US 5,689,999 AGranted

Adjustable rotary locking and unlocking apparatus

AssigneeGunnell, Inc.

InventorsRobert A. Wiley, Dwight S. Gay, Michael J. Larkin

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Abstract

Apparatus for enabling and disabling relative rotary movements between two members rotatable about a common axis comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced locking pins carried by one of the members and a plurality of circumferentially spaced sockets in the other of the members, the pins and sockets being uniformly spaced from the axis of rotation and each of the sockets being of such size as to accommodate any one of the pins. The number of pins is different from the number of sockets. The angular spacing between adjacent pins is uniform, and the angular spacing between adjacent sockets is uniform, but different from the angular spacing between adjacent pins. The angular spacing between the pins and the sockets defines a ratio which is not a whole integer.

Claims16

Dependent claims

Adjustable rotary locking and unlocking apparatus for respectively disabling and enabling relative rotary movement, said apparatus comprising:

a) a first member having a first hub;
b) a second member having a second hub;
c) means coupling said hubs for relative rotation of said hubs and said members about a common axis;
d) a plurality of arcuately spaced locking pins carried by one of said hubs for movements relative thereto between retracted and projected positions;
e) a plurality of arcuately spaced sockets in the other of said hubs,
f) the spacing and number of said locking pins being different from the spacing and number of said sockets but said locking pins and said sockets being uniformly spaced radially from said axis,
g) each of said sockets being of such size as to accommodate any one of said locking pins,
h) relative rotation of said hubs about said axis enabling different ones but fewer than all of said locking pins to register with said sockets;
i) means for moving any one of said locking pins that is in register with one of said sockets to its projected position in said one of said sockets thereby locking said hubs and said members against relative rotation;
and
j) means for moving any one of said locking pins from its projected position in said one of said sockets to its retracted position thereby unlocking said hubs and said members and enabling relative rotation therebetween.

8 more elements

Adjustable rotary locking and unlocking apparatus for respectively disabling and enabling relative rotary movement, said apparatus comprising:

a) a first member;
b) a second member;
c) means mounting said members for relative rotation about a common axis;
d) a plurality of arcuately spaced locking pins carried by one of said members;
e) a plurality of arcuately spaced sockets in the other of said members,
f) each of said locking pins being of such size as to be accommodated in each of said sockets,
g) the arcuate spacing between adjacent ones of said sockets being different from the arcuate spacing between adjacent ones of said locking pins but each of said sockets and each of said locking pins being equally spaced from said axis,
h) the difference in the spacing and in the number of said locking pins and said sockets being such that in no position of said members are all of said locking pins in register with said sockets;
i) yieldable means biasing said locking pins for movement from a retracted position in which said locking pins are withdrawn from all of said sockets to a projected position in which any one of said locking pins that is in register with one of said sockets may be accommodated therein;
and
j) operating means coupled to all of said locking pins and being operable to move all of said locking pins to said retracted position thereby enabling relative rotation of said members about said axis.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.