Spring clutch
AssigneeSikorsky Aircraft Corporation
InventorYuriy Gmirya
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spring clutch has an arbor, a spring, and a sleeve. The spring at least partially surrounds the arbor and has a first portion coupled to the arbor to confine relative rotation of the first portion and arbor about an axis. The sleeve at least partially surrounds the spring and cooperates with the spring. The cooperation is sufficient so that an initial relative rotation between the arbor and sleeve in a first direction about the axis tends to uncoil the spring and bias the spring into firmer engagement with the sleeve. The cooperation is sufficient such that relative rotation in an opposite direction tends not to uncoil the spring and maintains the clutch in a disengaged condition.
Claims11
A clutch apparatus comprising:
- an arbor having a first end and a second end and having an externally toothed portion;
- a spring, at least partially surrounding the arbor and having an internally toothed portion intermeshed with the arbor externally toothed portion;
- and
- a sleeve, at least partially surrounding the spring and frictionally engaging the spring so that:
- initial relative rotation between the arbor and sleeve in a first direction tends to uncoil the spring and bias the spring into firmer engagement with the sleeve;
- and
- initial relative rotation between the arbor and sleeve in a second direction, opposite the first direction, tends not to uncoil the spring.
A spring clutch apparatus having engaged and disengaged conditions comprising:
- an arbor having a first end and a second end and an axis;
- a spring, at least partially surrounding the arbor and having a first portion coupled to the arbor to confine relative rotation of the first portion and arbor about the axis;
- and
- a sleeve, at least partially surrounding the spring and cooperating with the spring so that:
- initial relative rotation between the arbor and sleeve in a first direction about the axis tends to uncoil the spring and bias the spring into firmer engagement with the sleeve in the engaged condition;
- and
- initial relative rotation between the arbor and sleeve in a second direction, opposite the first direction, tends not to uncoil the spring and maintain the clutch apparatus in the disengaged condition.
A spring comprising:
- a first axial end and a second axial end, a first direction being defined from the first axial end toward the second axial end;
- interior and exterior surfaces;
- a first axial end portion having a plurality of alternating at least partially longitudinal grooves and lands;
- a slot between the interior and exterior portions and having a nonconstant helix angle that, along at least a portion of the spring progressively varies becomes more circumferential in the first direction.
A clutch spring comprising:
- a first axial end and a second axial end, a first direction being defined from the first axial end toward the second axial end;
- interior and exterior surfaces;
- a first portion having interior means for engaging an arbor to transmit rotation from the arbor to the clutch spring;
- and
- a second portion having exterior means for engaging an output sleeve so that:
- said rotation of the arbor in a first direction causes the exterior means to engage the sleeve to transmit said rotation to the sleeve;
- and
- said rotation of the arbor in a second direction, opposite the first direction, causes the exterior means to relatively disengage the sleeve to permit relative rotation of the sleeve and arbor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.