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US 4,227,661 AGranted
Latching mechanism and winding apparatus including same
OwnerWilliam King, Edward Kinginventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention provides a latching mechanism including a pawl, a ratchet wheel having a recess engageable with the pawl to restrict rotation of the wheel in one direction and cam means associated with the wheel and operative on rotation thereof in said one direction to urge the pawl away from the recess. The pawl is biased solely by gravity to move toward the recess whereby to enable engagement in said recess. The gravity bias acting on the pawl will be insufficient to cause the pawl to be in a position to engage said recess when the angular velocity of the wheel is in excess of a predetermined latching velocity. The latching mechanism may be used in a winding apparatus for hose.
Claims28
A latching mechanism comprising:
- a stationary support means;
- a pawl mounted on said support means for pivotally moving a tooth portion thereof in a generally vertical plane;
- and
- a ratchet wheel rotatably mounted on said support member and lying in said generally vertical plane, said rachet wheel having a least one recess on the periphery thereof and being mounted on said support means adjacent said pawl so that the tooth of the latter is pivotally biased solely by gravity into contact with the periphery of said wheel and into engagement with said recess to restrict rotation of said wheel in one direction, said recess being formed by a pair of peripherally spaced straight flanks terminating at the bottom of said recess, one of said flanks comprising a trailing flank in said one direction of rotation which slants angularly inward against said one direction of rotation at an angle of about 15.degree..+-.5.degree. with respect to a radius passing equidistantly between said flanks at their bottom terminii to provide a surface capturing said pawl in said recess when said pawl engages said recess, said ratchet wheel having an outwardly extending cam means limited to a predetermined portion of the periphery of said ratchet wheel immediately ahead of said recess in said one direction of rotation, said cam means being contactable by said pawl for providing pivotal movement to said pawl opposite to that obtained by the gravity bias, said cam means being preceded by a peripheral portion of said ratchet wheel having a generally constant radius,
- said tooth portion of said pawl being formed to engage said trailing flank of said recess for being captured therein, the amount of the pivotal movement of the pawl upon contacting said cam means being responsive to the angular velocity of said wheel in said one direction and being such that said gravity bias acting on said pawl will be insufficient to cause said pawl to engage said tooth when the velocity of said wheel is in excess of a predetermined latching speed.
2 more elements
A hose winding device including:
- a stationary frame;
- a reel rotatably mounted on said frame for holding, paying out, and winding in a hose;
- means biasing said reel in a direction of rotation which winds in the hose;
- and
- a latching mechanism comprising:
- a stationary support means coupled to said frame:
- a pawl mounted on said support means for pivotally moving a tooth portion thereof in a generally vertical plane;
- and
- a ratchet wheel rotatably mounted on said reel and lying in said generally vertical plane, said ratchet wheel having at least one recess on the periphery thereof and being mounted on said reel adjacent said pawl so that the tooth of the latter is pivotally biased solely by gravity into contact with the periphery of said wheel and into engagement with said recess to restrict rotation of said wheel in the wind in direction, said recess being formed by a pair of peripherally spaced straight flanks terminating at the botom of said recess, one of said flanks comprising a trailing flank in said wind in direction of rotation which slants angularly inwrd against said wind in direction of rotation at an angle of about 15.degree..+-.5.degree. with respect to a radius passing equidistantly between said flanks at their bottom terminii to provide a surface capturing said pawl in said recess when said pawl engages said recess, said ratchet wheel having an outwardly extending cam means limited to a predetermined portion of the periphery of said ratchet wheel immediately ahead of said recess in said wind in direction of rotation, said cam means being contactable by said pawl for providing pivotal movement to said pawl opposite to that obtained by the gravity bias, said cam means being preceded by a peripheral portion of said ratchet wheel having a generally constant radius,
- said tooth portion of said pawl being formed to engage said trailing flank of said recess for being captured therein, the amount of the pivotal movement of the pawl upon contacting said cam means being responsive to the angular velocity of said wheel in said one direction and being such that said gravity bias acting on said pawl will be insufficient to cause said pawl to engage said tooth when the velocity of said wheel is in excess of a predetermined latching speed.
7 more elements
The hose winding device as claimed in claim 19 wherein said recess occupies a smaller peripheral portion than said cam means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.