Electrically powered or manually driven clutch and brake assembly for electric winch

• US 5,573,091 A
• Filed: 12/09/1994
• Issued: 11/12/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael Hung
• Original Assignee: Michael Hung
• Inventors: Hung, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): WELLINGTON, ANDREA L
• Application Number:
  US08/352,517
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 192/12 D, 192/12 R, 192/17 R, 192/19, 74/413, 74/421 R, 254/323, 254/346, 254/347, 254/350, 254/356, 254/375, 254/362
• US Class Current: 192/12.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B66D 1/16 the drums or barrels being freely rotatable , e.g. having a clutch activated independently of a brake B66D1/20, B66D1/22, B66D1/24 take precedence; clutches activated alternately with brakes B66D1/14, slip couplings B66D1/14
• CPC Class Codes: B66D 5/22 with axial effect
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19679 Spur

Abstract

Electrically powered or manually driven clutch and brake mechanism for an electric wince cooperate with a transmission mechanism. The clutch mechanism is provided with a thrust bearing on a clutch shaft and a large clutch gear is then inserted thereon. A lining plate is attached to a clutch plate of the large gear and a pinion gear is attached tightly to the lining plate. Another thrust bearing is placed behind the pinion gear and a compression spring is inserted on the clutch shaft. The large and the pinion gears can be pushed tightly together or loosened as a function of resiliency of the spring. A clutch hand wheel can be provided for manual operation. In addition, the brake mechanism is designed such that a rotating shaft of a motor is provided with a disc brake which has a unidirectional bearing. The disc brake can be squeezed tightly by disc pads. A heavy load can thus be pulled by a cable of the wince, either manually or driven by power, and a braking force can be generated to prevent the heavy load from sliding in a reverse direction.

Claims

1. An electrically powered or manually operable clutch and brake assembly for an electric winch, said assembly comprising:

a mounting base;

a motor mounted on said mounting base and having a rotatable output shaft having thereon a gear;

a reel shaft mounted on said mounting base;

a clutch mechanism including a clutch shaft mounted on said mounting base, a large clutch gear mounted on said clutch shaft and meshing with said gear on said motor output shaft, said large clutch gear having a clutch plate with a lining plate, a clutch pinion gear mounted on said clutch shaft, a clutch hand wheel adjustably mounted on said clutch shaft, and a compression spring positioned between said clutch pinion gear and said clutch hand wheel and urging said clutch pinion gear toward said clutch large gear with a compression force that is variable as a function of the relative adjusted position of said clutch hand wheel on said clutch shaft;

a brake mechanism including a brake disc mounted on said motor output shaft by a unidirectional bearing enabling relative rotation between said brake disc and said motor output shaft in a first direction and preventing relative rotation therebetween in an opposite second direction, and brake pads mounted on said mounting base and operable to clamp therebetween opposite sides of said disc brake; and

a transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation of said motor output shaft, via said clutch mechanism, to said reel shaft, said transmission mechanism including a first shaft mounted on said mounting base, a large gear mounted on said first shaft and in meshing engagement with said clutch pinion gear, a pinion gear mounted on said first shaft, a transmission shaft mounted on said mounting base, a transmission gear mounted on said transmission shaft and in meshing engagement with said pinion gear on said first shaft, a transmission pinion gear mounted on said transmission shaft, and a reel gear mounted on said reel shaft and in meshing engagement with said transmission pinion gears

whereby loosening of said clutch hand wheel enables detachment of clutching drive of said clutch pinion gear and interruption of rotation of said reel shaft, and tightening of said clutch hand wheel enables engagement of clutching drive of said clutch pinion gear and transmission of rotation thereof by said transmission mechanism to said reel shaft.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a handle selectively engageable with said first shaft to enable manual rotation thereof and thereby of said reel shaft.