Overrunning coupling and control assembly including apparatus having a latching mechanism

Apparatus for controlling an overrunning coupling assembly having a first member with a first surface, a second member with a second surface, a control element mounted for controlled shifting movement between the surfaces, and an actuator arm coupled to the control element to shift the control element along a shift direction from a first position which corresponds to a first mode of the coupling assembly to a second position which corresponds to a second mode of the coupling assembly and back to the first position, the apparatus comprising:

• a housing having an outer surface, an inner surface which defines a bore within the housing, a slot which is elongated in a direction substantially parallel to the shift direction and which extends between and fluidly communicates the inner and outer surfaces and a control port which extends between and fluidly communicates the inner and outer surfaces to transmit a control pressure signal into the housing;
• a piston disposed within the bore of the housing and having an outer surface in sliding contact with the inner surface of the housing and a groove formed in the outer surface of the piston to receive and retain a free end portion of the actuator arm therein;
• at least one biasing member disposed within the bore of the housing to exert a biasing force on the piston;
• and
• a latching mechanism to prevent the actuator arm from moving in a first direction substantially parallel to the shift direction within the slot in a locked condition of the mechanism in the first position of the control element, the control pressure signal within the housing changing the condition of the latching mechanism from locked to unlocked to unlock the actuator arm and causing the unlocked actuator arm to move along the first direction within the slot and the control element to move along the shift direction to the second position, the control pressure signal causing the piston to slide within the bore against the biasing force of the at least one biasing member and wherein, in the absence of a control pressure signal, the at least one biasing member moves the piston and thereby the unlocked actuator arm in a second direction opposite the first direction within the slot and the control element along the shift direction from the second position back to the first position to change the condition of the latching mechanism from unlocked to locked to lock the actuator arm.