced which is difficult and expensive. Also, because of the nature of the drive system, air from the condenser 170 must be directed from one side of the unit, along the entire length of the drive system and out an opposite side of the unit as seen in Fig. 5.
Conventional drive systems for driving a plurality of driven components, such as alternators, generators, compressors, evaporators, hydraulic pumps, water pumps, fans, etc. typically use a driving motor connected to the driven components via several belts and a plurality of pulleys on the driven components.
21 b2b~~
INCLUDING DRIVE SYSTEM HAVING MULTI-DRIVE PLATE
The present invention relates to a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit, and more particularly, to a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit having a relatively compact construction and an evaporator section located in the same housing as a vehicle refrigeration unit drive system so that the evaporator section does not protrude into a payload space or cargo space of a vehicle body.
The present invention also relates to a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit including a drive system for driving at least one and preferably, a plurality of components, and more particularly to a drive system having a multi-drive plate for securedly mounting and accurately positioning a plurality of drive system components on a single member: The present invention also relates to a drive system having a single drive belt for being driven by at least one driving member and a multi-drive plate for supporting and aligning the driving member and the driven component.
Conventional vehicle refrigeration units typically include a refrigeration unit drive system mounted within a unit housing attached to a vehicle body above a vehicle cab. The conventional refrigeration unit drive systems have a driving motor connected to at least one driven component via several belts and a plurality of pulleys mounted on the driven component and the driving motor. Because a plurality of pulleys and belts are used, the refrigeration unit drive system occupies a relatively large amount of space in the refrigeration unit housing. This relatively large space requirement prevents all of the components of the vehicle refrigeration unit from being mounted on the outside of the vehicle body and within the unit housing.
As a result, the evaporator section of conventional vehicle refrigeration units must be mounted within a vehicle body thereby reducing the amount of payload or cargo space of the vehicle body. This is disadvantageous because of the wasted payload space and because the components of the evaporator section increase the difficulty of loading of the vehicle body because the evaporator section inside of the vehicle body must be avoided. In fact, people loading objects in the vehicle body often strike their heads and/or shoulder on the components of the evaporator section.
Furthermore, the conventional vehicle refrigeration units are not easily accessible for maintenance and repair. Because the evaporator section is located within the vehicle body and the remaining elements of the refrigeration unit are located in the unit housing, a repair person may have to gain access to both the vehicle body and the refrigeration unit housing to complete a maintenance or repair operation. In some cases, a repair may require that one repair person work in the unit housing while another person works in the vehicle body, thereby increasing the amount of time and expense of repairing or maintaining the refrigeration unit.
SPF.C~133659 One conventional refrigeration unit has overcome the problem with the evaporator section protruding into the payload space of the vehicle body.
Welch, U.S. Patent No. 4,811,569, teaches a transport refrigeration unit in which an evaporator 150 is located in the same housing as the other refrigeration unit components so that an evaporator blower does not protrude into the payload space of the vehicle body.
However, the drive system of this refrigeration unit is complicated and requires a plurality of pulleys and drive belts. This increases the time and difficulty involved in assembling the refrigeration unit, as well as, making it more difficult to service the unit. Also, both the evaporator blower 122 and the condenser fan 120 are driven by a main drive shaft 116 which extends along the length of the refrigeration unit housing thereby increasing the space requirements of the drive system.
Also, if one of the driven components driven by the main drive shaft 116 seizes suddenly, the drive shaft 116 may be damaged by the extreme torque created by the stoppage of the seized drive component. Then, the drive shaft 116 would have to be replaced which is difficult and expensive. Also, because of the nature of the drive system, air from the condenser 170 must be directed from one side of the unit, along the entire length of the drive system and out an opposite side of the unit as seen in Fig. 5.
Conventional drive systems for driving a plurality of driven components, such as alternators, generators, compressors, evaporators, hydraulic pumps, water pumps, fans, etc. typically use a driving motor connected to the driven components via several belts and a plurality of pulleys on the driven components.
21 b2b~~
Usually, most, if not all of the driven components and driving motor are connected and supported by separate support members. The conventional drive systems may also include an auxiliary or supplemental driving device, such as an electric motor, for independently driving the driven components. The auxiliary driving device may be supported by a separate support member.
There are several disadvantages associated with the conventional drive systems described above. First, the construction of such a drive system is complicated because each of the plurality of belts must be mounted on a plurality of pulleys. Then, each of the belts must be properly tensioned and adjusted. Any one of these belts can break due to wear or become loosened during operation of the drive system. Also, the desired tension in each of the belts is difficult to maintain and frequent adjustment of the tension of the belts is necessary.
The plurality of pulleys and belts used to connect driven devices to a driving device requires an elaborate frame for supporting the drive system. The mounting of the driven components and driving members usually requires the use of brackets, struts, braces, etc. Such support structures increase the difficulty in assembling the conventional drive systems and often prevent access to the belts. Therefore, the support structures may have to be removed to service the belts or other components. In addition, because the driven components are mounted via independent mounting devices and vibrate at different frequencies, a separate vibration damping member is usually required for each driven component and driving member which increases costs and assembly time. Also, the driven components are often installed on both sides of the belts where access to the SPEG~133659 ~i _5_ belts is obstructed so that replacement of the belts requires removal of some of the driven components.
Further, the complicated mounting of the driving devices and driven components makes it difficult to align the pulleys of each of the driving devices and driven components.
Thus, there exists a need for a more easily accessible drive system for driving at least one driven component without the need for a plurality of driving belts located in between a driving device and the driven component. There is also a need for a drive s=ystem that is easier to assemble and repair than conventional drive systems and that can be applied to a variety o:E different applications.
Thus, there exists a need for a more compact vehicle refrigeration unit having a simple drive system and that is mounted within a single housing so as to noi= protrude into a payload or cargo space of a vehicle body.
It is an object of an aspect of the present invention to provide a vehicle refrigeration unit that overcomes the disadvantages of conventional vehicle refrigeration units discussed above.
Accordingly, in one of its aspects, the present invention provides a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit including a refrigeration unit housing, a refrigeration unit drive system having a driving device that is separate from a driving device for a vehicle on which the refrigeration unit is mounted, an evaporator section and a condensing section, wherein the drive system, the evaporator section and the condensing section are mounted within the unit housing.
The driving device, described along with the drive system in the following paragraphs, for the vehicle refrigeration unit may preferably comprise a diesel engine, a gasoline engine, a natural gas powered engine, an electric motor or other suitable driving device. The driving device is preferably separate from the driving device or engine for a vehicle on which the refrigeration unit is mounted. The driving device for the vehicle refrigeration unit is mounted in the unit housing.
The driving device may preferably be connected to and drive an alternator and a fan for a radiator. The fan is preferably connected to the drive shaft of the driving device at an end of the driving device that is opposite to the end of the drive shaft of the driving device that drives the driven components. The alternator may either be located at the same end as the fan and driven by a belt or maybe located at the same end as the other driven components and be driven by the same belt that drives the other driven components.
In addition, an auxiliary driving device may be provided for various uses such as a standby or back-up power source to be used when the main driving device is not operating and for other functions. It is preferred that the auxiliary driving device comprises an electric motor that is powered by a standard AC power source, such as a 220 volt power source. The auxiliary driving device can be provided with a plug for connecting the auxiliary driving device with the standard power source. Also, a voltage transformer is preferably provided and connected to the external AC power source for converting AC power from the AC power source to a DC voltage for supplying DC
power to a condenser fan and an evaporator blower and other components such as a thermostat, temperature gauge, and other suitable components.
The evaporator section preferably comprises an evaporator coil and an evaporator blower. The evaporator blower may comprise a plurality of fans which are driven by an electric motor provided within the evaporator blower. The electric motor is preferably supplied with power by the alternator driven by the main driving device. If an auxiliary driving device is driving the drive system, a voltage transformer provides DC power to the refrigeration unit to drive the evaporator blower and the condensing fan, as well as, other components including a thermostat and temperature gauge.
The condensing section preferably comprises a condenser unit and at least one condenser fan. The condenser fan is preferably provided with a separate electric motor which can be driven by either the alternator or the power supplied from the voltage transformer.
The drive system described below requires fewer parts, weighs less, is easier to assemble and service and requires less space than conventional drive systems. The weight and space requirements of the inventive drive system are substantially reduced because only one drive belt is required and the plurality of mounting members SPEC~133659 2~62~~4 _8_ and vibration dampening devices required in conventional drive systems are unnecessary. Therefore, the weight and space requirements of the refrigeration unit are also reduced.
With this savings in space and weight, several advantages can be achieved in forming complete units such as a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit. For example, because the refrigeration unit drive system is relatively compact, there is more room in the unit housing. So instead of an evaporator blower for blowing the refrigerated air into a vehicle body being mounted in the vehicle body thereby unnecessarily taking up valuable payload or cargo space in the vehicle body, an evaporator blower of the evaporator section in the present invention can be mounted completely within the unit housing without protruding into the payload or cargo space of the vehicle body. Thus, an evaporator section, a condensing section and the refrigeration unit drive system can all be mounted within the unit housing. Also, the vehicle body including a trailer compartment and a cab compartment can be left undisturbed and the entire payload space of the vehicle body can be used. This allows for easier access and maintenance of the vehicle refrigeration unit.
Further, because the evaporator section and condensing section are driven by driving devices that are separate from the drive system, the drive system is more compact and does not extend throughout the entire refrigeration unit housing. Therefore, the condensing section and the evaporator section can be mounted relatively close to each other without being separated by a drive components for driving the evaporator and condenser. This adds to the compact nature of the refrigeration unit.
21 ~2~24 The drive system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a driving device such as a motor for driving at least one driven component. The driving device is a main driving device and may preferably be a diesel engine, a gasoline engine, a natural gas powered engine, an electric motor or other suitable driving device.
In addition, an auxiliary driving device for driving the at least one driven component may be provided for various uses such as a standby or back-up power source to be used when the main driving device is not operating and for other functions. It is preferred that the auxiliary driving device comprises an electric motor that is powered by a standard power source, such as a 220 Volt power source. The auxiliary driving device can be provided with a plug for connecting the auxiliary driving device with the standard power source.
If the auxiliary driving device is provided in the drive system, a clutch is preferably provided on a drive shaft of the main driving device. The clutch is used to engage a drive pulley mounted on the main driving device as desired. The clutch allows for disengagement of the main driving device to allow the drive system to be driven by the auxiliary driving device.
The clutch mounted on the driving shaft of the main driving device may comprise a conventional mechanical centrifugal clutch. However, it is preferred that the clutch comprise a relatively inexpensive, electromagnetic clutch which is adapted to be used with the inventive drive system. This type of inexpensive, electromagnetic clutch can be used with the inventive drive system because the drive system has a multi-drive SPEC~L33659 plate for supporting a clutch field coil in a precise relationship with other clutch components.
The electromagnetic clutch is mounted on a machined shaft which is connected to a driving shaft of the main driving device. An electromagnetic field coil is mounted on the multi-drive plate and centered precisely within a clutch rotator pulley. The clutch rotator pulley freely rotates and is not driven until the electromagnetic clutch field coil is activated to move the clutch drive plate into contact with the clutch rotator pulley to thereby drive the clutch rotator pulley and the at least one driven component.
The electromagnetic clutch is adapted to be engaged and disengaged at any speed and can be incorporated as a safety device to instantaneously stop driving of the driven components by disengaging the main driving device. The electromagnetic clutch field coil is attached. to a controller such as an oil pressure switch for automatic operation of the electromagnetic clutch or a control device that delays activation of the clutch until a predetermined speed of the main driving device has been reached.
If an auxiliary driving device is not included in the drive system, the electromagnetic clutch on the drive shaft of the main driving device is unnecessary and can be omitted. An auxiliary or dummy pulley may be provided at a location corresponding to the location where the auxiliary driving device would be mounted so that an auxiliary driving device can be provided in the drive system at a later date. The auxiliary or dummy pulley can be adapted to function as an idler pulley.
The drive system also includes at least one, and preferably a plurality of driven devices such as SPEC~133659 compressors, fans, generators, alternators, hydraulic pumps, water pumps, and other suitable driven devices.
Each of the driven devices has a shaft and a pulley mounted at an end of the shaft so that the driven devices can be powered by the main and/or auxiliary driving devices. The compressors and pumps preferably have a clutch, for example an electromagnetic clutch, for precise control of the driven components and to disengage these components during start-up of the driving device or as required.
The drive system further comprises a single drive belt that is driven by either the main driving device or the auxiliary driving device and is in contact with each of the pulleys of the driven devices and dummy pulleys. The single belt is arranged in a serpentine manner along the main and auxiliary driving devices and the driven devices. The serpentine arrangement of the belt allows a plurality of devices to be driven, as is known in automotive applications, for example.
The single serpentine belt is preferably tensioned by at least one tension pulley which is spring mounted so as to provide a constant, desired tension on the single serpentine belt. The tension pulley eliminates the need for adjusting the tension of the single serpentine belt. The spring-mounted tension pulley can be moved to a non-tensioning position by manually applying a force sufficient to overcome the force of the spring. Once the tension pulley is moved to the non-tensioning position, the single serpentine belt slips off of the drive system and can be easily replaced.
After a new belt is inserted on the various pulleys, the tension pulley is released to the tensioning position to again provide a desired tensioning force on the single serpentine belt.
Support for the drive system is provided by a machined multi-drive plate. Each of the main and auxiliary driving devices, the driven devices, the tension pulley and any dummy pulleys are mounted on the machined multi-drive plate and are thereby supported as an integral unit. The multi-drive plate allows each of the pulleys of the driving devices and driven devices and the tension and dummy pulleys to be accurately aligned relative to each other on the same side of the multi-drive plate so that the single serpentine belt moves along the pulleys in a straight path. The main and auxiliary driving devices and the driven devices are mounted on the same side of the multi-drive plate but on a side of the multi-drive plate that is opposite to the side of the multi-drive plate on which the pulleys and belt are mounted. The drive shafts of each of the main and auxiliary driving devices and the driven devices extend from the driving devices and the driven devices on the same side of the multi-drive plate through holes formed in the multi-drive plate to the other side of the multi-drive plate. Because the serpentine belt, the pulleys of the driving devices and the driven devices and the tension and dummy pulleys are located on the same side of the multi-drive plate, the serpentine belt is easily accessible to allow the serpentine belt to be replaced very quickly.
The serpentine belt can easily be replaced by moving the tensioning pulley to a non-tensioning position. The serpentine belt then slips off of the pulleys of the drive system and a new serpentine belt can be installed in seconds. The tensioning pulley is then S1'EC1133659 moved to a tensioning position and the drive system is ready for operation.
The multi-drive plate eliminates the need for a plurality of separate mounting and support devices for each of the driving and driven components. Also, since each of the driving and driven components are mounted on a single support as an integral unit, the drive system vibrates as a unit at a single frequency. Thus, only one vibration damping structure is needed for the entire drive system.
The multi-drive plate can be modified to add or remove driving devices, driven components, tension pulleys, and dummy pulleys, as needed. This allows the drive system to be used in a wide variety of applications.
The drive system of the present invention requires fewer parts, weighs less, is easier to assemble and service and requires less space than conventional drive systems. The weight and space requirements of the inventive drive system are substantially reduced because only one drive belt is required and the plurality of mounting members and vibration dampening devices required in conventional drive systems are unnecessary.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle refrigeration unit comprising:
a refrigeration unit housing;
a drive system;
at least one driver component connected to and driven by said driver system;
an evaporator section; and a condensing section; wherein the drive system, the evaporator section and the condensing section are each located within the refrigeration unit housing and the drive system is -13a-separate and spaced from the condensing section and the evaporator section.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drive system comprising:
at least one driving device;
at least one driven component driven by the at least one driving device;
a single belt operatively connected to the at least one driving device and the at least one driven member so that the belt is driven by the at least one driving device to drive the at least one driven component; and a support member supporting the at least one driving device, the at least one driven member, and the single belt so that the single belt is located on a first side of the support member and the at least one driving device and the at least one driven device are located on a second side of the support member.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a top view of a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
~ih2~24 Fig. 2 is a front view of the self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit shown in Fig. 1 with the condenser omitted for clarity; and Fig. 3 is a side view of the self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit shown in Fig. 1 with a main driving device omitted for clarity;
Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a drive system according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 5 is a top view of the drive system shown in Fig. 4 with the single drive belt omitted for clarity;
Fig. 6 is a detailed view of a preferred embodiment of an electromagnetic clutch provided in the drive system shown in Fig. 4; and Fig. 7 is a detailed view of a preferred embodiment of a shaft for mounting the clutch shown in Fig. 6.
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
A preferred embodiment of a vehicle refrigeration unit 100 is shown in Figs. 1-3. The vehicle refrigeration unit is provided in a unit housing or frame 110.
A refrigeration drive system 10 is provided in the housing 110. The drive system 10 is shown in Figs.
4-7 and will be described below. The drive system 10 includes a machined mufti-drive plate 12 for mounting a plurality of driving members and driven members. The mufti-drive plate 12 containing the driving and driven SPEC~133659 - .15 -members is installed as a unitary drive system in a frame for a unit such as a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit. A vibration dampening member (not shown), such as rubber cushions, may be provided between the multi-drive plate 12 and the unit frame 110 to prevent vibration from being transmitted from the multi-drive plate 12 to the unit frame 110.
The drive system 10 includes a main driving device 14 in the form of an engine powered by diesel fuel, gasoline, natural gas or electricity, etc. mounted on the multi-drive plate 12. The drive system 10 may also include an auxiliary driving device 22 in the form of an electric motor, for example. The drive system also includes at least one driven component 114 comprising at least one of a compressor, fan, generator, alternator, hydraulic pump, water pump, and other suitable driven devices. It is preferable that the drive system 10 has a plurality of driven components 114 mounted on the multi-drive plate and driven by the drive system 10.
The driven member 114 shown in Fig. 1 is a compressor for the vehicle refrigeration unit 100. The compressor has a pulley 114' mounted on a shaft that extends from the compressor 114 through the multi-drive plate 12. The compressor 114 also includes a clutch 116 for engaging and disengaging the compressor with the rest of the drive system 10 to control temperature and as a safety device when a compressor pressure falls outside of an acceptable range. The clutch 116 is preferably an electromagnetic clutch that can be activated at any time to engage or disengage the compressor pulley 114' with the drive system 10 for controlling temperature, as a safety device and as desired for other reasons. For example, activation of the compressor 114 may be delayed SPEC~133659 ~ 62~~4 - lfi -by a suitable controller until the main driving device 14 has reached a predetermined speed.
A plurality of other driven components can also be mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 as required and in a manner similar to the mounting of the compressor 114.
Each of the plurality of driven components and driving members have attached pulleys for being driven by and driving, respectively, a single drive belt 30 shown in Fig. 2.
A drive pulley 14' for the main driving device 14, a drive pulley 22' for the auxiliary driving device 22 and a drive pulley 114' for the compressor 114 are shown in Fig. 2. The drive pulleys 14', 22' and 114' are mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 in such a way that allows the pulleys 14', 22' and 114' to be precisely aligned with each other so as to be driven by the single drive belt 30. The size of each of the drive pulleys can be selected so that the main driving device 14 and auxiliary driving device 22 can be operated at an optimum speed while accommodating a required speed of a driven component, such as a generator to be operated at 1800 r.p.m. or 3600 r.p.m. while the main driving device is allowed to operate at an optimum speed of 2400 r.p.m., for example.
Each of the main driving device 14, the auxiliary driving device 22 and the plurality of driven members 114 are located on one side of the multi-drive plate 12 as seen in Fig. 1. A drive shaft for each of the above devices extends from the other side of the multi-drive plate 12 (the lower side in Fig. 1) where the main driving device 14, the auxiliary driving device 22 and the compressor 114 are located through the multi-drive plate 12 to the drive pulleys 14', 22' and 114' 21b2b24 located on the other side of the plate 12 (the upper side shown in Fig. 1).
Each of the drive pulleys 14', 22' and 114' are engaged by a single drive belt 30 shown in Fig.
2 which is driven by either the main driving device 14 or the auxiliary driving device 22 to drive each of the plurality of driven devices. The belt 30 is arranged on the pulleys of the main and auxiliary driving devices and each of the plurality of driven devices in a serpentine manner which allows the plurality of driven devices to be driven by a single belt. The mounting of the main driving device 14, the auxiliary driving device 22 and the compressor 114 on the multi-drive plate 12 allows the pulleys 14', 22' and 114' to be easily and accurately aligned relative to each 'other so that the belt 30 can rotate on the pulleys in a single plane without lateral movement of the belt 30 between pulleys.
The drive system also includes at least one tension pulley 32 for maintaining tension in the driving belt 30. The tension pulley 32 is preferably spring-loaded by a spring 33 to a tensioning position to maintain a desired tensioning force in the belt 30.
Because the tension pulley 32 is spring-loaded and maintains the desired tension force in the belt 30, adjustment of the belt tension is unnecessary. The spring loading of the tension pulley is such that the tension pulley 32 can be moved in the direction of arrow A from a tensioning to a non-tensioning position to allow for easy replacement of the belt. More specifically, a manual force can be applied to tension pulley 32 in a direction opposite to the biasing direction of the spring 33 to move the tension pulley 32 to a non-tensioning position. The belt 30 can then be removed from the drive SPP~C1133659 system and a new belt can be mounted thereon in a matter of seconds. The tension pulley 32 is then moved to a tensioning position by removing the manual force and allowing the spring 33 to bias the tension pulley 32.
The main driving device 12 may preferably have a pulley 12' which can be connected to a pulley 22 of an alternator 20 via a belt 24. Alternatively, the alternator 20 may be provided on the multi-drive plate 12 in a manner similar to the other driven components 114.
The alternator 20 can be used to supply DC power to an evaporator blower and a condenser fan to be described in the following paragraphs.
The main driving device 12 may also be connected to a fan 113 for a radiator 112. The fan 113 can be directly connected to one end of a drive shaft of the driving device 112.
The auxiliary driving device 22 preferably comprises an electric motor. The pulley 22' for the auxiliary drive device 22 is mounted on a shaft that extends from the auxiliary drive device 22 through the multi-drive plate 12. If the drive system is provided with an auxiliary drive device 22, a clutch 15 is preferably mounted on the shaft of the main driving device 14. The clutch 15 may comprise a mechanical centrifugal clutch or an electromagnetic clutch. An electromagnetic clutch is preferred.
The components of such an electromagnetic clutch 15 are described below and shown in Fig. 6.
A voltage transformer 23 is preferably provided for converting input AC power to a DC voltage for supplying power to an evaporator blower and a condenser fan to be described in the following paragraphs. The voltage transformer 23 can also supply power to a SPEC~133659 ~16~~~4 thermostat, a temperature gauge and other suitable components. The voltage transformer 23 receives input AC
power from the external power source and supplies output DC power when the auxiliary driving device 22 is driving the drive system 10.
If an auxiliary driving device 22 is not provided in the drive assembly, the clutch 15 is unnecessary and can be omitted. A drive pulley can be provided in place of the clutch 15 and attached to the main driving device 14 so that the drive pulley is rotated when the main driving device 14 is operating. In addition, if the drive system is formed without an auxiliary driving device 22, a dummy pulley can located in its place so that the auxiliary driving device can be added at a later date. Also, the clutch 15 can be easily mounted onto the drive shaft of the main driving device 14 if an auxiliary driving device is added.
With the drive system to be describe below, a substantial savings in space required for a power plant is achieved. This leads to installations which can be miniaturized and allows for other components of an installation to be housed within a unit housing.
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the vehicle refrigeration unit 100 includes the radiator 112, the radiator fan 113, the main driving device 12, the alternator 20, the auxiliary driving device 14, the clutch 15 mounted on the drive shaft of the main driving device 12, a compressor 114 including a clutch 116 mounted thereon, an evaporator section having an evaporator coil 118 and at least one evaporator blower 119 and a condensing section having a condenser unit 120 and at least one condenser fan 122.
SPEC~133659 ~~62624 In the preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 1-3, two condensing fans 122 and two evaporator blowers 119 are shown. However, one or more condensing fans and evaporator blowers may be used, as needed.
Each of the pair of condensing fans 122 and the evaporator blowers 119 may have an internal power device such as an electric motor (not shown). The electric motors are electrically connected to the electrical system of the unit and may receive power from the vehicle battery or voltage transformer 23. The electric motors of the condensing fans and the evaporator blowers may also be electrically connected to the voltage transformer 23 which receives AC power from the external AC power source and converts the AC power to DC voltage for driving the evaporator blowers and condensing fans.
Because the drive system 10 is so compact and requires a relatively small amount of space, the drive system 10 can be mounted within the frame 110 with the evaporator coil 118, the evaporator blowers 119, the condenser 120 and the condenser fans 122. Also, the compactness of the drive system allows for the evaporator coil 118 and evaporator blowers 119 to be mounted so as to not protrude into the cargo or payload space in a vehicle body as seen in Fig. 3. The provision of separate electric motors in each of the evaporator blowers 119 and the condensing fans 122 allows the evaporator section and the condensing section to be located relatively close to each other to increase the compactness of the refrigeration unit.
The evaporator blowers 119 are mounted within the frame 110 and outside of the vehicle body 140 so that discharge air DA is transmitted from the blowers 119 through an opening in the frame 110 and expelled into the SPF.C~133659 vehicle body. The discharge air DA is guided by an air flow guide 125 so that the air exits into the vehicle body. The return air RA is received through another opening in the vehicle body and frame 110 and into the evaporator coil 118.
The evaporator coil 118 is positioned within the frame 110 at an angle A of about 25 to 90 degrees, and preferably 60 degrees, relative to a bottom surface of the frame 110. Preferably, the evaporator blowers 119 are preferably arranged to be substantially parallel to the evaporator coil 118 to improve airflow through the evaporator section. Also, to facilitate proper air flow, the flow guide 125 redirects the input air flow by about a 180 degree turn so that the air flow to the opening in the vehicle body is increased as shown in Fig. 3.
The condensing section receives air from an opening in the front of the unit frame 110 and outputs the air from the condensing fans 122. Because the frame 110 is open on the top portion thereof, the air from the condensing fans 122 can exit through the top of the frame 110 as shown in Fig. 3.
Although the preferred embodiment has been described with reference to a vehicle refrigeration unit, several alternative installations are contemplated.
Other installations, such as an air conditioning unit for a building, stand-alone power plants used in marine and remote area environments, and other suitable systems, can be miniaturized and arranged so that a plurality of components forming the installation are housed within a single unit.
A preferred embodiment of a drive system 10 is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The drive system 10 preferably includes a machined multi-drive plate 12 for mounting at SPEC~133659 least one driving member and at least one driven member to be described below. The multi-drive plate 12 containing the driving and driven members is installed as a unitary drive system in a frame for a unit such as a self-contained truck refrigeration unit, for example.
Vibration dampening members (not shown), such as rubber cushions, may be located between the drive system 10 and the unit frame to prevent vibration from being transmitted from the drive system to the unit.
The drive system 10 includes a main driving device 14 in the form of an engine powered by diesel fuel, gasoline, natural gas, electricity, etc. mounted on and attached to the multi-drive plate 12. The drive system 10 may also include an auxiliary driving device 22 in the form of an electric motor, for example. The drive system also includes at least one driven component 16 comprising at least one of a compressor, fan, generator, alternator, hydraulic pump, water pump, and other suitable driven devices. It is preferable that the drive system 10 have a plurality of driven components 16 mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 and driven by the drive system 10.
The driven member 16 shown in Fig. 4 is a compressor for a self-contained truck refrigeration unit.
The compressor has a pulley 16' mounted on a shaft that extends from the compressor 16 through the multi-drive plate 12. The compressor 16 also includes an integral clutch 16 " for engaging and disengaging the compressor with the rest of the drive system 10 to control temperature and as a safety device when a compressor pressure falls outside of an acceptable range. The clutch 16 " is preferably an electromagnetic clutch that can be activated at any time to engage or disengage the 2i62b24 compressor pulley 16' with the drive system 10 for controlling temperature, as a safety device and as desired for other reasons. For example, activation of the compressor 16 may be delayed by a suitable controller until the main driving device 14 has reached a predetermined speed.
A plurality of other driven components can also be mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 as required and in a manner similar to the mounting of the compressor 16.
Each of the plurality of driven components are driven by a single drive belt to be described later.
A drive pulley 14' for the main driving device 14, a drive pulley 22' for the auxiliary driving device 22 and a drive pulley 16' for the driven member 16 are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The drive pulleys 14', 16' and 22' are mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 in such a way that allows the pulleys 14', 16' and 22' to be precisely aligned with each other so as to be driven by the single drive belt. The size of each of the drive pulleys can be selected so that the main driving device 14 and auxiliary driving device 22 can be operated at an optimum speed while accommodating a required speed of a driven component, such as a generator to be operated at 1800 r.p.m. or 3600 r.p.m. while the main driving device is allowed to operate at an optimum speed of 2400 r.p.m., for example.
Each of the main driving device 14, the auxiliary driving device 22 and the plurality of driven members 16 are located behind the multi-drive plate shown in Fig. 4 as seen in Fig. 5. A drive shaft for each of the above devices extends from the other side of the multi-drive plate 12 (the right hand side in Fig. 5) where the main driving device 14, the auxiliary driving 2i62b24 device 22 and the plurality of driven members 16 are located through the multi-drive plate 12 to the drive pulleys 14', 16', and 22' located on the outer side of the plate 12 (the left hand side shown in Fig. 5).
Each of the drive pulleys 14', 16' and 22' are engaged by a single drive belt 30 shown in Fig. 4 which is driven by either the main driving device 14 or the auxiliary driving device 22 to drive each of the plurality of driven devices. The belt 30 is arranged on the pulleys of the main and auxiliary driving devices and each of the plurality of driven devices in a serpentine manner which allows the plurality of driven devices to be driven by the single belt 30. The mounting of the main driving device 14, the auxiliary driving device 22 and the driven devices 16 on the multi-drive plate 12 allows the pulleys 14', 16' and 22' to be easily and accurately aligned relative to each other so that the belt 30 can rotate on the pulleys in a single plane without lateral movement of the belt 30 between pulleys 14', 16' and 22'.
The drive system also includes at least one tension pulley 32 for maintaining tension in the driving belt 30. The tension pulley 32 is preferably spring-loaded by a spring 33 to a tensioning position to maintain a desired tensioning force in the belt 30.
Because the tension pulley 32 is spring-loaded and maintains the desired tension force in the belt 30, adjustment of the belt tension is unnecessary. The spring loading of the tension pulley is such that the tension pulley 32 can be moved in the direction of arrow A from a tensioning to a non-tensioning position to allow for easy replacement of the belt. More specifically, a manual force can be applied to tension pulley 32 in a direction opposite to the biasing direction of the spring ~16~6~4 33 to move the tension pulley 32 to a non-tensioning position. The belt 30 can then be removed from the drive system and a new belt can be mounted thereon in a matter of seconds. The tension pulley 32 is then moved to a tensioning position by removing the manual force and allowing the spring 33 to bias the tension pulley 32.
The auxiliary driving device 22 preferably comprises an electric motor. The pulley 22' for the auxiliary drive device 22 is mounted on a shaft that extends from the auxiliary drive device 22 through the multi-drive plate 12. If the drive system is provided with an auxiliary driving device 22, a clutch 15 is preferably mounted on the shaft of the main driving device 14. The clutch 15 may comprise a mechanical centrifugal clutch or an electromagnetic clutch. An electromagnetic-clutch is preferred.
The components of such an electromagnetic clutch 15 are shown in Fig. 6. The clutch includes an electromagnetic field coil 154 is mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 as shown in Fig. 5 so as to be stationary.
The electromagnetic field coil 154 is mounted in such a way as to be precisely centered around a clutch drive shaft 160 shown in Figs. 2 and 4 which is attached to a drive shaft of the main driving device l4. The electromagnetic field coil 154 is mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 so as to not contact the drive shaft 160.
The clutch drive shaft 160 extends from the main driving device 14 and its driving shaft through the electromagnetic field coil 154 and through a clutch rotator pulley 150. Precise machining of the shaft 160 allows the clutch rotator pulley 150 to be located at a fixed, desired position relative to the field coil 154.
The clutch rotator pulley 150 has an integral bearing 152 SPEC~133659 2162~2~
which is firmly mounted on the drive shaft 160 at a location 162 in such a manner to allow the drive shaft 160 to freely rotate within the pulley 150 without causing the pulley 150 to rotate when the electromagnetic field coil 154 has not been activated.
Also positioned at the end of the clutch shaft 160 is a clutch drive plate 156 in such a manner that the clutch drive plate 156 is spaced from the rotator pulley 150 by a fixed, desired distance. The clutch drive plate 156 can be attracted into contact with the clutch rotator pulley 150 to drive the pulley 150 by the electromagnetic field created when the field coil 154 is energized. The pulley 150 is driven with the drive shaft 160, thereby driving the belt 30.
The clutch shaft 160 is more clearly shown in Fig. 7. The clutch shaft 160 is precisely machined to accept the clutch rotator pulley 150 and integral bearing 152 and the clutch drive plate 156 at desired positions on the shaft 160. The multi-drive plate 12 serves as a unit support structure for supporting the electromagnetic field coil 154 in a desired, fixed position relative to the other components of the clutch assembly which is fixed to the main driving device 14 via the drive shaft 160.
The operation of the clutch 15 is as follows.
When the electromagnetic field coil 154 is not activated, the drive plate 156 is spaced from the rotator pulley 150 and the bearing 152 allows the drive shaft 160 to freely rotate within the drive pulley 150 so that the pulley 150 does not drive the belt 30. Upon activation of the electromagnetic field coil 154, the drive plate 156 is drawn into engagement with the rotator pulley 150 so that the pulley 150 is driven at the speed of the main driving device 12 by the drive shaft 160 thereby driving the belt 30.
The field coil 154 can be attached to a controller (not shown) for controlling activation of the clutch 15. The controller can comprise an oil pressure switch for automatically activating the clutch 15 when oil pressure is present in the main driving device 14.
Alternatively, the controller may comprise a delay switch that delays activation of the clutch 15 until a predetermined speed of the main driving device 14 has been reached.
If an auxiliary driving device 22 is not provided in the drive assembly, the clutch 15 is unnecessary and can be omitted. A drive pulley can be provided in place of the clutch 15 and attached to the main driving device 14 so that the drive pulley is rotated when the main driving device 14 is operating. In addition, if the drive system is formed without an auxiliary driving device 22, a dummy pulley can located in its place so that the auxiliary driving device can be added at a later date. Also, the clutch 15 can be easily mounted onto the drive shaft of the main driving device 14 if an auxiliary driving device is added.
Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.
SPF:C~133659
There are several disadvantages associated with the conventional drive systems described above. First, the construction of such a drive system is complicated because each of the plurality of belts must be mounted on a plurality of pulleys. Then, each of the belts must be properly tensioned and adjusted. Any one of these belts can break due to wear or become loosened during operation of the drive system. Also, the desired tension in each of the belts is difficult to maintain and frequent adjustment of the tension of the belts is necessary.
The plurality of pulleys and belts used to connect driven devices to a driving device requires an elaborate frame for supporting the drive system. The mounting of the driven components and driving members usually requires the use of brackets, struts, braces, etc. Such support structures increase the difficulty in assembling the conventional drive systems and often prevent access to the belts. Therefore, the support structures may have to be removed to service the belts or other components. In addition, because the driven components are mounted via independent mounting devices and vibrate at different frequencies, a separate vibration damping member is usually required for each driven component and driving member which increases costs and assembly time. Also, the driven components are often installed on both sides of the belts where access to the SPEG~133659 ~i _5_ belts is obstructed so that replacement of the belts requires removal of some of the driven components.
Further, the complicated mounting of the driving devices and driven components makes it difficult to align the pulleys of each of the driving devices and driven components.
Thus, there exists a need for a more easily accessible drive system for driving at least one driven component without the need for a plurality of driving belts located in between a driving device and the driven component. There is also a need for a drive s=ystem that is easier to assemble and repair than conventional drive systems and that can be applied to a variety o:E different applications.
Thus, there exists a need for a more compact vehicle refrigeration unit having a simple drive system and that is mounted within a single housing so as to noi= protrude into a payload or cargo space of a vehicle body.
It is an object of an aspect of the present invention to provide a vehicle refrigeration unit that overcomes the disadvantages of conventional vehicle refrigeration units discussed above.
Accordingly, in one of its aspects, the present invention provides a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit including a refrigeration unit housing, a refrigeration unit drive system having a driving device that is separate from a driving device for a vehicle on which the refrigeration unit is mounted, an evaporator section and a condensing section, wherein the drive system, the evaporator section and the condensing section are mounted within the unit housing.
The driving device, described along with the drive system in the following paragraphs, for the vehicle refrigeration unit may preferably comprise a diesel engine, a gasoline engine, a natural gas powered engine, an electric motor or other suitable driving device. The driving device is preferably separate from the driving device or engine for a vehicle on which the refrigeration unit is mounted. The driving device for the vehicle refrigeration unit is mounted in the unit housing.
The driving device may preferably be connected to and drive an alternator and a fan for a radiator. The fan is preferably connected to the drive shaft of the driving device at an end of the driving device that is opposite to the end of the drive shaft of the driving device that drives the driven components. The alternator may either be located at the same end as the fan and driven by a belt or maybe located at the same end as the other driven components and be driven by the same belt that drives the other driven components.
In addition, an auxiliary driving device may be provided for various uses such as a standby or back-up power source to be used when the main driving device is not operating and for other functions. It is preferred that the auxiliary driving device comprises an electric motor that is powered by a standard AC power source, such as a 220 volt power source. The auxiliary driving device can be provided with a plug for connecting the auxiliary driving device with the standard power source. Also, a voltage transformer is preferably provided and connected to the external AC power source for converting AC power from the AC power source to a DC voltage for supplying DC
power to a condenser fan and an evaporator blower and other components such as a thermostat, temperature gauge, and other suitable components.
The evaporator section preferably comprises an evaporator coil and an evaporator blower. The evaporator blower may comprise a plurality of fans which are driven by an electric motor provided within the evaporator blower. The electric motor is preferably supplied with power by the alternator driven by the main driving device. If an auxiliary driving device is driving the drive system, a voltage transformer provides DC power to the refrigeration unit to drive the evaporator blower and the condensing fan, as well as, other components including a thermostat and temperature gauge.
The condensing section preferably comprises a condenser unit and at least one condenser fan. The condenser fan is preferably provided with a separate electric motor which can be driven by either the alternator or the power supplied from the voltage transformer.
The drive system described below requires fewer parts, weighs less, is easier to assemble and service and requires less space than conventional drive systems. The weight and space requirements of the inventive drive system are substantially reduced because only one drive belt is required and the plurality of mounting members SPEC~133659 2~62~~4 _8_ and vibration dampening devices required in conventional drive systems are unnecessary. Therefore, the weight and space requirements of the refrigeration unit are also reduced.
With this savings in space and weight, several advantages can be achieved in forming complete units such as a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit. For example, because the refrigeration unit drive system is relatively compact, there is more room in the unit housing. So instead of an evaporator blower for blowing the refrigerated air into a vehicle body being mounted in the vehicle body thereby unnecessarily taking up valuable payload or cargo space in the vehicle body, an evaporator blower of the evaporator section in the present invention can be mounted completely within the unit housing without protruding into the payload or cargo space of the vehicle body. Thus, an evaporator section, a condensing section and the refrigeration unit drive system can all be mounted within the unit housing. Also, the vehicle body including a trailer compartment and a cab compartment can be left undisturbed and the entire payload space of the vehicle body can be used. This allows for easier access and maintenance of the vehicle refrigeration unit.
Further, because the evaporator section and condensing section are driven by driving devices that are separate from the drive system, the drive system is more compact and does not extend throughout the entire refrigeration unit housing. Therefore, the condensing section and the evaporator section can be mounted relatively close to each other without being separated by a drive components for driving the evaporator and condenser. This adds to the compact nature of the refrigeration unit.
21 ~2~24 The drive system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a driving device such as a motor for driving at least one driven component. The driving device is a main driving device and may preferably be a diesel engine, a gasoline engine, a natural gas powered engine, an electric motor or other suitable driving device.
In addition, an auxiliary driving device for driving the at least one driven component may be provided for various uses such as a standby or back-up power source to be used when the main driving device is not operating and for other functions. It is preferred that the auxiliary driving device comprises an electric motor that is powered by a standard power source, such as a 220 Volt power source. The auxiliary driving device can be provided with a plug for connecting the auxiliary driving device with the standard power source.
If the auxiliary driving device is provided in the drive system, a clutch is preferably provided on a drive shaft of the main driving device. The clutch is used to engage a drive pulley mounted on the main driving device as desired. The clutch allows for disengagement of the main driving device to allow the drive system to be driven by the auxiliary driving device.
The clutch mounted on the driving shaft of the main driving device may comprise a conventional mechanical centrifugal clutch. However, it is preferred that the clutch comprise a relatively inexpensive, electromagnetic clutch which is adapted to be used with the inventive drive system. This type of inexpensive, electromagnetic clutch can be used with the inventive drive system because the drive system has a multi-drive SPEC~L33659 plate for supporting a clutch field coil in a precise relationship with other clutch components.
The electromagnetic clutch is mounted on a machined shaft which is connected to a driving shaft of the main driving device. An electromagnetic field coil is mounted on the multi-drive plate and centered precisely within a clutch rotator pulley. The clutch rotator pulley freely rotates and is not driven until the electromagnetic clutch field coil is activated to move the clutch drive plate into contact with the clutch rotator pulley to thereby drive the clutch rotator pulley and the at least one driven component.
The electromagnetic clutch is adapted to be engaged and disengaged at any speed and can be incorporated as a safety device to instantaneously stop driving of the driven components by disengaging the main driving device. The electromagnetic clutch field coil is attached. to a controller such as an oil pressure switch for automatic operation of the electromagnetic clutch or a control device that delays activation of the clutch until a predetermined speed of the main driving device has been reached.
If an auxiliary driving device is not included in the drive system, the electromagnetic clutch on the drive shaft of the main driving device is unnecessary and can be omitted. An auxiliary or dummy pulley may be provided at a location corresponding to the location where the auxiliary driving device would be mounted so that an auxiliary driving device can be provided in the drive system at a later date. The auxiliary or dummy pulley can be adapted to function as an idler pulley.
The drive system also includes at least one, and preferably a plurality of driven devices such as SPEC~133659 compressors, fans, generators, alternators, hydraulic pumps, water pumps, and other suitable driven devices.
Each of the driven devices has a shaft and a pulley mounted at an end of the shaft so that the driven devices can be powered by the main and/or auxiliary driving devices. The compressors and pumps preferably have a clutch, for example an electromagnetic clutch, for precise control of the driven components and to disengage these components during start-up of the driving device or as required.
The drive system further comprises a single drive belt that is driven by either the main driving device or the auxiliary driving device and is in contact with each of the pulleys of the driven devices and dummy pulleys. The single belt is arranged in a serpentine manner along the main and auxiliary driving devices and the driven devices. The serpentine arrangement of the belt allows a plurality of devices to be driven, as is known in automotive applications, for example.
The single serpentine belt is preferably tensioned by at least one tension pulley which is spring mounted so as to provide a constant, desired tension on the single serpentine belt. The tension pulley eliminates the need for adjusting the tension of the single serpentine belt. The spring-mounted tension pulley can be moved to a non-tensioning position by manually applying a force sufficient to overcome the force of the spring. Once the tension pulley is moved to the non-tensioning position, the single serpentine belt slips off of the drive system and can be easily replaced.
After a new belt is inserted on the various pulleys, the tension pulley is released to the tensioning position to again provide a desired tensioning force on the single serpentine belt.
Support for the drive system is provided by a machined multi-drive plate. Each of the main and auxiliary driving devices, the driven devices, the tension pulley and any dummy pulleys are mounted on the machined multi-drive plate and are thereby supported as an integral unit. The multi-drive plate allows each of the pulleys of the driving devices and driven devices and the tension and dummy pulleys to be accurately aligned relative to each other on the same side of the multi-drive plate so that the single serpentine belt moves along the pulleys in a straight path. The main and auxiliary driving devices and the driven devices are mounted on the same side of the multi-drive plate but on a side of the multi-drive plate that is opposite to the side of the multi-drive plate on which the pulleys and belt are mounted. The drive shafts of each of the main and auxiliary driving devices and the driven devices extend from the driving devices and the driven devices on the same side of the multi-drive plate through holes formed in the multi-drive plate to the other side of the multi-drive plate. Because the serpentine belt, the pulleys of the driving devices and the driven devices and the tension and dummy pulleys are located on the same side of the multi-drive plate, the serpentine belt is easily accessible to allow the serpentine belt to be replaced very quickly.
The serpentine belt can easily be replaced by moving the tensioning pulley to a non-tensioning position. The serpentine belt then slips off of the pulleys of the drive system and a new serpentine belt can be installed in seconds. The tensioning pulley is then S1'EC1133659 moved to a tensioning position and the drive system is ready for operation.
The multi-drive plate eliminates the need for a plurality of separate mounting and support devices for each of the driving and driven components. Also, since each of the driving and driven components are mounted on a single support as an integral unit, the drive system vibrates as a unit at a single frequency. Thus, only one vibration damping structure is needed for the entire drive system.
The multi-drive plate can be modified to add or remove driving devices, driven components, tension pulleys, and dummy pulleys, as needed. This allows the drive system to be used in a wide variety of applications.
The drive system of the present invention requires fewer parts, weighs less, is easier to assemble and service and requires less space than conventional drive systems. The weight and space requirements of the inventive drive system are substantially reduced because only one drive belt is required and the plurality of mounting members and vibration dampening devices required in conventional drive systems are unnecessary.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle refrigeration unit comprising:
a refrigeration unit housing;
a drive system;
at least one driver component connected to and driven by said driver system;
an evaporator section; and a condensing section; wherein the drive system, the evaporator section and the condensing section are each located within the refrigeration unit housing and the drive system is -13a-separate and spaced from the condensing section and the evaporator section.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drive system comprising:
at least one driving device;
at least one driven component driven by the at least one driving device;
a single belt operatively connected to the at least one driving device and the at least one driven member so that the belt is driven by the at least one driving device to drive the at least one driven component; and a support member supporting the at least one driving device, the at least one driven member, and the single belt so that the single belt is located on a first side of the support member and the at least one driving device and the at least one driven device are located on a second side of the support member.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a top view of a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
~ih2~24 Fig. 2 is a front view of the self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit shown in Fig. 1 with the condenser omitted for clarity; and Fig. 3 is a side view of the self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit shown in Fig. 1 with a main driving device omitted for clarity;
Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a drive system according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 5 is a top view of the drive system shown in Fig. 4 with the single drive belt omitted for clarity;
Fig. 6 is a detailed view of a preferred embodiment of an electromagnetic clutch provided in the drive system shown in Fig. 4; and Fig. 7 is a detailed view of a preferred embodiment of a shaft for mounting the clutch shown in Fig. 6.
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
A preferred embodiment of a vehicle refrigeration unit 100 is shown in Figs. 1-3. The vehicle refrigeration unit is provided in a unit housing or frame 110.
A refrigeration drive system 10 is provided in the housing 110. The drive system 10 is shown in Figs.
4-7 and will be described below. The drive system 10 includes a machined mufti-drive plate 12 for mounting a plurality of driving members and driven members. The mufti-drive plate 12 containing the driving and driven SPEC~133659 - .15 -members is installed as a unitary drive system in a frame for a unit such as a self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit. A vibration dampening member (not shown), such as rubber cushions, may be provided between the multi-drive plate 12 and the unit frame 110 to prevent vibration from being transmitted from the multi-drive plate 12 to the unit frame 110.
The drive system 10 includes a main driving device 14 in the form of an engine powered by diesel fuel, gasoline, natural gas or electricity, etc. mounted on the multi-drive plate 12. The drive system 10 may also include an auxiliary driving device 22 in the form of an electric motor, for example. The drive system also includes at least one driven component 114 comprising at least one of a compressor, fan, generator, alternator, hydraulic pump, water pump, and other suitable driven devices. It is preferable that the drive system 10 has a plurality of driven components 114 mounted on the multi-drive plate and driven by the drive system 10.
The driven member 114 shown in Fig. 1 is a compressor for the vehicle refrigeration unit 100. The compressor has a pulley 114' mounted on a shaft that extends from the compressor 114 through the multi-drive plate 12. The compressor 114 also includes a clutch 116 for engaging and disengaging the compressor with the rest of the drive system 10 to control temperature and as a safety device when a compressor pressure falls outside of an acceptable range. The clutch 116 is preferably an electromagnetic clutch that can be activated at any time to engage or disengage the compressor pulley 114' with the drive system 10 for controlling temperature, as a safety device and as desired for other reasons. For example, activation of the compressor 114 may be delayed SPEC~133659 ~ 62~~4 - lfi -by a suitable controller until the main driving device 14 has reached a predetermined speed.
A plurality of other driven components can also be mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 as required and in a manner similar to the mounting of the compressor 114.
Each of the plurality of driven components and driving members have attached pulleys for being driven by and driving, respectively, a single drive belt 30 shown in Fig. 2.
A drive pulley 14' for the main driving device 14, a drive pulley 22' for the auxiliary driving device 22 and a drive pulley 114' for the compressor 114 are shown in Fig. 2. The drive pulleys 14', 22' and 114' are mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 in such a way that allows the pulleys 14', 22' and 114' to be precisely aligned with each other so as to be driven by the single drive belt 30. The size of each of the drive pulleys can be selected so that the main driving device 14 and auxiliary driving device 22 can be operated at an optimum speed while accommodating a required speed of a driven component, such as a generator to be operated at 1800 r.p.m. or 3600 r.p.m. while the main driving device is allowed to operate at an optimum speed of 2400 r.p.m., for example.
Each of the main driving device 14, the auxiliary driving device 22 and the plurality of driven members 114 are located on one side of the multi-drive plate 12 as seen in Fig. 1. A drive shaft for each of the above devices extends from the other side of the multi-drive plate 12 (the lower side in Fig. 1) where the main driving device 14, the auxiliary driving device 22 and the compressor 114 are located through the multi-drive plate 12 to the drive pulleys 14', 22' and 114' 21b2b24 located on the other side of the plate 12 (the upper side shown in Fig. 1).
Each of the drive pulleys 14', 22' and 114' are engaged by a single drive belt 30 shown in Fig.
2 which is driven by either the main driving device 14 or the auxiliary driving device 22 to drive each of the plurality of driven devices. The belt 30 is arranged on the pulleys of the main and auxiliary driving devices and each of the plurality of driven devices in a serpentine manner which allows the plurality of driven devices to be driven by a single belt. The mounting of the main driving device 14, the auxiliary driving device 22 and the compressor 114 on the multi-drive plate 12 allows the pulleys 14', 22' and 114' to be easily and accurately aligned relative to each 'other so that the belt 30 can rotate on the pulleys in a single plane without lateral movement of the belt 30 between pulleys.
The drive system also includes at least one tension pulley 32 for maintaining tension in the driving belt 30. The tension pulley 32 is preferably spring-loaded by a spring 33 to a tensioning position to maintain a desired tensioning force in the belt 30.
Because the tension pulley 32 is spring-loaded and maintains the desired tension force in the belt 30, adjustment of the belt tension is unnecessary. The spring loading of the tension pulley is such that the tension pulley 32 can be moved in the direction of arrow A from a tensioning to a non-tensioning position to allow for easy replacement of the belt. More specifically, a manual force can be applied to tension pulley 32 in a direction opposite to the biasing direction of the spring 33 to move the tension pulley 32 to a non-tensioning position. The belt 30 can then be removed from the drive SPP~C1133659 system and a new belt can be mounted thereon in a matter of seconds. The tension pulley 32 is then moved to a tensioning position by removing the manual force and allowing the spring 33 to bias the tension pulley 32.
The main driving device 12 may preferably have a pulley 12' which can be connected to a pulley 22 of an alternator 20 via a belt 24. Alternatively, the alternator 20 may be provided on the multi-drive plate 12 in a manner similar to the other driven components 114.
The alternator 20 can be used to supply DC power to an evaporator blower and a condenser fan to be described in the following paragraphs.
The main driving device 12 may also be connected to a fan 113 for a radiator 112. The fan 113 can be directly connected to one end of a drive shaft of the driving device 112.
The auxiliary driving device 22 preferably comprises an electric motor. The pulley 22' for the auxiliary drive device 22 is mounted on a shaft that extends from the auxiliary drive device 22 through the multi-drive plate 12. If the drive system is provided with an auxiliary drive device 22, a clutch 15 is preferably mounted on the shaft of the main driving device 14. The clutch 15 may comprise a mechanical centrifugal clutch or an electromagnetic clutch. An electromagnetic clutch is preferred.
The components of such an electromagnetic clutch 15 are described below and shown in Fig. 6.
A voltage transformer 23 is preferably provided for converting input AC power to a DC voltage for supplying power to an evaporator blower and a condenser fan to be described in the following paragraphs. The voltage transformer 23 can also supply power to a SPEC~133659 ~16~~~4 thermostat, a temperature gauge and other suitable components. The voltage transformer 23 receives input AC
power from the external power source and supplies output DC power when the auxiliary driving device 22 is driving the drive system 10.
If an auxiliary driving device 22 is not provided in the drive assembly, the clutch 15 is unnecessary and can be omitted. A drive pulley can be provided in place of the clutch 15 and attached to the main driving device 14 so that the drive pulley is rotated when the main driving device 14 is operating. In addition, if the drive system is formed without an auxiliary driving device 22, a dummy pulley can located in its place so that the auxiliary driving device can be added at a later date. Also, the clutch 15 can be easily mounted onto the drive shaft of the main driving device 14 if an auxiliary driving device is added.
With the drive system to be describe below, a substantial savings in space required for a power plant is achieved. This leads to installations which can be miniaturized and allows for other components of an installation to be housed within a unit housing.
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the vehicle refrigeration unit 100 includes the radiator 112, the radiator fan 113, the main driving device 12, the alternator 20, the auxiliary driving device 14, the clutch 15 mounted on the drive shaft of the main driving device 12, a compressor 114 including a clutch 116 mounted thereon, an evaporator section having an evaporator coil 118 and at least one evaporator blower 119 and a condensing section having a condenser unit 120 and at least one condenser fan 122.
SPEC~133659 ~~62624 In the preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 1-3, two condensing fans 122 and two evaporator blowers 119 are shown. However, one or more condensing fans and evaporator blowers may be used, as needed.
Each of the pair of condensing fans 122 and the evaporator blowers 119 may have an internal power device such as an electric motor (not shown). The electric motors are electrically connected to the electrical system of the unit and may receive power from the vehicle battery or voltage transformer 23. The electric motors of the condensing fans and the evaporator blowers may also be electrically connected to the voltage transformer 23 which receives AC power from the external AC power source and converts the AC power to DC voltage for driving the evaporator blowers and condensing fans.
Because the drive system 10 is so compact and requires a relatively small amount of space, the drive system 10 can be mounted within the frame 110 with the evaporator coil 118, the evaporator blowers 119, the condenser 120 and the condenser fans 122. Also, the compactness of the drive system allows for the evaporator coil 118 and evaporator blowers 119 to be mounted so as to not protrude into the cargo or payload space in a vehicle body as seen in Fig. 3. The provision of separate electric motors in each of the evaporator blowers 119 and the condensing fans 122 allows the evaporator section and the condensing section to be located relatively close to each other to increase the compactness of the refrigeration unit.
The evaporator blowers 119 are mounted within the frame 110 and outside of the vehicle body 140 so that discharge air DA is transmitted from the blowers 119 through an opening in the frame 110 and expelled into the SPF.C~133659 vehicle body. The discharge air DA is guided by an air flow guide 125 so that the air exits into the vehicle body. The return air RA is received through another opening in the vehicle body and frame 110 and into the evaporator coil 118.
The evaporator coil 118 is positioned within the frame 110 at an angle A of about 25 to 90 degrees, and preferably 60 degrees, relative to a bottom surface of the frame 110. Preferably, the evaporator blowers 119 are preferably arranged to be substantially parallel to the evaporator coil 118 to improve airflow through the evaporator section. Also, to facilitate proper air flow, the flow guide 125 redirects the input air flow by about a 180 degree turn so that the air flow to the opening in the vehicle body is increased as shown in Fig. 3.
The condensing section receives air from an opening in the front of the unit frame 110 and outputs the air from the condensing fans 122. Because the frame 110 is open on the top portion thereof, the air from the condensing fans 122 can exit through the top of the frame 110 as shown in Fig. 3.
Although the preferred embodiment has been described with reference to a vehicle refrigeration unit, several alternative installations are contemplated.
Other installations, such as an air conditioning unit for a building, stand-alone power plants used in marine and remote area environments, and other suitable systems, can be miniaturized and arranged so that a plurality of components forming the installation are housed within a single unit.
A preferred embodiment of a drive system 10 is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The drive system 10 preferably includes a machined multi-drive plate 12 for mounting at SPEC~133659 least one driving member and at least one driven member to be described below. The multi-drive plate 12 containing the driving and driven members is installed as a unitary drive system in a frame for a unit such as a self-contained truck refrigeration unit, for example.
Vibration dampening members (not shown), such as rubber cushions, may be located between the drive system 10 and the unit frame to prevent vibration from being transmitted from the drive system to the unit.
The drive system 10 includes a main driving device 14 in the form of an engine powered by diesel fuel, gasoline, natural gas, electricity, etc. mounted on and attached to the multi-drive plate 12. The drive system 10 may also include an auxiliary driving device 22 in the form of an electric motor, for example. The drive system also includes at least one driven component 16 comprising at least one of a compressor, fan, generator, alternator, hydraulic pump, water pump, and other suitable driven devices. It is preferable that the drive system 10 have a plurality of driven components 16 mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 and driven by the drive system 10.
The driven member 16 shown in Fig. 4 is a compressor for a self-contained truck refrigeration unit.
The compressor has a pulley 16' mounted on a shaft that extends from the compressor 16 through the multi-drive plate 12. The compressor 16 also includes an integral clutch 16 " for engaging and disengaging the compressor with the rest of the drive system 10 to control temperature and as a safety device when a compressor pressure falls outside of an acceptable range. The clutch 16 " is preferably an electromagnetic clutch that can be activated at any time to engage or disengage the 2i62b24 compressor pulley 16' with the drive system 10 for controlling temperature, as a safety device and as desired for other reasons. For example, activation of the compressor 16 may be delayed by a suitable controller until the main driving device 14 has reached a predetermined speed.
A plurality of other driven components can also be mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 as required and in a manner similar to the mounting of the compressor 16.
Each of the plurality of driven components are driven by a single drive belt to be described later.
A drive pulley 14' for the main driving device 14, a drive pulley 22' for the auxiliary driving device 22 and a drive pulley 16' for the driven member 16 are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The drive pulleys 14', 16' and 22' are mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 in such a way that allows the pulleys 14', 16' and 22' to be precisely aligned with each other so as to be driven by the single drive belt. The size of each of the drive pulleys can be selected so that the main driving device 14 and auxiliary driving device 22 can be operated at an optimum speed while accommodating a required speed of a driven component, such as a generator to be operated at 1800 r.p.m. or 3600 r.p.m. while the main driving device is allowed to operate at an optimum speed of 2400 r.p.m., for example.
Each of the main driving device 14, the auxiliary driving device 22 and the plurality of driven members 16 are located behind the multi-drive plate shown in Fig. 4 as seen in Fig. 5. A drive shaft for each of the above devices extends from the other side of the multi-drive plate 12 (the right hand side in Fig. 5) where the main driving device 14, the auxiliary driving 2i62b24 device 22 and the plurality of driven members 16 are located through the multi-drive plate 12 to the drive pulleys 14', 16', and 22' located on the outer side of the plate 12 (the left hand side shown in Fig. 5).
Each of the drive pulleys 14', 16' and 22' are engaged by a single drive belt 30 shown in Fig. 4 which is driven by either the main driving device 14 or the auxiliary driving device 22 to drive each of the plurality of driven devices. The belt 30 is arranged on the pulleys of the main and auxiliary driving devices and each of the plurality of driven devices in a serpentine manner which allows the plurality of driven devices to be driven by the single belt 30. The mounting of the main driving device 14, the auxiliary driving device 22 and the driven devices 16 on the multi-drive plate 12 allows the pulleys 14', 16' and 22' to be easily and accurately aligned relative to each other so that the belt 30 can rotate on the pulleys in a single plane without lateral movement of the belt 30 between pulleys 14', 16' and 22'.
The drive system also includes at least one tension pulley 32 for maintaining tension in the driving belt 30. The tension pulley 32 is preferably spring-loaded by a spring 33 to a tensioning position to maintain a desired tensioning force in the belt 30.
Because the tension pulley 32 is spring-loaded and maintains the desired tension force in the belt 30, adjustment of the belt tension is unnecessary. The spring loading of the tension pulley is such that the tension pulley 32 can be moved in the direction of arrow A from a tensioning to a non-tensioning position to allow for easy replacement of the belt. More specifically, a manual force can be applied to tension pulley 32 in a direction opposite to the biasing direction of the spring ~16~6~4 33 to move the tension pulley 32 to a non-tensioning position. The belt 30 can then be removed from the drive system and a new belt can be mounted thereon in a matter of seconds. The tension pulley 32 is then moved to a tensioning position by removing the manual force and allowing the spring 33 to bias the tension pulley 32.
The auxiliary driving device 22 preferably comprises an electric motor. The pulley 22' for the auxiliary drive device 22 is mounted on a shaft that extends from the auxiliary drive device 22 through the multi-drive plate 12. If the drive system is provided with an auxiliary driving device 22, a clutch 15 is preferably mounted on the shaft of the main driving device 14. The clutch 15 may comprise a mechanical centrifugal clutch or an electromagnetic clutch. An electromagnetic-clutch is preferred.
The components of such an electromagnetic clutch 15 are shown in Fig. 6. The clutch includes an electromagnetic field coil 154 is mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 as shown in Fig. 5 so as to be stationary.
The electromagnetic field coil 154 is mounted in such a way as to be precisely centered around a clutch drive shaft 160 shown in Figs. 2 and 4 which is attached to a drive shaft of the main driving device l4. The electromagnetic field coil 154 is mounted on the multi-drive plate 12 so as to not contact the drive shaft 160.
The clutch drive shaft 160 extends from the main driving device 14 and its driving shaft through the electromagnetic field coil 154 and through a clutch rotator pulley 150. Precise machining of the shaft 160 allows the clutch rotator pulley 150 to be located at a fixed, desired position relative to the field coil 154.
The clutch rotator pulley 150 has an integral bearing 152 SPEC~133659 2162~2~
which is firmly mounted on the drive shaft 160 at a location 162 in such a manner to allow the drive shaft 160 to freely rotate within the pulley 150 without causing the pulley 150 to rotate when the electromagnetic field coil 154 has not been activated.
Also positioned at the end of the clutch shaft 160 is a clutch drive plate 156 in such a manner that the clutch drive plate 156 is spaced from the rotator pulley 150 by a fixed, desired distance. The clutch drive plate 156 can be attracted into contact with the clutch rotator pulley 150 to drive the pulley 150 by the electromagnetic field created when the field coil 154 is energized. The pulley 150 is driven with the drive shaft 160, thereby driving the belt 30.
The clutch shaft 160 is more clearly shown in Fig. 7. The clutch shaft 160 is precisely machined to accept the clutch rotator pulley 150 and integral bearing 152 and the clutch drive plate 156 at desired positions on the shaft 160. The multi-drive plate 12 serves as a unit support structure for supporting the electromagnetic field coil 154 in a desired, fixed position relative to the other components of the clutch assembly which is fixed to the main driving device 14 via the drive shaft 160.
The operation of the clutch 15 is as follows.
When the electromagnetic field coil 154 is not activated, the drive plate 156 is spaced from the rotator pulley 150 and the bearing 152 allows the drive shaft 160 to freely rotate within the drive pulley 150 so that the pulley 150 does not drive the belt 30. Upon activation of the electromagnetic field coil 154, the drive plate 156 is drawn into engagement with the rotator pulley 150 so that the pulley 150 is driven at the speed of the main driving device 12 by the drive shaft 160 thereby driving the belt 30.
The field coil 154 can be attached to a controller (not shown) for controlling activation of the clutch 15. The controller can comprise an oil pressure switch for automatically activating the clutch 15 when oil pressure is present in the main driving device 14.
Alternatively, the controller may comprise a delay switch that delays activation of the clutch 15 until a predetermined speed of the main driving device 14 has been reached.
If an auxiliary driving device 22 is not provided in the drive assembly, the clutch 15 is unnecessary and can be omitted. A drive pulley can be provided in place of the clutch 15 and attached to the main driving device 14 so that the drive pulley is rotated when the main driving device 14 is operating. In addition, if the drive system is formed without an auxiliary driving device 22, a dummy pulley can located in its place so that the auxiliary driving device can be added at a later date. Also, the clutch 15 can be easily mounted onto the drive shaft of the main driving device 14 if an auxiliary driving device is added.
Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.
SPF:C~133659
Claims (42)
1. A vehicle refrigeration unit comprising:
a refrigeration unit housing;
a drive system;
at least one driven component connected to and driven by said drive system;
an evaporator section; and a condensing section; wherein the drive system, the evaporator section and the condensing section are each located within the refrigeration unit housing and the drive system is separate and spaced from the condensing section and the evaporator section.
a refrigeration unit housing;
a drive system;
at least one driven component connected to and driven by said drive system;
an evaporator section; and a condensing section; wherein the drive system, the evaporator section and the condensing section are each located within the refrigeration unit housing and the drive system is separate and spaced from the condensing section and the evaporator section.
2. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 1, wherein the drive system comprises a driving device that is separate from a driving device for a vehicle on which the refrigeration unit is mounted.
3. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one driven device comprises a compressor for being driven by the drive system.
4. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 1, wherein the condensing section comprises a condenser unit and at least one condenser fan and the evaporator section comprises an evaporator coil and at least one evaporator blower.
5. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 4, wherein the at least one evaporator blower is located entirely within the unit housing so as to not protrude into a vehicle body.
6. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 4, wherein the evaporator coil is disposed at an angle of about 25 to 90 degrees relative to a bottom section of the unit housing.
7. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 6, wherein the evaporator coil and the at least one evaporator blower are substantially parallel.
8. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 4, wherein the at least one evaporator blower comprises a flow guide for redirecting input air flow.
9. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 4, wherein the at least one condenser fan and the at least one evaporator blower each comprise an internal driving device which receives power by the drive system.
10. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 9, wherein the internal driving device in each of the at least one condenser fan and the at least one evaporator comprises an electric motor which DC voltage from the drive system.
11. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 4, wherein the at least one condenser fan and the at least one evaporator blower are not directly driven by the drive system.
12. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 4, wherein the drive system comprises at least one driving device;
at least one driven component driven by the at least one driving device;
a single belt operatively connected to the at least one driving device and the at least one driven member so that the belt is driven by the at least one driving device to drive the at least one driven component; and a support member supporting the at least one driving device, the at least one driven member, and the single belt so that the single belt is located on a first side of the support member and the at least one driving device and the at least one driven device are located on a second side of the support member.
at least one driven component driven by the at least one driving device;
a single belt operatively connected to the at least one driving device and the at least one driven member so that the belt is driven by the at least one driving device to drive the at least one driven component; and a support member supporting the at least one driving device, the at least one driven member, and the single belt so that the single belt is located on a first side of the support member and the at least one driving device and the at least one driven device are located on a second side of the support member.
13. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of driven components mounted on the support member, wherein the support member comprises a machined plate.
14. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 13, wherein each of the at least one driving device and the plurality of driven components have a drive shaft and a driving pulley connected thereto, the driving pulleys being located on the first side of the multi-drive plate.
15. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 13, wherein the at least one driving device and the plurality of driven components are securely mounted on the support member to form an integral unit and so that the pulleys of each of the at least one driving device and the plurality of driven components are aligned relative to each other.
16. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 12, wherein the at least one driving device comprises one of a diesel engine, an electric motor, a gasoline engine, and a natural gas powered engine.
17. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 12, wherein the at least one.driving device comprises a main driving device, the drive system further comprising an auxiliary driving device for driving the at least one driven component when the main driving device is not driving the at least one driven component.
18. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 17, wherein the auxiliary driving device comprises an electric motor.
19. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 12, further comprising at least one tension pulley for maintaining a desired tension in the single belt.
20. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 19, further comprising a spring for biasing the at least one tension pulley into a tensioning position.
21. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 12, wherein the single belt is disposed in a serpentine arrangement on the at least one driving device, the at least one driven member and the at least one tension pulley.
22. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 12, further comprising an alternator driven by the at least one driving device.
23. The vehicle refrigeration unit of claim 22, wherein the at least one driving device is connected at a first end to the single belt and at a second end to the alternator.
24. A drive system comprising:
at least one driving device;
at least one driven component driven by the at least one driving device;
a single belt operatively connected to the at least one driving device and the at least one driven member so that the belt is driven by the at least one driving device to drive the at least one driven component; and a support member supporting the at least one driving device, the at least one driven member, and the single belt so that the single belt is located on a first side of the support member and the at least one driving device and the at least one driven device are located on a second side of the support member.
at least one driving device;
at least one driven component driven by the at least one driving device;
a single belt operatively connected to the at least one driving device and the at least one driven member so that the belt is driven by the at least one driving device to drive the at least one driven component; and a support member supporting the at least one driving device, the at least one driven member, and the single belt so that the single belt is located on a first side of the support member and the at least one driving device and the at least one driven device are located on a second side of the support member.
25. The drive system of claim 24, further comprising a plurality of driven components mounted on the support member, wherein the support member comprises a machined plate.
26. The drive system of claim 25, wherein each of the at least one driving device and the plurality of driven components have a drive shaft and a driving pulley connected thereto, the driving pulleys being located on the first side of the support member.
27. The drive system of claim 24, wherein the at least one driving device and the plurality of driven components are securely mounted on the support member to form an integral unit and so that the pulleys of each of the at least one driving device and the plurality of driven components are aligned relative to each other.
28. The drive system of claim 24, wherein the at least one driving device comprises one of a diesel engine, an electric motor, a gasoline engine, and a natural gas powered engine.
29. The drive system of claim 28, wherein the at least one driving device comprises a main driving device, the drive system further comprising an auxiliary driving device for driving the at least one driven component when the main driving device is not driving the at least one driven component.
30. The drive system of claim 29, wherein the main driving device has a clutch operatively connected thereto for engaging and disengaging a driving force output from the main driving device with the single belt and the at least one driven member.
31. The drive system of claim 30, wherein the auxiliary driving device comprises an electric motor.
32. The drive system of claim 31, wherein the electric motor has a connector for connecting the electric motor to a standard power supply for providing power to the electric motor.
33. The drive system of claim 30, further comprising a controller for controlling operation of the clutch, the controller comprising at least one of an oil pressure switch for automatically activating the clutch when oil pressure is present in the main driving device and a delay device that delays activation of the clutch until a predetermined speed of the main driving device has been reached.
34. The drive system of claim 30, wherein the clutch is adapted to be activated and deactivated at any rotational speed.
35. The drive system of claim 30, wherein the clutch comprises an electromagnetic clutch including a clutch shaft attached to a driving shaft of the main driving device, an electromagnetic field coil, an integral clutch bearing and a pulley mounted on the clutch shaft, the field coil being mounted on the support member, and a drive plate attached to the clutch shaft and being movable into and out of engagement with the clutch pulley upon activation and deactivation of the field coil, wherein when the drive plate is attracted into engagement with the clutch pulley by the field coil, the clutch pulley is driven so as to drive the single belt and the at least one driven member.
36. The drive system of claim 35, wherein the support member is machined to receive the field coil thereon so that the field coil is precisely centered around the clutch drive shaft.
37. The drive system of claim 35, wherein the field coil is attached to the support member.
38. The drive system of claim 24, further comprising at least one tension pulley for maintaining a desired tension in the single belt.
39. The drive system of claim 38, further comprising a spring for biasing the at least one tension pulley into a tensioning position.
40. The drive system of claim 39, wherein the at least one tension pulley is adapted to be moved to a non-tensioning position upon application of a manual force.
41. The drive system of claim 38, wherein the single belt is disposed in a serpentine arrangement on the at least one driving device, the at least one driven member and the at least one tension pulley.
42. The drive system of claim 25, wherein the driven devices comprise at least one of an alternator, a generator, a compressor, a hydraulic pump, a water pump and a fan.
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US34028194A | 1994-11-15 | 1994-11-15 | |
| US08/340,281 | 1994-11-15 | ||
| US08/340,060 US5609037A (en) | 1994-11-15 | 1994-11-15 | Self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit |
| US08/340,060 | 1994-11-15 |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2162624A1 CA2162624A1 (en) | 1996-05-16 |
| CA2162624C true CA2162624C (en) | 2003-09-23 |
Family
ID=26991940
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2162624 Expired - Fee Related CA2162624C (en) | 1994-11-15 | 1995-11-10 | Self-contained vehicle refrigeration unit including drive system having multi-drive plate |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2162624C (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1992438A3 (en) * | 2007-05-14 | 2012-07-18 | HOKUBEMA Maschinenbau GmbH | Circular sawing machine with adjustable circular saw blade |
-
1995
- 1995-11-10 CA CA 2162624 patent/CA2162624C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1992438A3 (en) * | 2007-05-14 | 2012-07-18 | HOKUBEMA Maschinenbau GmbH | Circular sawing machine with adjustable circular saw blade |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2162624A1 (en) | 1996-05-16 |
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