Torque aided pulsed impact shift mechanism

A shift mechanism and clutch apparatus comprising:

• a main axial shaft;
• a reverse gear freely rotatable about said main shaft, said reverse gear having a clutch face on one side;
• a forward gear freely rotatable about said main shaft, said forward gear having a clutch face on one side, with said clutch faces facing each other;
• a drive gear meshed with said reverse and forward gears for driving said reverse and forward gears in respectively opposite directions of rotation;
• a sleeve member mounted on said main shaft between said reverse and forward gears, said sleeve member having
• a clutch face at each end, each clutch face selectively engageable with one of said clutch faces of said reverse and forward gears, and
• an exterior circumferential groove in said sleeve member between said clutch faces;
• first and second annular rings around facing circumferential edges of respective said reverse and forward gears, each said ring lying in a respective circumferential plane about said main axial shaft and each having an eccentric face surface in its respective said plane;
• shift means for selectively moving said sleeve member axially along said main shaft to a reverse or forward drive position to engage one of said sleeve clutch faces with one of said reverse or forward gear clutch faces, comprising
• yoke means engaging said groove, cam means operatively associated with said yoke means,
• means for actuating said cam means into engagement with said eccentric face surface of said first ring to actuate said yoke means and drive said sleeve member out of engagement with said reverse gear and into engagement with said forward gear with a pulsed impact hammer effect due to said eccentricity of said face surface of said first ring as it rotates in said circumferential plane about said main shaft, and for actuating said cam means into engagement with said eccentric face surface of said second ring to actuate said yoke means and drive said sleeve member out of engagement with said forward gear and into engagement with said reverse gear with a pulsed impact hammer effect due to said eccentricity of said face surface of said second ring as it rotates in said circumferential plane about said main shaft.

A shift mechanism and clutch apparatus comprising:

• a main axial shaft;
• reverse gear means freely rotatable about said main shaft, said reverse gear means having a clutch face on one side;
• forward gear means freely rotatable about said main shaft, said forward gear means having a clutch face on one side, with said clutch faces facing each other;
• a drive gear meshed with said reverse and forward gear means for driving said reverse and forward gear means in respectively opposite directions of rotation;
• a sleeve member mounted on said main shaft between said reverse and forward gear means, said sleeve member having
• a clutch face at each end, each clutch face selectively engageable with one of said clutch faces of said reverse and forward gear means, and
• an exterior circumferential groove in said sleeve member between said clutch faces;
• shift means for selectively moving said sleeve member axially along said shaft to a forward or reverse drive position to engage one of said sleeve clutch faces with one of said reverse or forward gear means clutch faces, comprising
• yoke means engaging said groove,
• first and second cams on opposite sides of said yoke means,
• means for actuating said first cam into engagement with said reverse gear means to actuate said yoke means and drive said sleeve member out of engagement with said reverse gear means and into engagement with said forward gear means, and for actuating said second cam into engagement with said forward gear means to actuate said yoke means and drive said sleeve member out of engagement with said forward gear means and into engagement with said reverse gear means, such that torque applied through said gear means assists clutch disengagement such that requisite shift force decreases as torque increases.