Electromechanical coupling system for preventing a mechanical device from operating beyond preselected operating parameters or control parameters

Claim 2

An electromechanical coupling system for operating a mechanical device within a preselected operating parameter or control parameter, comprising: sensor means operatively adapted to be connected to said mechanical device for sensing changes in a control parameter or an operating parameter thereof and generating control pulses proportional to the parameter sensed; an electronic control unit comprising a control pulse monitor unit having its input connected to the output of the sensor means and a bistable logic unit connected to the output of the monitor unit for producing enabling pulses or signals corresponding to the control pulses received thereat when the mechanical device operates within said preselected operating parameter or control parameter and for suppressing said enabling pulses when the mechanical device operates at or beyond said operating parameter or control parameter; and, coupler means operatively connected between a drive unit and a driven unit of said mechanical device and responsive to said enabling pulses so as to coupled or uncouple said drive unit from said driven unit depending upon whether the enabling pulses are present or suppressed.

Claim 3

A system as claimed in claim 1, in which said coupler is a magnetic coupler comprising: a cylindrical electromagnet having solenoid windings connected to said electronic control unit so as to receive said enabling control pulses, said electromagnet being rigidly located at one end of a non-magnetic cylindrical casing and on its outside being rigidly connected to one of said driven unit and drive unit; a spring-loaded movable piston rod made of a magnetic material and disposed within said cylindrical casing and opposite said electromagnet with the free end thereof remote from said electromagnet extending without said cylindrical casing through a piston rod guide and adapted to be rigidly connected to said drive unit when the electromagnet is connected to the driven unit and the electromagnet is connected to the drive unit.

Claim 4

A system as claimed in claim 1, in which said coupler means is a magnetic rotary clutch comprising: a cylindrical non-magnetic cover having a disc guide adapted to be rotatably connected to one of said driven unit and drive unit by a radial arm; a cylindrical electromagnet rigidly attached to said cover with disc guide so as to rotate therewith and disposed in spaced-apart relationship therewith so as to define a hollow space between the poles of the electromagnet and said cover, the solenoid windings of the electromagnet being connected to said electronic control unit so as to receive the enabling pulses; a magnetic material pole disc rigidly mounted in said hollow space and opposite the poles of the electromagnet on an axial shaft running through an aperture in said cover and disc guide, said axial shaft being rotatably connected to the drive unit when said radial arm is connected to the driven unit and to the driven unit and the radial arm is connected to the drive unit so that said pole disc can rotate about an axis common to the electromagnet and the pole disc and either the drive unit or the driven unit operates; a plurality of depressions in the oppositely disposed faces of the pole disc and the poles of the electromagnet, each depression in said pole disc carrying a steel ball which in one instance, when the electromagnet is energised in the presence of enabling pulses and pulls the disc pole to press thereagainst, engagingly registers with a depression in the poles of the electromagnet so that said pole disc and said electromagnet act as one body, and which in another instance, when the electromagnet is not energised in the absence of enabling pulses and the disc pole is not pressed thereagainst, rolls freely against the face of the poles of the electromagnet so that said pole disc and said electromagnet act independently of each other.

Claim 5

A system as claimed in claim 1, in which said coupler means comprises: a fluid pressure actuated master cylinder having a piston which is spring-loaded and adapted to be connected to one of said drive unit and driven unit; a fluid pressure-actuated slave cylinder having a piston which is spring-loaded and connected to said driven unit when the master cylinder piston is connected to the drive unit, and to the drive unit when the master cylinder piston is connected to the driven unit; the pressure spaces of said master cylinder and said slave cylinder being connected to each other through a pressure pipe and to a fluid reservoir through a connecting pipe fitted with an OPEN-CLOSE valve and through a return flow pipe fitted with a one-way valve allowing fluid flow from said reservoir into the pressure spaces; and, an actuating device for operating said OPEN-CLOSE valve, said actuating device being operatively connected to said electronic control unit so that under the action of the enabling pulses it opens and closes said OPEN-CLOSE valve.

Claim 6

A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said piston of the master cylinder is spring-loaded whereby, in the absence of an external force, said piston retracts to a position at which the volume of the pressure space is maximum, and wherein said piston of said slave cylinder is spring-loaded whereby, in the absence of an external force, said piston retracts to a position at which the volume of said pressure space is minimum.

Claim 7

A system as claimed in claim 1, in which said coupler means comprises: a fluid pressure actuated cylinder having a piston adapted for connection to one of said drive unit and driven unit, and a casing which can be connected to said driven unit when said piston is connected to said drive unit, and to said drive unit when said piston is connected to said driven unit, at least one of said piston and cylinder casing being spring-loaded; the pressure space of said cylinder being connected to a fluid reservoir through a connecting pipe fitted with an OPEN-CLOSE valve and through a return flow pipe fitted with an one-way valve allowing fluid flow only from said fluid reservoir to said pressure space; and an actuating device for operating said OPEN-CLOSE valve, said actuating device being operatively connected to said electronic control unit whereby under the action of the enabling pulses it opens or closes said OPEN-CLOSE valve.

Claim 8

A system as claimed in claim 1, in which said mechanical device is an internal combustion engine vehicle, said drive unit consists of control means of the group of an accelerator pedal and said driven unit is a throttle lever and an injector pump control lever.

Claim 9

A system as claimed in claim 7, in which the operating parameter to be sensed and controlled is the road speed of the vehicle and in which the sensor means is a speed sensor adapted to be coupled to a rotating member of the vehicle whose rotational speed is proportional to the road speed, and said control pulse monitor unit is a conventional frequency monitor unit.

Claim 10

A system as claimed in claim 8, in which said speed sensor comprises a light source and a photosensitive diode and a rotatable shaft carrying an interrupter arm and adapted to interrupt a light beam from said light source to said photosensitive diode, said rotatable shaft being coupled to a rotating member of the vehicle whose rotational speed is proportional to the road speed and the output from said photosensitive diode being connected to said pulse monitor unit.

Claim 11

A system as claimed in claim 8, in which said speed sensor comprises a magnetic yoke pole carrying an input winding which remains continuously energised and an output winding connected to the electronic control unit, a rotatable shaft carrying a slotted disc having teeth matching the yoke ends of the yoke pole, said rotatable shaft being coupled to a rotating member of the vehicle whose rotational speed is proportional to the road speed.

Claim 12

A system as claimed in claim 7, in which the operating parameter to be controlled is the road speed of the vehicle and the control parameter to be sensed is the load on said vehicle; the sensor means being a conventional over-load sensor located on the vehicle such that it can sense that the vehicle is over-loaded and generate corresponding control pulses; and said pulse monitor unit is a conventional frequency monitor unit.

Claim 13

A system as claimed in claim 7, in which the operating parameter to be controlled is the road speed of the vehicle and the control parameter to be sensed is said engine temperature; the sensor means being a conventional temperature sensor able to sense the engine temperature and generate corresponding control pulses; and said pulse monitor unit is a conventional frequency monitor unit.

Claim 14

A system as claimed in claim 7, in which the operating parameter to be controlled is the road speed of the vehicle and the control parameter to be sensed is the oil pressure in said engine; the sensor means being a conventional fluid pressure-sensing device adapted for connection to the engine of the vehicle so as to sense the oil pressure and generate corresponding control pulses; and said pulse monitor unit is a conventional frequency monitor unit.