US1462046A - Clutch mechanism - Google Patents

Description

July 17, 1923. 1,462,046

C. E. REDDIG CLUTCH MECHANISM Filed May l, 1920 Il Nll I WIV 2a Patented .lazily l?, 'R23 CHARLES E. REDDIG, OF RICHMOND HILL,

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELEC- 'ERIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

To all whom 'it may concern: Be it known that I, CHARLES E. REDDIG, a,- citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond Hill, inthe county of Queens, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutch Mechanisms, of which the following is a y full, clear, concise, and exact description.

llhis invention relates to improvements in clutch mechanisms, the primary object being to provide a clutch mechanism having simple and efiicient means for moving one of a plurality of operatively connected driven elements into and out of operative connection with a driving element.

The present improved clutch mechanism is lespecially adapted for use in a vacuum cleaner of the type 4employing an electric motor and a rotatable brush, the clutch mechanism serving to couple and uncouple the driving mechanism for thel brush from the electric motor, but it is to be understood that this clutch mechanism' is not confined to such an application but may be employed for a variety of uses without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

In the embodiment of the invention illus,-

trated in the drawings and described in detail in the specification, the improved clutch mechanism is disclosed as applied to an electric vacuum cleaner and comprises a worm 1n axial alignment with the armature shaft of the electricy motor of the vacuum cleaner, this worm `heaving in constant mesh therewith a worm gearv which actuates a shaft carrying a pulley for drivin the brush of the vacuum cleaner. A manna ly operable sliding sleeve supports the worm and serves when actuated to couple or uncouple the worm from the armatureshaft 'of the motor without un-v meshing the worm from the worm gear.

Other features of the present improve nient are described in detail in the specilication and illustrated'in the accom anying drawings, in which Fig. ,1 is a top p an view showing an electric vacuum cleaner embodying vthe improved clutch mechanism, part of y Aee the dust bag, operating handle and being broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fral entary side elevation, partly in section, s owing in detail the construction of the worm and the manually operable sliding sleeve for coucasing Application led May' '1,

CLUTCH Mncnmsnr.

1920. Serial No. 378,142.

pling and uncoupling the worm from the armature shaft of the motor.

Fig. 3 is a reduced vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring now to the drawin in detail in which like referencev numera s designate similar parts throu hout the several views,

1 illustrates the casing of a vacuum cleaner of well known construction, having at one end a nozzle 2 within which a brush 3 is rotatably supported. Within the casing 1 and in rear ofthe brush 3, a fan (not shown) is provided which is actuated by an electric motor (also not shown), the .fan sucking dust from the nozzle 2 and brush 3 upwardly into a dust bag 4, all of which construction is of well known design and is not thought to need further descri tion. The casing l is mounted upon suita` le wheels 5 so that it may be moved from place to place b means of a handle 6 secured to af yoke i which is suitably pivoted to the casing l.

In the vacuum cleaner illustrated 1n the i i drawings, the` electric motor (not shown) has its armature shaft 8 horizontally dis-A posed and projectin' rearwardly Within a horizontally dispos Ahousing 9 in axial alignment therewith. The interior of the housing 9 is made cylindrical and of a diameter to receive a cylindrical sleeve 10, provided on its inner end with a vertically dis posed annular rim 11 against the inner face of which an outer ring 12. of a bll'race is fitted. A spacing sleeve 13 is positioned between the ring 12 and an outer ring 14 of l a second ball race. The innersurfaoe of the sleeve 10 is provided with internal screw threads to mesh with external screw threads formedv on the outer periphery of a hollow V'hu-loportion lxnade inte al with -a knob 16 of the sleeve 10 so that the rings and spacving sleeve arelocked' tothe sleeve f1.0.. @of1 imv ESE

are balls 18 which run in groove formed in the said .rings and in grooves formed in inner rings-19 and 20 which are mounted -5 upon a horizontally disposed shaft 22 and spaced by a spacin sleeve 23. A shoulder 24 is formed on tlige shaft 22 adjacent the inner edge of the ring 19 and a nut 25 screwed on the threaded outer end of the 10 shaft securely clamps the rings 19 and 20 and the spacing sleeve 23 between it and the shoulder 24 so that the rings and spacing sleeve rotate with the shaft 22. A worm 26 made of steel is made integral with the 15v shaft 22 and is provided with a central bore 27 to receive the end of the armature shaft 8, when the parts are positioned as illustrated in Fi 2, and is also provided with s acedA clutc lugs 28 to receive between 26 t em a pin 29 which extends throu h the armature shaft 8 and projects beyon each side thereof at right angles.

When the parts are in the positions illustrat'ed in Fig. 2, the worm gear is in driving 26 connection with the armature shaft 8 so that when the electric motor is set in motion, the worm 26 and integral shaft 22 will be rotated, the latter carrying with it the rings 19 and 2O which revolve against the so balls 18. The rings 12 and 14, sleeve 10 and knob 16 are held against rotation by means comprising a disk 30 surrounding the hub 15 and clamped between the inner face of the mob 16 and the outer edge of the sleeve S55 10, the disk 30 being provided with a horizontally disposed tongue 31 fitting between spaced lugs 32 formed on the casing 9 and having a triangular shaped struck up por: tion 33 to engage with a lug 34 having opce positely inclined faces and cast integral with the casing 9. When it is desired to uncouple the worm 26 from the armature shaft 8 of the motor, the hand knob 16 is moved to the right, as viewed in Fig'. v2, carrying with ce it the sleeve 10, the inner and outer rings of the ball races, the spacing sleeves 13 and 23, the shaft 22 and the worm 26. The knob 16 is moved outwardly a distance sufficient to move the triangular struck up portion 33 so on the tongue 31 into contact with the rear inclined surface of the lug 34, the end of the spring 31 being enlarged at 35 so that it will engage with the lugs 32 and prevent further rearward movement of the tongue es 31 and consequently the knob 16. The movement of the knob just described is sufeient to disengage the driving connection between the worm 26 and the armature shaft '8 of the motor. To engage the worm 26y an with the armature shaft 8 of the motor, the

knob 16 is moved inwardly until the parts assume the positions illustrated in Fig. 2, 4the inward movement of the knob 16 and sleeve 10 being limited by the engagement ce of the end of the sleeve 1() with an annular incense 'shoulder 35 formed on the inner tv'all of the i casing 9.

ln constant mesh with the worm 26 is a ber worm gear36 (Fig. 3,) securedv to a downwardly extending shaft 37 rotatably mounted within suitable bearings 38 carried by a bracket 39 made integral with the casing 9. A,pulle '40 is secured to the lower end of the sha t 37 which drives a belt 41 connecting the pulley 4() and a second pulleyl 42 secured .to the rotatable brush 3. Since the worm 26 and iber worm gear 36 are in constant mesh, when the former is slid longitudinally through an actuation of the knob 16 to disconnect it from the armature shaft of the motor, this sliding movement necessarily causes a partial rotation of the worm vear 36, shaft 37, pulley 40 and brush 3. The brush 3 rotates very easily so that this par tial rotation, due to the actuation of the worm gear 36, causes no appreciable drag against the movement of the worm 26. l-owever, if the brush 3 is in Contact with the carpet, or should by any means be held against rotation, when the worm 26 is slid horizontally causing a partial rotation of the worm gear 36, the pulley 40 will slip within the belt 41.

No means is provided for lubricating the steel worm 26 and the fiber worm gear 36, but the ball races within the sleeve 10 are acked with grease which is prevented from eaking out of the outer end of the sleeve 10 by means of the meshing screw threads on thehub 15 and the sleeve, the inner end of the sleeve being oil tight through the pro vision of a packing washer 43 which surrounds an enlarged portion of the shaft f 2 and engages the inner peripheral edge of the rim portion 11 of the sleeve 10. I

What is claimed is:

1. A clutch mechanism for vacuum clean.- ers having a rotatable brush and an electric motor, comprising a casing, a worm slidable in said casing into and out of operative connection with the armature shaft of said motor, a worm gear meshing withsaid worm, a brush actuating mechanism operatively 4connected with said worm gear, and a slidable sleeve' operatively connected with said worm and disposed in said casingjor sliding said worm into and out of operative connection with the armature shaft of said motor.

2'. A mechanism of the class describedv comprising a driving element, a movable driven element in axial alignment there' with, a fixed driven element disposed at an angle and operatively connected with said movable driven element, a bearing for said movable driven element comprising a ball race disposed in a substantially oil-tight sleeve, and means for slidin said bearing to' carry said element into an out of operar tive connection with said driving element. tt

3. A clutch mechanism for vacuum cleaners having a rotatable brush and an electric motor7 comprising a rotatable driven ele- ;ment movable into and out of operative connection with said motor, akiotatable element ball race disposed in a. substantially oiltight sleeve, and means for moving said 10 bearing to move said driven elements into and out of operative connection with said motor.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 27 th day of April, A. D., 1920.

- CHARLES E. REDDIG.

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