Coupling with two clutches, especially for looms

A coupling apparatus, especially for a loom, said apparatus comprising:

• a housing;
• a driving shaft mounted in said housing and rotatable about an axis of rotation;
• a driven shaft coaxial with said driving shaft, said driven shaft being mounted in said housing and being formed with a flange extending radially therefrom, said driving and driven shafts extending oppositely beyond said housing and being aligned;
• a first clutch, said first clutch being formed with a first rotor coaxial with said driving shaft and rigidly connected thereto, said first rotor being provided with a first annular groove,
• a first annular electromagnet rigidly attached to said housing for producing electromagnetic force, said first electromagnet having an end spaced from said housing and inner and outer sides, said first electromagnet being received by said first annular groove and enclosing said inner and outer sides and said end of said first electromagnet, so that said first rotor and said first electromagnet define an air gap of a constant width all along said sides and said end, and
• an axially movable first annular armature rotatably fixed on said first rotor, said first annular armature being coaxial with said driving shaft and being connected by a first annular resilient means with said first rotor for providing continuous torsional connection of said first armature with said first rotor;
• a second clutch provided with a second rotor coaxial with said driven shaft, said second rotor being rotatably mounted on but axially fixed on said driven shaft and being formed with a second annular groove, said second clutch including:
• a second electromagnet fixedly attached to said housing, said second electromagnet being received in said second annular groove and having an end and inner and outer sides enclosed by said second annular groove so that said inner and outer sides and said end of said second electromagnet define another air gap of a constant width with said second rotor, and
• a second annular armature axially shiftable between said second rotor and said flange and coaxial with said driven shaft, said second armature being keyed on said flange, said second armature being provided with second annular resilient means connecting said flange with said second armature, so that said second armature shifts axially without play upon the energizing said second electromagnet;
• coupling means on said axially movable first armature, said second armature, said flange and said second rotor for successive engaging - disengaging operations therebetween, so that upon energization of said first electromagnet, said axially movable first armature is disengaged from said flange, disengaging said driving and said driven shafts and upon energization of said second electromagnet said second armature is connected to said second rotor for reversed independent rotation of said driven shaft.