Shaft decoupling device
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsW. Aleck Loker, Jon L. Bortzfield, Steven D. Chard, John W. Hall, John T. Meredith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A shaft decoupler wherein driving and driven components having grooved fles are keyed together by rollers held in the grooves by lands between recesses of a retaining assembly that normally rotates with the mentioned components and is momentarily arrested to allow the driving and driven components to advance the roller carrying grooves to alignment with the recesses to effect decoupling. The decoupler is characterized by the use of high strength plastic rollers, cooperating indexing elements to limit relative rotation between the driving component and the retaining assembly, and a solid lubricant filled plastic thrust and journal bearing.
Claims12
A rotary shaft decoupling device comprising:
- a driving component having a plurality of equally spaced, axially extending peripheral first grooves;
- a driven component disposed in axial alignment with said driving component and having a like plurality of equally spaced, axially extending peripheral second grooves;
- a like plurality of rollers disposed in said grooves in spanning relation between said driving and driven components so as to key said components together for common rotation;
- retaining means encircling said rollers and components and operative in a first relative rotative position between said grooves and said retaining means to hold said rollers in said grooves;
- said retaining means being operative in a second relative rotative position between said grooves and said retaining means to release said rollers from said grooves;
- first indexing means for yieldably connecting said retaining means to said driving component for rotation therewith in said first relative rotative position;
- yieldable stop means for arresting rotation of said retaining means and causing said first indexing means to yield to continued rotation of said driving and driven components, whereby said grooves are advanced in rotation relative to said retaining means into said second position;
- second indexing means, responsive to obtaining of said second relative rotative position, for causing said stop means to yield and said retaining means to again rotate with said driving component;
- and
- said rollers being characterized as being formed of a synthetic plastic materials.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.