GB286389A - Improvements relating to clutches for mechanically propelled vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

286,389. Humfrey, J. C. W., Sand berg, C. P., Sandberg, O. F. A., and Sandberg, N. P. P. Dec. 11, 1926. Clutches, free-wheel; facilitating changing speed.-Isolating-clutch mechanism for motor-vehicles, to be placed between the gear-box and propeller shaft or, in duplicate, between the propeller shaft and rear wheels, comprises a forward freewheel clutch of the skewed-roller type described in Specification 239,894, 248,183, and 273,382, combined with a reverse clutch operated by the driver, whereby the car may be reversed or the engine used as a brake. The outer members 4, 6, Fig. 1, of the forward and reverse clutches both of the skewed-roller type, are bolted to a flange 14 on the gearbox shaft 2, and the inner members 5, 7 slide on splines 17 on a hollow shaft 18, which is splined to the propeller shaft 3 and bears by sleeves 22, 23 on a flanged shaft 20 riveted to the flange 14, The skewed rollers 8, 9 are retained by rings 10 .. 13, and the forward-clutch member 5 is pressed into engagement by springs 24. The reverse-clutch member 7 is normally pressed into engagment by spring 37 acting on an extension 29 thereof ,and is disengaged by a forked control-lever 33, which slides an internally-coned sleeve 32 to press balls 27 into a groove 27a, formed between a, collar 28 on extension 29 and the bevelled end 30 of a sleeve 31, adapted to bear on the outer member 6. The lever 33 may be so controlled, as described in Specification 248,183, as to allow the reverse clutch to slip at a predetermined torque. In a modification, the sleeve 32, Fig. 2, splined to the shaft 18, has facial ratchet teeth 46 coacting with teeth 47 on the part 4 of the forward clutch, the inner part 5 being solid with the shaft 18, which runs on roller bearings 43 on shaft 20. The outer member 4 has sliding dog-tooth engagement 42 with the flange 14 and is pressed by the spring 24. A bell-crank lever (not shown), connected to the forked lever 33, is retained in the disengaging- position against spring action by a pivoted latch tripped on withdrawl of the engine clutch, so that the reverse clutch 46, 47, having only to accelerate the gears, shall engage without shock. The ratchet teeth 46, 47 may be replaced respectively by external and internal dog-teeth. Fig. 5 shows another form, in which the outer member 4, 6 of oppositely-acting skewed-roller clutches have " floating toothed connection with an extension 61 of flange 14 and are pressed apart into engagement by springs 64, the sliding sleeve 31 acting on the part 6. Motion to the left of an internally-coned sleeve 65, splined to the shaft 3, allows balls 26 to move out and the reverse clutch 6 ,7 to transmit progressively greater torque, until, on approximate synchronization of the shafts 2, 3, teeth 66 on sleeve 65 engage the teeth 67 on the part 61.