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US 5,362,293 AGranted
Drive clutch for a centrifuge rotor
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorWilliam A. Romanauskas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clutch assembly for a centrifuge rotor includes at least one pair of complementary clutch elements each operatively associated with the rotor. Each element in the pair is preloaded into contact with the drive shaft. A torque applied to the shaft in either a first or second direction about an axis of rotation is transmitted from the drive shaft to the rotor through one of the clutch elements.
Claims1
A centrifuge rotor mountable to a drive shaft, the rotor having a lower surface thereon, the rotor comprising:
- a housing secured to lower surface of the rotor;
- a clutch assembly disposed within the housing, the clutch assembly comprising at least one pair of complementary clutch elements each operatively associated with the rotor,
- each clutch element being a generally elongated flexible spring member formed integrally with the housing, the clutch elements being arranged in a generally V-shaped configuration, when mounted on the shaft the resiliency of each clutch element in the pair preloaded it into contact with the drive shaft,
- application of torque in a respective first or second direction bringing a respective one of the clutch elements into wedged engagement with the drive shaft and with the rotor whereby torque is transmitted to the rotor,
- each of the clutch elements flexing in response to body forces imposed thereon to disengage from the shaft when the rotor reaches a predetermined operating speed.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.