Technical sphere

The invention concerns an automatic centrifugal clutch allowing a smooth transfer of torque and automatic startup of machines and equipment.

Present condition of the equipment

At present, friction centrifugal, hydrodynamic and electromagnetic clutches are most widely used for automatic transfer of torque, putting vehicles in motion and starting up machines. These clutches convenient for a high comfort of setting vehicles in motion or starting up machines.

Hydrodynamic and electromagnetic clutches are inconvenient for their complicated design and higher manufacturing price. The disadvantage of friction centrifugal clutches is the need of friction for transfer of the torque. The operating properties and durability of this equipment depend on the durability of the individual components, i.e. the friction lining or the oil charge.

Principle of the invention

The principle of the invention, i.e. the automatic centrifugal clutch, is based on elasticity of the entire drum on the output driven section and actuation of centrifugal and inertial forces in weights on a rotating carrier or weights located on a rotating drum of the input driving section of the clutch and a carrier with satellites on the output driven section.

When the weights roll inside the drum, the centrifugal forces in the weights are directly transferred to the inner wall of the drum through a mechanism on the carrier.

When these weights rotate outside the drum of the output driven section of the clutch, the centrifugal forces in the weights are transferred through a lever, scissor or another type of carrier mechanism to the satellites, which are rolling along the outer wall of the drum so that the centrifugal forces transform to centripetal forces. The weights are then allowed to change their distance from the rotation axis of the carrier according to the particular design, i.e. a scissor or lever mechanism or eccentric housing of the weights on the carrier's arms, in relation to the change of the drum's perimeter. The elastic drum changes its shape from circular to oval by action of centrifugal forces of the rotating weights on the elastic drum of the output driven section of the clutch directly inside the drum or through an auxiliary mechanism with satellites from the outside. The principle of the interactive action of forces between the driving and the driven section of the centrifugal clutch with an elastic drum is the fact that the elastic drum becomes an oval by action of centrifugal forces on the weights in the circular elastic drum; the resistance between the driving and the driven section of the clutch occurs during the actual deformation of the elastic drum and change of angle of the resulting forces on the drum wall, or potentially with a rising collision between the satellites with a particular distance between their axes and the reduced inner diameter of the drum.

If the weights are located on the drum as the driven section of the clutch, the shape of the elastic drum changes from the basic shape to an oval by centrifugal forces and the carrier with the satellites becomes the driven section of the clutch. In this design, the principle of interactive action of powers lies in the fact that the satellites on the carrier of the output section of the clutch have a constant or slightly variable distance between the axes where the minimum possible distance between the axes together with the sum of the two diameters of the satellites is larger during synchronization of both sections of the clutch than the inner dimension in the narrower part of the drum in the maximum ovality during the drum's rotation.

The automatic centrifugal clutch excels in its reliability, simplicity and thus economy, great efficiency given by application of rolling-resistance force during transfer of the rotary movement, thus eliminating problems with excessive wear or overheating of the given equipment.

Summary of figures in the drawings

Figure No. 1 schematically illustrates the design of the automatic centrifugal clutch with a scissor-lever carrier and with weights and satellites outside the circular elastic drum.

Figure No. 2 schematically illustrates the design of the automatic centrifugal clutch with eccentrically housed weights and incorporated gear inside the circular elastic drum. Figure No. 3 schematically illustrates the design of the automatic centrifugal clutch with eccentrically housed weights and incorporated gear inside the circular elastic drum with an added carrier and satellites.

Figure No. 4 schematically illustrates the design of the automatic centrifugal clutch with eccentrically housed weights and incorporated gear inside a rigidly anchored circular elastic drum with an added carrier and satellites.

Figure No. 5 schematically illustrates the design of the automatic centrifugal clutch with eccentrically housed weights on an elastic drum and a carrier with satellites inside the elastic drum.

Examples of the invention's desi gns

In the first design structure (see Fig. No. 1 ), the automatic centrifugal clutch comprises an input driving section with a carrier 29 and an axially symmetrical scissor-lever mechanism, where two weights 30 and two satellites 32 with a free rotation around the axis are attached together to the carrier 29 so that the scissor mechanism of the carrier 29 allows the weights 30 and the satellites to freely change their distance between the axes in any position of the carrier 29 in a direction away from the rotational axis of the carrier 29, but always in a way that if the weights 30 move away from the rotational axis of the carrier 29, the satellites 32 have an opposite rotation, i.e. to the axis of the carrier 29. Rotation of the carrier 29 thus secures a contact between the outer surface of the satellites 32 and the outer surface of the drum 31 in a variable distance from the rotational axis of the carrier 29 and deformation of the elastic drum 31 from the basic circular shape to an oval. The total weight of the weights 30 is always higher than the total weight of the satellites 32.

The automatic centrifugal clutch in the second design structure (see Fig. No. 2) comprises an input driving section with a carrier 2J_ whose two arms form an angle of 180 degrees. Either arm incorporates a cylindrical weight 22 eccentrically housed with a free rotation around its axis, which is moved by a certain distance from the original axis of the cylindrical shape of the weight 22, thus ensuring a contact of the circumference of the weight 22 with the inner part of the circular drum 13 with a variable shape during rotation of the carrier 21. The inner part with the carrier 2J_ has its rotational axis identical with the rotation axis of the drum J_3 with the output driven section. During rotation of the inner driving section with the earner 2 L the cylindrical weights 22 are rolling inside the drum 13 along its surface with a variable shape (radius). To eliminate slippage between the weights 22 and the drum 13, the weights 22 are fitted with bearings 20 in a way that the axis of the bearing 20 is always identical with the axis of the cylindrical shape of the weight 22. To secure a permanently identical distance between axes of both weights 22 from the rotational axis of the carrier 2Λ, the weights 22 are fitted with a gear 1 : 1 with three cog wheels 23, 24 in a way that two cogs 23 are rigidly connected with the weights 22 and the rotational axes of the weights 22 are identical with axes of these cog wheels 23. The third cog wheel 24 in the mentioned gear is freely housed on the carrier 2J _. and has the rotation axis identical with the rotation axis of the carrier 2J_. Instead of a gear with three cog wheels 23, 24, a gear with sprocket-wheels and a chain or pulleys with a belt can be used.

The automatic centrifugal clutch in the third example (see Fig. No. 3) comprises an input driving section with a carrier 2Λ and two weights 22, an output driven section with a carrier 3 and two round satellites 4, a round elastic drum 2 and a cog gear with cogs 23, 24. The arms of the individual carriers form an angle of 180 degrees. The arms of carrier 2J. on the input driving section eccentrically incorporate cylindrical weights 22 with free rotation around the axis, which is moved by a certain distance from the original axis of the cylindrical shape of the weight 22, thus ensuring a contact between the outer surface of the weight 22 and the inner section of the drum 2 when the radius of the drum changes during rotation of the carrier 2 L The drum 2 is freely rotationally and mechanically independently housed on a common rotation axis with the rotation axis of the carrier 2J. with the weights 22 on the input driving section and the rotation axis of the output driven section with the carrier 3 of the satellites 4. During rotation of the input driving section with the carrier 21_, the cylindrical weights 22 are rolling inside the drum 2 along its surface with a variable shape (radius). To eliminate slippage between the weights 22 and the drum 2, the weights 22 are fitted with bearings 20 in a way that the axis of the bearing 20 is always identical with the axis of the cylindrical shape of the weight 22. To secure a permanently identical distance between axes of both weights 22 from the rotational axis of the carrier 2_1_, the weights 22 are fitted with a gear 1 : 1 with three cog wheels 23, 24 in a way that two cogs 23 are rigidly connected to the weights 22 and the rotation axes of the wei ghts 22 are identical with axes of these cog wheels 23. The third cog wheel 24 in the mentioned gear is freely rotationally housed on the carrier 21 of the input driving section and has the rotation axis identical with the rotation axis of the carrier 2 L Instead of a gear with three cog wheels 23, 24, a gear with sprocket-wheels and a chain or pulleys with a belt can be used. The sum of the two radiuses of the satellite 4 on the carrier 3 in the output driven section of the clutch and the distances or rotation axes of both satellites 4 is smaller or equal to the dimension of the inner diameter of the drum 2 in its basic circular shape before loading.

The automatic centrifugal clutch in the fourth design structure (see Fig. No. 4) comprises an input driving section with a carrier 21 and two weights 22, an output driven section with a carrier 3 and two satellites 4, an elastic drum 5 and a gear with cog wheels 23, 24. The design of the clutch is identical with the third design structure; the difference is in the drum 5, which is not rotationally free, but fixed, without rotation around its axis.

The automatic centrifugal clutch in the fifth design structure (see Fig. No. 5) comprises a carrier 9 with an elastic drum 6 and two weights 7 on the input driving section of the clutch and a carrier 8 with circular satellites 4 on the output driven section where the weights 7 are rigidly housed on the surface of the elastic drum 6, symmetrically facing each other so that the common axis of their centres of gravity runs though the rotational axis of the input and output section of the clutch and the rotational axes of both satellites 4 are identical with the distance from the rotational axis of both carriers 8, 9. The satellites 4 freely rotationally housed on the carrier. The sum of rotational axes of both satellites 4 and two radiuses of satellite 4 on the carrier 8 in the output driven section of the clutch is smaller or equal to the inner diameter of the drum 6 in its basic circular shape before loading.

Application in the industry

The invention can be used as an automatic centrifugal clutch for smooth transfer of torque, setting vehicles in motion and starting up machines and equipment.

List of the marking

2 - drum 20 - bearing

3 - carrier 21 - carrier

4 - satellite 22 - weight

5 - drum 23 - cog wheel

6 - drum 24 - cog wheel

7 - weight 29 - carrier

9 - weight 30 - carrier

13 - drum 31 - drum

32 - satellite