Inching drive

An inching drive unit for a clutch/brake unit, said clutch/brake unit having a main housing with an interior portion and a main motor shaft operably associated with said main housing, said inching drive unit comprising:

• inching motor means for driving said inching drive unit, said inching motor means having an inching motor drive shaft extending therefrom;
• a second housing secured to said inching motor means and to said main housing, said inching motor drive shaft of said inching motor means extending into said second housing;
• a rotatable member disposed within said second housing and extending into said main housing;
• an annular member rotatably communicating with said inching motor drive shaft and said rotatable member;
• brake means disposed within said second housing and operatively associated with said inching motor drive shaft including first friction disc means fixedly disposed within said second housing adjacent to said annular member and first friction plate means secured to said annular member and engageable with said first friction disc means;
• clutch means disposed adjacent to said main motor shaft within said main housing including second friction plate means and second friction disc means operably associated with said second friction plate means and engageable therewith;
• and
• means for selectively engaging said clutch means comprising a first piston means nonrotatably secured within a piston chamber located within the interior portion of said main housing, movement of said first piston means within said piston chamber being operatively dependent upon pressurization of a region of said piston chamber, said second friction plate means and said second friction disc means engageable by movement of said first piston means, said means for selectively engaging said clutch means permitting said inching motor means to drive said main motor shaft when said brake means is disengaged, said clutch means further able to prevent rotation of said main motor shaft when said brake means is engaged.

An inching drive unit for a clutch/brake unit for driving a main motor, said main motor haviing a main motor shaft operatively associated with said clutch/brake unit, said inching drive unit comprising:

• an inching motor for selectively rotating said main motor shaft, said inching motor having an inching motor drive shaft able to cause said main motor shaft to rotate;
• a housing secured to said inching motor and removably secured to said clutch/brake unit, said inching motor drive shaft extending into said housing;
• pneumatically controlled brake means for selectively restricting the rotation of said inching motor drive shaft, said brake means disposed within said housing and including a first pneumatically actuated piston means oriented to cause selective engagement of said brake means;
• pneumatically controlled clutch means for selectively causing rotation of said main motor shaft by said inching motor drive shaft when said brake means is pneumatically disengaged, said clutch means including a second pneumatically actuated piston means oriented to cause selective engagement of said clutch means;
• and
• gear means for allowing said main motor shaft to be driven by said inching motor when said brake means is pneumatically disengaged and said clutch means is engaged, said gear means further able to restrict rotation of said main motor shaft when said brake means is engaged and said clutch means is engaged said gear means including first and second gears, said first gear driven by said inching motor drive shaft and mechanically communicating with said second gear, said second gear able to selectively drive said main motor shaft.