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US 12,359,698 B2Granted
Roller clutch
OwnerBrian Harkerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A locking clutch having an inner race that is rotatable with respect to an outer race. One of the races is cylindrically shaped and rotates adjacent to a race having facets. Rollers are located adjacent to the facets. A cage having fingers may be restrained with respect to the facets to set the starting position of the rollers. The cage may be selectively restrained to determine the direction in which the rollers are wedged to determine a direction that drives the rollers into contact with both races to lock the races with respect to each other. Rotation of the inner race with respect to the outer race in a direction opposite direction is a free rotating direction. The locking clutch is designed to simultaneously engage all of its rollers to evenly distribute the forces amongst them.
Claims17
A locking clutch comprising:
- an inner race rotatable within and respect to an outer race;
- one of said races having a cylindrically shaped surface adjacent to the other of said races;
- said other of said races having a plurality of facets thereon, each said facet being bounded by vertexes and each facet having a midpoint;
- a plurality of rollers located between said races and adjacent to said midpoint of said facets;
- a shifting mechanism including a cage having fingers, said cage being selectively restrained in a first and second position with respect to said other race so that said fingers are selectively restrained with respect to said facets, said fingers shifting said rollers to a first position spaced from midpoints of said facets, rotation of said inner race with respect to said outer race in direction that induces said rollers to roll away from said corresponding midpoints and along said facets to drive said rollers into contact both said races locating said rollers in a second position being a wedging direction, and rotation of said inner race with respect to said outer race in a direction opposite to said wedging direction tending to urge said rollers toward said first position being a free rotating direction, said wedging direction and said free rotating direction being changeable by moving said cage to either of its said first or second positions;
- and
- a portion of said cage being movable from its said first or second position in response to differential movement of said rollers into their said second position.
4 more elements
A locking clutch comprising:
- an inner race rotatable within and respect to an outer race;
- one of said races having a cylindrically shaped surface adjacent to the other of said races;
- said other of said races having a plurality of facets thereon, each said facet being bounded by vertexes and each facet having a midpoint;
- a plurality of rollers located between said races and adjacent to said midpoint of said facets;
- a cage having fingers that are restrained with respect to said other race so that said fingers are restrained with respect to said facets, said fingers holding said rollers in a first position with respect to said midpoints, rotation of said inner race with respect to said outer race in a direction that induces said rollers to roll away from said corresponding midpoints along said facets to drive said rollers into contact with both said races locating said rollers in a second position being a wedging direction, and rotation of said inner race with respect to said outer race in a direction opposite to said wedging direction tending to urge said rollers toward said first position being a free rotating direction;
- and
- a portion of said cage being movable in response to differential movement of said rollers into their said second position.
4 more elements
A locking clutch comprising:
- an inner race rotatable within and respect to an outer race;
- one of said races having a cylindrically shaped surface adjacent to the other of said races;
- said other of said races having a plurality of facets thereon, each said facet being surrounded by vertexes and each facet having a midpoint;
- a plurality of rollers located between said races and adjacent to said midpoint of said facets;
- a cage having fingers, said cage being selectively restrained in a first and second position with respect to said other race so that said fingers are selectively restrained with respect to said facets, said fingers shifting said rollers to a first position spaced from said midpoints of said facets, rotation of said inner race with respect to said outer race in a direction that induces said rollers to roll away from said corresponding midpoints and along said facets to drives aid rollers into contact with both said races locating said rollers in a second position being a wedging direction, and rotation of said inner race with respect to said outer race in a direction opposite to said wedging direction tending to urge said rollers toward said first position being a free rotating direction, said wedging direction and said free rotating direction being changeable by moving said cage to either of its said first or second positions;
- and
- a switch being selectively lockable with respect to said other race and interacting with said cage to form a shifting mechanism, said switch including a shifting spring for biasing at least one of said fingers of said cage into contact with at least one of said rollers, a portion of said cage being movable from its said first or second position in response to differential movement of said rollers into their said second position.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.