Shaft guard with magnetic retainer
AssigneeCornell Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorJoseph K. Campbell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A magnetic shaft guard for use with a rotating shaft has a permanent magnet to hold the guard in place on the rotating shaft. Sufficient clearance is present between the shaft and an inner diameter of the guard so that the guard will cease rotation freely relative to the shaft should external contact with the guard occur. The magnet is loosely mounted within a cavity near the tip of the shaft guard so that the magnet is able to cant and thereby adhere better to shafts with tips which are not squarely cut. A spiral or other design may be placed on the guard to visually alert persons in the vicinity that the shaft is rotating.
Claims15
A shaft guard comprising:
- a tubular body for receiving an end of a shaft therein, said tubular body being generally elongate, with a first end, a second end, and an inner diameter, said first end of said tubular body being open for receiving the end of the shaft;
- and
- a magnet disposed at said second end of said tubular body for magnetically adhering said tubular body to the shaft by a magnetic force, said inner diameter of said tubular body being sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the shaft, and said magnetic force being of such a strength, whereby, when said tubular body is positioned on the shaft, and the shaft and said tubular body are rotating, external contact with said tubular body will cause said tubular body to cease rotation while the shaft may continue to rotate.
A shaft guard positionable on an exposed end of a rotatable shaft for providing protection from external contact with the exposed end of the rotatable shaft, said shaft guard comprising:
- an elongate tubular body for placement about the exposed end of the rotatable shaft, said tubular body having an inner diameter and an exterior surface, said tubular body further having a first end and a second end, said first end being generally open for receiving the exposed end of the rotatable shaft, said inner diameter being chosen to provide for a clearance space between said inner diameter of said tubular body and the outer diameter of the rotatable shaft, said clearance space being sufficient to permit said tubular body shaft guard to be held generally stationary on the rotatable shaft while allowing the rotatable shaft to freely rotate within said tubular body;
- and
- a magnet disposed at said second end of said elongate tubular body for releasably magnetically adhering said tubular body to the exposed end of the rotatable shaft, said magnet being sized so as to release said tubular body from magnetic adherence to the shaft end if external contact is made with said tubular body.
A shaft guard for providing protection from an exposed end of a rotating shaft, said shaft guard comprising:
- a tubular body for receiving the shaft therein, said tubular body being generally elongate and having a first end, a second end, and an inner diameter, said first end being generally open for receiving the end of the shaft, said inner diameter being larger than the outer diameter of the shaft;
- and
- a magnet disposed at said second end of said tubular body for magnetically retaining said tubular body on the end of the shaft by a magnetic force, said magnet being loosely mounted in a cavity, whereby said magnet is free to cant at an angle with respect to the axis of said tubular body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.