Torque limiter for a gun turret
OwnerBen Gagnon, Thomas Gagnoninventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Improvements in a torque limiter that uses a plurality of ball bearings that are retained in a cage. The ball bearings are compressed to create frictional drag on opposing flat plate surfaces. In some military vehicles the gun turret is rotated by personnel turning a crank that rotates the turret. The crank rotates a pinion or chain that turns the rack of the turret. When the turret does not move freely the personnel will typically apply more force that results in damaging the pinion, chain and or the rack. The torque limiter for a gun turret in this application connects between the crank and the drive train to allow the crank to turn without applying excessive torque forces on the pinion, chain and or the rack.
Claims20
A torque limiter for a turret comprising:
- an input shaft having a flat bearing surface located on the opposite side of said input shaft;
- an output shaft that is axially aligned with said input shaft and having a flat bearing surface located on the opposite side of said output shaft;
- a plurality of ball bearing located between said flat surface of said input shaft and said flat surface of said output shaft;
- a ball cage that locates and retains said ball bearing between said flat surface of said input shaft and said flat surface of said output shaft;
- an elongated securing shaft that extends between said flat surface of said input shaft and said flat surface of said output shaft for securing said ball cage;
- said elongated shaft being secured with an adjustment nut whereby said adjustment nut can be adjusted to alter the frictional torque that is transmitted between said input shaft and said output shaft, and
- a securing mechanism that secures said input shaft to said output shaft whereby said input shaft and said output shaft can rotate in synchronous rotation and separately from each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.