Internal overload clutch assembly

A substantially enclosed overload clutch assembly for connecting rotating and rotatable members together during normal operation and for disconnecting the rotating and rotatable members when a maximum predetermined torque is exceeded, said rotatable member being rotatably mounted within an enclosed housing and having output means extending outside of said housing for performing prescribed mechanical operations, said rotating member being rotatably mounted upon said rotatable member in said housing, and being operatively connected to a power source for predetermined rotational movement thereof, said rotating member including a series of roller gears mounted upon a hub and with said roller gears being incrementally indexed by an indexing cam incorporated within said power source, said enclosed overload clutch assembly being mounted for cooperation with said rotating and rotatable members within said housing and including drive and driven means, said drive means being attached to said hub ad said driven means being attached to said rotatable member, said rotatable member comprising an elongated shaft and said clutch assembly being mounted on said elongated shaft, said roller gear hub mounted upon said elongated shaft and disposed for relative rotation thereon upon clutch disconnection, said drive means including a first annular collar means attached to said hub of the rotating member, and also rotatably mounted on said elongated shaft, said driven means including a second annular collar means attached to said rotatable member and mounted on said elongated shaft, axially shiftable detent means adjacent the second annular collar means and coupling said drive means and driven means together during normal operation to allow the rotating member to simultaneously turn the rotatable member, said axially shiftable detent means also uncoupling said drive and driven means from one another when the output means of said rotatable member encounters an excessive predetermined torque in performing the prescribed mechanical operations outside of said housing, said first annular collar means of said drive means including detent seats which engage and receive the detent means, resilient means normally biasing and holding said detent means within the cooperating detent seats, and said elongated shaft being rotatably supported at opposite ends thereof by bearing means which provide opposing angular bearing support to said elongated shaft as rotatably mounted within the enclosed housing.