US 4,461,460 AGranted

Winch

AssigneeWarn Industries, Inc.

InventorThomas M. Telford

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A winch (10) is powdered by a motor (20) mounted at one end of a drum (12) through a three-stage planetary drive train (26) disposed adjacent the opposite end of the drum (12 ). The drive train (26) includes elongate drive shaft (25) which extends longitudinally through the interior of the drum (12) toward the motor (20). A brake-clutch assembly (24), disposed within the interior of the drum (12) operably interconnects motor (20) and drive shaft (25). The brake-clutch assembly (24) automatically operates in response to the magnitude and direction of the torque being transmitted between motor (20) and drive shaft (25). In operation, the brake-clutch assembly (24) permits the drive shaft (25) to rotate relative to and power the drum (12) to reel in the loaded drum cable and then frictionally locks the drive shaft (25) to the inside diameter of the drum (12) to hold the load on the drum cable when motor (20 ) is stopped. The brake-clutch assembly (24) also frictionally bears against the inside diameter of the drum (12) when motor (20) is operating in the reverse direction to reel out the load attached to the drum cable thereby controlling the rotational speed of the drum (12) to prevent it from overrunning the motor (20).

Claims23

Dependent claims

A winch comprising:

(a) a hollow cable winding drum rotatable about a longitudinal axis;
(b) reversible motor means disposed longitudinally of a first end of said drum;
(c) power transmission means operably connected to said drum and disposed longitudinally of an opposite second end of said drum, said power transmission means including drive shaft means extending longitudinally through the interior of said drum toward said first end of said drum;
(d) brake-clutch means disposed within said drum and operably interconnecting said motor means with said drive shaft means, said brake-clutch means including:
(1) brake means automatically frictionally engageable directly against and disengageable from the inside diameter of said drum in response to the magnitude and direction of the torque load transmitted between said motor means and said drive shaft means;
and
(2) overrunning clutch means disposed between said drive shaft means and said brake means permitting relative rotation between said drive shaft means and said brake means in a first direction and preventing relative rotation between said drive shaft means and said brake means in the opposite direction;
(e) wherein said brake means comprises:
(1) at least one friction ring assembly, said friction ring assembly including a frustoconically-shaped mandrel coupled to said overrunning clutch means, a correspondingly shaped frustoconical expandable friction ring antirotationally coupled to said mandrel, and means for antirotationally coupling said friction ring to said mandrel to prohibit relative rotation while allowing relative longitudinal movement between said friction ring and said mandrel;
and
(2) actuator means responsive to the magnitude and direction of the torque acting on said drive shaft means for expanding said friction ring against the inside diameter of said drum and for contracting said friction ring away from the inside diameter of said drum depending on the magnitude and direction of the torque load transmitted between said motor means and said drive shaft means;
and
(f) wherein said actuator means includes a cam member antirotationally coupled with said motor means, said cam member having an axially facing cam surface, and a cam follower antirotationally coupled with and axially slidable along said drive shaft means, said cam follower coacting with said cam member to:
(1) slide axially toward said friction ring assembly when the torque load is being transmitted between said motor means and said drive shaft in a first direction to thereby urge said friction ring and said mandrel towards each other to expand said friction ring against the inside diameter of said drum means;
and
(2) slide axially away from said friction ring assembly to allow said friction ring and said mandrel to shift longitudinally away from each other thereby to enable said friction ring to contract away from the internal diameter of said drum.

13 more elements

A winch comprising:

(a) a hollow cable winding drum rotatable about a longitudinal axis;
(b) reversible motor means disposed longitudinally of a first end of said drum;
(c) power transmission means operably connected to said drum and disposed longitudinally of an opposite second end of said drum, said power transmission means including drive shaft means extending longitudinally through the interior of said drum toward said first end of said drum;
(d) brake-clutch means disposed within said drum and operably interconnecting said motor means with said drive shaft means, said brake-clutch means including:
(1) brake means automatically frictionally engageable directly against and disengageable from the inside diameter of said drum in response to the magnitude and direction of the torque load transmitted between said motor means and said drive shaft means;
and
(2) overrunning clutch means disposed between said drive shaft means and said brake means permitting relative rotation between said drive shaft means and said brake means in a first direction and preventing relative rotation between said drive shaft means and said brake means in the opposite direction;
(e) wherein said brake means comprises:
(1) at least one friction ring assembly, said friction ring assembly including a frustoconically-shaped mandrel coupled to said overrunning clutch means, a correspondingly shaped frustoconical expandable friction ring antirotationally coupled to said mandrel, and means for antirotationally coupling said friction ring to said mandrel to prohibit relative rotation while allowing relative longitudinal movement between said friction ring and said mandrel;
and p2 (2) brake actuator means responsive to the magnitude and direction of the torque acting on said drive shaft means for expanding said friction ring against the inside diameter of said drum and for contracting said friction ring away from the inside diameter of said drum depending on the magnitude and direction of the torque load transmitted between said motor means and said drive shaft means;
(f) a first support structure rotatably supporting the first end portion of said drum, and a second support structure rotatably supporting the opposite, second end portion of said drum;
(g) a housing mounted on said second support structure to encase portions of said power transmission means;
and
(h) said power transmission means having at least one planetary drive means disposed within said housing, said planetary drive means including a first ring gear, and coupling means rotatable about an axis transverse to said drive shaft means for selectively antirotationally coupling and decoupling said first ring gear to said housing to interconnect said drum to said power transmission means and to disconnect said drum from said power transmission means, respectively.

11 more elements

A winch comprising:

(a) a hollow winding drum having a first end and a second end, said drum being rotatable about a longitudinal axis;
(b) reversible motor means disposed adjacent said first end of said drum;
(c) power transmission means operably connected to said drum and disposed at said second end of said drum, said power transmission means including drive shaft means extending longitudinally through the interior of said drum and operably interconnected to said motor means;
(d) brake means disposed within said drum and operably interconnected with said drive shaft means;
(e) overrunning clutch means operably interconnecting said drive shaft means to said brake means to permit relative rotation between said drive shaft means and said brake means in a first direction and preventing relative rotation between said drive shaft means and said brake means in the opposite direction;
(f) actuating means having a first portion antirotationally fixed to said motor means and a second portion antirotationally fixed to said drive shaft means to transmit torque between said motor means and said brake shaft means, said actuating means actuating said brake means into direct frictional engagement with the interior of said drum in response to the relative direction and magnitude of the torque transmitted between said motor means and said drive shaft means through said actuating means;
(g) wherein said brake means comprises an expandable first portion, and a second portion operably interconnected to said overrunning clutch means and antirotationally connected to said expandable first portion, wherein said brake means first portion includes a split friction ring and said brake means second portion is engageable against the inside diameter of said split friction ring;
(h) said actuating means shifts said brake means first portion relative to said brake means second portion for expanding said brake means first portion against the interior of said drum and contracts said brake means first portion away from the interior of said drum in response to the relative direction and magnitude of the torque transmitted between said motor and said drive shaft through said actuating means;
and
(i) wherein said friction ring is formed from a compound composed of nylon and fiberglass.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.