摘要:
An assembly for converting a vehicle between two-wheel and four-wheel drive. The assembly includes a bell form of a constant velocity joint being supported by a bearing mounted to one of the vehicle knuckle and the wheel hub. The bell form further includes a collar that has a connector, and a spindle of the wheel hub has a connector in close proximity to the bell form connector. A clutch ring actuated by an actuator is moved by the actuator between engagement with one of the connectors and engagement with both of the connectors.
摘要:
A wheel end assembly including a live spindle secured to a wheel hub at an outboard end. A bearing surrounding the spindle and abutted against a shoulder on the spindle. Said bearing preloaded by a retention structure that slidably engages the bearing to compress the bearing against the shoulder. A clutch ring slidably engages splines associated with the live spindle and with an axle portion to connect and disconnect the axle to the live spindle and accordingly the wheel hub.
摘要:
A clutch control for shifting a vehicle drive system as between automatic four-wheel drive, locked four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive. An engagement system for engaging drive and driven components of the drive system may include roller clutch engagement or pawl clutch engagement. The clutch system is provided with a coupling mechanism for coupling the engagement member to ground or to the driven member to thereby achieve automatic four-wheel drive and locked four-wheel drive, respectively. The engagement member is decoupled from both ground and the driven member to achieve two-wheel drive.
摘要:
A winch includes a rotatable drum. A cable is wound onto the drum in one rotative direction and off the drum in a second rotative direction. A sealed axial flux permanent magnet drive motor includes a drive shaft selectively rotated by the motor in either direction of rotation. A gear train interconnects the drive shaft and the drum for rotatably driving the drum at a reduced rotative speed relative to the motor shaft. The motor can apply regenerative braking. A spring-applied electric release brake is connected to the drive shaft to apply a braking force to prevent rotation of the drum. A connecting shaft connects the gear train to the rotatable drum. The connecting shaft includes axially spaced splines that reduce the disparity in the gear train and drum centerlines to thereby reduce gyration therebetween. The drum can be made partially from carbon fiber to reduce the weight thereof.
摘要:
A phase change ink transfer printing apparatus (10) applies a liquid intermediate transfer surface (12) to a heated drum (14, 28). Because the intermediate transfer surface is a thin liquid layer, molten ink drops (122) striking it flatten and spread out (110, 112, 114, 130) prior to cooling and solidifying as an ink image (26, 130) at the drum temperature. After the ink image is deposited, a print medium (21, 132), such as a transparency film, is fed into a nip (22) formed between the heated drum and an elastomeric transfer roller (23). As the drum turns, the print medium is pulled through the nip to transfer the ink image to the print medium. When in the nip, heat from the drum and print medium combine to heat the ink in accordance with a process window (90), making the ink sufficiently soft and tacky to adhere to the print medium but not to the drum. The ink drops comprising the ink image have a desired diameter to height ratio of from about 1.5:1 to greater than about 4:1 using the apparatus and method of printing disclosed. When the print medium leaves the nip, stripper fingers (24) peel it from the drum and direct it into a media exit path. No image post processing or fusing is necessary to achieve a high-quality print suitable for transparency projection.
摘要:
An apparatus and method are described for applying an intermediate transfer surface, in the form of a liquid layer, on a support surface as may be used in a phase change ink printing system. The apparatus includes an applicator assembly for distributing the liquid layer onto the support surface to produce the intermediate transfer surface and an apparatus for metering the liquid layer uniformly on the support surface. The applicator assembly has a contact medium for removing foreign matter from and delivering the liquid onto the support surface. Preferably the contact medium is a liquid impregnated web that is periodically incremented to present a clean web surface in contact with the support surface. The metering apparatus is a hydrodynamic blade that uniformly distributes the liquid intermediate transfer layer over the support surface. The apparatus provides for sequencing of the applicator, then the applicator and the blade together, and finally the blade only to ensure proper application of the intermediate transfer layer and cleaning of the support surface.
摘要:
The present invention provides an ink jet print head capable of fast, efficient and consistent printing. Such ink jet print heads include an ink ejecting component which incorporates electropolished surfaces. Electropolishing techniques useful in the production of such ink ejecting components are also discussed.
摘要:
A solid ink stick supply system and related method for delivering solid ink sticks to an ink jet print head reservoir is disclosed. The supply system includes a housing with a keyed plate that guides the ink sticks into the proper loading position in a supply channel. A pusher rod in the supply channel transfers an ink stick onto an endless belt for delivery to the print head reservoir. A push device on the endless belt engages and delivers the ink stick to the print head reservoir. A second ink stick is transferred from the supply channel to the endless belt and is retained on the belt by a stop device. A method for efficiently loading ink sticks into the supply system is also provided.
摘要:
A method and an apparatus (10) for cleaning an ink jet print head (12) draws contaminates from orifices (20) in the print head onto an orifice plate (14) and then wipes the orifice plate. The maintenance apparatus includes a purge cap (24) that has a recessed region (40) with an open end (36). The top side margins (42) of the open end define a periphery (44) around which a seal (60) is positioned. A positioning system (30) urges the orifice plate against the seal. A heating system (128) and a vacuum system (74) cooperate to create a differential pressure across the orifices to draw contaminates carried by liquid ink out of them and onto the orifice plate. A resilient wiper assembly (26) including a spring-mounted wiper blade (78) is positioned in and nominally extends outwardly of the recessed region of the purge cap. The positioning system moves the purge cap downwardly against the orifice plate so that the wiper blade engages and wipes the contamination from the orifice plate.
摘要:
A print head (216) positioner (260) includes a stepper motor (264) that is coupled by a substantially friction- and backlash-free taut metal band (266) to a lever arm (268) that imparts precise lateral motion to a positioning shaft (220) that is rigidly attached to the print head assembly. Each step of the stepper motor is translated by the lever arm into one pixel (0.085 millimeter) of lateral movement of the shaft. The exact amount of translation per step of the stepper motor is adjustable by an eccentrically mounted ball (272) that is minutely positionable (274) on the lever arm. The ball couples angular motion of the lever arm to lateral motion of the shaft such that adjusting the ball position on the lever arm provides a-variable scale factor adjustment that compensates for tolerance buildups and exact inter-nozzle spacing on the print head. The shaft is biased toward the ball by a spring (284). The shaft further allows the print head to swing away from a print media support, such as a drum (202), for maintenance.