Centrifugal clutch

Abstract

A centrifugal clutch includes a housing which is rotatable about an axis, the housing having a plurality of first supporting areas which each extend radially with respect to the axis; a pressing plate which is axially movable with respect to the housing and is coupled to the housing for rotation about the axis; and a supporting element which is axially movable on an actuation path with respect to the housing, the supporting element having a plurality of second supporting areas which each extend radially with respect to the axis, each second support area being separated from a respective first support area by an axial distance which decreases with radial distance from the axis. A plurality of centrifugal members are supported between respective pairs of first and second support areas, each the centrifugal member being radially displaceable by centrifugal force along the respective pair of support areas to exert force in a clutch engaging direction along a force transmission path between the supporting element and the pressing plate. An actuation force transmission arrangement in the force transmission path between the supporting element and the pressing plate exerts an actuation force on the supporting element in a clutch releasing direction, the actuation force increasing as the supporting element is increasingly adjusted in the clutch engaging direction, the actuation force having a gradient, with respect to the actuation path, which decreases in the clutch engaging direction.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.