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US 6,112,863 AGranted
Band brake with evenly distributed braking force application
OwnerGregory J. Collettiinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A band brake for selectively holding a rotating element motionless includes means for evenly distributed application of force to the band brake. In some embodiments of the invention ball or roller bearings are used to apply evenly distributed forces to the band brake. In other embodiments of the invention, the band brake has variable thickness and the thicker portions are wedged between a rotating member and some outer member to hold the rotating member motionless. In at least one embodiment, selectively movable pairs of mirror-image ball or roller bearings are used to apply braking force directly to a rotating element.
Claims11
A brake system for stopping rotation of a rotary element, wherein the rotary element has an outer surface, the brake system comprising:
- an outer element having an inner surface which encircles the outer surface of the rotary element, said inner surface of said outer element being spaced apart from the outer surface of the rotary element;
- a brake band positioned intermediate said inner surface of said outer element and the outer surface of the rotary element, said brake band having an inner surface facing the outer surface of the rotary element and an outer surface facing said inner surface of said outer element;
- actuating means for selectively frictionally engaging said brake band to the outer surface of the rotary element;
- and
- means for applying a force having a component normal to the outer surface of the rotary element to said outer surface of said brake band responsive to said brake band frictionally engaging the outer surface of the rotary element, whereby said means for applying a force causes additional braking force to be applied between said brake band and the rotary element in addition to a braking force exerted by said brake band on the rotary element due solely to said actuating means acting to frictionally engage said brake band to the outer surface of the rotary element.
2 more elements
A brake system for stopping rotation of a rotary element, wherein the rotary element has an outer surface, the brake system comprising:
- an outer element having an inner surface which encircles the outer surface of the rotary element, said inner surface of said outer element being spaced apart from the outer surface of the rotary element, said outer element having a plurality of cavities, each of said plurality of cavities having a first ramped portion, a middle portion and a second ramped portion, said first ramped portion decreasing in depth from proximate to said middle portion in a first direction away from said middle portion, said second ramped portion decreasing in depth from proximate to said middle portion in a second direction away from said middle portion, said second direction being opposite to said first direction;
- a first plurality of bearings selected from the group consisting of ball and roller bearings, each of said first plurality of bearings being housed in said first ramped portion of a respective one of said plurality of cavities, each of said first plurality of bearings frictionally engaging the outer surface of the rotary element when each of said first plurality of bearings moves in said first direction;
- a second plurality of bearings selected from the group consisting of ball and roller bearings, each of said second plurality of bearings being housed in said second ramped portion of a respective one of said plurality of cavities, each of said second plurality of bearings frictionally engaging the outer surface of the rotary element when each of said second plurality of bearings moves in said second direction;
- a first plurality of springs each being housed in said first ramped portion of a respective one of said plurality of cavities, each of said first plurality of springs biasing a respective one of said first plurality of bearings in said second direction;
- a second plurality of springs each being housed in said second ramped portion of a respective one of said plurality of cavities, each of said second plurality of springs biasing a respective one of said second plurality of bearings in said first direction;
- a plurality of shoes each provided within a respective one of said plurality of cavities, each of said plurality of shoes being in a disengaged position when located in said middle portion of a respective one of said plurality of cavities, each of said plurality of shoes being slidably movable about its disengaged position;
- and
- a plurality of control levers pivotally supported by said outer element, each of said plurality of control levers engaging a respective one of said plurality of shoes,
- whereby when one of said plurality of control levers is caused to pivot, a respective one of said plurality of shoes is moved from its disengaged position to thereby push a respective one of said first and second pluralities of bearings into frictional engagement with the outer surface of the rotary element.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.