Winch assembly with anti-fallback clutch
AssigneeCaterpillar Tractor Co.
InventorRichard G. Davenport
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A winch assembly (11) comprises a rotary input shaft (15) connected to a pair of first and second gears (21,22) for rotating the gears in opposite directions. First and second friction clutches (23,24) are adapted to selectively connect a rotary output shaft (20) with the first and second gears, respectively, for establishing a drive connection from the input shaft to the output shaft during the reel-out (RO) and reel-in (RI) modes of operation of the winch assembly. An overrunning one-way clutch (33) is interconnected between the first and second gears for normally permitting the gears to rotate in opposite directions, but will lock-up when a torque load imposed on the output shaft during the reel-in mode of operation exceeds the input torque to the winch assembly by the input shaft.
Claims8
A winch assembly (11) comprising:
- a rotary input shaft (15),
- a rotary output shaft (20),
- a pair of first (21) and second (22) gear means rotatably mounted on said output shaft and connected to said input shaft for rotating in first and second opposite directions, respectively, upon rotation of said input shaft,
- first (23) and second (24) clutch means for selectively connecting said output shaft to said first and second gear means, respectively, for establishing drive from said input shaft to said output shaft to rotate said output shaft in said first or second direction, respectively, and
- means (33) interconnected between said first and second gear means (1) for permitting said first and second gear means to rotate in said opposite directions when said first clutch means is actuated to rotate said output shaft in said first direction, and (2) for normally permitting said first and second gear means to rotate in said opposite directions when said second clutch means is actuated to rotate said output shaft in said second direction, but for preventing said first and second gear means from rotating in said opposite directions when a torque load imposed on said output shaft tending to rotate said output shaft in said first direction exceeds a torque load imposed on said input shaft tending to rotate said second gear means in said second direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.