Overload disconnect arrangement

Claim 2

In combination a rotary driving member, a rotary driven member, means releasably connecting said members coaxially for rotation in unison such that when the load on the driven member is excessive the members are uncoupled and permitted to rotate relative to one another, means forming an electrical control circuit which when closed is adapted to supply electrical energy for controlling the rotation of the driving member, said circuit including a pair of circumferentially continuous slip rings On one of said members electrically insulated from one another, brush means contacting said slip rings and forming part of said circuit, said one member having a pair of brush elements thereon insulated from one another and electrically connected one with each of said slip rings, said other member having a contact plate thereon which when said members are in a predetermined coupled relation is adapted to bridge said brush elements to close said circuit, said contact plate being dimensioned such that when said members shift circumferentially out of said predetermined coupled relation said contact plate moves out of contact with at least one of said brush elements to thereby open said electrical circuit.

Claim 3

The combination set forth in claim 1 including an insulating ring on said other member concentric with the axis of rotation of said first member, said contact plate being mounted on said insulating ring such that when said members shift circumferentially out of said predetermined coupled relation said brush elements contact said insulating ring.

Claim 4

The combination set forth in claim 1 including an insulating ring on said one member, said slip rings being mounted on said insulating ring.

Claim 5

The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein said brush elements are mounted on said insulating ring.

Claim 6

The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said other member has a radially extending face, an insulating ring mounted on said radially extending face concentric with the axis of rotation of said first member, said contact plate being mounted on said insulating ring whereby when said members shift circumferentially out of said predetermined coupled relation said brush elements contact said insulating ring.

Claim 7

The combination set forth in claim 5 including an insulating ring on said first member concentric with the axis of rotation thereof, said insulating ring having a radially extending face axially juxtaposed to the insulating ring on said other member, said brush elements extending axially through the radial face of the last-mentioned insulating ring.

Claim 8

The combination set forth in claim 1 including an insulating ring on said one member concentric with the axis of rotation thereof, a second insulating ring on the other member juxtaposed to the first insulating ring, said brush elements being mounted on the first insulating ring and said contact plate being mounted on the second insulating ring.

Claim 9

The combination set forth in claim 7 wherein said slip rings are mounted on said first insulating ring.

Claim 10

The combination set forth in claim 8 wherein the second insulating ring lies within the circular path of travel of said brush elements so that the brush elements engage the second insulating ring in response to relative rotation of the two members.

Claim 11

The combination set forth in claim 1 including an insulating ring on said first member concentric with the axis of rotation thereof, said insulating ring having a pair of spaced grooves therein, said slip rings being seated one in each of said grooves.

Claim 12

The combination set forth in claim 10 wherein said insulating ring is disposed around the outer periphery of said first member and wherein said grooves are disposed around the outer periphery of the insulating ring, said grooves being spaced apart axially.

Claim 13

The combination set forth in claim 10 wherein said brush elements are mounted on said insulating ring, said insulating ring having a radially extending face which is axially contiguous to a radially extending face on said other member, said brush elements extending axially through the first-mentioned radial face and said contact plate being mounted on said radial face of the other member in axial registration with the circle defined by the outer ends of said brush elements at the radial face of the insulating ring.

Claim 14

In combination a rotary driving member, a rotary driven member, said members having a pair of radially extending faces which are axially juxtaposed, one of said members having a shaft portion extending coaxially from its radial face, the other member being journaled for rotation on said shaft portion, one of said members having a radially outwardly opening annular groove therein spaced axially from said radial face on said one member and defining a radially outwardly extending flange between one side of said groove and said last-mentioned radial face, a molded ring of insulating material filling said groove, said insulating ring having a plurality of circumferentially spaced, axially extending sockets therein extending to said flange, said flange having a plurality of through bores therein registering axially with said sockets, said radially extending face on said other member having a plurality of sockets therein registering axially with the bores on said flange, means in said bores interengaging said two members to form a driving connection therebetween, spring means in said sockets urging said last-mentioned means into interengaging relation and for enabling said interengaging means to retract in said bores and thereby permit said two members to rotate relative to one another when the force tending to resist rotation of the driven member exceeds a predetermined value, a pair of axially spaced slip rings extending around the outer periphery of said insulating ring, a pair of axially extending brush elements in said insulating ring connected one with each of said slip rings, said radial face of said other member having a contact plate thereon which when the two members are interengaged for driving relation bridges said brush elements to complete a circuit therethrough, said contact plate being dimensioned such that its bridging contact between the two brush elements is broken in response to relative rotation of the two members and means contacting each of said slip rings for completing a circuit to an electrical control means.

Claim 15

In combination a rotary driving member, a rotary driven member, said members having a pair of radially extending faces which are axially juxtaposed, one of said members having a shaft portion extending coaxially from its radial face, the other member being journaled for rotation on said shaft portion, one of said members having a radially outwardly opening annular groove therein spaced axially from said radial face on said one member and defining a radially outwardly extending flange between one side of said groove and said last-mentioned radial face, a molded ring of insulating material filling said groove, said insulating ring having a plurality of circumferentially spaced, axially extending sockets therein extending to said flange, said flange having a plurality of through bores therein registering axially with said sockets, said radially extending face on said other member having a plurality of sockets therein registering axially with the bores on said flange, means in said bores interengaging said two members to form a driving connection therebetween, spring means in said sockets urging said last-mentioned means into interengaging relation and for enabling said interengaging means to retract in said bores and thereby permit said two members to rotate relative to one another when the force tending to resist rotation of the driven member exceeds a predetermined value, a pair of axially spaced slip rings extending around the outer periphery of said insulating ring, a pair of axially extending brush elements in said insulating ring connected one with each of said slip rings, said radial face of said other member having a contact plate thereon which when the two members are interengaged for driving relation bridges said brush elements to complete a circuit therethrough, said contact plate being dimensioned such that its bridging contact between the two brush elements is broken in response to relative rotation of the two members and means contacting each of said slip rings for completing a circuit to an electrical control means.

Claim 16

The combination set forth in claim 13 wherein said brush elements are spaced radially outwardly from said sockets in said insulating ring.

Claim 17

The combination set forth in claim 14 wherein said sockets are spaced radially from the axis of rotation of said members a greater distance than from the outer periphery of said member.

Claim 18

The combination set forth in claim 13 wherein said interengaging means comprise bearing balls, said bearing balls projecting into the sockets of said other member a distance less than the radius of the bearing balls.

Claim 19

The combination set forth in claim 16 wherein the bearing balls extend into the bores in said flange a distance greater than the radius of the bearing balls.

Claim 20

The combination set forth in claim 17 including means defining a radially extending flange at the other side of said groove and means threaded in said flange and bearing against the adjacent ends of the springs for controlling the force with which said springs bear against said balls.

Claim 21

The combination set forth in claim 18 wherein said last-mentioned flange comprises a disc formed separately from said one member and means extending through said two flanges and said annular ring for retaining the annular ring, the last-mentioned flange and said one member in assembled relation.