US1103022A - Clutch mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

G. E. BEACH.

CLUTCH MECHANISM.

APPLIOATIOR FILED JUNE so, 1913.

Patentd July 14,1914.

Fig. 4

TME NORRIS PETERS Ca. FHbTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. By C.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIQE.

CLARENCE E. BEACH, 0F BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE O. KNAPP, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLUTCH MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE E. BEACH, of Binghamton, inthe county of Broome and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutch Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

It is frequently necessary to install alarm gongs and similar devices in elevated and more or less inaccessible positions, as for example at the intersections of congested thoroughfares in cities, in order to give timely warning to the police or those in con trol of traffic, of the approach of fire engines, ladder trucks or the like, and it has been found necessary under such circumstances to employ for the purpose gongs or alarm mechanism operated by spring motors, and electrically controlled from police or fire headquarters. As it is usual to mount such devices on poles or to attach them to the walls of buildings at some distance from the street level, and as they must be wound at intervals depending upon frequency of use, their proper operation and maintenance involves considerable trouble and expense, their re-winding requiring the use of ladders or the services of regular linemen. In seeking a means to obviate this difiiculty I have devised a winding attachment which is peculiarly applicable not only to the specific devices in question, but to others used under similar conditions, and which in construction is simple and practicable and in operation certain and not liable to become disarranged nor to interfere in any way with the proper operation of the alarm mechanism.

This attachment constitutes the improvement upon which my present application is based and, described in general terms, it consists in a driving member which may be of any desired form but for convenience I have shown same in the accompanying drawings and'throughout the specifications have referred to the driving member as a pulley housed in the box or casing containing the alarm mechanism, and operated by a cord or chain having a ring at its end that may be reached and engaged by a pole provided with a suitable hook. The pulley is adapted to be rotated by the chain through a definite are and to return to normal position upon the release of tension on the chain, and in its forward movement to engage the driven member which may be the spindle of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 30, 1913.

Patented July 14, 1914.

Serial No. 776,604..

alarm mechanism, through the instrumentality of gripping rolls working in the beveled compartments of a cage secured to the pulley. To prevent, however, the locking of the spindle at any time when the latter is released for the purpose of operating the alarm, and for insuring the proper return and operation of the pulley after each forward movement of the same, I employ a determining member, which may be a sleeve intermediate to the pulley and spindle, and held in frictional contact with the stationary frame of the signaling mechanism, which has fingers projecting into the cage between the rollers which prevent the latter from amming when the spindle is rotated by the signaling mechanism, but which will allow the rollers to jam when the pulley is turned to wind said mechanism.

This improvement is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a central section of the device showing the spindle and portions of the frame or casing of the signaling mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the inner side of the pulley. Fig. 3 is a view of the outer side of the same with the plate which covers the roller cage removed. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the sleeve, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan View of the gripping mechanism including the rolls and cage.

A designates the main spindle of any motor for a signaling or alarm mechanism which is to be turned towind the spring or its equivalent of the motor, and B is a portion of the frame or casing supporting the said mechanism, which, being of any ordinary construction, is not shown in the drawings. The spindle A turns freely in a sleeve G having at one end a flange D held in frictional engagement by springs E with the frame B and at the other end fingers or projections F. The pulley G is mounted upon and turns freely about the sleeve C, and is connected by a coiled spring H to the frame B, one end of the spring being connected to a lug K and the other to the hub of the pulle v for this purpose.

In a recess in one side of the pulley G is inserted a cage L having compartments the outer walls of which, instead of being at a constant distance from the center of the spindle, gradually approach nearer to it and contain steel rollers M between which the projections F extend.

The cage is held in place by aplate N, and the movement of the pulley with respect to the spindle is determined by a lug O on the inner wall of the former and a sto or lug P on the frame B. A chain or its equivalent R, with a ring S that may be readily engaged by a hook on the end of a pole, is secured to the periphery of the pulley.

In the operation of the device the chain is pulled to rotate the pulley in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, and in so doing to wind up the spring H. As the sleeve G is held from rotating by the friction of the springs E, the rolls M do not rotate with the cage L until the compartments have advanced so far as to jam the rolls between the walls of the compartments and the spindle A. The further movement of the pulley now rotates both the spindle and the sleeve, as the rolls have locked the pulley to the spindle and the sleeve is carried along by means of the rolls pressing against the projections F, flange D sliding under springs E. The spindle is thus rotated to wind up the motor. When the pulley is released after having been turned through its limiting arc, or any part of the same, it is restored to its normal position by the spring II, but as the sleeve C is frictionally held in engagement with the frame B, thefingers F will stop the rolls and allow the pulley to move past them until the wider end of the compartment is reached. The spring H will now rotate the pulley, rolls and sleeve, as a unit, free from the spindle, until the lug O engages the stop P. Another pull upon the chain will further rotate the spindle A. When the mechanism is tripped, the spindle A will rotate in an anti-clockwise direction, but the sleeve C being frictionally held, will keep the rolls in their normal position so that they will not lock the spindle and the pulley, and the spindle will be entirely free.

The improvement is not limited to the specific form of roller cage described, nor to the use of cylindrical as distinguished from spherical rollers, nor to the application of the device as a Winding attachment for any special form of motor, a clock spring motor being assumed merely because it is typical of the class contemplated.

W hat I claim is 1. In a clutch, the combination of a supporting frame, a rotatable flanged sleeve mounted in said frame and having projections along its axis, a friction spring adapted to bear on the flange of said sleeve, a shaft extending through said sleeve, driving menibers located between said projections and adapted to engage said shaft, a pulley mounted upon said sleeve and having re- .cesses adjacent to said projections and adapted to engage said driving members, means adapted to rotate the pulley in one direction, means adapted to rotate the pulley in the opposite direction, and means adapted to limit the rotation of the pulley in either direction.

2. In a clutch, the combination of a supporting frame, a rotatable flanged sleeve mounted in said frame and having projections along its axis, a friction s Jring adapted to bear on the flange of said s eeve, a shaft extending through said sleeve, driving members located between said projections and adapted to engage said shaft, a pulley mounted upon said sleeve and having recesses whose walls gradually approach said shaft adjacent to said projections and adapted to engage said driving members, means adapted to rotate the pulley in one direction, means adapted to rotate the pulley in the opposite direction, and means adapted to limit the rotation of the pulley in either direction.

porting frame, a rotatable sleeve mounted in said frame and having projections along its axis, a friction spring mounted on said frame and adapted to bear on said sleeve, a shaft extending through said sleeve, driving members located between said projections and adapted to engage said shaft, a

pulley mounted upon said sleeve and having recesses adjacent to said projections and adapted to engage said driving members, means adapted to rotate the pulley in one direction, means adapted to rotate the pulley in the opposite direction, and means adapted to limit the rotation of the pulley in either direction.

4:. In a clutch, the combination of a supporting frame, a rotatable sleeve mounted in said frame and having projections along its axis, a friction spring mounted on said frame and adapted to bear on said sleeve, a shaft extending through said sleeve, driving members located between said projections and adapted to engage said shaft, a pulley mounted upon said sleeve and having recesses whose walls gradually approach said shaft adjacent to said projections and adapted to engage said driving members, means adapted to rotate the pulley in one direction, means adapted to rotate the pulley in the opposite direction, and means adapted to limit the rotation of the pulley in either direction.

5. In a clutch, the combination of a supporting frame, a rotatable sleeve having frictional resistance to rotation in relation to said frame and having projections along its axis, a shaft extending through said sleeve, driving members located between said projections and adapted to engage said shaft, a pulley mounted upon said sleeve and having recesses adjacent to said projections and adapted to engage said driving members, means adapted to rotate the pulley in one direction, means adapted to rotate the pulley in the opposite direction, and means adapted to limit the rotation of the pulley in either direction.

6. In a clutch, the combination of a supporting frame, a rotatable flanged sleeve having projections along its axis, a friction spring adapted to bear on the flange of said sleeve, a shaft, driving members located between. said projections and adapted to engage said shaft, a pulley having recesses adjacent to said projections and adapted to engage said driving members, and means for rotating the pulley in either direction.

7. In a clutch, the combination of a supporting frame, a rotatable flanged sleeve having projections along its axis, a friction spring adapted to bear on the flange of said sleeve, a shaft, driving members located between said projections and adapted to engage said shaft, a pulley having recesses whose walls gradually approach said shaft adjacent to said projections and adapted to engage said driving members, and means for rotating the pulley in either direction.

8. In a clutch, the combination of a supporting frame, a rotatable sleeve having frictional resistance to rotation in relation to said frame and having projections along its axis, a shaft, driving members located between said projections and adapted to engage said shaft, a pulley having recesses adjacent to said projections and adapted to engage aid driving members, and means for rotating the pulley in either direction.

9. In a clutch, the combination of a sup porting frame, a shaft, a pulley loosely surrounding the shaft and provided with beveled compartments containing driving members, a sleeve intermediate to the pulley and shaft and capable of rotary movement with respect to said pulley, said shaft, and said frame, and having frictional resistance to rotation with respect to said frame, and provided with projections extending between the driving members.

10. In a clutch, the combination of a supporting frame, a shaft, a pulley loosely surrounding the shaft and provided with beveled compartments containing driving members bearing on said shaft, a sleeve intermediate to the pulley and shaft and having frictional resistance to rotation with respect to said frame, and provided with projections extending between the driving members.

11. In a clutch, the combination of a frame, a driven member, driving members adapted to engagesaid driven member, a determining member having frictional resistance to motion with respect to said frame and adapted to be moved by said dr ving members, and a driving pulley having recesses adapted to engage said driving members,

12. In a clutch, the combination of a frame, a driven member, a movable determining member having frictional resistance to motion with respect to Said fr me, a driving pulley, and means operated solely by the driving pulley for moving the determining member and adapted to drive the driven member at certain times.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name, this 26th -day of June, A. D., 1918,

CLARENCE E. BEACH.

I/Vitnesses W'. T. KENDALL BROWN, O. M. CoNNnR'roN.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

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