Control mechanism for automotivevehicle clutches and the like

Claim 1

IN AN AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE, A MECHANISM FOR OPERATING A CLUTCH INCLUDING AN ENGINE-CONTROLLED DRIVE MEMBER AND A DRIVEN MEMBER URGED BY SPRING MEANS INTO MUTUAL ENGAGEMENT; SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING A CLUTCH-DISENGAGING ELEMENT ADAPTED TO BEAR UPON ONE OF SAID MEMBERS AGAINST SAID SPRING MEANS, A CLUTCH-OPERATING PEDAL, A LINKAGE CONNECTING SAID ELEMENT WITH SAID PEDAL FOR ENABLING DISENGAGEMENT OF SAID CLUTCH UPON DISPLACEMENT OF SAID PEDAL FROM A NORMAL POSITION, A SERVOMOTOR WITH TWO RELATIVELY DISPLACEABLE BODIES IN SAID LINKAGE, RESILIENT MEANS STRONGER THAN SAID SPRING FORCE TENDING TO MAINTAIN SAID BODIES IN A PREDETERMINED RELATIVE POSITION, LATCH MEANS OPERABLE TO HOLD SAID PEDAL IN AN OFFNORMAL POSITION IN WHICH SAID CLUTCH IS DISENGAGED UPON SAID BODIES OCCUPYING SAID PREDETERMINED RELATIVE POSITION, CENTRIFUGAL CONTROL MEANS RESPONSIVE TO ENGINE SPEED FOR PROGRESSIVELY DISPLACING SAID BODIES FROM SAID PREDETERMINED RELATIVE POSITION IN A SENSE TENDING TO WITHDRAW SAID ELEMENT FROM SAID ONE OF SAID MEMBERS, AND MANUALLY ACTUATABLE MEANS FOR RENDERING SAID LATCH MEANS INEFFECTUAL AND SIMULTANEOUSLY DISABLING SAID CONTROL MEANS.