Magnetic clutch and brake assembly
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsAnsell W. Palmer, Francis J. Stevens
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A positive acting magnetic clutch and brake assembly characterized by including a movable, magnetic member provided with two sets of detents arranged respectively on its opposing outer surfaces. The member is alternately shiftable into either a brake position, in engagement with a braking post mounted to engage one of the sets of detents, or to a drive position in which a reciprocally mounted mechanical dog is engaged with the other set of detents in a non-slip driving coupling between the magnetic member and a clutch assembly. A reciprocal mounting arrangement for the dog enables the magnetic member to be moved into driving contact with the clutch assembly before the dog becomes positively engaged with any of the detents on the magnetic member.
Claims10
A magnetic clutch and brake assembly for positively braking and driving a rotatable gear comprising:
- (a) a solenoid coil mounted in spaced relationship to said rotatable gear;
- (b) a shaft positioned within said solenoid coil;
- (c) a magnetic member reciprocally and rotatably mounted on said shaft in continuous meshing engagement with said rotatable gear;
- (d) first and second sets of detents positioned, respectively, on opposite ends of said magnetic member;
- (e) a brake post mounted in cooperating relationship with said first set of detents, whereby a portion of said brake post, with reciprocal and rotatable movement of said magnetic member, may be positioned within an aligned detent of said first set to provide positive braking of said magnetic member when said magnetic member is moved into contact with said brake post;
- (f) a clutch idler gear assembly mounted on said shaft with one end thereof positioned to come into frictional contact with the end of said magnetic member having said second set of detents positioned thereon, to thereby rotate said magnetic member;
- (g) a dog of magnetizable material mounted for limited axial movement on said shaft between said magnetic member and said clutch idler assembly, said dog being in continuous sliding engagement with said clutch idler gear assembly and said dog further being continuously biased toward said magnetic member under the influence of the magnetic field produced by said magnetic member, wherein said dog includes a tooth portion which may enter at least one aligned detent of said second set of detents to thereby provide a positive driving coupling between said magnetic member and said clutch idler gear assembly while said magnetic member is in frictional contact with said clutch idler gear assembly and being rotated thereby;
- (h) means for selectively energizing said solenoid coil to move said magnetic member between said brake post and said idler gear assembly to thereby alternatively brake said rotatable gear or couple said rotatable gear in driving relationship to said clutch idler gear.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.