Clutch for providing intermittent rotary output from a source of continuous rotary power

Claim 2

A clutch for providing intermittent rotary output from a source of continuous rotary power comprising: a. fixed support structure; b. an input drum connected to said source of continuous rotary power and supported for rotation by said fixed support structure; c. an output drum supported for rotation relative to said input drum; d. detent means coacting with said input drum and output drum to intermittently engage said outer drum with said input drum aNd cause conjoined rotary movement of the output drum and input drum; e. brake means coacting with the output drum upon rotation thereof to arrest rotation of the latter after limited rotary movement of the output drum; f. said torque means including means for rotatively disengaging said input drum and the output drum upon cessation of rotation of the output drum by said brake means and thereby permitting said input drum to rotate relative to the output drum.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said detent comprises a first stop means carried by said input drum and a second stop means carried by the output drum, at least one of said first and second stop means being resiliently movable relative to the other to permit relative rotative movement between the input and output drums when rotation of the latter is stopped.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first stop means is a plunger carried in the input drum for radial reciprocative movement and resiliently biased outwardly relative to the input drum.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said second stop means is a radially inwardly extending abutment projecting into the path of rotation of said first stop means.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first stop means is a bowed leaf spring element secured at one end to the input drum.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first stop means is a rolling element carried in an orbital path by the input drum.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said second stop means is a resilient leaf element disposed within the path of orbital travel of said rolling element.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said brake means comprises a coil spring extending to surround at least a portion of said output drum and a braking surface on said fixed support structure to grip said input drum portion and the braking surface when in the braked condition of operation.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein one-way clutch means is interposed between the output drum and an output driven member so that reverse rotation of the latter is prevented when the torsional force stored in the coil spring is released.

Claim 11

A clutch connected to a source of continuous rotary power comprising: a. a fixed support structure; b. an input drum connected for continuous rotation to a source of rotary power and supported for rotation by said fixed support structure; c. an output drum supported for rotation and coaxially surrounding said input drum; d. said fixed support structure having a first braking surface portion; e. said output drum having a second braking surface adjacent to the first braking surface; f. a coil spring overlying said first and second braking surfaces; g. said end portions of said coil spring being connected with said first and second braking surfaces to be energized by rotation of said output drum to effect contraction of the other coils of said coil spring on said first and second braking surfaces to arrest rotation of the output drum; h. detent means coacting with said input drum and said output drum to effect in one operative position engagement of said input drum and output drum and cause thereby rotative movement of the otuput drum until such movement energizes the coil spring to arrest the rotative movement of the output drum and, in another position of operation upon cessation of rotation of said output drum, rotatively disengage said input and output drums so that the input drum is permitted to rotate relative to the input drum; i. a driven output member supported for rotation adjacent said output drum; and j. one-way clutch means disposed between said output drum and driven output member to effect conjoined rotation of the output drum and driven output member when the output drum is rotated by the input drum and permit rotation of the output drum in the opposite direction under the stored torsional force in the coil spring without transmission of such opposite rotation to said driven output member.

Claim 12

A clutch connected to a source of continuous rotary power comprising: a. a fixed support structure; b. an input drum connected for continuous rotation to a source of rotary power and supported for rotation by said fixed support structure; c. an output drum supported for rotation and coaxially surrounding said input drum; d. said fixed support structure having a first braking surface portion; e. said output drum having a second braking surface adjacent to the first braking surface; f. a coil spring overlying said first and second braking surfaces; g. said end portions of said coil spring being connected with said first and second braking surfaces to be energized by rotation of said output drum to effect contraction of the other coils of said coil spring on said first and second braking surfaces to arrest rotation of the output drum; h. detent means coacting with said input drum and said output drum to effect in one operative position engagement of said input drum and output drum and cause thereby rotative movement of the otuput drum until such movement energizes the coil spring to arrest the rotative movement of the output drum and, in another position of operation upon cessation of rotation of said output drum, rotatively disengage said input and output drums so that the input drum is permitted to rotate relative to the input drum; i. a driven output member supported for rotation adjacent said output drum; and j. one-way clutch means disposed between said output drum and driven output member to effect conjoined rotation of the output drum and driven output member when the output drum is rotated by the input drum and permit rotation of the output drum in the opposite direction under the stored torsional force in the coil spring without transmission of such opposite rotation to said driven output member.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said opposite end portions of the coil springs are preloaded to be in interference fits with the first and second braking surfaces.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said first and second braking surfaces have reduced diameter portions to form annular surfaces spaced from the other coils of the coil spring and which annular surfaces are gripped by such other coils when the coil spring is energized.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said detent means is a spring loaded pin carried radially in said input drum and extending therefrom and coacting with an abutment carried by the output drum in the path of travel of said pin.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said detent means is a resilient member coacting with an abutment member, the members being carried by said input and output drums in rotative alignment so as to engage each other upon rotation of said input drum.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said resilient member is a flat-deformed leaf spring element secured at one end portion and free at the opposite end portion.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said detent means is a resilient flat-deformed lead spring coacting with a roller, the leaf spring and roller being carried by said input and output drums in rotative paths of each other so as to come into engagement upon rotation of the input drum.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein a control sleeve is disposed to overlie the coil spring and wherein the spring is connected at one end to said sleeve so that when said control sleeve is held against rotation energization of the coil spring is prevented and thereby prevents braking and provides continuous rotation of the output drum.