US1368888A - Clutch - Google Patents

Description

A. BROWN.

CLUTCH. APPLICATION FILED JAN. I9, 1920.

Patented Feb. 15,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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C. A. BROWN.

CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19, 1920.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921!...

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5 m 1% Erma/72 CHARLES ANDREW BROWN, 0F LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

Application filed January 19, 1920. Serial No. 352,524.

T o allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at 106 S. Western Parkway, Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and btate of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutches; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will en able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

tails of description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure l is a sideelevation illustrating one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, the section being taken substantially along the axial center of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 except that it illustrates the parts in a different position.

Fig. is a radial sectional view along the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a radial sectional view along line 5 -5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in which similar reference characters correspond with similar parts throughout the several views, the invention consists 1n the structure which will now be described in detail as follows: i

A disk -1 is mounted on a shaft 2 and adapted to rotate therewith, this disk being formed with a cupped side of a frusto-conical inner surface 3 which constitutes a frictional clutching surface against which a corresponding frictional clutching surface 4 is normally seated. Although, in practice, the

clutching surface 4 may be an annular strip of fabric or other sheet of material, as indicated in the drawings, it is not essentially so, and may be considered as an element of a hollow clutching member 5, being fixed thereto or integral therewith. The member 5 comprises a rusto-conical annulus 6, and the element 4 may also-be considered an element of this annulus. The circumferentially smaller end of the annulus is open and provides a working space for an internal clutching member 7, the latter having a radially flanged working end, and the flange 8 of this member is provided with one or more teeth or shoulders 9, according to the form of the embodiment of the invention. The disk 1 is provided with teeth or abutments 10, accordin bodiment. The teeth 9 are adapted to interlock with the teeth 10, as will ,be more fully explained hereinafter. A shaft 11 is axially alined with the shaft 2, and the inner clutching member 7 is feather-keyed to the shaft 11 as indicated at 12. The member 7 may be feather-keyed to the member 5, as indicated at 13 in F ig. 5, but the feather-keys 13 are not essential where the device is not subjected to extremely heavy loads, because the member 5 is provided with slots 1 1 and the member 7 is provided with studs 15, these studs extending through the slots 14 and preventing rotary movement of the members 5 and 7 relative to one another, while permitting axial movement of these members relative to one another. Any appropriate means. may be employed for shifting the studs 15 along the slots 14 and thereby engaging the lugs or shoulders 9 with the lugs or abutments 10, such shifting means being indicated at 16, and being of ordinary construction, is not described in detail further than to state that one or more studs 17 extend into an annular groove in the member. or ring 16 and may be actuated to the different forms of em-' for moving the ring 16 axially when this ring rotates with the elements 1 to 16 inelusive.

' A comparatively weak spring 18 is coiled around the shaft 11 and seated against the outer end of the member 7 and against an inwardly extending annular flange 19 which constitutes an element of the member 5. A comparatively strong spring 20 is seated against the outer surface of the flange 19 and against a collar 21, the latter being secured to the shaft 11 by any appropriate with the teeth of the member 1, and that the spring 20 yieldingly holds 1 the frictional surface 4: in contact with the frictional surface 3. When it is desired to disengage the members 5 and 7 from the disk 1, the shifting member 16 is moved toward the collar or spring-seat 21, and the spring 18, being the weaker, compresses before the spring-20 1 compresses, thereby moving the interlocking teeth or shoulders out of engagement with one another before the frictional surfaces 3 and 4: are disengaged from one another. However, when the studs 15 have come into contact with the outer ends of the slots 14, and the shifting member continues to move outward, this causes the member 5 to be' moved against the pressure of its sprin 20, thereby disengaging the frictional surfaces 3 and 4. On the other hand, when the shifting member 16 is released, the relatively strong spring 20 follows the return movement of the shifting member and causes the frictional surfaces 3 and 4 to be engaged before the teeth 9 come into engagement with the teeth 10, and after the shaft 2 has been started by the engagement of'these frictional surfaces, any slipping of these surfaces permits the teeth or shoulders of the members 1 and 5 tomoveinto interlocking engagement withone another, thereby positively locking the shafts 2and 11 with relation to one another. 8

In this embodiment of the invention, the teeth are beveled or inclined so that the shafts are positively locked against relative rotation in one direction, but are permitted,

to rotate with relation to one anotherin the opposite direction in the event the frictional surface 4 slides upon the frictional surface 3. I Although this form of the invention has been described very specifically, it is not intended to limit this invention to these exact details of construction and arrangement, but

changes may be made within the scope of the inventive ideas. as implied and claimed.

I claim: 1. *In a clutch, a rotary disk including a frusto-conical frictional clutching surface and an eccentrically located abutment, a one piece rotary member including a hollow hub and a frusto-conical annulus, the latter having its circumferentially larger end encirclingone'end of said hub and having its circumferentially smaller end open and providing a working space, the other end of said hub including an inwardly extending annular flange, the intermediate part of this hub being formed with an axially extending slot, the outer peripheral face of said annulus being frictionally engageable with said frictional clutching surface, an internal clutching member mounted for axial moveannular flange for moving said hollow memcircumferentially smaller end open and pro- '75 ber into frictional clutching engagement with said disk.

2. In a clutch, a rotary disk including a frusto-conical frictional clutching surface and an eccentrically located abutment, a onepiece rotary member including a hollow hub and a frusto-conical annulus, the latter having its circumferentially larger end encircling one end of said hub and having its viding a working space, the other end of said hub including an inwardly extending annular flange, the intermediate part of this hub being formed with axially extending slots, the outer peripheral face of said annulus being frictionally engageable withsaid frictional clutching surface, an internal.

clutching member mounted for axial movement in said hollow hub, and provided with an axial bore and with radial studs which extend out through said slots and have their inner end seated in said internal clutching member outwardly of said axial bore, said clutching member including a shoulder lo- 'cated in said working space and movable therein'for engagement and disengagement with said abutment, a shaft having one end longitudinally slidable and non-rotatable in said axial bore, a spring-seat on said shaft, a comparatively weak spring compressed by and between said annular flange and said internal clutching member and operable to press said clutching member into its interlocking position, a comparatively strong spring compressed by and between said spring-seat and said annular flange and op- ,erable to press said annulus into frictional engagement with said frictional clutching surface, and means to move thesespringpressed members against the pressure of their respective springs out of clutching engagement, the last saidmeans including a 'rin which is united with the outer ends of sai studs and encircles said hub.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' CHARLES ANDREW BROWN.

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