Rotary coupler with shaft misalignment and overtravel tolerance
OwnerGeorge J. Colling, Dale A. Muellerinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mechanical rotary coupler for first and second coral shafts having slotted ends proximate one another, the coupler being formed of an elongated blade of resilient material longitudinally slit and folded on itself transverse to the slit to provide first and second resilient V-shaped strips connected by bridging portions at the ends of the blade, the strips respectively being adapted to engage the slots in the ends of the first and second shafts at regions on the strips spaced from the bridging portions.
Claims13
A mechanical coupler for rotational coupling of first and second coaxial shafts, each shaft having a slotted end proximate the slotted end of the other shaft, comprising:
- an elongated blade of resilient material having first and second ends, said blade being divided by a longitudinal slit into first and second strips connected together by bridging means, said blade further being folded into a V-shape having first and second segments which extend from an intermediate bight to the first and second ends of said blade respectively, a least the first segment having a shaft engaging region spaced from the bridging means and formed to engage shafts to be coupled so as to be retained in a predetermined position relative thereto.
A mechanical system for transmitting torque about an axis, comprising:
- first and second shafts substantially aligned with an axis, each of said first and second shafts having an end proximate an end of the other shaft, said ends of said first and second shafts having slots therein generally in a plane containing the axis;
- and
- a coupler connecting said first and second shafts, said coupler being formed of resilient material in the configuration of an elongated blade folded on itself along a line parallel with the axis and having a slit therethrough which extends from the line of the fold toward the ends of the blade to provide first and second folded strips respectively extending through the slots in said first and second shafts, the first and second strips being joined by a portion of said blade spaced from said first and second shafts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.