Centrifugal clutch
First Claim
1. A centrifugal clutch for hand-guided, portable, motor-driven apparatus including chain saws or the like, the centrifugal clutch comprising:
- a carrier adapted to be rotatably driven by the motor of the apparatus;
a clutch drum disposed in surrounding relationship to said carrier;
at least two centrifugal weights disposed within said clutch drum and mounted on said carrier;
resilient means for resiliently biasing said weights radially inwardly toward said carrier so as to hold said weights in a rest position whereat said weights are disengaged from said drum up to a first rotational speed of said carrier; and
,pivot connection means for pivotally connecting said weights to said carrier to permit a pivoting movement of said weights into contact engagement with said drum for transmitting torque thereto from said carrier at rotational speeds higher than said first rotational speed;
said resilient means including springs connecting respective ones of said weights to said carrier;
said pivot means comprising two articulated joints corresponding to respective ones of said weights, each one of said articulated joints including mutually engageable joint parts of which one joint part is insertable into the other joint part;
each of said springs including first holding means for connecting the spring to the centrifugal weight corresponding thereto and second holding means for connecting the spring to the carrier;
said first holding means including;
a pin formed on said weight; and
, appendage means formed on said spring and having aperture means formed therein, said appendage means being resilient so as to permit elastically deforming the same by pressing said appendage means over said pin thereby causing the latter to engage said aperture means as said appendage means snaps into place over said pin.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A centrifugal clutch has a carrier and at least two centrifugal weights which are each connected to the carrier by means of at least one spring. These centrifugal weights are pivotally mounted on the carrier and are preloaded radially inwardly with respect to the carrier by means of the springs. In this way, the centrifugal weights have a defined pivot axis so that they can pivotally move from their rest position to the coupling position when the rotational speed exceeds a predetermined speed above no-load speed. By preloading the centrifugal weights, the latter are prevented from pivoting outwardly at speeds below no-load speed so that the centrifugal weights do not strike the clutch drum at rotational speeds beneath a predetermined value.
19 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A centrifugal clutch for hand-guided, portable, motor-driven apparatus including chain saws or the like, the centrifugal clutch comprising:
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a carrier adapted to be rotatably driven by the motor of the apparatus; a clutch drum disposed in surrounding relationship to said carrier; at least two centrifugal weights disposed within said clutch drum and mounted on said carrier; resilient means for resiliently biasing said weights radially inwardly toward said carrier so as to hold said weights in a rest position whereat said weights are disengaged from said drum up to a first rotational speed of said carrier; and
,pivot connection means for pivotally connecting said weights to said carrier to permit a pivoting movement of said weights into contact engagement with said drum for transmitting torque thereto from said carrier at rotational speeds higher than said first rotational speed; said resilient means including springs connecting respective ones of said weights to said carrier; said pivot means comprising two articulated joints corresponding to respective ones of said weights, each one of said articulated joints including mutually engageable joint parts of which one joint part is insertable into the other joint part; each of said springs including first holding means for connecting the spring to the centrifugal weight corresponding thereto and second holding means for connecting the spring to the carrier; said first holding means including;
a pin formed on said weight; and
, appendage means formed on said spring and having aperture means formed therein, said appendage means being resilient so as to permit elastically deforming the same by pressing said appendage means over said pin thereby causing the latter to engage said aperture means as said appendage means snaps into place over said pin. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A centrifugal clutch for hand-guided, portable, motor-driven apparatus including chain saws or the like, the centrifugal clutch comprising:
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a carrier adapted to be rotatably driven by the motor of the apparatus; a clutch drum disposed in surrounding relationship to said carrier; at least two centrifugal weights disposed within said clutch drum and mounted on said carrier; resilient means for resiliently biasing said weights radially inwardly toward said carrier so as to hold said weights in a rest position whereat said weights are disengaged from said drum up to a first rotational speed of said carrier; and
,pivot connection means for pivotally connecting said weights to said carrier to permit a pivoting movement of said weights into contact engagement with said drum for transmitting torque thereto from said carrier at rotational speeds higher than said first rotational speed; said resilient means including springs connecting repective ones of said weights to said carrier; said pivot means comprising two articulated joints corresponding to respective ones of said weights, each one of said articulated joints including mutually engageable joint parts of which one joint part is insertable into the other joint part; each of said springs including first holding means for connecting the spring to the centrifugal weight corresponding thereto and second holding means for connecting the spring to the carrier; said first holding means including;
pin means formed on the weight; and
, a pair of mutually parallel holding appendages formed on said spring and having respective insert openings for engaging said pin means, said appendages being resilient so as to permit pressing said appendages elastically apart so that said pin means engages said insert openings when said appendages are pressed onto said pin means. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
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8. A centrifugal clutch for hand-guided, portable, motor-driven apparatus including chain saws or the like, the centrifugal clutch comprising:
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a carrier adapted to be rotatably driven by the motor of the apparatus; a clutch drum disposed in surrounding relationship to said carrier; at least two centrifugal weights disposed within said clutch drum and mounted on said carrier; resilient means for resiliently biasing said weights radially inwardly toward said carrier so as to hold said weights in a rest position whereat said weights are disengaged from said drum up to a first rotational speed of said carrier; and
,pivot connection means for pivotally connecting said weights to said carrier to permit a pivoting movement of said weights into contact engagement with said drum for transmitting torque thereto from said carrier at rotational speeds higher than said first rotational speed; said resilient means including springs connecting respective ones of said weights to said carrier; said pivot means comprising two articulated joints corresponding to respective ones of said weights, each one of said articulated joints including mutually engageable joint parts of which one joint part is insertable into the other joint part; each of said springs including first holding means for connecting the spring to the centrifugal weight corresponding thereto and second holding means for connecting the spring to the carrier; said carrier having a hub and at least two carrier arms, said carrier arms corresponding to respective ones of said weights, said carrier arms extending approximately radially from said hub for accommodating said pivot connection means; each of said second holding means including;
an outer projection extending from a corresponding one of said carrier arms; and
, a J-shaped end portion formed on one end of the spring, said J-shaped end portion defining a hook for engaging said outer projection thereby connecting the spring to the carrier arm. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A centrifugal clutch for hand-guided, portable, motor-driven apparatus including chain saws or the like, the centrifugal clutch comprising:
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a carrier adapted to be rotatably driven by the motor of the apparatus; a clutch drum disposed in surrounding relationship to said carrier; at least two centrifugal weights disposed within said clutch drum and mounted on said carrier; resilient means for resiliently biasing said weights radially inwardly toward said carrier so as to hold said weights in a rest position whereat said weights are disengaged from said drum up to a first rotational speed of said carrier; and
,pivot connection means for pivotally connecting said weights to said carrier to permit a pivoting movement of said weights into contact engagement with said drum for transmitting torque thereto from said carrier at rotational speeds higher than said first rotational speed; said resilient means including springs connecting respective ones of said weights to said carrier; said pivot means comprising two articulated joints corresponding to respective ones of said weights, each one of said articulated joints including mutually engageable joint parts of which one joint part is insertable into the other joint part; each of said springs including first holding means for connecting the spring to the centrifugal weight corresponding thereto and second holding means for connecting the spring to the carrier; each of said springs further including third holding means for securing the spring axially with respect to said carrier; and
,said second holding means being adapted to also axially secure the centrifugal weight corresponding to the spring.
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15. A centrifugal clutch for hand-guided, portable, motor-driven apparatus including chain saws or the like, the centrifugal clutch comprising:
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a carrier adapted to be rotatably driven by the motor of the apparatus; a clutch drum disposed in surrounding relationship to said carrier; at least two centrifugal weights disposed within said clutch drum and mounted on said carrier; resilient means for resiliently biasing said weights radially inwardly toward said carrier so as to hold said weights in a rest position whereat said weights are disengaged from said drum up to a first rotational speed of said carrier; and
,pivot connection means for pivotally connecting said weights to said carrier to permit a pivoting movement of said weights into contact engagement with said drum for transmitting torque thereto from said carrier at rotational speeds higher than said first rotational speed; said resilient means including springs connecting respective ones of said weights to said carrier; said pivot means comprising two articulated joints corresponding to respective ones of said weights, each one of said articulated joints including mutually engageable joint parts of which one joint part is insertable into the other joint part; each of said springs including first holding means for connecting the spring to the centrifugal weight corresponding thereto and second holding means for connecting the spring to the carrier; each of said springs further including third holding means for securing the spring axially with respect to said carrier; and
,each of said springs having two ends and a mid region disposed therebetween, said first holding means being located at one of the ends of the spring and said second holding means being located at the other one of the ends of the spring, said third holding means being disposed at the mid region of the spring. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A centrifugal clutch for hand-guided, portable, motor-driven apparatus including chain saws or the like, the centrifugal clutch comprising:
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a carrier adapted to be rotatably driven by the motor of the apparatus; a clutch drum disposed in surrounding relationship to said carrier; at least two centrifugal weights disposed within said clutch drum and mounted on said carrier; resilient means for resiliently biasing said weights radially inwardly toward said carrier so as to hold said weights in a rest position whereat said weights are disengaged from said drum up to a first rotational speed of said carrier; and
,pivot connection means for pivotally connecting said weights to said carrier to permit a pivoting movement of said weights into contact engagement with said drum for transmitting torque thereto from said carrier at rotational speeds higher than said first rotational speed; said resilient means including springs connecting respective ones of said weights to said carrier; said pivot means comprising two articulated joints corresponding to respective ones of said weights, each one of said articulated joints including mutually engageable joint parts of which one joint part is insertable into the other joint part; each of said springs including first holding means for connecting the spring to the centrifugal weight corresponding thereto and second holding means for connecting the spring to the carrier; said carrier having a hub and at least two carrier arms, said carrier arms corresponding to respective ones of said weights and being of like configuration, said carrier arms extending approximately radially from said hub, each of said arms having an inner projection and a mid projection extending transversely therefrom for conjointly defining said other joint part of a corresponding one of said articulated joints. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification