Clutch controlled drive mechanism

Claim 2

A clutch controlled drive mechanism including housing means, input shaft means rotatably supported by said housing means, output shaft means rotatably supported by said housing means in coaxial relation with said input shaft means and having a section fixed against axial movement, means for establishing direct coupling of said input and output shaft means and permitting a limited degree of relative rotative movement thereof, clutch means in said housing comprising a plurality of adjacently positioned clutch discs and a spring biased pressure member directed against said clutch discs for locking said input and output shaft means against rotation with respect to said housing, alternate clutch discs being mounted in said housing against rotational movement and other of said clutch discs being mounted on said axially fixed section of said output shaft means, and cam means operable as an incident to the limited degree of relative rotative movement experienced by said input and output shaft means for overcoming the locking effectiveness of said clutch means.

Claim 3

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cam means is operable as an incident to the limited degree of rotative movement experienced by the input shaft means.

Claim 4

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the directly coupled portions of the input and output shaft means, the clutch means, and the cam means are enclosed as a self-contained unit within said housing, one extremity of said input shaft means projects outwardly of said housing, and one extremity of said output shaft means projects outwardly of said housing.

Claim 5

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing means is provided with means for attaching the housing in a fixed position to a support means.

Claim 6

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing includes a detachable cover plate.

Claim 7

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the clutch means includes spring means for maintaining the locking effectiveness thereof.

Claim 8

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the clutch means includes a plurality of adjacently positioned clutch discs and yieldable means for urging said discs toward said output shaft means into frictional engagement with each other.

Claim 9

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the clutch means includes a plurality of disc members and a plurality of annularly disposed coil springs for urging said disc members toward said output shaft means into frictional engagement.

Claim 10

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the clutch means includes a plurality of disc members, certain of which are secured against rotation along their outer peripheries, and certain others are interlocked along their inner peripheries with the output shaft means.

Claim 11

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the clutch means includes annular pressure plate means, spring means for urging said annular pressure plate means axially, and the cam means is in the form of an annular cam device interlocked along its outer margin with the inner margin of said annular pressure plate means.

Claim 12

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for establishing direct coupling of said input and output shaft means comprises interlocking lug and slot means in which the slot has a circumferential width greater than the circumferential width of the lug means to permit limited relative rotation between the input and output shaft means.

Claim 13

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 11, wherein the cam means includes cam surfaces on the input shaft means spaced circumferentially from said lug means.

Claim 14

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 11, wherein said lug means includes diametrically disposed lug and slot means, and the cam means includes diametrically disposed cam surfaces associated with the input shaft means and an annular cam device having diametrically disposed cam surfaces cooperatively positioned with respect to said first mentioned diametrically disposed cam surfaces.

Claim 15

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing means is formed with a plurality of longitudinal splines along an inner periphery, and the clutch means includes a plurality of disc members having outer peripheral teeth meshing with said splines whereby to secure said clutch disc members against rotation with respect to said housing.

Claim 16

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 14, wherein the clutch means also includes a plurality of annular disc members having internal peripheral teeth, and the output shaft means is provided with a plurality of external longitudinal splines meshing with said internal disc teeth.

Claim 17

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cam means includes an axially shiftable annular cam device associated with said input shaft means, and abutment means for limiting the extent to which said annular cam device may be axially shifted with respect to said input shaft means.

Claim 18

A clutch controlled drive mechanism including a housing, input shaft means rotatably supported by said housing, output shaft means rotatably supported by said housing in coaxial relation with said input shaft means and having a section fixed against axial movement, companion interlocking lug and slot means for establishing direct coupling of said input and said output shaft means the circumferential width of the slot being sufficiently greater than the circumferential width of a companion lug to permit a limited degree of relative rotative movement of said input and output shaft means, clutch means in said housing for locking said output shaft means against rotation with respect to said housing, said clutch means including a plurality of annular clutch discs, certain of which are secured against relative rotation with respect to the housing and certain others of which are interlocked with said axially fixed section of the output shaft means, said housing including pressure plate spring means, annular pressure plate means interposed between the clutch disc means and said pressure plate spring means for urging said pressure plate means toward said clutch disc means, cam means operable as an incident to the limited degree of relative rotative movement experienced by said input and output shaft means, and means responsive to said cam means for urging said pressure plate means in a direction opposed to the force exerted by said spring means for overcoming the locking effectiveness of said clutch means.

Claim 19

A clutch controlled drive mechanism including a housing, input shaft means rotatably supported by said housing, output shaft means rotatably supported by said housing in coaxial relation with said input shaft means and having a section fixed against axial movement, companion interlocking lug and slot means for establishing direct coupling of said input and said output shaft means the circumferential width of the slot being sufficiently greater than the circumferential width of a companion lug to permit a limited degree of relative rotative movement of said input and output shaft means, clutch means in said housing for locking said output shaft means against rotation with respect to said housing, said clutch means including a plurality of annular clutch discs, certain of which are secured against relative rotation with respect to the housing and certain others of which are interlocked with said axially fixed section of the output shaft means, said housing including pressure plate spring means, annular pressure plate means interposed between the clutch disc means and said pressure plate spring means for urging said pressure plate means toward said clutch disc means, cam means operable as an incident to the limited degree of relative rotative movement experienced by said input and output shaft means, and means responsive to said cam means for urging said pressure plate means in a direction opposed to the force exerted by said spring means for overcoming the locking effectiveness of said clutch means.

Claim 20

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 17, wherein the housing includes longitudinal splines, interlocking with external clutch disc teeth for securing said discs against relAtive rotation with respect to the housing.

Claim 21

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 17, wherein the cam means includes cam surface means on the input shaft means and coacting cam surface means on an axially re-shiftable annular cam device coupled with the means for urging the pressure plate means in a direction opposed to the force exerted by the spring means.

Claim 22

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 18, wherein the axially shiftable annular cam device is peripherally coupled with said pressure plate means.

Claim 23

A clutch controlled drive mechanism as set forth in claim 17, wherein the clutch means includes annularly disposed anti-friction bearing means disposed on opposite sides of said adjacently positioned clutch discs.