Coupling and control assembly having an internal latching mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10968964-B2
Application number	US-201916589243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2019
Priority date	Oct 4, 2018
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

A coupling and control assembly includes an internal latching mechanism to hold a support member and a coupling member together in position so that the support member and the second coupling member rotate together without using any energy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A coupling and control assembly comprising:
first and second coupling members supported for rotation relative to one another about a common rotational axis, the first and second coupling members including coupling first and second faces, respectively, in close-spaced opposition with one another, the second coupling member having a third face spaced from the second face, the second face having a pocket, the first face having a set of locking formations and the third face having a passage in communication with the pocket;
a locking member received within the pocket in an uncoupling position and pivoting outwardly from the pocket to a coupling position in engagement with one of the locking formations; the locking member controlling the operating mode of the assembly, the passage communicating an actuating force to actuate the locking member within the pocket so that the locking member moves between the coupling and the uncoupling positions;
an actuator received within the passage to provide the actuating force;
a support member to support the actuator and being mounted for controlled shifting movement relative to the second coupling member between a first position that corresponds to a first mode of the assembly and a second position which corresponds to a second mode of the assembly; and
a latching mechanism to hold the support member and the second coupling member together in the second position so that the support member and the second coupling member rotate together without using any energy.

2. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the latching mechanism holds the support member in the first position.

3. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one biasing member to exert a biasing force on the support member wherein a control force is applied to the support member to cause the support member to move from its first position to its second position against the biasing force of the at least one biasing member and wherein, in the absence of the control force, the at least one biasing member moves the support member from its second position back to its first position.

4. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the latching mechanism is a magnetic latching mechanism.

5. The assembly as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the magnetic latching mechanism is located between the second coupling member and the support member.

6. The assembly as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the magnetic latching mechanism includes a first set of permanent magnets supported on the support member to move therewith and a second set of permanent magnets supported on the second coupling member to move therewith, the first and second sets of magnets holding the support member and the second coupling member together in the second position.

7. The assembly as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the magnetic latching mechanism includes a set of permanent magnets and wherein at least portions of the second coupling member have a relative magnetic permeability greater than 1, the set of magnets and the portions of the second coupling member holding the support member and the second coupling member together in the second position.

8. The assembly as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising a generally round retaining structure that is received by an annular groove in one of the coupling members to retain the assembly together while allowing the shifting movement of the support member and wherein at least portions of the retaining structure have a relative magnetic permeability greater than 1, the set of magnets and the portions of the retaining structure holding the retaining structure and the second coupling member together in the first position.

9. The assembly as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the retaining structure comprises a snap ring.

10. The assembly as claimed in claim 7 , wherein at least one of the portions of the second coupling member comprises one or more ferromagnetic materials.

11. The assembly as claimed in claim 7 , wherein at least one of the portions of the second coupling member comprises one or more ferromagnetic materials wherein at least one of the portions of the second coupling member comprises one or more soft magnetic sintered materials.

12. The assembly as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the relative magnetic permeability is greater than 10.

13. The assembly as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the relative magnetic permeability is greater than about 100.

14. The assembly as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the relative magnetic permeability is greater than about 1,000.

15. The assembly as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the relative magnetic permeability is greater than about 10,000.

16. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and third faces are oriented to face axially in a first direction along the rotational axis and the second face is oriented to face axially in a second direction opposite the first direction along the rotational axis.

17. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking member is a locking strut which prevents relative rotation of the first and second coupling members with respect to each other in at least one direction about the rotational axis.

18. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a biasing member that biases the locking member against pivotal motion of the locking member towards the coupling position wherein the actuation force pivots the locking member against the bias of the biasing member.

19. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first, second and third faces are generally annular and generally extend radially with respect to the rotational axis.

20. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking member is seesaw-shaped.

21. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the actuator is a spring actuator.

22. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the support member comprises an apply plate, the first coupling member comprises a notch plate and the second coupling member comprises a pocket plate.

23. A coupling and control assembly comprising:
first and second coupling members supported for rotation relative to one another about a common rotational axis, the first and second coupling members including coupling first and second faces, respectively, in close-spaced opposition with one another, the second coupling member having a third face spaced from the second face, the second face having a plurality of pockets, the first face having a set of locking formations and the third face having a plurality of passages in communication with their respective pockets;
a locking member received within each of the pockets in an uncoupling position and pivoting outwardly from its respective pocket to a coupling position in engagement with one of the locking formations; the locking members controlling the operating mode of the assembly, the passages communicating actuating forces to actuate their respective locking members within the pockets so that the locking members move between their coupling and the uncoupling positions;
an actuator received within each of the passages to provide the actuating forces;
a support member to support the actuators and being mounted for controlled shifting movement relative to the second coupling member between a first position that corresponds to a first mode of the assembly and a second position which corresponds to a second mode of the assembly; and
a latching mechanism to hold the support member and the second coupling membe

Assignees

• Means Ind Inc

Inventors

• Hand Joshua D

Classifications

• F16D41/14

  the effective stroke of the pawl being adjustable · CPC title

• F16D47/02

  of which at least one is a coupling · CPC title

• F16D47/04

  of which at least one is a freewheel (F16D47/02, F16D47/06 take precedence; freewheels combined with a clutch to lock the driving and driven members of the freewheel F16D41/04, F16D41/26) · CPC title

• F16D41/125 Primary

  the pawl movement having an axial component · CPC title

• F16D2129/065

  Permanent magnets · CPC title