US 7,140,480 B2Granted

Centrifugal clutch and cover mount assembly therefor

AssigneeDrussel Wilfley Design, LLC

InventorsDouglas W. Drussel, George Michael Wilfley

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Abstract

A clutch having a plurality of cam members between a cover and pressure plate to move outwardly under centrifugal force and cause the pressure plate to move axially to force a plurality of clutch plates into clutching engagement, a manual override mechanism to lock out the pressure plate to maintain the clutch plates in a disengaged position, and pressure limiting springs prevent shock loads from being imparted to the clutch plates when the plates are advanced into clutching engagement with one another. The clutch housing includes a cover which can be mounted either flush or inset in circumferentially spaced walls of the housing and held in place by a retaining ring inserted into slots in the side walls and is adaptable for use with any type of clutch with or without the manual override mechanism and pressure limiting springs.

Claims12

Dependent claims

In a centrifugal clutch having a transmission shaft, a hub coupled to said shaft, a rotatable driven member in outer spaced concentric relation to said shaft, clutch members mounted for relative axial displacement into and out of engagement with one another between said hub and said shaft, and a pressure plate axially displaceable between a cover and an endmost of said clutch members including means biasing said pressure plate in an axial direction away from said clutch members, the improvement comprising:

at least one row of cam members interposed between said cover and said pressure plate wherein said cam members are movable radially outwardly under centrifugal force to cause said pressure plate to move in a direction causing said clutch members to move into clutching engagement with one another;
an elongated control rod extending centrally of said housing and being axially slidable with respect to said housing;
first means between one end of said control rod and said pressure plate being movable in response to axial movement of said control rod to displace said pressure plate in an axial direction independently of said biasing means;
and
second means for selectively advancing and retracting said control rod whereby to disengage said clutch members independently of said cam members.

2 more elements

A centrifugal clutch comprising:

a housing;
a transmission shaft, a hub coupled to said shaft, a cover, a rotatable driven member in outer spaced concentric relation to said shaft, clutch members mounted for relative axial displacement into and out of engagement with one another between said hub and said housing, and a pressure plate axially displaceable between said cover;
a plurality of cam members interposed between said cover and said pressure plate wherein said cam members are movable radially outwardly under centrifugal force to cause said pressure plate to move in a direction causing said clutch members to move into clutching engagement with one another;
first means between said pressure plate and said cover for retaining said cam members in circumferentially spaced relation to one another whereby to undergo limited radial outward movement at low speeds of rotation to overcome said biasing means and move said clutch members into clutching engagement with one another;
and
second means including a control rod extending centrally of said housing and being axially slidable with respect to said housing, and third means between one end of said control rod and said pressure plate being movable in response to advancement of said control rod to move said pressure plate in a direction causing said clutch members to move out of clutching engagement independently of the speed of rotation of said clutch.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/863,680Filed 8 Jun 2004 · continuation in part
Priority: 7 Jun 2001
Published: US 2004/0238315 A12 Dec 2004
Granted: 28 Nov 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

F16D 43/08
With centrifugal masses actuating axially a movable pressure ring or the like: the pressure ring actuating friction plates, cones or similar…
F16D 23/12
Details of mechanically-actuated clutches not specific for one distinct type: mechanical clutch-actuating mechanisms arranged outside the clutch…
F16D 43/12
The pressure ring actuating friction plates, cones or similar axially-movable friction surfaces: the centrifugal masses acting on, or forming a…
F16D
Couplings for transmitting rotation

Family

Application09/877,518Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 7 Jun 2001
Application10/327,160Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 20 Dec 2002
Application10/791,949Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 2 Mar 2004
US 2004/0238315 A1Pre-grant publication · published 2 Dec 2004
US 6,705,446 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2002/0185355 A1Published application
US 2003/0085096 A1Published application
US 2005/0000775 A1Published application
US 6,814,208 B2Related patent
US 7,014,026 B2Related patent
US 7,140,480 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.