One-way pawl clutch with backlash reduction means and without biasing means
First Claim
1. A one-way clutch mechanism comprising a driving ring, a driven ring, and a pawl ring, wherein the said three rings are coaxial and the driven ring is disposed between the driving ring and the pawl ring;
- and furthermore, the mechanism comprises a generally L-shaped pawl comprising an arm, a corner, and a stem, where the free end of the pawl stem is pivoted to the pawl ring in such a way that the pawl arm is disposed between the driving ring and the driven ring;
and furthermore, the driven ring, on one surface facing the driving ring, comprises an engaging means for receiving the free end of the pawl arm;
and furthermore, the driving ring and the pawl arm are operatively coupled so as to facilitate two distinct modes of operation;
namely, the freewheeling mode and the engagement mode;
where, in the freewheeling mode, the said coupling acts in such a way that rotation of the driving ring in a first rotational direction causes the free end of the pawl arm to move toward the driving ring until the pawl arm contacts the driving ring, at which point the driving ring, the pawl, and the pawl ring rotate in unison in the same direction without affecting the driven ring;
and where, in the engagement mode, the said coupling acts in such a way that rotation of the driving ring in a second rotational direction causes the free end of the pawl arm to move away from the driving ring until the pawl arm contacts the driven ring, at which point additional rotation of the driving ring in the same direction maintains the said contact until the pawl arm is fully engaged with the engaging means on the driven ring, from which point the entire mechanism rotates in unison in the same direction;
and evidently, while in freewheeling mode, the pawl is not biased toward maintaining contact with the driven ring and hence does not ratchet against the driven ring.
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Accused Products
Abstract
One-way clutches primarily employ a driving ring, a driven ring, and a number of identical connectors. The driving ring and the driven ring are rotationally detached, are coaxial, and are configured to house the connectors between them. In one rotational direction, the connectors engage the driving and the driven rings, causing them to rotate in unison. In the opposite rotational direction, the connectors disengage the driving and the driven rings, causing them to freewheel. All existing one-way clutches are aided by means that bias the connectors toward engagement, introducing noise, wear, and heat while freewheeling. Additionally, existing one-way clutches that utilize relatively more efficient pawls as connectors, undergo relatively more backlash from freewheeling to engagement, introducing operational imprecision. The one-way clutch in the present invention utilizes pawls for maximum mechanical efficiency. Furthermore, this invention does not require any biasing means, and its backlash can be reduced to any desirable degree.
8 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A one-way clutch mechanism comprising a driving ring, a driven ring, and a pawl ring, wherein the said three rings are coaxial and the driven ring is disposed between the driving ring and the pawl ring;
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and furthermore, the mechanism comprises a generally L-shaped pawl comprising an arm, a corner, and a stem, where the free end of the pawl stem is pivoted to the pawl ring in such a way that the pawl arm is disposed between the driving ring and the driven ring; and furthermore, the driven ring, on one surface facing the driving ring, comprises an engaging means for receiving the free end of the pawl arm; and furthermore, the driving ring and the pawl arm are operatively coupled so as to facilitate two distinct modes of operation;
namely, the freewheeling mode and the engagement mode;where, in the freewheeling mode, the said coupling acts in such a way that rotation of the driving ring in a first rotational direction causes the free end of the pawl arm to move toward the driving ring until the pawl arm contacts the driving ring, at which point the driving ring, the pawl, and the pawl ring rotate in unison in the same direction without affecting the driven ring; and where, in the engagement mode, the said coupling acts in such a way that rotation of the driving ring in a second rotational direction causes the free end of the pawl arm to move away from the driving ring until the pawl arm contacts the driven ring, at which point additional rotation of the driving ring in the same direction maintains the said contact until the pawl arm is fully engaged with the engaging means on the driven ring, from which point the entire mechanism rotates in unison in the same direction; and evidently, while in freewheeling mode, the pawl is not biased toward maintaining contact with the driven ring and hence does not ratchet against the driven ring. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification