Importance

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Abstract

An electromagnetic clutch and pulley assembly includes a clutch assembly, a pulley assembly having a pulley member drivable for rotation about a shaft axis by a flexible belt, and an electromagnetic coil assembly disposed adjacent to the pulley member. The pulley member is coupled to a shaft when the electromagnetic coil assembly is energized. The clutch assembly includes a hub, an armature disk, torsion transmitting structure and axially compressible resilient structure. The torsion transmitting structure can transmit torsional movement of the armature disk to the hub. The axially compressible resilient structure biases the armature disk axially away from the pulley member, the axially compressible resilient structure being axially compressible to permit the armature disk to move into engagement with the pulley member and thereby enable the armature disk to be rotatably driven by the pulley member, and hence enable the armature disk to transmit rotation of the pulley member through the torsion transmitting structure to the hub and the shaft to drive the component in response to the electromagnetic coil assembly being energized. The axially compressible resilient structure is in non-torsion transmitting relation with respect to the hub and the armature disk and constitutes the sole structure that biases the armature disk axially away from the pulley member, so that the sole structure which biases the armature disk axially away from the pulley member is substantially isolated from torsional transmission between the hub and the armature disk.

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First Claim