Title: Fail safe centrifugal clutch

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Claims: What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A fail-safe, velocity-discriminating centrifugal clutch comprising:

a driving assembly coupled to a rotary input shaft;

a biased means in said driving assembly displaceable from a non-motion-transmitting position to a motion-transmitting position at rotational speeds above a predetermined threshold value, said means having a motion-transmitting engagement portion extending from said assembly parallel to said input shaft;

a driven assembly operatively positioned adjacent to said driving assembly and coupled to a rotary output shaft;

a ratchet wheel secured to the output shaft; and

a plurality of upstanding planar elements peripherally positioned on said ratchet wheel and oriented parallel to said rotary input and output shafts for driving contact by the motion-transmitting engagement portion of said biased means in the motion transmitting position of said means to transmit motion from the driving assembly to the driven assembly.

2. The centrifugal clutch of claim 1 wherein said biased means comprises:

a slidable pawl element radially displaceable relative to the input shaft and having a motion-transmitting engagement tang extending parallel to said input shaft for engagement with said planar elements in the motion-transmitting position of said pawl element; and

a pawl spring cooperating with said pawl element to bias said pawl element toward a first non-motion-transmitting position.

3. The centrifugal clutch of claim 2 wherein said pawl element is further displaceable to a second non-motion-transmitting position.

4. The centrifugal clutch of claim 3 wherein said second non-motion-transmitting position is defined by said tang being in the center of said plurality of peripherally positioned, upstanding planar elements.

5. The centrifugal clutch of claim 3 wherein said biased means further comprises:

a second slidable pawl element radially displaceable relative to the input shaft and having a motion-transmitting engagement tang extending parallel to said input shaft for engagement with said planar elements in the motion-transmitting position of said second pawl element; and

a second pawl spring cooperating with said second pawl element to bias said second pawl element into abutting position with said pawl element in a first non-motion-transmitting position.

6. The centrifugal clutch of claim 5 wherein said first non-motion-transmitting position is defined by the tangs of said pawl and said second pawl elements in abutting position approximate the center of said plurality of peripherally positioned, upstanding planar elements.

7. The centrifugal clutch of claim 6 wherein said second nonmotion-transmitting position is defined by the tangs of said pawl and said second pawl elements being positioned outwardly of said plurality of peripherally positioned, upstanding planar elements.

8. The centrifugal clutch of claim 1 wherein said biased means comprises a pair of prestressed torsion spring rotationally displaceable into a motion-transmitting position, each of said springs having a motion-transmitting engagement portion extending parallel to said input shaft for driving engagement with said planar elements.

Other info:

Inventors: O'Steen, James K. (Olney, MD, US)

Application Number: 600660
Filing Date: 1975-07-31
Publication_date: 1977-01-18
Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy (Washington, DC)
Primary Class(es): 192/105BB 192/71, 192/103B, 192/105CF
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

2219883	Oct, 1940	Amtsberg	192/103.
2267334	Dec, 1941	Keller	192/105.
2635476	Apr, 1953	Bucy et al.	192/105.

Other Refs: 849,356

Aug, 1939	FR

Primary Examiner: Wyche, Benjamin W.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Sciascia; R. S., Branning; A. L., Yee; F. K.