Blocked jaw clutch assembly
First Claim
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1. A blocked jaw clutch assembly for coupling a gear to a shaft, said assembly comprising:
- first and second jaw clutch members nonrotatably associated with said gear and said shaft, respectively, said second jaw clutch member being axially slidably mounted on said shaft, and resilient means urging said second jaw clutch member in a first axial direction toward said first jaw clutch member, a nondeformable blocker ring carried by said second jaw clutch member for rotation therewith with a predetermined relative rotation therebetween, said blocker ring axially movable relative to said second jaw clutch member in at least one axial direction, said blocker ring operable to tend to rotate with said first jaw clutch member at initiation of clutch engaging operation, said blocker ring and second jaw clutch member each having projections extending therefrom defining an array of interacting projections, said array of interacting projections effective to block relative axial movement of said second clutch member toward said first clutch member if not aligned, said blocker ring having at least one rotational positon relative to said second clutch member wherein said array of projections are aligned and at least one rotational position relative to said second clutch member wherein said array of projections are not aligned, said blocker ring effective to sense nonsynchronous rotation of said clutch members corresponding to blocker ring rotation relative to said second clutch member sufficient to cause a nonalignment of said array of projections to block axial engagement of said clutch members, first stop means coacting between said second jaw clutch member and said shaft for limiting the axial movement of said second jaw clutch member in said first axial direction, said resilient means including spring means resiliently urging said second jaw clutch member against said first stop means, and shift means axially movable with said first jaw clutch member for axially shifting said first jaw clutch member in the other axial direction relative to said shaft from a first axial position wherein said first jaw clutch member is spaced from and out of engagement with said second jaw clutch member to a second axial position wherein said first jaw clutch member is fully axially displaced towards said second jaw clutch member and said jaw clutch members are axially engaged, movement of said first jaw clutch member from said first toward said second axial position while said jaw clutch members are not at synchronous rotation causing said blocker ring to contact said second jaw clutch member and axially displace same in the other axial direction in opposition to the urging of said spring means for creating a resilient clutch engaging force to cause the jaw clutch members to meshingly engage when the speeds thereof are substantially synchronized, said assembly characterized by;
second positive stop means (200,202) limiting axial movement of said second jaw clutch member in the other axial direction to a position whereat, if said arrays are not aligned, said first jaw clutch member and said shift means will be axially stopped intermediate said first and second axial positions thereof.
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Abstract
A blocked jaw clutch assembly (156) having a second positive stop member (200,202) to limit axial movement of a second jaw clutch member (116) away from the first stop member (134) is provided. During initiation of a shifting operation, if the first (164) and second (116) jaw clutch members are not at substantially synchronous rotation, the second stop member will limit axial movement of said first jaw clutch member (108, 164) to a preselect position (FIG. 9B) axially intermediate the neutral axial position (FIG. 9A) and fully engaged axial position (FIG. 9C) thereof.
21 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A blocked jaw clutch assembly for coupling a gear to a shaft, said assembly comprising:
- first and second jaw clutch members nonrotatably associated with said gear and said shaft, respectively, said second jaw clutch member being axially slidably mounted on said shaft, and resilient means urging said second jaw clutch member in a first axial direction toward said first jaw clutch member, a nondeformable blocker ring carried by said second jaw clutch member for rotation therewith with a predetermined relative rotation therebetween, said blocker ring axially movable relative to said second jaw clutch member in at least one axial direction, said blocker ring operable to tend to rotate with said first jaw clutch member at initiation of clutch engaging operation, said blocker ring and second jaw clutch member each having projections extending therefrom defining an array of interacting projections, said array of interacting projections effective to block relative axial movement of said second clutch member toward said first clutch member if not aligned, said blocker ring having at least one rotational positon relative to said second clutch member wherein said array of projections are aligned and at least one rotational position relative to said second clutch member wherein said array of projections are not aligned, said blocker ring effective to sense nonsynchronous rotation of said clutch members corresponding to blocker ring rotation relative to said second clutch member sufficient to cause a nonalignment of said array of projections to block axial engagement of said clutch members, first stop means coacting between said second jaw clutch member and said shaft for limiting the axial movement of said second jaw clutch member in said first axial direction, said resilient means including spring means resiliently urging said second jaw clutch member against said first stop means, and shift means axially movable with said first jaw clutch member for axially shifting said first jaw clutch member in the other axial direction relative to said shaft from a first axial position wherein said first jaw clutch member is spaced from and out of engagement with said second jaw clutch member to a second axial position wherein said first jaw clutch member is fully axially displaced towards said second jaw clutch member and said jaw clutch members are axially engaged, movement of said first jaw clutch member from said first toward said second axial position while said jaw clutch members are not at synchronous rotation causing said blocker ring to contact said second jaw clutch member and axially displace same in the other axial direction in opposition to the urging of said spring means for creating a resilient clutch engaging force to cause the jaw clutch members to meshingly engage when the speeds thereof are substantially synchronized, said assembly characterized by;
second positive stop means (200,202) limiting axial movement of said second jaw clutch member in the other axial direction to a position whereat, if said arrays are not aligned, said first jaw clutch member and said shift means will be axially stopped intermediate said first and second axial positions thereof. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- first and second jaw clutch members nonrotatably associated with said gear and said shaft, respectively, said second jaw clutch member being axially slidably mounted on said shaft, and resilient means urging said second jaw clutch member in a first axial direction toward said first jaw clutch member, a nondeformable blocker ring carried by said second jaw clutch member for rotation therewith with a predetermined relative rotation therebetween, said blocker ring axially movable relative to said second jaw clutch member in at least one axial direction, said blocker ring operable to tend to rotate with said first jaw clutch member at initiation of clutch engaging operation, said blocker ring and second jaw clutch member each having projections extending therefrom defining an array of interacting projections, said array of interacting projections effective to block relative axial movement of said second clutch member toward said first clutch member if not aligned, said blocker ring having at least one rotational positon relative to said second clutch member wherein said array of projections are aligned and at least one rotational position relative to said second clutch member wherein said array of projections are not aligned, said blocker ring effective to sense nonsynchronous rotation of said clutch members corresponding to blocker ring rotation relative to said second clutch member sufficient to cause a nonalignment of said array of projections to block axial engagement of said clutch members, first stop means coacting between said second jaw clutch member and said shaft for limiting the axial movement of said second jaw clutch member in said first axial direction, said resilient means including spring means resiliently urging said second jaw clutch member against said first stop means, and shift means axially movable with said first jaw clutch member for axially shifting said first jaw clutch member in the other axial direction relative to said shaft from a first axial position wherein said first jaw clutch member is spaced from and out of engagement with said second jaw clutch member to a second axial position wherein said first jaw clutch member is fully axially displaced towards said second jaw clutch member and said jaw clutch members are axially engaged, movement of said first jaw clutch member from said first toward said second axial position while said jaw clutch members are not at synchronous rotation causing said blocker ring to contact said second jaw clutch member and axially displace same in the other axial direction in opposition to the urging of said spring means for creating a resilient clutch engaging force to cause the jaw clutch members to meshingly engage when the speeds thereof are substantially synchronized, said assembly characterized by;
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13. A semi-blocked splitter type copound transmission comprising:
- an input component comprising an input shaft, and input gear rotationally fixed to said input shaft, at least one first countershaft carrying a plurality of first countershaft gears constantly meshed with said input gear and a plurality of first mainshaft gears constantly meshed with other of said first countershaft gears;
a connecting component comprising a mainshaft and a plurality of first and second mainshaft clutch members rotationally fixed to said mainshaft, said connecting component independently rotatable of said input component; and an output component comprising an output shaft, an output gear rotationally fixed to said output shaft, at least one second countershaft carrying a plurality of second countershaft gears thereon, one of said second countershaft gears constantly meshed with said output gear and at least one second mainshaft gear constantly meshed with another of said second countershaft gears, said output component independently rotatable of said connecting component. said input gear and first mainshaft gears selectively clutchable one at a time to said mainshaft by nonblocked nonsynchronized clutch means, said output gear and second mainshaft gear selectively clutchable one at a time to said mainshaft by blocked jaw clutch assemblies each comprising a first and second jaw clutch member nonrotatably associated with one of said output and second mainshaft gears; and
said mainshaft, respectively, said second jaw clutch member being axially slidably mounted on said mainshaft, and resilient means urging said second jaw clutch member in a direction toward said first jaw clutch member, a nondeformable blocker ring carried by said second jaw clutch member for rotation therewith with a predetermined relative rotation therebetween, said blocker ring axially movable relative to said second jaw clutch member in at least one axial direction, said blocker ring operable to tend to rotate with said first jaw clutch member at initiation of clutch engaging operation, said blocker ring and second jaw clutch member each having projections extending therefrom defining an array of interacting projections, said array of interacting projections effective to block relative axial movement of said second clutch member toward said first clutch member if not aligned, said blocker ring having at least one rotational position relative to said second clutch member wherein said array of projections are aligned and at least one rotational position relative to said second clutch member wherein said array of projections are not aligned, said blocker ring effective to sense nonsynchronous rotation of said clutch members corresponding to blocker ring rotation relative to said second clutch member sufficient to cause a nonalignment of said array of projections to block axial engagement of said clutch members, first stop means coacting between said second jaw clutch member and said mainshaft for limiting the axial movement of said second jaw clutch member toward said first jaw clutch member, said resilient means including spring means resiliently urging said second jaw clutch member against said first stop means, and shift means for axially shifting said first jaw clutch member relative to said mainshaft from a first axial position wherein said first jaw clutch member is spaced from and out of engagement with said second jaw clutch member to a second axial position relative to said mainshaft wherein said first jaw clutch member is fully axially displaced towards said second jaw clutch member and said jaw clutch members are axially engaged, movement of said first jaw clutch member from said first to said second axial position while said jaw clutch members are not at synchronous rotation causing said blocker ring to contact said second jaw clutch member and axially displace same in opposition to the urging of said spring means for creating a resilient clutch engaging force to cause the jaw clutch members to meshingly engage when the speeds thereof are substantially synchronized, said arrays have complementary ramps thereon which, under a force tending to bias said ramps into axial contact, will tend to cause said arrays to align, said transmission characterized by;said blocked jaw clutch assemblies including second positive stop means (200,
202) limiting axial movement of said second jaw clutch members in the axial direction away from said first stop means to a position whereat, if said arrays are not aligned, said first jaw clutch members and said shift means will be axially stopped intermediate said first and second axial positions thereof. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- an input component comprising an input shaft, and input gear rotationally fixed to said input shaft, at least one first countershaft carrying a plurality of first countershaft gears constantly meshed with said input gear and a plurality of first mainshaft gears constantly meshed with other of said first countershaft gears;
Specification
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Current AssigneeEaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
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Original AssigneeEaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
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InventorsRichards, Elmer A.
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Primary Examiner(s)Wright, Dirk
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Application NumberUS06/837,106Time in Patent Office767 DaysField of Search74/745, 74/339, 74/331, 74/360, 192/53 F, 192/53 EUS Class Current74/339CPC Class CodesF16D 2023/0656 Details of the tooth struct...F16D 2023/0662 Details relating to special...F16D 23/06 and a blocking mechanism pr...Y10T 74/19233 Plurality of counter shaftsY10T 74/19284 Meshing assisters
